Not sure what ship to use

[Mage]

I need to figure out what ship to use for my campaign, of which I am running tomorrow night, and I have access to the following (its my own setting, and I have no problem using any ship):

Core Rules
Aslan Module
Prison Planet

Basically, its a TL13 setting, and the party are going from a space station to a planet about 3 - 4 hexes away on the space map.

I just need a ship to suit a party of 6 players and maybe a few back up characters, and some npcs to pick up the slack of crewing the ship that the PCs cant do.

Any suggestions?

 

[phavoc]

If they are staying in-system, a modular cutter would work great. Adequate room for the characters and the module can be configured for whatever it needs to be for the adventure.

Plus it has more than enough "legs" to make the trip. Much faster than a Scout or Free Trader too.

 

[far-trader]

EDIT: ...oooh, space hexes, sorry, misread that and thought you needed a starship

Yeah then, like phavoc said the Modular Cutter kitted out for what's needed would be perfect. Never mind the rest of my mumbling below, except as the flavour of the game will apply to the module kitting out.

It will depend a lot on the flavour of the game/campaign.

Trade - The Core Book Free-Trader or Far-Trader, depending on distances of each jump.

Combat - The Core Book Gazelle class Close Escort is a fun ship for small space combat and capable of light ground merc ops, or the Core Book Mercenary Cruiser if you want to want run heavier ground merc scenarios

...for two quick common memes. If there is an Aslan PC then a similar Aslan ship might be interesting and appropriate

 

[Mage]

There is an Aslan player. The party is hired by a corporation to go to a dig site and work there, but things happen there, so it is not out of the question for them to have access to an Aslan ship due to the company's resources.

 

[hdan]

Modular Cutters are a great solution of course.

If your planet has an atmosphere, you might also consider a Pinnace. They're not quite as cool as Cutters (though they look snazzy), but can easily carry 6 people and an ATV, and have wings, so depending on your interpretations of how such things work, could provide a more useful atmospheric flight capability.

(And of course there's always the Shuttle if you need to carry some heftier equipment.)

 

[Dave Chase]

Don't know what you are planning but you could also do one of the following

Supply Shuttle using the Shuttle. They have to deliver the supplies besides the adventure you have planned.

Take an old Far Trader that has seen many better days and remove the Jump engines.
Give it 3G movement and the Jump engine space is now extra cargo room.
The Jump Fuel tank is still present as it is use to help refuel other ships or is a liquid cargo bay for planet needs.

Dave Chase

 

[BP]

Good idea Dave.

Mage, sounds like the PCs wouldn't necessarily need to own the ship - they could crew it, charter it, or lease it, perhaps?

 

[Hopeless]

Good idea Dave.

Mage, sounds like the PCs wouldn't necessarily need to own the ship - they could crew it, charter it, or lease it, perhaps?

Hmm are you familiar with Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair?

Its set in a future age where a coup has left the area in the grip of a civil war.
The heroes come into possession of an old outdated battlecruiser that had been sold off and converted into a trade freighter carrying mostly oranges.
That book details when they got it and their efforts to travel somewhere where it can be refurbished with appropriate weaponry.

Anyway thought this would make a good example

 

[locarno24]

Of course, If you really want to have something to show off with...

Have a look in this month's Signs & Portents at the Assault Craft; it's supposed to be a common Aslan ship.

You could easily imagine a cargo-converted version - strip out the acceleration couches in favour of another 4 dTons of cargo space and a larger conventional cabin (upping the comfortable capacity to 9), and unship the MagRail miniguns* and you have quite a nice, tough, long-range, very-easy-to-pilot general purpose shuttle.




*...spoilsport!

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Good idea Dave.

Mage, sounds like the PCs wouldn't necessarily need to own the ship - they could crew it, charter it, or lease it, perhaps?

Hmm are you familiar with Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair?

Its set in a future age where a coup has left the area in the grip of a civil war.
The heroes come into possession of an old outdated battlecruiser that had been sold off and converted into a trade freighter carrying mostly oranges.
That book details when they got it and their efforts to travel somewhere where it can be refurbished with appropriate weaponry.
Anyway thought this would make a good example

Battlestar Mandarin?

Actually, that sounds like a good idea for a campaign.

Egil

 

[locarno24]

Battlestar Mandarin?

Actually, that sounds like a good idea for a campaign.

Does, actually. Especially if you've got a carrier and/or ordnance-heavy ship, converting it into a well-armoured freighter is just a matter of taking out the guns, redesignating magazines and hangars as cargo bays and knocking through a few internal walls.

It won't be the most efficient cargo-hauler, because access to the new 'holds' is probably easiest through the old bay hardpoints and launch tubes (you try cutting a new airlock through a layer of metres thick crystaliron battle plate!), but it would give you a ready-made bigger ship with plenty of cargo space and hardpoints for an impressive armament of light, legal weapons.

A post-war demobilization 'yard sale' would also give you a good reason to knock the price down quite radically (although it'd still be enough to drive them to desparation on a regular basis )

Plus, there's always the fun option of sticking an 'emergency recall and reactivation' clause into the sale contract....

 

[CosmicGamer]

Nice ideas people.

Just a reminder though, the OP says the game is tonight so unless you have plans, I don't think it would be out of line to say that there won't be time for them to run with ideas that need a lot of conversions and have things ready for the game.

Also keep in mind the resources available the OP mentioned.

 

[rust]

In this case, I would also recommend a cutter, for the reasons already
mentioned by others.

 

[AndrewW]

Of course, If you really want to have something to show off with...

Have a look in this month's Signs & Portents at the Assault Craft; it's supposed to be a common Aslan ship.

You could easily imagine a cargo-converted version - strip out the acceleration couches in favour of another 4 dTons of cargo space and a larger conventional cabin (upping the comfortable capacity to 9), and unship the MagRail miniguns* and you have quite a nice, tough, long-range, very-easy-to-pilot general purpose shuttle.

Of course, it can be piloted by males so yup very easy to pilot.

Removing weapons? Not such a common Aslan ship then...

 

[rje]

So? How did it go? What did you decide on? Was the ship choice influential in the game?