Inigo Montoya September 5, 2011 - 9:55am | I just finished a camping trip with my family. Growing up I did a lot of wilderness camping, just sleeping under the stars. My parents have taken my kids to local lakes for the past few years to camp in tents. However, age has made it difficult for them to go camping. So my father purchased a nice pop-up camper. It was my task to give it a trial run. They purchased it as a bank repo so it did not come with any instructions. Aside from two left over poles that I couldn’t find a use for except threatening my children for driving me crazy at the time, it went together nicely. I was amazed at the luxury built into the camper. It has AC, heater, small portable fans, and heated mattresses. Of course it also had the standard kitchenette. It almost takes the ‘camp’ out of camping. That first night I began to wonder about something like that as an emergency survival pod. Just add an airlock, sturdier walls and a deck of playing cards and a box of dominos along with a case MRE’s and some solar cells to recharge the batteries and you're good to go. |
jedion357 September 5, 2011 - 10:15am | Great idea. Add a locator beacon, com device, some survival packs, first aid kit. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
w00t (not verified) September 5, 2011 - 10:18am | Sniff... sniff. I smell an article. ;-) Reminds me of the life-pod Kirk was forced into and shot to the planet next to Vulcan. |
w00t (not verified) September 5, 2011 - 10:26am | I'd like to see a couple version. 1.) life-pod type, one passenger, travels to nearest habitable planet (a), can enter atmosphere and land near an area where someone could survive indefinitely (not the desert for example) (a) Sensors - when ships enter a system all the data is download to the life-pod computers. 2.) survival-pod, enough food, water, reclamation, shelter for x number of people. Can't enter atmosphere. |
jedion357 September 5, 2011 - 11:24am | I think with the pop up camper idea that this is more of a rv rescue pod that X number of people could live in it for a length time. Perhaps aa long as two weeks depending on food and power. Could also see a Robinson curusoe sort of character stranded with one in an uncharted system hoping a ship will misjump and find him or an exploration craft will. Him and his good primitive alien friend Friday. Instead they get pirates. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
iggy September 5, 2011 - 5:29pm | We once experimented at USU with UV cure epoxy blown into a bubble in zero g as a model of possible future habitat creation. Suppose the life pod blows these kinds of bubbles and lets the sun light cure them them paints them on the inside with photosensitive paint for energy collection and protection from harmful rays. -iggy |
Inigo Montoya September 6, 2011 - 5:46am | I have used something similar in a game a long time ago. So many games have a point where characters are exploring new worlds so I had a corp create modular labs. These labs are pre-fabricated and collapsible for ease of transit. Just order the type of lab desired and it will be shipped right to you with lab equipment already installed, just in time for your expedition. Each module will easily secure to another so you will end up with a full functioning lab for your exploration purposes, whether it be for geological survey or biological research, or any possible field of study. While the lab equipment (and hardware) can be stripped out at the end of the mission, the structures remain behind. |
w00t (not verified) September 6, 2011 - 8:56am | Food for thought... Has anyone sat down with their group to create equipment for adventuring? As the Referee in charge we often love the creation process... but I wonder if some things are better served by the players assisting. For instance; take your group and ask them what is the minimum gear a modular lab/pod would need to survive and catalogue a planet. "I think it would come with a weapons locker and every screen in the AD book." LOL |