Preparing my first Traveller campaign - help needed

nerfherder

Banded Mongoose
I have started preparing my first Traveller campaign, set in the Great Rift (using the box set) - specifically the New/Old Islands subsectors. The travellers will be locals, rather than visiting Imperials, as I want to keep things contained to a relatively small area, even if they got a ship.

We loved doing character generation, and one character got a Free Trader (25%) mustering out benefit, and most of the rest got ship shares. They have decided to set up a trading company, owning shares in the business, and having the Free Trader as an asset (and the 75% mortgage as a liability).

They rolled on the Spacecraft Quirks table, and got the following:
11 - Ship is a famous and respected trader, with a good reputation.
11 - Ship is a famous and respected trader, with a good reputation.
9 - Severely Damaged: -10% Hull.
7 - DM-1 to all repair attempts.

I'm looking for inspiration for the story of this ship.
How did it get so famous - twice over?
Is the damage related to this?

Any suggestion? Remember, this is not in Imperial space - it is in the Islands cluster in Reft, so lots of vying powers - how did the ship get broad recognition?

Thanks in advance.
 
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Press release for the Elysee Starport Times

The highly regarded Far Trader "name" with Captain "name" arrived at Elysee yesterday. Well known as the ship that brought critically needed supplies to Sturgeon's Law during the Retrograde Incident that saved hundreds of lives Captain "name" has provided valuable access to trade goods in the Old Islands that the Islandbridge Trading Corporation* has been slow to provide. The "ship name" has proven that working with a system such as Colchis can build stronger connections throughout both the Old and New Island subsectors. Captain "name" is currently recruiting for ..... "


*https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Islandbridge_Trading_Corporation
 
Funko-Vynl-Han-Solo-Lando-Calrissian.jpg
 
The ship became famous after a series of adventures and risky exploits, and their fame and glory became even greater because of one incredible adventure or several closely connected adventures.

Famous: The ship and its crew spend several years in lawless space, during which they forge new trade routes, decisively defeat pirates who've been strangling trade in the region for years, and save thousands of lives by conducting humanitarian relief missions at their own expense.

Glorious: The ship and its crew use their skills and knowledge gained in their prior adventures to lead other merchant ships through enemy occupied space to bring vital supplies to allied forces cut off behind enemy lines. After several missions, the allied forces have enough strength to break out of their encirclement. The ship, its crew, and the surviving merchant vessels that dared to come with them join the allied forces, blast their way out, and surprise the enemy's primary battlegroup as they prepare to crush a vital friendly stronghold.

After that, the ship and its crew are celebrated as heroes in the finest tradition of merchant-adventurers. If they don't squander this goodwill, they'll frequently receive free drinks, unofficial government assistance, and steep discounts on berthing fees and starship maintenance in the regions they played a role in saving.

The damage would be definitely related to this. The ship went through more than any ship should be expected to survive, and it has major structural damage that can't really be fixed. It will never be as good as new. The ship should really only be used in safe circumstances, and the crew's missions could focus on making enough money to buy a new ship and retire their old warhorse.

Edit: The crew could have been the deciding factor in the war, by aligning with one side or the other. They could be heroes to the side they helped and scoundrels to the other side. This would go a long way toward explaining why the crew is known throughout the region.
 
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The ship became famous after a series of adventures and risky exploits, and their fame and glory became even greater because of one incredible adventure or several closely connected adventures.

Famous: The ship and its crew spend several years in lawless space, during which they forge new trade routes, decisively defeat pirates who've been strangling trade in the region for years, and save thousands of lives by conducting humanitarian relief missions at their own expense.

Glorious: The ship and its crew use their skills and knowledge gained in their prior adventures to lead other merchant ships through enemy occupied space to bring vital supplies to allied forces cut off behind enemy lines. After several missions, the allied forces have enough strength to break out of their encirclement. The ship, its crew, and the surviving merchant vessels that dared to come with them join the allied forces, blast their way out, and surprise the enemy's primary battlegroup as they prepare to crush a vital friendly stronghold.

After that, the ship and its crew are celebrated as heroes in the finest tradition of merchant-adventurers. If they don't squander this goodwill, they'll frequently receive free drinks, unofficial government assistance, and steep discounts on berthing fees and starship maintenance in the regions they played a role in saving.

The damage would be definitely related to this. The ship went through more than any ship should be expected to survive, and it has major structural damage that can't really be fixed. It will never be as good as new. The ship should really only be used in safe circumstances, and the crew's missions could focus on making enough money to buy a new ship and retire their old warhorse.

Edit: The crew could have been the deciding factor in the war, by aligning with one side or the other. They could be heroes to the side they helped and scoundrels to the other side. This would go a long way toward explaining why the crew is known throughout the region.
Wouldn't that be the crew with the reputation then and not the ship specifically?
 
Ran my characters through High and Dry. Used a merchant ship that one of them had from Char-gen, but then entered another career.
The ship rescued all of the inhabitants in time. The group rolled very well on negotiations (two critical successes) and the planet's government bought the ship (at a discount, which still paid the mortgage with some left over), using it as a museum between cargo runs. An advanced entertainment system allowed the government to run historical/propaganda vids at various stations, Including a full documentary in the cargo bay using a projector and portable chairs.
 
I have started preparing my first Traveller campaign, set in the Great Rift (using the box set) - specifically the New/Old Islands subsectors. The travellers will be locals, rather than visiting Imperials, as I want to keep things contained to a relatively small area, even if they got a ship.

We loved doing character generation, and one character got a Free Trader (25%) mustering out benefit, and most of the rest got ship shares. They have decided to set up a trading company, owning shares in the business, and having the Free Trader as an asset (and the 75% mortgage as a liability).

They rolled on the Spacecraft Quirks table, and got the following:
11 - Ship is a famous and respected trader, with a good reputation.
11 - Ship is a famous and respected trader, with a good reputation.
9 - Severely Damaged: -10% Hull.
7 - DM-1 to all repair attempts.

I'm looking for inspiration for the story of this ship.
How did it get so famous - twice over?
Is the damage related to this?

Any suggestion? Remember, this is not in Imperial space - it is in the Islands cluster in Reft, so lots of vying powers - how did the ship get broad recognition?

Thanks in advance.
Sounds like the beginning of a great campaign! What are the mix of characters and how many terms did all of you do?
 
I have started preparing my first Traveller campaign, set in the Great Rift (using the box set) - specifically the New/Old Islands subsectors. The travellers will be locals, rather than visiting Imperials, as I want to keep things contained to a relatively small area, even if they got a ship.

We loved doing character generation, and one character got a Free Trader (25%) mustering out benefit, and most of the rest got ship shares. They have decided to set up a trading company, owning shares in the business, and having the Free Trader as an asset (and the 75% mortgage as a liability).

They rolled on the Spacecraft Quirks table, and got the following:
11 - Ship is a famous and respected trader, with a good reputation.
11 - Ship is a famous and respected trader, with a good reputation.
9 - Severely Damaged: -10% Hull.
7 - DM-1 to all repair attempts.

I'm looking for inspiration for the story of this ship.
How did it get so famous - twice over?
Is the damage related to this?

Any suggestion? Remember, this is not in Imperial space - it is in the Islands cluster in Reft, so lots of vying powers - how did the ship get broad recognition?

Thanks in advance.
1st famous event: MV 'Coolname' was famous as the setting for a reality show ('The Love Boat') that became all too real after it suffered a misjump and was damaged. Somehow, the ship's crew managed to patch it together and return safely.

2nd famous event: One of the celebrities competing on the Love Boat show then hired the Coolname as part of a campaign to improve the safety regulations of ALL political entities in the Great Rifts. They travelled to all the Type A, B and C starports and gave presentations on how to prevent misjumps (and recover from them).

Cosmetic damage was not repaired as this made the ship look more 'dramatic' and brought more attention. Unfortunately, this made it necessary to make non-standard repairs. These have not been properly documented and all repair attempts are penalised because of this.
 
1st famous event: MV 'Coolname' was famous as the setting for a reality show ('The Love Boat') that became all too real after it suffered a misjump and was damaged. Somehow, the ship's crew managed to patch it together and return safely.

2nd famous event: One of the celebrities competing on the Love Boat show then hired the Coolname as part of a campaign to improve the safety regulations of ALL political entities in the Great Rifts. They travelled to all the Type A, B and C starports and gave presentations on how to prevent misjumps (and recover from them).

Cosmetic damage was not repaired as this made the ship look more 'dramatic' and brought more attention. Unfortunately, this made it necessary to make non-standard repairs. These have not been properly documented and all repair attempts are penalised because of this.
Great background!
 
Wouldn't that be the crew with the reputation then and not the ship specifically?

I was thinking the crew and the ship together, since people would most likely only know the ship's name, not the names of the crew. If the GM wants the ship to be famous before the current crew gets it, then everything could have happened with an NPC crew who are no longer with the ship for various reasons. Maybe the original crew is selling the famous ship because it can no longer take on the dangerous missions the original crew is used to, or maybe they simply want to retire and live quieter lives.
 
I was thinking the crew and the ship together, since people would most likely only know the ship's name, not the names of the crew. If the GM wants the ship to be famous before the current crew gets it, then everything could have happened with an NPC crew who are no longer with the ship for various reasons. Maybe the original crew is selling the famous ship because it can no longer take on the dangerous missions the original crew is used to, or maybe they simply want to retire and live quieter lives.
How is the crew's reputation a Ship Quirk? Unless they are slaves that you sell with the ship?
 
How is the crew's reputation a Ship Quirk? Unless they are slaves that you sell with the ship?

The ship has a famed reputation, and there was a crew that made the ship do the things that got it its famed reputation, and so the reputation of the ship really is that of the crew that operated the ship during the actions that made the ship famous and respected.

But, since the story is taking place outside the Imperium, the crew could very well be slaves that are sold with the ship. That's a good story idea, the new crew having to deal with the slave crew that comes with the ship.

Edit: I guess fame could accrue to an inanimate object like a ship with no crew (like the Event Horizon?), but respected is a descriptor that would most likely be applied to people.
 
The ship has a famed reputation, and there was a crew that made the ship do the things that got it its famed reputation, and so the reputation of the ship really is that of the crew that operated the ship during the actions that made the ship famous and respected.

But, since the story is taking place outside the Imperium, the crew could very well be slaves that are sold with the ship. That's a good story idea, the new crew having to deal with the slave crew that comes with the ship.

Edit: I guess fame could accrue to an inanimate object like a ship with no crew (like the Event Horizon?), but respected is a descriptor that would most likely be applied to people.
Think about some famous ships from American history, such as the USS Constitution. It is a famed ship, but no one knows anything about the crew as it has changed many times in it's over 200-year history. Or the USS Enterprise. Or the "Big Mo".
 
Think about some famous ships from American history, such as the USS Constitution. It is a famed ship, but no one knows anything about the crew as it has changed many times in it's over 200-year history. Or the USS Enterprise. Or the "Big Mo".

I suppose it would depend on how recently the events which made the ship famous occurred.
 
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