Author Topic: Dropship & Base amenities  (Read 1625 times)

Colt Ward

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Dropship & Base amenities
« on: 12 November 2018, 16:41:15 »
One of the interesting things from HBS is the upgrade/repairs you can do to the Argo to get some more capabilities.  Lounge, sim pods, gym, hydroponics bay, med bay, library and others are all options the game offers

Since it is more RPG oriented I was wondering if any of this already was covered in AToW or if anyone knew anything similar.  One of the common ones, and I will say it holds up, is that having fresh food is a definite bonus for morale- which would also increase your chances of retaining troops & techs, or attracting them to your employ.  So having a hydroponics bay in your dropship offering up limited crops of tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, beans, or other appropriate plants would be good.  Also growing things like spider plants as aeroponics to help clean your canned air- several stories treat DS air like the nasty air WWI & II subs had when they surfaced after being down for a while.

A lounge, either on the DS or one to set up in the garrison post or field base is a definite rec facility and can improve the QoL for your troops and techs though you might run into discipline problems from drunk & disorderly.  I mentally come up with a cross between 10 Forward's clean refined atmosphere and MASH's Rosie's slapped together from left over crates with re-purposed decoration.  A place for the troops & techs to play cards or other games, watch Tri-Ds on movie night, maybe entertain folks from allied units.
 But then it gets into Supply making local beer runs, importing & stocking the troopers preferred beverages when on the hiring hall worlds, things that may be frowned on by the latest employers (do the Dracs approve of you importing FedSuns beer?  is it on the proscribed list?) or imagine landing on Quaker Planet where its strictly verbotten.

Gym/workout room, day rooms, libraries, rec facilities w/pool tables & ping pong- check out sport gear, CQ w/sign out vehicles, and liquor stores can all be for morale.  Maybe even a room that can link to ComStar facilities to record messages without having to go to ComStar.

Fully stocked/supplied machine shop, simulator space, med bays, firing ranges (and set up), test ranges (did we really get that AC/5 repaired to fire true?) and a education/improvement space all can have a impact on a unit's overall performance of the job.

And the costs can be covered on the contract by the overhead portion.
Colt Ward
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mbear

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Re: Dropship & Base amenities
« Reply #1 on: 13 November 2018, 08:11:59 »
I thought a lot of this was covered as crew berthing and grav decks. They don't specify exactly what's in there, just that X tonnage is set aside for crew amenities.
Be the Loremaster:

Battletech transport rules take a very feline approach to moving troops in a combat zone: If they fits, they ships.

You bought the box set and are ready to expand your BT experience. Now what? (Thanks Sartis!)

Colt Ward

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Re: Dropship & Base amenities
« Reply #2 on: 13 November 2018, 10:27:57 »
A jumpship, or DS with steerage/marine quarters rather than bay quarters, will have some of this like medical bays and gyms though I do not think it is ever spelled out.  And IIRC some will vary between ship . . . for instance a JS that is on the Tharkad-Solaris trade route will likely put a bit more into leisure for those spaces while a Lyran navy JS that transports units & supplies along the Falcon border will probably have larger mess halls and gyms.

But a merc unit is not always guaranteed to have a JS with the mix of facilities they like- and depending on the transport contract with the JS, they may not be allowed to use it or get very many folks off the DS while being transported.  With the state of the periphery I know as a JS captain while I may dock a DS with a captain I do not know, I am not releasing the airlock without my own security team present in armor, locked & loaded.  And I am certainly not allowing them free rein to roam about my ship in uncounted numbers.  Finally, if I am on garrison/cadre, occupation, or even assault prep where I am using my DS facilities to work on my mechs then having the personnel spaces or even some dedicated cargo space for some of the above purposes means we take a bit of home with us.

For instance, I would expect a machine/fabrication shop for a small merc (or as much as they can afford- and the savings to repairs will be real) to be in a conex or two that would be accessible to the techs in the mech cubicles.  Sim Pods would probably be in another conex, so that if you are on a firebase proper you can have them follow the troops to wherever they are going to be operating out of on a regular basis- IE your DS is parked a First Planetary Spaceport outside of Landing and your mechs/armor are in a firebase near the germanium mines 120 klicks away.
Colt Ward
Clan Invasion Backer #149, Leviathans #104

"We come in peace, please ignore the bloodstains."

"Greetings, Mechwarrior. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Daoshen and the Capellan armada."

Col Toda

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Re: Dropship & Base amenities
« Reply #3 on: 21 November 2018, 05:26:03 »
Command and Control Facilities to man the remote sensor network .  Is the obvious thing to include .   Motor Pool facilities . Sim pods tend to be mostly used on the Grav Decks of Jump Ships for me ; between contracts or enroute or departing a contract .
« Last Edit: 21 November 2018, 05:40:52 by Col Toda »

Nav_Alpha

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Re: Dropship & Base amenities
« Reply #4 on: 21 November 2018, 06:15:27 »
Mercs usually have dependants and that means families and children.
Teaching spaces/classrooms equipped with some sort of holo display, plus personal computers and data readers for the kids.
In a pinch you can get away with paper, pens and a whiteboard on the hull.

Plus, a crèche setup for younger kids.

Now, if we are dirt side for a while and setup base, I’d want us to think smart when it comes to food.
So, a garden setup complete with hen house, small grazing area for the local equivalent of sheep.


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Wrangler

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Re: Dropship & Base amenities
« Reply #5 on: 21 November 2018, 09:36:42 »
I think alot of it is not detailed it's assumed the player could add it if there rpg thing. 
Most stuff i've ever read that goes into that kind detail is in the novels.
Sword of Sedition, they had Caleb Davion meeting Diana Liao for first time on a Luxury JumpShip which had a high-end bar on it.

For game rules go i think its open as with all things I've read "Whatever works for your game". 
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