Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 5:57 PM
Ignatz,
First off, let me say how impressed and thankful I am. These have the potential to be really impressive! I could never pull it off, myself, so I'm kind-of blown away by seeing this.
Question: I know I gave you the floor plans for this vessel, but did I also include the room description file? I'm including it here, just in case.
(NOTE: See This entry of Tottenberg for the Floor Plan map.)
Tottenberg CLASS BOX HAULER
Stardrifter Adventure "Squatter's Rights"
GM Room Descriptions
2019-02-28
Exterior Dimensions: 150 meters long (with Main Drive nozzles); 80 meters wide (with exterior fuel tanks); 75 meters high (including rotating Cargo Box Lock Pin).
Interior Dimensions: 92 meters long; 30 meters wide; 35 meters high.
Box Haulers: One of only a few truly successful cargo hauler concepts, these vessels move large non-shifting loads within massive shell-like cargo boxes. With over-sized engines and fuel tanks, they are capable of moving a lot of freight at one time. Most use some sort of pin or coupling system, which attaches to dedicated link-up systems on the cargo boxes.
An ungainly-looking starship, the Tottenberg was designed to be used for several different styles of large freight boxes. It is able to move upwards of 68 million metric tonnes of well-balanced loads, in either contiguous or linked containers. Larger loads may be managed in conjunction with other Box Haulers, though in practice, this is uncommon. The Bridge is on the lower deck, allowing the vessel to link to freight loads along the dorsal hull. Effectively, the locking pin sticks up in front of the ship, and slotting into cargo boxes, which it then hauls from underneath.
The Tottenberg has a maximum crew compliment of 29, though the actual number depends upon the load being moved. Crew is mostly a mix of Engineering and Cargo hands.
It has 7 freeze tubes, standard, but does not include prep or thaw facilities for cold passengers. Passengers are obtained from travel agencies at each stop, being on and off-loaded, frozen down, like regular freight. Prepping and waking passengers is done on-station. Tottenbergs are not, therefore, required to have a cold passage specialist aboard.
Gunnery and defensive capabilities are all modular and discrete, made up of portable remote weapon pods, designed to be placed in strategic positions upon the exterior of the freight boxes. They are removed on the other end of the cruise, and put in storage until the next cargo boxes are attached. Defensive duties are assumed by the pilots or (rarely), a dedicated specialist.
Superhauler freight systems are rapidly replacing box haulers on established cargo runs. Though there are many Tottenbergs still in service, it is now considered an obsolete line, and no more are being built.
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Many sections of this ship have been torn apart by the Squatters, looking for an errant datablock. It's actually secreted OUTSIDE, near the Aft Port Airlock in Deck 2C Engineering. Though they considered the possibility it might be outside, they dismissed it, thinking the agent couldn't have done so without attracting attention. They are wrong.
Anyone approaching the airlock from outside can roll versus INT +1 for each level, to notice it.
Attempting to cross a section of the decking that is torn up requires the character to move carefully at 1/4 speed. If they in combat, they must also roll versus DEX +1 per level, or fall down. This causes no damage, but uses up the rest of their round, and possibly offers up a free shot from the Squatters.
After the dealership employees found them out there, the Squatters started carrying their rifles around as they move about the ship. They don't have much time to find this datablock, and are getting desperate. They will fire upon anyone they don't know.
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FLOOR PLAN
01 -- (Deck 1C) Engineering Catwalk. Grated deck with chest-high railing. Runs in a "U" shape around engines and other equipment. (This is NOT torn up, obviously, but there are two Thugs up here, one on either side, going at the upper section of the starjump drive, towards aft. They will have the normal chance to detect any normal approach -- WIS roll.)
02 -- (Deck 1C) Emergency Airlock. Requires either emergency status to be sounding, or a personal IDent to open, otherwise, the inner doors remain locked. (All of these have been torn apart and will not function. Even the doors won't open, from either inside or out.)
03 -- (Deck 2C) Engineering Fresher. Toilet and sink only. No shower. (The walls are torn up, but the plumbing still works.)
04 -- (Deck 2C) Lunch Table. Rounded table and bench, with coffee, tea, and water dispensers, as well as a sandwich cooler, kept stocked by the steward. (Everything here is pulled out and scattered on the deck, condiments, utensils, etc. All food and beverages are gone.)
05 -- Deck 2C) Main Drive Assembly. Sublight engine. Interior systems, and reaction mass chambers. (It looks like they started to take this apart, but then gave up after a time. These clearly won't work anymore.)
06 -- (Deck 2C) Starjump Engine. Works with remote propagators on the outer hull, and/or placed on the box load. Extends through all three floors. Disassembled in a few spots, but mostly intact. Doesn't look like it will function, though.
07 -- (Deck 2B) Elevator between Deck 2B and Deck 3C. Primarily for people, not freight. (This is undamaged, but there is no power going to it. It will not function. The elevator car is stuck on Deck 3C. The doors on 2C and 3C are wedged open, as if the shaft had been inspected. A Thug is in the shaft, on top of the elevator car, working, and making noise. He will not hear the PCs approach, unless they are careless. He has a rifle nearby; between being surprised and going for it, he will not be able to use it in the first round. If the PCs are noisy in their approach, he can fire it in the first round, but retrieving it will make him automatically lose initiative. 50% Chance he will attack, otherwise, he'll jump down through the elevator emergency hatch, and go for help in 23, shouting over Radio Headset the whole time.)
08 -- (Deck 2B) Main Port Airlock. (Still functional. It doesn't look like they've torn this apart yet.)
09 -- (Deck 2B) Port Pressuresuit Changing Room. (Still functional. It doesn't look like they've torn this apart just yet. There are 8 Simple Vacsuits in here, still packaged up.)
10 -- (Deck 2B) Starboard Pressuresuit Changing Room. (Still functional. It doesn't look like they've torn this apart just yet. There are 7 Simple Vacsuits in here, still packaged up.)
11 -- (Deck 2B) Main Starboard Airlock. (Still functional. It doesn't look like they've torn this apart yet.)
12 -- (Deck 2A) Cargo Box Fastener Storage. (Looks like they started working on tearing this room apart; there are various tools and cutting implements in here, and a few pieces of the bulkhead casing have been removed. The deck is intact. There are no fasteners in here anymore. 2 Thugs are working in here when the PCs come in. They are making a heck of a racket, and have on ear protection. Unless the party wants to be noticed, these two will be caught flat-footed. They have weapons nearby, but not on them. It will take a full round to get their rifles before attacking, but one of them has a crowbar, and will attack with that -- it acts like a club. They will call for backup on their Radio Headsets, unless the PCs take them out quickly.)
13 -- (Deck 2A) Power Cabling Storage. (Torn apart and empty.)
14 -- (Deck 2A) Fluid Pressure Hose and System Storage. (Torn apart and empty.)
15 -- (Deck 2A) Electronic Storage and Repair. (Torn apart and empty.)
16 -- (Deck 2A) Plumbing Supplies and Storage. (Torn apart and empty.)
17 -- (Deck 2A) Cargo Box Emergency Stays and Repair. (Torn apart and empty.)
18 -- (Deck 2A) Artificial Gravity and Inertial Dampener Parts Storage and Repair. (Torn apart, but some AG parts are still present, and have been stacked on the side, carefully.)
19 -- (Deck 2A) General Storage. (Torn apart and empty of everything except trash.)
20 -- (Deck 2A) Airlock. Used only when docked, for on and off-boarding cold passengers. (Torn apart and empty. The airlock had been taken apart, and will not function, not even the exterior door.)
21 -- (Deck 2A) Cold Passage Freeze Tubes. Seven passengers, maximum. (Torn apart and empty. Pieces of these are lying all over the place. These would have been valuable for parts. There are two Thugs here, digging through the freeze tube machinery. They will hear any fight going on in 12, unless it was handled quickly and quietly. They will also hear any alert the Thugs in 12 make over Radio Headsets. They will attempt to help their comrades.)
22 -- (Deck 2A) Cargo Box Lock Pin Mechanism. (It looks like they tried to tear into this, but gave up when they saw it was essentially a solid piece.)
23 -- (Deck 3C) Bridge. Seats and control interfaces for two pilots, a navigator, a load specialist, and the captain. (Torn apart and empty. Gutted, actually -- deck, bulkheads, overhead, consoles, and seats. There are three Squatters in here. Approaching quietly will give them rolls vs. WIS to be surprised, rolling once of or all of them. If so, they automatically lose initiative.)
24 -- (Deck 3C) Officer Planning Room. (Torn apart and empty. A Tri-D table in here has been completely ruined.)
25 -- (Deck 3C) Bridge Fresher. Toilets, sinks, and a shower. Much of this has been torn open. Plumbing pipes are all exposed.)
26 -- (Deck 3C) Crew Common Room. Tables, chairs, open galleyette, exercise machine. (All sellable machines were removed. The decking, lounge chairs, bulkheads and overhead have been ripped open. There are a number of tools here capable of doing this sort of work.)
27 -- (Deck 3C) General Storage and Supplies. Food stores and cleaning equipment. (Torn apart and empty.)
28 -- (Deck 3C) Pilots Quarters. Bunks 2. (Torn apart and empty.)
29 -- (Deck 3C) Captain's Quarters. (Torn apart and empty. This one really got wrecked.)
30 -- (Deck 3C) Crew Quarters. Barracks style. Bunks 24. Includes large fresher with toilets, sinks, and showers. (Partly torn apart. It looks like the Squatters have been sleeping here, but they did do significant work to expose the framework of the walls, deck and overhead. There are personal kits and bags here, including a couple of universal Q-sticks, usable by anyone, worth a total of 1500Q. There are four Squatters in here, sleeping. Coming in slowly makes them automatically surprised, otherwise, any call on Radio Headsets will wake them up, and get them ready for fighting in 1 round.)
31 -- (Deck 3C) Sickbay and Laundry. (Torn apart and empty.)
32 -- (Deck 3C) Load Specialist Quarters. (Torn apart and empty. This place is ruined worse than any of the others. Even the bulkhead struts were drilled into. Gillian Baincroft is in here. She will try to fight at first, but if the odds look bad, there is a 50% chance she will order her people to surrender. Each time one of her people is hit, roll again. If the PCs display ruthlessness, she will not order any surrender, figuring they have no choice but to fight.)
One noticeable difference in your design -- and this is nothing you could have known from the floor plan -- is that the Tottenberg Class Box Hauler has a locking pin rising up from the dorsal hull in front, right where the four squares are situated in your image. The pin would rise out of the "nose" of the ship like a rhinoceros horn. The idea is that it maneuvers under a huge cargo box, or series of entrained boxes, which have complicated female coupling linkages. It hooks in, locks itself fast, then starts off on its voyage. Between the locking pin in front, and some strong magnetic grapplers on the dorsal hull of the ship, the box would be held very solidly.
Sensors and cameras and such mounted in magnetic drones, which are sent out to land on, and attach to, various points around the box(es) being hauled. The same goes for remote maneuvering thrusters The boxes would be husbanded from one star system to another, but would be delivered into parking orbits; the Tottenberg would never be used to deliver a box to its final destination (docking with a space station or other vessel). It simply isn't designed for that.
I don't know how "true to life" (so to speak) you want to get with this design, but the floor plan reflected the playtest game scenario that we were going through. The players had to go to a dead hulk in an orbital junk yard. The Tottenberg ship had already been stripped for parts, and the floor plans reflect that. The ship would normally have had huge fuel tanks on either side, along with a lattice-like structural frame along the top, for helping to keep a rigid hold on the cargo box. All of that had been salvaged already, by the time the players got there.
I've attached an image with some very crude sketches, to try and explain what I was going for.
Again, you should not, in any way, feel bound by my crackpot concepts. Most of them are quite silly and unrealistic. Pretty-much everything goes in the Stardrifter universe, so your ideas are just as valid as my own. Taking liberties with the material is really what the game is all about!
-David