Intelligent ships for the players

R

Regnarts

Banded Mongoose
The Robot Handbook has the Ship's Brain technology, which is described in such a way:

"A ship’s brain gives a spacecraft the capability to perform some functions autonomously and can give the ship itself a personality. Whether operating directly through interfaces to a spacecraft’s control systems or through drones or avatars, ship’s brains can supplement or replace some crew functions"


Do you think intelligent ships using self-aware brains fit into OTU?
And would you introduce such ships for the players, or even get the players to crew such a ship?

I was theorycrafting a vessel for an exploration/espionage adventure and I was wondering if and Omega-class brain with a personality based on Richard Francis Burton would be a good idea.

The vessel itself (an advanced Darrian-IISS coordination):

Multirole Explorer Vessel IISS "RF Burton"MassCostEnergy
(Destroyer, modified MIDU AGASHAM Class)
Hull3,000 tons, Streamlined—180
Reinforced, Radiation shielding—165
ArmourBonded Superdense, Armour: 4115,257,6
M-DriveThrust 6 (energy efficient, reduced size x2)1445941350
J-DriveJump-4 (reduced fuel x2)305571,8751200
Power PlantFusion (TL15), Power 3600180354
Basic Ship Systems600
Fuel TanksJ-4, 24 weeks of operation1188
BridgeHolographic Controls6018,75
ComputerCore/100fib—195
SensorsAdvanced55,36
Sensor Stations31,53
Countermeasures Suite241
Enhanced Signal Processing282
WeaponsMedium Plasma-pulse Cannon Bay (long range)10037,590
Triple Turrets (missile racks) x6619,56
Triple Turrets (pulse lasers, accurate) x8838104
Triple Turrets (sandcasters) x223,52
Point Defence Laser Batteries (Type III) x2404060
AmmunitionMissile Storage (288 missiles)24
Sandcaster Canister Storage (160 canisters)8
ScreensMeson Screens x2204060
Nuclear Dampers x2202040
CraftDocking Space (100 tons)11027,5
Serpent Class Scout—19,36
SystemsFuel Processor (600 tons/day)301,530
Fuel Scoops—
Armoury51,25
Briefing Room40,5
Medical Bay (12 patients)1682
Laboratory (6 scientists)246
Workshop (6 mechanics)182,7
Collectors12562,5
Biosphere (60 crew)30630
Library44
Ship Brain: Omega40
Jump Filters5
StateroomsStandard x6024030
SoftwareManoeuvre
Intellect
Jump Control/40,4
Library
Advanced Fire Control/112
Anti-Hijack/28
Virtual Gunner/215
Electronic Warfare/324
Evade/33
Point Defence/212
Common Areas606
Cargo101,8—
Total:2648,235MCr
 
If you mean "A ship's brain with a fully sentient Artificial General Intelligence", that tech is considered to be just beyond what the Imperium can do reliably (mainly because they don't want to be able to do it). But experimental versions have existed in the OTU. The Kinunir class was full of experimental tech (black globes, an AI, etc). There're constant references to such things coming from the TL 16 research centers in the Imperium, despite the general cultural revulsion at the concept.

And next year, Mongoose is expected to release a campaign called Singularity, which likely deals with this sort of thing.

Ship's Brains as in Robot ships that are not sentient but can operate with some autonomy are a thing that can be made in the OTU, but the Imperial culture (with its Vilani roots) is generally disapproving of such. There's no reason that the PCs couldn't have such a ship and just not advertise the fact.

If you want full on ships as player characters type action, that's a bit out of OTU but there's no reason you couldn't do it in your campaign if you wanted to. The Mindjammer setting for Traveller has that if you wanted examples.
 
Yes, I am waiting for Singularity with quite a lot of curiosity.

As for self-aware ship brains, I was thinking of TL15 self aware brains, and the Omega in particular (from Robot Handbook):

Self-Aware
The robot is capable of fully independent thought and reason. While not considered a fully conscious sentient being, this is a philosophical distinction that a Self-aware robot can understand and debate. A Self-aware robot can accomplish tasks based on very general parameters or solely interpretation of its owner’s requirements. Self-Aware robots have innate intelligence greater than most biological beings and can attempt Formidable (14+) tasks.

Omega
The most advanced ship’s brain generally available is the Omega model, equipped with an exceptionally intelligent TL15 Self-Aware brain. Capable of operating ship’s systems at a high level of skill and proficient with communications, administrative and legal matters in most documented languages and governments, it allows proficient operation in all aspects of interstellar travel. Able to control up to four avatars, eight drones and an advanced swarm, the Omega can run a small ship by itself. Limitations on jump survivability for an entirely automated ship usually prevents the Omega from operating a crewless starship but it can run an entire ship with just a moderately capable conscious sentient aboard to look over the jump calculations and sit out the weeklong jump. The Omega’s major drawback – besides cost – is its rather smug manner, a side effect of its extraordinary intelligence and wide set of skills.
 
Regnarts said:
The Omega’s major drawback – besides cost – is its rather smug manner, a side effect of its extraordinary intelligence and wide set of skills.
Click to expand...
That would fit right into the Murderbot stories.

(Murderbot calls itself that ironically. It has no desire to murder, it just wants to be left alone to watch soap operas. (Really.))
 
Other than a rule in the Robot book that says non-sentients can't handle jumpspace, there's no reason that you couldn't have a robot ship.
 
Just ignore that stupid rule along with the m-drive limit.
In TI/OTU canon robots could have piloting skill and operate ships, I have no idea how this bit of fanon became acceptable, variant rule no probs but it is another example of MgT changing setting canon by accident for no good reason.
 
Well, I certainly agree with that :D

"We don't trust autonomous ships" is enough of a reason not to have them if you don't want them in your setting, you don't need nonsensical "sentience must be present" rules. I always wondered where that came from.
 
alex_greene said:
Andromeda (TV show with the revolting Kevin Sorbo), or maybe Larry Niven's Known Space.
Click to expand...
Oh, yeah, there's a lot of fictional sources for ftl space either requiring sentient minds or being actively bad for sentient minds. I meant I wasn't sure how it got into Traveller. I don't recall seeing it before it was that sidebar in Robots, but I could have just blotted out in my mind after reading it in some previous incarnation of the rules.
 
So the Nova bomb missile = the star trigger? LOL

What about the AI in Makergod?

AI's from Halo that are clones ripped via a method like in "agent of the Imperium" but not to a disk but to the artificial brain.

Then there is the brain uploading to ships in "secrets of the ancients"...
 
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Larry Niven, to go back to that problematic author, also wrote a short story, "Donovan's Brain," where a human brain had literally been transplanted into a ship, complete with life support system of course. The brain-in-a-box was wired into the ship's systems. The ship was his body.
 
I think that the AIs not being able to do jump solidified as a reaction to TNE.

A setting which is how I first found Traveller (I was 13 when it came out), and still enjoy. But a lot of people don't like it, and are wrong.
 
Traveller's long running inability to distinguish between the game system and the setting hurts TNE, I think. TNE was a significant mechanics change. Combine that with being a setting wipe and you disgruntle a lot of people.

The setting itself better suits the kind of gameplay Traveller espouses most (exploration, trade pioneering, backwoods adventuring) than the Third Imperium. Or, at least, what the Third Imperium has grown into over time.

Edit: meant "backwater" not backwoods.
 
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alex_greene said:
Larry Niven, to go back to that problematic author, also wrote a short story, "Donovan's Brain," where a human brain had literally been transplanted into a ship, complete with life support system of course. The brain-in-a-box was wired into the ship's systems. The ship was his body.
Click to expand...
Two stories and they were titled "The Coldest Place" and "Becalmed in Hell". "Donovan's Brain" was a different author.
 
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