 January 30, 2012 - 6:57pm | http://www.treasuretables.org/2006/09/the-hub-home-sweet-base The above is an interesting brief article about a way to get the players more active and less reactive in a campaign. As I read it I thought a bar with the 3rd floor reserved for the PCs but in my imagination I saw it in a fantasy context since the hub is could be a vehicle this idea lends itself to SF, because everyone wants a starship. But then they want to fly it into battle. But what if they cant? Suppose they inherit an interest in a mining ship or some other ship that must remain employed in a commercial venture? The bank still owns the lion's share of the ship but they PCs are also owners and get some use out of it. If its big enough they have permanent rooms and storage areas on board. Trying to think of other options for this in SF that are not ships. Bar of course works, but wear? Space station, unique planet in the setting? Laco's World? Any other ideas? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 30, 2012 - 7:09pm | Battlestar made an entire franchise based off this idea. |
January 30, 2012 - 7:22pm | I'm guessing that non star ship Hubs probably work more with urban campaigns: http://www.treasuretables.org/2006/10/the-octopus-a-model-for-urban-campaigns I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 30, 2012 - 8:04pm | In the Dramune run, you are offered the ship at the end. It gives the players a ship with limited fighting capability and can be used as a base. I thought back in the daymy character had a home, but was too busy exploring planets to even go home. With a lot of SF being in a "frontier" location, it would really depend on what kind of campaign you are playing. A ship gives mobility, so the adventure can be anywhere. If a ship is not theirs yet, I think some hangout, bar or even some type of mercenary Mega Corp, like MERCO would be a good place to start. Every Mega Corp should have some place for their employees to hang out. Even Space Fleet will have some central facility for the PC's to live at. If the PC's have no ties to anything, maybe a smaller populated planet with a few small towns, but it would have to have some trade routes to it to be effective. It all really come down to how connected to the Frontier the PC's need to be for whatever campaign you are conducting. |
January 30, 2012 - 8:28pm | Not sure I'd want mega corp support for that as that might be like giving a +4 sword at first level. But what if it was a gun smuggler that owed them a favor? He's small time and the favor he owes could be the suggect of the first adventure. He's got a hide out and always has some interesting trinket or two that he'll let go at cost- sort of makes him a "Q" for the PCs just not as nicely dressed and lacking the British ascent. Might even be fun if this gun smuggler was a humma survivalist (see my archetype write up in SFman 15) He's rude, uncouth, very paranoid, and collects lots of weapons! If they ask too much of him, he can say no and act paranoid about star law or who ever. Perhaps he's even political- hates the fragging megacorps. He may know a CFM captain or two, though he's cagey about that. Almost any NPC that walks more on the dark side of the law could work. If its a favor owed then they have a crash pad. Perhaps the NPC develops a fondness for them and he even gives them an outlet for fencing questionable items on the DL. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 30, 2012 - 9:11pm | Not sure I'd want mega corp support for that as that might be like giving a +4 sword at first level. Well, with an 18 strength score a normal sword functions the same as a +3 sword...  Seriously though, this is the premise in Keep on the Borderlands...the stronghold makes for a great "base" as long as the DM can support the neighboring adventures. Granted in SF the ship replaces the stronghold. Granted the GM has to find creative ways to make adventures that involve the "home base", whatever that may be. I had one group that returned to Volturnus with the intent of claiming Slave City One in order to continue mining the vibrillium & tomarillium. This of course came with all sorts of hurdles, starting with securing blessings from Streel (whom I appointed as "owner" of such rights based on the limited campaign material offered in the game) and after some ovehead costs were determined, they opted for Outpost One instead...which is little more than a secured condominium with some office space. It didn't last long once they acquired a ship, because it was in a rather remote part of the Frontier and beyond sleeping quarters it didn't serve much purpose...they couldn't exactly staff it with permanent NPCs every time they left because there just wasn't that much room for them. As for gung-ho players looking for a fight with their ship, I didn't encounter that very often. Most of the ships encountered in "routine travel" are UPF, corporation, or civilian craft...so unless they opted for piracy as a career, picking fights wasn't on the menu. Oddly enough, the one group that did seek out space battles did just that: they were pirates. And their upgunned freighter didn't fare well when they picked a fight in the Theseus system and the local militia responded --- lone freighters with a couple battery weapons rarely hold out against frigates and destroyers with cannons and torpedoes. But that was the exception, most players aren't going to risk their "roving home" as such. Even in my Space Rats game, where the players acquired/repaired/retro-fitted the severely damaged Melinda McCoy (the UPF destroyer from Dramune Run)...their beefy craft sporting a cannon and a trio of battery weapons rarely engages in combat, and only does so in response to invaders. Despite having a blood thirsty Humma gunner aboard, they simply aren't out looking for trouble, the ship merely serves as a transport to ferry them around the Frontier looking for odd jobs. I think most sensible SF players are willing to travel the same route, but you do occasionally get the evil Magic User who, upon acquiring a stronghold, is bent on overtaking neighboring civilizations. |
January 31, 2012 - 1:31am | You could give the pc's the mega corp job as a reward down the line after a mission. Havin a secure home base at that point would be part of the employment package, to be negotiated. Then if you want later the evil mega corp could betray them and turn that same base against them. if you want to use a magic item in a fantasy game as an example, the pc get some sword with a magical +/to hit and then later finds out there is a cost in health using it or something like that. Just temper the mega corp base with some type of restriction. I know that most players would rather not be tied down though, so it is just an idea. |
 January 31, 2012 - 7:24am | The begining of Alpha Dawn kinda leads you to believe the characters are trouble shooters or at least independent contractors for PGC. Also they could be Star Law Rangers (which apparently requires less skills than flying a starship). Either way they were working for a large group so had their basic needs taken care of for them and did not need to worry about things like home, utilities, PTA meetings and the like. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 February 1, 2012 - 10:21am | Isn't Firefly a perfect example of a ship as a base concept? What does he always say, something about get a job, get paid, keep flying... |
February 1, 2012 - 9:07pm | Serenity of Firefly, Enterprise of Star Trek and to the same extant Metalacar (the Impala in Supernatural) are good bases or the places the characters turn to for many basic needs. BUT the key to each of these bases is that in the context of the story they are not treated as objects or places but as characters themselves with their own personalities and quirks. Many times characters are so free floating it becomes all about the constant moving from place to place and adventure to adventure. Having a steady place to regroup and unwind at the end of the story can be the anchor a campaign needs to keep it alive. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
