Low berth = Suicide Run?

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

How about rather than killing the Low Berther, you have them roll on the Injury Table from Character Creation?

A 1% failure rate is ludicris when you consider that Frozen Watches are standard on large military vessels (or were on under Traveller rules).

I would say the stated failure rate is for the TL8 version, each TL above that gives a +1 to the survival rate. Assume that standard Low Berths are TL 12 and you get a +4 right there.

 

[Myrm]

A 1% failure rate is ludicris when you consider that Frozen Watches are standard on large military vessels (or were on under Traveller rules).

I would say the stated failure rate is for the TL8 version, each TL above that gives a +1 to the survival rate. Assume that standard Low Berths are TL 12 and you get a +4 right there.

The stated test is given no difficulty and only looks bad if its assumed to be a moderately hard task and has no medic present. Within the basic rules and skill system a competent medic, going carefully and routine task DMs actually make it hard to fail even for the very low END - as previously mentioned Easy task, Medic 2, taking time total to +7 modifers, that means even -1 DM END people auto make it.

Add TL equipment modifiers (Id give a TL modifier based on lining the TL up with DMs as if it was a stat myself) and, really, the odds do disappear without adverse situations.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I thought that if no task level was given, you assumed it was the standard +0 (8+) roll?

 

[Ishvar]

I thought that if no task level was given, you assumed it was the standard +0 (8+) roll?

Post deleted... sorry, I missed the point.

Always read carefully, ALWAYS !

 

[Myrm]

I thought that if no task level was given, you assumed it was the standard +0 (8+) roll?

While I'd take that as a reasonable default in an adventure module, or even detailed supplements talking about specific tests on a skill or calling for an individual test, Im less comfortable making that assumption with the core rulebook as its very generic in its detail.

 

[Golan2072]

MT or TNE had radio-nuclear generators like the stuff used in some IRL space probes. Maybe those work

Would that be feasible to include in a low berth's cost and size? Or in the cost and size of multiple berths (and just say that they usually come in multiples of, say, 4)? And would there by any safety issues with keeping it so close to the berth's occupant?

Wow, Tx for the answers guys!

I love Golan2072 method, remind me of Space Opera Coldsleep.

Thanks for the kind words

But is there any regulation about skill of Medic?
Could legaly a Free trader buy a batch of low berth and let them operate in auto mode?
Or must he have a certified medic aboard (i.e. Medic 0 minimum)?

Depends on polity. I guess that in most cases a medic (probably skill 1) would be required in case any complications arise - after all, the only thing the berth's expert system knows to do is thaw people the right way (in most cases); it can't treat freezing damage or cryo-shock. Of course, a combined low-berth/autodoc would probably exist, but that would almost double the cost, and many cultures won't really like the idea of trusting medical care to completely unsupervised robots.

Looks like Sleepships (colony ships, troop ships, etc.) would have a sickbay, autotdoc an a medical squad ready for complication in defrost.

Yep, they'll probably have a proper medlab and a qualified doctor to take care of cryo-shock and freezing damage.

But what about clandestine emmigration? I'm thinking space "boat people" here. They will use low berth, really economic, no risk with angry/difficult passagers. But will they have medic team for defrost?

Most such ships would probably use the emergency procedure, fully automatic, unsupervised, and as fast as possible for minimal strain on life-support as the berths would probably be grafted in a haphazard manner, not to mention rapid evacuation if the law is about to arrive at the landing pad at the starport.

 

[caramida]

MT or TNE had radio-nuclear generators like the stuff used in some IRL space probes. Maybe those work

And would there by any safety issues with keeping it so close to the berth's occupant?

As the nuclear material decays there is a specific likelihood that the low berth will be fatal, but until the end of the trip, when you open up the crate, nobody knows the end result. Schrodinger's Passenger, anyone?

The idea just made me chuckle, is all.

 

[Paladin]

As I already mentioned in an earlier thread:

Just think of setting up a new colony with 50,000 colonists arriving in cold
sleep and a low berth fatality rate of only 1 %, which would lead to 500
colonists "dead on arrival", and the first construction on the colonists' new
home world being a mass grave.

In my view something like this would be bizarre.

Agreed. To some extent. This type stuff happened all the time in the early years of travel to the American colonies at a much higher rate than 1% and yet people continued to make the trip.

I do however strongly dislike the 40% fatality rate and think additional mods to increase survival rate are definitely needed.