the competition
- Thread starter flykiller
- Start date
ics hostra
the hostra is a jenny-class 400 dton frontier merchant boat. built at tech 12, this one has been refitted with a retro-design model 6 computer/sensor suite manufactured at mora and tech 14 turret weapons from del sol yards on palique. "hostra" is a moran word for a front-line (in any context) matriarch.
ship
400 dtons, armor (4+0)
streamlined, fuel purifier
j2 m2 pp3 (12 energy points)
model 6 computer/sensor suite - 3 dtons, 1 energy point
4 triple turrets
----BBB (3 energy points), one gunnery station, one backup battery
----MMM, one gunnery station, one backup battery, one reload magazine
----SSS/SSS, one gunnery station, two backup batteries, two reload magazines
9 crew cabins, 2 robot bays, entertainment suite, lounge
2 damage control stations
2 airlocks, 2 cargo locks, 8 dtons ship locker, airraft bay
jump fuel 80 dtons, power plant fuel 12 dtons
130 dtons cargo, 4 passenger cabins, 8 lowberths
crew
the crew are all members of an extended moran family who cut their trading teeth in harsh competition with fornice traders. all are competent, most are aggressive.
"grandma", enterprise matriarch
vacc suit 0G 1
broker 4*, administration 2*, forgery 2
leader 2*, liaison 1
sidearm 2
"grandma" is 72 and healthy as a horse. she can be charming and hardass as necessary. she knows where all the bodies are buried, she knows where all the high-class goods are, she knows what all the prices are, and she knows how to manipulate people, schedules, and deliveries. she often has the ship's entire cargo load sold and half the outgoing load bought before the ship even touches down.
hokara wilton, pilot
vacc suit 0G 1
pilot 3*, navigation 1, ship tactics 1
sidearm 1
hokara likes to fly too close to competitors' ships and crowd them out of landing zones and docking bays. when he can get away with it he'll crowd a ship about to jump, contaminating its navigation calculations and forcing it to delay while he jumps ahead of it. he has sufficiently angered enough competitors that he has picked up some ship combat handling skills. he listens seriously only to grandma and mitaka, almost never saying anything other than "yes ma'am" when they make a decision.
"mouse" mitaka wilton, navigator
vacc suit 0G 1
pilot 1, navigation 2*
communications 2* (navigation +1, computer +1)
computer 2* (navigation +1, communications +1)
hokara's lady. little mitaka taps into all the communications beams and facilities she can access, getting all the inside information and passing it on to grandma. she's also better than most navigators at her level in getting closer to the jump target sooner, getting cargo in for bid before other ships arrive.
bennet hill, chief engineer
vacc suit 0G 2*
engineering 2*, mechanics 2*, damage control 2* (engineering +1)
carousing 1
tactics 1, shotgun 1
an otherwise typical engineer, bennet has a gift for ambushing in-hull intruders. he's well-trained in preventing and getting control of any damage to an engineering plant and getting systems back on-line.
chewca, assistant engineer
vacc suit 0G 2*
mechanic 2*, electronics 1
wilderness 2, hunting 2, wilderness recon 2, urban recon 2
rifle 2*
open-air planetside or dome habitat, chewca is a nature boy who fits into any environment like a native. dogs and monkeys love him on sight and seem eager to obey him, and he has a special gift relating to any "vermin" that are present.
minaca tang, assistant engineer
vacc suit 0G 1
electronics 2*, robotics 2*
medic 2
minaca dreams of a better world where no-one fights, and her robots are civilized and polite as can be. but if forced to choose she sticks to her family with no compromise.
harman harrison, senior gunner/deckhand
vacc suit 0G 2*
turret gunnery 3* (lasers +1)
cargo 2*, streetwise 2
airraft 1
shotgun 2
harman looks forward to any ship-to-ship engagement. it's all a game to him and he's very very good at it. he's a hulking boy and also likes to intimidate and play chicken with any other cargo handlers on the docks.
publius maximus immanus, assistant gunner/deckhand
vacc suit 0G 2*
turret gunnery 2* (missiles +1)
cargo 1, streetwise 1
tracked vehicle 1
rifle 1, sidearm 1
publius likes to read up on history and travelogues, both ancient and modern, and he's always highly informed about every world his ship and crew visit. he's a patient and calculating missileer, quite willing to throw away one or two salvos as decoys or saturation in order to slam home the follow-up salvo.
shank, assistant gunner/deckhand
vacc suit 0G 1
turret gunnery 2*(sand +1)
cargo 1, streetwise 1
ground vehicle 2* (gravitic +2)
urban recon 2, combatives 2
on his ship "shank" is gentle and happy as a puppy. off the ship he's always in the background, to one side, behind you. he's always friendly, but he has this look in his eye that makes everyone who isn't family nervous. he drives like a maniac, but never seems to have an accident.
the hostra is a jenny-class 400 dton frontier merchant boat. built at tech 12, this one has been refitted with a retro-design model 6 computer/sensor suite manufactured at mora and tech 14 turret weapons from del sol yards on palique. "hostra" is a moran word for a front-line (in any context) matriarch.
ship
400 dtons, armor (4+0)
streamlined, fuel purifier
j2 m2 pp3 (12 energy points)
model 6 computer/sensor suite - 3 dtons, 1 energy point
4 triple turrets
----BBB (3 energy points), one gunnery station, one backup battery
----MMM, one gunnery station, one backup battery, one reload magazine
----SSS/SSS, one gunnery station, two backup batteries, two reload magazines
9 crew cabins, 2 robot bays, entertainment suite, lounge
2 damage control stations
2 airlocks, 2 cargo locks, 8 dtons ship locker, airraft bay
jump fuel 80 dtons, power plant fuel 12 dtons
130 dtons cargo, 4 passenger cabins, 8 lowberths
crew
the crew are all members of an extended moran family who cut their trading teeth in harsh competition with fornice traders. all are competent, most are aggressive.
"grandma", enterprise matriarch
vacc suit 0G 1
broker 4*, administration 2*, forgery 2
leader 2*, liaison 1
sidearm 2
"grandma" is 72 and healthy as a horse. she can be charming and hardass as necessary. she knows where all the bodies are buried, she knows where all the high-class goods are, she knows what all the prices are, and she knows how to manipulate people, schedules, and deliveries. she often has the ship's entire cargo load sold and half the outgoing load bought before the ship even touches down.
hokara wilton, pilot
vacc suit 0G 1
pilot 3*, navigation 1, ship tactics 1
sidearm 1
hokara likes to fly too close to competitors' ships and crowd them out of landing zones and docking bays. when he can get away with it he'll crowd a ship about to jump, contaminating its navigation calculations and forcing it to delay while he jumps ahead of it. he has sufficiently angered enough competitors that he has picked up some ship combat handling skills. he listens seriously only to grandma and mitaka, almost never saying anything other than "yes ma'am" when they make a decision.
"mouse" mitaka wilton, navigator
vacc suit 0G 1
pilot 1, navigation 2*
communications 2* (navigation +1, computer +1)
computer 2* (navigation +1, communications +1)
hokara's lady. little mitaka taps into all the communications beams and facilities she can access, getting all the inside information and passing it on to grandma. she's also better than most navigators at her level in getting closer to the jump target sooner, getting cargo in for bid before other ships arrive.
bennet hill, chief engineer
vacc suit 0G 2*
engineering 2*, mechanics 2*, damage control 2* (engineering +1)
carousing 1
tactics 1, shotgun 1
an otherwise typical engineer, bennet has a gift for ambushing in-hull intruders. he's well-trained in preventing and getting control of any damage to an engineering plant and getting systems back on-line.
chewca, assistant engineer
vacc suit 0G 2*
mechanic 2*, electronics 1
wilderness 2, hunting 2, wilderness recon 2, urban recon 2
rifle 2*
open-air planetside or dome habitat, chewca is a nature boy who fits into any environment like a native. dogs and monkeys love him on sight and seem eager to obey him, and he has a special gift relating to any "vermin" that are present.
minaca tang, assistant engineer
vacc suit 0G 1
electronics 2*, robotics 2*
medic 2
minaca dreams of a better world where no-one fights, and her robots are civilized and polite as can be. but if forced to choose she sticks to her family with no compromise.
harman harrison, senior gunner/deckhand
vacc suit 0G 2*
turret gunnery 3* (lasers +1)
cargo 2*, streetwise 2
airraft 1
shotgun 2
harman looks forward to any ship-to-ship engagement. it's all a game to him and he's very very good at it. he's a hulking boy and also likes to intimidate and play chicken with any other cargo handlers on the docks.
publius maximus immanus, assistant gunner/deckhand
vacc suit 0G 2*
turret gunnery 2* (missiles +1)
cargo 1, streetwise 1
tracked vehicle 1
rifle 1, sidearm 1
publius likes to read up on history and travelogues, both ancient and modern, and he's always highly informed about every world his ship and crew visit. he's a patient and calculating missileer, quite willing to throw away one or two salvos as decoys or saturation in order to slam home the follow-up salvo.
shank, assistant gunner/deckhand
vacc suit 0G 1
turret gunnery 2*(sand +1)
cargo 1, streetwise 1
ground vehicle 2* (gravitic +2)
urban recon 2, combatives 2
on his ship "shank" is gentle and happy as a puppy. off the ship he's always in the background, to one side, behind you. he's always friendly, but he has this look in his eye that makes everyone who isn't family nervous. he drives like a maniac, but never seems to have an accident.
Last edited:
Great stuff, Fly. Any referee worth his Cheetos and Mountain Dew can easily drop Grandma, her crew, and the Hostra into their campaign.
I've written about Javier Blanco, my ripoff of Lance White from The Rockford Files, several times now. I never specifically detailed Blanco's abilities or the abilities of his crew because I always used both to humorously "one up" the players. For example, if the players' engineer had Eng-2, Blanco's engineer had Eng-3.
No matter what the players could or would do, Blanco & Co were always just a little bit better!
For anyone who can't quite grasp Javier Blanco, here's a bit of dialogue from The Rockford Files that should idea across:
Referencing another character in another series, Blanco is the free trader version of Captain Carrot Ironfounderson.
I've written about Javier Blanco, my ripoff of Lance White from The Rockford Files, several times now. I never specifically detailed Blanco's abilities or the abilities of his crew because I always used both to humorously "one up" the players. For example, if the players' engineer had Eng-2, Blanco's engineer had Eng-3.
No matter what the players could or would do, Blanco & Co were always just a little bit better!
For anyone who can't quite grasp Javier Blanco, here's a bit of dialogue from The Rockford Files that should idea across:
Referencing another character in another series, Blanco is the free trader version of Captain Carrot Ironfounderson.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
You know the sample characters at the beginning of most of the adventures?
Give them names (and a ship if relevant) and you have instant NPC party to flesh out your campaigns.
Give them names (and a ship if relevant) and you have instant NPC party to flesh out your campaigns.
Good call. A couple of dice and S:1 1001 Characters can also produce NPCs quickly.
I've used that playing card system from TNE to create "instant" personalities too.
khung
the khung is a vargr trading ship suitable for long-ranging open trade. tech 12, 400 dton clipper, j3m2, power for a pair of triple beam laser turrets and model 4 computer. "khung" roughly translates to "the boom". the vargr can be showy and the boom is fully outfitted with external lights/florescence/luminescence altering its appearance to depict various canines, sharks, hawks, wolverines, and terran dinosaurs, all in attack mode, and with a full external music show that combines mexican mariachi with ghetto rap. when the boom pulls into port no-one can escape its self-announcement.
ship
tech 12, 400 dtons, armor (4+0)
streamlined, fuel purifier (6 dtons)
j3 m2 pp4 (16 energy points) (16, 20, 48 dtons)
4 triple turrets
BBB/BBB (6 energy points), one gunnery station, 2 backup batteries (6 dtons)
SSS/SSS, one gunnery station, 2 backup batteries, 2 reload magazines (6 dtons)
6 crew cabins, 2 pack cabins, run (40 dtons)
2 damage control stations (4 dtons)
2 airlocks, 2 cargo locks (6 dtons)
ship's locker (8 dtons)
garage with 6 grav sleds (6 dtons)
jump fuel (120 dtons), power plant fuel (16 dtons)
cargo (70 dtons), 2 pax cabins (8 dtons)
the bridge pack
ksaer thueng goukh
the alpha pack leader and broker. a former ambassador's assistant, well-trained and practiced in both galanglic and at reading human facial expressions and body language, thueng knows galanglic better than many imperials and with his keen sense of smell can "read" humans better than a trained human psychiatrist. heavy gold jewelry, loud clothing, very deep voice, has a tendency to stare calculatingly into any competitor's eyes.
englle takhsgaeg
beta pilot/navigator, handles his ship like a toy, loves hot-dogging his landings and take-offs and a total show-off with gravitic equipment, but otherwise mellow and perhaps even lazy.
argha dzoung
beta navigator/pilot, quiet and dependable but she loves a low-tech-level hunt and will do just about anything, even work with humans, to join one.
zaei uegzuell
beta computer/communications, loves glitter, wears silver polished to a high gleam and led-jewellry. well-trained computer operators and comm specialists will recognize the various math sequences embedded in her jewellry and its light displays.
aghkong
beta gunner/stalker, senior weapons operator and field guard. reserved and calculating, he has no jewellry or decorations of any kind, just well-worn practical lightweight combat gear. he has however had numerous teeth replaced with stainless steel versions, and the remaining natural teeth capped with gold - all of it perhaps just a little sharp - and he likes to flash a smile at the pinkies (humans) at appropriate moments.
orrgzar
beta gunner/stalker, junior weapons operator and field guard. young and territorial with a lot to prove and ready to prove it all right now. frequently held in check by aghkong who likes to use orrgzar in a good dog / bad dog routine. hates his job as sand gunner, though he's fairly good at it, and hopes to advance to missiles.
all may be armed with the traditional vargr weapons of arzkho (small-caliber high-capacity full-auto pistol) and sors (double-bladed dagger held in the mouth).
the deck pack
dhoghz (o, u, oe, ue, fu, na)
six smaller vargr, almost child-sized, big ears and loping limbs, kind of ugly, very smart and very fast. these perform engineering, cargo, and transportation functions. little interested in humans. while ranked delta in vargr society they have no rank amongst themselves but are utterly communist, cooperating and sharing and swapping leadership and gruntwork as needed and functioning as a team in every possible manner. in their own pack they have names, but when part of an alpha or beta back they are all named "dhoghz" and numbered - dhoghz o, dhoghz u, etc. when any of the bridge crew are successful in any status-endeavor the deck pack will crowd around yipping and howling and popping ceramic bottles of bubbly fermented milk.
these are never armed with anything other than their natural teeth, but their intense teamwork and intelligently-informed dog pack behavior makes them formidable opponents at close quarters.
the khung is a vargr trading ship suitable for long-ranging open trade. tech 12, 400 dton clipper, j3m2, power for a pair of triple beam laser turrets and model 4 computer. "khung" roughly translates to "the boom". the vargr can be showy and the boom is fully outfitted with external lights/florescence/luminescence altering its appearance to depict various canines, sharks, hawks, wolverines, and terran dinosaurs, all in attack mode, and with a full external music show that combines mexican mariachi with ghetto rap. when the boom pulls into port no-one can escape its self-announcement.
ship
tech 12, 400 dtons, armor (4+0)
streamlined, fuel purifier (6 dtons)
j3 m2 pp4 (16 energy points) (16, 20, 48 dtons)
4 triple turrets
BBB/BBB (6 energy points), one gunnery station, 2 backup batteries (6 dtons)
SSS/SSS, one gunnery station, 2 backup batteries, 2 reload magazines (6 dtons)
6 crew cabins, 2 pack cabins, run (40 dtons)
2 damage control stations (4 dtons)
2 airlocks, 2 cargo locks (6 dtons)
ship's locker (8 dtons)
garage with 6 grav sleds (6 dtons)
jump fuel (120 dtons), power plant fuel (16 dtons)
cargo (70 dtons), 2 pax cabins (8 dtons)
the bridge pack
ksaer thueng goukh
the alpha pack leader and broker. a former ambassador's assistant, well-trained and practiced in both galanglic and at reading human facial expressions and body language, thueng knows galanglic better than many imperials and with his keen sense of smell can "read" humans better than a trained human psychiatrist. heavy gold jewelry, loud clothing, very deep voice, has a tendency to stare calculatingly into any competitor's eyes.
englle takhsgaeg
beta pilot/navigator, handles his ship like a toy, loves hot-dogging his landings and take-offs and a total show-off with gravitic equipment, but otherwise mellow and perhaps even lazy.
argha dzoung
beta navigator/pilot, quiet and dependable but she loves a low-tech-level hunt and will do just about anything, even work with humans, to join one.
zaei uegzuell
beta computer/communications, loves glitter, wears silver polished to a high gleam and led-jewellry. well-trained computer operators and comm specialists will recognize the various math sequences embedded in her jewellry and its light displays.
aghkong
beta gunner/stalker, senior weapons operator and field guard. reserved and calculating, he has no jewellry or decorations of any kind, just well-worn practical lightweight combat gear. he has however had numerous teeth replaced with stainless steel versions, and the remaining natural teeth capped with gold - all of it perhaps just a little sharp - and he likes to flash a smile at the pinkies (humans) at appropriate moments.
orrgzar
beta gunner/stalker, junior weapons operator and field guard. young and territorial with a lot to prove and ready to prove it all right now. frequently held in check by aghkong who likes to use orrgzar in a good dog / bad dog routine. hates his job as sand gunner, though he's fairly good at it, and hopes to advance to missiles.
all may be armed with the traditional vargr weapons of arzkho (small-caliber high-capacity full-auto pistol) and sors (double-bladed dagger held in the mouth).
the deck pack
dhoghz (o, u, oe, ue, fu, na)
six smaller vargr, almost child-sized, big ears and loping limbs, kind of ugly, very smart and very fast. these perform engineering, cargo, and transportation functions. little interested in humans. while ranked delta in vargr society they have no rank amongst themselves but are utterly communist, cooperating and sharing and swapping leadership and gruntwork as needed and functioning as a team in every possible manner. in their own pack they have names, but when part of an alpha or beta back they are all named "dhoghz" and numbered - dhoghz o, dhoghz u, etc. when any of the bridge crew are successful in any status-endeavor the deck pack will crowd around yipping and howling and popping ceramic bottles of bubbly fermented milk.
these are never armed with anything other than their natural teeth, but their intense teamwork and intelligently-informed dog pack behavior makes them formidable opponents at close quarters.
Along the lines of competition, GT:BTC mentions a periodic Spinward Point-to-Point Race held in the Marches. I always thought this would be an interesting backdrop for the start of a campaign, or putting the Travellers in the middle of racers popping in at a critical system and getting enmeshed somehow.
perhaps they are getting ready to jump out, and several racers appear and want to by their jump fuel and start bidding for it, or jockeying in to get close and push each other away.
thinking about this I recall star wars number one, or whatever it is, where the sand people take pot shots at the pod racers below, and they are considered part of the course.
From Don's Timeline (my game takes place in 1104 so I was looking to see what was happening then:
067-1103 First Spinward Point-to-Point Race begun on Trin (Spinward Marches 3235) requiring the collection of encrypted data chips from Glisten, Mora, Lunion, Rhylanor, Lanth, Regina and Frenzie. Behind the Claw,SJG, 1998, p. 07.
1104 Nine of the 17 entries in the first Spinward Point-to-Point returned to the starting point on Trin by the end of 1104. Behind the Claw, SJG, 1998, p. 07.
I don't have everyone's stats handy, but was in the mood for some writing and thought the current crew of merry players was more colorful than usual and have proven themselves to be extremely resourceful and durable.
Valkyrie (formerly known as Raptor, known before that as My Cut)
Valkyrie started life as a 400 ton yacht built by a guy celebrating the hostile takeover of a rival corporation in which he made a killing. In several ways, being this is Traveller. At a later date he was kidnapped by pirates off a luxury gambling n' more kinda world and he had to use My Cut for ransom.
Renamed Raptor by an unimaginative Space Viking / sometime pirate the ship was gutted and refitted in the interior living and cargo spaces to get rid of such things as personal submersibles and water toys, double suites, and a nice wine cellar, to make room for more cargo space, a cutter dock and more fuel tanks. The hardpoints (till now empty since they ruined the ship's lines and drove up insurance costs if it was armed) were fitted with two pop-up turrets and two fixed missile rack positions, also behind sliding panels to hide them. A huge silver skull was welded across the bow and the ship overall painted Ferrari Red.
One day the pirate/Viking took several players as crew (reluctant crew, but they got shanghaied on this one and tried their best, hot-gluing horns on their helmets and all) and tried to make a big raid. Unfortunately he underestimated the desperation of the players and they were able to turn the tables on him personally, and he lost his ship. OK, it wasn't that simple but we don't want a novel here. Suffice to say the players now owned the ship.
Valkyrie is a 400 ton starship capable of Jump-2, 4G acceleration, and has enough fuel capacity for an extra Jump-1. ( 160 tons total) She has 1 point of armor, two triple (but one is broken now) pop-up turrets with two pulse lasers and a sandcaster in each. Two fixed mounts tucked under her 'wings' hold three missile racks each. They can't be reloaded fully unless the ship is on the ground, but autoloaders have an extra reload for the racks. That's 6 missiles X 6 racks. Fired from the bridge, but the turrets require a warm body each.
The ship has ten staterooms and a massive two-deck high cargo space with ramps under the stern drive spaces and dorsal surface. Because the ship was designed as a water-going yacht, and made to act as an aquatic platform for the guests on board, she has a broad dorsal surface with wide 'wings' curving outboard that contain the fuel tanks complete with scoops and purifiers. She looks like a huge trimaran complete with rakish bow leading up to the dome of the bridge and 'water toy deck' (now used for vacc suits and as a big airlock). She can also land on dry land, and deploy an 8-ton grav AFV. The seagoing capability is why she had 1 point of armor ...storms. Icebergs. Giant space squid.
The players pried the chrome skull and wings off the bow and repainted Valkyrie glossy black. They refurbished the green leather and rosewood interior fittings and got all the suspicious stains out of the carpets. They also installed a small workshop, science lab, and still.
The players bought a slightly less than gently used cutter from some disreputable types they ran some recreational drugs for at one point: The Dragon Wagon is polished bare metal with a beautiful mural of a fire-breathing dragon winding around the cylindrical craft and being ridden by a bare-breasted, red-haired warrior woman of spectacular assets and giant flaming sword. The craft also has a very well-worn and deeply compartmentalized interior so it has been very useful for smuggling all sorts of things.
The Gallant Crew
Pilot / Reluctant Captain (but no one else wanted the responsibility)
ex-Scout
Started out as a pretty easy-going guy who wanted to use his high EDU (14) to study stars and planets but after two years of high adventure is now as likely to blow someone away as give them directions to the men's room. He's a might twitchy but nearly getting killed 50 different ways on as many wild planets will make anyone paranoid. He has a Guass SMG under his coat and isn't afraid to use it. On everyone.
Navigator
Scout Cat cyborg (NPC)
Horatio is a cat. A charming little orangish tabby with manipulative front paws, the ability to speak, and the intelligence of a 10 year old Scout Cats are given to Scouts heading out on long-duration singleship missions. They act as a limited crew member for things like navigation computations, communications, and sensors monitoring. Their main purpose is to be there to keep the Scout sane and reasonably healthy. The purr is tuned through an internal medicomp to aid in healing and comfort during stress and sickness. The animal can speak and develops an "interest" in the things the Scout likes as hobbies and such so the cat can interact with him. There's more, but that's the gist. Horatio belongs to the pilot and is easy to get along with, but gets really sick in zero-G. He has a small grav belt and suit with various tools and radio gear in it for scouting ahead of the crew if needed, but beyond doing the math for navigation, reading the sensors, and acting as communications officer he's pretty much just a talking cat.
Gunners and Security (and Nippy drives the ATV while Rippy is Engineer #2)
Two Prox siblings named Nippy & Rippy
Both are alien Prox (scavenger type marsupials). Both like to shoot guns and blow things up, the more often the better. Neither speaks Galanglic or any other human language, and no one on the crew can speak their language. They are nominally under the command of the computer/armorer ex-Marine on the crew and he pretty much just hands them as big a gun as they can carry and points at where the target (s) are...and off they go. The players are remarkably similar to their characters here, being of the type who just like to blow things up and fight aliens n' pirates. The rest of the crew named them Nippy and Rippy when nobody could figure out if they were saying their names or asking how much for the leg of lamb.
All Around Scoundrel
ex-Other/CorpSec operative
Every crew needs one: a guy who can open locks and fast talk his way out of trouble. Or at least get everyone into trouble and then extricate himself from the predicament. He is good with almost any gun, and has skills in lockpicking, streetwise, electronics, computers, all forms of communication with the ne-er do well, and bribery when he can't. He gambles but not well, but can pick the croupier's pocket afterwards to get his money back. This guy is practically invisible and even the rest of the players don't know what his real identity is anymore. His biggest vice is a bad drug habit to boost his speed in combat since he's starting to get long in the tooth and blowing aging rolls.
Ex-Marine Armorer/Computer Specialist
He has high mechanical, electronic, and computer skills but unfortunately no Engineering. Because he likes to fix things he runs a small shop in the lower cargo bay with Nippy and Rippy helping him to keep everyone's guns and armor working, and then spends his off time waxing the Dragon Wagon. He is constantly working on modifications for the cutter and Grav ATV, or repairing them after some desperate battle. He has a PGMP-12 he put together from parts found on assorted worlds and treats that and his LAG like they were his own children. If he gets to use them in a fight he is disturbingly giddy about it, but his greatest moment was setting off a nuclear demolition mine to close a mountain pass during a Chamax invasion of the world they were on at the time. Once barely survived the turret he was in being blown off the last ATV they owned in a serious battle protecting some colonists. He now thinks he is invulnerable.
Engineer #1 & Ship's Doctor
Formerly of the Imperial Navy the engineer, who doubles as the ship's doctor, had the misfortune to kill the right man in a duel over the wrong thing. Or something like that. Anyway, after his buddies packed him off to lay low for a couple of years on a grubby little world that stank of vast mats of rotten shrimp, he finally convinced a ship to take him on as crew. Ever since he has spent more time patching up Valkyrie and her crew than he ever did in 12 years of Imperial service - and during that time there were two wars he participated in. He is also handy with both a Blade and Laser Pistol, and uses them more often than one would think a doctor (or engineer) should. Rippy is his assistant engineer.
There were a few others on the roster but they are all dead now and won't be replaced until we start up the campaign again later this summer.
Valkyrie (formerly known as Raptor, known before that as My Cut)
Valkyrie started life as a 400 ton yacht built by a guy celebrating the hostile takeover of a rival corporation in which he made a killing. In several ways, being this is Traveller. At a later date he was kidnapped by pirates off a luxury gambling n' more kinda world and he had to use My Cut for ransom.
Renamed Raptor by an unimaginative Space Viking / sometime pirate the ship was gutted and refitted in the interior living and cargo spaces to get rid of such things as personal submersibles and water toys, double suites, and a nice wine cellar, to make room for more cargo space, a cutter dock and more fuel tanks. The hardpoints (till now empty since they ruined the ship's lines and drove up insurance costs if it was armed) were fitted with two pop-up turrets and two fixed missile rack positions, also behind sliding panels to hide them. A huge silver skull was welded across the bow and the ship overall painted Ferrari Red.
One day the pirate/Viking took several players as crew (reluctant crew, but they got shanghaied on this one and tried their best, hot-gluing horns on their helmets and all) and tried to make a big raid. Unfortunately he underestimated the desperation of the players and they were able to turn the tables on him personally, and he lost his ship. OK, it wasn't that simple but we don't want a novel here. Suffice to say the players now owned the ship.
Valkyrie is a 400 ton starship capable of Jump-2, 4G acceleration, and has enough fuel capacity for an extra Jump-1. ( 160 tons total) She has 1 point of armor, two triple (but one is broken now) pop-up turrets with two pulse lasers and a sandcaster in each. Two fixed mounts tucked under her 'wings' hold three missile racks each. They can't be reloaded fully unless the ship is on the ground, but autoloaders have an extra reload for the racks. That's 6 missiles X 6 racks. Fired from the bridge, but the turrets require a warm body each.
The ship has ten staterooms and a massive two-deck high cargo space with ramps under the stern drive spaces and dorsal surface. Because the ship was designed as a water-going yacht, and made to act as an aquatic platform for the guests on board, she has a broad dorsal surface with wide 'wings' curving outboard that contain the fuel tanks complete with scoops and purifiers. She looks like a huge trimaran complete with rakish bow leading up to the dome of the bridge and 'water toy deck' (now used for vacc suits and as a big airlock). She can also land on dry land, and deploy an 8-ton grav AFV. The seagoing capability is why she had 1 point of armor ...storms. Icebergs. Giant space squid.
The players pried the chrome skull and wings off the bow and repainted Valkyrie glossy black. They refurbished the green leather and rosewood interior fittings and got all the suspicious stains out of the carpets. They also installed a small workshop, science lab, and still.
The players bought a slightly less than gently used cutter from some disreputable types they ran some recreational drugs for at one point: The Dragon Wagon is polished bare metal with a beautiful mural of a fire-breathing dragon winding around the cylindrical craft and being ridden by a bare-breasted, red-haired warrior woman of spectacular assets and giant flaming sword. The craft also has a very well-worn and deeply compartmentalized interior so it has been very useful for smuggling all sorts of things.
The Gallant Crew
Pilot / Reluctant Captain (but no one else wanted the responsibility)
ex-Scout
Started out as a pretty easy-going guy who wanted to use his high EDU (14) to study stars and planets but after two years of high adventure is now as likely to blow someone away as give them directions to the men's room. He's a might twitchy but nearly getting killed 50 different ways on as many wild planets will make anyone paranoid. He has a Guass SMG under his coat and isn't afraid to use it. On everyone.
Navigator
Scout Cat cyborg (NPC)
Horatio is a cat. A charming little orangish tabby with manipulative front paws, the ability to speak, and the intelligence of a 10 year old Scout Cats are given to Scouts heading out on long-duration singleship missions. They act as a limited crew member for things like navigation computations, communications, and sensors monitoring. Their main purpose is to be there to keep the Scout sane and reasonably healthy. The purr is tuned through an internal medicomp to aid in healing and comfort during stress and sickness. The animal can speak and develops an "interest" in the things the Scout likes as hobbies and such so the cat can interact with him. There's more, but that's the gist. Horatio belongs to the pilot and is easy to get along with, but gets really sick in zero-G. He has a small grav belt and suit with various tools and radio gear in it for scouting ahead of the crew if needed, but beyond doing the math for navigation, reading the sensors, and acting as communications officer he's pretty much just a talking cat.
Gunners and Security (and Nippy drives the ATV while Rippy is Engineer #2)
Two Prox siblings named Nippy & Rippy
Both are alien Prox (scavenger type marsupials). Both like to shoot guns and blow things up, the more often the better. Neither speaks Galanglic or any other human language, and no one on the crew can speak their language. They are nominally under the command of the computer/armorer ex-Marine on the crew and he pretty much just hands them as big a gun as they can carry and points at where the target (s) are...and off they go. The players are remarkably similar to their characters here, being of the type who just like to blow things up and fight aliens n' pirates. The rest of the crew named them Nippy and Rippy when nobody could figure out if they were saying their names or asking how much for the leg of lamb.
All Around Scoundrel
ex-Other/CorpSec operative
Every crew needs one: a guy who can open locks and fast talk his way out of trouble. Or at least get everyone into trouble and then extricate himself from the predicament. He is good with almost any gun, and has skills in lockpicking, streetwise, electronics, computers, all forms of communication with the ne-er do well, and bribery when he can't. He gambles but not well, but can pick the croupier's pocket afterwards to get his money back. This guy is practically invisible and even the rest of the players don't know what his real identity is anymore. His biggest vice is a bad drug habit to boost his speed in combat since he's starting to get long in the tooth and blowing aging rolls.
Ex-Marine Armorer/Computer Specialist
He has high mechanical, electronic, and computer skills but unfortunately no Engineering. Because he likes to fix things he runs a small shop in the lower cargo bay with Nippy and Rippy helping him to keep everyone's guns and armor working, and then spends his off time waxing the Dragon Wagon. He is constantly working on modifications for the cutter and Grav ATV, or repairing them after some desperate battle. He has a PGMP-12 he put together from parts found on assorted worlds and treats that and his LAG like they were his own children. If he gets to use them in a fight he is disturbingly giddy about it, but his greatest moment was setting off a nuclear demolition mine to close a mountain pass during a Chamax invasion of the world they were on at the time. Once barely survived the turret he was in being blown off the last ATV they owned in a serious battle protecting some colonists. He now thinks he is invulnerable.
Engineer #1 & Ship's Doctor
Formerly of the Imperial Navy the engineer, who doubles as the ship's doctor, had the misfortune to kill the right man in a duel over the wrong thing. Or something like that. Anyway, after his buddies packed him off to lay low for a couple of years on a grubby little world that stank of vast mats of rotten shrimp, he finally convinced a ship to take him on as crew. Ever since he has spent more time patching up Valkyrie and her crew than he ever did in 12 years of Imperial service - and during that time there were two wars he participated in. He is also handy with both a Blade and Laser Pistol, and uses them more often than one would think a doctor (or engineer) should. Rippy is his assistant engineer.
There were a few others on the roster but they are all dead now and won't be replaced until we start up the campaign again later this summer.
