StarMaster would like us to fill in the Ship’s Crew roles thing he posted. Who is doing what? I propose we split the three newcomers up. One marine, one gunner, one backup engineer or pilot as needed (or based on their aptitudes)

  Every one of those ships has a full stock of missiles: how many ships were there? We've got a lot of resupply, however many tons of salable cargo, or some mix of both. Same with the launchers, which can probably be packed up and sold. (It's not like there won't be a market for them in the Reach...)

  We aren't going to be able to fill those roles exactly as-is: there are far too many of us with nontraditional skillsets by the standards of the Sindalian navy. On the other hand, some of us can cover multiple jobs for the same reason.

  But if we want to stick as close as possible to that roster, then...


  Looking at the UPPs, Aaron is obviously a highly-qualified Medic, but he's also our best Electronics guy and can handle Astrogation as well, which means he'd be the Navigator too under that role-set.

  Since the Medic is mostly a Steward, and we're less concerned about the latter and have multiple people who can cover the former, no problem there.


  And Theodore is our best Pilot as well as being equal to Ingrid on the J-Drive, but you can't really work those jobs when you're handling tactical command.


  It looks like Viridian is the best pilot we have after that (and good with small craft and flyers too, if that ever comes up).


  Ingrid is the one with Engineering skills, and after that... Theodore's J-Drive talent and nothing else. Lots of people have Mechanic, at least.

  So the four critical jobs are covered: Captain (Theodore), Pilot (Viridian), Navigation (Aaron), and Engineer (Ingrid).



  BB and Rejji are both marines and not much else. (Although when it comes to leading the team BB appears to be a better tactician than Varca is...)

  Varca is the closest thing we have to a General Gopher (aka Second Pilot), with Pilot, Astrogation, and Electronics. On the other hand, that means he can run off with the marine squad and not leave any crucial seats empty.



  We only have two people with Gunnery (Theodore, Viridian), and both are on different jobs, so we'll need people to handle those (whether it's Vespexers or someone else).

  We don't really have a Drive Chief either, since Theodore is unavailable for it. And you really don't want someone tampering with the drives, power plant, or life support if they don't know what they're doing. Again though, lots of people with Mechanic.

  Medic/Steward is pretty much whoever-as-needed and not-relevant, respectively.

  We need one more Marine to fill that list. Or we can have more Marines than the Sindalian standard called for. Vespexers should be good for this either way.



  And Zhouth is very helpfully useless in most of this. He has set himself up as the ship's Admin expert (the only thing he has going in terms of vaguely ship-relevant skills...) so he's effectively the Purser (in current-day spacegoing terms), and can also act as one of those in-a-pinch medics and mechanics if needed.

  ...unless we end up capturing a Zhodani noble or intendant, in which case he can reprise his mad scientist role from Vanejen. If he really has to.

  Somewhat related to the talk of ship roles...


  My understanding of this expedition is that it was essentially a thematic way of accessing and using our ship shares. I *think* the total listed in the Statistics thread is correct, or at least close to it - did BB bring any more to the table? - which leaves us with enough to solve some of the Harrier's problems, but not all of them.

  One share is good for a single Structural RU or Technical RU, or 2d6 Cosmetic RUs. Appearances may not be as operationally important, but they do still count, both for making an impression on others and for making the ship more livable for those on it.

  Given our available RUs, I'd say that we should definitely go for...


  J-Drive, M-Drive, Lanthanum Grid, Fuel Scoop, and Fuel Tanks: average of 7 RUs. We really need these done to go anywhere.

  Bridge Controls, Comms, Computers, Countermeasures, Sensors: average of 9 RUs if we ignore the cosmetics.

  Dorsal Hardpoint (particle cannon): 3 RUs if we ignore the cosmetics.

  Life Support, External Airlocks: 3 RUs if we ignore the cosmetics.

  Total: 22 RUs.


  For the sake of both appearance and livability we should probably spend SOME shares on the cosmetics. Assuming totally average rolls, 5 shares would give us 35 Cosmetic RUs, which could go toward...


  Life Support: 3 Cosmetic RU.
  Galley/Mess: 1 Cosmetic RU.
  Medical Bay: 1 Cosmetic RU.
  Dorsal Hardpoint: 1 Cosmetic RU.

  The first three are functional systems and we don't want a dirty medbay or fungus-prone air supply. If we're making the turret work, it'd be very helpful to have it LOOK as though it means business, too.

  Bridge: 6 Cosmetic RUs.
  Upper Deck: 2 Cosmetic RUs.
  Lower Deck: 6 Cosmetic RUs.

  This gets the interior half way back to shiny-new, making it at least somewhat presentable (and not nearly as much of an eyesore to the crew).

  Crew Accommodations: 12 Cosmetic RUs.

  Go full-on repair here, mainly for the sake of morale (especially if we're about to have all berths filled).

  Total: 32 Cosmetic RUs.


  This doesn't spend everything (2 shares and average-of-3 Cosmetic RUs left over), but we need to make some allowance for the inevitable bad rolls. Whatever is left over can be used to pretty things up a little bit more and/or fix another system somewhere.


  The missile launcher would be nice, but it's awfully expensive in terms of RUs and the particle beam is liable to be a better weapon.

Are you saying I'm wasting my time bringing over the missiles?

  Depends on whether we get any extra RUs out of it or those end up being part of the sale pile. ;)

  If the specific items from the scene end up filling out some of the RU needs without us having to spend any, that helps a lot - not just with the missiles, but across several areas.

  GM? What's the word on this? Can't really continue with the planning until we know what we've got.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:35, Tue 30 June 2020.

They'll use them against us! We make the missile racks functional and supply them! ;-P
This message was last edited by the player at 11:40, Tue 30 June 2020.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 11):

Okay, now that I'm drinking feeling better....

I know that I/Varca keep throwing around the word "Pirate" a lot (and that there is a good chance we could all be brainwiped for "Piracy"), but remember that that is only a Cover Story--we are secretly Privateers for the King of Drinax.

So...yes, we are sitting on a large number of (potentially salvageable) Tech/15 Anti-Ship Missiles.  And yes, even in their "salvaged" condition, we could probably find a black market buyer for them.  Good money for stuff that costs us, basically, nothing but elbow grease.

But, as Privateers, we also have the option of bringing them to our "Patron", and expect him to pay us a (small) percentage of their value.  That's part of our deal.  Sure, he might prefer if we hand over lockboxes full of Imperial Credits, but sometimes we are only going to be able to hand over whatever was in the cargo hold of the ships we rob--and sometimes that might be a cargo of "Military Supplies, Armaments".

Our "Patron" doesn't really care where the stuff we bring him comes from, as long as it's valuable, or he can use it.  We just have to try to get paid before he finds out they are all marked "Manufactured on Drinax".

^_^


But, we now also have the option of arming the Vultan with a missile turret.

We have this option, here at the Lost Base, and it won't cost us a lot of money--maybe not any money.  That is a big "pro" for installing missiles.  That there are lots of missiles to be found here--again, possibly keeping replacement costs pretty low, for a long while--is another "pro".

Particle Beams/Missiles is an okay weapon mix for a combat starship--where it's just fighting against other ships--but it's not so good when it comes to Ground Support--and by that I mean supporting ground troops, not just blasting static targets on the ground.

As I see it, as we rampage around, we might be called upon to do both "Space Pirate" type missions, as well as "Planet Raiding" missions.  The Particle Barbette, for all it's power, is only a single "barrel"--just 1 beam (I get that datum out of the PoD: Harrier-class Commerce Raider PDF).  And the dorsal Missile Turret (by design; same source) also only has a "single" turret--just 1 weapon system in the turret.  While this is usually a Missile Launcher, the Harrier-class PDF says that there are two other variations; a Torpedo Launcher version, and a much rarer Laser Cannon version.

What I'd like to propose as an alternative--and I admit, up front, this is something we won't be able to do for a while--is to get the single turret replaced with a triple turret, and then place 3 Sandcasters in it.  Yes, Sandcasters.

First of all, adding Sandcasters will add to our defenses.  With 3 'Casters I would have 2 of them dedicated to using standard Sand Cannisters for laser defense, but I would load the remaining 'caster exclusively with an optional Cannister ammo from High Guard--Pebbles.



"Targeting boarders", in MilSpeak that would be "Anti-Personnel".  So--if Pebbles can be used against people in space, why couldn't they be used against people standing on the ground?  Think of it as mounting a regular cannon on the ship, then using "grape-shot" ammunition (if you know what that is).  Otherwise, just think of it as putting a Super-Big-Assed Shotgun on a starship ^_^

And, Y'know, even though I don't know of a Rule for it....why couldn't a blast of Pebbles be used to knock out in-coming missiles?

Now, the really big down-side of this idea is that it all has to wait until we can both afford to buy all that stuff AND until we can find a Yard to do the work at.

"Varca" (being a Ground Trooper) has no interest in installing a single launcher missile system onboard the Vultan--except for punishing a landing zone before we make an assault, Varca doesn't see missiles as useful for supporting ground operations.

"I", however, do see the benefit of adding another weapon system to the ship.  So, if it is what everyone wants to do, I'll get behind it.  "Varca" will bitch a little bit, but come around ^_^

  My understanding of the Harrier design, partly from the Mongoose forum, is that it uses range, speed, and stealth/countermeasures to (fittingly) harry targets from beyond their ability to respond effectively. They may not even be able to get a lock on the attacker, and there's no chance of being able to return fire with beam turrets unless the harrier allows it by closing right in. Even missiles aren't much good between the distance, evasion, and countermeasures that the harrier has on it.

  That's an ideal world and the harriers were originally deployed in squadrons rather than alone, but any which way we should be using those advantages to keep enemy forces from being anywhere near close enough to board the ship - and missiles are pretty good at taking out boarding transports, too!

  *If* we're actually getting those launchers/missiles 'for free' rather than needing to use shares then I'd favor keeping the turret and even upgrading it to a triple since missiles can be used for all kinds of things depending on what you load them with.


  Keep in mind too that even when pirating/privateering/etc it's better to NOT engage in a firefight if you can help it - and the long-range (and radiation-inflicting...) barbette is a great tool for encouraging someone to drop a few crates and run with no shots (or just one warning shot) fired.


  The whole idea with Oleb's charter is that we're paying him part of our income anyway, so whether we do the selling or he does the selling (and we're more likely to go to places where we CAN sell them) isn't as big a factor here IMO.

  If we really are awash in free launchers and missiles, setting some aside for use in other ships and/or setting up some defended hidey-hole is another option. (The Harrier may be a nice symbolic flagship, but the big-picture plan is going to take a full-sized pirate fleet to pull off.)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:54, Thu 02 July 2020.

Continuing thoughts about Missile Turrets & Launchers...

     I would like to point out, at this point, that while I often make reference to PoD materials, I am also taking it for granted that StarMaster--aware that several of us own Pirates of Drinax adventure materials--probably will make changes to this data, in order to keep us on our toes.  So, just because I may be "quoting" some "official" printed item, what I'm quoting may not, actually, be what StarMaster is presenting to us.

     Be warned.

     Now, having said that--again quoting from the Pirates of Drinax: Harrier-class Commerce Raider PDF:

     So, if that is the case, we need to completely replace the turret, before we can put a weapon system in there.  Not "make repairs", but "completely replace".

     On the bright side, maybe, our parts survey of the wrecks says...

     Now maybe--maybe!--it can be implied from this that, if the launcher, as well as the missiles, themselves, and the autoloading system, are intact, then perhaps the Turret which houses all these items may also be intact.  Thus we might be able to just remove the damaged turret and swap it out for a fully equipped missile turret in it's entirety--well, except for needing to swap out the damaged electronics.
     Dropping the old, damaged turret will probably be easy--there isn't much left of it.  But dropping an entire Turret system, with missile launcher already installed, then moving it to a different ship, and installing it up into a new ship....I dunno.  That might require heavy equipment.  Maybe.

  Some of those materials - like the Harrier book - are meant for player use to begin with, so there shouldn't be any problem with referencing them?

  What we really need to look at doing over the short-to-medium term is getting the Harrier into shape to use as a 'diplomatic' vessel (and coincidentally, a legitimate courier ship, since those two cross over a lot) and get ahold of one or two others that are proper pirate ships (with crews to run them) for generating fear and loathing (per the plan) and a revenue stream (also per the plan).

  That also avoids trouble always being specific to where the Harrier is. Well-played, the sleeper-ship story will cover things for a little while, but we won't be able to keep it going indefinitely.

this is a depot, they have heavy equipment. Question is does it work.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Fri 03 July 2020.

  So... I think we really need that GM delineation of just what this all adds up to in terms of the ship repair. Otherwise we're mostly going to be making things up IC.

  Umm, Theodore, it's supposed to be 2d6, not 1d20...

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 18):

What? I rolled a d20?! OOOPS. Thanks, I fixed it! rolled better with 2d6.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:37, Sat 04 July 2020.

  Having clarified things with the GM, we have the 8 structural/20 technical/26 cosmetic RUs covering a specific set of things.

  Then we can spend the 27 ship shares at 4x value (effectively 108 if we use them all) on most things. Each share gives one structural or technical RU, or 2d6 cosmetic RU.

  So, with the exception of a few things, we can get the Harrier back into working shape, and maybe even have something left over.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Wed 08 July 2020.

Good!!!

  Adding up the RUs still required (the post totals don't match the columns):

  21 Structural
  43 Technical
  76 Cosmetic

  It includes the 10 Technical needed to get operating costs down to normal but leaves out the 1 Technical for the holographic hull.

  We Salvaged 8/20/26, so...

  13 Structural
  23 Technical
  50 Cosmetic


  With each share being worth 4 S/T and (on average) 28 C, and rounding up the requirements...

  4 shares for Strucutral
  6 shares for Technical
  2 shares for Cosmetic

  This does cover the fuel tanks/hull/ventral hardpoint repairs even if we need to bring down some heavy equipment (or, more likely, haul the parts up to the palace and use its spaceport area).


  That leaves another 15 shares unspent.


  All good with that?

Not here, we have to go elsewhere to get it done, Tech-World.

Just as an FYI, I am here but as I haven't officially joined the crew yet I'm staying quiet. Right now I'm just helping you guys get back to orbit and then submitting an invoice.

How you choose to pay is going to be up to you ;)

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 24):

Yeah, that's gonna go well....

Hey, Theo!  Why don't you and Ingrid take BB's plasma gun out for a walk in the park, while Varca and BB discuss these fees--the poor thing looks like it needs to pee on a bush, or something...

  Re the IC thread: yes, Zhouth did get the specs/schematics/etc technical details on the Harrier class(es) while he was there. We could build new ones if we had the materials and a shipyard.

Awesome Zhouth, forgot you had everything already.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 25):

Yeah good luck with that. I like holding onto my plasma gun more than I care for living crew mates :P

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 28):

Well, then, there's a pretty good chance the discussion may get...heated...when BB presents that invoice for Services Rendered...

^_~

  Y'know, I'd really rather that we rebuild the interior instead of further dismantling it...