The ship you fly says quite a bit about the person flying her in the same way that you can tell quite a bit about someone by what kind of car they drive. In the same way you don’t find many young wealthy entrepreneurs driving minivans, you’re not going to find military attack vessels with a large cargo hold.
So if you and your gaming group are flying around in the new MDC-41—also known as the Malforge Defense Craft—you’re not going to be your standard group of cargo haulers. This 100-ton ship has exactly 1 ton of cargo space inside. Unlike the civilian variant of this ship, the Malforge Light Cargo Ship (MLCS-783) which has a full 30 tons devoted to cargo. Even though these two ships are identical from the outside (except for the paint job), these two ships are quite different. The attack ship is optimized to jump into a system, conduct its mission and jump back out again, all without refueling. It features a triple beam turret to take on ships that comes its way. While the civilian variant can … deliver cargo. Sure the civilian ship still has the armored bulkheads for the power plant, gravity drive and fuel tanks, and both ships use identical software, allowing the ships to operate with less crew that would otherwise be required. However, it is the way these ships use their space that makes them appeal to very different audiences. So what does choosing the MDC-41 Malforge Defense Craft say about someone that chooses it over the MLCS-783 Malforge Light Cargo Ship? Crews flying the defense craft are looking for action, both in space and on the ground. If you are in the Light Cargo Ship, you are looking for a regular steady job, even if problems keep finding you.
Now lets compare the MDC-41 to the Bromley Mercenary Hauler (CJ-875). The Bromley may have ten staterooms to the Malforge’s three. The Malforge Defense Craft may have a single turret sporting three beam lasers, the CJ-875 features six turrets, each with a pair of armor piercing pulse lasers, owing to the fact that the latter is six times the size of the Malforge ship. That difference in size gives it room to have a 263 ton cargo hold, giving the Bromley the ability to carry vehicles and transport precious cargo. However, the Bromley requires eleven people to be fully operational while the Malforge only requires three, and that is before the Malforge craft’s virtual crew software handles a position. Plus the Bromley costs more than four times the price of the Malforge. So what does choosing the MDC-41 Malforge Defense Craft say about someone that chooses it over the Bromley? Crews flying the Malforge have a smaller crew, more economical crew and can handle more personal stories. Alternatively crews that fly the Bromley are going to be taking on groups of guerilla rebels and pirate outfits.
These three ships described here are featured in the Foreven Worlds: Ships of the Border Worlds. Download this awesome book today exclusively at DriveThruRPG and RPGNow.
Jon Brazer Enterprises 