legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Beware those high law level planets. Once out of starport regs, coffee is a banned addictive narcotic!
Accommodation option question
- Thread starter Annatar Giftbringer
- Start date
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
I wouldn't raid the minibar; it might not be covered under the passage ticket.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
@allanimal. Good call sir.
steve98052
Mongoose
I'd say that automatically produced food is included, but cuisine costs extra.Annatar Giftbringer said:
Want a blend of sucrose, edible lipids, and emulsifier with a trace of theobromine? Free. Want chocolate and it will cost you.
Want a blend of water, ethanol, artificial flavorings and scents? Free. Want whiskey and it will cost you. And either way the machine is tracking your consumption, and will advise stewards to be prepared to confine you to your stateroom if you show signs of becoming a belligerent drunk.
Following the example of cruise ships, I would say that every meal is as luxurious as the ship can provide, with the final meal aboard particularly lavish -- and in areas where Solomani tradition persists, the final dessert is Baked Alaska, or at least some approximation devised to avoid triggering fire suppression equipment.
I thought laundry was one of the features of a fresher. (Just don't try to wash anything fragile in them.)
I doubt crew and passengers want to spend all of their off time in their cabin. Also, having food prep units in each cabin also means having food storage. This increases costs and maintenance. And don't forget about washing dishes/food prep materials/etc. Sure everyone could eat frozen tv dinners in the 52nd century, but I doubt people are going to give up fresh food. Submariners didn't do it in the early days and don't do it today.
Efficiency doesn't trump the needs of the human condition (i.e. to be social). Meals with others is an opportunity for that. Passengers are paying huge sums to travel and they aren't going to want to stay cooped up in their cabins. This discussion kind of reminds me of the meal-replacement glop called Soylent. It's a Silicon Valley product from somebody who see's having to stop and eat a waste of time. There's always a weirdo out there looking to solve a problem that doesn't exist!
For smaller ships meal times are when the crew can get together and talk and have fun and all that stuff that humans tend to do. On a liner it's more efficient to centralize things - plus its safer to cook that way (open flames and all that). You can't char or cook the same with a food processor as you can with a grill, or even open flame cooking surfaces - but I doubt you'd see those anywhere except 1st class liners and yachts. The rich won't live on glop.
Efficiency doesn't trump the needs of the human condition (i.e. to be social). Meals with others is an opportunity for that. Passengers are paying huge sums to travel and they aren't going to want to stay cooped up in their cabins. This discussion kind of reminds me of the meal-replacement glop called Soylent. It's a Silicon Valley product from somebody who see's having to stop and eat a waste of time. There's always a weirdo out there looking to solve a problem that doesn't exist!
For smaller ships meal times are when the crew can get together and talk and have fun and all that stuff that humans tend to do. On a liner it's more efficient to centralize things - plus its safer to cook that way (open flames and all that). You can't char or cook the same with a food processor as you can with a grill, or even open flame cooking surfaces - but I doubt you'd see those anywhere except 1st class liners and yachts. The rich won't live on glop.
Pretty much. I can see the bottom rung being (meaning the crews of tramp freighters and Type S scouts) would get something like meals made by TOS Trek food slots http://www.treksinscifi.com/trekdaily/pictures/2014-03-17_Riley.jpg - nutritious, a range (albeit limited) of tastes and textures, but nothing that seems remotely natural and every plate of X texture and Y flavor is exactly the same. One game I was in the GM said scout ship food had (IIRC) 6 flavors, named after the color each one was (red, white, blue, green, orange, and tan), and 6 textures (cracker-like, crisp solid, soft solid, chewy solid, stew/pudding-like, and drinkable), with a third option of hot, cold, or room temperature, and you could mix and match in a meal (for example, white stew, with red chewy solids and green soft solids).steve98052 said:
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
I think cultural differences will come in to major play on the food front. Some cultures would think it insane to not have fresh food and real food, others would consider processed slop the only sane, safe and normal way to eat. I'm sure lots of Vilani would be amongst the process the living hell out of it types. It has been a few thousand years for man to have shuffled of his multiple planets, I'm sure a hunter gatherer from 1000 BCE would look at a pot noodle with utter amusement.
With the costs per stateroom in HG2e I'm sure the food processor and supplies are well catered for. As has been stated before, high passage no doubt get top food and service. Mid passage will get a meal choice, and stowage have access to the vending machine.
With the costs per stateroom in HG2e I'm sure the food processor and supplies are well catered for. As has been stated before, high passage no doubt get top food and service. Mid passage will get a meal choice, and stowage have access to the vending machine.
This is how I imagine the AutoChef working IMTU
"He had found a Nutri-Matic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
The way it functioned was very interesting. When the Drink button was pressed it made an instant but highly detailed examination of the subject's taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the subject's metabolism and then sent tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centers of the subject's brain to see what was likely to go down well. However, no one knew quite why it did this because it invariably delivered a cupful of liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.”
RIP Douglas Adams
"He had found a Nutri-Matic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
The way it functioned was very interesting. When the Drink button was pressed it made an instant but highly detailed examination of the subject's taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the subject's metabolism and then sent tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centers of the subject's brain to see what was likely to go down well. However, no one knew quite why it did this because it invariably delivered a cupful of liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.”
RIP Douglas Adams
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Add milk and sugar.
It's now Tea.
It's now Tea.
Sure, and any ship equipped to take High Passage passengers will have autochefs equipped for many options, as well as an exceedingly well stocked pantry. However, scout ships and possibly some of the more common ships that solely or primarily carry cargo will likely be equipped with somewhat less complex autochefs. I'm sure a Type S Scout would have autochefs able to prepare nutritious meals for humans, aslan, vargr, and a wide variety of minor races found inside the 3rd Imperium. However, I'm far less certain that the resulting meals would be much more complex or interesting than the contents of TOS Trek food slots.legozhodani said:
Of course, crews who don't want to eat food cubes and suchlike would have the option of purchasing fresh food that the autochef could use to prepare meals that were actually good, rather than buying the (presumably notably cheaper) vats of red, blue, green, white, tan, and orange.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
I'd avoid the green ones.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Yeh no one likes the green ones. Funny how the pop A+ planets always have loads at rock bottom prices . :?
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
Might prefer live food?heron61 said:
It's just us scavengers that likes dead and half-rotten food...
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Annatar Giftbringer
Emperor Mongoose
Lots of great comments and ideas everyone! The various references to food not being not quite the best available is amusing, and in line with the rulebook
Just like in Mega City 1 (Dredd)
Of course it's not covered, how else is the poor crew gonna make a living?! All them extra credits from easy-access minibars will soon add up to a new paint-job or even an additional laser turret
Even if everyone aboard a ship prepares their own meals in their cabins, there are still common rooms on most ships, and nothing's stopping people from taking their food out into those areas to eat with others. There will be times when a passenger wishes to eat alone, or a crewmember doesn't have the time to eat with the others (or they work on a scout ship!) and for those times they might in in their own stateroom. A desk is present in most staterooms, it could be used for eating, and I don't see it as too far-fetched that there might be foldable tables and chair available under the bed, or perhaps the bed can be turned into a couch or something.
Besides, I do want there to be autochefs in the common areas too, and during some trips this will be the primary source of food, when everyone gathers for dinner.
Another important thing to consider is that dedicated passenger liners, such as the Type M Subsidised Liner or the Shakarkha class Star Liner (1st ed Supplement 10: Mechants and Cruisers) have tonnage set aside for kitchens, galleys and bars, so my suggestions are primarily aimed for other ships, free traders and such.
Finally, autochef might be more than just a fancy future-microwave oven. The description does make it sound like they cook proper food from good ingredients, though I suppose some versions are glorified glop-dispensers too (I just hope the steward remembers to refill the taste-syrups occasionally)
Depending on the mood within the gaming Group, the hitchhiker bevereage dispenser is hilarious, as is things like the marines complaining about the food in Aliens, but for a more serious feel, one might rule that the food is in fact adequate (at least the meals that cost extra)Rulebook said:
legozhodani said:
Just like in Mega City 1 (Dredd)
Condottiere said:
Of course it's not covered, how else is the poor crew gonna make a living?! All them extra credits from easy-access minibars will soon add up to a new paint-job or even an additional laser turret
phavoc said:
Even if everyone aboard a ship prepares their own meals in their cabins, there are still common rooms on most ships, and nothing's stopping people from taking their food out into those areas to eat with others. There will be times when a passenger wishes to eat alone, or a crewmember doesn't have the time to eat with the others (or they work on a scout ship!) and for those times they might in in their own stateroom. A desk is present in most staterooms, it could be used for eating, and I don't see it as too far-fetched that there might be foldable tables and chair available under the bed, or perhaps the bed can be turned into a couch or something.
Besides, I do want there to be autochefs in the common areas too, and during some trips this will be the primary source of food, when everyone gathers for dinner.
Another important thing to consider is that dedicated passenger liners, such as the Type M Subsidised Liner or the Shakarkha class Star Liner (1st ed Supplement 10: Mechants and Cruisers) have tonnage set aside for kitchens, galleys and bars, so my suggestions are primarily aimed for other ships, free traders and such.
Finally, autochef might be more than just a fancy future-microwave oven. The description does make it sound like they cook proper food from good ingredients, though I suppose some versions are glorified glop-dispensers too (I just hope the steward remembers to refill the taste-syrups occasionally)
Annatar Giftbringer said:
The price a passenger is paying for passage (Middle or above at least) is going to be your primary indicator of whether or not they will be preparing their own meals or not. Interstellar passage isn't cheap if you compare it to the average income of a person in the Imperium. Throughout history people who pay, especially people who pay well, aren't inclined to pay to fix their own meals - wilderness gimmicky trips notwithstanding. It's unrealistic, in my opinion, to expect passengers to fix their own meals - even with an autochef. We don't have that today. Even soldiers in the field in wartime usually get 1-2 hot meals a day - prepared by cooks and not themselves.
Granted, the future with 'auto-chef's that do all the cooking make it easier to offload the work to a machine rather than a person. But you still run up against the idea that the more you pay, the more you expect. First class passengers will demand freshly cooked food (and probably alcohol) during their meals. Passage on a Free Trader is NOT the same as passage on a liner. The subsidized liner is a hopped up tramp-liner based upon it's size, so it's not a good comparison. If you want historical examples go back to the ocean liners crossing the Atlantic in the early 1900s. This will give you a far better example of what Traveller liners would normally be like - at least using history as an example.
Annatar Giftbringer
Emperor Mongoose
I don't see it as more of fixing one's own meal than when sitting at a table and ordering from a waiter, really. Just press a button and the auto-chef does the rest. The autochef does use fresh ingredients and cook real food, if required too - at least that's my impression. Depending on passage chosen it might be loaded with fewer kinds of ingredients and thus menu items, but the food it makes should be fresh and good, if we leave the hitchhiker tea and glop as comic relief.
As for doing the dishes, and serving the food, I don't find it too far-fetched that the autochef can do that, alternatively a steward makes sure each stateroom is stacked with cutlery and plates, and any traveller should manage to "Place plate here" when prompted so the machine can serve the food (assuming there isn't a builtin plate & cutlery dispenser in the machine).
An ordinary autochef might not cook the finest meal you've ever eaten, but it should manage decent restaurant/hotel standard, while the gourmet model surely suffices even for high passage. And once again, passenger liners have proper kitchens where live (or auto) chefs can cook whatever the traveller desires. I'd say the Shakarkha is a good example of cruise ship standards, with kitchen, bar, dining hall and lounge (200 dtons of luxury for 100 passengers, in game terms).
As for doing the dishes, and serving the food, I don't find it too far-fetched that the autochef can do that, alternatively a steward makes sure each stateroom is stacked with cutlery and plates, and any traveller should manage to "Place plate here" when prompted so the machine can serve the food (assuming there isn't a builtin plate & cutlery dispenser in the machine).
An ordinary autochef might not cook the finest meal you've ever eaten, but it should manage decent restaurant/hotel standard, while the gourmet model surely suffices even for high passage. And once again, passenger liners have proper kitchens where live (or auto) chefs can cook whatever the traveller desires. I'd say the Shakarkha is a good example of cruise ship standards, with kitchen, bar, dining hall and lounge (200 dtons of luxury for 100 passengers, in game terms).
