new caracter type - deckhand

[flykiller]

deckhand

deckhands are subordinate positions onboard starships. they oversee the cargo bays and interact with the docks in loading and unloading cargo. while they may pick up a few ship skills they tend to be at the lower end of the intelligence spectrum and often are drifters or losers, sometimes even fugitives. the job of deckhand provides a perfect opportunity for runaways to travel and perhaps find a home in space. those who are intelligent may rise to other shipboard positions such as security or engineering. few obtain the necessary training and certification legally to be gunners or pilots.

skill sets for deckhands are limited, and training is almost exclusively on-the-job with no formal classes. as a career niche deckhands often are in indirect competition with gunners mates and on improperly run ships may have conflicts with the gunners.

base skills
vacc suit, 0g, airraft, ground vehicle, cargo

weapons skills
small arms, combatives, blades

ship skills (all lvl 1 only)
mechanical, electrical, laser gunnery, boat pilot

people skills
streetwise, liaison

sample character/tourset
intelligence 8, education 8, thus 4 skill points per tour
tour 1: vacc suit 1, 0g 1, airraft 1, cargo 1
tour 2: mechanic 1, streetwise 1
tour 3: cargo 2, sidearm 1, (1 skill point remaining)

cargo skill
this is the efficient handling of ship's cargo, not just its proper and legal securing and on/off-loading but also all aspects of dealing with the docks. queues and queue manipulation, paperwork and bypassing it, theft prevention (and theft), stowaway and smuggling detection (and stowing/smuggling), cargo-handling equipment (including the operation, but not programming, of computers and robotics), dock gangs, space rats and other transit-seeking organisms, cyber-monitoring (and bypassing it), and all other aspects of dock life. this in no way implies broker or admin or similar skill expertise outside of the docks.

 

[Patron Zero]

Uncertain if it's been entered as a canon skill but the operation of power-loaders and like equipment should be considered as a skill for a deckhand character, possibly trouble-shooting said machinery a sub-skill.

A more advanced skill would be operation of cargo-handling equipment in a vac/zero-G environment.

Also if the use of droids-drones as labor aboard ship or at starports is common-place, then a deckhand character should also possess 'field' repair-troubleshooting skills of such to enhance their resume and qualifications.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Interesting but I always figured that larger ships would not be setting aside stateroom space for hauling around deckhands/dockworkers. They would likely hire the cargo handlers from the local star port dock crew. In some locations it may be required.

IMTU, most decent star ports have the technology to automate and be very hands off in regards to moving cargo.

IMTU, there are some places where the star port is a bit "lacking" and the buyer/seller may provide pickup and delivery not only to the "docks" but helps load and unload the ship too.

The small tramp trader would likely be "all hands on deck". The pilot, astrogator and other crew are handling the cargo when there are no dock workers available.

YMMV

 

[flykiller]

They would likely hire the cargo handlers from the local star port dock crew. In some locations it may be required.

or, a union may require them to hire such deckhands ....

IMTU, most decent star ports have the technology to automate and be very hands off in regards to moving cargo.

imtu as well, for established lines handling large cargo volumes on fixed routes in containerized shipping. but no-one runs games on that basis. the volume of incidental free-trader cargo, from here and there and everywhere, would be large as well.

 

[robject]

A steward could be a cargo handler in a pinch.

Note that a cargo handler would also need actual cargo-handling equipment. Nobody is going to wrangle 1+ ton loads without a specialized vehicle.

 

[wbyrd]

This is a position I know well...worked as a deckhand on my brothers workboat all through high school and a few years after.

Unless you ae lucky enough to have a very well organized loading crew there is a lot of shifting of cargo to make space and a lot of physical labor with hoses, lines, and straps during refueling and loading. Even if there are longshoremen about.

Skills do tend to be very basic and on the job taught. knowing how to work a forklift or other loading machines is a must for many smaller vessels. since a lot of times bigger ships get priority over smaller vessels when it comes to loading crews.

when your not loading and securing cargo your cleaning and scrubbing and helping with the upkeep of the ship and basic mechanical repairs...everyone learns how to handle firefighting gear ( damage control/repair)

when out of port you spend a lot of time doing busy work, checking straps, chains, doors, and hatches to make sure everything is secure. You do not want a frayed strap to give and dump a couple of tons of cargo in the only walkway though the cargo area.

and if any rough weather..or case of a starship rapid maneuvering occurs a very slight shift in the boats orientation can cause a lot of havok if no one has been keeping an eye out for improperly secured items.

And everyone takes turn on deckwatch in port...just setting where you can see anyone messing around the ship, or trying to get aboard.

Being a deckhand is a physically demanding job, the work is hard and the hours are long, and not at all under your control...once loading starts, you don't stop for a coffee break, or to take a nap. So if someone is going to be a deck crewman, he'd better be in damn good shape...if he ain't ..he soon will be.

 

[samuelvss]

I'm with CosmicGamer on this one. The cargo handlers stay were the cargo is handled: the ports. In extremis, the crew helps.

 

[aramis]

You really don't need ANY dedicated onboard cargo-handling equipment on the standard designs. You need something that can take the cargo out the airlock, but getting it into the airlock is simple, tho' not of need fast, for much of the cargo: set the gravity in the bay to null-G, and be patient in moving things. (Don't do this with the livestock, tho!)

a few simple tools can speed that up quite a bit, and increase the safety.

• Rails & pins to ensure it only goes in the desired direction. (the rails are probably built into deck and overhead)
• "Kickers" that apply a kilonewton when locked into a tiedown.
• Catch buffers that absorb a kilonewton in 30cm... and can be erected to a standard tiedown in a minute or two. And can be reset in 5-10 sec.
• Roll-out rails for the breakbulk so that a ground forklift can haul stuff away - or put it on for pull-in.
• block and tackle that hooks to standard tie-downs

Keep in mind that if you get a kilonewton on a 10K kg container, you get 100cm/s - quite a bit of speed for cargo movement. If the container clearance is 5 cm, you want no one in the bay during cargo handling except the rousts (be they hands or longshoremen), but you calso can "emergency stop" the cargo with minimal risk just by turning off the AG.

And the old palleted cargo airdrop? Set the bay to 1G aft, and let it fly.... no humans involved. (Unless they're ON the pallets).

 

[Condottiere]

I've enjoyed playing comparatively under powered characters, though you may draw the line at JarJarization.

You could have an informal citizen class, and have the player describe the core background, experience and skills, and perhaps have a fun session randomly filling in the blanks.

 

[JBRocky]

I'm with CosmicGamer on this one. The cargo handlers stay were the cargo is handled: the ports. In extremis, the crew helps.

I work in Transportation and Logistics field and this is correct except our stand there with the Bills of Lading and once they are delivered they say "sign here" give a copy to the dock and leave.

 

[wbyrd]

It is written, Beware young crewman the wiles of the She-fiend and seductress complacency, for when you rest against her breast, the arch fiend Murphy shall steal aboard thy vessel and long will be your days, burdensome will be your labours, and many be your miseries.

Practice always the rites of the watchful eye, check twice the seals of anti-tamper, make fast the straps of safety, and not one parcel place in the hold which does not match the lists of manifest, or bills of laden. For surely if you do these things a Smile will be upon the face of the Deck Boss, and easy will be the lash of the Cargo Master. And the crewman may rest easy as the harsh tongue of thy most noble and holy captain will be curbed.

Shiftless is the crewman who abandons these rites of thoroughness;and foolish the captain who places his trust in the feckless minions of the docks. Long may they burn in the hell of dissatisfied clients, and linger in the purgatory of the customs house tormented by the fiends of the Inspectors, and masters of the harbour. So listen well my young Ordinary Crewman, so that you may one day attain the greatness of those who write these words, and be given papers of the Able Crewman which shall grant you a place aboard many great vessels.

Getting the cargo aboard ship and physically manipulating it is only part of the job of loading and unloading cargo...there's a lot of very basic tasks that go along with it. And if you don't want the captain, to paraphrase Moira Brown,"to yell alot...at you...with mean mean words".

even with computers and barcodes on containers, you can bet someone will be double checking everything.
THEN check for broken seals, physical and anti-tamper, make sure that numbers match, make sure straps and locks are all secure.all the time on the look out for obvious signs of damage etc....

while, if a ship has, a designated cargo master he will in charge of the operation..deckhands are the ones doing the grunt work. I may have worked under some very paranoid captains, but usually I ended up doing a lot of work when the ship was being loaded and unloaded..and lord help the poor fool who accepted a cargo, based on just the word of the dockside crew, when something goes wrong....

 

[flykiller]

everyone learns how to handle firefighting gear

can't believe I forgot that one. add "dc" to the "level 1 only skills".

The cargo handlers stay were the cargo is handled: the ports.

the big automated ports, sure. your games don't stray from the big ports?

once they are delivered they say "sign here" give a copy to the dock and leave.

trusting souls. I bet you'd let them just put stuff on your ship, too ....

one thing a deckhand might be able to do is, if there are a dozen free-traders lined up for cargo, but only three regular cargo moving systems available, and everyone is fighting for priority, a deckhand might know where to look to find "extra" handlers and get you off the docks a little quicker ....

 

[CosmicGamer]

the big automated ports, sure. your games don't stray from the big ports?

For me, as implied in my upstream post, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Why do you ask?

trusting souls. I bet you'd let them just put stuff on your ship, too ....

Depending on who the "them" is, yup.

If I were elderly, handicapped or injured and couldn't carry much, I'd just have the kid from the neighborhood that does odd jobs for me do this one too (have crew do it and not have a dedicated deckhand) or ask someone at the store for help and give them a nice tip (hire someone at the port). In a pinch, maybe I barter for services (offer working passage to someone that can help). Lots of possibilities before I'd need to hire a full time salaried helper 24x7 just so that they could load groceries into my car.

And speaking of groceries, do you open every single container before you leave the store to verify the contents or are you a trusting soul?

one thing a deckhand might be able to do is, if there are a dozen free-traders lined up for cargo, but only three regular cargo moving systems available, and everyone is fighting for priority, a deckhand might know where to look to find "extra" handlers and get you off the docks a little quicker ....

There are thousands of possible skills to add to Traveller. There are times we play and something comes up where we think for a moment about what skill to use. In this instance, carouse and streetwise come to mind. Admin for taking care of cargo paperwork. Mechanic for proper tie downs. Drive or remote ops for operating loading equipment...

If in YTU this type of activity is something that is highlighted and played out a lot, then maybe it makes sense for you to add this skill.

Proposing this as a career and crew position to the general Traveller group... Just my opinion, but I don't think this hits most people wish list for possible adventurous careers they think are missing and want to play.

 

[wbyrd]

Lots of possibilities before I'd need to hire a full time salaried helper 24x7 just so that they could load groceries into my car.

And speaking of groceries, do you open every single container before you leave the store to verify the contents or are you a trusting soul?.

cargo handing is not the only job of a deckhand.it just seems to be the one portion of the job that has taken over the thread. It's not a skill per se..it's a background/career/job description.

Its a lot like a drifter but with a much narrower focus on jobs relating to shipboard life. You pick up a little of this, a little of that..and if you stick with it a while you end up a jack of all trades master of none.

It's steady work, you can find a job at a lot of ports, and you don't have to have a lot of connections or education to get into it.

A lot of guys I knew back in my teens working my brother in laws workboat( 90-110 footer not a ticked out cabin cruiser ) had been working as deckhands for years, some older guys had been doing it their entire lives. ...its a fairly common job on smaller vessels and cargo ships, aside from the big corporate owned container ships, and tankers....which have titles for every job and specific job descriptions.

 

[CosmicGamer]

A lot of guys I knew

And I know house cleaners, migrant farmers, gas attendants, cashiers, telephone operators, truck drivers, lawn care workers, daycare workers, stay at home moms and dads....

Don't try to sell me on any of these careers though because like deckhand, it's not the type of careers, backgrounds, skills, and such I'd want for a typical adventuresome character.

YMMV Nothing against anyone that would want to play such.

 

[flykiller]

example deckhand character

1090-03-1027 has no proper parents, she was decanted into the care of the ronin hazardwork authority on louzy. in addition to the regular propaganda and psychological conditioning she was given a fairly advanced education for a ronin and at age 14 was set to work in the newly opened spacetrade cargo docks, cycling regularly between the vast up and down ports. by age 20 her contacts with offworlders had led her to begin to doubt her homeworld. cutting out her tracking chip and evading the dock robotic security she managed to stow away on a freighter and escape, finding somewhat of a life in the merchant fleets around jewell and efate subsectors. she has been taken advantage of and abused fairly often but recently has had the good fortune of being sent to an electronics school by a reputable fleet line, enabling her to qualify as an engineering assistant. she is very proud of her education and hopes for another opportunity to advance.

she has chosen the name dotir chi-regna - she simply likes the sound of it. she has a good sense of humor and good comraderie and is a team player even in poor circumstances. she is about 5'6", designed not for intelligence but for physical stamina, speed, agility, and constitutional strength. she has a moderately stout build to withstand impacts in a harsh industrial life but is slim to make her more able to access tight spaces and to reduce uniform and transportation and medical costs. mentally she is designed with good morals and a high pain threshold. racially she is scandanavian with blond hair and unnervingly bright blue eyes, but a slight glitch in her processing gave her an epicanthic fold - "slant eyes". she is fertile but requires surgery to activate her capability.

dotir chi-regna
7CC882, 26

vaccsuit/0g 1
electronics 1*(2)
grav vehicle 2, cargo docks 2
streetwise 1
combatives 1

(being educated in a subject allows, at referee discretion, a re-roll of a failed task for each referee-decided time period. achieving electronics skill level 2 will require 3 skill points, and the (2) after the electronics skill signifies that she already has 2 skill points towards that. when a third skill point is acquired then she will advance to electronics skill level 2. skill level 2 in an educated subject allows 2 re-rolls of failed tasks per time period.)

referees / character owners only.

Spoiler:

(referee only. dotir is a telekinetic, level 5. it was this skill that enabled her to find and pry out her tracking device from off of her bone. she is able to lift and manipulate up to 20 lbs a day for up to 60 seconds. e.g. i.e. she can telekinese 5 lbs for up to 60 seconds, then 10 lbs for up to 60 seconds, then 1 lb five times for 60 seconds each, per day. she can remotely push buttons, forcibly redirect security cameras, and unlock secure containers, all day long. she can also use this ability during a physical encounter, fighting as if she has a 5 or 10 lb weight in her hands, making her hits and blows and throws much more effective than they otherwise would be. in dockfights she has broken a few opponents' bones. she is cunningly adept at hiding this ability, both from humans and from observation systems.)

 

[kilemall]

Cargo Handling was a purchasable skill program for LBB8 Robots, I don't know if it ever became an official skill in later versions.

The part I am not feeling is the necessity for a full career gen, to me deckhand is subsumed in most any of the gen for the space careers such as Navy, Scouts, Merchants, Pirates, Belters, etc.

One could assume especially that sort of career for a non-commissioned without the Educ 8 Advanced Education table and no 2+ skill.

The other part is the economics. Be cheaper to slap a Cargo Handling module into the Ship's Robot and buy a cargo drone then tie up precious stateroom and a salary.

 

[Jame]

Interesting but I always figured that larger ships would not be setting aside stateroom space for hauling around deckhands/dockworkers. They would likely hire the cargo handlers from the local star port dock crew. In some locations it may be required.
YMMV

It seems that it'd either be Battledress or maybe Vacsuit, if only for sake of not adding in a new skill.

 

[Daidoji Dave]

This is a position I know well...worked as a deckhand on my brothers workboat all through high school and a few years after.

Unless you ae lucky enough to have a very well organized loading crew there is a lot of shifting of cargo to make space and a lot of physical labor with hoses, lines, and straps during refueling and loading. Even if there are longshoremen about.

Skills do tend to be very basic and on the job taught. knowing how to work a forklift or other loading machines is a must for many smaller vessels. since a lot of times bigger ships get priority over smaller vessels when it comes to loading crews.

when your not loading and securing cargo your cleaning and scrubbing and helping with the upkeep of the ship and basic mechanical repairs...everyone learns how to handle firefighting gear ( damage control/repair)

when out of port you spend a lot of time doing busy work, checking straps, chains, doors, and hatches to make sure everything is secure. You do not want a frayed strap to give and dump a couple of tons of cargo in the only walkway though the cargo area.

and if any rough weather..or case of a starship rapid maneuvering occurs a very slight shift in the boats orientation can cause a lot of havok if no one has been keeping an eye out for improperly secured items.

And everyone takes turn on deckwatch in port...just setting where you can see anyone messing around the ship, or trying to get aboard.

Being a deckhand is a physically demanding job, the work is hard and the hours are long, and not at all under your control...once loading starts, you don't stop for a coffee break, or to take a nap. So if someone is going to be a deck crewman, he'd better be in damn good shape...if he ain't ..he soon will be.

The bold is what sells me on it. It's not that merchant ships are taking stevedores along for seven days of leisure, it's that they're hiring crew. And once you've got em, they'll get to mess with cargo on top of everything else.

The rules I'm familiar with (Mongoose) technically allow you to fly a starship with a pilot/astrogator and one engineer, but the larger the ship, the more you should really assume more people involved in daily cleaning, maintenance and repairs.

Personally, I'd call the core skills Steward and Mechanic - two of the things an NPC ship or PC group is more likely to hire crew for than try to cover with a member of the flight crew.

Here's a take for Mongoose Traveller:

Merchants - Deckhand

Survival: End 5+
Advancement: Int 7+

1) Vacc Suit
2) Zero G
3) Mechanic
4) Steward
5) Comms
6) Drive (any) OR Battledress [exo-skeleton loader]

At rank 1, gain Mechanic 1 OR Steward 1
At rank 3, gain Jack of all Trades 1
At rank 5, gain +1 End

The other part is the economics. Be cheaper to slap a Cargo Handling module into the Ship's Robot and buy a cargo drone then tie up precious stateroom and a salary.

Well, that's true of almost everything on a ship in Traveller. Be cheaper to build a fully automated ship and save on staterooms and life support, but for some reason we don't. Given that as a starting point, people will draw the line on robots at different places in their campaigns.

The part I am not feeling is the necessity for a full career gen, to me deckhand is subsumed in most any of the gen for the space careers such as Navy, Scouts, Merchants, Pirates, Belters, etc.

One could assume especially that sort of career for a non-commissioned without the Educ 8 Advanced Education table and no 2+ skill.

To a point, yeah. In Mongoose I'd say the Navy career already incorporates it, so it'd be pointless there. But by the same logic the Navy clearly is fielding deckhands and common crew, or the career tables don't make sense. So I see no problem defining it for merchants.

Though I'm not saying I'd push it on PCs either. It's more an option if someone wants to hire crew in game, or if they'd otherwise be looking at Citizen or Drifter in char-gen.

 

[Supplement Four]

From a CT perspective, skill levels are extremely valuable. And, I don't really like to bloat the skill list. I'm not sure I'm convinced that there is a need for a Deckhand skill.

I would think this is something, when a roll is needed, that would fall under an attribute check (or one of the existing skills, like Mechanical).

Vacc Suit is definitely needed, though, for operations in zero G when cargos are unloaded in orbit.





In many of my games, the ship's Steward is in charge of passengers and the hold. Often, the ship will make port, and 2d3 deckhands will approach from the starport as part of the service (sometimes, the ships have to pay extra) to unload cargo, under the watchful eye of the ship's Steward. The Steward first debarks passengers, then attends to the cargo deck.

Ship's Gunners serve double duty as deckhands (most journeys, gunners have nothing to do anyway--so that double as ship's security, answering to the Steward, while in flight), answering to the Steward.