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Hard S.F. Worldbuilding Cookbook #1: Moons of Gas Giants

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Hard S.F. Worldbuilding Cookbook #1: Moons of Gas Giants

A how-to guide for writers and roleplayers

Start with your story. Choose locations, find situations, and inspire novel prompts as you need them. Have the science behind them at your fingertips, when you want it. 

Inspiration first, then worldbuilding.


Hard S.F. Worldbuilding Cookbooks:

Written for worldbuilders who want their in-world science to be more than just technobabble, the Hard SF Cookbooks are focussed on story and dramatic possibilities rather than just being ‘here’s the science, now go create’. Each starts with a guide for the aspiring space traveller - where to go and how to avoid being fried, zapped, and/or blasted - then pulls out to the artist, writer and GM point-of-view, with lookup tables so you can start from the trope or scenario you want, find new story hooks, and work back towards the science behind them. 


#1: Moons of Gas Giants:

Dozens of worlds, deadly radiation belts, beautiful ring systems, a wealth of fuel and resources, all crammed into a volume that Neil Armstrong’s Apollo capsule could cross in a week. Inconceivable fortunes, and adventure beyond imagining, await in that crowded sky - but every opportunity brings dangers, and even the simplest operation means facing down lethal hazards. Drawing on the real-world exploration of the bizarre moons of Saturn and Jupiter, as well as recent exoplanet discoveries around other stars, Moons of Gas Giants covers:

Matching a moon to an appropriate orbit in a giant planet system p7

Radiation belts p8

Visual size of the gas giant p13

Water covered moons p16

Ice moons 18

Desert moons p20

Volcanic moon p22

Steppenwulf moons and gas dwarfs p24

Habitable moons p26

Asteroid-like moons: p28

Carbon moons p30

Matching moon tropes to appropriate moon families, giant planets, and giant planet visuals p31

Mass vs gravity for moons and solid planets p36

Ring systems, antimatter mines and collection methods p37

Useful gas giant facts for world builders p39

Glossary of terms p41


John Freeman is PhD physicist, who acts as advisor for world-builders when they want some real world details to help their creations. This series owes its existence to the GMs, writers, artists, and even historians who collaborated with him (and who keep him in touch with the real world, and supply him with snacks).
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Reviews (3)
Discussions (2)
Customer avatar
Christian S December 12, 2020 6:48 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I love the concept. Looks very helpful for people like me, who likes science fiction and want to delve into the roleplaying aspects of it, but find too overwhelming to face the infinite posibilities those worlds bring. I like my science to be as scientific as possible, without runing the fun or going too deep.
I will be looking forward for all the next titles.
Customer avatar
steve F October 27, 2020 12:43 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I just bought this today and been going over it...I was hoping for a lot more number crunching within the book ( only saw 1-2 calculations )...but generally an excellent read..I'll put this on my writing reference shelf.

Question...if this is the first in the series..what will the other volumes cover?
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Customer avatar
John F October 30, 2020 3:08 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey Steve F, thank you ever so much for the feedback! To answer your question: the next (which is just awaiting the artwork) will be supernova lethal range and effects, the third will be rogue (starless) planets, number 4 is pencilled in as 'cosmic anomalies' (black holes, neutron stars, magnetars and other strange objects), and from there it's a bit up in the air but things like types of stardrive and orbital warfare are on the list. I'll bear what you say about showing calculations in mind - I'm thinking of starting to include a 'mathematics glossary' section where I can list equations and assumptions used, without interfering with the main text for those who are phobic of such stuff.
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Customer avatar
Alexander G December 03, 2020 1:46 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Also loving the cookbook so far (but have not yet finished reading it). Noticed this comment on future plans - if I may submit an idea for megastructures and the like (orbitals, O'Neill cylinders, Dyson spheres, etc.).

(If there is a better venue for submitting ideas than comments, please let me know)
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Customer avatar
John F December 27, 2020 10:13 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
It's going to be number 5, or possibly 6. But yes - starting at things that are buildable today in terms of physics and engineering (with enough money - and it would be an amount comparable to the GDP of the whole planet) like O'Neil cylinders and Bernal Spheres, through things like McKendree cylinders that are physically plausible if we could mass produce the strongest materials known to science (mass produced diamond, km long nanotubes etc), and more speculative stuff like ring worlds, Dyson shells, ship-stars etc.
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File Last Updated:
May 11, 2021
This title was added to our catalog on October 12, 2020.
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John Freeman
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