Campaigns Editor: Stations

You have two options for setting up space stations and ground bases. You can set them up by hand, which gives you total control over where they're built, what they're called, which faction they belong to, what facilities are present, etc. Or you can let the Expanse module automatically generate bases. It's common to combine both methods, building some specific stations and letting the Expanse module fill in some others.

## The Expanse module

The Expanse module is turned on by default. It will *gradually* fill the system with stations and bases, but at the beginning of the campaign there won't be any stations other than what *you* create. If you don't want the Expanse module to add stations and bases, use the "Disable auto expanse" action node to stop it for all star systems, or you can disable it just in specific star systems with the "Block star expanse" action node.

The Expanse module will only create stations belonging to Concordia and ThetaCorp, except for one pirate outpost and one pirate depot.

## Creating stations yourself

Creating your own stations is done with Fleet action nodes, specifically the "Create space station" and "Create ground station" nodes.

You'll have to name the station, of course, and pick a location. You'll also need to set a faction for it, then add modules to build it up. Unlike stations that you buy, these don't automatically come with a "Landing hangar" module, so you'll want to start with that. You can't remove any modules once you've added them; you'll have to delete the node and start over. For space stations you can choose between disc and axle type in the "Preview station" window.

Stations normally will be set as "Known." They can start out as "Unknown," in which case they'll show on the map as a question mark until they've been visited. Stations can also be set as "Hidden," in which case they won't appear on the map until they've been visited, and the player can't travel to them unless there's another fleet at the same spot.

### Station locations

Every planet and moon has three orbital spots for space stations. The "orbit" position appears on the map to the far left of the planet *as seen from the sun or star.* There's also a "high orbit" position on the far right of the planet as seen from the sun/star, and a "low orbit" position on the sun/star side of the planet. Mercury, Mars, and most moons also offer a "surface" position (ground bases only), while gas giants can offer a "clouds" position. Earth is unique in offering four surface positions: "desert" (Ignis), "europe" (Green Farm), "pacific" (Poseidon), and "winter" (Terra Vita).

The "orbit" position is always visible on the map unless occupied by a hidden station, and if no station is there it provides a scenic viewpoint for the planet or moon. None of the other positions are visible unless there's a station there.

Ground stations created in space will be set on a mini-moon. Ground stations created in "clouds" will be set on a mini-moon-like rock in the clouds. Space stations cannot be created on the ground.

The Expanse module likes to place outposts in the low orbit position, but that doesn't seem to be important to do. It's just the way the Expanse module works.

### Configuring a station with more nodes

If you want the station to be buyable, add a "Set fleet purchasable" node and set the price.

If the station isn't buyable, you might want to allow its ships shop to sell some ships. There are two Shop action nodes commonly used for this: "Add all standard ships" and "Add all premium ships." If you want to be more selective, there's an "Add ship to shop" action node that will add a single ship to the shop's sales list. There's also an optional "Ship price discount" node if you want to offer a discount at certain stations.

If you want the station to start with a certain inventory in its cargo shop, the Shop action node "Add ware to shop" can set that up. Unlike most action nodes, this one can do all cargo types in a single node.