CT Only: Low Passage and You!

[Supplement Four]

Who the hell travels with a low passage in the Classic Traveller universe? Well, according to the Traveller Book merchant rules, a lot. High population worlds can have quite a few low travellers, especially if the world has a higher tech level than the origin world.

It's over an 8% chance of DEATH--that's Dee-Eee-Aay-THuh--even in the best conditions (Medic-2 or higher oversees patient and berther has END 7+). It gets worse if either of those two conditions are not met.

Really? People would take this chance?

The rule says that the ship running the low berth can't be held accountable for a death BY IMPERIAL LAW.

Some noble, who is also the head of one of the megacorps that make low berths, must have gained some favor with the Emperor.

"Oh, yeah...just under one-in-ten die? Sounds safe for the people to me."

And, what about the combat Marines that are kept in low berth aboard Imperial warships? They suffer an 8.3% attrition rate just by being brought out of cold sleep?

"Commander, how many Marines do we have ready to move on the Zhodani?"

"Sir, we've got a platoon of 50 soldiers, ready to go, and another 50...um, make that 46 Marines that we can revive out of suspended animation."

Isn't there a rule someplace that says that military berths are better, less lethal, than civilian berths? Something in High Guard? Or, am I thinking of MegaTraveller?




As far as CT Berths go, I think the only people who would really choose this type of travel would only be those extremely desperate to get off planet. If nothing's going on with the origin world, then that's a big red flag. "Why the hell would this guy risk his life to leave the world?"

More likely, the world would be some place like Roup, where the population is starving to death, and the 8% chance of death seems like a fair gamble.

Or, maybe someone on a backward world like TL 4 Pysadi, where the person was sentenced by the religous fantaics there to run around outside without a face mask in order to commune with Mother Pysadi (translation: until brain damage occurs).



But, by the rules, there are evidently a butt load of people on certain worlds willing to risk their lives in order to get a 7,000Cr discount from a Mid-Passage.



Want to get rich in the Classic Traveller universe? Forget about getting lucky and becoming a noble. Forget about adventuring. Forget about winning the planetary lottery.

All you have to do is roll up a Scientist character, or possibly an Enginneer, and invent a low berth that is safe (say....snake eyes have to be rolled for death to occur...and that's still almost 3% chance of death!), then sell it at a low cost to the civilian market.

You'll get rich beyond your dreams by sheer sales volume alone.

 

[BytePro]

So a good percentage die [pun]. <shrug> In a technologically advanced society, its the type of death that's important.

CT, at least, is very terse on the subject of wounds and medical treatment. This was one of many areas where a Ref is left to fill in the blanks. The Low Berth thing is silly as given, so like many other absurdities, a little subtle meaning change can affect a more believable interpretation of the rule mechanics...

Before the 20th century, Clinical Death usually meant Permanent Death, however, advances in treatment gave us adrenaline shots, defibrillators and CPR. I consider Low Berth deaths to be Clinical Death - meaning no blood circulation, no breathing on revival. I.e., the equivalent of cardiac arrest.

Now normally, ischemic injury would result in significant brain damage within minutes. However, luckily, we are talking 'cold sleep' - so the Q10 rule applies... meaning the brain can survive without damage for quite some time (I use an hour or more). Additionally, it takes hours for cells to actually die - so drugs can be administered to actually recover from ischemic damage and further cooling the body after blood restarting and by manipulating the blood (pressure/reducing cell count/drugs), extra time can be bought.

IMTU, a doctor (Medic-3 in CT) has a very good chance, especially with Medical Drugs and facilities, to bring the victim back to full recovery. The Medic-2 and below would do best to administer Fast Drug (to slow the ischemic damage even further) if a Medic-3 and proper facilities were more than an hours time away.

[Almost all death is Clinical, unless the nature of death involved physical destruction of the brain (impact, incineration, plasma bath, etc.). Time is the critical element - and low berths and drugs can extend the time. Treatment requires expertise, tech and time (with Medical Slow an option to boot).]

 

[rancke]

As far as I'm concerned, the canonical (CT canon, that is) death rates are for ill maintained berths supervised by incompentent ship's medics (AKA Free Trader standard ) and the Low Lottery is a spacer myth.

Heard in a starport bar:

"No [alimentary waste product], there I was, standing stripped to my skivvies next to the low berth, when this fat slob that I wouldn't hire to clean my barf bag, clad in the filthiest coveralls you've ever seen, stumbles into the compartment and tells me that he's the ship's medic. He's drunk as a skunk or I miss my guess, but what can I do? The ship's already left the starport and I gather it's get into that berth or have a fatal accident. But just before he starts to put me under, he hands me a small dirty piece of paper with the number '3' on it. I ask him what it is and he tells me it's my lottery ticket for the "Low Lottery". Seems that they have this tradition that the captain contributes Cr10 out of each low passage for a sweepstake. Each low passenger draws a number between one and the number of low passengers, and the one with the number of passengers who survive the trip wins the money. So I ask what happens if the winner is one of the deaders, and he say in that case the captain keeps the money. And that's the last thing I hear before I pass out. Well, as you can guess, I woke up again. So I ask the medic who won the lottery and he tells me that everybody survived, so the captain decided that he deserved to keep the money in this case too."​

Hans

 

[aramis]

Actually, S4, it says on TTB page 50:

Throw 5+ for each passenger when he is revived after the ship has landed. DMs: Attending medic of expertise of 2 or better, +1; low passenger with an endurance of 6 or less, -1. Failure to achieve the throw to revive results in death for the passenger.​

It never says on how many dice...
You can get much saner rates by throwing 3d6... (wherin, with a competent medic, it becomes 1/216 = 0.46 death rate...)

 

[Vladika]

Actually, S4, it says on TTB page 50:

Throw 5+ for each passenger when he is revived after the ship has landed. DMs: Attending medic of expertise of 2 or better, +1; low passenger with an endurance of 6 or less, -1. Failure to achieve the throw to revive results in death for the passenger.​

It never says on how many dice...
You can get much saner rates by throwing 3d6... (wherin, with a competent medic, it becomes 1/216 = 0.46 death rate...)

Since it doesn't say how many let's just use 5 or 6...

Seriously, while the death rate is ridiculously high, isn't it pretty well understood that CT uses a 2 dice system?

 

[aramis]

Since it doesn't say how many let's just use 5 or 6...

Seriously, while the death rate is ridiculously high, isn't it pretty well understood that CT uses a 2 dice system?

Several throws in adventures are 3d for attribute or less. Including one in TTB. Combat and character gen are explicitly 2d throws.

 

[BytePro]

... and skill checks.

Sure there are exceptions, but not having a clearly stated exception, a 'throw' in CT is two dice:

'Generally, a dice throw involves two dice; exceptions requiring one die or three or more dice are clearly stated.' - LBB1p6 (Reprint)​

In the case of low passage saving throw, it would pretty much invalidate 'The Low Lottery'.

 

[Dragoner]

Even in severe trauma cases, people are revived all the time; so if you die in cold sleep, it's a trip to the hospital (just another role play vector).

 

[atpollard]

IMTU, a doctor (Medic-3 in CT) has a very good chance, especially with Medical Drugs and facilities, to bring the victim back to full recovery. The Medic-2 and below would do best to administer Fast Drug (to slow the ischemic damage even further) if a Medic-3 and proper facilities were more than an hours time away.

That is a very elegant solution ... it reduces unacceptable mortality, but preserves the lottery.
And a failed survival roll sticks the traveler with a hospital bill when they wake up.

 

[BytePro]

Thanks - actually I put a bit of thought into medical treatment IMTU. [In other words, I expect PCs to have need of such on a not-infrequent basis :devil:]

NOTE: This is all IMTU, though it doesn't violate any Core CT rules I'm aware of...

In the case of low berth Clinical Death, such provides for using Medic and medical tech and a motivation for adventure in the vein of 'get to good facilities/get drugs in time' drama. Useful too for involving Players whose PC has Medic skill, or leading to interaction with other passengers along the lines of 'is there a doctor in the house?'.

Emergency and critical care medical treatment IMTU is more like what exists in Italy. Treatment is essentially free for anyone and everyone at 'Imperial' facilities such as Starports and Bases, and also aboard military and public transport ships - contingent on having equipment, personnel and supplies, of course. ('In the wild' that's a quite different story... and Credits may not even be accepted locally). Aboard ship, the cost of drugs, when if comes to Low Berth death, is not the patient's responsibility - its the ship owners. (see below*)

Cheating death, however, does come with a price - convalesce, or postponed drug affects. Recovery from Low Berth revival is pretty much eat and take it easy for a few - with drugs, characters can go into instant action... If they are Clinically Dead, however, they generally won't be at 100% anytime soon.

*One obvious implication of the Low Berth/Low Lottery system is the ease and potential motivation for murder. IMTU, ships are required to have at least the drugs necessary to prolong clinical death a reasonable amount of time. Evidence of due diligence on the part of ship's owner and crew is required following low berth deaths - which amounts to proof of drug administration (and additional cold sleep if too far from treatment options) to minimize ischemic injury and Permanent Death. Dumping bodies in space is outlawed. ('Losing bodies' is possible, but requires 'creativity' to get away with successfully...).

 

[McPerth]

The Medic-2 and below would do best to administer Fast Drug (to slow the ischemic damage even further) if a Medic-3 and proper facilities were more than an hours time away.

About the use of Fast Drug on such a critical patient (in clinical death, in this case) is something I don't see as an option, as the drug is in pill form and you can never give any oral intake to an uncosncieus patient (one of the first things learned in first aid courses).

Even by IV administration (while there's no mention of it in Traveller, I could accept it exists), on a clinically dead (and so stoped heart) patient drugs efect is irregular, as the blood doesn't distribute it well, even if RCP (heart massage) is being applied. Only immediate efecto drugs (as adrenaline or atropine) are effective in such situation, and I don't see Fast Drug as such, as it is described in Traveller. Such immediate effect by fast drug would be very dangerous to the body metabolism.

In the case of low passage saving throw, it would pretty much invalidate 'The Low Lottery'.

See that MT keeps talking about low lottery, even though death for low berth is quite a rare occurence.

*One obvious implication of the Low Berth/Low Lottery system is the ease and potential motivation for murder.

IMTU, to avoid that, the ship's bet in the low lottery is (by law) 0 dead, and a share of it goes (by custoum in this case) to the ship's medic (or medical team).

 

[BytePro]

About the use of Fast Drug on such a critical patient (in clinical death, in this case) is something I don't see as an option, as the drug is in pill form ... Only immediate efecto drugs (as adrenaline or atropine) are effective in such situation.

Quite true, but CT rules give explicit leeway to the Ref regards drugs. The use of 'Fast Drug' for medical purposes is not explicitly covered by the rules and in this case is IMTU, sorry if that wasn't clear.

Note, either way, one can still use the concept - just substitute 'Medical Drugs' where I used Fast Drug, with same basic effect.

As posted, medical treatment IMTU was given additional, er, mental treatment. (Of a layman only nature, though - I'm not a doctor, da...)

IMTU, Fast and Slow Drug are injections like adrenaline - pill form never seemed right to me, except to avoid metagame abuse [pun intended ] and the need for medic skill. I have other limiting reasons for such, including that they can't be injected just anywhere - so some skill is required for their use. Combat Drug is by injection as well, but requires no real medical skill or training to use. However it also has some extra balancing side effects - negative DMs related to overconfidence/mental impairment.

IMTU, to avoid that, the ship's bet in the low lottery is (by law) 0 dead, and a share of it goes (by custoum in this case) to the ship's medic (or medical team).

That's a good one!

Helps ensure the medical crew isn't bribed into sharing the loot with a low berther as well...

 

[Selandia]

IMTU low berth

The Dumarest universe that is so much the base for Classic Traveller is a bleak universe, where life is cheap, slavery common, death pit fight very common. Much of his works describe society as Sci-Fi Dickens. Nothing like the current humanist society of Nortern Europe and North America.

The Frozen watch of High Guard would be unthinkable with the rate given in Book 2, IMHO. So there must be a way.

The dismal Book 2 rate whould be "naturally" defeated by commercial competition as shown by history (immigration to North-America). IMTU, I once runned a campain centering on a specialised Low Passagenger Carrier running Charter for colonisation project or convict transfer. Additionnal maintenance engineer (specialized cryogenist, not engineroom watch keeper) were shipped (one for every 40 low berth) and medical staff is Med 3 and Med 2 to perform rescucitation if ever something goes wrong with revival.

During the trip, make a roll (no med modifier): Low berth failure is identified by enginering, engineer make a fix-it roll, everything fixed or revival roll made according with Bk2 rules. Since the technical failure have already been ruled, the revival roll at destination only check for health issue. Since proper medical attention and working berth should guarantee survival a roll of 4+ will work. Only a roll that failed because of the lack of Medical +2 or the -1 End modifier fail. Since you have a medical team on board, the only way to die is if you have a low endurance (or are heavily wounded) and roll a 2 and a failure roll of the medical team that perform the rescucitation procedure after the failed revival roll. That last rescucitation roll is also taken in case of in travel malfunction.

The only way to take the "Dumarest roll" is in a backwater world where no safer alternative exist. Otherwise people would flock to any competition offering safer alternative.

Selandia

 

[Vladika]

*One obvious implication of the Low Berth/Low Lottery system is the ease and potential motivation for murder.

Say 20 low berths at a 10Cr chip-in per is 200Cr. Would you murder for $200? Not anywhere near enough money involved to commit murder over.

Dumping bodies in space is outlawed. ('Losing bodies' is possible, but requires 'creativity' to get away with successfully...).

Space is big. Easy to dump a body in just about any system if you really needed to get rid of one.

 

[Vladika]

IMTU, to avoid that, the ship's bet in the low lottery is (by law) 0 dead, and a share of it goes (by custoum in this case) to the ship's medic (or medical team).

I like that one. Seems like a good system. Still, I would hope a Starship medic would take every care even without pocket change to be picked up.

 

[rancke]

Say 20 low berths at a 10Cr chip-in per is 200Cr. Would you murder for $200? Not anywhere near enough money involved to commit murder over.

Especially since the captain is supposedly kicking in the prize money voluntarily. All he has to do to save the $600 (a CrImp is the equivalent of a 1977 dollar) is to not run a low lottery.

I still think that E.C. Tubb to the contrary notwithstanding, the Low Lottery has all the hallmarks of a classic urban legend.

"No, we don't have a Low Lottery on this ship! Those free traders are so badly maintained that they run a lottery on how many of their low passengers survive each trip, but not us. We never lose a low passenger."

"What, never?"

"No never."

"What, NEVER?!?"

"Well, hardly ever."​

Hans

 

[McPerth]

Quite true, but CT rules give explicit leeway to the Ref regards drugs. The use of 'Fast Drug' for medical purposes is not explicitly covered by the rules and in this case is IMTU, sorry if that wasn't clear.

Note, either way, one can still use the concept - just substitute 'Medical Drugs' where I used Fast Drug, with same basic effect.

As posted, medical treatment IMTU was given additional, er, mental treatment. (Of a layman only nature, though - I'm not a doctor, da...)

IMTU, Fast and Slow Drug are injections like adrenaline - pill form never seemed right to me, except to avoid metagame abuse [pun intended ] and the need for medic skill. I have other limiting reasons for such, including that they can't be injected just anywhere - so some skill is required for their use. Combat Drug is by injection as well, but requires no real medical skill or training to use. However it also has some extra balancing side effects - negative DMs related to overconfidence/mental impairment.

I must disagree here from the medical/phisiological point of view (not about YTU, of course), as the effect looked upon with fast drug wil lbe better achieved with slow absorption drug than a fast one (just oposite to adrenaline or atropine).

A drug with such effects as slow or medical fast (altering metabolism speed) must make a slow effect upon the whole organism at once along some time (probably several hours) or will have very serious side effects, and that can only be achieved by slow liberation pills or IV continuous infusión pumps.

A too quick absorption (such an IV direct administration) would lead to some target organs (mostly circulatory system) being affected first, slowering the heart beats to about 70 per hour before other systems (msotly nervous central system, protected by blood-brain barrier) are affected, so leaving a still unaffected brain deprived from blood, with disastrous results for the patient.

 

[BytePro]

Say 20 low berths at a 10Cr chip-in per is 200Cr. Would you murder for $200? Not anywhere near enough money involved to commit murder over.

It is if the low berther just spent their last credit getting a berth and are on the run for, oh, say murder.

Space is big. Easy to dump a body in just about any system if you really needed to get rid of one.

Sure it is - and finding the body, especially if it was sent down a gravity well to a star or gas giant would be virtually impossible. :devil:

However, explaining why the corpse is not on board is another thing entirely. Hence it is 'illegal' to just dispose of the body in space, IMTU. Its a 'body of evidence' thing.

 

[McPerth]

IMTU, most long distance frozen travel is made in portable low berths (a part of them detachable as stretchers) so that they can even be transfered from ship to ship without reviving the traveller, so that he must only endure revival once, regardless the distance travelled or the number of ship transfers needed (and I must state I'm mostly a MT man, so revival problems use to be quite milder, and death an exceptional event).

I like that one. Seems like a good system. Still, I would hope a Starship medic would take every care even without pocket change to be picked up.

Of course he will, but incentives are never a bad thing, and, from the traveller psycological POW, it will give a reassurance to know that.

 

[BytePro]

...
A drug with such effects as slow or medical fast (altering metabolism speed) must make a slow effect upon the whole organism at once along some time (probably several hours) or will have very serious side effects, ...

Yes, and no. There still must be some uniform action time over the entire system - hours could kill just as surely as seconds. Ala the growth problems in abnormally accelerated individuals in RL.

Tech will have some impact on how serious - and this is the rationale IMTU for having additional side effects, yet not be so serious as to make the drugs untenable (consistent with a meta-game need to avoid turning combat into comic book roleplay).

With fast action time, can come drawn out complications that last hours and days (or longer with bad luck, especially without additional treatment). This added risk makes taking these drugs for combat advantage something to be treated with caution. Again, all IMTU.

A too quick absorption (such an IV direct administration) would lead to some target organs (mostly circulatory system) being affected first, slowering the heart beats to about 70 per hour before other systems (msotly nervous central system, protected by blood-brain barrier) are affected, so leaving a still unaffected brain deprived from blood, with disastrous results for the patient.

Yep, why I see these drugs as akin to nerve agents, not capsules or IV-based for action - again, IMTU. Slow drug speeding up, and Fast slowing down, cardio and metabolic processes alone does not equate to the descriptions - which imply mental/perceptual temporal affects as well (i.e. the brain).