OOC - Welcome and Chat #2

[Zhym]

It was during his quest for leads on Mechanical parts, that Mercutio made an unexpected discovery. A search of Andovan’s Mercantile (#6 Dry Goods) turned up 5 old crates marked “Maintenance and Repair”. Each crate was a 1.5 meter cube and weighed 2000 kg. You opened one, expecting some sort tools or parts might be inside. What you discovered were books. New, leather bound technical manuals on how to manufacture and repair all sorts of common mechanical devices employed in agriculture, food processing and various craftsman cottage industries. The FMV* for each crate was Cr 20,000 (Cr 10/kg) and Andovan was willing to sell the crates for Cr 17,000 each if you wanted to buy any of them. He would go as low as Cr 16,000 each of you bought all 5 crates.

*FMV = Fair market Value = (Traveller base price)
[NOTE: These items are in relatively high demand in Non-Ind, Low Tech and Poor areas, so they should command a high price in very small, isolated communities where this information is desperately needed.]

A couple of questions about this:

(1) Are we heading to a non-ind, low tech, or poor area?
(2) Each crate weighs one ton. Can we assume we have a way to transport the crates to the ship and load them, or is that going to cost extra?

[atpollard]

A couple of questions about this:

(1) Are we heading to a non-ind, low tech, or poor area?
(2) Each crate weighs one ton. Can we assume we have a way to transport the crates to the ship and load them, or is that going to cost extra?

(1). Probably, but I am not sure. The the frontier region of New Britannia is full of small communities that would meet many of those sorts of trade classifications. The issue is that I am not completely sure where you are heading to. I think you need to get to someplace with reference material and maps to figure out where to START to convert the French journal to an exact point to sail to.

(2). Just have Remy carry them.
Actually, there should be no problem. The EASIEST solution would be to just dock next to Andovan’s and load the cargo from the warehouse to your boat using the hoist that he uses to load cargo from ships into his warehouse.

[Zhym]

I'll just hold off on that trading opportunity until we have some idea where we're going, then.

[atpollard]

I'll just hold off on that trading opportunity until we have some idea where we're going, then.

That sounds like a plan.

I just wanted the group to have some "stuff" to load in the cargo hold if you wanted it when you sailed. We will focus on trade as an adventure at some later time in another port.

The boat still needs a name so we have something to call it other than "the boat". I'll post some data on a few logical destinations near here for the group to discuss next week. As soon as a "WHERE" is chosen, we can decide "WHAT" is loaded aboard and then sail off on an adventure.

[Zhym]

BTW, we bought a house in this town, right? Is there still a value to holding that house now that the threat of it being bought by a bad guy is gone? Do we think we’ll be back this way? Or do we see ourselves using this town as a home port?

[ffilz]

I think we've established ourselves here in a certain way that makes this a possible home base. We might want to hire a care taker.

[atpollard]

Gwynedd isn’t a bad location to maintain a foothold. It is the WESTERNMOST outpost of “civilization” on a trade network that connects the “civilized” Britannia with the “wild” New Britannia. It is probably the westernmost location to REPAIR a “steamship”. The nearest Class B Port in a trade network to a Class A Port … in a region dominated by Class C and Class D and Class X Ports.

[ffilz]

Gwynedd isn’t a bad location to maintain a foothold. It is the WESTERNMOST outpost of “civilization” on a trade network that connects the “civilized” Britannia with the “wild” New Britannia. It is probably the westernmost location to REPAIR a “steamship”. The nearest Class B Port in a trade network to a Class A Port … in a region dominated by Class C and Class D and Class X Ports.

I love how you just map all the Traveller space things to age of steam things. It clearly works well and is leading to a very enjoyable game.

Thanks

[atpollard]

@ Bluetongue

Welcome to a new player … and a new character (a scout).


For everyone, here is a little piece of information on the TAS and the Official Scout Service:

TRAVELLERS AID SOCIETY
The invention of optical telegraphy allowed instantaneous communication across the world. It functions like a “telegraph” with a lens that focuses light from one “Lighthouse” to the next creating a chain of relays that connect the major cities of the world. The “Lighthouse” communication monopoly is owned by the Travellers Aid Society and provides them with vast funds and unequalled access to “information”. The TAS maintains the Scout Service to update maps (water worlds are very non-static for mapping) and to operate and maintain its Lighthouse Network. There is also a small office within the Scout Service that is responsible for clandestine operations involving TAS interests.

On the other hand, you are in New Britannia … the wild frontier. So the classic “Mountain Man” trope for a “scout” that is someone just always looking to see what new thing lies “just over the horizon” would also be COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE to the setting.

Bluetongue will just need to decide which type of scout he is … Company Man or Mountain Man (or whatever the Waterworld equivalent of a ‘mountain man’ is)

HINT FOR THE GROUP LOOKING FOR INFORMATION … the TAS is a great source for maps and reference documents (in case someone wanted to locate an island from a description in a journal or an image on an old coin).

[Bluetongue]

Thank you for the welcome. I will post my character sheet shortly.

My original idea was a frontiersman scout in the trope of Nat Bumppo' (Hawkeye of Last of the Mohicans fame), only seafaring not mountain climbing in scope.

It fits his char-gen that he was previously a three term company man before career mishap meant he withdrew from Scout service to become freelance Scout/Smuggler.

(He also generated 'an enemy' which I presume is most likely an anti-Breton foe).

[ffilz]

TRAVELLERS AID SOCIETY
The invention of optical telegraphy allowed instantaneous communication across the world. It functions like a “telegraph” with a lens that focuses light from one “Lighthouse” to the next creating a chain of relays that connect the major cities of the world. The “Lighthouse” communication monopoly is owned by the Travellers Aid Society and provides them with vast funds and unequalled access to “information”. The TAS maintains the Scout Service to update maps (water worlds are very non-static for mapping) and to operate and maintain its Lighthouse Network. There is also a small office within the Scout Service that is responsible for clandestine operations involving TAS interests.

And you continue the awesomeness of translating interstellar Traveller into an age of steam water world...

[Urson]

I thought we had chosen a name for our steamship. Since we apparently haven't, I suggest "The Hemisphere Dancer." It's a Jimmy Buffet reference, but I like the sound of it.

[Monsieur Rose]

Welcome Bluetongue!

And The Hemisphere Dancer works for me. Dancer for short.

[Zhym]

And The Hemisphere Dancer works for me. Dancer for short.

Or The Hemi.

And yay, new blood!

[ffilz]

I keep meaning to ask, and maybe it's been specified before, are we using attribute modifiers for skill rolls (as in Mongoose Traveller) or not (as in Classic Traveller)?

[atpollard]

I keep meaning to ask, and maybe it's been specified before, are we using attribute modifiers for skill rolls (as in Mongoose Traveller) or not (as in Classic Traveller)?

Not … as Classic Traveller.

[Zhym]

Bah! I keep missing when new threads start up. Apologies for again being absent as the action restarts.

I'll try to get caught up on the story so far. Meanwhile, please nudge me if action is needed from Doc Routledge.

[Zhym]

Jo
Jo approves of buying all three maps. She takes some time getting to know Nathaniel, and will take turn and turn about with him as "black gang," shoveling coal and tending the engines.
I must insist, Nathaniel, that I be consulted before you make any modifications or repairs.
I mean no disrespect- but I am Chief Engineer on this boat.

Is Jo talking about Mercutio's ideas about how to improve the engine? I didn't notice Nathanial saying anything like that, and it's Mercutio (Engineering-0, Mechanical-3) who has been helping Jo in the engine room. Nathaniel is navigating.

Of course, Mercutio would never try to tinker with the engines without running his ideas past Jo first. In fact, he'd probably talk her ears off about his ideas (which I'll post IC).

[atpollard]

Just a quick side note for all of our coal monkeys so ready to shovel … I am sorry to disappoint, but a Water World is a bad location to gather wood or coal for burning. Trees are too valuable for timber to build hulls and the coal fields are located under 1000 feet of water making extraction “difficult”.

You have lots of floating seaweed that is processed (dried, crushed and pressed) into little fuel pellets. These are handy for small stoves and serve as the raw material to make liquid fuel. Fuel Pellets are easily distilled into Methanol (wood alcohol) that serves as the cheap, common unrefined fuel used to power boilers on most small homesteads.

Ethanol (grain alcohol) offers greater power density … more work from the same volume … and is sold as a “semi-refined” fuel at larger settlements that can support the specialized equipment needed for large scale commercial production.

At the top of the liquid fuel food chain is BIODIESEL … also manufactured from Fuel Pellets … available at only the largest settlements. (Manufactured only in cities.)

So the Hemisphere Dancer has a 1 cubic meter tank for liquid fuel (currently full of Biodiesel) that is fed by a pump to the misters and burners in the boiler. The Biodiesel will operate the boiler for 28 days. A tank of Ethanol would last for only 14 days and Methanol would last for only 9 days. If you had solid Fuel Pellets to shovel into the boiler, a cubic meter would only last for 7 days and require continuous rotation on 4 hour shifts to maintain the fire.

Liquid fueled boilers were really a great improvement. However the boiler room is still an oily and smoky dirty place since boilers need constant maintenance and cleaning and oiling of valves.

[Zhym]

So Doc Routledge doesn’t even have to shovel coal? Even better!

Though I think I need to retcon him getting some work clothes before leaving town. His normal foppery isn’t quite suited to the engine room.

I’ve edited my post.