 June 13, 2016 - 12:19pm | I couldn't find anything in either KH or AD. Zebulon has rules for locks and the costs are in the Equipment Tables at the back. |
 June 14, 2016 - 12:06am | Yeah there's nothing in the canon boxed sets detailing this beyond defeating them with the Tech skill. I simply house-ruled that the Installation Security program must be at least as high in level as the desired locks & security systems, meaning a lv-4 program can only accomodate up to lv-4 locks, if you want the lv-6 locks you need the lv-6 program. |
 June 14, 2016 - 8:57am | I use the Zebs locks and in particular the baton keys as a strap on for AD & KHs. Besides a colored transparent rod as a key is very sci-fi-ish. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 14, 2016 - 11:47am | ^As a point of curiosity, are you aware of the possible reading of what you just said? |
 June 14, 2016 - 11:49am | I simply house-ruled that the Installation Security program must be at least as high in level as the desired locks & security systems
I don't think you'd need a program capable of coordinating all the security of an entire city just to put a fingerprint scanner on a door lock. I'd probably say that a lock is an independent device, and an installation security program simply lets you put all the locks of an area under computer control. The level of the installation security program is a measure not of lock complexity but of the complexity of the tasks that the computer needs to coordinate and analyze across all its security systems. (Of course, there are no level 6 locks on spaceship hatches because it makes no sense to have fingerprint scanners or voice-pattern scanners in space!) It looks like the costs of locks are completely down to handwavium. |
 June 14, 2016 - 8:04pm | Time for someone to write an article.  Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
June 14, 2016 - 8:36pm | Of course, there are no level 6 locks on spaceship hatches because it makes no sense to have fingerprint scanners or voice-pattern scanners in space! True for the outer hull hatch, but it can be quite feasible for the inner hatch of that airlock and/or anything further inside. Which further hinders unwanted boarders that cut through the outer hatch and can no longer cycle the airlock as such. ^As a point of curiosity, are you aware of the possible reading of what you just said?
heh heh heh, huh huh...he said "stap on".  |
June 15, 2016 - 5:41am | Again, why not use the Zeb cost list? |
June 15, 2016 - 6:47am | Again, why not use the Zeb cost list?
I'm sorry, you seem to be referring to an unproduct. There is no such thing as a "Zeb cost list" and there never has been. All references to unproducts are treason, punishable by summary execution. Have a nice day! |
June 15, 2016 - 6:59am | Of course, there are no level 6 locks on spaceship hatches because it makes no sense to have fingerprint scanners or voice-pattern scanners in space!
Actually, now that I look more closely at the Spaceship Security Table, I see that there are level 6 locks on spaceships, but the "other security devices at the hatch" never go above level 5. At first I thought this was odd, but I've just looked back at the Opening Locks subskill in Alpha Dawn where it says, "The level of a lock usually is the same as the level of any nearby security devices, but the referee may change this." That's what's happening in the Spaceship Security Table. If a technician is trying to open, say, a Spacefleet battleship's hatch, he'll have to detect and deactivate a level 5 heat-sensitive security system and open a level 6 lock. |
June 15, 2016 - 12:19pm | Ok, here's what I roughed together in about 45 min or so: Mechanical vs Electronic All locks are mechanical in that the lock physically restrains the means of access to the protected space. When people refer to “mechanical” locks vs “electronic” ones, they are referrring to the key. A mechanical key would be a piece of engraved/cut metal that is physically inserted into the lock to establish acess, or in the case of a combination lock, a physical dial or manual keypad that properly enables the lock to be opened. The important part is that the lock depends on physical interaction within the mechanism to function. This is something of a limitation beyond one or two factors of identification (see below), because each additional factor requires it's own physical mechanism. This increases not only the size and physical complexity of the lock, but also slows the speed of access. Lastly, there is an upper limit on how sophisticated such locks may be, given the practical restrictions on key size, number of pins/tublers within the lock, etc. An electronic lock uses some sort of comupterization to release the lock mechanism. The operator inputs data that the lock compares to a list of authorized factors and if the data matches, the lock opens. Electronic locks have the benefit of being able to access and utilize more and more sophicticated means of identification, such as scans and bio-prints (finger prints, voiceprints, retina patterns, etc). Factors of Identification A “factor of identification” is simply a means by which the lock is authorized to be openable: Single-factor – uses one means of identifying whether the means of identification is valid. A mechanical key, manually-dialed combination, an id-card swipe, or a bio-metric match would all be examples of single-factor locks. Multi-factor – use two or more means of identifying valid access. All of the means of identification must agree before the lock will open. The number of means varies from lock to lock, as does sophistication. The more the number of means of identification required, the more secure the lock is. Lock Levels For simplicity's sake, the following scale does not address specific differences in factors of identidication, merely the level of sophistication of the total lock. A few examples of types of lock appropriate to this level are also given. Level 1 – simple, one-factor locks such as keylocks/combination locks (desks, lockers), generic swipe-card locks, and PIN-code locks. Level 2 – higher-quality but still simple locks such as “pick resistant” keylocks or two-factor locks that do not depend on any sort of bio-metric factors (key plus PIN-code locks, etc). Level 3 – multi-factor mechanical locks or electronic locks that requre one form of bio-metric verification (thumb, voice or retina-print) Level 4 – multi-factor mechanical locks of high-quality (bank vaults, etc) or electronic locks that require two forms of bio-metric verification. Mechnical locks become to unweildy for efficient use above this level. Level 5 & 6– multi-factor electronic locks requiring more than two forms of bio-metric verification. The “two-man rule” Any lock system that requires two or more individuals with the correct keys to open may be treated as one level higher. (Maximum of L6.) Costs Mechanical locks – 50 credits/level (maximum of L4) Electronic locks – 100 credits/level |
June 15, 2016 - 10:05pm | Would there be locks on air locks? Space is a hostile environment and it could easily be deadly to lock someone out. It's a common real world ordinance to have a crash bar on roof top doors to prevent people from being trapped on the roof. It also occurs to me the Chinese space station in the movie Gravity was not portrayed as having a lock on the airlock. Just playing a little bit of devil's advocate here it. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 16, 2016 - 6:27am | Would there be locks on air locks?
In a sector full of pirates, corporate wars, and genocidal worms, all trying to board your ship, you bet there would be locks on every hatch of your spaceship! |
June 16, 2016 - 8:07am | I would think that there would be locks, but that they ordinarily would be left disengaged for safety reasons while the ship was in the air. On the ground, they would be used to keep unwanted intruders out of the ship. |
June 16, 2016 - 9:47am | I would think that there would be locks, but that they ordinarily would be left disengaged for safety reasons while the ship was in the air. On the ground, they would be used to keep unwanted intruders out of the ship.
So engagement of the locks would be done from the bridge. And at air lock. No doubt there is a manual override at the inside of the air lock. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 16, 2016 - 10:41am | No doubt the Bridge could override any local airlock control. Likewise there would be a "Manual Override" in the airlock itself that could bypass a Bridge lockout, but only as a last resort. Dave Bowman demonstrated the use of such an override in the movie 2001. |
June 16, 2016 - 11:01am | If a spaceship's computer has an installation security program, probably at least level 3, it will control all the hatch locks and their associated security systems. That doesn't prevent the hatch from being opened manually, provided the computer operator doesn't override the control. If a ship's computer doesn't have an installation security program, then all hatches are manually operated only. |
 June 16, 2016 - 1:35pm | In the book "Alien" (you might have heard of the movie), Ripley had a long mental narative about why the airlock door on the Nostromo had a sign that said, "Authorized Personel Only". All seven crew members were authorized to use the airlock and if someone who wasn't authorized wanted to use it then he or she would use it if they wanted to anyway. Maybe if they had locks on the door they would not have needed the sign. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
