Okay, here's a rough draft of the sort of map we could use, with a couple of example empires thrown in, based on the ones I knew where either former Imperial client states or outsiders. Ignore the colours, I'm going with yellowing the hex and black text for all of them in the final draft.
Anyway, the number generation system I'm using is:
1d4 to determine the quadrant, using the Cartesian method for naming them as the guide (ie 1 = I, 2 = II, 3=III, 4=IV, simple enough)
Successor States:
1d6 along x
1d6 along y
Outsiders:
6+1d6 along x (this can be reduced to 6+1d4 if more compact play is desired)
6+1d4 along y
If 3-D were requested, then I would change it to:
1d8 for the 3-D octant
Successor States:
1d6 along x
1d6 along y
1d6 along z
Outsiders:
6+1d6 along x
6+1d4 along y
6+1d6 along z
And then I would simply write in the z adjustment with the nation's name.
The coloured in hexes represent the location of your capital world, and you can request to expand your territory, however you actually have to hold worlds in ajacent hexes for that to count. Each hex represents approximately 1 day's travel with a standard FTL system. A more detailed map can be generated later (or everyone can come up with their own internal maps along an hour's travel scale), but this would let us know where everyone is in relation to each other so we can begin plotting and scheming.
If this method is acceptable, then anyone not on there just tell me your nation's name and whether it is a successor state or an outsider of some sort.
