Multi-Purpose Escape Pod

[CRMcNeill]

In another topic, I made mention of a ship that I would like to crossover from the Serenity RPG to the SWU. That in turn got me thinking about how the Serenity's shuttles were used both as lifeboats and multi-role transports. Have any of you ever used a ship where the lifeboats were useful for something other than escaping the ship just as it was about to blow up? If so, what sorts of limitations did you place on them? What would they look like, stat-wise?
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"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

[tetsuoh]

while i dont have the stats on hand we had a larger feighter one campaign that had two shuttles that docked and launched like escape pods. They were fast and had some defenses, but we used them mostly for ferrying ourselves and some passengers/cargo until the ONE time they needed to be used as escape pods.

[CRMcNeill]

How were they equipped? Shields? Hyperdrives? Hull Strength? Sensors?
_________________
"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

[vanir]

On all large cruisers I have the command crew use regular shuttles as escape craft in the case of emergency, only enlisted personnel use escape pods, even junior officers and passenger compliments will use troop transports as if performing a landing manoeuvre instead of an emergency.

Sort of like what I'd expect to see on the screen. The captain and senior crew go to their shuttles, regular crew head to the pods, etc.

It's not so much that there aren't several shuttles, dropships and utility craft for maintenance and mundane purposes on all cruisers (in addition to listed craft boarded for combat action), but just that the reason you have emergency escape pods is so that you can eject the entire cruiser's population within a few minutes.

If you had to evacuate for a radiation leak for example, you wouldn't waste your escape pods, you'd just shuttle/land the population over several hours using utility craft.


So with that in mind, since there aren't stats or listings for all these logical craft placements I fully support the idea to write some up.

I always had ISD with a small command shuttle bay in the bridge section, in addition to the two main hangar bays under the hull. On top of this a number of small maintenance docking bays spread all over the mile long vessel for tiny utility craft (like one man repair craft you see at space docks and the like).

Now a Lambda class won't physically fit in the bridge section, and it's more a luxury shuttle for ceremonial occasions or long ranging command functions, but when we were running around with ISD fleets in game we found you really really need some kind of shuttle/bay in the bridge section itself (and ruled that the SWU is so technically advanced that if we gamers note something missing, it's probably there but just not listed as far as a house rule goes).


So I'd really love a command shuttle type stats that could fit in a small shuttle bay in the bridge section of ISD, which would double as the standard shuttle equipped to smaller cruisers like the Loronar or Carrack (house rule assuming all cruisers have an unlisted command shuttle).


Very interested to see what you'll come up with crmcneill

[Esoomian]

I've actually seen some stats for escape pods and even deckplans for them somewhere I just can't remember where.

As I recall they had fairly decent stats.
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[CRMcNeill]

[Bren]

The only problem I see with dual use is ships typically take time to prep and start up before use and refuel and restock after use while an escape pod needs to always be ready to go instantaneously. So dual use would entail some risk. Kind of tough for the captain if his shuttle is shut down for refueling just when he needs to abandon ship.

Dual use would probably be illegal on civilian passenger ships (all those pesky safety rules), but it might be something the military would use, and certainly something you might (again possibly illegally) see on a tramp freighter.

[CRMcNeill]

[Bren]

[CRMcNeill]

[Bren]

[garhkal]

As a linked q..
Do escape pods stay connected to both sensors (computer) and power of the 'mother ship? I ask, cause if they do and the ship gets a "powered down" result from Ion cannon damage, would that then not mean the pod is also out of action?
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[Bren]