Another passage type--slow drugs

[Master_of_Ritual]

It seems like the metabolism-slowing drugs available in the setting offer a way for passenger to travel that is cheaper than steerage but less lethal than a cryochamber. Slower metabolism means slower respiration, less calorie consumption, and probably less water consumption. You could probably travel a month or two on slow drugs and not have to eat at all. People with more understanding of Traveller tech, is this feasible?

 

[MyndkryM]

You might want to re-read the entry about Fast and Slow drugs. :wink:

Administering the wrong drug could lead to a VERY interesting predicament the crew may find themselves in.

 

[Linwood]

I could see this happening though. A couple of scenarios:
The travelers are involved in a mass evacuation. The evacuees are all given slow drug to lighten the burden on the ship's life support systems so they can carry more evacuees.

A crew might off a 'discounted low passage' using slow drugs, figuring cots are cheaper than low berths. Of course the authorities (and their competition) may have concerns...

Someone might try smuggling people on or off-world in bulk using slow drugs. Or pirates/terrorists/commandoes might pull the same trick to try to sneak a team onboard a ship or secure facility.

Prisoners attempt to fake death using a more dangerous slow-drug variant....

 

[Old School]

Lol. Fast is slow, slow is fast.

The rules are pretty light on the idea of how long a Fast Drug lasts, or how often it can be taken, etc. Its really up to the referee. Slow drug always struck me as nothing more than plot device so seriously injured characters could be good to go in a day or two. The inspiration for the slow drug, however, comes from Dumarest of Terra, Book One, in which he uses it to kill the bad guys and rescue the girl by moving at superhuman speeds .

I’ve never bought into the idea that people would ever travel in low berths as written in anything but the most dire circumstances, given the risks involved. It’s never really mattered in any of my campaigns, but I’ve gone with the idea that the low berth revival is a routine check (6+ rather than 8+), and this check normally wouldn’t be made by a tramp trader’s steward/medic with Medic 1. It would be criminal for that person to take someone out of low berth other than a life or death emergency. Civilized starports would have doctors to do that work for a fee, and a combination of Medic Skill and Edu DM of at least 3+ would be the minimum qualification. Add that do the +1 DM you get at TL12 and above, and now low berths are risk free for anyone in decent health. Risky for the young, or infirm.

Thinking about the implications on the setting, this would make low berths very common, and make space travel affordable for the middle upper class person. Likely it becomes the preferred method of travel for those passengers who need to make long trips, as many won’t want to waste their life and their fortune in jump space. More convenient to just get frozen at one end and thawed out at the other, without aging along the way.

 

[AndrewW]

I’ve never bought into the idea that people would ever travel in low berths as written in anything but the most dire circumstances, given the risks involved. It’s never really mattered in any of my campaigns, but I’ve gone with the idea that the low berth revival is a routine check (6+ rather than 8+), and this check normally wouldn’t be made by a tramp trader’s steward/medic with Medic 1. It would be criminal for that person to take someone out of low berth other than a life or death emergency. Civilized starports would have doctors to do that work for a fee, and a combination of Medic Skill and Edu DM of at least 3+ would be the minimum qualification. Add that do the +1 DM you get at TL12 and above, and now low berths are risk free for anyone in decent health. Risky for the young, or infirm.

Ah, the High Guard low berth is intended for animals, the higher TL one is what should be used for people.

 

[Geir]

I’ve never bought into the idea that people would ever travel in low berths as written in anything but the most dire circumstances, given the risks involved. It’s never really mattered in any of my campaigns, but I’ve gone with the idea that the low berth revival is a routine check (6+ rather than 8+), and this check normally wouldn’t be made by a tramp trader’s steward/medic with Medic 1. It would be criminal for that person to take someone out of low berth other than a life or death emergency. Civilized starports would have doctors to do that work for a fee, and a combination of Medic Skill and Edu DM of at least 3+ would be the minimum qualification. Add that do the +1 DM you get at TL12 and above, and now low berths are risk free for anyone in decent health. Risky for the young, or infirm.

Ah, the High Guard low berth is intended for animals, the higher TL one is what should be used for people.

And PETA is already protesting outside your ship...

I prefer a modified rule where it isn't a case of black and white: on a failure, the Effect is the amount of permanent damage done to physical or mental characteristics. Even an automatic death on a natural 2 would be too great a risk for me. But then again, look at what people are willing to risk to reach Europe or the United States today at a much higher cost, so maybe I'm just too privileged to see the point of low berth.

 

[Condottiere]

When it comes to combat rules, you have to be explicit what something can and cannot do, as compared to roleplaying, where fuzzy logic may be more appropriate.

As an example, I don't expect a ruling on whether I could divide a fast drug into six doses, that will last ten days, as an alternative to the low berth; it may or may not work in Your Traveller Universe, it may or may not have side effect when mixed with a sedative, it's just an interesting extrapolation I came up with when I was studying the economics of interstellar travel that I shared.

 

[Condottiere]

Lazy Boy

Instead of giving them a diluted fast drug sedative cocktail, passengers could be strapped awake to acceleration chairs, and watch an extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring.


Sleeping Pods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7zFs13Q_UE


Cut Fast Drug

Speaking of which, merchant ships optimized for a fast turnaround, don't really want passengers out of it for ten days, so instead by cutting the drug by six, it should be divided by seven, which is slightly less than eight days, thirteen and three quarters hours. That would be a sufficient duration to put them under just before launch, accelerate to the jump off point, and come out of it slightly after exiting, which makes the passengers mobile enough to disembark under their own steam.

 

[MyndkryM]

Cut Fast Drug

This here is a future interstellar merchant prince :lol:

Lots of good ideas in this thread....I could see a bunch of interesting scenarios :twisted:

 

[Linwood]

I prefer a modified rule where it isn't a case of black and white: on a failure, the Effect is the amount of permanent damage done to physical or mental characteristics. Even an automatic death on a natural 2 would be too great a risk for me. But then again, look at what people are willing to risk to reach Europe or the United States today at a much higher cost, so maybe I'm just too privileged to see the point of low berth.

We'll. call it the 'freezer burn' rule.... 8)

<don't tell me you didn't see that one coming....

 

[Master_of_Ritual]

There are a lot of helpful replies here. Thanks guys.

 

[Kafers25]

I did't see it mentioned here but the Fast and Slow drugs are used in the Dumarest of Terra novels. One is used for rapid healing and the other is used on people traveling High so they won't have to spend all that time on the starship being bored.