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Post by Falconer on Aug 22, 2021 19:07:34 GMT -5
One option would be to play as the crew of the C-57D. It’s not like they are overly fleshed out. And you could contrive to keep Altaira onboard. (Maybe she’s not adaptable to Earth conditions but spaceship travel is fine.)
Generation ships are a common sci-fi device, but I feel like they could particularly work well here.
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c57d
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Post by c57d on Sept 2, 2021 5:27:36 GMT -5
Having found some FP script websites, I think we can add some more setting info. I won't include the script here since the websites are easy to find, and to avoid tl:dr problems. So:- 1) Astronavigation and both FTL & STL drives seem to be centered on the gravity fields of large space objects. FTL on the stellar body and STL on planets. 2) Even STL is fast. 0.3896 lightspeed is mentioned, with braking once entering planetry orbit. 3) The DC process, bringing the ship out of hyperdrive, is hazardous. The bosun jokingly enforces the crew being in DC fields by asking if they want to "bounce through this one?". 4) Shipboard weapons are obliquely mentioned by an order, given while the ship is in orbit, for blaster men to watch their scopes. 5) Spacesuits are called survival suits. 6) Internal artificial gravity is turned off as the ship lands. 7) And, as I summized, there is at least one ground vehicle stashed away on the ship. It seems to be in a prefab form and need some constructing. Anyway, enough for now. Since I am using Classic Traveller rules (specifically The Traveller Book) my next step seems to be house-ruling to fit FP.
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c57d
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Post by c57d on Sept 3, 2021 4:22:29 GMT -5
Going into pure unknown territory here, I am starting to wonder what C57D means and how we can use that in any FP campaign. Sticking my neck out, I am going to suggest that it is the 57th Cruiser of D model. This suggests that A, B & C models exist - now considered obsolete for front line service and sold to planetary governments, corporations (and maybe very rich individuals?). I would suggest that there are also,various models of much larger but far slower, Transport (T___) and Warship (W____) models. Ymmv
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c57d
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Posts: 169
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Post by c57d on Sept 3, 2021 6:48:40 GMT -5
One further thought for today:- I am assuming that we are currently about 100 years on from the discovery of Hyper drive. I am basing my thoughts on my above ABCD cruiser models (20-30 years service each), to give enough time to colonise the "core" ten or so colonies we discussed earlier and that in the film the crew seem to have their processes off pat and don't seem like they are novices.
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Post by Falconer on Sept 3, 2021 9:15:45 GMT -5
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Post by Falconer on Sept 3, 2021 9:22:07 GMT -5
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c57d
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Posts: 169
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Post by c57d on Sept 4, 2021 6:07:03 GMT -5
Some great extrapolation in these documents - the Krell stuff in particular will be really useful. I haven't had time to read it all, just dipped in and out, but so far so fascinating.
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Post by Falconer on Sept 5, 2021 20:14:16 GMT -5
Watching this movie tonight.
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c57d
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Post by c57d on Sept 8, 2021 10:49:24 GMT -5
Having found my old notes from when I tried this before, I have started to pull this together again. 1. Characters. Completely ignoring CT random rules, for choice instead. So,for first term, one point on both:- Astrogators-pilot&navigation Blastermen-gunnery&sensors Enginners-engineering&mechanical (or electronics) ComCon-communications &computer Doctor- medical&science Then everyone has one in blaster (pistol & rifle) plus an extra point for any existing profession skill, or vehicle or vacc suit. Second term (senior NCO's) two points in total across already existing skill or vehicle or vac suit. Third term (command) one each in leadership and tactics. 2. For Blasters take autopistol and laser carbine, but add 1D damaige to each. And new rule for concentrated fire on target phase on phase. Movement, cover and evasion will affect it. 3.Ship construction will need to vastly change. My gut-feeling is that C57D is 400 tons, but I need to work it out. And as for a FTL drives conversion!! .
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c57d
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Post by c57d on Sept 12, 2021 14:24:56 GMT -5
Too busy with RL issues to work on this now. However, I have just noticed this:- I have always considered TNG to have less of an exploration/new worlds dangers feel, than TOS does. 1,000+ crew, room for another 20,000 scientists & passengers, tens of shuttles and transporters. Almost feels like they could swamp any planet in minutes and have myriad ways to escape if needed. But now, as we have extrapolated upon and explored in this thread, compared to FP, TOS now seems the safer one. Just 20 crew, tiny ship, planetary landing, no immediate way of calling base for backup, no shuttles, no transporters (and nowhere to go to even if you had them). And at roughly 16 times lightspeed space must seem even bigger than for the warp 6 cruising speed Starfleet explorers. Just a thought
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Post by Falconer on Sept 12, 2021 21:34:21 GMT -5
So I just watched Forbidden Planet and The Cage back-to-back with my 8-year-old son (his first exposure to Trek apart from a few TAS episodes). The continuity between the two is striking. One thing that really jumped out at him was the “transporters” that they go in when the ship comes out of hyperspace in FP. He was familiar with them from TAS but obviously they work differently in FP. I told him it was like the transporters in that it has to do with maintaining their molecules intact. In The Cage they don’t have to do that, although while in time warp there is an interesting transparency effect and they have to communicate with visual signals only. There is also the thing about “We’ve broken the time barrier!” and attained speeds much higher than the Columbia used to get to Talos. It would be a fun little easter egg in a FP campaign to bemoan the supposedly definite limits imposed by the time barrier.
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c57d
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Posts: 169
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Post by c57d on Oct 9, 2021 14:55:16 GMT -5
Major RL issues are keeping me from completing an FP supplement for TTB. However, I have adjusted the ship construction rules and constructed three Cruiser classes (including C_ _D), two Trader classes and two Warship classes. And C57D is 400 tons as I originally guesstimated. Next I will (very slowly) write up equipment, and United Planets technical, stellar system and historical/cultural background. That should then be all.
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c57d
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Posts: 169
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Post by c57d on Oct 16, 2021 3:33:41 GMT -5
Another stray setting thought. What kind of culture names their ships in such a boring, mundane, and totally pragmatic way? Not Enterprise or Victory, but C57D! To me that suggests some sort of technocratic corporate society. Focused solely on productivity and achievement, with no time for culture, tradition, artistry or history. In FP, other than Cookie, everyone seemed quite "stiff" - JJ Adams in particular. This could have just been general military discipline, or somewhat indicitive of broader society. If so, I wonder how/if we extrapolate UP society from it for any FP campaign?
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Post by rredmond on Oct 16, 2021 7:15:41 GMT -5
Isn’t that similar to naming the stars, or planets, as well as other scientific discoveries? Some are very creative and other a little less so - at least to others, probably no so much the namer.
I’ve also read somewhere that Trek had the ships mostly named after historical things or places, except for the few like Intrepid, Victory, Enterprise.
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Post by starcruiser on Oct 16, 2021 17:21:21 GMT -5
Keep in mind that the ship that Dr. Morbius came to Altair IV on was called the 'Bellerophon'. That's a call-back to ancient Greek culture so, I would think more likely the small patrol ships probably are given simple designations like C57D while, larger vessels may have actual names.
There's nothing unusual about that in real-world navies. US Navy patrol boats in WW2 "PT-109" - German Torpedo Boat in WW1 "B110" etc...
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