Fleshing it out (Details!!)

[Liam Devlin]

Again following the outline of Our very own CoTI Mythmere:

Fleshing it out (roll once on each applicable table)
Table 1 unique features for TL 8+ only
Table 2 unique features for TL 7- only
Table 3 unique features for bad air only
Table 4 unique features for good air only
Table 5 unique features for class a-c only
Table 6 unique features for class d or e only
Table 7 unique features for highports
-Mythmere

 

[Mythmere]

Table 4 (good air)

starport is in a forest (consider odd plants)
starport has open arched buildings, very few walls

 

[Mythmere]

Table 2 (TL 7-)
1 grazing animals occasionally wander onto the landing areas (in bad air or vaccuum, reroll)
2 cargo cults often gather outside the starport trying to make starships land by waving flags and talking into carved-wood walkie-talkies
3 cargo cults worship the starcraft, and can make a nuisance of themselves
4 Luddites (thanks, TJ) are a serious threat to station security (they must be visible to the players in some way, either picketing or sneaking around with hammers)
5 Station buildings are all made from logs (shellacked by the TL 12 SPA)
6 Carvings of your ship are made from wood or stone by local artisans while you wait.
7 station security ride horses or other riding beasts
8 starport fronts on seaport with tall ships or steamers

 

[Shadowdancer]

Table 5 (class a-c)

Concourse has an open food court area surrounded with several food vendor booths. Bands of homeless juvenile runaways, who sleep where they can inside the starport, brazenly snatch food off tables when occupants aren't looking or don't take precautions. Sandwich vendors in the food court have started cutting sandwiches into thirds, and most regular diners at the food court leave one-third of a sandwich sitting near the edge of the table for the juveniles to take. Anyone who thwarts an attempt by the juveniles to take food is targeted for revenge/harassement. Anyone who befriends any of the juveniles has good, reliable access to information about what is going on in the starport and details on the layout of the entire facility.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Mythmere- Nice Low-tech to mid tech ideas!! (the starcraft worshippers for a primitive society I can see already on landing..<"Duck the gods are descending!">

Nice touch there Paraquat, thats a gem too!<nods>..This is a good direction lets keep tacking down it folks! <Ahoy!>

 

[Mythmere]

Table 6 - class d or e

1 the port is only open on wednesday
2 the port is overgrown with native kudzu-like vegetation (for you Brits, visualize sticky ivy that cannot be killed without a flamethrower and grows really fast).
3 the port is only open monday, wednesday, friday
4 cargo handlers only work on monday
5 customs officials only work on tuesday and thursday, and cargo cannot be offloaded without a customs officer present
6 the landing beacon is slightly askew, and it has not been fixed (most people flying into this port know about it, so why bother?) Requires a pilot roll at DC 12 to veer back onto the proper vector without a bad effect (getting fined for entering the flight pattern for another port, running into a mountain, landing in the middle of headhunter territory, etc)
7 the port master requires that everyone salute the flag of his favorite grav-ball team (or a picture of his girlfriend, or of the emperor, etc)
8 the controller has been assigned to this small port due to his narcolepsy
9 the port master won't even let the cargo unload until he is bribed.
10 The landing area is often (now, in fact) used as an open air market for local fruit vendors. The market takes about eight hours to finish up and get off the landing pad.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Table 6 unique features for Class D or E, continued (examples)

11.- Control Tower is ramshackle native materials, and every third word from transmitter gets lost do to "cost saving measures".

12.-Port grounds are immaculatley kept and groomed--by a grazing herd of animals ( I saw goats or sheep-another maybe substituted) owned by family member of Control authority(ies), with the usual animal biproduct foot bio-hazards..

13.- Region around Starport was old warzone/ old military facility-unexp[loded ordinance signs are everywhere "off limits" beyond secured/ cleared grounds.

14.- Scenic lake lies nearby, but is private property and NOT to be used for refuelling. LYHD fuel is instead piped in from elsewhere-refining is your problem!

15.-All Port Employees take long siesta's due to climate so no work is done between the hours of X-Y during daylight. To include answering the radio/ etc..

16.-All Port employees have religious observances between hrs of X-Y, and No work is done during these hours.

17.- Due to short daylight hrs of planet's orbit, all unloading is done at night..

18.- Due to Customs of Local port authority local stevedores line up at dawn for labor purposes. No union or Guilds allowed. As it is, speed of cargo loading/ unloading varies with the daily crews.

19.-An Organized labor force exists for cargoe handling, and they are a separate charge for starship captains to deal/ haggle with.

20.- Well run, tightly maintained port of call, this is their sole lifeline to trade, and they TAKE even the minutest infractions seriously.

 

[Mythmere]

More table 5 (a-c)

1 system has some interesting locations; port is a center for in-system cruises
2 concourse contains system of rocky waterfalls and fountains
3 gangs rule parts of the starport and are allowed to do so because the starport is suffering a downturn in traffic
4 starport services (cargo handling, transport, redcaps) are performed by rival gangs. Conflict is frequent.
5 concourse contains glass-walled exhibit of some really dangerous animals
6 concourse contains massive aquarium
7 concourse contains exhibits of clockwork aliens: aslan, virushi, etc., doing classic tasks and activities of that species
8 concourse is under construction, and contains scaffolding up to the ceiling, big and dangerous pieces of machinery, forklifts and bulldozers.

more will be needed, but I'm out of ideas for now.

 

[Mythmere]

Table 7 Highports
1 maintains zero g
2 maintains high g
3 maintains low g
4 large areas transparent to space
5 ships do not mate with port; they "park" at beacons and shuttle to the port
6 highport is agglomeration of dead ships, sealed tanks, and better, constructed units
7 constant bad smell
8 vegetation everywhere to supplement life support
9 incredibly cramped and claustrophobic
10 rusted interiors, water dripping from ceilings
11 lights kept very low
12 lights kept painfully bright - sunglasses bright.
13 built from asteroid
14 crystal buildup on bulkheads
15 mold everywhere

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

A singleton evil thought, inspired by the 'rival redcaps post'

Policing security is entirely 'free market' at the hint of the slightest troubles competing police/fire departments will rush to get you to sign expensive contracts for their assistance. Sometimes the competition leads to violence between competing groups.

 

[sandman]

Hum...

Starport Festivities/social Life

Thinks like holidays, Planet Founder's Day, Festivals ("Guy's, you won't like it... they're celebrating the Clowns Festival Week out there..."), or other social gathering...

 

[Liam Devlin]

more for table 5 (types A thru C):-EXAMPLES

9.-ALL Starport Cargo Handling employees hired locally, are controlled by Crime syndicate riddled labor unions. No robots allowed!

10.-All cargo handling completely automated, run by robots, who are maintained 1-12 ratio by a group of skilled Bot technicians.

11.- Concourse is made entirely of imported high tech prefab materials, and is aesthetically ugly.

12.-Concourse is made from local materials industries. Blends in with rest of startown thanks to local architects in a pleasing manner

13.- the unused vehicle parking lots adajcent to the port are rented out to flea market/ Open air hawking Free-marketers in a controlled and first come first served process.

14.-All smoking areas for imbibing sophonts are strictly marked and labelled!

15.- Is Known for its very helpful employees due to Local cultural upbringing on "do unto others." [The reverse is also true..beware!]

16.-Is in transistion from its former class rating to the next highest. Everything is hustle and bustle here, and some things like safety measures are strictly enforced due to the high profile this port is drawing in the press!

17.- Is known for its top rated mechanics from around the (cluster/ main/ subsector/ sector), and their shipyards boast the highest production rating with highest level of safety in the quadrant.

18.-Due to an an extreme warm climate and an unusual microbiologic lifeform that eats fabric, employees (natives) wear belts made from native hairless grazers, go both bald, and Mostly nude. Those who wear clothes and hide their bodies are looked upon as "the ashamed ones".

19.-Looks drab, stolid, weather-worn, ivy cloaked and utilitarian, having stood since the hey day of the 1st Imperium..The mostly Vilani culture have resisted changing the port since Sol and Vland clashed on Barnard's Star.

20.- This is a state of the art facility, clean, orderly, well run, and efficient. Unfortunately it was built for three times the traffic, and much of the concourse is mothballed.

 

[robject]

Originally posted by Mythmere:
Table 4 (good air)

1. Starport is in a coniferous-style dry forest. When the wind blows, the trees make a whooshing sound not unlike that made by a huge, local winged predator...

2. Starport has open arched buildings, very few walls.

3. Starport has a number of competing vendors selling pressure-sealed "Sector's Best Air" canisters, containing a sample of the world's air. More expensive canisters actually provide a few minutes of air (in case of dire emergency).

4. As above, except the samples are of random quality, enhanced with perfumes, hallucinogens, etc.

5. Starport is in the midst of a dense, humid jungle. Manual laborers regularly slash the overgrowth away to keep it from absorbing the compound.

6. Starport is designed as a villa, with tiled patios, quiet nooks for conducting 'business', pretty flowering trees, and very expensive hotels. A rich-tourist (and crime syndicate) haven.

7. Starport is situated on broken terrain, whose convection currents make it popular among 'grav surfers'.

8. Starport is made up of all sorts of different buiding sizes and styles, obviously added on over the decades (or centuries) as the budget permitted. Related sections might have covered walkways between them.

9. Starport has many booths selling "local flora" in small containers.

 

[robject]

Sorry, some of those are more architecture-related, rather than 'unique features'...

 

[trader jim]

Good stuff..can visulize some of it....

 

[Mythmere]

Posted by Robject:
Sorry, some of those are more architecture-related, rather than 'unique features'...

No, this is perfect stuff! All of these are probably going to be the subject of heavy reorganizing (for example, the layered ages of construction you mentioned isn't specific to good air environments, but is a great way to add character to the port) when Liam and Shane begin stirring it into a publication.

Keep up the good work! Could you post in some of the other categories, too? You have the right idea!

 

[Liam Devlin]

I must concur with Mythmere, Robject, and TJ-- the portico tiered setting villa resort structure I've seen with a small aircraft port nearby at a convention (business) I attended once in NE Tennessee, mountains nearby, lake..very cool stuff! (it would be a D/E class port in TU, but stylish!)..

More good stuff! Ya'll are doing great!

 

[Mythmere]

concourse has transparent floor over canyon

concourse has a theme
- medieval
- underwater

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Mythmere:
Table 7 Highports
1 maintains zero g
2 maintains high g
3 maintains low g
4 large areas transparent to space
5 ships do not mate with port; they "park" at beacons and shuttle to the port
6 highport is agglomeration of dead ships, sealed tanks, and better, constructed units
7 constant bad smell
8 vegetation everywhere to supplement life support
9 incredibly cramped and claustrophobic
10 rusted interiors, water dripping from ceilings
11 lights kept very low
12 lights kept painfully bright - sunglasses bright.
13 built from asteroid
14 crystal buildup on bulkheads
15 mold everywhere

_________________________________________________
Hmmm.. How about:
1. Maintains Zero to Low Gee (consolidating 1 & 3), as Highport rotates in geosynchronous orbit [an example of early torroidal stations TL-8+]

2. "Maintains 1G or greater [reflects TL-10+ grav
technology]."

3. Built amidst/ inside an asteroid, or cluster of small asteroids and has Low Gee gravity. [thereby consolidating 3 & 13].

4. (as is). I like this one!! The accomodations portion of the port, concourse itself, and several large resturaunts..

5. (as is). I like this one!!

6. "Highport is a *Junk port*, a conglomeration of dead ships, sealed tanks, and better, constructed units. It Has rusted interiors from water dripping everywhere, mold everpresent, which causes a bad smell pervasive throughout port to varying degrees."
[consolidating 10, 15, 6 & 7--as rust from H2o is a given, with warm air lifesupport in such an environment *mold* will develop(15), adding a bad smell (7) to the Highport; and the place is haphazardly constructed seemingly to match].

7. (former #8 here as is with: -"provides a riot of color, and a unique-diverse smell as any rain forest."

8. (former #9, as is). I like this one too!

9. (former #11) as is.* Though I'd add why they are so.

10. (former # 12) as is.*Though I'd add why they are so.


11. (former #14). As is.

12. Port has long docking booms (telescopic) for larger Bulk freighters to use for cargo and refuelling, and allows them grester room to manuever away afterwards.

13. Port has internal bays only, and these are limited to Medium sized/ large sized ships/ msall sized ships.

14. Port has external docking rings only, & Fuel shuttle service is provided for.

15. Port has parking beacons (with their own shuttle service), internal bays, external docking rings; & T-booms

16. Highport is actually a tethered beanstalk station.

17. Highport is a state of the art TL facility (of that system/region of space), with an aesthetic sense of symmetry and proportion.

18.-(as with starships) is an Open Hulled, USL structure, with irregular features and modules attached.

19.-(as with starships) is a PSL, closed hulled structure, and a roughly hemispheric/saucer-shaped

20.-(as above 18-19) is a SL structure, spherical, resembling a small planetoid.

hows' those for examples, with a few tweaks to previous? ANybody?

 

[Mythmere]

Good stuff Liam!
I'm avoiding too much detail thus far b/c my preference on the fleshing out tables would be so many entries as to reach a d100. These are the uniqueness tables and need a lot of variety. That's why I was thinking of single-attribute descriptions. Your additions are great edits to them, too!

Here are more:
nerve-racking creaking sounds

very powerful draft (a wind, really) blows through the highport from time to time

neon purple paint and psychadelic tie dye patterns in station.