10 Things on Clarion STation

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 2, 2017 - 8:37am
Ok, ok, ok..

You know me always trying to generate content for the magazine

And this is more or less a rip off of someone else's idea:

http://www.ragingswan.com/20-things-20-fort-on-the-borderland/

This is a collaboration thread (I'll compile and submit the list to the magazine)

10 Things on Clarion STation:

10 Station perosnalities

10 travellers

10 Rumors and whispers

10 sites and sounds (events?)

10 cargoes ready to tranship (self sealing stem bolts need not apply!)
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!
Comments:

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 2, 2017 - 8:49am
Not sure if he should be a station personality or traveller or maybe a new category of Henchmen for Hire

"Counselor" Byron Pascal of Cassidine
Studied Pschology at Triad Community College and worked for a time as a counselor on Triad before suddenly leaving. He's landed on Clarion station but has been unable to find work as a counselor so works as a technician in the life support plant on the station. He's not exessively brave and he's not happy with his job but has no money so he's stuck on Clarion station for the time being.

Bio-Social PSA: Psych-social 2 Environmental 1
There may be something to why he left Cassidine system as he's very tight lipped about it.

Rumor
The PGC Exploration Service is planning an expedition to probe beyond the White Light Nebula and are looking for qualified candidates to staff the mission.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 2, 2017 - 11:24am
Second try as the first time did not post. 

A few notes on clarion station. If you assume that the diagram on the knight hawks map is of clarion station and to scale with the assault scout, and that Dramune Run is canonical, then clarion station is a class v station, rotates once every 75 seconds and has a gravity of only 36% normal. 

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 2, 2017 - 4:23pm
Funny I am doing Clarion Station and what's on it as my WotWL challenge. I will post some of it here tomorrow.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 2, 2017 - 4:26pm
rattraveller wrote:
Funny I am doing Clarion Station and what's on it as my WotWL challenge. I will post some of it here tomorrow.

Hey have at it. If this thread is going to tresspass on what you're doing we can drop it.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

iggy's picture
iggy
November 2, 2017 - 8:27pm
sevanwint wrote:
Second try as the first time did not post. 

A few notes on clarion station. If you assume that the diagram on the knight hawks map is of clarion station and to scale with the assault scout, and that Dramune Run is canonical, then clarion station is a class v station, rotates once every 75 seconds and has a gravity of only 36% normal. 


We can't make the KH map station diagram fit Dramune Run.  Given a 30 meter length for an assault scout the station on the KH map works out to about 650 meters diameter which would make it a large hull size III or small hull size IV station.  So the math then works out to a rotation of just over 35 seconds to get 1 G on the outer deck of the ring.  I've tried to make the KH map station match up but it doesn't so I think it is just a generic station and we are left without a rendition of Clarion Station other than the odd picture on one of the module covers that we can assume is Clarion Station.  However the module cover staton is hard to discern what rotates and what is static, what has circular decks and what has parallel decks.
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 3, 2017 - 2:00am
Ah but Dramune run does specify using KHs map for encounter in Bar on Clarion station. I'm trying to remember if WoWL did as well but don't think so. 

I think they intended it to be but didn't care if the small details were right. 
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 3, 2017 - 5:27am

Here is how I worked out my numbers:

The assault scout is size 3, which page 11 of the campaign book tells us should be 50 meters. The diagram of the assault scout is out of scale (especially the chairs) with the deck plans. If you measure the width of the crew area and match it up to the deck plans 10 maximum width, you find that the deck is 43 percent larger. So the diagram is of an assault scout that is about 45 meters in length.

In the diagram of the space station, the assault scout is 9 mm, which would seem to indicate that it is at the scale of 1mm per 5 m or 1:5,000. This would put the Station diameter at about 1,000m. We are told that stations diameters are in increments of 200m, so this works out well.

Dramune Run says that the docking bay gravity is .05 percent (page 5). On the diagram the docking bay starts at a scale 75 meters in, and goes down another 25m. I went with 75m to give the greatest gravity at the hub. If we say that the fight takes place at 100 m in, the gravity at the Hub is one quarter normal, and the rotation period is 90 seconds.

The quickest fix is just to say that the gravity in the docking bay is .15 and have it take place 75 meters. Then you can set the station rotation period at 45 seconds.

 


rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 3, 2017 - 6:25am
with a station rotation of 45 seconds looking out a porthole would make you a little quesy as the speed of the passing objects (planet, stars, space vehicles) would be very fast.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

iggy's picture
iggy
November 3, 2017 - 6:41am
@Sevanwint, Awesome.  You area approaching the measurement of the KH map much the same way I am and that gives me someone to check my numbers against. I'm working just with the KH map and didn't pull the gravity comment from the module.  I just calculated gravity based on getting 1G on the outermost deck of the ring.  I'll go pull up my spreadsheet and make a write-up of my measurements so we can compare. 
-iggy

iggy's picture
iggy
November 3, 2017 - 6:46am
Referring to the KH maps.
jedion357 wrote:
I think they intended it to be but didn't care if the small details were right. 

This I believe is a key fact to remember when analyzing all SF material. 
-iggy

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 3, 2017 - 7:04am
True enough about the small details. It is one reason I get infuriated by the assault scout. The deck plans, art and diagrams are very out of wack with each other. 

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 3, 2017 - 7:11am
If you go by the diagram and assume a radius of 500 meters, it appears the decks are 5 meters thick. If you number the decks from the inside out, making the outside ring deck 100( and skipping a few decks in the center). The deck number would also be the percentage of standard gravity. Might be a nice detail to mention in passing. 

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 3, 2017 - 7:11am
If you go by the diagram and assume a radius of 500 meters, it appears the decks are 5 meters thick. If you number the decks from the inside out, making the outside ring deck 100( and skipping a few decks in the center). The deck number would also be the percentage of standard gravity. Might be a nice detail to mention in passing. 

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 3, 2017 - 9:00am

Okay posted the work in progress I have on Clarion Station. Too big and not exactly right for this thread. Take a look and give some advice.


http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/9899
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
November 4, 2017 - 9:41am
jedion357 wrote:
10 Station perosnalities

One could always source the WoWL module for a couple of CRM personalities that are constant, such as the Commander (no stats) and capital ship Captain Delrooca of the CMS Leo.
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

iggy's picture
iggy
November 4, 2017 - 3:35pm
@Sevanwint
The difference between your numbers and mine are the size of the assault scout.  I went with 30m for three reasons.  One, it works with 5m per square for the KH Expanded page 6-7 size comparison.  I initially did the math that gave a length of the assault scout at 46m but that makes the page 6-7 grid size 7.67m, so I went with 5m per square.  Two, it makes the decks on the KH map for the station be 3m per deck with 24 decks in the ring and 11 decks in the hub.  The exception being ring decks 8 and 24 which are 6m high.  This allows for the garden.  This matches the decks counted in the cut-away of the KH map station drawing.  Three, if the few deck plan samples they give are 2m per square then the width of the station is 48m.  Add 1m thick walls for strength and plumbing (air, water, electricity, etc.) then the width is 50m.  A 50m width with a 650m diameter for the station was a much more balanced ratio than 50m width with a 1090m diameter that I worked it out to be for 50m assault scout length.  I drew these up in Sketchup and compared them before settling on a 650m diameter.

I agree that the published material is frustrating when trying to tease specifications out for the assault scout or anything for that matter.  I rationalized the KH map station picture ship flying by it to be a hull size 2 defense ship that looks like an assault scout but is tied to the station.  This matches it up to the hull size table on page 11 of the KH rules.

I must say that I did write in another thread that I think of the KH map station as being too small to be Clarion Station per my analysis and Sketchup drawings.  I like your observation and engineering to make deck gravities a progressing percentage of one standard gravity.  I didn't number my decks from the very center of the station but rather from the first deck inside the hub or the ring as two separate sections.  I do find 5m for deck height to be too much.  Space is at a premium in a space station and 2.5 meters for living height and 0.5m for between deck plumbing is most efficient.  The access to said plumbing would be by pull up plates in the floor and ceiling tiles.  I don't see the between deck space like TV where characters can sneak between rooms in plot convenient Jefferey's tubes or air vents suitable for a full sized man.

I have paused on my Sketchup KH Station model while I work on a Sketchup model for Laco Research Station http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/9880 as Jedion mentioned that it would be a good sized station to do a first run at deck plans for.  I was going to spring it as a surprise but all this current interest in space stations is fueling my motivation and desire to capitalize on our combined efforts.  I'm feeling now that when I get back to it I will fork it into two stations, one that is 650m and is a predecessor to Clarion Station and another that is much bigger.  I just don't want to trash the hundreds of hours I put into the old station learning how to do the Sketchup models efficiently for producing maps that deck plans can be built upon.  When I make the bigger one it will be based on 50m for assault scout length and 50m for ring diameter width but I will ignore the counted 11 hub decks and 24 ring decks and fit in as many as go for 3m or 4m per deck.  Likely it will be 4m per deck because at 4m with 1m for plumbing then there is 3m of head room and our yazirian on page 9 of AD would have to stretch another 30cm beyond what he is reaching to touch the ceiling.  This should make yazirians happy and comfortable roaming the halls because at 3m per deck with 2.5m head room their heads are just 40cm from the ceiling and they could easily walk down a hall and drag their wrists along the ceiling.  That's a bit too cramped.  My predecessor station will have to be a human centric design.  Humans are happy with 8 foot ceilings.

We should start another thread in the Space Station Construction Rules project http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/9865 where we bash out the specs for Clarion Station down to the meter and I draw the thing up in Sketchup to make deck maps that evveryone can then take and make deck plans on for later play.

Now for my 10 things to get this thread back on track.

1. Currency Exchange.  Yes we have the standard credit but then there is the CFM and their currency and I'm sure some territories and worlds love the freedom of keeping their own currencies.
2. Customs and Immigration Section.  There would likely not be free access to walk from a ship to a shuttle or even the station proper.  Everybeing still gets to wait in line to have their carry-on and body searched.  They must show their ID and register their presence.  Their luggage must be searched and they must comply to all customs laws and duty fees.  Some section of the station must be set apart for this function.
3. Holotheatre.  Sized to fit the station population so that the peak hour shows maximize the seating. Plays local Clarion shows and the current blockbusters from StarPlay.
4. Human and Yazirian bath and grooming salon.  This is a simple spa and barber shop/salon.  Yazirians like a good traditional grooming and humans like their hair cut/done regularly.  This is one racial crossover that bonds humans and yazirians as friends.
5. Dralasite steam bath.  Only sized to three or four dralasites at a time but dralasites like the social interaction of a proper steam bath and the standard accommodation bathrooms are single occupancy affairs.  It was mentioned elsewhere that living accommodations on stations are easily reconfigured for each race.  This is true of the bathrooms as well and the bathing facilities in these accommodations do convert from showers to steam rooms for dralasites but they only fit one dralasite at a time and the dralasite must stand or straddle a stool.  The purpose being to get clean and back to other life activities. The communal steam bath has the customary lounging bowls for a good long soak and conversation.
6. Exercise facility.  Treadmills, weights, etc.  Possibly there is another area in lower G to no G where simulated swimming/gliding can happen by climbing into a changer that jets water/air past you to create a current.  This chamber is not necessarily recommended for the claustrophobic.
7. Tanning Salon.  Astronauts today don't seem to do this to get healthy UV exposure, but then they are on a space station that has little to no radiation protection compared to what SF may consider standard requirement.  They actually get over exposed to radiation.  So, assuming that SF standards of stellar radiation protection for a space station are pretty good, the occupants may suffer from lack of UV exposure that planet side beings get naturally.  Or, maybe this is just built into the modern SF lighting systems and this is a non-issue.
8. Bank with safe deposit boxes.  I suggest this because there is always the need for a good plot hook where a jewel or hi tech device are passing through the station and the owner needs a more secure place to drop the item so that they can stop being their own security guard for a while and relax now that they are almost done carrying their little treasure to the new world.
9. Sanctuary.  This could be a small chapel church with a live-in priest or some other calm off limits room where a soul can seek a moment or two of silence and seclusion.  There is no fee to get in and it is intended that only one use the room at a time.  I like the idea of a live-in religious being so that the location can actually serve as a full sanctuary where the troubled being can hide from universe like Notre Dam.
10. Holoarcade.  Not the holodeck from Star Trek.  Rather, the holographic version of the old 80's video arcade.  Think rows of arcade machines that project a holoscreen within the confines of the machines booth.  Just chop an arcade machine down to the height of the controls replacing the screen with a holodisplay showing what the player is seeing.  Then put a pad or pads around the spectator holodisplay for the players to stand on while a holoscreen is projected around them.  The result is the player steps on the pad and appears to himself and others like the avatar of the game.  The player then sees the environment of the game around him.  The others that are spectators would see what the player sees in the smaller holodisplay in front of the player.  This holodisplay is also what advertises the game and attracts players.  A great pass time for beings cooped up on a station and not able to get out and enjoy the world below them.
-iggy

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 4, 2017 - 5:33pm
Based on the maps, I am not sure space would be a premium. There is lots of wasted space. Its the nature of the cube-square law. On larger stations, its just not as big a deal. 

I still think the station is 1000 m across. It squares with the campaign book saying diameter is class x 200m in diameter. Also, a size 2 ship would only have 1 engine. That is one of the reasons I went with the 45 meters for the diagram. And looking at the diagram of the assault scout, the deck spacing is closer to 4 and a half meters per deck, so I feel okay with 5 meter decks.

iggy's picture
iggy
November 4, 2017 - 10:19pm
I never thought to measure the deck height of the assault scout. 
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 6, 2017 - 5:31am
Jim Jitsu, Defense Dojo

A small store front on the Proenade offering classes and training in basic self defense and martial arts.

its run by James Fairchild aka Jimmy Fairplay AKA Jim Jitsu
Jimmy Fairplay has had a checkered past as a scammer/swindler but learned some basic martial arts (level 1 maybe level 2 at this point) while in jail and suddenly has recreated himself as Jim Jitsu master martial artist. He teaches a basic self defense classes and holds himself out as a martial arts trainer. He barely stays ahead of his rent and sleeps in the office of his Dojo and showers in the locker room.

He's cocky with a healthy dose of swagger. He's ususally seen in upscale work out clothes (the kind that you dont really work out in lest you soil them with sweat) or a "combat gi" which is basically a style of skien suit popularlized in action/martial arts extravaganza holovids that is now associated with martial arts in the popular culture of the Frontier. it includes a gi over the suit that has short pant legs and sleeves to show off the body armor side of the outfit. In other words its a fancy civilian skien suit that screams "I know kung fu, konichiwa, sushi and other Japanese words so you better watch out!" He talks a grand game of self defense holovids being in the works and a franchise of Jim Jitsu dojo's across the Frontier.

Rumor: there is a rumor going around that a Land Fleet dralasite heavy gunner sparred with him and knocked him out cold with one punch and left him laying flat on his back in the middle of his dojo.

PCs could learn entry level martial arts from him level 1 martial arts from him but will be annoyed with him by the end of their training.
Mid level martial artist will recognize him for what he is with a LOG check.
Any advanced martial artist will instantly recognize in Jim Jitsu's moves someone trying to look like they are an advanced master of the art while only being entry level.

EDIT: I rather like Jim Jitsu as a character, he's someone I would play in game for fun. as an AD starting character a level of martial arts, and a level of Technician figuring the tech skill was part of his checkered past- defeating locks and security systems and all. or a level of Psych-social using the empathy subskills to con people.

In Skilled frontier rules it would be a combination of those three skills.

You dont really want him talking with NPCs because you just know he's going to say something stupid like "Perhaps you've heard of me? I'm Jim Jitsu, martial arts master." He is after all living the Jim Jitsu personna and running/hiding from the Jimmy Fairplay personna. Although he can easily drop one personna to employ his confidence skills if he had too.

Imagine him in front of the Malthar- I'm Jim Jitsu, martial arts master, perhaps you've heard of me? - [does some stylized hand chops to punctuate his statement] Malthar does a Jabba the Hut style laugh right before having 100 combat robots throw his butt in a cell.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 6, 2017 - 6:59am
Check out the character Dareth or Grand Sensei Dareth from the Lego Ninjago TV Series (not the movie). You have pretty much discribed him.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 6, 2017 - 7:47am
rattraveller wrote:
Check out the character Dareth or Grand Sensei Dareth from the Lego Ninjago TV Series (not the movie). You have pretty much discribed him.

No idea I was stealing an idea, I was driving by a dojo and my dislecia told me the sign said Jim Jitsu when I knew it couldn't say that. So thru work and last night this character has been forming. He had a bit of Johnny Fairplay who was on Survivor Pearl Islands and later got involved in pro wrestling as a promoter I guess.

Anyhow Jim Jitsu has exercise and defense training Holovids that no one has seen. More or less self published and sold through his dojo.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 6, 2017 - 3:12pm
No worries, with the glut of media we have nowadays any character we create can be compared to many others already done. Look at the music industry and the constant law suits for stealing songs.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
November 7, 2017 - 9:24pm
rattraveller wrote:
Look at the music industry and the constant law suits for stealing songs.

There's a music industry?!? When did THAT happen? Cool
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 8, 2017 - 8:40am
Before we start let me say that if this topic is too hot or not appropriate let me know and I will take it down.

The WoWL module says "Clarion is sometimes referred to as "Gollywog" by visitors from other systems. The name is regarded as an insult by most residents of the planet, however, and its use has been known to provoke violence from loyal and peaceful citizens."

To be frank there is only one work in the American vocabulary that provokes a similar reaction. We all know what it is so we won't mention it. Given the history of that word it would seem there is a story behind why the residents of Clarion feel this way about the G-word? Anyone have ten reasons why this word is so despised? Or ten ideas on what a G-word is? Or even ten ideas on what type of being would use the G-word knowing what it does to beings from Clarion?
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 8, 2017 - 11:02am
If I had to guess, I imagine that TSR added that Clarion citizens take offense to the name after the  TSR Hobbies UK pointed out the racist connotation in britain. 

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 8, 2017 - 8:06pm
Being American I did not know that. Can you give any clarification?
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 8, 2017 - 8:29pm
Its a black-faced doll in the minsteral tradition. It has its origins in victorian era childrens stories. Its considered to be pretty racist. I think its spelled with an i and not a y however. 

sevanwint's picture
sevanwint
November 8, 2017 - 8:29pm
Its a black-faced doll in the minsteral tradition. It has its origins in victorian era childrens stories. Its considered to be pretty racist. I think its spelled with an i and not a y however. 

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
November 9, 2017 - 4:05am
Sevarwint I see that thanks. I do not know but always thought they were going for a variation of Pollywog a nickname for a tadpole. Mainly because Clarion is supposed to be a swamp planet under constant rain.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
November 9, 2017 - 8:04am

My character from a Clarion Royal Marine game who had no qualms when it came to brawling...he had that inscribed on his armor to help provoke that cause. Not to mention he came to the CRM from offworld. ;)
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website