[SBRD] Prep: Characters - Page 4

SpaceBadger · #31 July 30th, 2013, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

I know how that goes! The biggest reason I never got into the OTU was because of how much work I kept investing in my ATU. Even when not running games in it I still tinkered and tinkered and tinkered. Don't we all do that?

Oh, yeah. That's why I just decided to run something OTU in the meantime, while I work on the other setting. I originally had this planned for the Marches, which I have both played and GMed in before, and would not have required much prep time at all. But when I sent the little questionnaire thing the only comments I got on location were Sam agreeing with the Marches because they were most familiar, and someone else (LiNeNoiSe?) asking for some place other than the Marches as it has been overused. I found myself agreeing more with the idea of going someplace new instead of the Marches, and, well... here we are!

Fritz_Brown · #32 July 30th, 2013, 02:09 PM

A bit more on Donoma:
Previously First Officer on the Mary Deare (whose owner recently passed away and is now owned by his widow), Donoma has her 'tickets' for Apprentice Electronics and Starship Pilot, Journeyman certificates for Interface Pilot, Steward, Ship's Engineer, Gravitics, and Mechanics, as well as a Master's Certificate for Navigation.

(Apprentice is 0, Journeyman is 1, Journeyman-Specialist is 2, Craftsman is 3, Master is 4, Special Master is 5)

She has a slight accent that is not likely to be recognized.

samuelvss · #33 August 6th, 2013, 12:09 PM

Henry joined the crew in Egarnigun, requesting a position in "Security, Engineering, or Flight."

He has taken the position given, and remained aboard since. He has made know his desire to outfit himself with a Vacc suit from the ships' locker, and will be a lot more fastidious about its' fit that about his personal appearance.

He will be closemouthed about his homeworld, as the concept involves two assumptions, two happy assumptions for most, that do not always apply.

SpaceBadger · #34 August 6th, 2013, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samuelvss

Henry joined the crew in Egarnigun, requesting a position in "Security, Engineering, or Flight."

You said earlier that he would prefer not to be an officer; how about if he gets a general "Crew" position to assist in all three of those areas as needed? I'm not sure how that works out on pay; that is one of the things I need to work on this evening.

Could you PM me your thoughts on his "homeworld", in case there is something I need to know as GM? Anybody who might be looking for him (for good or ill), that sort of thing?

Fritz_Brown · #35 August 6th, 2013, 08:24 PM

As to the pay, there aren't any "crew" positions in LBB2 (or "roustabout" or "stevedore" or anything like that). What I did with my campaign (for the crew) was to refigure the pay based on the median income in the area - getting the pilot and nav above it, with the engineer right at or above, and the steward/gunner/medic below it, and the generic "crew" below that. Once I did the adding-salaries bit and took off 25% from their non-"crew" pay, it worked out pretty well (an extremely well-qualified gunner who also filled that generic "crew" position could make as much as a junior pilot - which seemed about right).

The other way to go is to adapt the "prize" system from the sail age of the English Navy. Divide the profits of the crew up into 8ths (or percentages if you prefer). Then set up how much each group of folks gets: as an example, the Owner might get 2/8, the Captain 1/8, the bridge crew 3/8, and the crew 2/8. Figure it however you want, but keep in mind that some folks (like an owner/captain) would get more than one share, and others got theirs as a group (like the midshipman, the officers, and the crew) to be split up among them.

Fritz_Brown · #36 August 6th, 2013, 08:27 PM

Oh, and don't forget that someone filling more than one position (under LBB2 and such) would get paid at a slight discount for both positions.

SpaceBadger · #37 August 6th, 2013, 10:20 PM

I was thinking more along the lines of digging out my copy of The Traveller Adventure and looking at the March Harrier business setup in the back. That is what I had been discussing w Sabredog, but he requested me to finish it up.

SpaceBadger · #38 August 6th, 2013, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fritz_Brown

As to the pay, there aren't any "crew" positions in LBB2 (or "roustabout" or "stevedore" or anything like that). What I did with my campaign (for the crew) was to refigure the pay based on the median income in the area - getting the pilot and nav above it, with the engineer right at or above, and the steward/gunner/medic below it, and the generic "crew" below that. Once I did the adding-salaries bit and took off 25% from their non-"crew" pay, it worked out pretty well (an extremely well-qualified gunner who also filled that generic "crew" position could make as much as a junior pilot - which seemed about right).

That certainly makes more sense than CT's simplification.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fritz_Brown

The other way to go is to adapt the "prize" system from the sail age of the English Navy. Divide the profits of the crew up into 8ths (or percentages if you prefer). Then set up how much each group of folks gets: as an example, the Owner might get 2/8, the Captain 1/8, the bridge crew 3/8, and the crew 2/8. Figure it however you want, but keep in mind that some folks (like an owner/captain) would get more than one share, and others got theirs as a group (like the midshipman, the officers, and the crew) to be split up among them.

That would be more like the ship-shares that we were discussing, which I think the March Harrier crew had in addition to salaries. Salaries get paid first as a regular business expense and then whatever profits are not reinvested in new cargoes may be divvied up according to a share system.

Fritz_Brown · #39 August 6th, 2013, 11:21 PM

That makes sense. If used as the basis of the salaries, then the crew might become motivated to make more money.

Basically what I did with my group is flatten the salary structure, making the "crew" living on something more than subsistence and the pilot making something less than a Warren Buffett.

samuelvss · #40 August 6th, 2013, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpaceBadger

You said earlier that he would prefer not to be an officer; how about if he gets a general "Crew" position to assist in all three of those areas as needed? I'm not sure how that works out on pay; that is one of the things I need to work on this evening.

He'll accept where he's offered a billet, but he is a bit queasy about being in charge of anybody. He's been a nominal First Officer before, for instance, and didn't like how that ended up. His only really people skills are in dismissing them from their respective mortal coils. Engineer means he's in charge of drives, probably under someone else; Flight means he can fly the crate if he's called on to do so; and Security means he's in charge of keeping scumbags at arm's length. He's comfortable with any of these. Officer means he's (at least potentially) in charge of some other miserable soul, and he will take it if it's required, but would prefer any of the others.

(We need a second Engineer, yes?)