what do you want to see, as a GM, in a ship description ?
Obviously the game stats . What about crew Names ?
Ship Quirks ? Crew Quirks ?
On the background packages, do you want to know what happened
to give it "Turbulent Past" , for example ?
How much is enough detail ? too much ?
Post links, please, to what you consider to be a well written starship.
(not necessarily 40k, but that helps)
Crew names would be interesting for the hundreds of personae aboard the ship. lol jk!
I don't have any links on hand, but a good ship description should elaborate why it has it's quirks, the nature of it it's crew (and sometimes going into micro-details about the society of the crew - each starship has its own culture!). Famous engagements is a plus, but not always necessary, as well the Captain/Commander and his most trusted advisors. Such details make a ship much more than a statline.
It is all a matter of "How much plot is going to be actually focused on a ship and its life?" If you want to focus the story on other things - the stats, default quirks and past histories will suffice with only minor additions and adjustments. If you want to bring it from time to time or (which is entirely possible) wish to focus the entire campaign on new captain getting to really know the ship and its crew, consider the following at the very least:
History of a ship and ship quirks beyond the mechanical ones.
Traditions, laws, cults, gangs and guilds onboard the ship. Do the crewmen throw an unlucky rookie through an airlock before warpdrive activation to secure safe passage through the Immaterium? Does the ship allow the rank and file to switch sides with the officers on the Emperor's Ascension Day? What kind of preacher takes care of a voidsman's soul in the ship shrine? And how about those in the underdecks with no ready access to such a shrine - who preaches among them and what kind of beliefs do they have? How is the law enforced? What is allowed, what is forbidden, what is encouraged? What kind of punishment and rewards can be expected?
Fleshing out some NPC's also comes in handy.
Edited by ChaplainDepends on how important the ship and those onboard are going to be for NPC ships.
For the PC ships, also depends on what style game it's going to be but in general, beyond just the full game stats, a brief history of the ship in the dynasty/how the ship was acquired by the dynasty is generally nice; this one's important - a bit on the major NPCs (ie, the guys responsible for running the ship when the Party is off the ship, any major slots that aren't filled by PCs, etc).
Traditions, ship's regs, shipboard organizations (official or otherwise), etc, are all important, depending on just how big a role shipboard life is going to play in the campaign.
Socially, I like the onboard insitutions, organized groups, and major NPCs. Mechanically, I like the transportation system.
Oh, and the major towns. Capital ships are probably more like several small towns than one small city.
Edited by Errant KnightFirstly, the ships would be encountered in space or at a port.
Secondarily they could be spoils or purchases for a PC RT dynasty.
Third use could be the PCs in trouble, call for help, this is 1st friendly that shows up.
Game Stats, Captain Name, Interesting Officers, Crew Culture/Quirk, Heraldry,
Equipment or MS quirk. Brief History, Current Business, Mission, or Owners;
Unique Items, Person, Cargo, Components; Heresy Level; Allies/Enemies.
And all of this could be generic enough to be useful to any game GMed in Calixis/Koronus area.
Edited by EgyptoidOh, and don't forget the Heraldry. Ships are usually flying the Dynasty's flag, and that of the Navis House that pilots the craft. Most Imperial ships would have emblems. Most pirates are probably distinguishable at optical range.
What do you think of this:
Lord-Captain Theopompos Andrews Male Human Chief Enginseer Christiana Craigenato Fem Human Chief Astropath Brunilda Randall Fem Human Seneschal Cleon De Hagia Male Humanoid Master of Arms Clarence Dennis Male Human Chart-Master(Lib) Kirphis Ruiz Male Human Chief Bosum Adeimanthos Schmidt Male Human Chief Chaplain Eryalus Ollievor Male Human Chief Chirurgeon Echëeus Sutton Male Human Choir-Master Telp Alkiphron D'Acreage Male Human Crew Commissar Daetor Da Goranado Male Human Custodian-Ext. Echekrates Valenzuela Male Human Deck Officer Vitalia Du Chaspia Fem Human Executive Officer Mikkos De Brun Male Human Helmsman Bébhinn Wooten Fem Squat High Factotum Walter Saunders Male Human Infernus Master Philemon D'Anvilus Nine Male Human Magos-Explorator Louis Philomastor Male Human Master Etherics Bathilda Mccoy Fem Human Master Whispers Ashby Du Mundus Pyra Male Human Master Ordnance Flora Reed Fem Human Omnissianic Cong Athenion Aguirre Male Human Paymaster Eumneus Yates Male Human Quartermaster Meriwether Turnitsa Male Human Sanctioned Psyker Archestratidas Du Methusela Male Human Ship's Arbiter Philetor Johnston Male Humanoid Navigator Prime Leon Kaufman Male Navigator Ship's Loremaster Cyrenios Winterscale Male Human Spymaster Flavia Kennedy Fem Human Twist-Catcher Pirithoos Norton Male Human Victualler Duris Cochran Male Human
I've written a spreadsheet function to name major crew.
For those of you staring wide-eyed at the Squat in the list:
Personnel are 85% male, 90% normal human.
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Edited by EgyptoidIf you give ship roles to NPCs you're just going to give the ship's crew a +10 at everything. Why not just raise the crew rating by 10?
Egyptoid, care to share?
>>>> Egyptoid, care to share?
you mean the files ? sure sure
also, tell me what you think of these:
I'm writing a "Random Dead Ship Encounter Generator"
ONE:
TWO:
THREE:
link to the files (Beta Version)
my idea for the Derelict generator came from these:
the little ships from BFG. I think that thousands of these were manufactured
over the years and many groups, corporations, heroes and lessor RTs
went out and tried to make a fortune, and today's explorers can go out
and find their wrecks, carcasses, and debris left everywhere.
Edited by Egyptoid
Nice to see my spacehulk random encounters spreadsheets being expanded and actively used
If any one has any feedback, or if they hack the files
and make them better, please share.