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Stow Away / Ships Boy

V

Vercintol

SOC-1
After listening to an audio book I started thinking....

What would you do with a 10 year old stowaway discovered just before jump?

My thinking is -do you abort and return the kid, dump the kid out the lock, take pity on kid (place just left was a dead end) and employ as a ships boy until large port reached and turn over to authorities?

Speaking of Ships Boy how would you generate the skills for such? Might be a good way to get younger players started.

These are the questions/observations that rattle around my mind.

Vercintol
 
Vercintol said:
After listening to an audio book I started thinking....

What would you do with a 10 year old stowaway discovered just before jump?

My thinking is -do you abort and return the kid, dump the kid out the lock, take pity on kid (place just left was a dead end) and employ as a ships boy until large port reached and turn over to authorities?

Speaking of Ships Boy how would you generate the skills for such? Might be a good way to get younger players started.

These are the questions/observations that rattle around my mind.

Vercintol
Click to expand...

That sounds like what happened to Dumarest.

I'd say roll 10+ to keep from being purged from the airlock. +1 DM if INT is 9+.
 
Vercintol said:
After listening to an audio book I started thinking....

What would you do with a 10 year old stowaway discovered just before jump?

My thinking is -do you abort and return the kid, dump the kid out the lock, take pity on kid (place just left was a dead end) and employ as a ships boy until large port reached and turn over to authorities?

Speaking of Ships Boy how would you generate the skills for such? Might be a good way to get younger players started.

These are the questions/observations that rattle around my mind.

Vercintol
Click to expand...
One of the issues of Traveller's Digest had an article on child generation (#15 pg 34-37.)
Essentially, another level 0 skill every few years. Str is limited by age.
 
Depending on the level of indifference the crew has towards him, I'd say anything from being spaced to being shoved into an empty low berth and flash frozen. Then at the next stop, it's up to your imagination what sort of unpleasant things befall him.
 
Stowaways

This is a touchy topic, fraught with plenty of resolutions. Stowaways can be both a source of potential adventure, a hero or Scoundrel in the making, or simply a freeloading Passenger costing life support and nourishment for the duration of the the outbound, jump and inbound journey of the ship.

Speaking through the eyes of my own character, Senior Scout Gevaudan Cannagrrgh, a follower of Runetha Saetedz (look it up on the wiki), he'd have to measure the heroic worth of the stowaway.

What was the motivation for sneaking aboard his ship? In Gev's case, the Sixth Horizon, a 200 dT Far Scout is both a poor choice for hiding but a good choice in getting to the next world fast.

What value does the stowaway have? For Gev and his ship, there was little need for a cabinboy crew, so Gev could lock the stowaway in a closet or emptied Ship's Locker and feed him sparingly until arrival. Then as payment, if the freebooter was worth the sale, Gev might be tempted to include them in with his arriving stock of slaves upon arrival.

For outbound routes from the Society of Equals, Gev would question the motivation for leaving the polity as Gvurrdon Sector is not a good region for stowing away on a ship. Gev would remind the scamp of how lucky he was in choosing the Far Scout instead of a Corsair as most make judicious use of the airlock.

In conclusion, while most might be draconic about stowaways, Gevaudan Cannagrrh would further weigh the situation. As a Gentleman Slaver, there are other options available to the Senior Scout. Merely spacing the freebooting Passenger is not in tune with the Hero Runetha Saetedz. For his slave stock and for scoundrels stowing away aboard his ship, there can only be upward mobility having hitting rock bottom, yes? Spacing is a coward's remedy in his eyes.

$0.02 from the point of view of Gevaudan Cannagrrh, Vargr captain and SoE slaver.

From the writer's desk at Serue (Knoellighz 1221), this is the Pakkrat
 
Despite interstellar regulations, there might be no provision made for extra mouth breathers onboard a cash strapped tramp steamer, beyond those on the manifest.
 
Vercintol said:
What would you do with a 10 year old stowaway discovered just before jump?
Click to expand...

Medically quarantine him immediately. Ensure that he's not a carrier for any contagions. Figure out what to do with him if he checks out.

My thinking is -do you abort and return the kid, dump the kid out the lock, take pity on kid (place just left was a dead end) and employ as a ships boy until large port reached and turn over to authorities?
Click to expand...

This definitely depends on the nature of the starship crew. I think the least favorable would be to return to a highport/startown and drop him off. That could eat up quite a bit of time (if you've already passed 100 diameters from the world).

Easiest thing to do would be to put him in a Low Passage berth, defrost at your destination (hopefully he survives), discourage him from doing something like this again, and kick him out of the loading bay.

I wouldn't employ the youth unless he really showed some capabilities and ... character. If he can't convince you that he can work off his debt, and doesn't follow through on assigned tasks, then he deserves to be "flash-frozen".

Speaking of Ships Boy how would you generate the skills for such? Might be a good way to get younger players started.
Click to expand...

Start him with practically no skills (besides what he might have acquired from his homeworld background - should you use a Traveller rules set that offers those types of skills), and then use experience/training/instruction rules to gradually develop the character over years of gametime.
 
My child gen rules-

1d6 for STR/DEX/END proportionate for first 9 years, then roll the second d6 and apply proportionately for next 9 years.

1d6 for INT for first 6 years applied at once, 1d6 for 7+ applied at once.

2d6 EDU proportionate for 12 years, alternatively divide age by 6 and add 1 roll.

2d6 SOC -1 until reaching 18.

Biggest ramification IMTU is that the low berth rules, oriented towards less absolute death and more damage, is very dangerous for the young or elderly, and so there are a fair amount of situations where parents will go low berth while the child is ticket middle or high.

Hijackers, fussy passengers and troublesome patrons are one thing, but are your stewards ready to handle kids?
 
There is always the possibility of said stowaway being a runaway child of a noble or other person of importance.

If one's campaign allows, might even be an immature clone or other some-such of great value.
 
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