Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
I really like the idea of "family-run" merchant vessels. It brings a new dimension to the game, kinda like the libertine ships of CJ Cherryh's stories.
Born in Space?
- Thread starter archhealer
- Start date
Pete was born on an asteroid mining station to belter parents. At age four they moved to the Really Big Space Station and refinery. At age 14 he decides that he doesn’t want to smelt ore his whole life and signs aboard a 20kt ore freighter as cheap kitchen help and maintenance dogsbody. At 18 he joins the Imperial Army and dies in his second term.
I would consider his homeworld to be “space”, discuss.
I would consider his homeworld to be “space”, discuss.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Ditto.
Seriously, though, kids are a drag on your family economy no matter where you live. In space, it just means you have to have room for an extra vacc suit (vacc pram?). And, yes, I like the idea of a seriously different culture likes Cherryh's merchies from DownBelow Station.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Hey, the older kids could play dodge ball with the younger ones! (Mike, in Monsters, Inc, "Of course, I was the ball....")
A free trader burns up in the atmosphere* of a high population world with a shipment of salvaged 245 Trioxin that is subsequently released into the atmosphere and carried by the jet stream all over the planet. Within 30 days millions succumb and rise as zombies hungry for the flesh of the living.
*The free trader in question did not have an airframe rating and could not make any supersonic maneuvers. The pilot did not read that thread and tried to go just a little too fast.
archhealer
SOC-12
Ok, Zombies? Seriously? Did Traveller just get WAY Cooler? As a quick side note, now I want to play a crazy old space-born voodoo man/professional(Medical) Character.
Access to synthetic ressurrection isn't quite vanilla zombie making methods. To a low TL planet (with adequate superstition and lack of contact) you could certainly set up the zombie schtick.
All it would require is a great deal of persuassion and a small supply of medical slow drug. Pretty much a copy of real world zombies that way.
The beating the "deceased" repeatedly would be up to the individual.
Making a zombie these days involves a couple of simple steps.
1. Convince someone they are dead. Often by a poison that mimics death. It helps if you curse them first, just so they are in the right frame of mind and so you don't have to give a reason for why they died.
2. Bury them quickly. Remember that in the tropics you need to bury people within hours so that they (those weak of stomach may want to skip to the next point) don't start spraying internal juices from fresh insect bites, puff up like a marshmallow man and turn purplish/black.
3. Dig them up. At this point they should be unconcious. Give them a nice strong stimulant and a suggestion enhancing chemical. Optionally a weaker stimulant and beat the crap out of them with a stick (think primitive CPR).
4. At this point the fresh zombie should be quite receptive to the idea that they are now a zombie under your control. Talk to them. Drum in simple statements repeatedly. Beat them some more. Any other suggestion enhancing narcotics can be used at this point as well, they are no longer quite as dangerous as when the subject was unconcious.
Voila! You now have a zombie under your control.
Apologies for the late Halloween post.
All it would require is a great deal of persuassion and a small supply of medical slow drug. Pretty much a copy of real world zombies that way.
The beating the "deceased" repeatedly would be up to the individual.
Making a zombie these days involves a couple of simple steps.
1. Convince someone they are dead. Often by a poison that mimics death. It helps if you curse them first, just so they are in the right frame of mind and so you don't have to give a reason for why they died.
2. Bury them quickly. Remember that in the tropics you need to bury people within hours so that they (those weak of stomach may want to skip to the next point) don't start spraying internal juices from fresh insect bites, puff up like a marshmallow man and turn purplish/black.
3. Dig them up. At this point they should be unconcious. Give them a nice strong stimulant and a suggestion enhancing chemical. Optionally a weaker stimulant and beat the crap out of them with a stick (think primitive CPR).
4. At this point the fresh zombie should be quite receptive to the idea that they are now a zombie under your control. Talk to them. Drum in simple statements repeatedly. Beat them some more. Any other suggestion enhancing narcotics can be used at this point as well, they are no longer quite as dangerous as when the subject was unconcious.
Voila! You now have a zombie under your control.
Apologies for the late Halloween post.
archhealer
SOC-12
IMTU, It's ALWAYS halloween. Zombies, full speed ahead! WOO!
If memory serves me right, there is a TD article on playing children in Traveller. Now, that could be suitably modified and meshed with Astroidical chargen to form the space baby. But, in reality, I would see any need for special skills other than some commonsensial modifications that I would take from cyberpunk 2020 product - Deep Space.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Mostly, very early familiarization with vacc suits (or vacc prams 
). And, of course, like Barbarians, you could start them in a career at a young age as they are living in the midst of it (at least on a ship).
). And, of course, like Barbarians, you could start them in a career at a young age as they are living in the midst of it (at least on a ship).
One of the biggest issues aboout shhipbbaord life is that most of them will never experience significant Low-G time; most ships TL10+ have gravitics. The key skills would be Steward and VaccSuit, and maybe JOAT, Engineering or Computer.
Station dwellers might be Lo-G, might be normal, or even high-g. Most are likely to be kept at standard or thin atm.
Station dwellers might be Lo-G, might be normal, or even high-g. Most are likely to be kept at standard or thin atm.
Much as I hate to disagree with some people and yopu know who you are Ross, you can't simply say that kids are not going to be on space ships because they cost too much. Kids always costs a mint to raise, seemingly a crippling amount but families continue to do so.
In space, the formula is going to be more expensive than on a planet as life support isn't free but then you still have to pay for food, clothing and shelter on the planet and if you live on a fairly civilized planet, the authorities are going to make sure that you leave behind enough to raise the kids from infancy to adulthood because they can't be sure you are going to return. As a result, you would have to remove such costs from that supposed 228k loss per year.
Add to that, a kid isn't going to cost the same amount of life support compared to a fully active adult. Not having a vast medical background, I would still say that an infant doesn't even use 10% of the oxygen that an adult would. By the time a kid is actually costing the same in life support as an adult, they would probably be working as a full time crew member anyway, allowing you to reduce the payroll by 1 non-related crewman, without having to in turn pay the kid anywhere near what the adult crewmember cost.
As far as being too dangerous to take kids with you and everybody dying, it has happened before and will happen again. Even in our modern age, parents often take their kids with them, such as missionaries, scientists, researchers, etc.. Maybe the idea of going all together is more appealing to some, rather than leaving somebody behind.
In space, the formula is going to be more expensive than on a planet as life support isn't free but then you still have to pay for food, clothing and shelter on the planet and if you live on a fairly civilized planet, the authorities are going to make sure that you leave behind enough to raise the kids from infancy to adulthood because they can't be sure you are going to return. As a result, you would have to remove such costs from that supposed 228k loss per year.
Add to that, a kid isn't going to cost the same amount of life support compared to a fully active adult. Not having a vast medical background, I would still say that an infant doesn't even use 10% of the oxygen that an adult would. By the time a kid is actually costing the same in life support as an adult, they would probably be working as a full time crew member anyway, allowing you to reduce the payroll by 1 non-related crewman, without having to in turn pay the kid anywhere near what the adult crewmember cost.
As far as being too dangerous to take kids with you and everybody dying, it has happened before and will happen again. Even in our modern age, parents often take their kids with them, such as missionaries, scientists, researchers, etc.. Maybe the idea of going all together is more appealing to some, rather than leaving somebody behind.
P
Pickles
Guest
Cultural and monetary reasons aside, there are also the legal issues to consider. How does the imperium (or high law-level worlds) feel about allowing children to grow up aboard spaceships? Would they legally be permitted to work? What is the minimum working age in the imperium? Do the parents have to convince an education authority that they are able to provide an adequate education for the child? What about health-and-safety legislaton?
Red tape - I love it. IMTU, of course.
Red tape - I love it. IMTU, of course.
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