A Player's Guide to the Universe
Welcome to the Universe. Don't panic! It's big, but it's not as intimidating as it seems.
Thanks to the thousands of years of civilization, there are more safe, interesting places to explore than you could in many lifetimes. Of course, there's lots of less well-patrolled space out there, but we'll get to that later. Here's the basics you need to know:
Money Talks
Everything costs something. There are tons of currencies out there, and tons more useful goods and services. You can probably do something useful to earn a credit or two. If you don't have none, you might have a bad time. But in a Universe with virtually infinite horizons, there's always someone needs a hand, for the right price.
Respect Authority
Death and taxes, right? Every spot of the Verse is owned by some sunovabitch or other. I mean, not every spot, but if you're ready to claim your own planet or star system on your lonesome, you're probably not reading this guide. Everywhere else, someone's in charge, and whether that's some petty local tyrant or some massive multi-system government, really doesn't change too much. Follow the rules, or expect trouble. You can learn to work around the rules once you've learned the basics real good.
Keep Flying
No doubt, land means value. Whether you're growing, mining, or just collecting rent, land ownership has been a great way to make money since we were all crawlin' around planetside, dreaming of flight. However, land has this nasty habit of stayin' put. You gotta be where people wanna be, but if they wanna be there, they're gonna contest you for it. Thing about ships is, you can just pick up and fly somewhere else. A starship is also a great way to make money. And it's a great way to stay free to live your life as you choose. Don't like the horizon? Take off and find another.