Plague Ships

[Timerover51]

This idea came up in another thread: Pondering Another "Traveller as a Setting" Concept.

Does Traveller have any official rules covering plague ships, either in the Imperium or one of the other polities in the official rules. I know that with respect to the Virus, there are ways of dealing with infected ships, but I am looking at more of the biological plagues.

 

[Grav_Moped]

This idea came up in another thread: Pondering Another "Traveller as a Setting" Concept.

Does Traveller have any official rules covering plague ships, either in the Imperium or one of the other polities in the official rules. I know that with respect to the Virus, there are ways of dealing with infected ships, but I am looking at more of the biological plagues.

The primary threat from Annic Nova hit a lot differently in 2020 (due to covid) than when it was first published...

Which is to say, typical player character actions (in the 1980s) would have likely resulted in mass casualties on multiple worlds. However, typical referees (also in the 1980s) would not have realized this, and as such those mass casualties "would not have happened".

 

[kilemall]

2300 had quite a bit on Orbital Quarantine Command, a shoot first policy to prevent biological threats to the earth.

 

[gchuck]

One of the early issues of JTAS I think had an Amber Zone about a plague. But it might have been planet bound.

 

[Condottiere]

1. In principle, quarantine in space is pretty simple.

2. In practice, ensuring that a spacecraft does not dock, nor land, anywhere, until the issue is resolved.

3. And, ensuring that decontamination measures are enacted on all personnel and goods are enacted at any point of entry.

4. One reason, smuggling is illegal.

 

[kilemall]

1. In principle, quarantine in space is pretty simple.

2. In practice, ensuring that a spacecraft does not dock, nor land, anywhere, until the issue is resolved.

3. And, ensuring that decontamination measures are enacted on all personnel and goods are enacted at any point of entry.

4. One reason, smuggling is illegal.

Any kind of reasonable quarantine runs smack into the typical free trader one week port cycle.

Direct planetary landings would be a no no, or at least you are sitting on that pad for a few days.

And then there is the issue of whatever disease might have been incubating within cold berth passengers or animals.

Assuming you want to retain the traditional jump/trade frequency, that would mean potentially curtailed shore leave, a lot of net/radio trading/contracting, and fast load and go last 48 hours.

The better the starport the more off ship quarantine/inspection services can speed the whole process.

Planets have their 10D territory so their customs/health service may be docking for inspection prior to allowing transit to up port much less down port. Extrality starport authorities may handle a lot of that but again likely a function of starport quality.

Counter pressure to facilitate trade especially in the OTU means a lot of barriers will be limited and time streamlined processes. But I can’t see just a wave on through shirtsleeve Acapulco jet vacation being the norm.

 

[ady]

This idea came up in another thread: Pondering Another "Traveller as a Setting" Concept.

Does Traveller have any official rules covering plague ships, either in the Imperium or one of the other polities in the official rules. I know that with respect to the Virus, there are ways of dealing with infected ships, but I am looking at more of the biological plagues.

MM's Novel Agent of the Imperium has it's main premise based on this. Each Imperial Navy Capital Navy and IISS ship has a set of personality/knowledge chips on board that when implanted into a volunteer, allows a stored Imperial Agent's personality to take over the person for a short while and deal with major threats to the Imperium in an effective manner. The Agents have the emperor's authority, so can sequester Imperial miltary and medical assets to deal with a dangerous outbreak, to quarantine a world and have it classified as a 'Red' zone, and in some instances, to wipe out all life on a world by orbital bombardment.

 

[kilemall]

MM's Novel Agent of the Imperium has it's main premise based on this. Each Imperial Navy Capital Navy and IISS ship has a set of personality/knowledge chips on board that when implanted into a volunteer, allows a stored Imperial Agent's personality to take over the person for a short while and deal with major threats to the Imperium in an effective manner. The Agents have the emperor's authority, so can sequester Imperial miltary and medical assets to deal with a dangerous outbreak, to quarantine a world and have it classified as a 'Red' zone, and in some instances, to wipe out all life on a world by orbital bombardment.

Spoiler tag use is good for people who may not have read it yet.

 

[Condottiere]

Logistically speaking, the crew are stuck on the freighter, for months.

All interstellar visitors to a starport, might be required to be quarantined for forty eight hours, while their entire body is probed and purged.

 

[coliver988]

and while diseases may impact humans, with the various strains of humanity out there some plagues may just not be transferrable between, say, Darrians and Vilani*. Especially to alien biomes. But until we get to explore one, no idea if a germ can survive and multiply in an entirely different ecology.

But against this - original demise of the Martian invaders in War of the Worlds, and this is a pulp-ish SF game, not a reality simulator.

*though they are not that far apart since 300K years really does not allow for significant drift of biology. At least that's what I think though IANAB (I Am Not A Biologist)

 

[whartung]

and while diseases may impact humans, with the various strains of humanity out there some plagues may just not be transferrable between, say, Darrians and Vilani*. Especially to alien biomes. But until we get to explore one, no idea if a germ can survive and multiply in an entirely different ecology.

Back in the day I was doing from C programming on the side. Even though the eventual destination was for a Windows machine, it was generic enough that I could do the development on my Mac PowerBook and NeXTStation.

So, I got a floppy from my friend that essentially became the "home" of the project. In that I copied code and files to and from it, moved data between my Mac and NeXT using it. Sneaker-net data as we did back in the day.

Coming up to install it at the client, I copied my final sources to it with the intent of finishing up the Windows bits and building it on a machine at the client site. Naturally, I copied the files to this floppy I had been using.

As soon as I got to the client site, I slipped the floppy in to transfer files and the anti-virus alarms went off. "WTH?" Being an idiot I tried it in a different machine, same alerts.

Turns out the floppy, this entire time, had a boot sector virus on it that my Mac and NeXT were immune too. I was a carrier and didn't know it until I infected the two machines at the client site.