Are there any space games other than Scum and Villainy that have some kind of adventure structure mechanics or gameplay loops? Stars Without Number says its a sandbox game, but is missing all the mechanics from OD&D that created unscripted adventures.
All of them with trade systems create a play-loop, albeit one that often is very mechanistic...
Traveller, for example... key terminology issue: cargo is owned by the ship or a crewmember; freight is owned by others and sent as hired space. Passengers are special kind of freight.
- Decide destination
- post for passengers and freight
- check the speculative cargo available and decide whether to buy or not
- accept and load cargo, passengers, and freight.
- MegaT: GM checks for significant encounters for the week
- depart and head for jump point.
- GM checks for space encounter
- jump
- check for arrival encounter
- proceed to destination port
- offload freight and passengers
- See if it's worth selling cargo
- back to 1.
That said, it's not a fun loop for everyone.
Space Opera's loop looks almost identical.
A similar loop exists for Star Wars d6 in GG6: Tramp Freighters
GURPS: Traveller differs in the details, but uses a similar loop.
ALIEN also has a trade mission generator, with a play loop that's different in interesting ways...
- Exit hyperdrive
- Wake non-synth crew
- ship maintenance
- random encounter
- arrive at world
- discharge mission (if possible)
- find new mission (if space available)
- depart world
- random encounter
- crew sleep
- enter hyperspace
- repeat
Trade and commerce as a play loop can get old very fast, but it's definitely a play loop that can be
added to any SFRPG with ships.
I've even used the CT/MT trade system in a car wars campaign.