Traditions aboard ship?

[Spinward Scout]

I had a thought about different traditions that Travellers might have (I know - here I go thinking again...). We already have things like the Low Lottery and Jump Dimming. Has anyone done anything like 'Crossing the Line' when a U.S. Navy ship crosses the equator or awards for certain achievements like Andre Norton had in Star Rangers - the Far Roving Star?

 

[Carlobrand]

Well, I can't believe a Navy ship would jump without the crew doing something "special" for the recruits entering jump-space for the first time.

 

[rancke]

Here's a post I made on SJG's Traveller forum some years ago:

While googling navies, I came across this webpage about unofficial naval ceremonial certificates, which IMO makes fascinating reading. Some of it I knew beforehand, but a lot of them I hadn't heard of before.

Tempting as it is, I'm not going to do a search and replace of spacer terms for naval terms, because that's just not an OK thing to do. But it strikes me that this is the sort of thing that is bound to have counterparts in the Far Future.

Here's a few to begin with:

Crossing the ring: Going from one side of the 10,000th ring[*] to the other makes you a .....?

Crossing the ray: Going from one side of the 1st ray[*] to the other makes you a ....?

Crossing from one subsector to another is probably too common to count as anything special. Crossing from one sector to another and from one domain to another would rate, I think. The one that separates the pollywog-analogues from the shellback-analogues would be the sector-line-crossing, I think.

Entering each of the regions surrounding the Imperium: The Vargr Extents, Zhodani Space, the Hierate, the Rim, the Hivers, the K'Kree.

[*] "Astrography: The science of mapping interstellar space. Basic to any science of mapping is a coordinate system. The scientific system used by the Imperium is based on rings of longitude, rays of latitude, and parsecs. By convention, rays of latitude and rings of longitude are measured from a starting point at Reference (Core 0140), the world where the data from the First and Second Imperial Grand Surveys are stored.

The concentric ring passing through Reference/Capital is labeled the 10,000th ring, and is used as a baseline. Similarly, the ray of latitude extending from the center of the Galaxy through Reference/Capital is designated as the first ray. Measurement is in parsecs, counting in the trailing direction. Computation reveals that the circumference of the 10,000th ring (r=10,000) is 62,832 parsecs. Counting spinward uses a subtraction from 62,833, which is the equivalent of the zero baseline." [LDAM:15]​

The analogue of a plank owner might be a plate owner or a frame owner.

Any comments or ideas?​

Thread petered out after only half a dozen posts.


Hans

 

[rancke]

Couple of library data entries about shipboard traditions (Not canon):

First Meal: Tradition practiced on many passenger ships across Charted Space. The first meal after departure is treated as a special occasion. An extra good meal is served, and all passengers and as many crew as can be spared attend in order for crew and passengers to get acquainted.


Jump Dimming: The practice, followed by some starship pilots, of dimming the ship's interior and exterior lights before going into jump. According to an old Vilani superstition, this custom arose out of the need for most of the ship's power to be diverted into the computer and jump-drive systems, so that the jump drive could be guided into creating the jump field properly, something that has never actually been necessary. Non-Vilani pilots do not follow this tradition.

Lights on a ship are typically dimmed for a period of about two minutes; the lights are brought back up to full strength as soon as the ship is in jumpspace.


Low Lottery: Spacer legend about a tradition among tramp ships (which allegedly are prone to having defective low berths or incompetent medics) where the captain contributes Cr10 out of each low passage towards a lottery. Each low passenger guesses the number of low passengers who will survive the trip. If the winner does not himself survive, the captain receives the money. The ship's steward administers the lottery. No one has ever flown on a ship with a low lottery, but everybody knows someone who knows someone who has.​

Hans

 

[shadowcat20]

Most crewmen wear a small patch on their sleeve with 1 to 6 stars with a number in them. Each star is for a jump range the crewman has been on. Most merchant crewmen will have J1 and J2 with only some of the ex navy types getting into the J5 or J6 stars.

 

[aramis]

I had a thought about different traditions that Travellers might have (I know - here I go thinking again...). We already have things like the Low Lottery and Jump Dimming. Has anyone done anything like 'Crossing the Line' when a U.S. Navy ship crosses the equator or awards for certain achievements like Andre Norton had in Star Rangers - the Far Roving Star?

Navigator owes the crew a round of drinks following a misjump has been cited by a couple players in various games over the years.

Some Solomani Merchants frame the first note received on a ship for services rendered. Another note is framed up following each refit. Some captains do so for the first under their command.

Scouts have to have scout brew upon their 1st jump of each term. Exceptions made if allergic.

1st assignment scouts have to spend their first jump entirely buttoned up in their vacc suit on tether and/or tanks. "Just in case drill."

Navy Snipe Hunts for new recruits aboard are much the same as in the USN...

"Dive Dive Dive" - Some Solomani ships have a klaxon go off 30 seconds prior to jumping. Some announce "Dive Dive Dive" while others "Jump Jump Jump" before and after the 5 second long klaxon. The actual jump is just after another klaxon at T-5 seconds to T-0.

On to Hans' Speculations
Ring and Ray - sounds about right.
Sector and Domain - I would agree that it's likely to be too common for subsectors to be made a big deal of... Domain, most certainly, especially since that means a change in the commanding admiral.

First Meal: Until I saw it in print, It didn't register with me that that would not be extremely common. IMTU, it's usually mess uniforms, for all aboard entitled to them. It's not done until jump unless that means more than 20 hours delay, and never sooner than 4 hours after attaining orbit.

Low Lottery: It's very real, and very common, IMTU. Then again, I accept the MT rules on them on their face... and while not the lethal that CT had, it's still risky.

 

[rancke]

Most crewmen wear a small patch on their sleeve with 1 to 6 stars with a number in them. Each star is for a jump range the crewman has been on. Most merchant crewmen will have J1 and J2 with only some of the ex navy types getting into the J5 or J6 stars.

Oh, I think that while they will be rare, there will be some merchant crew who have served on couriers and high-performance passenger liners. Not very many, but then, not very many navy types will have served on J6 ships either. (J5 cruiser crew slots are probably considerably more common than J5 passenger liner crew slots).


Hans

 

[Putraack]

- Aircraft carriers have cakes to celebrate every 1,000th landing aboard, might the fighter carriers in space do that, too? This appeared early in the newer Battlestar Galactica, I recall.

- Captain's Table: on larger passenger liners, the captain gets to invite passengers to dine with him at the high table?

 

[leo knight]

I've toyed with the idea of a 'pulp solar system' campaign, using the maneuver drive rules, i.e. accelerate, flip over at midpoint, decelerate. I always thought the crew would have some tradition for the midpoint turnaround, if only to take the passengers minds off of being spacesick in freefall. Perhaps something similar for the midpoint of a jump?

A. Bertram Chandler's Rim stories have some informal traditions, such as visiting the captain's cabin for a drink (served in a bulb, not a glass: spaceship, y'know) once the course has been set. The traditional greeting is "Spit on the mat and call the cat a bastard." Also, cigars, pipes, and other smokeables come out at about the same time. I don't know what that would do to a ship's air recycling system. Some spacers eeem to delight in finding the foulest smelling tobacco to indulge in.

 

[DangerousThing]

Low Lottery: It's very real, and very common, IMTU. Then again, I accept the MT rules on them on their face... and while not the lethal that CT had, it's still risky.

I like all of your suggestions except this one. In CT, Low passage is an almost guaranteed death sentence for a fairly short number of jumps. I calculated the numbers for 50%, 90%, and 99% chances when I was in college. Hey, I first played Traveller when I was taking a probability course. I forgot if I used a computer or if I just went with paper and pencil. It really isn't that difficult.

I'm willing to bet that MT death rates aren't much better once you get above a few jumps.

IMTU I have something called Stasis Pods, which are in all respects like Low Berths, except that only an allergy to the prep solution (easy to test for) gives you a small but increasing chance of death. Loss of power is also pretty bad as well as some types of misjumps.

IMTU the lottery is only an "urban" legend. Perhaps a Spacer's Legend?

 

[far-trader]

I like all of your suggestions except this one. In CT, Low passage is an almost guaranteed death sentence for a fairly short number of jumps...

Ah, but look at it the other way around. Given the probability of death who is going to travel more than once or twice that way? Almost nobody. And why would they? It's the poor-man's star-travel and probably a once in a lifetime shot at a new and better life on the next planet over. Think poor immigrants to the new world. Not tourists. They only make that trip once, not several times. If they get rich in the new world then they can afford a trip home as a tourist travelling in style (and safety) with a mid-passage ticket.

You're also ignoring that the suggested low survival rates even in CT were just for small traders, ones with suspect maintenance and systems reliability. Note that the IN routinely uses lowberths with no hint of any casualties in its Frozen Watch program under CT HG rules.

I'm sure the better Low Liners use the same standards as the IN and have no (or exceedingly rare) casualties.

I also expect that anyone travelling several parsecs or more via lowberth is going to do it with a single cycle by having the lowberth itself transferred ship to ship down the line until the ultimate destination is reached if it can't be carried on the same ship the whole way.

IMTU I have something called Stasis Pods, which are in all respects like Low Berths, except that only an allergy to the prep solution (easy to test for) gives you a small but increasing chance of death. Loss of power is also pretty bad as well as some types of misjumps.

Similar to an old article on lowberths, different TLs having differing methods and survival rates. The old (CT small merchant) lowberths use barbaric cryo-freezing and chemicals with a good chance of a bad reaction and death. The new (presumably IN and better ships) lowberths use gravitics for clean safe molecular freezing by slowing down the actual motions with (almost?) no bad side effects.

EDIT: Similar except for that loss of power issue. Traveller lowberths suggest long endurance even aboard a totally dead and cold ship. And by long I mean decades if not centuries.

IMTU the lottery is only an "urban" legend. Perhaps a Spacer's Legend?

Most legends have a basis in fact (even if exaggerated over many retellings)

 

[aramis]

I'm willing to bet that MT death rates aren't much better once you get above a few jumps.

You lose...
In CT, it is 5+ to survive, DM+2 if medic in attendance.
In MT, being uninjured is 7+, DM+(end/5) DM+(Medic's skill), then roll 15+ on the mishap... which is 2d6, +1d6 if natural 2 on the injury avoid task or no medic. In other words, about 1/10 the lethality for healthy folk.
Also, in either case, you roll at thaw, not at jump.

 

[Dragoner]

Given the probability of death.....

And for the navy, or a big transport liner company etc., death is not the end, you would just be resuscitated. It's just Joe Blo's poorly maintained free trader one has to worry about.

 

[madmike]

I ported a lot of the traditional naval traditions across when I ran a naval campaign 25 years ago.

Real bosun's calls piping captains on board ship, boarding and order of seniority etc...

 

[Selandia]

I ran a campaign with a M trader converted as immigrant carrier for the later stage of a terraforming project. I figured that IMTU the free trader low berth rules were too deadly for the good business practice of a corporation operating Low passage charter as a specialized trade, yet they were part of the coherence of the CT universe. So I improved the survival rate for high quality low passages. The player did not own the ship and it was not on speculative trade but time charter anyway, so they did not had to care for the economic.

For each 100 low berth I had an extra engineer for in flight maintenance and monitoring of the low berths and the medic was a certified doctor. The survival roll would be taken at the mid point, a failure was considered a in flight technical problem that may have been caught and fixed before disaster on 7+ by the maintenance engineer (DM + eng level of the chief eng, usually 3 or 4) only if disaster could not be prevented, a second roll (the revival roll) would be made with usual DM. A failure would be a physiological failure. A success and you have an extra mid passenger to care for. This specialized ship had an extra mid-psg stateroom (double occupancy possible) for such a case.

I figure that given the proper care Hg frozen watch survivability could be possible in trade

Selandia

 

[Enoki]

I ported a lot of the traditional naval traditions across when I ran a naval campaign 25 years ago.

Real bosun's calls piping captains on board ship, boarding and order of seniority etc...

I go further:

Larger ships use actual bugle calls in addition like revelle, taps, boots and saddles (flight quarters), etc.

Everything is called by its naval term: Hatch, deck, overhead, bulkhead, partition, scuttle, head, compartment, etc. It just has an authentic sound to it.

One ceremony for Imperial ships is crossing the line (ie., leaving the Imperium for the first time). A day of various hazing events for first timers by those who have made the crossing before. You get a plaque or certificate to commemorate the event and prove you did it.

Another would be some sort of ceremony for promotions (official and unofficial).

The Captain (or on larger ships immediate officer) buys his / her crew the final round before departing.

 

[rancke]

Ah, but look at it the other way around. Given the probability of death who is going to travel more than once or twice that way? Almost nobody. And why would they? It's the poor-man's star-travel and probably a once in a lifetime shot at a new and better life on the next planet over. Think poor immigrants to the new world. Not tourists.

That's a minus in my opinion. I want to be able to think tourist and missionary and pilgrim and commercial traveller and other forms of travel as encouraging a whole slew of plot ideas, and the cost of starship travel decreases the likelihood thereof. I think that normally nonlethal low berth travel makes for a better setting than the ones with CT canonical lethality do. (I do favor reasons why low berths are unpopular anyway and ways to make the cost of travelling awake closer to the cost of low berths, such as 'economy passage' -- travelling double occupancy).

You're also ignoring that the suggested low survival rates even in CT were just for small traders, ones with suspect maintenance and systems reliability.

Ignoring is a bit strong for something that's not spelled out in the rules.

Note that the IN routinely uses lowberths with no hint of any casualties in its Frozen Watch program under CT HG rules.

That's a hint, not actual proof, unless there's some way to show that frozen watches aren't just 3% bigger than required.

I'm sure the better Low Liners use the same standards as the IN and have no (or exceedingly rare) casualties.

But that makes the Low Lottery silly anyway. Assuming a tramp merchant can get away with having poorly maintained low berths and unqualified medics, the captain is hardly likely to advertise the fact. And even if he were, the odds aren't iffy enough to have much of a realistic choice of guesses. With 8 or 12 berths, everybody would pick 0 or 1.

Incidentally, I don't think there's much of a problem with assuming that a tramp freighter can get away with poorly maintained low berths and/or unqualified medics... until someone dies, that is.

Most legends have a basis in fact (even if exaggerated over many retellings)

Um... no they don't. Some legends have a basis in fact. A few are even true. Check out some urban legend sites.

The basis for the Low Lottery legend is probably a few genuine instances of people dying in poorly maintained low berths or because of incompetent medics. The fate of the captains and medics involved in these genuine cases are ignored for the sake of a good story.

I try to avoid double-posting to SJG and CotI, but I'm going to make an exception for this little example of a spacer legend that I whipped up the other day:

Heard in a starport bar.

"No shit, 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."​

And yes, the variations and inconsistencies of this story are deliberate.


Hans

 

[madmike]

I go further:

Larger ships use actual bugle calls in addition like revelle, taps, boots and saddles (flight quarters), etc.

Everything is called by its naval term: Hatch, deck, overhead, bulkhead, partition, scuttle, head, compartment, etc. It just has an authentic sound to it.

One ceremony for Imperial ships is crossing the line (ie., leaving the Imperium for the first time). A day of various hazing events for first timers by those who have made the crossing before. You get a plaque or certificate to commemorate the event and prove you did it.

Another would be some sort of ceremony for promotions (official and unofficial).

The Captain (or on larger ships immediate officer) buys his / her crew the final round before departing.

Yep, that as well. Well before Elizabeth Moon used it in the Serrano Legacy series, I had players having to give out credit chits to all around them for a drink out of an "official" bucket when promoted.

 

[Ran Targas]

My players have instituted a number of jump related traditions, here's a few:

1. Imperial Marines celebrate a recruit's first jump after basic training with a healthy shot to the arm by their fellows ending with a shot by the senior non-com. Cherry Marine lieutenants are required to thank the ship's navigator at the first meal after jump with a rendition of the Navy hymn, often ending with a verse of the Marine hymn, in his honor
2. New recruits to the Navy and the Scouts are often told that the gravity cuts out just prior to a jump and if you time it right you can float in free fall for 10 to 20 seconds; the results are typically a great deal of embarrassment and a bruise or two
3. Privateers and corsairs are a superstitious lot and all pay a coin to the ship's navigator prior to a jump to ensure he plots it correctly. If he misjumps the ship he pays all of it back in full plus any other punishment they may deem appropriate
4. Navy gunners have to experience their first jump transition buttoned up in a turret
5. Merchant crew always celebrate a jump by watering down the ship's off duty engineers with a free drink in the galley, the on duty engineers are normally brought a cold drink at their station with the compliments of the ship's captain
6. Aslan sacrifice a drop of blood at the ship's shrine of heroes to ensure a safe jump
7. New Vargr engineers are forced to place a paw on the jump drive housing for their first jump to remove any fears of the process
8. Hivers enjoy the sensation of jumping in freefall and routinely cut gravity prior to a jump, much to the distress of non-Hivers onboard
9. Many Zhodani spend the moments prior to jump in deep meditation to avoid the psychic shock felt by many of their kind when transitioning to jump space

 

[Fritz_Brown]

One ceremony for Imperial ships is crossing the line (ie., leaving the Imperium for the first time). A day of various hazing events for first timers by those who have made the crossing before. You get a plaque or certificate to commemorate the event and prove you did it.

I like that one. The 3I is so huge, it would have to be something worth commemorating when you passed out to the Beyond.