Ideal Player ship

[N.I.C.E. Labs]

If you'll indulge a new persons reply (great place btw ^_^)....

I usually start them off in a scout or free trader depending on the number of players. I have some Fasa deck plans of a 500 merchant that I've used for a larger group before though. Once they're in the game I'm pretty open for what ships they want to use...if they can get them.
For example in the campaign I'm running now there were in a far trader...then I ran them through Annic Nova. They had a blast with that ship (especially after I make it sort of spooky with a mind of it's own). They had that until they ran foul of a pirate fleet. Through a series of events the Nova was wrecked but they escaped in a Close Escort which is what they're in now. Trying to turn the ship into a more legitimate line of work they renamed it the 'Buccaner' do-well' and I'm waiting to see how long it takes them <G>

 

[N.I.C.E. Labs]

Forgive the disjointed sentences and bad grammar in my last post...I'm at work and was understandibly distracted...rereading it I thought I'd best take the blame myself

While I'm here I'll add a bit by mentioning location will also help determine the ship to some extent, especially if the group is in the market for upgrades or trying to obtain a new vessel all together. If, for example, they're on Darrian or Regina, I'll give them a bit more leeway than if they were trying to by a ship or ship parts on say Treece.



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AIM Niceman65706

 

[GypsyComet]

Originally posted by N.I.C.E. Labs:
While I'm here I'll add a bit by mentioning location will also help determine the ship to some extent, especially if the group is in the market for upgrades or trying to obtain a new vessel all together. If, for example, they're on Darrian or Regina, I'll give them a bit more leeway than if they were trying to by a ship or ship parts on say Treece.

One reason the profusion of TL15 ships in MT was so very silly...

My gang has learned, and goes for TL12 and 13 designs when given the choice...

 

[Antony]

If the PCs had managed to recover the Kinunir (CT Adventure 1) would the Imperium have allowed them to keep the ship. Sans black globe. Given the age of the ship and its standard of contruction (General not being renowned for quality control)?

It always struck me that the ship would have been useful for wealthier mercenary units.

 

[N.I.C.E. Labs]

Originally posted by Shadow Bear:

We have been playing in a campaign and had the chance to use a 400 ton subsidized merchant and then upgrade to the type T patrol vessel. I think the typt T is great to use in a fight but its limited cargo capacity sucks when you are trying to raise money.

To speculate you need some cash to start with and lots of cargo space to succeed. Jump 3 with 3 or 4 turrets for defense gives lots of options and survivability.[/QB]

Yeah, my players are in the same boat (no pun intended........ok, maybe a little one). they have virtually no cargo in their close escort. They had considered converting the drop tanks into dedicated cargo bays, but it boiled down to what they wanted to accomplish. They're not pirates or criminals, but they're definately seedy, and not above doing something for profit now and again if the local law is looking the other way. Going the merchant route didn't suit them so they are putting the small cargo space to use for courier jobs. Small, valuable runs of protected cargo. Passengers. That sort of thing.

 

[Nurd_boy]

the "IDEAL PLAYER SHIP"...

1) up to it's topside turret in debt...<to give it flavor>

2) under gunned / under armored vs anything larger than an leaky tech 9 x-boat...<to keep the pc's on THEIR toes>

3) under powered for the ship systems that they (the PC's) do manage to have operational

4) systems that are obsolete <no parts>, badly in need to maintenance < operate on an 'x'+ on 2D6> or are just plain tagged DOA....

"...it's not just a job, it's an adventure..."

(hmmm, where did I hear that quote again??....)

 

[autochthonic]

I like to give characters an unstreamlined ship with a boat. Nothing like splitting up the party to add tension.

As a player, my all-time ideal ship was the asteroid stealth ship from "Expedition To Zhodhane". Loved that little pop turret.

 

[gardclan]

I ran an active duty marine campaign once where the party were the drop troops aboard a Kinunir class CC. Very interesting, but very little player control over the ship itself.

Probably the most fun though was the old hot-rodded A2 far trader (heavilly reworked under TNE design rules) with J2 4G perfromance and rather reduced cargo room. Something was always breaking down, permits for the modifications were always needing renewed, and the authorities were always suspicious. Lots of room for the party con-man to use his forgery skill.

 

[bozzutoman]

In a CT campaign set in Ley Sector (JG), one of the scouts started with a S/C named The Lucky Roll. Man was it a P.o.S! Bad air filters; a constantly backed up fresher; the air-raft door usually needed a crowbar assist to open... oh and we were pretty sure it was haunted as well. You'd set something down, and a moment later it was missing, only to be found later in some unlikely spot.

We definately had a love-hate relationship with Lucky.

We nearly lost her to a Dra'k'ne disintegrator. Bastard blew out the entire aft rec area and part of engineering.

 

[Nearside]

I remember designing a TL15 Scout (or was it a TL16, no, I think 15) in the MT rules, and I got an extra level of Jump and Maneuver out of it. Nice. .

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by Stephen Herron:
I remember designing a TL15 Scout (or was it a TL16, no, I think 15) in the MT rules, and I got an extra level of Jump and Maneuver out of it. Nice. .

Key things to remember about MT:
Fuel requirements are almost halved. This means that most designs gain space when converting, even with the higher drive sizes per rating.

Secondly, MT did not use Bk 2 T&C, but the much less lucrative (though more stable) Bk 7 Merchant Prince system. This reduced viability of small cargo designs.

Now I LOVE MT, but do keep in mind it is not going to produce the same results. I've built 100 Td TL 15 J6 designs with MT.

Bk 2 can't do it (60Td for Fuel, 20 for Bridge, 20Td for J-drive C, not even room for the model 6, PP, etc

Bk 5: 60 tons for J fuel, 6 T for P fuel, 6 T PP,
20 T for Bridge, 7 T for drive. Still not enough room left for the computer.

 

[MT++]

I ran a new era campaign where the ship was a gutted Azhanti High Lightning.

It was a former Virus host that had tried to preserve humanity in it hull, removing more and more components as it converted it to hydroponics. (Players were a little pissed when they found the meson gun tube was a vegetable garden)

It had lost all but one refueller and two fighters.

Jumps were slow (took several days to set up) but the massive automation in place, plus a number of dumbots they were able to handle it.

Everytime they found a derelict, whatever it had, they installed in one of the massive number of turrets

Campaign lasted a year and a half and ended with ten regular players (about this point the GM (me) just about had a nervous breakdown from running it)

 

[Scarecrow]

As a slight side-step from the point, I always felt the ideal player ship was one that extended beyond a mere list of numbers. I felt that nomatter how small or large it was, it should feel as real to the players as their own homes.

Sure, you have to begin with the game stats, that goes without saying, but it should extend way beyond that. Players should know what the ship looked and felt like. Each player should know where their character's stateroom is and what it contains. They should know where Engineering was aswell as the washroom and they should know how and why it works. It should have as much character as the Player Characters do. It should really be as much as part of the party as the player characters are.

In short, it should be a living, breathing, story-telling platform.

Crow

 

[Bishop]

I ran a "Hard Timesish" campaign where the PCs woke out of cold sleep to find that they couldn't contact support and that all they had was an SDB (with extensive ECM suite) for their ship. The system where they were located was hostile but lower tech. The whole first story arc was centered around them acquiring parts (via theft, piracy, etc.) for and refitting a jump module so that they could get back to friendly space.

Thomas

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by Scarecrow:
As a slight side-step from the point, I always felt the ideal player ship was one that extended beyond a mere list of numbers. I felt that nomatter how small or large it was, it should feel as real to the players as their own homes.
snip
In short, it should be a living, breathing, story-telling platform.

Crow

As the only guaranteed repeating setting in a merchant cammpaign, my first need as a GM or as a Player is to have a set of plans... so I can visualize what's where.

Speaking of such, GURPS Prime Directive just came out... and has a nice set of deck plans in the back. For the "Free Trader" of the Star Fleet Universe. It is touted by the designers as an ideal player ship... small enough to be crewed by PC's, large enough to get them into trouble. 5 pages of ship details (including deckplans) with overlays for variants.

 

[alexhawman]

I find that if you start the players out in a small J-1 ship with a little cargo room and a few extra staterooms, like a freetrader, and just give them the incentive to work for a bigger and better ship, that it's more interesting then just handing out a ship with longer range to start with.

 

[vegascat]

Remember that old Kinunir derilect in the junkyard on Regina? Patron gave it to a group as payment, they just had to get it fixed up and flyable. Biggest money pit ever devised. It needed everything but a hull. Eventually after several games, the crew was able to get a 1BIS, J1, M1 and a working environmental unit for it. Darn thing could carry a load of cargo and looked too mean for the pirates, as long as they weren't scanned. Of course the systems were jury rigged like a bad dream making for more interesting situations.

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Last Party I had. I gave them an empress Marava

They usually shipped boxes of pillow filler 'sold' to them by one imperial agent to another. Technically they worked for Imperialines (the Air America of the Traveller Universe)

 

[savage]

Depends on the type of environment. We started out with free traders and sub. merchants during our peaceful travels. As players get more experienced an d a war breaks out 5k plus became more effective. In the post-war players became very comfortable with 1000-1500 ton designs.

The real benefit to a players is visualization. If a basic floor plan or rough scematic exists the player can really have an easier time adapting the character to the ship.

 

[s0l0man]

As mentioned previously I recommend the Explorer Class Scout from White Dwarf #40 (I think) for civi's/detached duty,(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andyslack/pdf/ctsnwbrd.pdf) and could I suggest the Fiery Class Gunned Escort from MT Journal #2(basically a streamlined Gazelle) for military ops.

I ran a campaign for approx 2 yrs set during the FFW and had the players on the run from the IN on trumpted up charges. They still harrassed the Zhodani at every chance hehe