What is a planets national boundaries in your game?
In the game I'm running I think I'll have it worked out from the center of the systems star to 100km past the orbit of the farthest planet, asteroid belt, etc. of that system. Then do that calculation again on a side view to make a sphere.
Of course should artificial objects count? If they don't a outer defense station or something could be outside a planets national boundaries, if it does a government can just move the station if they want a larger territory.
You forget colonies. I count any and all non-self sufficient colonies of a planet as part of that planet for purposes of authority.
Example: Planet X has spawened 5 colonies, two of which have developed to the point that they no longer need support from Homeworld. Planet X's soverignty extends throughout its "home" system as well as the systems of the three colonies that depend on it for support. The other two, while they may or may not maintain ties with Homeworld, are soverign powers in their own right, each with authority over it's own system.
What about colonies that are insystem and are self supporting? For example, Mars. Would Mars be considered a colony, or a soverign planet? And if it is a soverign planet, then where does it's soverignity end and Earth's begin? The same goes for moons, orbital man-made colonies, etc.
I think TOS said explicitly that Mars declared independence. Situations like that would hopefully end up with the multiple nations collaberating to control the system. Of course with planets you can just say Earth for instance control everything from the Sun to its own orbit, while Mars controls everything from its orbit to the orbit of Pluto. Of course this doesn't consider if Venus, Jovian moons, and other inhabited areas are colonies or self sufficient.
And what about different nations with colonies in the same star system?
Well, referencing the Price of Freedom sourcebook, one Michaela Marshall is noted as being the Terran Ambassador to the Federation, and that she was born on the colony of Mars, so I would presume that Mars, as well as the rest of the Sol system, still fall under the general umbrella of Earth leadership, at least for sake of Federation representation. I would imagine that, for the greatest part, the colonies would be allowed to govern themselves.
Greg
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Seeing the world through a Breen-designed helmet
About two years ago I put together an Interstellar Law document for a PBEM game. It covers lots of topics like sovereign boundaries, exploration, piracy, etc. It wasn't meant to be a rule book that would restrict story lines, but rather a "last ditch" reference for my diplomatic and stellar cartographer characters. It is very closely based upon the "UN Law of the Sea Convention".
It is entitled "Agreement on Interstellar Law" (300K) and is in PDF format (It won't open simply by clicking on it, you have to download it to your hard drive before you can view it- I don't know why). If anyone is interested, it can be found here... http://www.geocities.com/alba80297/cartography.html
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Follow the Gourd! The Holy Gourd of Jerusalem!