Why do captains seem to shy away from that? Most fluff mentions that ships race to find a safe haven when a warp storm brews. But why?

Bump for much interest!

Unless there is a cost, a captain could make a series of short jumps and never need a navigator. I can only guess as I don't the canon reason.

I would guess the cost may be time. Perhaps there is a cool-down on warp translation. Once done you cannot translate back for days? Making many stops may multiple journey times due to time dilation warp weirdness.

eBarbarossa said:

A warp storm can last for decades and centuries even leaving a ship stranded and unable to reach a starport or planet to get supplies.
A ship wouldn't be capable of surviving for that long on its own. I doubt any ship that isn't part of a huge fleet would be capable of surviving for more than a year (relative time in case of warp travel obviously).

There are a few variant :

Emergency exit --> alto space is big, there is always a a risk you will exit within a sun, planet, etc..

Exit in a warp storm --> Does not mean you will exit in real space, as this storm could be both inside and outside of real space or even will exit you anywhere within our space… You can't reenter the warp inside a storm.

Both would mean great danger to the ship as the forces are extreme in both case and shoudl you do an Emergency Exit to real space in a warp storm, hold on to your panties, you are going in for a ride as massive shock wave are released with the ship in real space and the ship is buffeted around.

You can obviously reenter the warp from a warp storm since in a warp storm the veil between our world and the warp is nearly non-existent.

And the fluff mentions cases of navigators dropping out of the warp due to a warp storm and into deep space as a haven from the storm. Some storms are to weak to rend the veil of reality but still dangerous if your in the warp these storms pass quickly after a few days or weeks or so.

AS for why a ship would'nt exit in deep space for any other reason I geuss it would simply be because there nothing there it's deep space and as such is pretty freaking empty and boring.

Also it's faster to make one long big jump because you can get on more powerful warp current that carry a ship faster than weaker currents which are used for shorter jumps.

It pretty much comes down to three things.

1 Warp storms can frequently last longer than a ship can survive without replentishing its supplies. Sometimes by generations.

2 Not all parts of deep space are mapped, and while it is probably possible to get ones bearings given enough time, auspex power and a good set of charts, that isn't true near warp storm. No reason for what you're seeing near the immaterium to match up with the real world.

3 Plenty of warp storms have a good sized shadow onto the materium. Simply leaving warp space is little guarantee of safety.

4 I suppose its is also that when leaving the warp ships seem to require an exit current. Think of it as riding deeper and more powerful warp currents, which ships do to reach their destinations faster. Of course this also means that rising to the veil which separates reality from the warp is harder, and doing that quickly could put a great deal of stress on the already taxed gellar field. Not safe, and reason number four. I partially made this one up, but it sounds good.

Being caught in a Warp storm would have the natural consequence of your ship losing sight of the Astronomicon! Exiting into real space does not change this. Thus, Once out of the Warp your navigator may not be able to calculate the ship's position. In deep space this could mean that the ship dies of starvation even if it is safe from the storm! It is far safer to run for some sort of system where you can make port if you have to rather than risk being trapped in the Void with nothing around you!

Okay, I can see the supply reason. But then, why are some of the Stations of Passage (which are all safe havens) lifeless husks devoid of all resources? Doesn't make much sense to me.

eBarbarossa said:

Two reasons; 1) The Stations of Passage of (usually) safe zones little troubled by the surrounding warp storms.

2) They're generally in the same place each time you pass by, so can be used as shelter to survive.

Oh, wait; 3) Some poor sap may have snuffed it while riding out a 'storm at one of the Stations, so there's a chance you'll be able to scavenge what you need to survive.

And of the "lifeless husks devoid of all resources", there will always be some raw materials and supplies that you could harvest. Just not always food, and it may be only worth the morale hit if you're really desperate (anything with an asteroid belt, for example, can yield silicates, iron and nickel (possibly stuff in the platinum group as well), any cometary bodies could give water and air, as could the frozen atmosphere of the Witch-Cursed World, and of course anything like the Battle Grounds (or anywhere else with hulked ships) has a source of refined metals, potentially spare parts, and maybe even foodstuffs (or at least biomass that could be turned into foodstuffs. Just… try not to think where they came from)).

Radwraith said:

Sorry. I have to dispute this.

Once you are in real space you can determine your position using a telescope and a computer - unless you emerge in the heart of the eye of terror… In which case it is a miracle you managed to get this far.

Once you have established real position the navigator team might be able to calculate a possible route out of the storm.

If you want a BL reference, in the audio drama "Throne of Lies" the navigator insists on a transition to escape pursuit by a huge warp creature…