Free Trader Beowulf

[Drakon]

I have an idea for a piece of color in the Universe.

There exists a video series throughout the Solomani Rim called "Free Trader Beowulf". It has been made and remade several times over the decades (centuries?). The Beowulf has had many captains and crew members and has been upgraded several times over the years. The series has changed entertainment venues and services several times.

The stories detail the ship and her crew through adventures in handling cargo, dealing with pirates, customs officals, and various other characters throughout the galaxy. "Live like real people. A small crew - They must feel the need to be free. Take jobs as they come. They never have to be under the heel of nobody ever again." Some episodes are dramas, some comedic, some are inspired by real stories (not ncessarily true) of actual free traders. It was a very successful series and has inspired the popularity of the particular class of 200 ton starships.

What do you think?

 

[GypsyComet]

GT Interstellar Wars established that the Sandwich class (translated to English early on as "Hero", so apparently a large Vilani sandwich) has been around forever. Hero would eventually lose its food related meaning, and a later TL iteration of the ubiquitous Vilani design became what we know as the Beowulf.

The Type split with the A2 probably didn't happen "officially" until the Rule of Man, if my suspicions are correct, as the Vilani of the Ziru Sirka didn't want to advertise which merchant vessels were J2 capable.

 

[flykiller]

What do you think?

the player characters get tapped to play a few roles ....

 

[Condottiere]

It's about a scrappy group of lost cause veterans, operating at the outskirts of an imperious interstellar polity.

Their ship is called the Serenity.

 

[mike wightman]

I like the idea, it could provide a framework to hang adventures from, provide continuity for an episodic campaign if that makes sense.

Will the PCs be the 'characters' or is it just a bit of background fluff?

 

[willtron3030]

I can imagine a pitch session for a holoseries about low-tech pioneers travelling across a continent to establish a new settlement: "It's like Free Trader Beowulf... but ON LAND."

((flipping the script on an old trope)) [link to TVTropes]

 

[whartung]

the player characters get tapped to play a few roles ....

"We're astronauts, not actors!"

 

[Nightwind1]

A ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.

 

[Drakon]

It's about a scrappy group of lost cause veterans, operating at the outskirts of an imperious interstellar polity.

Their ship is called the Serenity.

No. Copyright problems that way. But it does serve as an inspiration, along with other various sci fi programs.

Only by the time the Beowulf series was made it, it would be (was?) more like an America Western, as it was stuff that had happened, rather than what could possibly happen.

 

[Drakon]

I can imagine a pitch session for a holoseries about low-tech pioneers travelling across a continent to establish a new settlement: "It's like Free Trader Beowulf... but ON LAND."

((flipping the script on an old trope)) [link to TVTropes]

YES!!

 

[Drakon]

I like the idea, it could provide a framework to hang adventures from, provide continuity for an episodic campaign if that makes sense.

Will the PCs be the 'characters' or is it just a bit of background fluff?

The idea started off as background fluff, I have a character that owns a Beowulf ((which I am building it in Blender, inside and out. I got the hull built, and the crew area furnished and cargo decks built. Need to furnish the passenger deck and design the engines and cockpit. As long as I don't look at magmagmag's stuff, I should be done in a couple months.*)) and a story about how he got it and came up with this as part of the motivator.

But I do not see a reason why someone else could not come up with tales of the Free Trader Beowulf. I figure it would be kind of like Dr. Who in the respect that you can have different captains and crews in different time periods, and even change the ship a bit over the years.

* I am very impressed and envious of magmagmag's artwork, and as I am just learning Blender, with old brain cells, I get depressed that it will not be as good as his.

 

[GypsyComet]

I get depressed that it will not be as good as his.

Each of the Traveller artists, fan or pro, who uses 3D modeling as the basis has found their own style. MMM's shiny universe or Ian's frequently matte one. Lots of panel lines or just enough shape to recognize the class.

Find yours and don't worry too much about the others.

 

[SJE]

So I ran a game called The Grendel Show in which I had the players as the cast and passengers making a Beowulf holovid show as they visited the Sword Worlds. Here is what I gave them as their ship background:

The Beowulf is the iconic Free Trader – and the C4 Free Trader class is now known as Beowulf class Free Traders (name under trademark and license from Wanatabe Industries). This is due to it’s fame from the popular ‘Tales of the Beowulf’ holovision show. The breakout seasons 1-3 were based off Nashu Wanatabe original adventures (much exaggerated) and his independence and success inspired a whole generation of mustered out Naval personnel and Merchants to become Free Traders in the wake of the 4th Frontier War. It was very much a piece of the period, and accusations of xenophobia and bias in the series got it banned in the Zhodani Consulate and Sword World Confederation.

Series 4-7 were bit too grim and gritty under the new Captain Daffyd Wanatabe, son of Nashu, and were considered to be something of a reboot. The show pivoted to a telenovela style in Series 8-18, with most filming and acting done in a studio in Mora whilst the Beowulf travelled around advertising the show and researching/generating new plot lines.

Ratings have dipped alarmingly after the ‘Hiver cloned my twin brother who married my childhood love in a coma before they ascended to become an energy-based Ancient’ plot line and the producers decided to go in a different direction, ditching the Mora cast and trying to return to the reality-roots with on-ship filming and a docu-drama approach instead, under the guidance of the on-ship producer Dara Stornova. They put together a rough cut of each episode and forwards it on to Mora for polishing and release.

Stats
Modified engine – Jump 2 (Jump 1 was too slow for good Holovision but isn’t publicised)
Triple Turret with Beam Laser, Missile Rack and Sandcaster.
Air Raft
Medbay
Ships locker


Crew

Captain Daffyd Wanatabe – dashing Pilot & Navigator- the face of the show (PC)
Dr Krysta Shinoble - Ship’s Doctor & Asst. Engineer- not a fan of the show (PC)
Dara Stornova – Sensor/Comms & Producer/holographer (PC)
“Mutt”- Vargr Chief Engineer & hard-drinking, hard-biting breakout star of the show in the Vargr Extents. (NPC)
Syren Vance – Steward, Asst. Pilot, Former “Miss Foreven 1100” Beauty contest winner. (NPC)
Joel O’Harahara – Jack of All Trades & Comedy sidekick. Currently in rehab. (NPC Not present)

 

[Drakon]

So I ran a game called The Grendel Show in which I had the players as the cast and passengers making a Beowulf holovid show as they visited the Sword Worlds. Here is what I gave them as their ship background:

Edited out some great stuff, see post above.

YES! Something like this, but I am thinking that it was old even by the 4th war. My characters were adults during the war, and for the ship owner, this was a childhood pleasure. And that character is a Terran, so perhaps "Tales of the Beowulf" is a "Tales of the Beowulf " is a Denebian adaptation of the older "Free Trader Beowulf"?

Just an idea.