Some frozen watch ideas

[JAFARR]

After reading Hemdian's Lone Star thread about the party who woke up as an activated frozen watch team found here: http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=15009
I have been re-thinking the idea of frozen watch resolution.

I have not found a place for the possibility of this assignment in CT or MT, but I would suggest that it be an alternative to one of the shore duty assignments in High Guard and MT advanced naval character generation. If marine character receives a ship's troops assignment, then roll 1D6 and all 6s become frozen watch (or perhaps 2D6 rolls resulting in 2 or 12, depending on your concept of possibility of frozen watch assignment). Come to think of it, you may want to make a die roll as above to replace shore duty with frozen watch for naval characters as well. Hemdian's story states that frozen watch can be refused. I would concur with the exception that if you refuse and then re-roll frozen watch for the replacement assignment, you must accept the second assignment.

Before we get to assignment resolution, let's consider something else also. If the you have the technology to support frozen watch, would not possibly have the ability of some sort of sleep learning or would that be under normal or chemically induced but otherwise normal sleep? Assuming that such technology would work during frozen watch then one could choose a skill to be learned during frozen watch.

I am going to post this and then give my proposed resolution as a response due to having had problems with long posts not working right in the past.

 

[JAFARR]

OK, resolution depends on if sleep learning is allowed. Assuming it is allowed, the first step is choosing the skill. My feeling is that this capability would be limited to level 2 in any skill that requires physical activity, for example a blade skill. Obviously this restriction would not apply to an academic skill like a language or some branch of higher mathematics. However, I would place a limit of level 4 on those also. Another thing to be considered here is retention in assignment. As these characters are serving in the Navy, I would use the MT advanced naval rule that you are retained in assignment in the roll of 6 on 1D6. This means you must also choose a skill for training the 2nd year in the event something happens and you are retained as frozen watch for a 2nd year. When I allow some form of this type of skill acquirement, I require the character to roll 1D6. On a 1, something happened to interfere and you fail to gain the skill. On the other hand if the roll is a 6, you receive an additional level. Also I would surmise that if someone wanted to try for 2 0 level skills, that 1 year would be long enough to do that. (You would then roll for each skill.) I assume that all this is programmed into the same computer that controls the cold berth.

revival resolution
Step 1: Roll 2D6 for reason for revival. Is the result is: (2) you are revived as a result of some emergency requiring replacement of an individual crew member and you were the best choice (doctor in attendance); (3 through 10) you are revived for your next assignment; (11) your entire section is revived due to crew losses for any reason (doctor in attendance); (12) your entire section is revived due to crew losses for any reason (Automatic machinery only)

Step 2: Roll 1D6 time of revival. (On results of (2, 11 or 12 above) If result is: 1 or 2 equals within 3 months time. Roll for survival in step 3 and re-roll assignment (DM +1 to promotion and skills(s)); 3 or 4 equals 4 to 9 months. Roll for survival per step 3. Roll for any skills taken in frozen watch (DM - 1), then re-roll assignment. (DM + 1 to promotion, - 1 to skills from assignment): 5 or 6 equals greater than 9 months. Roll for survival per step 3. Roll for any skills taken in frozen watch, then re-roll assignment. (DM + 2 to promotion, - 2 to skills from assignment). (Referee adjust DMs for skills based on time if character is attempting 2 0 level skills.)

Step 3: Roll 2D6 for survival. Results of (2) you die (If you use some form of non-death failure, end chargen and apply results. If you rolled (12) in step 1, results of (2 or 3) equals death (end chargen)

Step 4: Resolve assignment using the additional DMs assigned in step 2 above. Justification of DMs based on time for skills and need of filling rosters for promotion. Includes that frozen watch will be persons deemed to be capable of filling lost slots in an emergency. DMs are in addition to others assigned by resolution process.

Do these steps make sense to you?

 

[Icosahedron]

There is some discussion of sleep learning in the Crewsicles thread (I assume that's where this originated). Personally, I think that it should not be allowed in a suspended animation state.

You get no skills, decorations or promotions during FW, unless you are woken, and even then you should have a negative DM as you are active for less time. You can refuse FW duty, but if you do, you get no decorations or promotions for the replacement assignment or the next one, thanks to a black ball.
Getting FW is equivalent to 'miss a turn'.

 

[Gadrin]

There is some discussion of sleep learning in the Crewsicles thread (I assume that's where this originated). Personally, I think that it should not be allowed in a suspended animation state.

You get no skills, decorations or promotions during FW, unless you are woken, and even then you should have a negative DM as you are active for less time. You can refuse FW duty, but if you do, you get no decorations or promotions for the replacement assignment or the next one, thanks to a black ball.
Getting FW is equivalent to 'miss a turn'.

yeah it seems munchkin and they'd use it all the time if it was really effective.

the Zhodani Core Expeditions use cryo-stasis to keep their people fresh during the long trip out and back. I figure when you get close to your destination, they thaw you, and you spend a certain amount of time learning new facts that occured during the decade+ you were asleep.

the only other thing I can think of was RNA memory implants that Flynn mentioned dovetails with Traveller canon. But that seems best for high
level imperials not the average groups out there (if used at all).

 

[fredofmars]

<snip> Getting FW is equivalent to 'miss a turn'.

It would be something to note on the character sheet though - being a year younger physically than chronologically. It should shift aging rolls.

 

[JAFARR]

Also how would that 1 year's pay without expenses affect one's money?

 

[Gadrin]

Also how would that 1 year's pay without expenses affect one's money?

Sounds like a good "no-show" paycheck !

and of course the big question is: would they pay you for essentially doing
nothing ?

I'd assume benefits still apply, meaning health coverage for any developments after thawing due to the cryo. I've also got to think someplace a bureaucrat will groan about paying someone full salary for time in the tube.

 

[DaveChase]

Sounds like a good "no-show" paycheck !

and of course the big question is: would they pay you for essentially doing
nothing ?

I'd assume benefits still apply, meaning health coverage for any developments after thawing due to the cryo. I've also got to think someplace a bureaucrat will groan about paying someone full salary for time in the tube.

Possible New Recurit: So how much can I earn if I sign up with the navy?
Recuriter: Lots during your active period.
PNR: During active? So, what do you call inactive and how much do you get paid for that?
R: Ah, that is called the Frozen Watch and during that time you earn nothing.
PNR: Frozen Watch, you mean cyrofreeze?
R: Yup.
PNR: And I earn nothing? How long is the frozen watch?
R: Hey, you might not earn any credits but you don't age one bit. And Frozen Watch varies from stint to stint. I think you would average 1 year out of 4 in Frozen Watch. It helps cuts Imperial Navy expesense.
PNR: Well thanks for the info. I think I will try the merchant marines.


No pay for those who are frozen watch would kill recuriting. Half pay or quarter pay would make some sense while frozen.

Dave Chase

 

[far-trader]

I suppose it also depends on your interpretation of the frozen watch with respect to how long you actually spend in the lowberth.

I see it as a rotation in the regular watch cycle. I figure 3 sections in the regular crewing numbers allowing a standard 4/8 watch rotation. The frozen watch is 2 sections (minimally) of half the crew and follows a similar 4/8 watch rotation but in months instead of hours.

So any year of service on a ship with a frozen watch will see at most 4 months in the lowberth. For enlisted personnel only, commanding officers are excluded. You can't command if you're frozen.

So no real impact on either aging or skill acquisition (or pay/muster) just to make it easier and it would only be career enlisted personnel who rack up enough lowberth time to offset aging significantly. Figure 1 year off aging per full term of enlisted service since not all ships have a frozen watch. Most PCs will be commanding officers and avoid repeated frozen watch rotations.

EDIT - I didn't see the post above before adding mine but it's neat that we both came up with about 1 year frozen per term though

 

[JAFARR]

I would think a lot less than 1 year in four. First of all, what percentage of the navy is stationed on ships large enough to even carry a frozen watch? Second, I would suspect that Far Trader's idea of rotating crew in and out of frozen watch every 4 moths would take a far worst toll than a straight 1 year stint in frozen watch. (game wise 3 times as many revival rolls for a start)

I would suspect once or twice in a career at the most.

 

[BlackBat242]

Once as a trained low-level enlisted, and once as an experienced non-com... or once as a junior officer and once as a mid-rank officer.

Sounds about right.

 

[far-trader]

Late getting back to this, been busy and out of town...

I would think a lot less than 1 year in four. First of all, what percentage of the navy is stationed on ships large enough to even carry a frozen watch? Second, I would suspect that Far Trader's idea of rotating crew in and out of frozen watch every 4 moths would take a far worst toll than a straight 1 year stint in frozen watch. (game wise 3 times as many revival rolls for a start)

I would suspect once or twice in a career at the most.

Well, as I said (I think) it would depend on your TU to a degree. A Small ship B2 universe wouldn't have frozen watch at all, so I've been approaching the subject from the Large ship B5 universe paradigm.

Specifically B5 would seem to present a Navy that does heavily use if not rely on frozen watch practices. One crew hit and you're out of action unless you invest in a frozen watch. Pretty cheap insurance for any large ship. And B5 pretty much means the bulk of ships are large. Large enough for a frozen watch anyway.

As for taking a toll on personnel that also breaks down to a B2 vs B5 rule. While the B2 survival rate of lowberths would be unacceptable, there is no survival check for frozen watch revival in B5. So no worry about crew loss there. I've always put that down to the difference in the treatment of the two. While both lowberths are the same technology the use is quite different. While maintenance and supervision of the lowberth aboard most passenger ships is rather lax, resulting in a significant risk, the IN treats it a little more seriously and thoroughly taking longer in preparation and monitoring to both insure no (or negligible) risk and rapid readiness of those emerging.

I can easily agree with your once or twice in a career though, for most cases anyway. The career enlisted ship's trooper (for one) would be a regular in the frozen watch imtu, after basic they'd be on regular frozen watch rotation the whole time they served.

 

[Gadrin]

No pay for those who are frozen watch would kill recuriting. Half pay or quarter pay would make some sense while frozen.

Dave Chase

exactly what I was getting at.

I've forgotten, you don't age in cryo, do you ? (trav's cryo anyhoo).

"So you serve 6 years only age 5, think of your earning potential once you muster out..." (or whatever the years/frozen ratio is).

Vesting is probably sequential or consecutive.