Call For Entries - Community Designed Geomorph Layouts

Now that the Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs PDF and individual graphic files are available. I would like to put together a compilation of starships, small craft, and vehicles designed by the Traveller community using these tools. If you would like to participate, please review the minimum requirements below and email your entry to me.

Click [HERE] to download the new Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs PDF.
Click [HERE] to go to Eric Smith's geomorph blog page with downloadable image ZIP files.

Minimum requirements for entries are as follows:

Designer's Name:
This can be your real name, online name, or simply "anonymous" if you prefer.

Ship Class Name (if part of a class)
or
Ship Name (if a one of a kind, custom ship)

Ship Type with optional qualifier:
Examples: Scout, Armed Merchant, Fast Courier, Heavy Fighter, Luxury Passenger Liner, Far Trader, Commerce Raider, etc.

Tonnage:
This should be approximated based on the dtons provided with each geomorph. Include any hidden deck tonnage (for fuel, additional drives, etc.)

Jump Rating:

Maneuver Rating:

Power Plant Rating (optional):

Fuel (for how many jumps):
Examples: single Jump-2 or two Jump-1 (actual dtons of fuel is not required)

Ship Geomorph Layout:
Option 1: (no software skills required)
Provide a written description of the layout, specifying geomorph number, location, and attachments.  For simplicity, multi-level ship decks should be labelled as Upper, Middle, and Lower (as opposed to Deck 1,2 ,3 or Deck A, B, C). Ships should be described fore-to-aft with fore (ship's bow) being on the left.
Example:
Upper Deck: [fore] SE-208, Sh-039, M-011, SE-544 [aft]. Add DV-02 (remote turret), barrels facing aft, centered above M-011.
Lower Deck: [fore] SE-107, QG-18 (rotate 180 degrees), M-012, SE-500 [aft]. SS-033 attached to starboard side of QG-18. SS-039 attached to port side of QG-18.
(Note: If the rotation of geomorphs is desired, let me know as shown above. I will adjust any text to the proper orientation).

Option 2
Provide a graphic example of your layout using the individual image files. For quality and consistency I will be recreating your layout in AutoCAD, so while you are free to edit the graphic files to better relay your design intent, I will not be using your image for the book, nor will I be making extensive revisions (see modifications below).

Requested minor modifications (if any):
In an effort to create better, more functional deck plans, I am open to making minor modifications to your design. If you could make a few changes to the geomorphs to make the ship layout better, what would they be?
Example: Delete vertical access from SS-033 and SS-039 (unnecessary). Add vertical access between forward geomorphs in corridor adjacent to upper forward starboard stateroom and lower deck low berths. Modify ship's boat to show passenger seating.

Ship Description:
Write a description of the ship including whatever information you feel is relevant. Refer to canonical Traveller ships if you need direction. Any write-ups should be in a format that allows easy copy and pasting on my end (text in an email is fine).

High Guard stats (optional):
High Guard spreadsheets can be included, but I may reformat as the layout requires.

Notes to the editor:
Include any additional information you may wish to relay to me. This may or may not be included in the final book.

Notes to participants:

• Email your submission to YetAnotherTravBlog@gmail.com. Please include "Geomorph Entry" in the subject line. Please do your best to provide all information required in your first correspondence. No offense, but I don't want to find myself suddenly dragged into unlimited back and forth emails with anyone.
• Limit two entries per person. I'm thinking the book will include maybe 30 ships, but that really depends on the number of entries received. If this becomes popular I will produce additional volumes and request more entries.
• Deck plan layouts and write ups should be evocative of canonical Traveller ships. While a ship layout does not need to conform to any particular set of starship construction rules, an effort should be made to make it look like it does. I don't want to squash anyone's creativity, so for now I am not putting a limit on the number of geomorphs you can include. Some layouts may require a bigger page size than the typical 8.5"x11". That will be for me to resolve.
• The geomorphs from Starship Geomorphs 2.0 can be used in your design if you wish.
• Layouts will be accepted on a first come-first served basis. If your layout is too similar to one already submitted it will either be rejected outright or you will be given some direction and an opportunity to resubmit your layout.
• I do not object to the use of ChatGPT or other AI to assist you in your write-up, but PLEASE be sure to review and edit for content as necessary. I've seen ChatGPT create good sounding, but nonetheless nonsensical gibberish.
• I may select some ship layouts for 3D modeling and/or illustration purposes. This will most likely be based on what will be quickest for me to produce. Don't feel bad if your ship is not selected. It's not personal.
• All submissions will be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
• I reserve the right to reject any entry for any reason.
  
• There is no submission deadline at this time, since I have no idea how many people will like to participate.
• Once complete, a compilation PDF of the layouts will be made freely available through this blog.
  

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Robert

Adventure Class Starship Geomorph - individual image files

Eric Smith has completed the conversion of the Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs from PDF to individual PNG files today and has made the files available. Unlike the previous images he converted, these images are gridless, for easier use with virtual table top gaming systems (VTTs), which typically provide their own grid options. You can also easily combine geomorphs in your favorite graphics editing software. Eric has made both square and hex backgrounds available as an underlay for your deck plan creations.

For additional customization, Eric has pulled many of the ship's vehicles and cargo out as a separate, optional overlay... giving you even more control over the look of your deck plan.

For more information, check out Eric's blog and read about his process and tips for assembling geomorphs using Paint.Net, a Photoshop plugin for Paint.Net, and TR's PseudoSnap! plugin to help align the geomorphs to a grid.

>> CLICK HERE TO GO TO ERIC'S GEOMORPH BLOG PAGE WITH THE IMAGE ZIP FILES <<

>> CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT ERIC'S "HOW-TO" YOUTUBE VIDEO <<

I've created an edited version of the image files, removing the color elements and adjusting the orientation per the PDF (left is fore). I am considering adding a permanent square grid to these, for consistency with the originally released geomorph image files.
>> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MODIFIED IMAGE FILES <<

Eric is considering creating high resolution version of these files, and possible of the recently release geomorph blanks. I'll let you know when I hear anything.

[EDIT 01-07-2025: Eric has posted high resolution images to his blog page.]

Adventure Class Geomorph Blanks

Woo hoo! I told myself I'd get this book completed before the end of the year and here I am sliding over the finish line.

The new Adventure Class Geomorph Blanks book is finally complete and ready for download. These blank geomorph templates will allow users to make their deck plans even more customizable. Includes a full design and deck plans for a geomorph inspired fighter base.

Click [HERE] to download the new Adventure Class Geomorph Blanks PDF.

Illustration Process

 

 

I've been asked again about my illustration process. I've posted a response on a Traveller Facebook group previously, but here it is again for the non-Facebook people. This illustration is of a starship bridge from the original Starship Geomorphs book.

I draw the geomorphs in AutoCAD, so most of the work starts there. I pick a geomorph I want to illustrate and build a 3D SketchUp model. I rotate views around the model and decide on the best angle. I export multiple JPG images from SketchUp (thin lines, thick lines, flat shading, and sometimes shadows) and composite them in Photoshop. SketchUp is not a good renderer, which why things look so flat, so a lot of Photoshop work is needed. Lighting and reflections are all faked in Photoshop. Anything organic (people, animals, etc.) are hand drawn in Photoshop - usually using a photographic reference. It's pretty time consuming, but I like the results. The image above shows everything step-by-step.

 I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs

The new Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs book is finally complete and ready for download. Unlike the previous book of geomorphs, the components of this book were specifically designed to recreate the feel of the smaller, classic Traveller starship designs. The original geomorphs still have their uses, and can even be incorporated into adventure class designs, but I believe this collection is a vast improvement both aesthetically and functionally. I took your constructive criticisms to heart. Now deck plan layouts look less blocky, and the smaller size means most geomorphs are function specific, meaning fewer multi-purpose geomorphs.

Click [HERE] to download the new Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs PDF.
Click [HERE] to download the Starship Geomorphs 2.0 PDF. 

(Update: anyone with the above link should have access to the file.)

Other than size and shapes, there's not too much new here. I've omitted instructions on how to print for cutouts and miniature use, which are included in the Starship Geomorphs 2.0 PDF. This new PDF is layer enabled, allowing more print/viewing options. For example, you can turn off the A-TEXT layer to hide room names if you like nameless maps for player handouts. You can turn off the A-SHADE layer to eliminate the gray fuel and engineering areas to save on ink. You can turn off the A-GRID layer if you prefer gridless deck plans.  Note that each page of the PDF has its own layers, so this type of editing is cumbersome and non-intuitive, but it is possible.

There are a few people I need to thanks publicly that really made a difference in this project:

Eric B. Smith - You might remember Eric from his conversion of literally thousands of geomorphs into individual graphic files, not to mention the addition of his own designs, for use with virtual table tops and other graphic software to more easily create geomorph layouts. Eric is back at it again, currently converting the new geomorph. Expect to see individual graphic files to be made available sometime in late January or so. Thanks for your hard work, Eric!

Jon Daniels - Jon had been sharing some of his work with me which included his own ship designs with High Guard stats. I wanted to include ship stats as part of the Ship Gallery, but was not looking forward to it, having lost the love of that level of ship creation decades ago. Jon took that aspect of the project over and did a great job and also did some Traveller related ChatGPT training which was immensely helpful. His contributions helped me get out of a bad funk and created a renewed sense of enthusiasm for the project in me. He shared his LinkedIn profile with me and it reads like the best of Traveller character generation. Thanks for pushing me over the finish line, Jon!

Tom Mouat - I'd lost my 10 year old workhorse of a computer a couple of month ago. I didn't lose any project data, fortunately, but I did lose ALL my creative software. I struggled with various PDF editors when Tom recommended FoxIt PDF to me. This recommendation may seem like a small thing, but when you're trying to get all your ducks lined up in the eleventh hour, a good PDF editor is critical. If you are looking for a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat, consider checking out FoxIt. Those who've seen Tom's work on Facebook know Tom is a great Traveller content creator in his own right. He also sets the finest gaming table I've ever seen. Thanks, Tom!

So what's next?
Future updates: I'm always open to constructive criticism, so if you see something you feel needs correcting, please comment below. As part of Eric's file conversion he has also been kind enough to point out some graphic errors. I'll post an updated version of this PDF if I feel it is warranted.

Blank Geomorphs PDF: I'm working on a book of blank geomorphs based on the two starship geomorph books. I'll probably have that done within a week.

Community Generated Starship Layouts PDF: I've been playing with the idea of creating a book of geomorph-based deck plans created by the Traveller community. Users would submit at minimum a geomorph layout and minimal ship stats, but could also include a ship write-up, history, adventure hooks, full High Guard stats, and/or an illustration to flesh it all out. I'd create a cleaned up deck plan and format the information. Let me know if this is something of interest and I'll set up some guidelines for submissions.

I'm pretty sure I've stated this before, but I'd really like to get back to regular blog posts with a smaller scope. I'll try to make that a more regular occurrence in 2025.

Enjoy the new book and the upcoming holidays!

Buy Me A Coffee - Donations Page

 

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to let everyone know I am now accepting "Buy Me a Coffee” donations.

First of all, I want to say thank you for reading my blog, whether you’re a long-time visitor or someone who’s just discovered it. Creating content for the Traveller RPG community has been a real pleasure for me, and knowing that people out there are enjoying it means a great deal to me.

Over the years, some of you have suggested that I set up a "tip jar" for readers to support my work. I’ve decided to work with the “Buy Me a Coffee” app to achieve this. This is a completely optional way for you to send me a small tip if you’ve enjoyed what I’ve created. It’s a simple, one-time donation - no subscriptions or commitments, just a little something if you feel like it. As I understand it, a "coffee" donation is $5.00, of which 5% goes to the app. I'll probably modify the donation options as I become more familiar with the process.

I’ll continue to post free content for everyone to enjoy, coffee or not. Thank you again for your interest, your comments, your constructive criticisms, and just for being part of the ride with me.

Click [HERE] if you would like to make a donation.

With the new Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs book wrapping up I look forward to getting back to some smaller projects and posting to the blog more regularly.

Thanks and Happy Travelling!

- Robert

Happy May Day! - New geomorph sampler pack

 

Happy May Day, everyone! In honor or the day celebrating our favorite game. I've been spending my day working and listening to the great interviews put out by CyborgPrime on YouTube. Great job, Frank!

To do my part to keep the celebration going, I've put together a sampler pack from the upcoming Adventure Class Starship Geomorphs book. I had hoped to have this finished by last December, but unfortunately life keeps getting in the way. I'm so close, but yet so far away.

Below is a link to the Sampler Pack, which will give you an idea of the new geomorph types, more illustrations, some sample layouts, and the entire index of what is currently in the book.

Right now the book is around 350 pages with around 1,300 new geomorphs, I do not plan to include any blank geomorphs as I did previously, but may follow up with a separate book of blanks if there is any demand. Does anybody use them? I've also got a Ship's Gallery of about 33 pages, but might try to reduce that to about the 10 ships I have modeled in 3D.

Feel free to hit me up with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Click <<[HERE]>> to download the Geomorph Sampler Pack. Enjoy!