THE NOUSFARER FIELD GUIDE

The Astrolabe & Voyages

Choose a galaxy, solar system and planet on the astrolabe, set course, and follow the voyage from warp to the landing field.

Every voyage starts at the throne in your ship’s throne room. Sit on it (press E there, or tap its plaque) and the astrolabe rises: a hologram of the Tree of Knowledge. The gilded Tree of Knowledge beside the throne opens it too.

The Tree of Knowledge

The astrolabe hologram: a glowing trunk with galaxies of knowledge on its branches, Philosophy highlighted at the top, a Where to, captain? card with a search field at the right.
The Tree of Knowledge: each branch ends in a galaxy, one subject of knowledge.

Each galaxy is a subject, such as Natural Sciences or Philosophy. Choose one to open it into its solar systems (the disciplines, such as Physics), then choose a system to see its planets (the subfields, such as Classical Mechanics) on a ring round their star. On a computer, click a name; on a phone, tap it, or step through them with ‹ and ›. Drag to turn the tree.

The Where to, captain? card at the right has a search field: type a subject’s name to jump straight to its planet.

Choosing a planet

The Physics system on the astrolabe: planets on a ring round a globe, Classical Mechanics selected, and its card listing six frameworks from Newtonian Mechanics 1687 to Chaos Theory 1887 under a Set course button.
A planet’s card: its subject, its landscape and the frameworks waiting as towers in its city.

A planet’s card describes its landscape and lists its frameworks, the big ideas you will find as towers in its city, with the year each began. Press Set course to go there. When an expedition is under way, the astrolabe opens turned to your next planet with the route lit in gold.

The voyage

Once you set course, the palace makes the journey for you:

  1. Departure. The camera pulls back from the palace as it leaves.
  2. Warp. The ship passes through the rings of the warp tunnel while a card tells you about your destination.
  3. Orbital capture. The palace arrives over the planet and sweeps down through its atmosphere.
  4. The descent. A painted loading screen covers the moments while the city is prepared, then the camera dives through the clouds and flies over the landscape to the city.
  5. Landing. The palace settles in the city’s harbour, its gangway unfolds, and your captain walks down to the landing field.
The palace ship racing through the golden rings of the warp tunnel, streaks of light all round it, a card reading Course set for Classical Mechanics.
The warp: a card tells you what waits on the planet.
The palace ship, wrapped in a glowing shield, sweeping low over the curve of a green planet with clouds below and a nebula above.
Orbital capture: the palace sweeps down into the planet’s air.
The captain at the top of the palace's carpeted gangway, looking down at a mosaic landing field and the triumphal arch of Classical Mechanics, towers beyond.
Landed: the city’s arch waits across the landing field.

Going home

To leave a planet, walk back to the landing field and choose Return to the palace by the gangway. The palace takes off and climbs back to space, and you are aboard again in the throne room.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Continue your voyage.

Your next discovery is waiting.

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