The Forge Archives

Your ship needs a cook. Preferably one who is also great with confectionery. ;-)

Seriously, there are a lot of "mundane" shipboard jobs, but if you think of the ship as the crew's home rather than their office, you might get some more ideas.

First, which kind of ship is it? A huge capital ship with whole companies crammed inside, a small research vessel or the typical NPC small converted freighter? Most of the tasks are going to be routine. There is gunk to scrape off, sensors to stare at and filters to clean everywhere.

Personally, I'd love to try a scenario or a minor campaign set completely on a capital ship some time.

I just finished Consider Phlebas, a book by Ian M Banks which deals with some of this as well. I recommend it as a good book as well as a good look at the sort of desperation of an independent crew having to all fill in where they can on an old and tightly budgeted ship.

Quote from: Will on September 17, 2008, 06:52:53 PMI just finished Consider Phlebas, a book by Ian M Banks ...

You're next assignment: Excession.

Once you got a grip on Banks... brace for Use of Weapons (one of the darkest, most fucked-up climax scenes I've ever read in sci fi). He the best modern sci fi author alive today, though Steve Baxter and Alystair Reynolds are gaining on him (in my mind).

Quote from: David Artman on September 17, 2008, 08:11:27 PM
Once you got a grip on Banks... brace for Use of Weapons

Use of Weapons was the book given to me that got em into him as an author

Here is a research idea: http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/

Listings of job openings on cruise ships could spark some ideas of what has to get done on a vessel.