 September 14, 2014 - 6:49pm | I was listenning to a classic rock station driving back from Maine and Bob Seger was playing and the lyric phrase "gypsy wind" from "Someday You'll Accompany Me" jumped out at me. Gypsy Wind is a great ship name. Most likely same class as the Gull Wind. Then I started wondering about other ship names from music lyrics and all of a sudden "Hell's Bells" by AC DC jumped into my head as a pirate ship name. Name a ship, tell us a little bit about it and it doesn't have to be from a song lyric. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 14, 2014 - 7:16pm | Zeek Dublin was a spacer on Minotaur Merchant Marine vessels and served in both Common Musters. Despite his ship being destroyed in the Battle of Morgaine's World he survived the battle (and the war). The disposition of the prizes captured by the First Common Muster were tangled up in courts as there was no interstellar body to abjudicate the case and it did not get settled till after SW1. There were, by that time, fewer survivors (of the 1st Common Muster) to divide the prize money amongst. Zeek used his prize money and service pay and took advantage of special rate loans for combat veterans and bought a Pacific class (Gullwind class) merchant vessel after the war naming it the Gypsy Wind. Zeek Dublin became the patriarch of a clan of spacers marrying Cherry Rodrick (a May/November romance with her being half his age). Zeek has passed on but Cherry "Ma" Dublin runs the family business. The Gypsy Wind holds the note on two other vessels crewed by family members: Gygsy Trader captained by Zeek's nephew, and Gypsy's Luck captained by Cherry's eldest son. She's been grooming her youngest child as captain of the Gypsy Wind while she steps back and attends to business. Crew is almost exclusively family on Gypsy clan ships though personal friends of the captains of a vessel and find a berth. Advancement within a ship's crew is gacially slow but adding a new vessel to the "fleet" creates opportunities that are highly sought after. Gypsy Wind is a Pacific class vessel conforming to the stats of the Gullwind at the beginning of the Dramune Run module. Gypsy Trader is a Light Speed Lady class yacht, and Gypy's Luck is a HS 3 yacht. EDIT: The names Cherry and Dublin are tributes to CJ Cherryh and "Merchanter's Luck" which was about family owned merchant vessels- a good read from earlier this year. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 14, 2014 - 7:45pm | Everyone knows that the Outer Reach militia are little more than pirates. Crime lords like the Malthar are able to purchase military grade vessel designs on the pretext of them being for the legitimate Outer Reach militia. Naturally there is a string attached and the captain and crew who are recipients of this benefit are generally beholden to whichever crime lord arranged for the purchase. Hell's Bells is a Space Fleet frigate design that started life as an Outer Reach militia vessel which also moonlighted as a pirate. Unfortunately for its first crew it had put prize crews on two captured vessels and ambitiously went after a third which turned out to be crewed by pirates. These pirates counter boarded the Outer Reach militia frigate and captured it. Knowing that the Malthar would lean on them the new captain of the Hell's Bells avoided Dramune system and has ranged far and wide acting as a pirate or mercenary vessel. Three Outer Reach militia vessels that went after the Hell's Bells disappeared and eventally the Malthar gave up on it though it is still not welcomed back in Dramune, though other crime lords have attempted to cut deals with the ship's captain in a bid to suplant the Malthar. Its rumored that the captain of the Hell's Bells had made deals with everyone from the Bokar to the sathar and the Humma for safe anchorage. Its equally certain that the Malthar is probably the source of some of these rumors (especially the sathar one) in order to bring heat from Star Law and Space Fleet down on the ship. Captain's name is Bon Meurte "Good Death" as a tribute to Bon Scott for whom the Hell's Bells was dedicated as a memorial to. Real Name is unknown. One thing is certain, you dont want to find Hell's Bells on your tail as a merchanter. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 September 15, 2014 - 8:16am | Trafalgar Trade Lines was established by a team of 10 friends and adventurers. The
first ship they purchased was the Trafalgar – hence the name of the Company.
The Trafalgar has seen service with the UPF and Prenglar Militia. She was then
sold to PGC. PGC used it for a short duration and then mothballed her. Due to
the team’s dedicated service, the PGC made the decision was made to sell the
ship to the team and provide them with a loan to purchase it with (4% interest
loan). In return, the Company will provide services to PGC. Jaxon has a tracer
implant as security for the loan. The reason for this generosity – the team
previously rescued PGC VP March. The remaining part of the debt was paid by a government subsidy
from the Athor Government (4% interest loan) in return for government service
until the loan is paid. The repatriated some Yazirian artifacts and are
considered (Heroes of Athor). The team paid the loan and provided the
government shares in the company. The Company still owes 3 favors to the Athor
Government. The remaining debt was paid by selling stock in the Company. After the first year, enough money was made to purchase the “Joyful Down” a Fair Trader freighter. They had office in: Port Loren, Gran Quivera, Prenglar Sanctuary Station, Morgaine's World, Prenglar New Kir, Exib moon, Athor Port Asteall, Yast, Athor Trafalgar - Assault Scout class ship ~ named after an ancient battle Joyful Down - Fair Trader class ship ~ a varient of an ancient book called "Watership Down" (Eventually the company made runs into Timeon, White Light, K'Tsa-Kar and K'aken-Kar. On the moon of Z'Kiir, the company discovered a load of iron. They fended off pirates and Streel incursions. After time, the company, ships and refinery were sold to Streel.) |
September 15, 2014 - 8:28am | The Rik'ta is a firefly class tramp freighter. She was captained by "Charlie" Myers. There was an issue of some over due landing fees and the local authorities impounded the Rik'ta on Ken'Zah-kit. The Rik'ta is named after a rat or weasel like creature from one of the Vrusk worlds. (A crewman, "Vicky" Vax heard stories from her father. She was born and raised on Gran Quivera so she has never seen one. "Charlie" claims it is the name of a pet weasel from an ancient book written by a man named Kipling.) |
September 15, 2014 - 10:04am | Nice one on the Kipling reference. Got me thinking of Shakespear and how Hamlet might get corrupted: Helmet or rather the "Helmet if Denma" yazirian owned and so named because the clan chief who authorized the purchase had once seen a one Osaka play (one osaka playing all of the parts and using native voice ability to do so) of ancient human origin about a warrior prince who avenges his clan chief father's death but also dies tragically. He especially like the seens with the ghost/hir-kal/clan shadow because in his youth he once thought he had encountered a hir-kal/ clan shadow. Thus he named the ship for Helmet of Denma, or rather what he remembered from the play. Of course decades later as a clan chief on Athor he booked a troop of perforners from Clarion to come and perform "Helmet" at a clan celebratioin there was some consternation when the performers were "not doing it right" consqently the original yazirian translation of Hamlet has been ammended to read "Helmet of Denma" and productions produced for yazirian audiences are expected to feature helms, helmets and war helms. One clever rendition used SW1 era uniforms an combat helms. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 15, 2014 - 10:53am | UPFS Satisfaction- a tramp frieghter with emphasis on tramp. When anone on board, crew or passenger complains about anything the response is nearly always, "On this ship, you cant get no satisfaction." At any given time there are 1d5 nuisance things not working (no hot water in cabin x's shower, door y sticking and takes 2x as long to travel through, food box not working and therefor no hot meals. Plus one serious to major thing wrong. Excellent ship to "afflict" the PCs with. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 15, 2014 - 10:50pm | Yes, my PCs want ships of their own but, lack big money. So I "afflict" ships with similiar things as the UPFS Satisfaction plus more - missing one engine and second engine has no fuel, the SSradio is missing, the astrogation program is fried, etc. This stuff adds up - 20,000 for a radio, 64,000 for the astrogation program - 100,000+ for the engine and not to mention 10,000 cr. per fuel pellet! But add in some age (10 to 25 years) and decrease the HP, ADF/MR & DCR = an affordable ship. |
 September 16, 2014 - 8:42am | "Lived Rat 5" --- This was an early creation of mine back when I first started playing with the KH boxed set. It was an armed liner acquired by pirates that would turn corsair during requests for assistance or escort. The ship's name was printed on the bridge viewports as well, and when viewed from inside the bridge it spelled out "Star Devil". "Aquilian Starling" --- This was a pre-KH ship I made with my house rules I'd made before the KH set was released. She's a beater, a salvaged ship that started life as something more grand but a casualty of a sathar invasion (which would later be rewritten as a casualty of the first sather war). The ship was reborn in a new guise and was my Millenium Falcon per se, a beat up hunk of junk with lots of "personality". The ship has been recently reintroduced in my Historic Adventures in its original pre-beater guise. "Volturnian Knighthawk" --- Another ship made under my house rules. This one was more "Millenium Falcon right off the assembly line" owned by my primary character at the time, Stephen Knightrazor. Imagine my surprise when TSR released a boxed set with a similar title. The ship was rewritten and rendered under the new KH rules several times, and the current rendition is still in use. "Volturnian Stingray" --- an ex-pirate ship via my house rules that was acquired and recommissioned after the Volturnus trilogy. It would later be re-written as a corvette after the KH rules acquisition, for obvious reasons applicable to the automotive world. "Colossus" --- one of my early KH vessels, it's a HS:20 freighter built to resemble a battleship in profile. This was a corporate owned monstrosity that the players would be hired upon as crew in order to graduate to KH skills. The ship's logo was lifted off the back cover of D&D module X2 Castle Amber. "Knight Owl" --- Knightrazor's son (who was raised in a yazirian clan alongside "Rinny" who was rescued from the Hepplewhite Inc sample scenario while his father was out making a name for himself) acquired this craft under government charter. It's a small HS:3 transport that ferries goods back and forth to the neighboring systems of Athor, predominantly the pair of Scree Fron worlds that the vessel has access to via a one jump route Rinny discovered. As such, the ship makes its home port in a smallcivilization on the outpost world Histran despite the charter from Yast, as both Rinny and Knightrazor Jr. enjoy the solitude that only Histran can offer. The craft served a prominent role when the forces of the upstart dictator (who eventually usurps the entire Frontier in my game) invaded the outpost world, the owners upgraded the life support system and smuggled refugees offworld and to let the UPF know of the invasion, after single handedly defeating a small group of star fighters that stumbled upon their scheme. The Knighthawk and Knight Owl can be seen here: |
September 16, 2014 - 9:32am | I love the Lived Rat 5 / Star Devil gimmick. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 18, 2014 - 3:47am | Some Boon'sheh auqired a ship and outfitted it as a priveteer. They operate out of Volturnus and raid Humma shipping as an act of revenge for centuries of genocide against their species. Ther problem is that the ship is old, in not so good repair and they are always credit strapped or in need of critical parts or fuel. This translates to: if you need a ship on the cheap they can be hired for a job and wont ask to many questions. They are not pirates and will not attack anyone other than Humma system registered ships. The vessel Started life as a Rim-Song Class yatch but had an assualt rocket launcher added with 3 rockets. HS3, HP 15, ADF 4, MR 3, DCR 29; Weapons LB & ARx3, Reflective hull, no life boat The ship has numerous names and faked registries but its official name and registry is "The Song" though the Boon'sheh call it the Death Song among them selves. Occassionally they can get some HARM munitions for the AR which are more effective against Humma fighters generally being "one shot, one kill" against a fighter. Its rumored that they have a CFM captain benefactor and some rich benefactors in the UPF who support the cause of the Boon'sheh against the Humma but for all that they are usually still hard up for credits to keep the ship running, fueled and armed. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 18, 2014 - 4:16am | During Laco's War STreel quietly outfitted a number of privateers and turned them loose on PGC shipping with the understanding that they would deny any responsibility if these privateers got caught by Space Fleet and that they would be cut off if they turned pirate and raided indiscriminently. Eventually the war ended, and its rumored that Streel took out a few of the privateers that were deemed a liability. Others disappeared into the wood work and some found the changing environment of the space lanes to difficult to operate in that they turned pirate completely. This was a period of Trans Travel rising to dominance in the shipping trade and that corporation went after pirates with a vengance. Most of the Streel equipped privateers from the Laco's War era are now long gone. One survivor is Captain Mad Dag Maddox and the Dark Wing A Condor Class privateer, one of the largest every turned loose on PGC shipping. In the post Laco War period he kept his ship flying by turning merc and renting out as rent-a-militia. The rent-a-militia thing was mostly to Kdikit in Morgaine's Star and not as successful since the ship is in the Light cruiser range and most militias need smaller faster vessels for commerce regulation. The Dark Wing has rented out for numerous corporate conflicts and has close ties to MerCo. Its rumored that for a time Dark Wing did "go pirate" but there is no evidence and one former crew member that was reportedly "turning states evidence" for Star Law was killed in was was labeled a 'randome mugging' Captian Maddox has done well as corporate mercenary and has hung onto a couple or armored troop shuttles provided by one corporate sponsor for a past job. If a job requires he can swell his crew with 2 companies of MerCo mercenaries for ground operations and the Dark Wing is well supplied. She is an elite mercenary cruiser in the Frontier and generally command top dollar for her services. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
