Standard Equipment for Ships and Vehicles

[CRMcNeill]

I was reading some of my old Rifts books looking for a reference, and was reminded of something. In those books, almost all of the combat vehicle chapters include a list of standard equipment, as in "all vehicles / mechs in this section have the following standard equipment (unless otherwise noted), plus any additional special equipment listed under their description."

Having recently started adding sensor stats to walker-scale vehicles, it got me wondering what else might be standard equipment on Star Wars vehicles. We know scanners can be found on things as simple as landspeeders (see ANH), so what else is there? Just as an example, Destroids from Robotech are equipped with Radar, Audio/Video comm systems, external audio pick-ups, thermal and night vision optics, laser targeting systems, combat computers, loudspeakers, reinforced pilot's compartments, heat & radiation shielding and independent atmosphere systems. Plus whatever comes as standard on the individual mechs themselves.

So what should be standard equipment for other vehicles? What can be reasonably assumed to be included on a given vehicle in the SWU?
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

I am not sure we can really come up with a standard list. Would someone in the corporate sector outfit their ship with the same stuff say Kuat does?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[CRMcNeill]

Maybe not the same brand names, but won't most starships have some form of communication system or ejection seat? I'm talking about general equipment, not specifics.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

Some fighters have ejection seats, but not all. Heck i don't think any tie has them, but we know xwings do. Not sure about A or b/Y wings.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[cynanbloodbane]

[Whill]

[CRMcNeill]

Tough to say. Considering there is no in-film evidence of ejecting (apart from Biggs saying it to Porkins), we're left to guess. You're right that the flight suits that Rebel pilots use don't seem to be particularly suited to vacuum-duty, but all the EU material that actually covers ejection indicates that the pilot ejects from the cockpit, not the cockpit from the ship...
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

At least with the Rebels. I don't remember any instance from the novels of imperials ejecting.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Jedi Skyler]

I think if you're going to try and come up with a standardized list of on-board equipment for vehicles, you're going to have to make several lists for each kind of vehicle (at the very least, for planet-bound vehicles), and the lists will need to be progressive to account for differing levels of technology capabilities.

Is the planet a member of the Republic? Empire? What level of tech does the planet have? If they have regular commerce with the rest of the galaxy at large, they're going to have a greater likelihood of having advanced tech. That will mean GPS auto-pilot capabilities in cars, plus built-in comm systems. If this is a repulsorlift vehicle, and not a wheeled car, then it might even mean having the capability (with the right mechanic, of course) of being jury-rigged so it can be used for a limited time as an air speeder (namely by disabling the altitude inhibitor). That, however, will leave the pilot without certain crucial information (like altitude, since a ground car has no need for an altimeter).

What other kind of equipment would be standard in such a vehicle? Cars come standard with a spare tire. Does an airspeeder or landspeeder come standard with a repair kit, complete with a number of small parts that seem to be the ones that always blow out, but are fairly easily replaced? How about emergency distress beacons? Speeders allow one to travel great distances in a relatively short time. This doesn't mean everywhere the vehicle goes is going to be populated, and comlink reception might be down. Shouldn't there then be a beacon that has enough power to emit a signal capable of being tracked?

I think this is a project that can only be highly objective, unless there are already such lists somewhere in some source book or other, because everyone's going to have a different idea of what SHOULD be included. Might not be a bad idea to flesh out here, but it could be a long process to get a final draft...

[Zarm R'keeg]

[garhkal]