 August 3, 2017 - 10:53am | Working on a robot idea: Universal Parcel Delivery Bot Or Galactic Alliance Parcel Service GAPS Company slogan "No Package Falls Through the Gaps" These robots have a sensor designed to detect explosives so they can't be used to deliver TD-19 to a target. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 3, 2017 - 10:55am | GAPS robots are a common sight across the Frontier. They are painted brown with yellow trim. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 3, 2017 - 11:18am | The original parcel delivery service in the Frontier was UPDS a subsidiary of Tacton or TransTravel and looked to gain early market domination until the Dramune Delivery bombings attributed to the SDC (Silver Death Cult). The company's name was blackened by being the vector by which bombs were delivered across the frontier. In the aftermath PGC organize Galactic Alliance Parcel Service (GAPS) and heavily marketed it with the freature of explosives scanners carried by every delivery bot and delivery being. PGC already had a fleet of frieghters supplying every show room on almost every planet (some colonies classified as outpost of course lacked PGC showrooms). Thus GAPS was an overnight success for PGC. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 3, 2017 - 11:41am | After an extensive investigation by Star Law several individuals tied to the Silver Death Cult were arrested although the cell leader resisted arrest and was killed by Star Law agents. Preventing the investigation from going further. A former SDC spokesperson claimed years latter that PGC ordered the bombings as a plot to undermine UPDS business and that he had the proof but we was beaten and robbed by Galactic Taskforce enforcers and the holovid recordings stollen. PGC & GT have steadfastly denied this claim but conspiracy nuts across the Frontier have loved to make hay of this spurious claim almost to the point of it reaching the level of urban myth. What is certain is Star Law continues to keep the investigation open into who ordered the bombings. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 3, 2017 - 6:37pm | GAPS robots are a common sight across the Frontier. They are painted brown with yellow trim.
That means they have Search & Destroy programs installed, just like modern day UPS drivers. There is no coincidence in the fact that the opening of Ace Ventura Pet Detective had Jim Carry dressed in brown adorned with three-initial logos. |
 August 9, 2017 - 5:20pm | I've tried to post this three times but am traveling and using cellphone only. I write and then loose the connection during the post. So, here goes the third try. There should be flying delivery bots and ground delivery bots. They are working in tandum to be as efficient and fast as possible. This of course boils down to efficiency for money and profits but is also marketed as security too. The flying delivery bots deliver to roof tops and the ground delivery bots meet them just in time to have the package dropped into their waiting cargo arms/hold. This is marketed as secure because the locations are not consistent or are closed access like a sunrise rooftop. Imagine a ground delivery bot riding a freight elevator to the roof and exiting the elevator just in time for the flying delivery bot to drop the package to it then backing right back into the elevator before the doors close. Very fast and both delivery bots are on their way to the next drop off and pick up. The ground delivery bot then delivers the package directly to the customer inside the skyrise. If th customer happens to have a balcony then the flying delivery bot can deliver packages directly to the balcony. This would mean also that package transfers happen at many other unexpected locations where the delivery bots are ordered to make the swaps to most efficiently cover their areas. A plot use of this could be the players or their nemesis trying to disrupt, intercept, spoof, or protect said delivery bot routes. Just learning the routes of the day could be an espionage adventure. -iggy |
August 9, 2017 - 5:41pm | Good ideas Iggy I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 9, 2017 - 6:38pm | Of course this all assumes local/planetary service, the goods still need to traverse from one system to the next. I've made several stabs at this by loosely plagiarizing Traveller's "Scout Service", to date the Courier Scout is the design I have stuck with for such duty. The automatron service would compliment this nicely once the goods get to their planetary destination...just lose the "what can brown smash down for you" clause and I'm all in.  |
August 10, 2017 - 2:48am | Of course this all assumes local/planetary service, the goods still need to traverse from one system to the next. I've made several stabs at this by loosely plagiarizing Traveller's "Scout Service", to date the Courier Scout is the design I have stuck with for such duty. The automatron service would compliment this nicely once the goods get to their planetary destination...just lose the "what can brown smash down for you" clause and I'm all in. Is the courier scout big enough for interstellar parcel delivery. I figured that as a subsidary of PGC the parcel delivery service would piggy back on PGC vessels arleady making transits. they'd simply package all parcels into a container labelled with the subsidary's name and load it into the PGC vessel's cargo hold. At the other end it would be handed off to the subsidary's robots. EDIT: Adventure Hook: PCs are pirates (part of a pirate band) hired to intercept a PGC freighter, board locate the parcel delivery container search it and find just one package and deliver it unopenned for an serious ammount of credits. They opt to take the container and make their get away to search it at their leizure, otherwise militia, space fleet or PGC privateers could respond before they locate the one package. Jobs done and they got paid. The parcel container was supposed to be dumped into the gravity well of the local sun to destroy evidence but a NPC member of the band decided to open all the packages and see what else could be of value. Trying to fence these stollen goods has the consequence of putting Star Law on the trail of the pirates. The mysterious employer that hired them to do the job is now looking to eliminate the pirates to prevent star law from tracking the theft to them. Leader of the pirate band is pissed and is looking to take out frustration on someone and has PCs in his sights they will need to talk fast and blame shift to NPC or murder him themselves. The end result is they have to clean up the mess- star law and placate the former employer. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 10, 2017 - 6:55am | Is the Courier Scout big enough for interstellar parcel delivery.
Most definitely, it sports a pair of ion drives for interstellar jumps, chemical thrusters for planetary landings, and a pair of half-unit capacity holds that are perfect for parcels but lacking for actual freight handling duties, although if push came to shove you could still transport certain types of freight (such as minerals). It is a purpose minded vessel for such transport, much like the Scout/Courier from Traveller was...just a completely different design that makes it more unique for SF use. Click the link for all the details. P.S. my original design --- more recently repurposed as a system ship --- is a much more direct plagiarism of the Traveller ship: http://starfrontiers.us/node/3733 |
August 10, 2017 - 12:53pm | Adventure Hook: PCs are pirates (part of a pirate band) hired to intercept a PGC freighter, board locate the parcel delivery container search it and find just one package and deliver it unopenned for an serious ammount of credits. They opt to take the container and make their get away to search it at their leizure, otherwise militia, space fleet or PGC privateers could respond before they locate the one package. Jobs done and they got paid. The parcel container was supposed to be dumped into the gravity well of the local sun to destroy evidence but a NPC member of the band decided to open all the packages and see what else could be of value. Trying to fence these stollen goods has the consequence of putting Star Law on the trail of the pirates. The mysterious employer that hired them to do the job is now looking to eliminate the pirates to prevent star law from tracking the theft to them. Leader of the pirate band is pissed and is looking to take out frustration on someone and has PCs in his sights they will need to talk fast and blame shift to NPC or murder him themselves. The end result is they have to clean up the mess- star law and placate the former employer. Might need a Commodore Norrington character ala Pirates of the Carribean Norrington has command of a patrol group: 1 frigate and 2 assault scouts. He's a self righteous prig looking for promotion. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 10, 2017 - 8:04pm | Might need a Commodore Norrington character ala Pirates of the Carribean Norrington has command of a patrol group: 1 frigate and 2 assault scouts. He's a self righteous prig looking for promotion. A Norrington clone would have a destroyer and a frigate (Dauntless and Interceptor respectively, and if you really want to give it the POTC treatment have the Interceptor equipped with PGC Eurekas for an ADF of 5). That way when the players "appropriate" the Dauntless, Norrigton will take chase with the Interceptor and board the craft while the players cleverly wait outside with vacc-suits to board the now-empty Interceptor and make their escape via the much faster ship. |
