Eat Electric Death II: How A Sea of Stars Tabletop Game Could Look Like

Eat Electric Death II: How A Sea of Stars Tabletop Game Could Look Like

Having heard of the failed attempt to create a card game based on Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars, I eventually realized that such a game would work better as a BattleTech-style hex-based wargame, as Eat Electric Death! was. That game, based on Sea of Stars' immediate predecessor, Weird Worlds, came with a set of scenarios for a campaign revolving the conflict between the Free Worlds Alliance (comprised of the Terrans, Zorg, and Klakar) and the Dark Consortium (which consists of the Garthans and Urluquai), as well as the Tan Ru (a race of mechanical lifeforms), and a final battle pitting a lone Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought against a combined fleet from either the Alliance or the Consortium. In addition to these, there were also a few standalone scenarios with different victory conditions to the ones found in the main campaign. How well would these translate to a sequel or re-release, and what other changes would have to be made as a consequence?

For starters, any scenarios with at least one Tan Ru Decimator would have to be revised to take into account the replacement of the Plasma Torch (which was part of the Decimator's stock loadout in Weird Worlds) with the Gatling Laser. Moreover, with the introduction of the Calatians and Ravians as full-fledged factions, it could be possible to incorporate them into a new set of scenarios, along with the Muktians, whose fleet now includes Destroyers and Space Stations. In addition, the Terrans, Garthans, Urluquai, Zorg, Klakar, and Tan Ru (the six normal factions featured in EED) will all have additional ship classes (including Space Stations for the Terrans, Urluquai, and Klakar) to choose from, to be deployed in expanded versions of the original EED scenarios. Finally, at least two additional scenarios (one involving the Alliance using the captured Kestrel to defeat a pirate fleet, and another based on the battle against Primordius, with the Damocles as part of either an Alliance or Consortium fleet) could be added, to reflect the introduction of these quests (among others) to later instalments of the source material.

Taking the idea further, it could be possible to implement a full-scale ship customization system similar to that seen in BattleTech. In that case, each ship's value (rather like BattleTech's Battle Value system) would be determined by the sum of its base price and the combined total of all items (weapons, sublight thrusters, and other equipment) installed on it. Cost caps for players' fleets would also be necessary to avoid the possibility of overpriced and/or overpowered vessels, ensuring a more balanced and fun game experience overall. However, with the Sea of Stars trilogy still being much more obscure when compared to the BattleTech universe as a whole, it's currently unlikely that a tabletop sequel to Eat Electric Death! will ever be made - but it's good to know that, for now at least, it still can, at least in theory.