guide:creating_a_starship [Wandering Star Role Play]

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====== Creating A Starship ======

Starship creation is a great addition to the setting if you have the right idea, and a design vision. If you're trying to create  a vehicle to fill a niche, it might be wise to check the list of existing starships first: **[[/guide/notable_starships]]**.

Keep in mind, this list is not definitive, and only applies to ships which are "Notable", either appearing in RP, or are otherwise known. So you do not have to say a starship is brand new to add it to this list. Only that it has become noteworthy from the thousands of background starships roaming the galaxy either as a class or an individual example.

=== Starship Template ====

Taking a look at the **[[/guide/template/starship]]** is a good way to see what you will need to create a starship class if you have decided that none of the current noteworthy examples met your needs. Starship creation can be as in depth as you wish, however the Template describes what you will probably need at a minimum.

Deciding the role of your starship and how it achieves it is the most important part of its design, allowing the reader to tell at a quick glance through the article while providing more detail should they wish or require it is paramount. Your brief overview should include who's expected to use it, what its overall use is, and any immediately distinguishing features it may have.

Characterizing the ship is first done in single dot points, with more detail following after. Historical context can also be provided if the ship itself or the class has an interesting history or backstory.

Starships in WSO are usually not capable of jumping between systems, but can move within them at decent fractions of the speed of light very efficiently. Usually taking about three days of travel from the edge of a system to the centre, or six to seven days to cross from one side to the other directly through the middle.

For interstellar travel, starships will usually need to either dock or hitch with a jumpship. Jumpships are usually exceptionally large vessels with their own escorts. Due to their mass, the inaccuracies of FTL travel, and the requirements for interstellar travel, they will usually only approach to the edge of the Oort cloud of a system, allowing local traffic to travel towards them for transport. Military jumpships are considered high-value strategic targets, and are often heavily guarded. Civilian operated jumpships are usually less capable, but are efficient and are commonly guarded jealously by their owners who are often government financed.

Starships within WSO can range from roughly ten meters length, to multiple kilometers, depending on their purpose and design. How large and how much crew it needs is generally up to you as long as it's sensible, as for now there are few classifications on class from size.

Weapons in WSO come in great variety. Kinetic weapons are versatile and relatively cheap, but can have difficulty hitting targets at long range. Laser and other directed energy weapons tend to be more expensive, heavier, and require a lot more power to function, often coming at the downside of raw power. Guided weapons tend to be slow, and prone to counters, but are very precise and can overwhelm enemy defenses if fired in numbers, their wide range of payloads make them extremely versatile weapons also.

Lastly, anything you want readers to know OOC information can be added to clear up any misconceptions, or to provide hidden details or spoilers if you so desire.