ULTRA Mini-Contest #1: Mar 20 to Apr 3 [Closed]

[Cralis]

Greetings everyone, welcome to the first of the ULTRA mini-contest series. This contest will run from Mar 20 to Mar 26.

The first contest is: BEST NEW ANOMALY SYSTEM

From Section W5.05 there will be one new anomaly system added, and the submission that is chosen to be added will be this week's winner. The submitter will also have his or her name put into the rules as a contributor.

Parameters:
1. Must be a believable natural anomaly.
2. Must be "stand alone" and not require changes to other rules (it can, however, supersede normal section W processes)
3. Must be 1-2 paragraphs in length, and cannot require a chart or graphic to explain.

If we need to make clarifications we will update this post.

[Club]

Sand nebula

This system is full of fine, incredibly abrasive particulate. Any turn a Units other than PDC is stationed in or passing through this system it must pay double maintenance this turn.

[Club]

Addendum to post - the CFN, through some arcane accounting feat, manages to absorb this cost with no obvious charge to the government. (Although we're sure they're getting their pound of flesh somehow)

[Club]

Automated Civilization Sterilizers.

This Habitable Planet shows signs of a destroyed, long ago civilization, but appears uninhabited. Every month after a survey is started on the planet, however, there is a 20% chance that the civilization's destroyers will reawaken. Tens of thousands of autonomous war machines will come forth and mindlessly destroy all they encounter.

These automatons count as 2500 Qv, with 10,000available H. If colonists are on planet, the automatons count as attackers, otherwise, they are the defenders. They have no means of resupply or reinforcement and will not go back into stasis, but if all automaton Qv are destroyed, their supplies may be captured and liquidated. If they run out of H, reduce them by 5% per month, per V3.01. They always conduct genocidal attacks.

(So you're probably going to lose colonists, and then can butt heads with a bunch of hardcases, or wait 40+ turns before exploiting that nice planet. Decisions, decisions)

[Xveers]

Anomaly : Proto-star
Normally, warp points only stabilize once planets have formed and swept the star system relatively clear of debris and matter. In this case however, they have stabilized while the accretion disk is still present, and so the solar system is filled with small debris as the planets are only now beginning to coalesce. As a result, there are precious few planets that are habitable, but a vast selection of asteroid belts. While the debris makes it difficult to scan through the system, the half-formed planetoids offer considerable mineral wealth.

Generate a star system like normal, using a white star to determine which planets are gas, rocky, etc. Stop before W6.04.2. All rocky planets are automatically asteroid belts. All gas giants are Mass 2 O3 worlds, and all ice planets are Mass 1 O3 worlds. There are no moons. All asteroid belts are "Very Rich" instead of "Rich". Finally, the entire system is filled with an emission nebula, except it does NOT affect the REI or habitability of the worlds/asteroid belts in-system (so an asteroid belt in a Proto-star system would still be Very Rich for REI, but still only Desolate to colonize).

[krenshala]

In case anyone wasn't sure/wanted to know, your submissions to this contest are making it to the forum, but are being hidden through moderation settings so the contest judges (SDS members) can go over and make their decision before "releasing" them.

[Cralis]

Ah interesting. It apparently approves posts when I make comments on them.

Question to the submitters: do we want to let others see your entries or should I find a way to circumvent that problem and leave them hidden until the end of the contest?

(Especially since Krenshala is arguing that Club's entry should be valid... I'm inclined to keep them "waiting approval" unless everyone really wants to see them ahead of time.)

[Xveers]

Ah interesting. It apparently approves posts when I make comments on them.

Question to the submitters: do we want to let others see your entries or should I find a way to circumvent that problem and leave them hidden until the end of the contest?

(Especially since Krenshala is arguing that Club's entry should be valid... I'm inclined to keep them "waiting approval" unless everyone really wants to see them ahead of time.)

I vote to keep them concealed. That way, someone may come up with a similar idea but better implementation OR better/more balanced effects. Only once you have created, do you get to see how things stack up.

[Club]

Gravitational Rotational Frame Dragging Effects

The system bodies, warp points, nearby systems, and rapidly spinning star(s) produce relativistic effects that interact with a drive field's inertial systems in odd ways. When the system is generated, roll 1D10 to determine the changes in a ship's handling characteristics while in this system

1-2 All ships' Turn Modes halved, FRD, while in this system. Minimum TM 2
3-4 All ships turn Modes halved, FRU, while in this system. Minimum TM 2
5-6 All ships turn mode doubled while in this system.
7-8 While in this system, all ships Turn mode before Advanced Maneuvering is applied doubled, then AM applied
9 Roll randomly on this table at the start of any applicable STMP, as the effects are randomly variable.
10 Plasma Torpedoes use the modified turn mode to determine their to-hit bonus. Roll again on this table. (This result may be ignored and re-rolled by either player agreement or Spacemaster fiat.)

Unless a 10 is rolled and sustained, plasma torpedoes use unmodified turn mode values to determine their to-hit bonus.

[Cralis]

Apparently once a post has been accepted it cannot go back to being unaccepted. Therefore we are going to refrain from accepting and/or commenting on contest entries until the day we announce the winner. Including the posts that have been commented on, there are already 5 entries!