Okay, so far so good...<br/><br/>I'm going to say no to the idea of "upgrades".<br/><br/>So far as the Empire is concerned, there are X number of convicts, who should each produce Y amount of product A and Z amount of product B each 28 day period. So they should get X * Y of A and X * Z of B. If they get less, the supply drop is reduced. If they get more the supply drop is increased.<br/><br/>Dead inmates bodies are placed in the ore containers so that the Empire knows to reduce the quota, but equally they will reduce the supplies. If an inmate's body cannot be retrieved then a token is placed in a slot on the ore carrier indicating that an inmate has died. These tokens are kept on a special dispenser by the landing site. They can also be used to request special items such as medicines, replacement tools, repairs to the wind turbines, etc.<br/><br/>Repair teams will come down if necessary. They are heavily armoured and guarded by a full platoon of Imperial Marines in full combat gear!<br/><br/>(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tjkQUZ9f9gk/Srok6jVTDuI/AAAAAAAABww/5QX62knxhCw/s1600/Imperial%2BFists%2B-%2BSternguard%2BConversion%2B-%2B01.JPG)<br/><br/>I was speculating about having more than one settlement. The idea that there could be "Icers" who survive away from the main settlement is something I like. However, the idea that they would raid the settlement is a little bit pushing it. They are going to have a hard enough job staying alive., and they will need to trade with the settlement too.<br/><br/>Native fauna I'm going to allow players to be creative with. Nothing too outlandish and nothing intelligent, please, other than that, feel free! Fill ecological niches.<br/><br/>I have already decided on Haibane's idea of nanotech suits. They can be used buy a repair crew to immobilise an inmate or several inmates using a coded signal, they will keep the wearer warm, they will draw power from the sun, and also from the settlement's power grid. Icers will have a problem with that! The convict is dipped in a slimy, gel-like liquid, after being told to take a deep breath and keep their mouth and eyes closed. The nanotech stuff will thus coat every hair and every crevice.<br/><br/>So, my character will have her fur coated by the stuff.<br/><br/>Geothermal energy won't work, because to make it you need a volcanically active planet, a solid crust and liquid water to pump down it. The Cooler is a crust of ice, which (as has been hinted) floats on an ocean of liquid water. Think Titan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29).<br/><br/>Drill through the ice crust and you get water, which is kept above freezing point due to pressure. Release that pressure and it freezes blocking your bore-hole.<br/><br/>This is how I am leaning so far.<br/><br/>.....<br/><br/><br/>However, I am now considering Haibane's latest post.