 November 14, 2009 - 9:11pm | I was looking to add a little spice to generic cargo tables. Not much fun hauling around assorted ores, minerals, and ground cars. What sort of interesting items can you come up with? Let's start with the category of ROBOTICS: ACCESSORIES/ATTACHMENTS |
 November 14, 2009 - 9:38pm | Cases of Star Buckaroo Cards sealled in bonded crates and being shipped to a STar Play casino. The cases of cards are accompanied by a robotic guard as a precaution against tampering as card marking, though more sophisticated in the modern Frontier still goes on. 1 case of Star Tarot novelty cards. Hard copies of important documents that were already faxed by sub space transmission and are being shipped via snail mail at 1% of light speed.  (Talk about a plot hook on this one!)I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 15, 2009 - 3:59am | I like to toss out variations of what the cargo table roll yields. The numbers stay the same (purchase and resale prices) but only the name changes for variety. For example, if aluminum comes up I'll alter it to something like hull plating or sectioned bulkheads, ship drives might be changed to fuel injection systems or ion particle motivators, or meats from the Dragon magazine ag table might get changed to frozen McRoller patties, etc In the Dominion game, the party is hauling fuel rods (aka atomic drive pellets) from Zebulon to Klaeok. One of the particular containment modules has bogus rods hollowed out for smuggling a shipment of synthetic ixiol (SyX, a reproduction of ixiol that does not require the chukkah brains). |
November 15, 2009 - 6:40am | Unless it is a megacorp freighter or the like, I try to mix and match the cargo. IMO I find it pretty dull having to inspect a freighter chock full of parabatteries. This is especially the case if pc's are trying to lay hands on cargo for their own freighter. I'm not always the best 'johnny on the spot', so I like to have a list of possibles set out in front of me. |
 November 15, 2009 - 10:30am | How about a few storage class passengers in the hold? At least I got to scare an alien rabbit thingy...... |
November 15, 2009 - 9:55pm | How about a few storage class passengers in the hold? and yet another item with great plot hook potential. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 18, 2009 - 5:43am | What about your favorite SF non-alcoholic beverages and food? Cargo load of banannas from Yast or pudding pouches from Groth? |
 November 18, 2009 - 10:40am | Shipping prophylactics for the over sexed population of planet.... oh wait, that was Tripping the Rift. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
 November 18, 2009 - 5:57pm | My quality/quantity and other tables in the Buying and Selling in the Frontier article in issue #5 would be good for varying cargo as well as its prices. Just come up with some brand and generic names to express the differences. This is especially good for vehicles/shuttles/fighters. Don't forget pets, insects, and food stuffs. Also include food and care items for pets. Computer items and raw building materials as well. View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
November 18, 2009 - 10:16pm | Maybe add a listing for accidental items in the cargo hold- some insect, reptile, avian, or mammal that hitched a ride accidentall with the cargo. I was thinking of a weird cock roach that hitched a ride on an air force jet from south east asia and ended up at Plattsburgh AFB and found by maintenance personnel- it ended up being sent over the the local community college. This listing would require a second roll to generate an actual cargo listing that its hitching a ride with. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 19, 2009 - 8:43am | Maybe add a listing for accidental items in the cargo hold- some insect, reptile, avian, or mammal that hitched a ride accidentall with the cargo. I was thinking of a weird cock roach that hitched a ride on an air force jet from south east asia and ended up at Plattsburgh AFB and found by maintenance personnel- it ended up being sent over the the local community college. This listing would require a second roll to generate an actual cargo listing that its hitching a ride with. I used this once as a plot hook, the crew was delivering a load of fresh produce between to nearby systems when one of the crew was attacked by a insect that hicthed a ride and ended up destroying the flight control and computer core. Needless to say that weekend game was on the fly and I wanted to do something silly. It ended bad when one of the players got mad and pulled out his gyrojet pistol and shot the hull full of holes wen the alien insect tried to grab him. ( I use the rule , you say it you done it and it was the first thing out of her mouth and it got them all killed hehehehe ) Gold is for the mistress-silver for the maid-copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.But Iron-Cold Iron- is master of them all |
November 19, 2009 - 9:44pm | could have an insect that is devouring the produce that is being shipped. Crew has to scour the cargo hold or lose all their money invested in this cargo. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 20, 2009 - 6:53pm | Tribbles.  The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
November 21, 2009 - 2:22am | cross a tribble with a wandering spider of brazil and you have what I put in there hold. a hair piece thats omnivorous and with a bad attitude that don't back down. I also hired them once to deliver a rare food stuff of an ancient planet... Smores hehehehe yup it was a slooow game night and I was bore Gold is for the mistress-silver for the maid-copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.But Iron-Cold Iron- is master of them all |
 November 22, 2009 - 10:00am | Shipping prophylactics for the over sexed population of planet.... oh wait, that was Tripping the Rift. And, here I was, about to suggest certain attachments for the service bots..... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
November 22, 2009 - 9:27pm | Shipping prophylactics for the over sexed population of planet.... oh wait, that was Tripping the Rift. And, here I was, about to suggest certain attachments for the service bots..... I'm n ot sure if you can program a service bot to function in that area of ... ummm... service. Sounds like a Darwin Awards in the making. The crew that delivered the attachments held for questioning of a lot of people found dead after the unusual use of a service bot, details at 11. Of course there can be the usual plot of a ships crew trick into taking on illegal cargo. Normally this would be drugs, illegal weapons or even slaves. Worse yet they could be forced to take an unidentified cargo that turns out to be the illegal transport of a dangerous animal, how would a quickdeath work on a ship? It's Alien ala SF. Minus the chest buster of course. Unless you want that kind of a xenomorph. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
November 23, 2009 - 12:52am | Yes, I am fully functional And, that's all I'm a gonna say.... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
November 23, 2009 - 10:44am | Yes, I am fully functional And, that's all I'm a gonna say.... "and programmed in multiple techniques!" I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 23, 2009 - 5:46pm | As for the quickdeath loose aboard the cargo ship, it's nothing stuffing a straw dummy full of frag grenades won't cure. Unless the ref rules the quickdeath is internally protected as well. Anyone even seen the Cowboy Bebop episode "Toys In the Attic?" That would make for an interesting cargo scenario, especially when the alien foodstuffs the PCs were transporting go bad. Or, the PCs are hired to transport ten-millenia old soyfoods from a forgotten underground warehouse on a particular world(to allieviate a food shortage). The person hiring them says they're still perfectly fresh, freeze-field soyfoods last forever. So why are the Star Devils harassing them at every stop? Oh, the name of that particular world. Nowhere special, place called Necromunda or something like that.... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
November 24, 2009 - 3:56am | Re: quickdeath breaking loose in the hold. Swap it for a cybot built in a HD body armed with an LPT, computer interface jacks, and several other nasty weapons (machine gun, grenade rifle, twin laser rifles with twin backpacks, etc) and you have a menace. |
November 24, 2009 - 9:43am | Or, maybe even a cybodragon with a fully robotic body.... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
November 24, 2009 - 5:29pm | Cool idea Will!! A bunch of Sathar construct creatures in boxes in freeze fields being shipped to a Sathar agent. The fields fail, chaos ensues, good times..... At least I got to scare an alien rabbit thingy...... |
November 24, 2009 - 8:16pm | And, afterwards, the ship is adrift in interstellar space.... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 December 3, 2009 - 6:35pm | Square Pigs. Genetically-engineered pork product. They have no necks and no legs and are convenient cube-ular shaped so that they fit the cargo containers better, but they still snort and have faces (live pork tastes better than synth-pork). "Square pigs for square meals". Dennis Hopper was hauling these in Space Truckers (B-movie Sci-Fi). |
December 4, 2009 - 3:31pm | Pork is deffinately good, but square pigs are best when they are made into cool refreshing Pork Soda... At least I got to scare an alien rabbit thingy...... |
December 4, 2009 - 9:34pm | Square Pigs: Dennis Hopper was hauling these in Space Truckers (B-movie Sci-Fi). I'm suddenly reminded of Harcort Fenton Mudd's cargo of women in the Star Trek episode Mudd's Women WHy Pigs would make that connection I dont know but sexy women wont neccessarily create a problem in a RPG as a player will never succumb to temptation but put a twist on that ... Sexy Star Play robots being shipped and they go beserk and each one latches onto a different PC saying "I love you" while trying to kill them. Another STar Trek cargo- Space Seed episode- Kahn and his genetically engineered warriors- gee what could go wrong with that in an RPG? PC's are hired to transport the "genies" to a holding facility on planet X.... Adventure recipe: stir in one stow a way, one saboteur, and a handful of sathar wait for plot to boil I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 5, 2009 - 12:52am | psionic clone sheep. some less-than-scrupulous corporation is testing a "mind expanding" drug on sheep. Initial tests were inconclusive so they are being shipped elsewhere. In transit they begin to manifest powers. Suddenly its "children of the corn".....but with sheep. I also find that putting the words "Weapons-grade" in front of just about anything can make it infinitely more fun. Weapons-grade Skonkey (skunk donkey, ...), Weapons-grade floam (expands to fill whatever enclosure it occupies...like a hull), Weapons-grade Scactuc (spore cactus, in an hour you start to grow flowers...and thorns), Weapons-grade solvaway (that burning sensation means its working), etc... |
December 5, 2009 - 8:08pm | And in the cargo hold is a herd of monappotimuses, and no you can't ride them. As well as sevral drums of some green stuff, I don't know what it is. The containers are all marked "Soylent". In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
December 6, 2009 - 8:16am | psionic clone sheep. some less-than-scrupulous corporation is testing a "mind expanding" drug on sheep. Initial tests were inconclusive so they are being shipped elsewhere. In transit they begin to manifest powers. Suddenly its "children of the corn".....but with sheep. I also find that putting the words "Weapons-grade" in front of just about anything can make it infinitely more fun. Weapons-grade Skonkey (skunk donkey, ...), Weapons-grade floam (expands to fill whatever enclosure it occupies...like a hull), Weapons-grade Scactuc (spore cactus, in an hour you start to grow flowers...and thorns), Weapons-grade solvaway (that burning sensation means its working), etc... Weapons grade Chanel #5, weapons-grade Waffle House hasbrowns(that Lo-Melt's a killer), weapons-grade school food(how redundant!), weapons-grade Barney dolls("I kill you, you kill me, we're as dead as dead could be....) "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
December 6, 2009 - 11:30am | Weapons grade Chanel #5.. That wouldn't happen to be part of the ingredients to the 'Gay Bomb' would it? A bomb that once detonated would cover an area with aphrodesiacs and related chemicals that the enemy would be more interested in makeing love rather than war. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
December 6, 2009 - 4:38pm | No, it's the sole ingredient in the most toxic nerve gas ever invented...:D Tho...the Nude Bomb as the freighter's cargo could make things interesting.... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
