Thursday, March 31, 2022

Starfinder Flip-Mat: "Spaceport" [RPG]

 I've used each side of the Spaceport flip-mat a couple of times while GMing Starfinder Society scenarios.  One side is a big runway for large ships to take off and land.  Looking closely, I really like how it has been laid out.  There's an adjoining road for maintenance vehicles and luggage carts (just like an airport would have), drones flittering about, and staircases to separate launch/hangar bays for smaller ships.  It's a good location to have a long-range blaster fight, something Starfinder encounters don't actually do that often in published adventures.  The other side of the flip-mat is the futuristic equivalent of an airport terminal.  The layout of seats next to the gate desks will be familiar to anyone who travels, and there are the other things one might expect: a cafe, public infosphere kiosks, display screens presumably showing departures and arrives, and toilets.  I like the holographic display in the center of the mat, as it adds just enough "future" to distinguish things from a real airport.  For both sides, one of the things that works well for Spaceport is the sense that every airport (spaceport) is the same, so you can reuse these without damaging the verisimilitude of your game.  Both sides have an excellent, clear design, and are certainly fit for purpose.

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