Fancy shipboard systems

[Murphy]

We play Traveller using a homemade ruleset developed from a bizarre mix of Risus, MgT, Fuzion, Diaspora/FATE and some others. It's basically a set of minigames for playing out various activities (fighting, stealth action, hacking, repairing, surveying, looking for patrons etc).

I'm looking to expand my modular ship construction. We have basic modules like armor, engines, staterooms, hangars and weapons, but nothing fancy... so I want to spice it up by offering more interesting systems. Things like:
- chemical refinery (all streamlined ships have fuel processors but this speeds up refining, cuts down life support strain, and can even restock medical supplies in a pinch);
- lab space (highly desirable for any kind of onboard research, helps make use of time in jump for all those tech junkies my players like to roll up);
- machine shop (produces spare parts from basic materials, can be used to repair vehicles, drones and the like);
- improved galley (helps attract high passengers, stores extra food supplies for emergencies);
- launching tubes (deploy and recollect small craft faster);
- dedicated computers for automation of some crew tasks (this is rare, not so reliable and kinda un-Traveller like but the option is there);
- refrigerated / shielded cargo bays (carrying perishable / illicit cargos);
- electronic warfare equipment.

In short, things that don't give straight bonuses to combat tasks but offer more options or make life easier in other ways.

Ideas?

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

a dedicated ball-room/ bar/ "pleasure" space, to increase high passage numbers and/or rates ("you got 7 days that you don't need to be sober on? we got you covered!")

A Exercise room/ gym/ Dojo, to allow characters to work on physical stats or combat skills while in jump.

exotic atmosphere life support, to allow a non oxygen breathing race to travel on your ship (or just pump the air full of drug to keep everyone high. whatever)

a zero G room, both for training in zero g manuvering and for fun.

a holo-walled room, for lush landscapes, etc.


any of those any good?

 

[sabredog]

Launch tubes are already in High Guard. Unless MgT is different that would be 25x the size of the largest craft using it.

 

[Timerover51]

We play Traveller using a homemade ruleset developed from a bizarre mix of Risus, MgT, Fuzion, Diaspora/FATE and some others. It's basically a set of minigames for playing out various activities (fighting, stealth action, hacking, repairing, surveying, looking for patrons etc).

I'm looking to expand my modular ship construction. We have basic modules like armor, engines, staterooms, hangars and weapons, but nothing fancy... so I want to spice it up by offering more interesting systems. Things like:
- chemical refinery (all streamlined ships have fuel processors but this speeds up refining, cuts down life support strain, and can even restock medical supplies in a pinch);
- lab space (highly desirable for any kind of onboard research, helps make use of time in jump for all those tech junkies my players like to roll up);
- machine shop (produces spare parts from basic materials, can be used to repair vehicles, drones and the like);
- improved galley (helps attract high passengers, stores extra food supplies for emergencies);
- launching tubes (deploy and recollect small craft faster);
- dedicated computers for automation of some crew tasks (this is rare, not so reliable and kinda un-Traveller like but the option is there);
- refrigerated / shielded cargo bays (carrying perishable / illicit cargos);
- electronic warfare equipment.

In short, things that don't give straight bonuses to combat tasks but offer more options or make life easier in other ways.

Ideas?

If you want, I can email you the layout of the galley and mess area used by US 180 foot Coast Guard cutters for crews of up to 70 officers and men. As for additional food space, you would only need about 1 or 2 Traveller displacement tons, as a long ton (2240 pounds) of US Army Class A rations, which would include fresh, frozen, and refrigerated items, occupies 94 cubic feet of space. So 1 Traveller dTon would hold roughly 5 tons of food. Assuming 5 pounds of food per person per day, that would supply 50 persons with 45 days supply of food. One Traveller dTon of refrigerated space and one dTon of freezer space would take care of just about all of a ship's need for an extended period.

 

[rancke]

If you want, I can email you the layout of the galley and mess area used by US 180 foot Coast Guard cutters for crews of up to 70 officers and men. As for additional food space, you would only need about 1 or 2 Traveller displacement tons, as a long ton (2240 pounds) of US Army Class A rations, which would include fresh, frozen, and refrigerated items, occupies 94 cubic feet of space. So 1 Traveller dTon would hold roughly 5 tons of food. Assuming 5 pounds of food per person per day, that would supply 50 persons with 45 days supply of food. One Traveller dTon of refrigerated space and one dTon of freezer space would take care of just about all of a ship's need for an extended period.

Disclaimer: The following is not meant to disparage your post nor as a personal attack on you.

I wonder how applicable a galley meant to prepare food preserved with TL7 techniques is to preparing food that has been preserved with TL 9 or 12 or 15 techniques. Ultra-tech food preservation is a subject that IMO has not been covered adequately in Traveller, so there's no way to know. So a TL7 galley is probably perfectly useful.


Hans

 

[Timerover51]

Disclaimer: The following is not meant to disparage your post nor as a personal attack on you.

I wonder how applicable a galley meant to prepare food preserved with TL7 techniques is to preparing food that has been preserved with TL 9 or 12 or 15 techniques. Ultra-tech food preservation is a subject that IMO has not been covered adequately in Traveller, so there's no way to know. So a TL7 galley is probably perfectly useful.


Hans

Hans, some food preservation techniques have not changed in a couple of millennium, such as salting, smoking, and dehydrating. I doubt very much if canning, freezing, and freeze-drying is going to change significantly in the next millennia or two. You are still dealing with the same basic material. And the galley mentioned is technically Tech Level 5, as the basic ship design dates from 1939. Against that, the galley is very similar to what you would find in a modern restaurant, with the main difference being that everything is electric in the cutter galley, which would be the case on a space ship. Some restaurants here used natural gas grills, stoves, and ovens, and a few use charcoal or wood-burning grills for some meat dishes.

It might be hard to do Asian Indian Tandoori cooking on a space ship though, unless you had a fairly large ship. Against that, you could feature that as a luxury marketing point.

 

[rancke]

Hans, some food preservation techniques have not changed in a couple of millennium, such as salting, smoking, and dehydrating. I doubt very much if canning, freezing, and freeze-drying is going to change significantly in the next millennia or two. You are still dealing with the same basic material.

That's not the point. The point is that some new techniques are likely to be invented at higher tech levels. Incidentally, canning has improved considerably since it was invented, and canning is a TL 4 improvement on TL 0-3 food preservation techniques. Some foodstuffs are bought fresh and take up more space than freeze-dried specimens because freeze-dried can never regain the full flavor and texture of fresh. But what if some TL 9+ technique allowed storing fresh food in a reduced form? That would change the basic storage requirements because you would be able to store fresh tomatoes as small cubes and restore them to full freshness in the Foodcube Reconstitutioner_(TM). Or that perennial SF favorite, the self-heating meal that would render a stove unnecessary?


Hans

 

[Timerover51]

That's not the point. The point is that some new techniques are likely to be invented at higher tech levels. Incidentally, canning has improved considerably since it was invented, and canning is a TL 4 improvement on TL 0-3 food preservation techniques. Some foodstuffs are bought fresh and take up more space than freeze-dried specimens because freeze-dried can never regain the full flavor and texture of fresh. But what if some TL 9+ technique allowed storing fresh food in a reduced form? That would change the basic storage requirements because you would be able to store fresh tomatoes as small cubes and restore them to full freshness in the Foodcube Reconstitutioner_(TM). Or that perennial SF favorite, the self-heating meal that would render a stove unnecessary?


Hans

Hans, I think that you take positive enjoyment in being as argumentative as possible.

I believe that the original request of the thread was to come up with

more interesting systems.

Included in that was the request for some ideas dealing with the galley. Specifically, the following

helps attract high passengers, stores extra food supplies for emergencies.

I posted my comments based on that, with the assumption that Murphy is not looking for what might develop, but what exists presently, and to which his players can relate.

The information on US Army rations storage data comes from my copy of the US Department of Army Field Manual 55-15, Transportation Reference Data, December 1963, which was the standard manual for logistics transportation planning at the time.

The information on the space requirements for a galley comes from the US National Park Service report on U.S. COAST GUARD 180-FOOT BUOY TENDERS, available for download as the following PDF file: nps_180_haer_report. It has detailed general arrangement line drawing of the ships. That is supplemented by my personal detailed inspection of the USCGC Bramble in October of 2010, while I was looking at purchasing the vessel for use as a research ship. The Bramble is presently located in Port Huron, Michigan, as I was outbid in the purchasing process.

If needed, I can also provide Murphy with dimensions of refrigerated cargo pods, or the requirements for refrigerated cargo space. For that matter, I could supply him with a large amount of data on shipping and space requirements for a wide range of military equipment, as well as more general cargo and bulk food shipments. As a US Army Quartermaster Officer, I did have to learn things like this and in addition, as my signature says, I do regard logistics as a fun thing to study.

Also, depending on where you have your Tech Level cutoff, Classic Traveller has it at 1860 to 1900, canning is a Tech Level 3 development, being widely used by 1860.

With respect to the self-heating food can, a Meal Combat Individual with a can of Sterno and a steel helmet or other form of pot makes a very good facsimile.

 

[rancke]

Hans, I think that you take positive enjoyment in being as argumentative as possible.

No, only as argumentative as necessary.

I believe that the original request of the thread was to come up with

Included in that was the request for some ideas dealing with the galley. Specifically, the following


I posted my comments based on that, with the assumption that Murphy is not looking for what might develop, but what exists presently, and to which his players can relate.

And I posted a comment that occurred to me when I read your post. Knowing how sensitive you are to criticism, I took pains to make it clear that I wasn't contradicting you, merely throwing out an observation about how applicable current (or recent) examples are to far future examples. If you and Murphy aren't interested in such ponderings, others may be.


Hans

 

[Timerover51]

Hans, you can also postulate that in the Traveller Universe, all ships are equipped with food synthesizers as shown on Star Trek, able to nearly-instantly produce whatever food is desired, as long as it is in the computer data banks. A large number of science fiction stories have ration concentrates that supply all the needed nutrition, albeit at the price of very limited bulk, leading to feelings of hunger. The US K-ration in World War 2 had that problem. One of the big complaints about the current Meal, Ready to Eat, rations currently used that I heard during the 1991 Gulf War was the very blandness of them, which resulted in very large shipments of small bottles of McIlhenny Tabasco Sauce to the troops. The biggest complaint of troops about the US World War 2 C-ration was the monotony of the ration, have only 3 main meals.

What Murphy is looking for is something more out of the ordinary, something to make his ship unique, something to make it stand out. Custom-cooked meals of non-reconstituted food would do that. I was pointing out what it would require. It might also require a Steward with a Skill Level of 2, giving him a Cooking Skill of 1, to prepare custom meals. Adding a cooking sub-skill to a Steward would make sense, as there is a world of difference between say, an English High Tea or luncheon at Fortnum and Mason's in London verses a fast-food meal from McDonalds. Note, I have eaten at the St. James restaurant at Fortnum and Mason's in London.

 

[Murphy]

If you want, I can email you the layout of the galley and mess area used by US 180 foot Coast Guard cutters for crews of up to 70 officers and men.

Thanks, but we don't really use detailed deckplans and such, although extra descriptions for ship features are always welcome.

Game-mechanically, the improved galley is just that -- a module that allows you to cater to more high passengers (still need a skilled steward but he/she would spend less work hours per person on board). Actual layout and description, though, and even exact functionality will all vary between ship classes.

I do take time to describe that, but that's not the gist of what I was asking for. Instead, I am looking for more ideas for various shipboard systems that give different, non-overlapping advantages (game mechanics wise). I.e. I want to present my players with meaningful choice when they are deciding what to install in that last module slot on their ship. Something besides mere cargo space, drives or weapons.

A Exercise room/ gym/ Dojo, to allow characters to work on physical stats or combat skills while in jump.

Good catch! We're making use of training and adaptation courses that allow a character to temporarily increase his physical or mental ability in a certain area. I guess I'll add a few kinds of equipment sets for that.

 

[Timerover51]

Are you looking for vehicle systems for use as well? You might also want to consider a couple of extra-large suites for families to travel in, possibly with a small kitchen facility for individual cooking.

 

[Murphy]

I had plans to extend my modular design system for vehicles as well, so far I haven't done it, though.

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

Good catch! We're making use of training and adaptation courses that allow a character to temporarily increase his physical or mental ability in a certain area. I guess I'll add a few kinds of equipment sets for that.

thankyou.

how about the ability to configure one or more staterooms to suit a specific alien races prefences? say, a stateroom that can be turned into something a Aslan noble would think of as a "proper" bedroom?

or, indeed, simple upgrades to the stateroom? a ship could have a few "Luxury" rooms available only to high passengers.

 

[flykiller]

things that don't give straight bonuses to combat tasks but offer more options or make life easier in other ways.

holobooths - 2dton cabinets that use holograms and hologravitics to generate a physically interactive virtual setting. step into the booth and go hiking through pagaton's Till mountain ranges, or get 0G combat training, or run with the bulls in Terra's Pamplona. step out and head back to your cabin.

 

[Murphy]

holobooths - 2dton cabinets that use holograms and hologravitics to generate a physically interactive virtual setting. step into the booth and go hiking through pagaton's Till mountain ranges, or get 0G combat training, or run with the bulls in Terra's Pamplona. step out and head back to your cabin.

Huh. Quite... Startrekky if you ask me. And it's even canon.
The ultimate training room, cool and expensive.

how about the ability to configure one or more staterooms to suit a specific alien races prefences? say, a stateroom that can be turned into something a Aslan noble would think of as a "proper" bedroom?

So, not just a "stateroom for Aslan" but a reconfigurable stateroom? Yeah, that's a good idea too.

In fact, this can be expanded for other systems. I guess cargo hold is already reconfigurable into a makeshift hangar or extra fuel tanks (if you have proper eq, i.e. a set of demountables).

 

[HiverLord]

how about the ability to configure one or more staterooms to suit a specific alien races prefences? say, a stateroom that can be turned into something a Aslan noble would think of as a "proper" bedroom?

ISTR reading about this somewhere...

Ah yes, Gurps:Traveller, IIRC, had something similar to this. Unfortunately, I don't have access to it anymore to provide any details...

 

[Epee]

Don't forget "factory ships" or pods. These would be designed to harvest, probably with smaller craft, mineral and biological resources, process them down to an efficiently transportable states and transport them to market. Mining, lumber, and wild meat harvesting come to mind.

 

[flykiller]

And it's even canon.

it is? I had no idea.

The ultimate training room, cool and expensive.

yep. imtu my marine battalions have training facilities to hold one platoon each man individually for fully-interactive unit training. and it's a great perk for passengers in liners.

Huh. Quite... Startrekky if you ask me.

star trek does have its good points.