Security 'necessities' for Spaceships

[Ubiquitous]

My GM set out a game-plan for a future game we're playing; we all choose a character role (ship commander, pilot, what-have-you) and I got Security Officer. Since my GM's a little tired of ST 20/ETS-cracked characters, he wants to make up my sheet for me.

Which is great, but I'm a little worried he'll leave me under-equipped, equipment-wise, for dealing with a star-system's worth of adventure.

So, has anyone played a High TL campaign where they found certain items of constant use, and could anyone suggest some practical items to bring along on a spaceship, so I can suggest these things? I've already got a pistol loaded with HP rounds (same deal as Frangible, except more apt for combat was what I thought), a flamethrower for antagonistic or parasitic plant-life, acid dispensers for flame-resistant mold and something to fire armor-piercing bullets in case we run into any carapaced wildlife. And some flash-bangs in case things on the ship get reeeaaal hairy.

For both my protection and the crew's I think I should add armor for myself to deflect melee blows and stabbings (I expect to be the only one armed with a gun on the ship) and rubber bullets in case of 'space madness' and not a murder-spree.

Does this sound reasonable to the hivemind, and is there anything I should add to make sure I'm the best damn security chief possible?

[AmesJainchill]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

So, has anyone played a High TL campaign where they found certain items of constant use, and could anyone suggest some practical items to bring along on a spaceship, so I can suggest these things?

Flashlight. 100' Parachute cord. Pocketknife. Tactical knife. Matches. Lighter.
Batteries. Combination watch-sized radiation and air quality detector. Mirror. Holdout gun.

I've already got a pistol loaded with HP rounds (same deal as Frangible, except more apt for combat was what I thought),

There's not a huge difference mechanically, but I'd get frangible rounds in case you need to fire onboard the ship.

I'm a big fan of gyrocs from Ultratech. They work well as holdout pistols, IMO.

a flamethrower for antagonistic or parasitic plant-life, acid dispensers for flame-resistant mold and

Hopefully you can get small versions of these.

something to fire armor-piercing bullets in case we run into any carapaced wildlife.

That's called an extra magazine of ball or AP ammo.

And some flash-bangs in case things on the ship get reeeaaal hairy.

Smoke grenades. Don't forget smoke grenades.

and rubber bullets in case of 'space madness' and not a murder-spree.

You mean a taser or a blood choke.

Does this sound reasonable to the hivemind, and is there anything I should add to make sure I'm the best damn security chief possible?

Tactics, observation, wrestling, brawling/karate, stealth, holdout, intimidation, knife.

[SuedodeuS]

Sounds reasonable enough. Some things to consider...

ETC: Find out if you have access to this option. It greatly increases damage and range for slugthrowers if it's available. ETK is even better, but it's in the Designer's Notes for UT, rather than the book itself. I'd actually recommend against ETC/ETK for the handgun, however - you really, really don't want overpenetration, and should be using something more appropriate against anything a typical handgun firing HP can't handle.

Rifle: For the AP ammo, I'd recommend a high-powered marksman rifle, preferably with ETK or Liquid Propellant. You might also want a more traditional assault rifle (ETC or better) in case you need to go bug-hunting.

Shotgun: Ideal for close defense, and quite good against slow-bleeders (like the velociraptors from the Jurassic Park book). Loaded with buckshot, it effectively ignores the blow-through rules from High-Tech (as blow-through would be calculated for each pellet), and you needn't worry about it depressurizing your ship. It does have poor performance against armor, however. ETC/ETK should be safe for the shotgun, as it's likely to have even poorer performance against armor than the handgun. You may want to keep some slugs around just in case, although in general any enemy that calls for a slug should be engaged using one of the rifles instead.

HAZMAT: Biological weapons, or simply alien pathogens, are always a concern, so having equipment to allow you to not become infected is a good idea. These suits should probably be engineered to function as EVA (space-walking) suits as well.

Explosives: Carrying explosives on the ship is probably asking for disaster, so this is more character than equipment. A security officer who knows his way around a bomb can, potentially, diffuse one if it comes on board. Similarly, if you fall behind enemy lines at some point, knowing how to make IED's can turn the tide of battle. You might want to consider requesting to your GM that your character have skill in Explosives.

Electrolasers: Rather than (or in addition to) rubber bullets, an electrolaser can be both more effective and safer for dropping a subject. I think there is an underbarrel model in Ultratech, although I'm not certain, in which case you could carry around your shotgun loaded with baton rounds (or rubber shot) with an underbarrel (or, rather, side-barrel) electrolaser mounted. A pistol version would probably make a good sidearm.

Armor: You'll probably mostly want anti-stab rather than anti-ballistic armor, as you'll probably be dealing mostly with irate passengers and local fauna, neither of which tend to have access to firearms. I don't think UT actually has any anti-stab armor, although you could probably extrapolate from HT.


EDIT: I should note this is made with an overarmed, cinematic security officer in mind. Think Muldoon, but expecting to deal with the kinds of crap that happens in Star Trek, rather than "just" a bunch of dinosaurs trying to eat him.

[Kale]

Construction foam is very handy for creating emergency structures, both inside and outside the ship. The professional sprayer skill to handle it is worth putting a point or two into. PCs expecting a boarding attempt can use the foam to make cover spots and choke points in otherwise open hallways or cargo holds. It can also be used to seal off a section in a pinch. It floats, so it can also be used to make crude rafts if water ever comes up.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Kale

Construction foam

Don't leave home without it. The people who played Imperial Marines in my SF games swore by foam, and established the stuff as the Marines' best friend. With little exaggeration, two of them claimed to have conquered an alien space empire with nothing but combat knives, foam, and bad attitude.

I have often liked to carry adhesive and lubricant, preferably a spray contact cement and a spray non-wetting lubricant. It's nice if one of them is inert and has a CFC propellant, while the other is combustible and has a hydrocarbon propellant, if you get my drift. Duct tape. Paint markers. Light cord. Stiff wire. Something like a Leatherman. I like to get a really tacky Tracee wristwatch-radio with every possible spurious function, including especially an alarm.

Some sort of pocket infogadget is indispensible, with a camera, microphone, speaker, display screen or through-the-lens projector. You want recording, playback, and a wireless connection. Zoom is handy, otehrwise you might need a small pair of roof-prism binoculars. Concealable wireless bugs and maybe tracers.

You want disposable plastic handcuffs or (better) velcro cuff-tape.

I like a way of making a signal that is visible from orbit, day or night. A laser pistol with an good sight might do it.

Good running shoes. Wicking clothes. A biro and a spiral-bound notebook. Manicure set. Toothbrush. Towel.

And you want LI or (better) multispectral goggles.

[dcarson]

What are the local versions of knockout drops and truth serum? Having a iffy passenger "get drunk" and pass out so that it doesn't turn into a problem can be useful.

[Agemegos]

In ForeSight there was an item called a "climbkit", which consisted of an electromagnetic pistol that would fire either pitons or gecko-adhesive anchors, each trailing a light, fine, ultratech line that could be attached to a small electric winch worn on a climbing harness.

Aah! The fun I've had abusing climbkits!

[Ubiquitous]

Whoops, Double-Post'd.

[Ubiquitous]

Originally Posted by AmesJainchill

There's not a huge difference mechanically, but I'd get frangible rounds in case you need to fire onboard the ship...
That's called an extra magazine of ball or AP ammo.

The HP have the same 0.5 armor divisor; I just get an extra bonus to piercing damage with the HP rounds rather than just sacrificing with the Frangible ones. As for loading the pistol with AP ammo, I dun wanna risk loading my on-board weapon with bullets potentially able to punch through the hull.

Because I might get saddled with Absent Mindedness.

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

Sounds reasonable enough. Some things to consider...

ETC: Find out if you have access to this option. It greatly increases damage and range for slugthrowers if it's available. ETK is even better, but it's in the Designer's Notes for UT, rather than the book itself. I'd actually recommend against ETC/ETK for the handgun, however - you really, really don't want overpenetration, and should be using something more appropriate against anything a typical handgun firing HP can't handle.

Rifle: For the AP ammo, I'd recommend a high-powered marksman rifle, preferably with ETK or Liquid Propellant. You might also want a more traditional assault rifle (ETC or better) in case you need to go bug-hunting.

Shotgun: Ideal for close defense, and quite good against slow-bleeders (like the velociraptors from the Jurassic Park book). Loaded with buckshot, it effectively ignores the blow-through rules from High-Tech (as blow-through would be calculated for each pellet), and you needn't worry about it depressurizing your ship. It does have poor performance against armor, however. ETC/ETK should be safe for the shotgun, as it's likely to have even poorer performance against armor than the handgun. You may want to keep some slugs around just in case, although in general any enemy that calls for a slug should be engaged using one of the rifles instead.

HAZMAT: Biological weapons, or simply alien pathogens, are always a concern, so having equipment to allow you to not become infected is a good idea. These suits should probably be engineered to function as EVA (space-walking) suits as well.

EDIT: I should note this is made with an overarmed, cinematic security officer in mind. Think Muldoon, but expecting to deal with the kinds of crap that happens in Star Trek, rather than "just" a bunch of dinosaurs trying to eat him.

Muldoon was best character. Although in this case I think my GM just wants me to be a rough-and-tumble kinda thuggy and not cinematic at all.

Wouldn't ETK'ing a gun risk it being more powerful in the confines of the ship?

Also, what options are there for deployable ForceFields, in UT?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

Electrolasers: Rather than (or in addition to) rubber bullets, an electrolaser can be both more effective and safer for dropping a subject. I think there is an underbarrel model in Ultratech,

Armor: You'll probably mostly want anti-stab rather than anti-ballistic armor, as you'll probably be dealing mostly with irate passengers and local fauna, neither of which tend to have access to firearms. I don't think UT actually has any anti-stab armor, although you could probably extrapolate from HT.

Electrolasers are a decent option but sleep gas is better (HT-6 rather than HT-4). Avoid Sonic stunners and Nerve guns.

You can also reduce that arsenal by having multiple ammo types for a shotgun pistol (go gauss at TL10) or a gyroc and there is very little reason to choose a gyroc longarm over a pistol.

So you can get by with a swiss army Knife selection of ammo for one of these weapons rather than a whole gun cabinet.

Don't bother with trying to fake up anti-stab armor. The concealable balliistic armor in UT is better anti-stab armor than any anti-stab armor in High Tech. Lighter as well as more protective.

Actually, many of these equipment suggestions appear to be from High Tech rather than Ultra Tech. Just get a copy of UT and pick out one or two flexible weapons and some basic tools appropriate for your TL.