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[ZBridges]

How many crew are necessary to run the ship?

[flabort]

I assume one, yourself.

Would Hoila be on the way to Sarilla? If so, I'd suggest the Sarilla passengers and both lots of cargo to Hoila. That would put us at 6/6 people capacity and 14/20 cargo.

[Screech9791]

I assume one, yourself.

Would Hoila be on the way to Sarilla? If so, I'd suggest the Sarilla passengers and both lots of cargo to Hoila. That would put us at 6/6 people capacity and 14/20 cargo.

+1

[A_Curious_Cat]

I assume one, yourself.

Would Hoila be on the way to Sarilla? If so, I'd suggest the Sarilla passengers and both lots of cargo to Hoila. That would put us at 6/6 people capacity and 14/20 cargo.

+1

+1

This is assuming that cargo doesn’t eat into passenger space and vice versa.

Otherwise,
-1

[Funk]

I assume one, yourself.

Would Hoila be on the way to Sarilla? If so, I'd suggest the Sarilla passengers and both lots of cargo to Hoila. That would put us at 6/6 people capacity and 14/20 cargo.

+1

+1

[King Zultan]

I assume one, yourself.

Would Hoila be on the way to Sarilla? If so, I'd suggest the Sarilla passengers and both lots of cargo to Hoila. That would put us at 6/6 people capacity and 14/20 cargo.

+1

+1

+1

[Secretdorf]

I assume one, yourself.

Would Hoila be on the way to Sarilla? If so, I'd suggest the Sarilla passengers and both lots of cargo to Hoila. That would put us at 6/6 people capacity and 14/20 cargo.

+1

+1

+1

+1

[Starver]

+1ish, not that it matters, as it seems that's the way it'll go.

Spoiler: Nuance (click to show/hide)

You can certainly go big on the two cargos intended for one place. And with explosives, given the financial risks already taking, it could be sufficient leverage against boarding actions (creative jettisoning of part of the shipment to prove the point, if that's not awkward).

On top of this, we could (assuming non-mutual-exclusivity of space) take either passenger commission, perhaps even the other (iffy) one, if their destination and expectations make it not too far out of the way to go via Hoilia. Or, if Xiani then Hoilia is practical (three steps, maybe four, but it doesn't invalidate the delivery schedule to the latter) we're not left with just a boatful of skunk on our first trip out.

(IME, a couple of passengers are more trouble, but better paying for it, than a larger group. Settlers vs an under-cover royal and a bodyguard/lover/both, maybe. Pure speculation, though, without even knowing how much each job would stump up.  )

Right now, I'd appreciate a map, but I'm not sure we're going to get one.

Otherwise, consider this a proper PTW, as I try to remember how both Elite (for the BBC Micro) and Space: 1889 (tabletop RPG) worked, just in time to discover the GM here aint following either format and any such 'knowledge' is useless.

[a1s]

So is this Steampunk Escape Velocity: the Forum Game?
PTW.

[Glass]

So is this Steampunk Escape Velocity: the Forum Game?
PTW.

Technically, the inspiration is Endless Sky, but since Endless Sky is inspired by Escape Velocity, essentially yes.
Note: Get Endless Sky. It's free and good.

[Iris]

So is this Steampunk Escape Velocity: the Forum Game?
PTW.

Yeah, pretty much. Don't expect much but hopefully, I'll manage to make something worth reading eventually.

How many crew are necessary to run the ship?

Only yourself. Other crewmen are helpful but not necessary on a ship of this size.


You take the group of passengers to Sarilla and both the munitions and steam components to Hoilia. After a brief discussion with the group, you learn that they are a collection of friends travelling to Sarilla for its beaches - the planet is dominated by coastlines and islands.

While leaving the port, you grab a map of the local systems and their aether-currents from a stand in the aetherport's observatory, which functions as a sort of public gathering area.

Spoiler: Local Map (click to show/hide)

Your new aethership is rather cramped. It contains several small rooms - a bunkroom, hold, engine room, bridge (really more of a cockpit) and not much else. Much of the interior space is given away to the machinery that keeps it moving through the aether, or furnishes the interior with breathable air. Steam pipes snake overhead and the constant thrum of the engine can be heard throughout the ship. The ship shows signs of wear but it has been refurbished, giving it some glimmer of what it was like new. The group follows you, occupying the bunkroom.

You climb up into the cockpit and bring the ship away from the dock for the first time. The two propellers fire up to life and the steering fin flexes back and forth as the ship majestically moves through the fluid aether. Like all fluids, the aether has currents - and some of them, like the ones running between the stars, are very strong. With a specially-designed sail, one can take advantage of this and zoom through the aether at incredible speeds. After bringing the ship into place, it's a careful ballet (although not without its share of clumsiness; you're still not the best of pilots) to accelerate gradually so as not to be torn apart by the sudden gain of speed.

---

Once in the new system, you receive a signal on the wireless telegraph from a small ship hanging by the star. From what you can tell, it's definitely armed.

"Welcome to our star! It's a nice ship you have there. It would be a shame if anything... happened to it. Of course, that could easily be avoided. Let's just have a little look-see in your cargo, hmm?"

[King Zultan]

We we think our ship can out run their ship?

[A_Curious_Cat]

Shouldn’t we just let them look at our cargo?  What’s the harm in that?

[ZBridges]

They want to take our cargo, not just look at it.  Can we determine what class of ship is threatening us?

[Iris]

From what little you can see on the scope, they're in an interceptor - a small ship specialized in catching and attacking other small ships. Outrunning them is possible, albeit risky. You would have to get from one side of the star to the other side in order to get to the next current, and then manoeuvre to accelerate properly while entering it. It's very possible that they could get a shot in by that time, and with your current cargo that's definitely something to avoid.

"Well? What'll it be?"