Charted Space Capital Warships are under gunned.
- Thread starter tytalan
- Start date
Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
I would need to go back and look at the specific rules to figure pricing, but I would say yes. Prototype at TL14 and Early Prototype at TL13. Or Beta at TL14 and Alpha at TL13.
Edit: The prototype rules are specifically referencing hardware, but I see no reason they shouldn’t be applicable to software as well. Prototype would be 5x the cost and Early Prototype would be 10x.
They would be subject to reliability issues at Early Prototype and quirks at both as well.
An unreliable CI could be very entertaining. Just sayin’.
The quirks are angled at hardware. There needs to be one for software, but I can see how the quirks listed could be tweaked to hold true for software. Here is my initial take and I welcome further suggestions. There really needs to be more variety (2D rolls) but I’ll whip up a 1D table for software.
1. Unreliable after prolonged use: After any skill check resulting in 2, or a result of 2 or less on 2D after every 24 hours of use, the software hangs and must be restarted. If it has already been restarted, apply DM-1 to task checks and halve any time interval between periodic failure checks until the software is reinstalled, taking 1D hours to remove, reinstall, and reconfigure.
2. Software is slow. Double the time for operation and skill checks using it.
3 Especially expensive: Double the software’s cost.
4. Especially difficult to operate or configure: Skill checks suffer an additional DM-1.
5. Software hallucinates. DM-2 to results because they seem plausible but are in fact made up. It is a Difficult task (10+) to detect the data isn’t reality based.
6. Software unstable: After one year, the software becomes permanently unreliable. If already unreliable, subtract a further DM-1 to task checks and halve any time interval between failures until it is removed, reinstalled, and reconfigured, which takes 1D hours.
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MarcusIII
Emperor Mongoose
Correct, so it has nothing to do with the PHYSICS of Jump but with law and or custom.
It applies to both modifiers, but the Jump plot one is very much the lesser one, since it's just feeding into the Engineering roll to actually jump.
Which CAN be performed by a computer or a robot.
And gets back to an idea I had in another thread earlier in the year that the Charted Space limitation might not be anything inherent, but (especially in the 3I) due to legal requirements to curb machine astrogators.
"No Sir and or Madam. There is no software available for that task that we are LEGALLY allowed to sell you."
"Make sure that new design of crew bot brains has the limiter. We don't want a repeat of last year's batch that could do Astrogation... The Department ripped us a new one over that, and we lost Jenkins, Kraugh and Shulldii."
It's not crystal clear, but you can choose either. "Charted Space" can refer to the political and historical setting, but can also refer to the physical universe of that setting. And although I'd generally use "Charted Space" for the former and "Charted Space Universe" for the latter, usage is rarely that tight.
And, while RHB does list Astrogation skill, it's worth remembering that RBH is not actually a Charted Space or 3I sourcebook. Like High Guard, it's a general one and parts of it may only apply in settings the Referee has a use for.
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MarcusIII
Emperor Mongoose
Not really. Because charted space is a specif defined, limited region of that setting. It is specifically NOT the entire universe of that setting. It would be like saying the Solomani sphere
Personally I'd use the the table unchanged as much as possible.
For 1. the second section covers if the equipment already has the unreliable trait (such as an Early Prototype) and you roll it a second time. It is not about using the equipment after it has already triggered the unreliability condition. In theory you could get this result 3 times for an Early Prototype and it would make periodic failure checks every 6 hours and would have a DM-2 on any task checks.
Cooldown in this case could be clearing the databases. As there is no "cost" or timeframe associated with the repair mentioned in the original table it needn't be an expensive or especially time consuming process, but it will almost certainly be inconvenient if it failed while you were making a skill check rather than it just glitched again on standby.
We had a computer system on the aircraft that just drifted out of true over a time and started dumping RADAR tracks. It required a half hour restart after a few hours of operation. We never fixed it and the crew just had to remember to turn it off and on again after transit and before they started on the mission proper.
For 2. Double the bandwidth.
For 5. It can still have some weird field effect that makes the ship easier to detect on sensors. Or the DM-2 is also appropriate as the other choice.
For 6. I think it reads fine as is. There is no recovery path other than the default Repair, you cannot recover the reliability. This is the same as 1 but with 1 year grace period.
That ensures maximum read across with minimal finagling.
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I have been watching this thread after doing a search for Annic Nova. It is mentioned multiple times here. I have a few questions...
1) Has anybody actually played through the mission?
2) If you have, what happens if the crew wants to keep the ship? Would you allow it? From what I can see, the only really major part of the ship is the Jump Drives and the power source.
Thanks in advance.
1) Has anybody actually played through the mission?
2) If you have, what happens if the crew wants to keep the ship? Would you allow it? From what I can see, the only really major part of the ship is the Jump Drives and the power source.
Thanks in advance.
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
1) double digits for the number of times I have run it, with variations as to what is to be found inside
2) they get to keep it until its legitimate inheritors come calling.
Many discussions have been had over the years, some arguing that it is Ancient era tech. In which case there is no way the Imperium would allow the shipt to be given over to the PCs, as it allowed in most versions of the adventure (it is worth noting the subtle differences between the original JTAS, the DA:1 and the Mongoose versions)
2) they get to keep it until its legitimate inheritors come calling.
Many discussions have been had over the years, some arguing that it is Ancient era tech. In which case there is no way the Imperium would allow the shipt to be given over to the PCs, as it allowed in most versions of the adventure (it is worth noting the subtle differences between the original JTAS, the DA:1 and the Mongoose versions)
I was wondering about "Salvage rights" and such. I can see the Imperium wanting to get their hands on the ship for it's "forgotten tech". I guess the only other question would be whether or not, letting the PC's operate the ship be too powerful...
As presented, the ship as assumed to be lost years ago.
IF the authorities become aware the ship has reappeared, they are definitely going to want it back, regardless of normal salvage provisions or the exact origin of the ship's computer (ancient artifact? secret research project? natural singularity? doesn't matter. Even if no one still knows about that, it's a freaking 1200 ton warship with a goddamn black globe!)
The HG2e22 entry outright says that the classes' true purpose was as testbeds for experimental tech. NOTHING about that statement would suggest the Navy would be willing to let civilians keep possession.
Assuming the players can somehow operate the ship (maybe by making a deal with the computer), they either quietly make a run for a border and have adventures outside the Imperium, with a good chance of the Navy sending someone after the ship when word inevitably gets back to them... or they hand it over and hope they get a reward and not a gulag.
As far as "too powerful" goes? Your campaign, your decision. There are serious issues with operating and maintaining a 1200 ton warship. Even a large group will need to deal with a lack of engineers, and maintaining it is expensive. There are limited ways it can earn money, and most of them involve risk.
IF the authorities become aware the ship has reappeared, they are definitely going to want it back, regardless of normal salvage provisions or the exact origin of the ship's computer (ancient artifact? secret research project? natural singularity? doesn't matter. Even if no one still knows about that, it's a freaking 1200 ton warship with a goddamn black globe!)
The HG2e22 entry outright says that the classes' true purpose was as testbeds for experimental tech. NOTHING about that statement would suggest the Navy would be willing to let civilians keep possession.
Assuming the players can somehow operate the ship (maybe by making a deal with the computer), they either quietly make a run for a border and have adventures outside the Imperium, with a good chance of the Navy sending someone after the ship when word inevitably gets back to them... or they hand it over and hope they get a reward and not a gulag.
As far as "too powerful" goes? Your campaign, your decision. There are serious issues with operating and maintaining a 1200 ton warship. Even a large group will need to deal with a lack of engineers, and maintaining it is expensive. There are limited ways it can earn money, and most of them involve risk.
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Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
Are you confusing the Annic Nova and the Kinunir...
the Annic Nova is the collector equipped dungeon crawl
the Kinunir was the adventure that launched the Imperium as a setting.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Both are odd ducks.
Kinunir, the Adventure book, is a collection of adventure seeds to do with the ship class.
Kinunir, the ship itself, is the main adventure presented in that book, and involves finding the lost ship. And like Annic Nova, is a derelict starship dungeon crawl. But this time, with
Kinunir, the ship itself, is the main adventure presented in that book, and involves finding the lost ship. And like Annic Nova, is a derelict starship dungeon crawl. But this time, with
a mad computer
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
Yes, but we were talking about the Annic Nova and then you suddenly changed the conversation to the Kinunir, almost as if you had confused the two.
And it was where we were introduced to library data about the Imperium, the Regina subsector, rumours and a whole lot of setting fluff.
If you want to know where the setting came from you should own A:1...
www.mongoosepublishing.com
Note the description should read 1,200t warship not 7,200t, it wouldn't be Traveller without errata
And it was where we were introduced to library data about the Imperium, the Regina subsector, rumours and a whole lot of setting fluff.
If you want to know where the setting came from you should own A:1...
Adventure 1: The Kinunir ebook
A mysterious gentleman approaches your group with a proposition - obtain certain trade secrets from a local shipyard, and earn up to Cr200000. Easy, right? Maybe, but the job leads your group across several parsecs, into conflict with the Imperial authorities, and onto the trail of a 7,200-ton...
www.mongoosepublishing.com
Note the description should read 1,200t warship not 7,200t, it wouldn't be Traveller without errata
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OK... so focusing on the Annic Nova... I re-read the adventure and I have watched some videos on the adventure... Other than the Jump-3 capacity... the ship does not seem to be overly powerful. I think I might allow the Travellers to keep the ship, if they so choose. The fact that there is no M-Drive makes them rely on the Pinnaces for off-ship movement. The ship itself is the personality... another character. The idea that the will possibly take days to figure out and then they have to deal with the 'disease'... I think that this will be interesting and a fun setting. Truthfully, for me it harkens back to the Blake's 7 tv show I watched as a kid in England.
The heros had a ship and ran around having adventures. Of course the design of the ship made them very noticeable...
I will have to see how my players deal with this.
The heros had a ship and ran around having adventures. Of course the design of the ship made them very noticeable...
I will have to see how my players deal with this.
ross
Cosmic Mongoose
Annic Nova is the kind of ship that Traveller was designed to have. Unique, quirky, pulpy, and fun.
