Quote:
Originally Posted by NickMiddleton
I think a far better approach to trying to come up with generic systems that are inevitably NOT generic is to design some example systems: spell out some criteria (both from a setting point of view and from a a game play point of view) and then provided a BRP compatible system that meets those criteria: that's always been BRP's strength in the past, that it has concrete solutions that are easily adapted or rebuilt for different situations...
Cheers,
Nick Middleton
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This is a fair cop, I think; you run into this problem with pretty much any "counterfactual" subsystem; its why games with embedded magic systems always make assumptions too.
That said, often the specifics of space combat aren't that important to a setting, or at least are within broad parameters. That doesn't mean the combat and ships themselves aren't important, but that the details can be fit into a number of worlds without otherwise impacting the world, unless the system is extremely quirky (a Star Trek-like ship construction and combat system will be able to be fitted into more settings than a system where all FTL travel is dependent on psionic pilots and peculiarities of mindspace, for example).
This also parallels magic systems where some are more portable than others; its why I always thought D&D's fire and forget magic system could be problematic, not only because it was specific, but because it was quirky.