When I generate a sector, I start out with a 20x20 grid, a set of dice and a pencil.
To determine the number of stars in a sector, I roll 2d6+24. Thus, I have 26-36 stars per sector, averaging 32.
I then decide whether there are any stellar "anomalies" - singularities and the like. I figure a 1% chance is good, but this is purely arbitrary, and subject to both whim and campaign requirements.
I roll 1d6+6 to see how many "important" systems there are. I decide what these are rather than using charts... Inside Federation space, one of these will always be a communications relay, as subspace communications require a booster roughly every 20 light years.
For each star, I roll a d20-11 for each of the X,Y and Z coordinates (giving a +/- 1-10 range). Generally, I only roll the anomalies and important systems, but I keep a note of the total number of stars. I mark each star in the appropriate grid square with its name and the Z coordinate.
I don't usually bother figuring out stellar types unless it becomes a story point.
I'm thinking as far as level of detail goes, I don't think it's any worse than figuring out the number of star systems in a sector. It just happens to be a lot harder to figure out (having actual mathematics behind it.
My group (including me) are all a bunch of honest-to-goodness engineers who like to geek out on this kind of thing, and I prefer space exploration type stuff.
Come on Owen, detail is FUN!
- DP
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He whose generals are able and not interfered with by the sovereign shall be victorious.
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