Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 19, 2021 20:41:47 GMT -5
The fact that the Taggart failed to shoot back after it's initial [two-shot] attempt leads me to suspect that it is a not-so-well-off example of the breed. Perhaps, if the Taggart gang was indeed "under contract" to some dirtside paymaster, what that contract was paying for the kidnapping of a couple of folks from the starport was not worth the risk of damage that could come from a ship-to-ship battle. |
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Post by Terry Mixon on Apr 19, 2021 20:46:28 GMT -5
I was thinking "lightly-armed" in comparison to, oh, I don't know, say, a " pirate ship."  If you look at the stats for that ship, the only thing it definitely has over the Clear Sails in terms of combat capability is it's acceleration [3Gs versus our measley 1G]. But unless we are attempting to run away from it, this advantage in accel has little bearing on [Classic Traveller Book 1] space combat. The only other relevant factors is that the Type P design incorporates no armor and possesses exactly the same number of hardpoints (4) as we do. Of course - as the linked article points out - each "Type P" is a different beast. Thus a particular pirate may mount a turret on each hardpoint, whereas we currently mount only two (although ours are of the largest type and fully armed). But armament of such degree assumes the pirate concerned has been lucky at "finding" weaponry. The fact that the Taggart failed to shoot back after it's initial [two-shot] attempt leads me to suspect that it is a not-so-well-off example of the breed. E.g. maybe it only has two cannon [one dual turret? two single turrets?] to begin with and either we took those out of action or they're even slower to cycle than our own guns [poor maintenance?]. In short, if the Taggart is typical of the level of "contract enforcement" that Shirelea customarily deals with, I'm not very worried. I was wondering if we killed their gunner on the tarmac. That would potentially also explain their lousy shooting. |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 19, 2021 20:52:51 GMT -5
To summon Other Mercenaries will likely require at least two weeks. . . . It seems . . . unlikely that Taggart and Clear Sails are the only two ships at ShiraLea. . . . But the fact that such forces did not interfere in our little tet-a-tet with Taggart argues rather strongly against this being the case. This view seems to require an assumption that these would be thugs who are on some sort of "retainer," ready to jump into action at any moment. That need not be the case at all.
There could be another "pirate" ship engaged in other nefarious activity somewhere in the ShiraLea system getting a transmission right now with a lucrative offer they won't be inclined to turn down.
Surely a planet with a Class C starport is not a planet that could be so easily thwarted by a single armed merchant ship. . . .
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 19, 2021 20:54:29 GMT -5
I was wondering if we killed their gunner on the tarmac. That would potentially also explain their lousy shooting. Yep. Or their captain. . . . |
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Post by erisred on Apr 19, 2021 23:09:36 GMT -5
I missed that. Will correct. Uh . . . it does seem like the Ref may have responded, by "overlooking" this proposed course of action, and then having an NPC suggest that the next step for Clear Sails would be to find a remote refueling location on the surface. I don't suppose the next Ref intervention will be as . . . painless as that one. . . . No, I didn't overlook that suggestion. I was waiting for one of y'all to bring it up.  Now, Blackjack may have missed it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't bring it to his attention or just do it. |
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Post by erisred on Apr 19, 2021 23:10:30 GMT -5
Uh . . . it does seem like the Ref may have responded, by "overlooking" this proposed course of action, and then having an NPC suggest that the next step for Clear Sails would be to find a remote refueling location on the surface. I don't suppose the next Ref intervention will be as . . . painless as that one. . . . Eris is more than happy to let us wander into trouble. Obviously.  What Terry said! |
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Post by erisred on Apr 19, 2021 23:17:03 GMT -5
I was wondering if we killed their gunner on the tarmac. That would potentially also explain their lousy shooting. Yep. Or their captain. . . . No, not their Captain, I'll give you that much. Your guesses as to their bad shooting and only taking two shots are good ones. I won't say you are correct, but I will say they are good guesses. As to whether it is safe in-system to hang around for a few days, well, I wouldn't hang around too long if I was you. However, as no other ships are showing up on the sensors you might be safe for now. |
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Post by raikenclw on Apr 20, 2021 20:43:30 GMT -5
In the interests of snagging debris: I note that Casca has Vacc Suit-2, while Charlie has Vacc Suit-1. |
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Post by Terry Mixon on Apr 20, 2021 20:52:23 GMT -5
In the interests of snagging debris: I note that Casca has Vacc Suit-2, while Charlie has Vacc Suit-1. That'll be an interesting recovery operation. |
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ateno
Traveler
Posts: 111
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Post by ateno on Apr 21, 2021 6:05:04 GMT -5
In the interests of snagging debris: I note that Casca has Vacc Suit-2, while Charlie has Vacc Suit-1. That'll be an interesting recovery operation. Ekhunoz has vacc - 1, but no vacc suit.... |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 21, 2021 8:05:16 GMT -5
That'll be an interesting recovery operation. Ekhunoz has vacc - 1, but no vacc suit.... While Peng seems to have a vacc suit, but no skill. . . . |
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Post by raikenclw on Apr 21, 2021 17:42:55 GMT -5
Ekhunoz has vacc - 1, but no vacc suit.... While Peng seems to have a vacc suit, but no skill. . . . Yep. Peng has a personal vacc suit because he doesn't trust the sort of picked-over, patched-and-repatched loaners that tend to end up in a ship's locker. You don't tend to need a vacc suit all that often in this setting [given the prevalence of artificial gravity], but when you do need one [e.g. when there's a perceptible chance of explosive decompression] you REALLY want a good one. As to Ekhunoz not having a vacc suit . . . unless they're all hard suits (e.g. with dedicated human-style knee and ankle joints), Ekhunoz could probably fit into a loaner suit from the ship's locker. Given that Ekhunoz *also* has Zero-G Combat-1, he might well be better than Casca at performing retrieval work of this sort, even in a borrowed human suit. |
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ateno
Traveler
Posts: 111
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Post by ateno on Apr 21, 2021 17:57:00 GMT -5
While Peng seems to have a vacc suit, but no skill. . . . Yep. Peng has a personal vacc suit because he doesn't trust the sort of picked-over, patched-and-repatched loaners that tend to end up in a ship's locker. You don't tend to need a vacc suit all that often in this setting [given the prevalence of artificial gravity], but when you do need one [e.g. when there's a perceptible chance of explosive decompression] you REALLY want a good one. As to Ekhunoz not having a vacc suit . . . unless they're all hard suits (e.g. with dedicated human-style knee and ankle joints), Ekhunoz could probably fit into a loaner suit from the ship's locker. Given that Ekhunoz *also* has Zero-G Combat-1, he might well be better than Casca at performing retrieval work of this sort, even in a borrowed human suit. I was thinking that was a possibility, they do train astronauts in underwater in preparation for deep space. |
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Post by raikenclw on Apr 21, 2021 18:12:08 GMT -5
Eris is more than happy to let us wander into trouble. Obviously. What Terry said! In my own personal case, the groups I run in face-to-face games tend to regard me as being an especially devious GM, fond of deeply convoluted plots. In actual fact, I plot very little in advance. I let my players do the "plotting" for me, by picking up on then elaborating whatever plot threads they imagine into being. |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 23, 2021 18:39:06 GMT -5
Casca, having been put to work by Blackjack in engineering, continues to work. So . . . is Casca the only PC in Engineering? |
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Post by raikenclw on Apr 23, 2021 21:21:35 GMT -5
Casca, having been put to work by Blackjack in engineering, continues to work. So . . . is Casca the only PC in Engineering? I think so. |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 24, 2021 9:27:55 GMT -5
So . . . is Casca the only PC in Engineering? I think so. So, there's Peng, Charlie and Takheal and Ekhunoz and Aarav on the bridge, and Casca in Engineering and . . . Cyril . . . somewhere? Any other PCs? Maybe the other Aslan?
It looks like maybe Cyril, Casca and Ekhunoz are the ones who might get in a (ship's locker) vaccsuit and go out to collect some debris? Seems like someone in some position of authority should ask one (or more) of them if they're interested . . . and then tell them to "make it so" if they are.
Otherwise, we might as well head back to the surface to find a nice, remote beach. . . .
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Post by joertexas on Apr 24, 2021 11:19:03 GMT -5
So, there's Peng, Charlie and Takheal and Ekhunoz and Aarav on the bridge, and Casca in Engineering and . . . Cyril . . . somewhere? Any other PCs? Maybe the other Aslan?
It looks like maybe Cyril, Casca and Ekhunoz are the ones who might get in a (ship's locker) vaccsuit and go out to collect some debris? Seems like someone in some position of authority should ask one (or more) of them if they're interested . . . and then tell them to "make it so" if they are.
Otherwise, we might as well head back to the surface to find a nice, remote beach. . . .
Tokeletoi is with Cyril to hep him with damage control. She's not vacc suit rated, nor does she have any engineering skills, though. |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 24, 2021 11:23:35 GMT -5
It looks like maybe Cyril, Casca and Ekhunoz are the ones who might get in a (ship's locker) vaccsuit and go out to collect some debris? Seems like someone in some position of authority should ask one (or more) of them if they're interested . . . and then tell them to "make it so" if they are.
Otherwise, we might as well head back to the surface to find a nice, remote beach. . . .
Tokeletoi is with Cyril to hep him with damage control. She's not vacc suit rated, nor does she have any engineering skills, though. Seems like she's someone who has experience giving direction. . . . |
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Post by erisred on Apr 24, 2021 14:17:45 GMT -5
So, there's Peng, Charlie and Takheal and Ekhunoz and Aarav on the bridge, and Casca in Engineering and . . . Cyril . . . somewhere? Any other PCs? Maybe the other Aslan?
It looks like maybe Cyril, Casca and Ekhunoz are the ones who might get in a (ship's locker) vaccsuit and go out to collect some debris? Seems like someone in some position of authority should ask one (or more) of them if they're interested . . . and then tell them to "make it so" if they are.
Otherwise, we might as well head back to the surface to find a nice, remote beach. . . .
Cyril is checking for damage, there really isn't any, so he can go to the Galley at any time to prepare food and drinks.
Tol is with Cyril and, with no damage, should be free to go wherever needed.
Dr. Garcia is in the Sickbay working on Gil and Madame Cho. Raven's body is also there.
Sir Baltus and the Delgado people are in the passenger lounge. They have various skills, but only Ben Dean has a relevant one, Ship's Boat.
There are 2 general purpose Vacc Suits hanging on a rack in Engineering.
There are 4 general purpose Vacc Suits in the Ship's Locker.
OOC: Blackjack could give that order, but as he left him in charge on the Bridge, he's waiting to see if Charlie will do it. Acting Captain Charlie Lin, that is!
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 24, 2021 15:57:19 GMT -5
. . . while Casca flies the Ship's Boat/Launch.
[snip]
. . . but only Ben Dean has a relevant one, Ship's Boat. If I recall, under first edition (1977) rules "Ship's Boat" was a separate skill, distinct from "Pilot" but under second edition (1981) rules Pilot skill was equivalent to "Ship's Boat minus one" (which seems to acknowledge that someone with "Pilot" skill also operates a starship in interplantary and orbital space while under maneuver drive). This might mean that, under 1981 rules, Aarav's "Pilot-1" might also be something like "Ship's Boat-0."
So, what is Aarav thinking about his ability to operate Clear Sails' launch? Perhaps in a pinch under non-challenging conditions, or not at all?
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Post by Terry Mixon on Apr 24, 2021 17:25:05 GMT -5
So, there's Peng, Charlie and Takheal and Ekhunoz and Aarav on the bridge, and Casca in Engineering and . . . Cyril . . . somewhere? Any other PCs? Maybe the other Aslan?
It looks like maybe Cyril, Casca and Ekhunoz are the ones who might get in a (ship's locker) vaccsuit and go out to collect some debris? Seems like someone in some position of authority should ask one (or more) of them if they're interested . . . and then tell them to "make it so" if they are.
Otherwise, we might as well head back to the surface to find a nice, remote beach. . . .
Cyril is checking for damage, there really isn't any, so he can go to the Galley at any time to prepare food and drinks.
Tol is with Cyril and, with no damage, should be free to go wherever needed.
Dr. Garcia is in the Sickbay working on Gil and Madame Cho. Raven's body is also there.
Sir Baltus and the Delgado people are in the passenger lounge. They have various skills, but only Ben Dean has a relevant one, Ship's Boat.
There are 2 general purpose Vacc Suits hanging on a rack in Engineering.
There are 4 general purpose Vacc Suits in the Ship's Locker.
OOC: Blackjack could give that order, but as he left him in charge on the Bridge, he's waiting to see if Charlie will do it. Acting Captain Charlie Lin, that is!
Would a general purpose vacc suit fit Ekhunoz? |
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Post by raikenclw on Apr 24, 2021 23:59:29 GMT -5
OOC: Blackjack could give that order, but as he left him in charge on the Bridge, he's waiting to see if Charlie will do it. Acting Captain Charlie Lin, that is! Told ya! Or rather - to be precise - Peng told ya. NOTE: I originally had put an "OOC:" ahead of the above . . . before I remembered that this was a post to the OOC thread . . . getting old is a sad, sad business. |
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Post by erisred on Apr 25, 2021 1:08:25 GMT -5
. . . while Casca flies the Ship's Boat/Launch.
[snip]
. . . but only Ben Dean has a relevant one, Ship's Boat. If I recall, under first edition (1977) rules "Ship's Boat" was a separate skill, distinct from "Pilot" but under second edition (1981) rules Pilot skill was equivalent to "Ship's Boat minus one" (which seems to acknowledge that someone with "Pilot" skill also operates a starship in interplantary and orbital space while under maneuver drive). This might mean that, under 1981 rules, Aarav's "Pilot-1" might also be something like "Ship's Boat-0."
So, what is Aarav thinking about his ability to operate Clear Sails' launch? Perhaps in a pinch under non-challenging conditions, or not at all?
Ship's Boat 0 is how I'd handle it. |
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Post by erisred on Apr 25, 2021 1:17:37 GMT -5
Blackjack is in Engineering and can run Engineering on his own while Casca flies the Ship's Boat/Launch.
Cyril is checking for damage, there really isn't any, so he can go to the Galley at any time to prepare food and drinks.
Tol is with Cyril and, with no damage, should be free to go wherever needed.
Dr. Garcia is in the Sickbay working on Gil and Madame Cho. Raven's body is also there.
Sir Baltus and the Delgado people are in the passenger lounge. They have various skills, but only Ben Dean has a relevant one, Ship's Boat.
There are 2 general purpose Vacc Suits hanging on a rack in Engineering.
There are 4 general purpose Vacc Suits in the Ship's Locker.
OOC: Blackjack could give that order, but as he left him in charge on the Bridge, he's waiting to see if Charlie will do it. Acting Captain Charlie Lin, that is!
Would a general purpose vacc suit fit Ekhunoz? I'm going to say yes, but not well...-2 DM for tasks while wearing a gp (ie human style) vacc suit. He'll want to get one tailored for Vargr when he can. |
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Post by Terry Mixon on Apr 25, 2021 13:26:29 GMT -5
Would a general purpose vacc suit fit Ekhunoz? I'm going to say yes, but not well...-2 DM for tasks while wearing a gp (ie human style) vacc suit. He'll want to get one tailored for Vargr when he can. Copy that. |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 28, 2021 21:06:14 GMT -5
Over on the IC thread: “I was actually asking the third person. Hang on a second while we see who will be with us.” Uh, I don't think there's a third person.
The new folks are Casca, who's come up from Engineering carrying a vaccsuit and is asking if he should pilot the launch, Ekhunoz, the Vargr, who has vacc suit experience but no suit, and Aarav, who's still on the bridge at the sensor console (and has no vacc suit experience). |
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Post by Terry Mixon on Apr 28, 2021 21:32:04 GMT -5
Over on the IC thread: “I was actually asking the third person. Hang on a second while we see who will be with us.” Uh, I don't think there's a third person.
The new folks are Casca, who's come up from Engineering carrying a vaccsuit and is asking if he should pilot the launch, Ekhunoz, the Vargr, who has vacc suit experience but no suit, and Aarav, who's still on the bridge at the sensor console (and has no vacc suit experience). Maybe it was an NPC. Wasn’t our lady Asian here with someone? |
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Aarav
Traveler
Posts: 173
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Post by Aarav on Apr 28, 2021 22:34:52 GMT -5
Maybe it was an NPC. Wasn’t our lady Asian here with someone? There was one of the "Delgado people" who, I believe, are congregated in the (forward) passenger lounge rather than the (aft) galley.
Looks like Ekhunoz could pilot the launch while Charlie and Casca go outside to investigate the debris. If needed, Aarav could come down and operate the launch sensor/comms station. . . .
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Post by Terry Mixon on Apr 28, 2021 22:46:17 GMT -5
Maybe it was an NPC. Wasn’t our lady Asian here with someone? There was one of the "Delgado people" who, I believe, are congregated in the (forward) passenger lounge rather than the (aft) galley.
Looks like Ekhunoz could pilot the launch while Charlie and Casca go outside to investigate the debris. If needed, Aarav could come down and operate the launch sensor/comms station. . . .
Truth. |
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Now, Blackjack may have missed it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't bring it to his attention or just do it. 
