I originally wanted to make an early space exploration game where 4 factions played by different players arrives in the same system with a colony ship. They settle and build up their empire, the first player to create a new colony ship wins.
Recently, I was thinking about the theme and mechanics behind this game, and they seem a bit illogical. It would actually make more sense that all 4 factions came on the same ship and are working together to colonise the system.
Doing so would shift the game from a multiplayer competition to a single player colonisation game. There will be internal politics with the 4 factions to keep them on your side, else they will join the rebels who refuse your rule. There could be some similarities to Dune here.
That means that in the early start of the game, the game only consist only of colonising planets. One of the core mechanics is that I want the game to consider the rotation speed of the planet. This would allow planning ahead actions when planets are going to be close to each other.
But what else could be interesting during that step of the game? Because right now, it seems pretty boring. You just spread yourself on every planet.
Another solution, I could fast forward after the whole system is colonised. Now since there is population everywhere there is more game play options. Like having missions that influence internal politics, or fighting rebels. Could feel like an adventure game or like "Struggle of the galactic empire".
With those new conditions, I am not so sure what the final objective could be. Building a new colony ship seem to make no sense, or it might already have been done at that point.
I don't necessarily dislike the idea of a solo game without direct competition, I am just not sure how to make it interesting.
Making it a resource management game could also be a solution. Focussing less on conflict, but more on the logistic to colonise the system and build a new colony ship while dealing with internal politics and rebels.
Multiple star system is not an option as it takes 100 years to travel from a system to another.
One thing I resolved in the BGG thread is that even if 1 colony ship is used, multiple factions could create themselves on the fly while colonizing the system.
The players would need to choose between wait and probe for more planetary information, or leave the ship now with better resources. Players would leave the same ship to create a factions on the planet they land on.
Then the competitive version of the game can start. There will be no faction abilities, only different stating resources.