Perfect Adventuring starship?

[Sir Brad]

best adventuring ships is really horses for courses. but by and large the 3I makes poor adventuring ships.

The Type S is a good small party adventuring ship and about the only 3I ship that can serve it's intended purpose and act as an adventuring ship. other good adventuring ships include the Aslan Courier, not so good for Merchant activities but good for Mercs and Trouble Shooters and an Aslan Trader for Merchant activities, but better Merchant/Adventurer alternatives (the Sub Craft though a waste of Cargo space do offer options that Adventurers can exploit) are the HR, ZM & SM classes, the Sub Craft on the HR is too large and the extra state roome is a waste the ZM gives up to much to Low Births that are a waste of Cargo space and with the SM you could squeeze a few more tons out of it by down grading the M-Drive. the ZC is an other ship good for troubleshooters as is the SX.

most PC only parties run 3-5 characters so if a ship needs a crew of more than say 6 your in trouble even with Bots to fill skill gaps and backups (organic NPC's are too much of a security risk and cost too much to keep).

 

[Vladika]

The Type S is a good small party adventuring ship and about the only 3I ship that can serve it's intended purpose and act as an adventuring ship.

The A2 Far Trader.

 

[DangerousThing]

most PC only parties run 3-5 characters so if a ship needs a crew of more than say 6 your in trouble even with Bots to fill skill gaps and backups (organic NPC's are too much of a security risk and cost too much to keep).

Speaking as a GM, I find NPCs very useful to a group of adventurers. The NPC can discover that the enemy aren't carrying stun guns.

 

[Sir Brad]

Most folks I game with don't trust NPC's in general, especially the kind that are needed to do things like run ships or go on opps, they tend to be traitors just waiting to turn their coats or be compromised by the big bad's, if they weren't plants to start with, the players from back in the day normally ended up committing war-crimes against them, especially in Trav games.

given that unless they fail to re-enlist the characters I used to normally game alongside where normally octogenarians from the Marines, Navy or Scout services with Flag Ranks (or Equivalent) and backgrounds in Spec Opp's and/or Intel'. (names where usually something like "His Grace, Grand Admiral John MacLain Duke of the Vanas Cluster, SEH, KCSMOC, Former Director of Naval Inelegance Spinward Marches" where my characters where "Joc Weldon" or "Page Mathews")

these days the guys I game with are independent sorts and don't want the hassle of dragging along a bunch of NPC's that they have to upkeep and need rescuing when they are arrested/captured/kidnapped.

 

[Timerover51]

best adventuring ships is really horses for courses. but by and large the 3I makes poor adventuring ships.

The Type S is a good small party adventuring ship and about the only 3I ship that can serve it's intended purpose and act as an adventuring ship. other good adventuring ships include the Aslan Courier, not so good for Merchant activities but good for Mercs and Trouble Shooters and an Aslan Trader for Merchant activities, but better Merchant/Adventurer alternatives (the Sub Craft though a waste of Cargo space do offer options that Adventurers can exploit) are the HR, ZM & SM classes, the Sub Craft on the HR is too large and the extra state roome is a waste the ZM gives up to much to Low Births that are a waste of Cargo space and with the SM you could squeeze a few more tons out of it by down grading the M-Drive. the ZC is an other ship good for troubleshooters as is the SX.

Could you perhaps explain some of your shorthand when it comes to ship types?

most PC only parties run 3-5 characters so if a ship needs a crew of more than say 6 your in trouble even with Bots to fill skill gaps and backups (organic NPC's are too much of a security risk and cost too much to keep).

I am not sure what you mean by NPCs being a security risk. I run the NPCs, and as long as they are paid (or otherwise remunerated) and treated fairly, they are loyal.

Do you depend on reaction die rolls for them? If so, why?

 

[sayatmenace]

It occurs to me -- PC ships naturally model that of the Droyne Scout or Trader craft: a small band of intimately loyal individuals with specialized skills crewing the given vessel, which may or may not, from time to time, be inhabited by alien personalities of arguable but not bankable virtue

I still stand by the Annic Nova as the coolest (official[-ish?]) starship for PCs -- but strictly speaking, the Type S Scout/Courier makes the most game sense. There's a plausible reason for lots of them to be floating around, and for them to blend in to the gray dim zone of interstellar traffic in which 'adventures' might occur.

 

[Frankymole]

Good call on the Droyne ships. They look quite nice.

The A2 Far Trader.

Yes, at least that can pay its way. The Type S has too small a cargo capacity, though if you have lucrative patrons and enjoy dangerous work it probably doesn't matter...

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I am not sure what you mean by NPCs being a security risk. I run the NPCs, and as long as they are paid (or otherwise remunerated) and treated fairly, they are loyal.

Well, they can be a security risk - when the referee needs them to be. That's really the advantage to NPCs: they can be spindled, mutilated, turned, rescued, sacrificed, as necessary. I'm not suggesting the PCs treat them callously, but they are the tools of the referee to do what's needed.

(Almost everyone has a price. The question is whether anyone will pay it. And, of course, whether the NPC will redeem himself at the end. [Exhibit A - Jayne in the Ariel episode of Firefly.]

 

[Sir Brad]

Could you perhaps explain some of your shorthand when it comes to ship types?



I am not sure what you mean by NPCs being a security risk. I run the NPCs, and as long as they are paid (or otherwise remunerated) and treated fairly, they are loyal.

Do you depend on reaction die rolls for them? If so, why?

the HR is the Hiver version of the Fat trader, 400 tons, Jump-2. the ZM is the Zhodani Merchant, also 400 tons and jump-2. the SM is the 400 ton Solomani Free Trader, Jump-2 Manuver-2.

the ZC id the Zhodani Courier, not a cargo ship but good for Freebooters and adventures. the SX is the Solomani Fleet Courier an other good Adventure ship not so good as a trader but good for other adventuring jobs.


Reaction rolls are used for quick NPC's, long running or important NPC's are too complex to be governed by Reaction Rolls.

 

[Timerover51]

I still stand by the Annic Nova as the coolest (official[-ish?]) starship for PCs -- but strictly speaking, the Type S Scout/Courier makes the most game sense. There's a plausible reason for lots of them to be floating around, and for them to blend in to the gray dim zone of interstellar traffic in which 'adventures' might occur.

I definitely agree with you with respect to the Annic Nova, and I am working up the idea of a Droyne world that has retained or rediscovered the ability to produce them.

the HR is the Hiver version of the Fat trader, 400 tons, Jump-2. the ZM is the Zhodani Merchant, also 400 tons and jump-2. the SM is the 400 ton Solomani Free Trader, Jump-2 Manuver-2.

the ZC id the Zhodani Courier, not a cargo ship but good for Freebooters and adventures. the SX is the Solomani Fleet Courier an other good Adventure ship not so good as a trader but good for other adventuring jobs.

Reaction rolls are used for quick NPC's, long running or important NPC's are too complex to be governed by Reaction Rolls.

Thank you for clarifying the terms of the ships. I still have no idea as to what they look like or where the data is from, but that at least tells me what they are.

Right now, in a Traveller novel that I am working on, the ship involved is a modified Fat Trader, although it has a larger crew than standard, as I go more with always having someone on watch, so crew size is a minimum of 12.

 

[Sir Brad]

All are in the Alien Modules, not all have art in CT books, for the Solomani and Aslan ships you have to look in the MT Solomani & Aslan book for some. and in Brilliant Lancers for the Zhodani ships.