Star Freight Handbook

Star Freight is a text-first tactics merchant RPG about hauling freight through a politically fractured star system.

You are a disgraced military pilot rebuilding as a space merchant captain across five civilizations. Every run produces a different captain life — not because you picked a class, but because your crew, routes, risks, and standing shaped you into someone.

Four system truths

These are the load-bearing walls. They cannot be changed without invalidating the game’s identity.

1. Crew is binding law — crew members are capabilities, access gates, and obligations simultaneously
2. Combat is a campaign event — every outcome writes to campaign state permanently
3. Culture is decision grammar — each civilization has social logic that shapes trade, access, and conflict
4. Plot emerges from life — investigation threads surface through ordinary work, not quest markers

What this handbook covers

• Getting Started — install, first run, controls
• The World — civilizations, ports, routes, goods, factions
• Captain Paths — nine classes, three postures, ships, companions
• Systems Reference — crew, combat, culture, investigation, trade, contracts
• Beginner’s Guide — first 30 minutes walkthrough for new captains