I wanted my players to have a chance at developing something like the Delta Flyer (or the Argo), especially since they are currently in a racing competition plotline involving the Wairara, and came up with these rules.
The idea is that such projects are a group effort, and therefore any of them can contribute their Milestones towards its improvement. It takes about 3 Spotlight Milestones (or 9 Normal Milestones) to improve the base model to the strength of a Danube class runabout, and if they start incorporating advanced technology (like the Delta Flyer had access to Borg technology), they can unlock the next stage, which is one more Spotlight Milestone to bring it up to Delta Flyer specs.
I also incorporated a way for Reputation to be applied to the prototype, to allow Starfleet to take eventual notice of the model and perhaps incorporate it as a future shuttle model.
I’ll have a separate post on their prototype, the Mistral, soon, as an example.
I may develop future Project rules along the same lines.
EDIT: When allocating Departments, Conn is a minimum of 1 for Small Craft.
Shuttlecraft Prototype Project (PDF)
Adventure Tag: ADV003
It’s a great house rule, but I bring you one tiny nitpick/question. On core book page 233, the rules for Departments for Small Craft say that they should always have minimum Conn 1. So, either, should your rule incorporate that rule, or is there a reason you’d reject it here? If the former, isn’t it simpler to say “Have Conn 1, then assign 3 further points to Departments”?
Good catch. I missed the rule.