Campaign Cartographer 3+ is indeed only available for Windows. Though I must say that I have it working under WINE just fine. YMMV, ofc.

Glad I could help.

One more thing: The official forum is a place full of very nice and helpful people.

I do use it myself for SciFi (mostly for Traveller) and I like it. Of course, the number of available styles is not as overwhelming as the ones available for fantasy, but there are some good options.

One thing worth noting: for Sci-Fi you definitely want the highest tier, which includes Cosmographer and all the annuals.

The page for Cosmographer shows a few styles: https://www.profantasy.com/products/cos3_examples.asp

And here’s a few deckplan exampless on a classic Traveller style: https://www.profantasy.com/products/cos3_deckplans.asp

As for the annuals, there’s this post on the forum with a small screenshot/thumbnail for each issue in most annuals: https://forum.profantasy.com/discussion/10366/cartographers-annual-all-the-issues-linked-in-one-place

Finally, there’s this Youtube Playlist with a few of the mapping sessions that focused on Sci-Fi styles: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFvDl9qgYgsCVt58a41H3rcDjsAc4P4h

That’s the main way it’s used, but there’s no limitation to use it in another way.

There are some styles suited for modern day maps. Or historical maps, such as the April issue of this annual:

https://www.profantasy.com/annual/2022/2022-cartographers-annual.asp

And with Cosmographer and a few annual issues included, there’s plenty of SciFi styles to choose.

They have a YouTube channel where they stream a mapmaking session, you get to see quite a few styles:

https://youtube.com/@profantasysoftware

This is an almost-everything bundle. For those unaware, every month they release a style, tool or guide and the 12 months make up each Annual Volume.

This page showcases everything in the latest of the included annuals:

https://www.profantasy.com/annual/2023/2023-cartographers-annual.asp

Feel free to ask if you want the opinion of a happy customer.

Haven’t tried it myself, but Wylock did a video on the mechanics of his own Neon Skies:

https://youtu.be/LlPeZI4ctvE

Yeah. Very well summarized.

Perhaps I’d also add that the advancement is earned with blood and sweat. 😅

I suppose YMMV, but to me it’s central. You see, the Hunter becomes a hunter because she heard a higher calling, and believing in it is what keeps it going.

You can rename Conviction to Faith, and it probably shows what I’m hinting at. That faith can get you out of trouble (supernaturally so) but it’s also precious. You’re still human, flimsy and prone to errors, susceptible to doubt.

And you’re way out of your league. All the time.

In oWoD’s Hunter: The Reckoning, you can’t advance your Edges (supernatural abilities) with XP.

To do so, you have to gamble Conviction during the session, while using said Edges (those Conviction points gambled add dice to your pool, ideally improving your odds).

If you succeed at the task, you gain Virtues (with which you can later buy points in Edges).

if you fail the task, you lose Conviction points. If you run out of Conviction, you lose your ability to use Edges at all until you rest/meditate/recover for a full week.

Not sure if it qualifies as “conceptual” or non-mechanical to you. But I love it.

Perhaps not with those exact names, but there’s a fix:

https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/simple-world

There’s also !scifi@ttrpg.network which should have some overlap with cyberpunk.

I settled on Campaign Cartographer 3+.

It has a steep learning curve, but seems to be the most powerful tool by far.

The easiest Traveller version is definitely the one from Mongoose.

Also, you should check out Seth Skorkowsky’s overview videos:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL25p5gPY6qKVUg6ys5N1oRlsBI7DTByyI

From your last sentence, perhaps a few of Seth Skorkowsky’s videos fit the bill:

https://youtu.be/0j43ukEIFUM?si=R7X34IHOkRmvO-wJ

https://youtu.be/fDuDDz8pKgk?si=sNu0n6sb_slOagyz

https://youtu.be/uAIUhQatJrg?si=dpr-4MtR088dcHsm

https://youtu.be/hNElPzNkgOs?si=C0eigQvIxpsMIdEU

But then I have to ask: What do you think is a better player? How does your table work? What kind of games does your group prefer? What do you all appreciate the most from the game?

Some groups are delighted when everyone has a great backstory, while others yawn at it. Some groups enjoy voice acting while some of us don’t bother as long as you stay in character when needed. Some like full immersion and others mostly like to hang around with friends. Some like the sandbox while others wish for a carefully thought out plot. Some like hack n’ slash and others prefer political intrigue and social interactions.

How do you describe a fun, a great session?

Thanks! I’m pretty sure I’ll have UV clearance.

Thanks!