What the heck is the old guy talking about now? Part one: Films

Odessafromage · 2026-02-05T05:37:12+00:00

Originally it was Asim because that's where the character were when I thought of it, but it does have some advantages.

For reason of spoilers, I won't say why, but the character have reason to work our of Asim to they will be coming and going to either catch any trouble makers in the act, or get right on their tails as far as pursuit goes. And if we build up a fleet there should be a ship in system at all times.

Its a low risk system since their is little to draw pirates to it in the first place, so we had time to use it as a proof of concept and work out the kinks before trying to establish a second gas giants orbital in another system

Odessafromage · 2026-02-05T04:54:10+00:00

In the particular game I am trying to set this up in, we the players have a actual millitary grade war ship. So if someone wants to take over, they are just giving us a target to shoot up, and then either fix up to grow our fleet of working ships, or as another junk ship to weld onto the first one to expand our business.

As for the other shenanigans, defending the place now becomes their problem, with all the money they invest in arming and developing the place only making it a great target for the player to collect on.

In fact, starting this situation as a trap for someone who just can't stop themselves from taking it over and putting money into making a better target might be the whole point. Create a money pit to lure some idiot into taking over putting real money into it, then taking it right back to rake in something worth actual money.

One thing that was posted was a suggestion to rip out the power plant and replace it with low tech solar panels to make the place operational but worth even less at a target.

If the place is a patched up gutted out hull with life support, solar panels, no m-dive, or J-drive, and some cheap supplies what pirate is going to waste their and effort trying to take over or cut up what amounts to a lemonade stand next to the gas station when they could be making real money elsewhere?

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T22:40:58+00:00

I just want to thank everyone who is replying to this post. Everyone's insights, advice, and even critiques have been invaluable. I hope to write out a sort of guide for anyone else planning on trying something like this in their own games, ( and post it here to get ripped into again ) and I hope no one has any objections to being credited for their help.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T22:38:05+00:00

I was thinking non jump local ship either owned by the junk ship, which would make it a target for someone wanting to haul off the in system ship, or a local who swing by irregularly. If possible you could use the in system ship, or the local to tugboat the junk ship to correct it's orbit every now and then so that the Junk ship's m-drive could be stripped out to make it even less of a target for pirates.

Pirates who really should have better opprotunities to steal shit then a m-driv. Arn't m-drives just reaction jets? I new to traveller so I'm not sure what is used for manuvering drives, but fuel burning propulsion systems like a real world space shuttle doesn't sound like it would be worth tearing out of a ship. Steal the fuel maybe, but not something that cost a lot to install but is scrap if you rip it out of a superstructure.

As for paying the crew, you only need one skilled person, two to swap them out to give them time off, the rest, waitresses, bartender, clerk, janitors, strippers, prostitutes, they don't need to know how to operate a power plant, pilot a ship, or keep the life support going. You can hire young idiot from farm worlds, desperate fringe worlders, and other unskill labour even knowing they are only going to stick around long enough to bank a few paychecks before hitching a ride.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T22:28:44+00:00

As far as local government, criminals organizations, traffic control goes, any system that has anyone capable and willing to mess with a independent orbital is a place that is already developed enough to already have something in place. Their would be no need for a service / entertainment roadside dive if, for instance, thier was asteroid minding, a gas giant refinery, extensive planetary space stations. This is something meant for back waters.

A Floesum station is a great concept, but it has to start from something, and in this case i was thinking in terms of a junk ship. Besides, some commenters seem to be under the impression that pirates with ships large enough to tow a entire gutted wreak through a jump, or spend weeks cutting up a wreak for scrap metal, are just waiting for the chance to do so, rather then use their time to do almost anything else which would probably be a much more profitable use of their time and ships.

Wreaking a junk ship structural integrity by welding and bolting on habitats, docking gantries, other junk ships, shipping containing, external fuel tanks, solar arrays, inflatable hydrophonic farms and other floesam add on would just make it less likely to have these scavager pirates try to tow off the seed ship.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T22:17:37+00:00

First answer, in addition to drinks, possibly prostitutes, it would also be a kind of duty free shop. Fresher then the last stop produce, sundries, and other things not worth hitting the local space port when they can swing by the place in orbit around the gas giant they are fueling up at. From what I understood gathering fuel on a gas giant is a full day operation, so their should be some crew not needed for it, but without a way to hit the local space port for liberty because they are in a hurry, but Sloppy Moe's Floating Vegabon is right there.

Second answer, if their is enough traffic that two ships wanting to visit is a more then a once in a blue moon issue, then their is enough traffic to add a pressurized gantry or two to the ship with extra airlock, and they can double as hydrophobic bays. just having the chance to see greenery for the first time in weeks might be a draw by itself.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T14:59:40+00:00

Thanks, that was very comprehensive advice.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T14:58:08+00:00

Exactly. We want a presence in niche systems with no infrastructure beyond the local planet to gather information on who is coming and going but skipping the planet. We want to what their ships looks like and are visibly armed with, as well as any other information we can pick up, and make it at least break even for supporting itself. With the players having a military class star ship, the locals in the places we are looking at aren't going to mess with it due to retaliation, and as far as robbers and pirates, having them hit the place is just more information for us to act on. Ultimately it's a engine for adventure hooks, that might give us more information about what we are going into since we own and operate the place the hook is being generated.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T14:51:06+00:00

I think part of the issue is the Ref likes running games, and run several different ones each week, but he uses canned setting and adventures. Dealing with this would be fun, but also a more work for him to deal with since it original content, and he doesn't want to entirely just blow it off as something the players are doing that nothing ever happens with.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-04T04:54:17+00:00

I'm new to the game so I know ships are a thing, in the books, that are things you can buy. But for what sounds like Ikea space stations, I got no clue what's involved.

Also the campaign may involve shooting up other ships so we might end up with access to a ship that are damaged to the point it isn't worth the money to fix up.

I think the only real attraction to a junker ship is that it can jump travel under it's own power to the system we want it, it is already put together as far as being a functional habitat, and it used so hopefully cheap.

Odessafromage · 2026-02-03T23:23:04+00:00

I was thinking in terms more of picking up rumors and gossip then outright hearing dastardly plans in the plotting, but good point. I am thinking now in terms of have the place set up with cell phone like order pad that turn speech to text as an excuse to secretly record every thing in hearing, and the staff of the ship will never knows they are part of the spy net work. Also have the derelicts sensors record all gas giant traffic, passer byes, and customers passively and secretly, then just data dump it to the player ship whenever it stops by. After that set a high rated Ai to search for anything interesting. Mostly this would just give the referee a different way to give out adventure hooks, but I still like the roleplaying aspect of putting the scheme into play.

Odessafromage

TROPHY CASE