THE
PLANETARY CLASSIFICATION LIST was initially begun, by myself, back in the
mid-1990's as a way to easily compartmentalize the handful of different
worlds that I was designing for my pre-ArcBuilder science fiction
setting. With a genesis on the old Nocturne World Building mailing
list, I received quite a lot of help and reviews by those fine folks, and
the PCL that I came away with, while simplistic when compared to this
current version, was a fine product regardless. I was further
heartened when others began to take more than a passing interest, and
being who I am I could not leave well enough alone.
Further revision came along, and I began to find other folks taking an interest in the PCL. Links to it began to appear. Even a couple of sites wanted to use it in their own science fiction settings, the most notable being Orion's Arm. But at the same time, I was beginning to realize something about the classification of planets, something which was giving me significant pause. Planets and other worlds, beyond the most general of terms, were inherently unclassifiable.
Terrestrial worlds, Jovian worlds, worlds with active geologies and worlds without, all of this was valid. But as new knowledge concerning Sol's planets, as well as the ever growing list of extrasolar planets being discovered, has come pouncing into the public eye I was seeing that these many worlds were utterly unique when one attempted to look beyond the general. Planets, I decided, were like people. They could be grouped into broad categories, but in the end no two were really alike. So what did this frame of mind of mine mean to the future of the PCL?
In the end, it didn't mean much. Since that time, I've come to see that worlds may indeed be a bit more classifiable than what I had thought, but even before this I continued with my updating of the PCL, adding and taking away as I came across snippets of information, utilizing suggestions brought on by various folks, and so forth. After the initiation of the ArcBuilder Mailing List, I had quite a bit of help from various people, until I finally reached the point of where I decided to make a final version for the setting. This is the Sixth Edition, and it should be considered the definitive PCL, the last in a long line, and the one that falls completely under the copyright of the ArcBuilder franchise. All earlier editions and versions should be considered free for use with permission.
I have a lot of people to thank for this current version, and I'll cover that in another section of this introductory material. But for right now, right here, I want to thank all of those who have helped over the years, and definitely all of those who have taken such a great interest in what, initially, was little more than a brief sidetrack.
Title Page - Introduction - Reciprocal Links - Glossary - References and Acknowledgments
Small Body Group - Dwarf Terrestrial Group - Terrestrial Group - Helian Group - Jovian Group - Planemo Group
Return to the ArcBuilder Index Page - Return to Explorations - Email at maastrichian@bresnan.net