Space RPGs.

Space RPGs.

Diaspora -- the fate hack, not the distributed social network making the G+ refugee situation a bit more tenable -- has some real inspirational starship building rules.

While I love them, I've always found them to be not quite what I want:
-- starship size is awesome and matters. In Diaspora, there's no size.
-- Tech level is granular. In Diaspora, there are only a few tech levels -- four capable of spaceships, 2 capable of interstellar ships. I'd rather a dozen or two tech levels.
-- The means of intersteller travel is very specific. While it's cool, it's not genre emulative in a meaningful sense. It's closest to The Expanse, but different.

Traveller has starship size and lots of tech levels, but I can never understand if there are points or whatever associated with tech level and size. It's all foggy to me, and there's probably a dozen different systems over the decades. The intersteller travel is much more genre emulative, but also chunky.

So, some thoughts:
1. Keep points-based. Points are cool.
2. Keep increasing points as levels go up, and making shit cheaper as TL goes up. Make this a formula, rather than charts.
3. Get rid of the cap on bonuses. Shit at the high levels is too expensive to buy anyway. This reduces a 2d grid to a 1D grid. Essentially, this becomes a formula.
4. Tone down EW. If we played the rules right, it is the best way to disable other ships, far outclassing torps or beams. That ain't right. Maybe have EW only work in the nearest one or two zones. So it becomes torps at long range, then lasers, then EW. Each has there best range.
5. Modify Trade into three tracks: Cargo, Pax, Message. So the primary ways to stay in the black are to carry stuff, people, or data. Succeed on any of these roles, and the ship keeps flying. Succeed on two, you get statch. Succeed on all three, you get scratch and something real interesting happens. Maybe this is a pick X on a list, whatever. Fail on all, you be fucked. [ I think Trade is interesting! ]
7. Jump capability is interesting, so let's add a Jump track. Higher the jump, the more times you can jump without refueling. In any system, fuel comes back but slow.
8. Emulating fiction suggests spaceships can enter atmo pretty easily at sufficient tech levels, so let's make a stunt for being able to enter atmo.