I made a Galactic Neighbourhood map for space-based games

[Morrus]

I made this for myself, but I figured it might be of use to others who want to set sci-fi campaigns in real space.

Right, here we go. It's not super-pretty, but if you plan to use our actual galactic neighbourhood for a setting, this is a functional resource. So, notes:

- This map is real space, 500 parsecs across, and shows major interstellar objects (clusters, nebulae, etc.)

- Each hex is 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light years. They're big - as you can see, entire nebulas and star clusters fit easily into single hexes.

- At light speed it takes 32.6 years to cross one hex.

- The green area is the 30-light year SolSpace sector I use in WOIN.

- Each hex contains a dozen or more star systems. The scale is too large to show individual stars, but I've put a handful of well known bright stars on there. The SolSpace map itself contains lots of stars whose names you'd recognise, but the scale of this one is too large to show them.

- This is 50 hexes across; still only about 2% of the galaxy, which is 3000 hexes across.

I used Hexographer to do this. I'm no expert, but it's functional!



This is the SolSpace section zoomed in. You'll likely recognise lots of stars in this one. I've had this one for ages.

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[Derren]

If you want a smaller scale you can look at the sector maps from Traveller
https://travellermap.com

The general layout seems to match, but I can't vouch on the accuracy, especially the farther away you get from Terra

 

[tomBitonti]

Nice!

You might find these to be of interest:

The "local" galactic geography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Interstellar_Cloud
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Bubble

More information about the local geography:

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/05/29_space.shtml
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/05/images/planar.jpg
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/05/images/polar.jpg

A game which presents itself as scientifically based. I expect near space to be accurately mapped as far as what stars are present and their type, as far as what we can detect:

http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galaxy
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Core_Systems

And in this sort of post, I cannot help by mention StarForce, a 1974 game made by SPI, which had an accurate map to 20ly of Sol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starforce:_Alpha_Centauri

Thx!
TomB

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

SPI had a great knack for space games. And they did some good ones, too.

Here’s an overview and closeup of their map for their RPG, Universe, which had enough good points to recommend it as an alternative to Traveller:

 

[Morrus]

Nice!

You might find these to be of interest:

The "local" galactic geography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Interstellar_Cloud
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Bubble

What is this wikipedia site of which you speak?

 

[Morrus]

I just spent a couple of hours researching and adding all the brightest stars within 50 parsecs or so. That was arduous!

 

[aramis erak]

I just spent a couple of hours researching and adding all the brightest stars within 50 parsecs or so. That was arduous!

Now realize they think the number of M_ V stars is probably double what's catalogued, perhaps more... K's probably half again more... and the L and T's are only just being discovered at all...

OBAFGKMLTY is the current sequence. Y is brown dwarves; T5 is probably still brown dwarfs, while T4 is probably actually "burning" hydrogen... but only barely.

 

[Lanefan]

This is way cool!

 

[tomBitonti]

SPI had a great knack for space games. And they did some good ones, too.

Here’s an overview and closeup of their map for their RPG, Universe, which had enough good points to recommend it as an alternative to Traveller

Attachments omitted.

That looks a lot like the Startforce map, but on a grid instead of with hexes, and with more color. I'm thinking they were getting a decent reuse value out of their maps.

Thx!
TomB

 

[tomBitonti]

I just spent a couple of hours researching and adding all the brightest stars within 50 parsecs or so. That was arduous!

Did you just add that as the "Solspace" map? Very nice.

I've always wanted to do a simulation of expansion into space from Sol based on the actual star locations and with some initial statements of travel speeds, maximum interstar lengths, and time for colonies to send new colonies.

Thx!
TomB