Stargate Exploration
I'd love it if you could assign a team of leaders on missions through these gates, making friendly contact (or not) with other primitive worlds that also have the gates. That's the core premise of the show, after all. I'm not sure how to handle it mechanically, likely events that periodically fire once you have the ability to use a gate and own a planet with one on it. The event would have different options based on the leaders you have available. So the event fires and picks a planet from the galaxy with a gate on it at random. You're informed that your scouts have identified a medieval civilization on a planet through the gate. By default you can:
- Ignore them
- Send an army and just conquer them. This will usually work with your superior technology, but there can be unusual circumstances. You also lose out on some other rewards by doing this. All the usual problems with subjugating primitives apply.
- Send a small military force led by a general to assess military strength and potential risks. This is a good first step, before making other moves, but if things go badly and hostilities break out you can lose your shot at the science mission or diplomacy. The generals' traits are relevant: avoid sending a "butcher" general to a world you want friendly relations with. Maybe a glory-seeker general would make a good first impression on a viking-esque warrior culture.
- Pick a science team led by a scientist to learn what he can from them. The scientist's traits are relevant. Archaeologists are always a good choice here. If you have reason to suspect there's ancient tech on the world, a leader with a relevant specialty might be best. Some hostile worlds will capture a scientist if you don't send through a general first.
- Send a diplomatic team led by a governor to establish friendly relations. Same idea here, where the governor's traits are relevant to the outcome of the mission. Like scientists, diplomats sent to a hostile world without first establishing a basic military presence there can be captured and require rescue.
Like anomalies, most gate missions will be fairly simple, and you can send through your leaders in any order you like and face no particular hardship, and you'll get very basic rewards (small amounts of research, unity, or resources, depending on your choices) but others will have a "right way" to do them, hopefully one that can be gleaned simply by reading the event text and being generally aware of common Stargate tropes. These more complex missions will have better rewards for success, such as progress on certain advanced technologies, special traits for your leaders, or other goodies.
