This game has been a blast, so far, to design. I’m picking and pulling from all the cool gaming experiences I’ve had over my lifetime. I’m attempting to blend all the best aspects of all the stuff I’ve ran into. Below are some of the inspirations that have adjusted the way I’m designing this.
Inspirations
Den of Wolves (DoW) – This game was inspired by the Battle Star Galactica board game. My first experience with DoW was at GenCon 2019. I wasn’t an “official” control member but I hung out and helped the Control Team in a variety of small ways. This game was WELL received through its two play-throughs. One of the other members of the MGC (megagamecollition.com) that was also there playing/assisting was my new friend Noah. We liked DoW and megagames so much, that we immediately formed “Michigan Megagames” ( https://www.meetup.com/Michigan-MegaGames/ ) and purchased a license for DoW. We ran our first DoW megagame in Michigan (the first if you don’t count NSDM) at the U-Con Convention in Ypsillanti, MI in November 2019. Our run of DoW there was small, but was a success. I found several things that I wanted in a sci-fi megagame that were NOT in DoW. So I started crafting UberSpace Legacy (USL)!
10-seat Starship Simulator – For a couple of decades, I’ve struggled to get a commercial pay-to-play starship simulator ready for public consumption. I got REAL close in 2019 but had some contract negotiation problems with the proposed landlord. That whole project sits in storage in S.E. Michigan. Waiting….. Waiting to be brought in and CONNECTED to USL! (2021 target).
The Expanse – TV Show – The storyline in the Expanse has a cool friction between the three major parties 1) The Earthers, 2) The Martians and 3) The Belters. I’m planning on using these three parties within my game.
Xia: Legends of A Drift System – This board game gets good reviews. Its a space “sand box” with ship captains creating a ship and trying to survive-and-thrive in the hex based space map. I really like their “outfits” that make up the ships. I’m borrowing heavily from this specific piece of this game…
Microsoft Allegiance – Video Game – This game was WAY ahead of its time. It ended up being, in my opinion, a commercial failure, but that’s only due to it being ahead of its time. I’m taking some cues from this game on how things function overall and specifically on the nation funding model.
Neptunes Pride II – This web based space conquest game has a very cool, simple and balanced tech tree system. I haven’t incorporated much of this game into USL yet, but its top-of-mind often when I’m working on that portion.
Twilight Imperium 4 – Another board game that I’m drawing inspiration from. I’ll update this article when I’ve decide if I’m going to incorporate any mechanics of this game into USL.
Triplanetary – An old space board game that uses a Newtonian physics model for ship movement. I haven’t gotten this part tested yet, but I think it should work well.