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Why don't ships have...?

Spinward Scout

SOC-14 5K
Baron
So what's your idea that a ship should have but doesn't?

Why don't ships have more robots? Just a Roomba even, to do the floor cleaning?
 
Why don't most ships have voice-controlled computer systems? Given that many apps today are voice-activated how much more likely would it be in the OTU to have most things voice-controllable?
 
1. Cylon viruses. The North remembers.

2. Insurance is either a private industry scam, mafia protection racket, or a government guarantee to incentivize industries.

3. Siri is alive and well onboard iShips'the others prefer to be called Alexa.
 
I have always assumed it is included in the mortgage for simplicity. That implies that normal ship loss rate is small, say less than ½%.

What about ships that are owned outright, such as a Yacht? Not all ships are engaged in trade and/or paying off a mortgage.
 
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I have always found this quote from the sidebar of GT:Far Trader on p. 51 insightful:


Insurance Underwriters
Originally a service to members, who often couldn’t get conventional insurers to cover them for liability or loss during their more interesting activities,
insurance underwriting has become the single largest moneymaker for the TAS. The Society is said to insure for or against anything for a price, and its vast information network ensures that its assessments of risk are the most up-to-date available.

The Travel Zone advisories (p. GT70) posted by the Society are an outgrowth of this risk-assessment function that the TAS shares with its members as a courtesy. These are also warnings: venturing into a posted Amber Zone (p. GT19) without paying an additional risk premium could result in non-payment of insurance claims, while deliberately entering a Red Zone (p. GT56) voids most insurance agreements. Of course, if nothing happens, there is nothing to report.
 
Why don't most ships have voice-controlled computer systems? Given that many apps today are voice-activated how much more likely would it be in the OTU to have most things voice-controllable?

Because at the right TL they just use synaptic controls. For more primitive vessels, sure, they can use voice and holo controls.
 
What about ships that are owned outright, such as a Yacht? Not all ships are engaged in trade and/or paying off a mortgage.
If the ship can be suspected to take risks, such as armed ships or adventurers, insurance would be expensive...

But if you are known locally and could be expected to operate the ship without undue risk, I guess I would offer insurance at 1% of ship cost or so. I don't think I have had that particular problem come up.
 
If the ship can be suspected to take risks, such as armed ships or adventurers, insurance would be expensive...

I wonder if one could argue (in light of my prior quote from GT:Far Trader about TAS-Insurance) that part of the use of the MCr 1.0 fee to join TAS is used to subsidize the cost of TAS-offered insurance rates to ship-owners (since most TAS members don't have ships). That along with the "Amber-Zone Risk-Premium" surcharges might possibly make a more viable insurance premium for ship-owners?
 
Ships aren't insured because Actuarial-1 and Underwriter-1 are unfun skills to play in the campaign.

"Ok, Ref, I pull in to the parking lot to get to my 10am appointment with my insurance guy."

"The doors locked -- there's a sign that says he'll be back at 10:15"

Yea, that's some compelling story telling.
 
Ships aren't insured because Actuarial-1 and Underwriter-1 are unfun skills to play in the campaign.

"Ok, Ref, I pull in to the parking lot to get to my 10am appointment with my insurance guy."

"The doors locked -- there's a sign that says he'll be back at 10:15"

Yea, that's some compelling story telling.

What has that got to do with anything being discussed?

The point of the issue is that if ships are or can be insured in some way, after my huge investment has just gotten shot up for MCr 1.0 of damage in a combat that I couldn't avoid, do I have to shell out the MCr 1.0 out of pocket for the repairs, or do I merely need to pay a deductible and the Insurance Underwriter will take care of the rest. That *IS* something that is meaningful to most PCs in a campaign.
 
Damage control equipment lockers is one you never see. These would definitely exist on anything even quasi-military and one would probably be required on commercial vessels as well.

Another is secure cargo storage. That is, a cargo area that is under lock and key so to speak for things like mail or valuable cargo like if the ship were carrying money or something that would be worth stealing big time.

On ships with passengers I'd expect them to have a pantry and laundry somewhere aboard. The pantry would hold supplies for the stewards other than food that they would need to have to take care of passengers while having a laundry would be self evident.

I'd think that things like escape / rescue bubbles, or other emergency gear for individuals and passengers would also have to be stored somewhere and should appear on a deck plan. After all, these could prove valuable to players in a scenario on a ship.

On anything bigger than a few hundred tons, I'd also expect administrative and office space to be present along with specialized compartments for stuff like communications and the like rather than all of that being done in a stateroom or on the bridge.
 
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