Muster out with a scout ship - A question

[23Weasels]

In previous Traveller editions, if a scout mustered out with a scout ship, it was specified that they also got fuel and maintenance free at scout bases. There's no mention of this in the current MgT2-2022 book. While I continue this tradition in my game, I'm curious if this is no longer an official thing? The obvious inference is that no, it isn't, but I'm curious to know what others think.

 

[boggo2300]

Page 260 of the 2022 Core rules has this

Which I take to mean free fuel and supplies for retires scouts as well as active duty. however ymmv

 

[Condottiere]

One assumes an informal debriefing, during refuelling.

 

[rinku]

Yeah, we still use that old rule. The p.260 entry is a little vague, but it's clearly in the spirit.

Mind you - IISS.

"Maybe we have the parts, old timer, maybe we need to order them in. But there is a small job you could do for us while we check..."

 

[23Weasels]

Ah, I missed that. Thank you. Might have been nice to have that included with the benefit description.

 

[CordwainerFish]

And 'free' probably includes 'spend a few minutes in the stationmaster's office sharing intelligence gossip'.

 

[Condottiere]

Possibly, a copy of the sensor log.

 

[Midas]

Yeah, we still use that old rule. The p.260 entry is a little vague, but it's clearly in the spirit.

Mind you - IISS.

"Maybe we have the parts, old timer, maybe we need to order them in. But there is a small job you could do for us while we check..."

LOL. It's pretty standard IMTU that when a scout jumps into a system with a scout base, the greeting is "Welcome to the system! Bye the way, near where you arrived are a couple of empty reusable drop tanks. Do a solid and bring them in for us?"

 

[Limpin Legin]

I'm curious if this is no longer an official thing?

Appears not. In the World Builders Handbook there is more lore on the Imperial Scout Service and it says on page 11:

Detached-duty scouts in possession of scout ships may use maintenance facilities and crews at cost.

So it remains an entitlement but it is no longer a freebie. But the Mustered out Scout Ship remains owned by the IISS, so why is the individual Scout Traveller having to pay for maintenance?

 

[actionman]

Page 260 of the 2022 Core rules has this
View attachment 4276
Which I take to mean free fuel and supplies for retires scouts as well as active duty. however ymmv

Appears not. In the World Builders Handbook there is more lore on the Imperial Scout Service and it says on page 11:

So it remains an entitlement but it is no longer a freebie. But the Mustered out Scout Ship remains owned by the IISS, so why is the individual Scout Traveller having to pay for maintenance?

Good catches by both @boggo2300 and @Limpin Legin

This kind of inconsistency really needs to be taken care of during the writing and development process. This is a prime example of what I mean whenever I complain of this kind of thing.

Mongoose needs a database person, even an unpaid volunteer/intern, to enter information from each Traveller canon book into a database that writers can check whenever they want to write about a particular subject or person, place, or thing for a new Traveller product.

I'm tempted to do it on my own, just to learn about databases and SQL, like set up the community version of MySQL. I'd learn some SQL, get familiarized the MySQL databases, and read Traveller books!

Maybe Mongoose has something like this already.

Edit:

I mean, here I am criticizing after the fact with no knowledge of the difficulties, production schedules, costs, and trade-offs that Mongoose has to make to bring a Traveller product to market. My own post reminds me of how Bethesda's Skyrim developers got irritated with the modding community complaining about problems with the game, and the devs commented unofficially that production schedules and cost cycles make the kind of quality control the modding community wanted almost impossible, and that modders have the freedom to work at their own pace to bring fixes and mods to the community.

Still this kind of inconsistency fragments the OTU even more along with all the other inconsistencies, obscurities, etc.

 

[collins355]

Good catches by both @boggo2300 and @Limpin Legin

This kind of inconsistency really needs to be taken care of during the writing and development process. This is a prime example of what I mean whenever I complain of this kind of thing.

Mongoose needs a database person, even an unpaid volunteer/intern, to enter information from each Traveller canon book into a database that writers can check whenever they want to write about a particular subject or person, place, or thing for a new Traveller product.

I'm tempted to do it on my own, just to learn about databases and SQL, like set up the community version of MySQL. I'd learn some SQL, get familiarized the MySQL databases, and read Traveller books!

Maybe Mongoose has something like this already.

Mongoose can actually do it very easily taking advantage of AI. The Google NotebookLM is what they could use. Just upload the pdfs they want into it. Let it learn them. Then they can ask it questions about their contents very easily and quickly. Want to know what canon says about Rhylanor? Easy.

 

[actionman]

You (and Mongoose) can actually do it very easily taking advantage of AI. The Google NotebookLM is what I use. Just upload the pdfs you want into it. Let it learn them. Then you can ask it questions about their contents very easily and quickly. Want to know what canon says about Rhylanor? Easy.

Good idea, using a fitting tool for the job. Mongoose could certainly do it in-house for their writers, but are there legal issues for me to do it, or for 3rd party TAS writers to do it?

 

[collins355]

Good idea, using a fitting tool for the job. Mongoose could certainly do it in-house for their writers, but are there legal issues for me to do it, or for 3rd party TAS writers to do it?

Fair enough, I've re-phrased my earlier comment appropriately.

 

[Arkathan]

... But the Mustered out Scout Ship remains owned by the IISS, so why is the individual Scout Traveller having to pay for maintenance?

To ensure that the former scout runs missions in exchange for free service.
Maintenance is cheaper than overhead and salary for active scouts.

 

[Condottiere]

Grassing while gassing
You didn't get that ride for free

 

[rinku]

Also, there's Scouts and there's... scouts.

Senior Scout Harrigan, decorated hero of the Querion Incident and minor Subsector media personality on Spacebook:
"Oh no, sir! You're money's no good here - whatever you need we're happy to provide!"

Former Scout Moople, record holder for being found drifting at the edge of space with no memory of what happened, and suspected of being responsible for the Querion Incident:

"Jensen, escort this one to the fuel station. And keep a VERY close eye on them. That'll be Cr2000, Moople. In advance."

 

[boggo2300]

Appears not. In the World Builders Handbook there is more lore on the Imperial Scout Service and it says on page 11:

So it remains an entitlement but it is no longer a freebie. But the Mustered out Scout Ship remains owned by the IISS, so why is the individual Scout Traveller having to pay for maintenance?

so what's cost for fuel refining for a scout base? I suspect close to zero...

 

[MasterGwydion]

Also, there's Scouts and there's... scouts.

Senior Scout Harrigan, decorated hero of the Querion Incident and minor Subsector media personality on Spacebook:
"Oh no, sir! You're money's no good here - whatever you need we're happy to provide!"

Former Scout Moople, record holder for being found drifting at the edge of space with no memory of what happened, and suspected of being responsible for the Querion Incident:

"Jensen, escort this one to the fuel station. And keep a VERY close eye on them. That'll be Cr2000, Moople. In advance."

I love this take on it!

 

[rinku]

so what's cost for fuel refining for a scout base? I suspect close to zero...

Well, it takes a type S only half a day to process a full tank of unrefined, so yeah.

In context from CT, the rule was simply that a Type-S could use unrefined fuel without penalty; fuel processing plants were a later addition. Nothing was said about what type of free fuel was provided by a scout base, but it didn't matter.

And after all... this is a ship benefit, not a character benefit. The ship still belongs to the IISS, so naturally they'll maintain and fuel it. Even a well regarded veteran scout that turns up in their own private ship won't get free anything, aside from accomodation, automatically.

Just realised (after 45 years!) that there has never been any penalty for using unrefined fuel for anything aside from Jump. Power plant and M-Drive don't care. Which does seem sensible. No need for a fuel processor on a non-starship or outpost.

 

[Condottiere]

Labour is free.

Parts are at cost.

As regards unrefined fuel, I would expect you need to clean out the gunk from the plumbing.