I am interested in the new supplement (see above) since I want to have some better detailed but fewer systems in my future Traveller games, and I either will run it in the B5 setting or with a view to riffing off the whole space station 'vibe'. Interested if some gearhead has tried the construction system and if it works or has a problem.
Supplement 14: Space Stations
- Thread starter tzunder
- Start date
My book is in the mail. Waiting to try out the stuff too.
Lord Blaine
SOC-7
Now I think about it, I wonder why space stations are so woefully underrepresented in all my Traveller games.
I may not buy the supplement, but at least it'll make me include more stations in the next game I run.
I may not buy the supplement, but at least it'll make me include more stations in the next game I run.
I wrote up a review of Space Stations and posted it to the MGT message board. You can find it here:
http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=79866
http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=79866
Lord Blaine
SOC-7
Doesn't exactly sound like a must-buy.
gregcaires
SOC-12
Why would on build a space station in Traveller when you can build such large ships and just park them in orbit or Lagrange points?
One comment - Not all TL 7-8 worlds are size 8... the Size 5-6-7 ones have correspondingly lower delta-V to orbit requirements, can still have standard atmospheres, and be reasonably normal human occupation.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Have you seen the image of the Regina high port in T5?
It has space for a few squadrons of Tigress dreadnoughts to dock, going by what the picture shows.
So the answer is - size. The space station can be a lot bigger than the biggest ship you can build at your TL.
A number of reasons:
(1) It's cheaper to build a station than a ship.
(2) If you plan on being there for a very long time a station makes more sense
(3) Stations can become important on their own, depending on the local traffic and economic conditions.
(4) EVERY planet has an orbit, and those with moons have Lagrange points. So not sure that you mean by that particular comment.
(5) Some planets, like gas giants, or those with really horrible environments (say Venus) don't readily support bases and the only alternative is a space station.
There are more, but I guess you get the idea.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
And here is the :CoW: moment.
Judging by that picture that high port is 500,000,000t + in size.
With a station that size you talking a population, not a crew. So are stations like these part of the imperium or do they belong to the planet?
Because if these high ports are Imperial, then you can go a long way to explaining where the Imperial culture and population base is - they live on stations such as these.
Judging by that picture that high port is 500,000,000t + in size.
With a station that size you talking a population, not a crew. So are stations like these part of the imperium or do they belong to the planet?
Because if these high ports are Imperial, then you can go a long way to explaining where the Imperial culture and population base is - they live on stations such as these.
It took me a minute to get what you were referring to. I believe you are commenting on what I said about lift capacity for lower tech worlds? I had made the comment to compare to what we've done here on Earth, and the struggle we still face in lofting loads to orbit. It's frakking expensive and it's taken us years to get the ISS going. Granted, if we HAD TO have it, we could have done it faster, but the point I was making was the logic hole in the book. If we had access to TL-9 shuttles, it would have been cheaper for the US to have purchased one, even at $100 billion dollars it would be a bargain because of what it could do. Not only for us, but a single shuttle could put nearly every launch system in every country out of business overnight. The only real limitation would be to design your satellite to fit within a shuttles cargo bay. With grav ability it would be easy enough to design even KH-11 sats in two pieces to be assembled in orbit (now completely reasonable with a TL-9 shuttle.
But yeah, you are right, smaller worlds would have less delta-v problems in lofting loads to orbit.
THE high port would be considered Imperial, since it's just the orbital component of the downport. But there's nothing stopping a planet from having additional starports or highports on their own that are planetary property and controlled by the local government.
That's always been one of the flaws of starports - the assumption that there can be only one. It MIGHT be the larger of the starports (the Imperial one, that gets the map classification), but there's nothing stopping a planet from building additional ones that can handle as much or more than the Imperial one. It just comes down to "does it make sense" for the planetary government to do so? The economic models of Traveller are anemic, but since it's an RPG and not a real-world simulation, that's ok. From a gaming perspective it's probably easier to just use the Imperial port as the primary one and move on to more fun things.
I can't disagree with you. It's not a MUST buy book. I thought it could be a lot more (I had high expectations) than it was. Which is why I thought it rated three-stars.
I had posted this over on the MGT forum, but I might as well post it here as well. Basically I would have preferred having a more robust, realistic deckplan as well as sample businesses with back stories for each one. Yes, it's more creative work, but it's all really just text (beyond the deckplan). Once you detailed out a trader station, you can then use it as it's own location for adventuring, or as a base from which players go out into the universe. I liked things like how they did (classic Traveller) Research Station Gamma, or Murder on Arcturus Station. Things like that, or if you ever played D&D, background and writeups like Village of Hommelet, Legends of Greyhawk, etc, etc. It was really rich source material that could be used over and over. And even if you didn't play it it was always a good read and source of ideas for creating your own. Some people like a template to create their own stuff from, others prefer having most of the scut work done already. I had complained about what I thought would have made it better, so putting my money where my mouth is, I've started creating something on my own. I took the trader station as an example, and here's a sample of what > I < thought would have made the supplement much better.
A bar called Synthahol Al's
Considered the “dregs” of the station. Primarily frequented by crew from ships, the working class of the station, and too frequently by station security, Al’s offers a fair amount of beer and ale for a fair price. Many have complained that the liquor-based drinks are poured weak and food is sub-standard. Al’s is the (allegedly) preferred place for much of the under-the-table deals that occur on the station. The bar itself has traded hands more than a few times, tradition calls for whoever the current owner is to be called “Al” while in the bar (and sometimes out of it). Usually this hasn’t been an issue, though the current owner is a woman.
Al’s claims to run a clean establishment, though that word seems to have variable meanings. While station regulations don’t allow for trash and vermin, and health regulations require the sterilization of the glasses, not much else is considered “clean”. The booths fake leather have seen more than their fair share of patches. The rest of the furniture and fixtures are equally scuffed and worn, but still serviceable. The owner likes to tell anyone who asks (and many who don’t) that it gives the bar “character”.
About the only “clean” aspect of the bar is that it’s clean of recording equipment. The bar is swept three times a day for listening and recording equipment. Each of the booth’s is equipped with white-noise generators and two of the booths have semi-translucent curtains that can be drawn that will defeat any visual, laser or auditory-based listening gear. While station security is not happy about this, there isn’t anything they can do since it’s perfectly legal.
Rumors (roll d6)
(1) Al’s is a front for the Imperial spy services. They actually record all of the conversations and deals that go on and pass along any information to the appropriate legal organizations.
(2) The bar is a front for the local system’s criminal syndicate. They use the bar so that their agents can listen in on what the crews are talking about so they can pass along the information for ship hijackings and other criminal activities.
(3) The liquor really IS watered down, and food is terrible.
(4) The owner’s claims about the anti-listening gear really is true. What isn’t known, however, is that the owner has bugged all of the tables and booths and sells the information to the highest bidder.
(5) The bar is a secret front for the Anti-Slavery League. They use the traffic of people coming in and out to cover their agents. Once every six months there is a meeting of the sub-sector leadership in the back room.
(6) An illegal high-stakes card game takes place once a month in the back room, cash only. It is said that it takes at least Cr50,000 to buy in, with some pots going for more than Cr250,000.
A pharmaceutical manufacturer called Tengen Pharmaceuticals
A small-sized (170 Dtons) second-tier pharmaceutical manufacturer. Tengen does no original research, instead it relies on producing drugs that no longer have patent protection, or in some reported cases, drugs that will soon be off patent protection.
The company has been caught on a dozen occasions manufacturing drugs without providing the necessary compensation to the patent owners, but since the company is quite small compared to their larger brethren, and the drugs weren’t necessarily the most profitable, it has escaped with minor fines and cross-licensing deals. On three separate occasions in its’ history (42yrs) Tengen has dabbled in purchasing the rights to drugs that had the potential for profit. Only one of those times did it more than break even, which has led the management to stick with what they know.
Tengen is privately held by the Tengen family, all of whom live in-system on a planet. The Tengens are 3rd generation money, none of whom really know much about business (though if you ask any of them they will regale you with long stories of their “successes” in the field – all of which were actually accomplished by employee’s). The plant is managed remotely and the managerial staff located on the station have very little authority. On occasion a Tengen will pay a visit to the station (an on-station suite is owned and reserved for Tengen family visitors).
The plant is a relatively large employer (140 employees) for the station. The factory is heavily automated. Because of the need to maintain extremely clean areas, 100 Dtons is taken up by the production lines, associated clean rooms and monitoring control stations. There are a total of 9 individual production zones (one clean room has access to three individual production zone). Each clean room entrance has an area where employees must change into clean suits before entering the production area. 15 Dtons of space is taken up by raw material storage, 20 Dtons is set aside for the shipping and storage department, a small quality control lab (10 Dtons) and an administrative area (25 Dtons) comprise the rest of the space. Due to the potential problems associated with an interruption of power during a production run, the Tengen manufacturing area is equipped with a stand-by fuel cell that can power the entire factory for seven days without refueling.
Rumors (roll d6)
(1) The local plant manager and a few of the employees have been creating high grade “ghost” on a production line that is supposedly shut down for maintenance issues. Ghost is a highly-addictive psychotropic drug whose appearance has taken a number of nearby systems authorities by surprise. Because it is being manufactured using pharmaceutical-grade equipment they have been stumped in determining the source of production.
(2) One of the Tengen’s has arrived on-station for an unannounced visit. They are looking to “have a good time” and have been known to hit the local dive establishments while dressed up as the “little people”, though no one yet has been fooled by their disguises, especially since they haven’t yet disguised their disdain for the “little people”. Station security has been keeping a close watch on them and anyone around them, which has made a number of people more than annoyed at the extra attention security is paying to certain establishments. Rumor has it that anyone who could say, start a small brawl – and an associated few days stay in the local clinic for the Tengen – would be much appreciated.
(3) The local staff have had it with the poor treatment they receive by the Tengen’s and they have gone on strike. While a few of the management personnel are at the manufacturing facility, none of the security personnel are there. Shipments of finished products normally go out every few weeks, but none of the freighter crews or the local dock workers will cross the picket lines. There is nearly MCr 5 worth of pharmaceuticals sitting in the warehouse waiting for delivery.
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