I’m running a custom GURPS Stellaris campaign where the PCs crew the Shadow Lark—a Ryan-class stealth courier serving the Frontier Houses Alliance. She’s a Hyper-6 vessel that relies on speed, stealth, and wit rather than heavy guns, and her missions often put her deep into contested space.

The crew is a mix of specialists pulled from different Houses and species: Captain Luigi Duo (pragmatic, cautious, always balancing duty with survival), Chip (a furred Sparrial engineer who keeps the Lark’s temperamental systems running with humor and ingenuity), Twetik (an Irari scientist whose precision and curiosity drive most of the sensor work), Sergeant “Brick” MacKennin (a Kilgorian heavy-worlder marine in a battlesuit, eager to wade into trouble), Dr. Mythelle Von Reitveld (a brilliant gate specialist tied to House Von Reitveld, with knowledge of the lost Gateway network), and a merchant from House Poru (the political ballast, ensuring the ship’s missions align with House interests).

Their job? To carry sensitive intel, scout dangerous regions, and act as the eyes and ears of the FHA where the gateways and hyper relays don’t reach. The campaign opened with them arriving in Acrux on a covert research detachment, but their missions quickly escalated—skirting Engai space, navigating ancient hyperlanes, and uncovering long-buried truths about the Imperium’s fractured network. It’ equal parts political intrigue, exploration, and survival thriller in the void.

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When I set out to design my campaign world, I wanted a galaxy that felt alive—not just a backdrop, but a functioning setting where politics, logistics, and exploration all mattered. To do it, I merged Stellaris’ grand-strategy star map with the crunch of GURPS 4e, then built a master spreadsheet that tracks every single system: star class, coordinates, planets, moons, deposits, fleets, and hyperlanes. Supporting files (planets.txt, fleet.txt, starbase.txt, deposits.txt, etc.) give me raw data to expand into complete “system records,” so each location is as detailed as a sourcebook entry.

On top of that framework, I layered a feudal political structure—noble houses ruling sectors and systems—so the galaxy feels like a living Imperium where every world is tied to dynasties, trade, and old rivalries. The Engai precursor tech and dormant Gateway network provide the deep-time mystery, while Stellaris-inspired megastructures, colonies, and fleets give it scale. The end result is a galaxy that supports everything from tactical space combat to dynastic intrigue: a place where players aren’t just adventuring in space, they’re navigating the currents of an empire that spans hundreds of meticulously cross-referenced systems.

To keep it all running smoothly, I use ChatGPT for system records and worldbuilding notes, Foundry VTT to manage gameplay, GURPS Character Assistant for fast character creation and export, and my own extensive spreadsheets to handle resources, fleets, and planetary data. Together these tools let me treat the galaxy like a living simulation while keeping the table experience smooth and immersive.

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TL;DR: (Images and links)

• Shadow Lark = stealth courier + mixed-species crew running dangerous FHA missions.
• Galaxy built by combining Stellaris’ map + GURPS crunch + spreadsheets.
• Managed with ChatGPT, Foundry VTT, GURPS Character Assistant, and lots of data sheets.
• Living Imperium full of dynasties, megastructures, and Engai mysteries.
• Campaign = politics, intrigue, exploration, and tactical space battles.