This post concerns some of the more gear-headed aspects of CT carnival life. I'm still working on getting more stuff transferred over from my scribbled notes (I shoulda been a doctor, I've got the handwriting for it...). If anyone out there wants to make some tweaks to this stuff, please share them with me (especially to the ships).
Speaking of the gearhead stuff, the ship designs would never have been finished if it weren't for the handiest damned program around, High Guard Shipyard...just givin' props where they're due.
Circus and Carnival Life
Equipment
The Caravan
These are the ships used to carry an Outfit from one world to another. The largest outfits have their own modified vessels, while most other mid-sized operations rely on large merchant vessels to do the job.
Most large outfits rely on 2,000 dTon hulls or larger to transport their performers, laborers, animals and buildings. Smaller 100 dTon scout ships are used by their Advance Teams who find new worlds to visit.
Independent Outfit vessels will be just that, independent. They will carry onboard fuel processers, machine shops, medical facilities, and vast cargo spaces in which to carry prefabricated buildings, amusement rides, and their animal performers.
Starships
The Caravaner Class Carnival Freighter 2Ktons
USP EX - B121222 - 090000 - 70005 - 0
Bat Bear 1 1 1
Bat 1 1 1
Cargo: 984 tons. Fuel:440 tons. EP: 40, Agility: 1, Marines: 10
Craft: 1-50tn. Modular Cutter wi. 2-30t. Cargo Modules, 2-8t. Grav Carriers, 2-4t. Air/Rafts.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: 11 command, 2 Eng., 4 Gunnery, 8 Flight, 4 services, 50 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 50
Weapons: 5-triple missile turrets, 5-triple beam turrets, 10-triple sandcasters.
Computer: Model 2
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 2 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-1, Jump Drive-2, Power Plant-2.
The Midnight Class Medicine Ship 800 tons
USP EX - 8132332 - 550000 - 50304 - 0
Bat Bear 1 1 1 1
Bat 1 1 1 1
Cargo: 181 tons. Fuel: 264 tons. EP: 24, Agility: 0.
Craft: 1-50tn. Modular Cutter wi. 1-30t. Cargo Module, 1-8t. Grav Carrier, 1-4t. Air/Raft.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Eng., 1 Medic, 4 Gunnery, 3 Flight Crew, 7 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 20
Weapons: 2-triple missile turrets, 2-triple beam turrets, 2-triple sandcasters, 2-single Partical Accelerators.
Computer: Model 3
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 3 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-2, Jump Drive-3, Power Plant-3.
Hull Armour: 5
The Ballyhoo Class Carnival Scout 125 tons
USP EX - 11244B1 - 500000 - 40000 - 0
Bat Bear 1
Bat 1
Cargo: 9 tons. Fuel:30 tons. EP: 5, Agility: 3.
Craft: 1-4t. Air/Raft.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Gunner, 4 Carnival personell.
Staterooms: 6
Weapons: 1-mixed (beam/missile/sandcaster) turret.
Computer: Model 2 fib
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 2 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-4, Jump Drive-2, Power Plant-4.
Hull Armour: 5
The Gypsy Class Museum Ship 500 tons
USP EX - 51344C2 - 530000 - 20002 - 0
Bat Bear 5 5 5
Bat 5 5 5
Cargo: 95 tons. Fuel: 170 tons. EP: 20, Agility: 2.
Craft: 1-8t. Grav Carrier, 2-4t. Air/Rafts.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Eng., 1 Medic, 5 Gunnery, 4 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 15
Weapons: 5-mixed (beam/missile/sandcaster) turrets.
Computer: Model 3 fib
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 3 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-4, Jump Drive-3, Power Plant-4.
The Midway
The meat and potatoes of many travelling Outfits are the rides and attractions which comprise a midway. Usually midways feature portable thrill rides, tent shows, and myriad games of strength, skill, and chance.
The Big Top
The Big Top is one of the enduring symbols of most Outfits. Emblazoned with the Outfit logo and/or colors, it is a miracle of modern prefabricated building technology, and is in fact composed of many smaller structures.
Covering what lies beneath is the Smart Canvas. Utilizing incredibly tough ballistic-grade "smart fabrics" the Travelling Canvas protects against the elements, radiation exposure, and can be sealed airtight in a matter of seconds. The waterproof exterior wicks away excess moisture and directs it to collection units contained in the hidden "Back End" of the structure.
Beneath the Big Top's canvas are the smaller dressing trailers, animal containment cages, small vehicle garages, and the performing stages and "rings" of the circus.
The Rings
The Rings are the centerpieces of the Big Top's performance area. Rimmed with holographic projectors, they can display settings from a wide variety of worlds and epochs throughout time and space. Separate projectors can beam panoramas from around the galaxy on the smart canvas walls and roof of the Big Top.
Hidden grav plates act as "safety nets" for the high-flying acrobats, and provide some of them with the little extra assist they need in soaring to heart-stopping heights above the crowd.
Outfit Life and Culture
While most circuses and carnivals can chart their history back to the days of the Ramshackle Empire, and are quite proud of it, there is no rampant Solomani sentiment among Outfitters. Instead Outfitters look at themselves as one big family, human and non-human alike. Vargr, Aslan, Virushi, K'kree and even the occasional Hiver are all treated with dignity and respect in their Outfits. All are welcome, so long as they have something to contribute to the success of the operation.
On the Road
Outfitters are a proud, yet secretive, people. They work hard, play hard, and are fiercely loyal. Dressed mostly in simple well-worn jumpsuits and working clothes, they are often treated with suspicion, if not outright contempt by the "decent, law-abiding folk" of the worlds they visit. Over the years, this has created a very strong "Us" and "Them" mentality amongst Outfitters. They don't make friends easily, if at all among the "Low-Downers", as they call the planetside residents. Even those who treat them well are easily forgotten...it doesn't pay to make friends among people you'll likely never see again. But, if in the course of their travels they encounter someone who causes them trouble or pain, Outfitters can be found to have very long memories.
At Home
Most smaller Outfits don't have the luxury of a place to call home. But larger operations are usually based on a single planet, the beginning and end of every tour. These are often sparsely-settled worlds with Standard atmospheres and at least a 60% hydrosphere. Here, the grubby clothes come off, and the cramped quarters of the massive travelling ships are forgotten.
Most Outfitters live quite well, in fact most do better than the upper class of the worlds they visit. Many own vast estates, or advanced cooperatives with fellow Outfitters.
Thanks to aggresive and scrupulous investment managers, Outfits can be among the most successful businesses in any frontier subsector. Their financial strength has also lent them a great deal of clout on the Sector level as well. A little-known fact is Outfit operations are heavily involved in "silent partner" arrangements with many companies, and a leading source of venture capital for a number of small start-up operations.
Barnstorming
Many larger outfits run "Barnstorming" operations as a way of recruiting and training Rubes. These are small-scale carnivals and fairs which are often run out of a single Caravaner Class starship, or in a group of small Ballyhoo Class Scouts. These off-season performances are often scheduled for rough-and-tumble frontier planets, and guarantee an outit a pool of seasoned replacement workers when the regular touring season begins.
Glossary of Carnival Terms/Job Descriptions
Job Titles
Arrow Man - the leader of an Advance Team who smooths the way for his outfit on-planet. The title came
came from the carny workers who would place paper arrows along the route their carnival
caravan would take to the showgrounds.
Back End Boss - supervises all of the shows and operations inside the Big Top.
Barker, Talker - A carnival worker who specializes in enticing crowds to see a show, or take part in a game of chance.
Beastmaster - supervises all of an outfit's animal acts and exhibits.
Big Boss - supervises the business and administration end of all planetside outfit operations.
Razorback - term used to describe the starship crew who carry outfits from planet-to-planet.
Roustabout - laborers and craftsmen who raise and maintain an outfit's Big Top and other outbuildings used on-planet.
Canvas Boss - supervises the construction and maintenance of an outfit's Big Top and other outbuildings.
Concessionaire - member of the operations team who manages a Grab Joint*.
Front End Boss - supervises all of an outfit's food, beverage and general merchandise sales and operations.
Maestro - supervises the floor activities which take place inside the Rings of the Big Top.
Midway Boss - supervises all rides and operations outside the Big Top.
Pit Boss - supervises all outbuilding attractions outside the Big Top.
Professor - member of the outfit who has amassed a wealth of knowledge in his field. Also used to describe the operators of Museum Shows.
Scout - ranges ahead of the main outfit to gather intelligence on likely new systems to visit.
Shill - Carnival worker planted in a crowd of rubes in order to entice others to follow him in to a game, joint
or attraction. Shills pretend to "buy" tickets, or "win" at games of chance. A good shill can turn an
entire "tip" and cause them to "break" for games or ticket boxes.
Silhouette Cutter - A carnival worker who crafts a silhouette of a mark. Often done with the customer's choice of tools.
Showman - member of the operations team who manages a certain midway attraction or big top event.
Tool Boss - supervises fabrication and repair of all outfit materials.
Trouper - member of the outfit who has worked at least one full season/year of shows.
Carnival Terms
Animal Show:
Any attraction which features live animals as a draw for the crowd. These animals are usually exotic in nature, as opposed to the trained animal acts which happen inside the Big Top.
Back End:
Inside the Big Top at opposite end of the tent from the front door or the 'connection' between the menagerie and the big top. The 'back end' of a carnival consists of the performing Rings. Concessions, no matter where located, are part of the 'front end.
Bally, Ballyhoo:
A free show given outside a side show to attract a crowd (a 'tip') of potential patrons. Word came into being at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The fakirs, gun spinners and dancing girls from the Middle East spoke no English, only Arabic. The interpreters used the expression "Dehalla Hoon" to call performers outside to the show fronts. The Western ears of the talkers translated it as 'ballyhoo' and so used it when the interpreters were away for lunch.
Barnstorming:
Taking a show from spot to spot, with little pre-arranged plan for the next spot, generally in the off- season. Showmen depend on their ability to generate a generous crowd with little on no pre- publicity. These usually occur on frontier or backwater worlds.
Cabinets of Wonder:
The Terran English translation of kunstkammer and wunderkammer, the cabinets of curiosities and wonders that evolved into the dime museums of the 19th Century. These are private collections of odd, bizarre, unusual, exotic and - by current Imperial standards - relatively mundane objects, many of which might be found in any museum of natural history.
Concessionaire:
The game and food stand personnel; the people who operate "joints." Because of that, they're also called "jointees," as opposed to the "showmen" who run the shows.
Girl Show:
In its generic sense, a show in which dancing females are the primary attraction. These could range from the reviews with dancing girls or the more exotic 'foreign' reviews to the racier hootchie kootchie shows. The racier shows often feature non-human performers.
Grab Joint:
An eating concession where the customer is served directly over the counter from the grill.
Independent Midway:
The midway concessions booked in separate from those with the carnival. During planetary or subsector fairs, for example, the midway could consist of booths for local businesses, food stands raising money for fraternal organizations, even shows such as might appear on the carnival midway such as Animal or Girlie shows.
Jam Joint:
A direct sales concession, usually worked as an auction, where the buyer's confidence is built up by winning "swag".
Land Office Business:
Doing so much business you almost have to turn people away.
Low-Downer, Mark, Mundane, Rube:
Term used to refer to the patrons of a carnival. Usually derogatory in nature.
Medicine Show:
Usually a small show the primary purpose of which was to sell patent medicine, often touted to cure virtually every ailment known to man. The shows would usually consist of some other small attractions in addition to the medicine pitch. The term is now used to describe any Outfit larger than a Museum Show which operates without the cover of a Big Top.
Midway:
In its broadest sense, the location where all the concessions, rides and shows are located in a circus, fair or carnival: the midway between the 'front door' to the carnival grounds and the 'big top'.
Midways include all of the side-shows and sales operations for modern carnivals.
Motordrome:
A daredevil show involving wheeled vehicles which race around inside small, circular mesh enclosures (a 'wall of death') or spherical mesh enclosures (a 'globe of death').
Museum Show:
In ancient times, any show where the exhibits were not alive. The show might contain specimens that are preserved, such as taxidermied or mummified freak animals, or other exotic items of interest, such as the weapons used by famous murderers. Also called a Still Show. The term is now used to describe any single-ship Carnival Outfit.
Nut;
The operating expenses of an Outfit. The story goes in ancient times a creditor came to the carnival grounds and took the nuts off the wagon wheels until he was paid. An Outfit always seeks to 'make the nut' and clear its expenses. A show that hasn't done so is 'on the nut', one that has is 'off the nut'."
Panorama Show:
A show where a large painting is rolled from one huge roller to another, allowing the viewer to watch the images move past. Modern Panoramas include Tri-D footage, and sensoround recordings of exotic planets and faraway places that give the marks the illusion of really "being there".
Pit:
A small enclosure in which side show acts were performed. Now, the term is used to describe any prefabricated building which stands on the midway and houses a joint, game, or attraction.
Swag:
Any cheaply made or manufactured merchandise given away to marks in order to boost their confidence.
Sway Pole:
An acrobatic act which features performers who climb a tall poles and rock them back and forth.
Extremely dangerous to perform, these acts are often played for laughs.
Tip:
A crowd gathered in front of a "ballyhoo." If the bally is successful, the talker or Barker is said to have "turned the tip" or "cleaned the midway".
Trouper:
A person who has spent at least one full season with a carnival Outfit.
Turn the Tip:
When a successful Bally talker or Barker has convinced the Rubes gatherd in front of the Ballyhoo that his spiel is truthful, and they all buy tickets to the performance.
NEXT POST: Outfit Creation, and Carnival Adventure Seeds!