[Spaceships] Crew traits...

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

I'd swap out most of the repair skills you've given the Chief Engineer for the design versions (box B190), eg. Engineer (Electronics), Engineer (Vehicle), Engineer (Electrical) and give him Machinist to build what he designs. I'd keep the repair skills with the Technician. The Engineer oversees the Technician but the main reason for having him is for those occasions when things really go belly-up, i.e. the problem goes from repair to replace and there is no spare.

The main use of engineers on a ship is maintenance. In surface ships, "Engineer" means "maintaining the engines". I'd give him Merchant Rank 1, equal to the Pilot (who seems to be the ship's XO?) and keep the Mechanic/Electronics Repair specialties, and also put a few points into Leadership, as he'd be managing the repair crew (the Technician and maybe the Cargo Handler when doing routine in-flight maintenance).

A ship's engineer is not meant to create new technologies, despite what Scotty and Geordi say, which is the main use of the Engineer skill. The skills can come in handy for figuring out a few jury-rigs, though, so I wouldn't rule them out. I'd probably not put Engineer as high as Mechanic or Electronics Repair, though.


Also, on a ship this small, I'd probably roll Pilot and Navigator into the same role. Look at Wash on Firefly. He pulled both duties.

In fact, let's look at the crew of Serenity just prior to the pilot episode:

Mal: Captain, ship's owner. He makes the deals, decides where to go, and when to pull out.
Zoe: The ship's second-in-command. She's mainly the Cargo Handler, and keeps a level head in a fight.
Wash: Ship's pilot. He not only pilots the ship, but also plots the course they're to take. He's got some electronics repair skill, too, as he's able to rig a beacon in "Out of Gas". During routine flights, he sets the ship's autopilot to handle the course he programs in.
Jayne: Pure muscle (also a muscle-head). Technically security, but is also a general "floater" doing what needs done, including assisting Kaylee in the engine compartment.
Kaylee: Ms. Fixit Supreme, possible low-level psychic ("the engines speak to me"). It's her job to keep the ship running.

Inara was technically a passenger.

Simon joins later as the ship's medic. The ship had a medical bay for emergency surgeries before he signed on, though I believe Mal and Zoe, and maybe Kaylee or Inara, handled bullet extraction prior to that.

At the end of Serenity, it looks like Mal's training River to handle Wash's job.