Prize Crews

[ghrasp]

Now that our captains have the ability to have multiple ships, we should have the option to send over a prize crew to defeated ships.

Thoughts on the mechanics of it.

1. Captured ships should be taken to the capital of your faction.
2. The captured ship is damaged so you will need to send cash to refit.
3. The previous captain smelled funny and used ugly paint so add some more cash.
4. Your second officer will command the prize. Don't forget to pick him up later.
5. A large portion of your crew will man the prize. Their cut will make them rich when they get to port. Don't expect to see them again anytime soon.
6. If your morale is less than 5? Your prize crew has a chance to mutiny and keep the ship for themselves.
7. The enemy crew must be dealt with. Space them or construct a brig in the cargo hold? Req: metal and a new jail kit? Don't want to take a hit with all factions for spacing them.....
Edit : you should send the needed cash with your second officer when he takes command of the prize

Think of the details as an attempt to set the hook in this little fishing trip....

[Cory Trese]

STORY:
Nearly every spacecraft featured in Star Traders RPG is over a century old. The Factions in 50AE manufacture mostly shuttles and skiffs -- large elements of the technology to build capital ships was lost during the Narvidian Scourge.

The position of "Captain" is the only true nobility left in the quadrant. Faction politics excludes all but the highest born genetically modified paragons. A Ship can make any-man a Captain, a trader and a master of his own fate.

So coveted is the position of Captain that even a morale 10 Crew, once in command of a Faction vessel, will be quick to change sides in Deep Space. No Ship can fly without a Captain and no Captain will relinquish the position once obtained. There are rumors, however, of a Captains willing to dock their ships and sign on with another as a mercenary.

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RESPONSE:

Love the idea ... so ...

Prize Crews have just been coded. A special type of officer (Mercenary Pilot) will be required for the player and a bunch of testing for the developers.

This will facilitate game balance. In testing we have enabled unlimited Prize Crews and the game stops making sense -- plus it is totally outside the way the "game universe" is written.

The Mercenary Pilot will be recruited like any other officer and will be "used up" when a Prize Crew operation occurs. As you said "Don't expect to see them again anytime soon."

1. Capture Ships are taken to Starport of Faction
2. Capture Ships are available for purchase
3. Price equals cost of repairs, Crew, prize and Officer pay
4. Starport will allow immediate sale of prize ship at full value (removing cost of above)
5. Take Prize will appear on Victory screen next to Destroy

This will be the same type of operation with the Technologist Doctor. He'll hang around until he saves the Captain's life and then depart to spend his riches.

[spike]

Rather than creating a new class of Officer for this, how about, any existing Officer can be selected to be placed in charge of the Prize vessel? That Officer then retires from your service of course. Minimum crew to be transferred over (and lost) = 25% of max Crew for that vessel? And, to nit pick, you need to make sure it has enough fuel aboard to reach the Starport of the Faction.

How do we determine which Faction will pay the Prize money, if the Captain has a Warrant from more than one Faction? Based on Conflict / Solar War? Easiest, and best for the Captain, might just be the Faction that has any kind of grudge against the defeated ship's Faction, and has the nearest starbase.