Cepheus Trader

Cepheus Trader is a multiplayer BBS door game inspired by TradeWars 2002 and Yankee Trader. It combines trading, ship operation, interstellar mail, exploration, naval service, privateering, piracy, and space combat in a persistent 3D universe based on the Cepheus Engine rules.

The project is in active alpha development at version 0.7.16. Milestones 0 through 6 are complete; Milestone 7 is validating multi-BBS play and field operations. See the roadmap for the authoritative status and acceptance boundaries.

New and returning captains can use the player documentation site for the game introduction, complete player reference, and searchable Beginner Help.

Cepheus Trader is an Alternate Cepheus Engine Universe. It is not affiliated with Jason “Flynn” Kemp or Samardan Press.

Architecture

One authoritative Rust server owns all game rules and persistent state. BBS players connect through a C++20 OpenDoors client over a TLS 1.3 external-PSK protocol using Cap'n Proto messages. Separate clients provide server administration and per-BBS sysop management.

The repository is self-contained: the OpenDoors sources used by the player door are vendored under client/third_party/opendoors. Building Cepheus Trader does not require a Synchronet source checkout or xpdev.

Repository layout

• server/ — authoritative Rust server and simulation
• client/ — OpenDoors player door, sysop/admin tools, and protocol exerciser
• protocol/ — shared Cap'n Proto schemas
• catalog/ — game data, ship designs, and attribution records
• docs/ — game, protocol, storage, and operational specifications
• cepodnew-markdown/ — generated local Cepheus Engine rules reference

The high-level game design and previously README-hosted implementation detail are preserved in the game design overview.

Build and test

The server requires stable Rust, Cap'n Proto, and GnuTLS 3.8.11 or newer:

cargo build --manifest-path server/Cargo.toml
cargo test --manifest-path server/Cargo.toml

The client requires CMake 3.20 or newer, a C++20 compiler, Ninja, pkg-config, and Python 3. It uses installed Botan 3 and Cap'n Proto packages when suitable; otherwise CMake downloads and verifies the pinned source releases.

cmake -S client -B build/client -G Ninja
cmake --build build/client
ctest --test-dir build/client --output-on-failure

Run the repository and catalog checks with:

python3 tools/check_repository.py
python3 -m unittest discover -s tools -p 'test_*.py'

Running the server

The server listens on localhost:7323 for players, localhost:7324 for administrators, localhost:7325 for BBS sysops, and localhost:7326 for League Coordinators by default. localhost is resolved at startup and every supported IPv4 and IPv6 result is bound.

The listener options are repeatable and also bind every address returned for a hostname:

cepheus-trader-server \
  --listen 0.0.0.0:7323 --listen '[::]:7323' \
  --sysop-listen 0.0.0.0:7325 --sysop-listen '[::]:7325' \
  --league-listen 0.0.0.0:7326 --league-listen '[::]:7326'

The administrator listener remains restricted to loopback addresses. Explicit listener values are strict: startup fails if any requested address cannot be resolved or bound.

See the sysop guide for BBS installation, configuration, credential bootstrap, and door setup. Client development is covered by the client documentation, League operation by the League Coordinator guide, and portable packages by the release process. Optional Web Push deployment is covered by the browser-alert guide.

Documentation

• Player documentation site
• Development roadmap
• Player guide
• Guided First Watch design
• BBS sysop installation and operations
• League Coordinator administration
• Operator-hosted interactive universe atlas
• Game design and implementation overview
• Milestone 7 field-alpha audit
• Protocol and storage model
• Door presentation and OpenDoors boundaries
• Speculative windowed TUI UX concept
• Implementation guidance

Licensing

Original software is available under the MIT License. Original game content and rule-bearing material are Open Game Content under the Open Game License 1.0a. Third-party software retains its own licenses.

See LICENSE.md, OPEN_GAME_LICENSE.md, THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md, and the OGC provenance record for the complete terms and attributions.