Traveller EDC (Every Day Carry)

[Linwood]

Looking for thoughts on the kind of things Travellers - or members of Traveller professions - would typically carry with them wherever they go. Mostly to add color (“you search the unconscious mugger and find <?>”) but also for brainstorming. Could also be useful for defining a type of NPC.

Top of the list is likely a mobile comm of some type. I expect an app that converts local time to an interstellar standard time would be almost ubiquitous. Maybe an app that handles handshakes and such for connection to the local data networks (or a “universal” starport network link?). But there are likely others.

Hard to picture a mechanic without a pocket multitool. A starship engineer might feel lost without something that talks to the ship. An explorer or colonist might never leave home without a compass / inertial locator.

Thoughts?

 

[Anonymous]

I assume this only applies to starports? Otherwise need to look at local law levels. Good luck getting a pocket multi-tool on a commercial airplane in 2019. Traveller ships are probably more permissive like today's ships, as you will have all your luggage in your cabin for your week-long jump, and you need to access your personal or work stuff during that time. However, the short haul earth-moon shuttle may not be so permissive.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Army Knife.

 

[Old School]

Laser pistol hidden in cybernetic arm, small blade, TL15 portable computer, comm dot (assuming no neural comm), wafer chips for every possible skill, tool laser, TL14 medikit, and personal automedic. You know, just the basics. If we’re in less civilized areas I’ll
probably need a backpack for a few extra items.

 

[GenericSuperhero]

I'll go with "depends of TL".

For transhuman (TL18+) I'd say nothing spare clothes on one's back, as everything else is hardwired into brain or made into bionic equivalent (like multitool-shifting hands or sth).
TL15 has nice cybernetics that take over most mundane things, like perception enhancements, comm/data transfer/payment/timechecking devices, sometimes weapons.

Other that that, comms, computers, some local (wherever they usually stop) equivalent of money. If expecting trouble(aka."job"), specialization-tied equipment: medic would have medkits, engis would carry a set of tools, etc., maybe some weapons. In the wild - concrete or natural - add personal weapons and armor.

 

[Baldo]

I'll go with "depends of TL".

21st Century Terra or Aramis/Aramis in 1105 share one thing: the wrist watch! I *NEED* a wrist watch, I *ALWAYS* get a wrist watch as soon as possible.
Usually, I start with a TL10 wrist watch with a radio transceiver and a Translator program, adding upgrades later (do you can have a Geiger Counter in your watch?), and I've adopted wrist watches from GURPS (here and here) too.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll go with "depends of TL".

21st Century Terra or Aramis/Aramis in 1105 share one thing: the wrist watch! I *NEED* a wrist watch, I *ALWAYS* get a wrist watch as soon as possible.
Usually, I start with a TL10 wrist watch with a radio transceiver and a Translator program, adding upgrades later (do you can have a Geiger Counter in your watch?), and I've adopted wrist watches from GURPS (here and here) too.

Wrist watch ... there's something I haven't seen in over 10 years - with the exception of smartwatch app developers because they have to.

 

[Old School]

You haven't seen a watch in ten years? Things must be different in your part of the world.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[WingedCat]

http://wristoffice.com/ has a less-concept more-practical version of that. I've been wearing one of theirs for many years.

 

[Linwood]

One of the little items i’ve put on my campaign’s available gadgets list is a personal emergency locator beacon. About the size of the average button, when activated the device sends a repeating radio distress signal. It’s already come in handy once or twice....

 

[Condottiere]

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[Linwood]

I’ve been considering a variant beacon - a bright red button that says ‘Don’t Panic’ when inactive and ‘Panic!!!’ when activated...

 

[Jame Rowe]

Your TL's version of keys, a phone, watch, wallet (for your money) and clothes.

 

[Linwood]

Maybe a lucky <small native herbivore>’s foot?

 

[Condottiere]

 

[steve98052]

My standard substitute for a smart phone, watch, etc. is eyeglasses that include a computer, communications system, etc., with the glasses as the display. For concentrated work it can make the display opaque, but normally it operates as a heads up display. Input can include speech, typing onto a virtual keyboard that exists in the heads up display but appears on any convenient surface, or on an external physical input device, such a a roll-up keyboard.

It was a pretty exotic idea when I imagined it in the 1980s (and even when I mentioned it as a character's possession in my 2001 JTAS article), but it's more or less what Google Glass tried to be.

 

[Linwood]

As long as there’s a mirrorshade variant.... 8)

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I usually thought about this from a Credit point of view.

I use a simple rule: for every 10000 CR received during Mustering Out, they carry 100 CR is "cash". Maximum is 1000 CR. Of course this isn't all cash, but could be a fancy watch etc. that could be pawned. It's a simple way to create "treasure" for the NPCs.

 

[Condottiere]

Equipment and cash seemed to have been deliberately separated.