Contents of a typical ship's locker

[mega-striker]

Just getting back into running Traveller after decades away and while working up player characters and a starting adventure one rolled up a scout ship. Now I am stuck as to what would be in the ship's locker of a typical scout ship? I haven't seen it anywhere I have looked (probably blind). And I searched here with no luck either. Rather than give what I, knowing the adventures planed, would outfit a locker with, there must be a standard equipment manifest. Since this is a scout ship if some results lead in that direction so much the better. I would like the ship to be atmosphere capable as well, so some equipment for dirt side adventures would be suitable.

Thank you in advance for any leads or ideas.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Here's a blog article about Ship's Lockers you might be interested in.

Expanding Universe blog: Ship's Locker
http://expanduniver.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-is-in-your-ships-locker.html

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Now I am stuck as to what would be in the ship's locker of a typical scout ship?

Whatever the players happen to need at the moment, within reason (as defined by the Referee).

The point is that it is not defined in advance. If you need something small and cheap to move the game along you will find it. If you need a pot of white paint for some reason, you will find it. If you need a few tools or a bit of electrical cable, you will find it.

If you want a plasma rifle, you will not find it...

 

[mike wightman]

You will find ship's locker content descriptions in several CT adventures and double adventures that involves a ship.

It usually includes vaccsuits, shotguns, pistols, blades, and adventure specific additional stuff.

 

[Condottiere]

1. It's Traveller's Robe of Useful Items.

2. There are two times taking inventory would be useful, in getting inspiration in problem solving, and when you loo ... liberate someone else's.

3. You could also abuse it by selling the Vacuum Suits every time the mortgage is due.

4. For a more comprehensive weapon selection, install an Armoury.

 

[MThompson016]

The Ship's Locker is the emergency stores, as I see it. It's going to have vacc suits, weapons, and emergency tools. The tools needed are going to be for rougher jobs than the ones in the engine room.

 

[coliver988]

Whatever the players happen to need at the moment, within reason (as defined by the Referee).

The point is that it is not defined in advance. If you need something small and cheap to move the game along you will find it. If you need a pot of white paint for some reason, you will find it. If you need a few tools or a bit of electrical cable, you will find it.

If you want a plasma rifle, you will not find it...

This is how I've always interpreted it as well. Though sometimes I will add in that the thing looks to be on its last legs so that the players may want to stock specific items in the locker. With T5, the QREBS rules can come into play (per my sig, I do tend to plunder the T5 tool chest as there are a LOT of useful bits in there that can apply across versions)

 

[mega-striker]

Thank you for the input. My "issue" is I can see if I have to choose myself what is in then it would be very biased towards the scenario(s) I have in mind. I will have to pursue some of the adventures. I was reading either the scouts, original starship or High Guard book(s) and I saw something there. It was very minimal wrt supplies.

Frankly most of it is common sense but one of my players mustered out with a scout ship. Now they can always add to the basic loadout, bring their personal possessions, etc. but what I am wondering is what kind of ship's locker and armoury would;

1. A scout ship generally be equipped with, and;
2. How much would a detached duty (if I remember the term correctly) scout ship be supplied with?

As I said I have been out of the loop for a while, plus totally ignorant of anything post "the Shattered Imperium" period as far as more recent publications go. Thank you all.

 

[Spinward Scout]

2. How much would a detached duty (if I remember the term correctly) scout ship be supplied with?

Officially? None. It's a surplus ship that comes as-is. The Detached Scout that gets to use it is responsible for upkeep of the ship.

Some ships may not have been checked well before being transfered to Detached Duty and still have the last crews' junk still on it (especially if the last crew were eaten by some alien critters), and some ships may have been stripped to the flooring.

Unofficially? Depends how much the Scout Base Commander likes you when they give you the ship.

And there's nothing stopping a Detached Scout from asking if there is a surplus parts bin or lost and found or whatever at every stop the ship makes.

 

[Enoki]

I think the first question to answer is What's the ship's locker intended for?

Is it a general purpose catch-all? Is it for damage control? Is it for a landing party? Making it an all-singing, all-dancing thing seems wrong to me. You end up with this large "closet" full of junk you rarely need or use but at the same time can't find the one item you really NEED right now in it because of all that junk.

My view is you have different storage areas for most of what has been listed. That is, you have an arms locker (that is secure) for weapons. You don't keep other stuff in it.

You have a damage control locker for emergency situations. It has things like cans of sealant to seal a small hole in the hull, a couple of larger patches to cover a bigger hole. Some gear for bracing or shoring a bulkhead or deck when it has buckled or been weakened. There's some CO2 absorbers and oxygen makers for restoring atmosphere. Maybe some cabling to restore power temporarily, that sort of thing. There'd be some basic tools necessary to use the things in the locker, but not a full tool box (too prone to being scavenged for that wrench that never comes back).
Maybe a few rescue balls or some sort of emergency survival suit would be included, something to let the crew survive as a last resort.

Vac suits go in a locker for those and these might be put in locations where the crew would be when operating the ship in a hazardous situation rather than in some GP ship's locker.

If you really think you need one, maybe an abandon ship locker with the necessary survival gear to do that.

For serious repairs you rely on the tools and materials the engineers have to do such things once the immediate situation isn't a disaster and emergency anymore.

 

[Condottiere]

One on a new ship may be empty or just freshly stocked by the chandler.

I kinda suspect on a forty year old ship, you probably should restock.

With a Scout ship, it may depend on how good on terms you are with the quartermaster.

 

[mega-striker]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think, especially as my son is new to Traveller and I have been out of the loop for so long, that roleplaying the hand over of the scout would be the best way to handle this. That way we shall see what, if anything, may be stocked as supplied.

Plus I intend on making him create a log of exploration results. Since this is a scout ship on detached duty it will be part of his monthly ownership requirements. He won't be required to travel outside the imperium but he will have to make up and provide some information about the worlds he visits. I may have to work up a minimum information required sheet for him to follow. The more info, well maybe a few spares and consumables will come his way. Not enough or too little info and the repo men may come calling...

I hope to encourage him to write up very detailed reports and get free fuel and maybe foodstuffs. Plus good intel should be rewarded by a very good chance that the IISS will have missions in the future.

Thanks for the ideas, links and general devil's advocating.

 

[kilemall]

Here's a thought for flexibility but not all-powerful ship's locker-


Use the 68A system, and determine the role of the ship locker, specialized or general-


SURVIVAL- space survival including vacc suits, extra life support, etc. and ground survival, tents/shelter, environmental clothing, general medkits, extra food/water, comms, hunting/tools, etc.

SHIP DAMAGE-heavy engineer rad suits, extra ship tool kits, common parts, cabling both power and control, spare plating/sealing, medkits for large scale hits/rad damage, emergency life support/power, etc.

COMBAT- small arms locker with matching ammo, at least 1-2 heavy support weapons/missiles, personal armor, medkits for wound trauma, non-lethals for passenger control/security, 1+ boarding suits and hullcutters/demolitions, grenades/mines, etc.

EXPLORATION- as survival but geared towards either space or ground exploration/prospecting, with more sensors, sample gathering, analysis tools, etc.

MEDICAL/RESCUE- as survival but past vacc/enviornment suits, cutting gear for access to wrecks, full paramedic/trauma medkits, pharmaceutical suite, full surgical tools and equipment, infection conrol, etc.

MERCHANT- a mix of space survival, tools, non-lethal security, and merchant small trade items, plus the ship's safe.

GENERAL- a smattering of all of the above.


General rules of thumb-

• Start with 6+ as basic roll for item that should be in it's specialty locker.
• Add two levels, to A+, if it's an item that would NOT be in that specific specialty locker.
• Add one level, to 8+, if rolling against a GENERAL locker.
• If an item is rare and expensive, add 1-2 levels.
• If an item is available, the next time it's rolled for increase the level by one.
• If salvaging/looting a wreck/piracy, add 1 level.
• If the level increases past the A+ roll, it's not available.

If an item is not there, it can't be rolled for again, it will have to be restocked. Or if you like the whole maker concept, then you CAN reroll to have a maker make the item, but if the roll fails again there are not enough of the 'right' feedstocks to make an emergency version of the item. Emergency maker versions are not production quality control and have to be checked for avoiding breaking 4+ every time its used.

I'd say the ship's locker is part of the bridge cost and tonnage, and is 1dton of that bridge per 30 crew/passengers. The cost of initial equipping is covered in the bridge cost, probably half of the per dton cost and the rest is special protection/armor/security doors/locks- this is after all the last line of life of the ship in this room.

If additional specialized ship's lockers are desired, just use the 30 people per dton and bridge costs for your version. That would allow for better survival chances and a die roll per locker, lessening the risk of being caught short.

 

[mega-striker]

Interesting approach. I am not really familiar with rule 68A yet, but understand it, especially as I was still gaming when Mega Traveller came out.

I like the approach, if not there: no more rolls, it has to be bought. I would think damage control supplies would be stored in or adjacent to engineering. I do have some concerns about how much in spare parts (engineering and controls or sensors) would be appropriate. In the future would everything be made from a handful of common "modules" (as opposed to individual components) making line replaceable units more useful and effective. Especially as repair and service locations are now weeks to months away.

Thank you.

 

[kilemall]

One other thought, you could apply the above roles to specific lockers by ACS types by their more typical usage.


Types A, R, M would get the Merchant Ship's Locker.

SDBs, CEs, Patrol, would get Ship Damage.

Marine/Army, Type C and Pirate Corsairs would get Combat.

Types J, L and S would get Exploration.

Hunters, possibly Yachts would get Survival.

 

[mega-striker]

That is pretty much what I was thinking as far as mission and potential loadout of the locker. WRT certain classes, yes they would get or start with standard loadouts, with the potential to do some attempted pick and choose. But ships operating on the frontier or with quite variable intended roles (such as scouts which can operate over a wide range of roles) they would be able to pick from appropriate lists. Especially detached duty scouts. In my case I see them being very much a product of their location. Near the borders and they may be expected, and required, to visit unexplored, unsettled or unaligned worlds. Nearer the imperial core and they will be expected to report on the comings and goings of known groups, the status of amber or even red zones (in order to keep star maps up to date) or general cases of "have things changed since we last went there" kind of missions. And yes I do expect detached duty scouts to be required to perform missions for IISS if they want to keep "their" ships.

 

[Enoki]

I'd think that a damage control locker (or lockers depending on the size of the ship) come with it new. When buying used, the status of such a locker is in question and could be rolled on or the like by the referee.

I think there'd be two types, one for non-combatant ships and one for combat ships.

The non-combat DC locker would have some cans of a sealant, like a spray foam or the like, to seal a small leak in the hull or other location in the ship. It would have some oxygen generators or bottles to restore atmosphere or swap out on vac suits and the like. A box or two of CO2 scrubbers to help if the ship's environmental system fails along with something like Sterno cans that can generate heat should the power fail and the ship start going cold.
A few basic tools would be included but nothing fancy.
Of course, there would be several portable fire extinguishers too.

This locker is very basic because it isn't expected that the ship will be facing serious damage or combat in service. On most merchants that players would be using there is one, maybe two aboard the ship.

The combatant one would be the non-combatant on steroids. More of the same stuff.
In addition it has box patches for larger holes in the hull, adjustable bracing for reinforcing a bulkhead or deck, a battery powered air filtration unit that can clear the smoke from a compartment in a short time, that sort of thing.
It's designed to allow the crew of a warship to make fast temporary repairs to damaged sections of the ship during or right after combat.
The smallest combatants would have one locker, larger ships multiple ones scattered throughout the vessel.

Weapons locker? Merchant / civilian ships buy one if you want it and fill it up with what you want. The exceptions might be a yacht and the safari ship. Yachts might have one if the owner wants that. Safari ships would have one simply because it makes sense they'd have arms on board for hunting.

Survival (aka abandon ship) locker? I could see combatant ships having one and it being focused on the crew getting off in space to be rescued. Merchant ships and the like would be limited to rescue balls available in staterooms and a few other places.
That is, no such "locker" exists on non-combatants, while combatant ships have one or more that is focused on the crew escaping the wreck and the safety or destruction of important documents and even possibly certain ship's systems.

Other variants are something the players would have to purchase and install themselves.

 

[Fovean]

I was looking thru the T4 Core rules, the book includes the adventure Exit Visa (which I first saw in the original Traveller Book back in the day). The adventure details the contents of the PC’s (suggested) Beowulf class Free Trader:

Ship's Locker
eight vac suits, each with oxygen tanks for eight hours and short range communicators
four shotguns, each with ten loaded magazines
two automatic pistols, each with ten loaded magazines
four cutlasses, each with a belt scabbard
one lockpick kit
eight sets of cloth armor
one pair of image-intensifier goggles
one radiation detector
one grav belt
one long range communicator

Interesting load out for an ostensibly “cut thru the red tape to get off this frakkin’ world” adventure.

 

[Proneutron]

an unopened case of cheeze wiz.

 

[mega-striker]

Thanks guys. Now give me some time to find, read and digest your ideas and suggestions.