Showing posts with label robots. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Synthetic Humans in Mongoose Traveller

If there is any downside to living through a Traveller resurgence, it’s the difficulty in keeping up with all of the great books that have been released over the last few years. I am only just now really starting to put the latest MgT Robots Handbook (2022) through its paces. Overall, this is probably the best book yet to tackle the subject. Geir Lanesskog, who also wrote the latest World Builder’s Handbook, has a real knack for creating design systems that are relatively easy to follow, produce consistent results, and contain enough options to satisfy all but the gear-iest of gear-heads.

Bodyguard 3185D31, “Sonny,” a Verisim-8 android manufactured by Kline Synthetic Technologies. Image courtesy of KST Marketing, 1102.

My ongoing Into the Interface campaign was heavily influenced by my reading of Traveller⁵, which introduced numerous cyberpunk and transhumanist ideas into the Charted Space setting. My version of Magyar sector is filled with clones, synthetics, androids, and geneered chimeras. One of the Travellers in the campaign is the advanced android Sonny, who was assigned to protect another character, the indolent Daren Rigby-Gardner. I had used Traveller⁵ to build Sonny and then converted the results to Mongoose Traveller, but I had been itching to use the Robot Handbook to build a “native” version of Sonny. Fortunately Geir built a handy Excel worksheet for robot design, which makes the process even easier to complete.

Note that in the parlance of MgT, an android is a mechanical construct designed to look like a human—think Ash or Bishop from the Aliens series. In my campaign, as in Traveller⁵, androids are synthetic humans: living, organic creatures with cybernetic components. Think Battlestar Galactica cylons, Blade Runner replicants, or Westworld hosts. MgT would define them all as biological robots.

Verisim-8 Androids

Kline Synthetic Technologies is a sector-wide corporation that services Imperial territory in Daibei, Magyar, and the Solomani Rim. KST is one of the larger Imperial manufacturers of androids, which are biological robots based on a human pattern. An android has a vat-grown living body but is implanted with an electronic brain. KST produces the mid-range Synthmat-11 models, which are hairless and have an identifying mark that can be found through a retinal scan. KST has also introduced the high-end Verisim-8 line of androids, built to closely resemble humans in all ways but possessing superior physical characteristics. A Verisim-8 android can only be identified through detection of the interface between its robot brain and its biological body.

The cloned bodies of Verisim-8 models are ‘quick-grown’ in an advanced metabolic chamber, developing at 50x normal growth rate, maturing to age 18 in approximately 18 weeks or four months. The quick-grow procedure is closer to fabrication than development. Like all KST models, Verisim-8 androids require regular amino enzyme supplements in order to process human foods.

A Verisim-8 android features a positronic brain, an iridium sponge containing a raw pattern of possible neural pathways developed through use by a flow of positrons. The sponge forms a holographic intelligence pattern within the brain that is adaptable to new circumstances. Once activated, a positronic brain gains consciousness and self-awareness, and is immediately connected to a flash-learning system that floods the brain with information and the techniques and abilities to use it. In a matter of weeks the brain is ready to be installed in its vat-grown body.

A Verisim-8 android is highly intelligent, capable of logical reasoning and can attempt functions outside its programmed parameters. It is not conscious but appears to be so and considers itself to be conscious without fully understanding the concept. Verisim-8 models can perform at capabilities similar to or superior to biological sentients in a broad variety of skills. Verisim-8 models can develop interests and hobbies outside its programmed functions.

Verisim-8 androids are highly customizable, but KST offers several standard packages. The Bodyguard package is one of the more popular, providing clients with a highly skilled and entirely loyal protector.

Robot	Hits	Locomotion	Speed	TL	Cost
Verisim-8 Bodyguard	22	Walker	9m	14	MCr2.8
Skills	Admin 1, Athletics (dexterity) 2, Athletics (endurance) 2, Athletics (strength) 1, Diplomat 1, Drive 1, Electronics (computers) 2, Flyer (grav) 2, Gun Combat (slug) 2, Language 1, Medic 2, Melee (unarmed) 2, Pilot (small craft) 2, Recon 2, Steward 1, Survival 1, Tactics (military) 2
Attacks	–
Manipulators	2x (STR 9 DEX 9)
Endurance	As biological being
Traits	Armor (+2), ATV, Hardened
Programming	Very Advanced (INT 11)
Options	Auditory Sensor, Biological Robot (improved), Transceiver 500 km (advanced), Visual Spectrum Sensor, Voder Speaker, Wireless Data Link

Improved Biological Robot: Standard robot endurance values do not apply to Verisim-8 androids; they must eat, drink, breathe, and rest just like a living human. They are vulnerable to harm and heal damage just like a human. The interface between a Verisim-8’s robot brain and its biological body is detectable. Treat detection of an artificial brain as DM-2 on any scanner check, including psionic life detection.

Quick Grown: The quick growth process places a great strain on the android’s cellular structure, impacting aging to a major extent; a Verisim-8 body ages at twice the standard rate. Eight years after the android’s emergence from the vat, the android is the equivalent of a 34-year-old and must make an aging roll with DM-4, two years after that, the android must make another aging roll with DM-5.

Very Advanced Robot Brain: A Verisim-8 robot brain provides the equivalent services of a Computer/5fib with Bandwith 11 available for skill packages. Base capabilities include Intellect Interface, Expert/2, and Security/2. The hardened brain case protects from ion and radiation weapons. The android’s effective SOC or EDU is considered equivalent to its INT but only in the very narrow sense of performing the specified task. A Verisim-8 android can attempt INT, EDU or SOC-based checks up to Very Difficult (12+).

Sonny

Sonny is a player character Verisim-8 android, and was originally created using the Traveller⁵ rules for synthetics. The following applies the rules from the Robot Handbook’s “Robots as Travellers” chapter to the preceding conversion. In addition to the standard Verisim-8 Bodyguard package, Sonny also shipped with two augments from the Central Supply Catalog: Metastatic Platelet Injection and Physical Augmentation (endurance) +2, raising his total purchase price to a staggering MCr3.86.

Bodyguard 3185D31, “Sonny”
Species			Gender		Age
Android			Male		11
Traits				Skills
STR	9	INT	11	Admin 0, Athletics (dexterity) 1, Athletics (endurance) 1, Diplomat 0, Drive 0, Electronics (computers) 1, Flyer (grav) 1, Gun Combat (slug) 1, Language (Trokh) 1, Medic 1, Melee (unarmed) 1, Pilot (small craft) 1, Recon 1, Steward 0, Survival 0, Tactics (military) 1
DEX	9	EDU	0 (11)
END	10	SOC	0 (11)
Weapons		gauss pistol (3D, Auto 2, AP 3)
Armor		armor +2, advanced polycarapace (+16)
Equipment		medikit (TL14)
Augments		Metastatic Platelet Injection, Physical Augmentation (endurance) +2

Faster Movement Sonny may move up to nine metres for each Minor Action.

Metastatic Platelet Injection These platelets double characteristic points gained through natural healing and are not affected by electromagnetic attacks or detectable by electronic means.

Very Advanced Robot Brain Sonny’s effective SOC or EDU is considered equivalent to his INT but only in the very narrow sense of performing the specified task. Sonny can attempt INT, EDU or SOC-based checks up to Very Difficult (12+).

Sir Cedric Radimir Garner, Baronet of Montlivan (Magyar 3222 C688456-A), ordered the Bodyguard as a present to his only son, Daren Rigby-Gardner, with the express purpose of keeping the young wastrel out of trouble. The synthetic has been nicknamed “Sonny” due to the Baronet’s supposed preference for the synthetic over his own flesh-and-blood, a claim that could actually be true. What is indisputable is that the Baronet emancipated Sonny after only eight years of service and has placed the Bodyguard on a Cr10,000 annual retainer to continue guarding his son.

Conclusions

In general, the revised Sonny is rather more capable than the original Traveller⁵ conversion, but within the same order of magnitude. His MgT price (Mcr3.86) is a little more than half the T5 price (MCr6.66). His original UPP of 7BA800 is relatively close to the revised UPP of 99AB00. The Robot Handbook’s guidelines for Robot Travellers look like they would work well except for biological robots and Endurance, so I used the rules for Physical Augments to goose Sonny’s END score. In MgT Sonny gets many more skils and generally with higher bonuses. Further, the guidelines for using his INT score in place of EDU or SOC for some skills gives him much more versatility.

Copyright Information

The Traveller, 2300AD and Twilight: 2000 games in all forms are owned by Mongoose Publishing. Copyright 1977 - 2025 Mongoose Publishing. Traveller is a registered trademark of Mongoose Publishing. Mongoose Publishing permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Mongoose Publishing is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Mongoose Publishing’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Potential Starship Engineers

“The engineer is essential for the proper operation of any starships. Expertise qualifies the individual for such jobs, and can be used to get working passage on a ship in need of help. Greater levels of expertise enable the individual to handle problems of greater complexity and jobs with higher levels of responsibility” —The Traveller Book, p. 23.

After reviewing expected salaries for starship engineers as well as the prices of indentured clones and robots, I generated several interesting candidates for my Mongoose Traveller game:

Vladan Merritt

UPP 47B888

Species human

Gender male

Age 34

Homeworld Hrongding (Magyar 2817 B621511-C)

Service Scouts, 1 term; Navy, 3 terms

Rank Sublieutenant

Skills Admin 0, Astrogation 0, Electronics (computers) 1, Engineer (J-drive) 1, Engineer (M-drive) 1, Engineer (power) 2, Gun Combat 0, Gunner 0, Leadership 1, Mechanic 1, Medic 0, Melee (blade) 1, Pilot 0, Survival 0, Vacc Suit 1

Possessions submachine gun, wafer jack

Money Cr55,000

Comments Vladen is a square-jawed perfectionist of medium height with a short, military-style haircut. He joined the Scout Service but his courier ship was destroyed during a pirate attack in the Dexter (Magyar 2416 B587510-B) system. Forced out of the IISS, he was drafted into the Navy and assigned to Engineering Branch. His superiors noted his mechanical aptitude and he was quickly promoted, gaining a commission in his second term. During his third term, Vladan’s patrol cruiser Uniti was attacked by Solomani pirates. Although the engineering section was holed during the battle, Vladen stayed at his post long enough to get the maneuver drive back online, saving the entire ship. Although he received a citation for his actions, the event spurred Vladen to leave the Navy to see more of Charted Space. He will request a monthly salary of Cr5,600.

Zeke Dimitar

UPP 8656A3

Species human

Gender male

Age 26

Homeworld Clarmoment (Magyar 2415 B543426-B)

Service Merchant, 2 terms

Rank 4th Officer

Skills Drive 0, Electronics (Computers) 1, Engineer (J-drive) 2, Engineer (Power) 1, Gun Combat 0, Medic 2, Vacc Suit 1

Possessions body pistol

Money Cr10,000

Comments Zeke is a large, heavy-set man. He is friendly and talkative, though rough around the edges. Despite his crudeness, he is surprisingly knowledgeable about Jump drive theory. Zeke was recruited by Ling-Standard Products and given advanced engineering training at the LSP Merchant Academy on Dexter (Magyar 2416 B587510-B). Following graduation he was assigned to the LSP merchant fleet, where he served on various freighters carrying LSP goods into the Solomani worlds of Magyar and Dark Nebula. Although a competent engineer, Zeke was a loafer and bellyacher, and quit LSP after only two terms. Zeke is conflicted about his hasty exit: he likes to brag about having worked for a megacorporation, but he is quick to enumerate LSP’s numerous real and perceived faults. Zeke will request a monthly salary of Cr4,800.

Dr. Yan Golt

UPP 476BF7

Species human

Gender male

Age 30

Homeworld Fornorb (Magyar 2616 C997A85-A)

Service University, Citizen 2 terms

Rank Manager

Skills Admin 2, Astrogation 1, Deception 1, Drive 0, Electronics 0, Engineer (power) 2, Flyer 0, Language 0, Leadership 1, Mechanic 0, Melee 0, Profession 0, Science 0, Steward 0, Streetwise 0

Possessions none

Money Cr20,000

Comments Dr. Golt is a slender man of medium height with a thin face and an affable but slightly distracted demeanor. He studied engineering at the Imperial University of Seloo. Graduating with honors, he was recruited by the University’ Advanced Power Plant Research Institute, where he was quickly pulled into administration and promoted to assistant director. He soon discovered that the Institute was conducting secret military research for the Imperial Navy in contravention of its charter, but he helped cover up this information. Bored with administration, he resigned. Although he has never worked onboard a starship, Dr. Golt imagines an invigorating opportunity to pursue his passion for “true’ engineering. Although extremely knowledgeable, he has limited real world experience and occasionally becomes consumed with interesting but impractical ideas. Dr. Golt will request a monthly salary of Cr4,000.

Aleg Anatol

UPP 8CAC55

Species human

Gender male

Age 21

Homeworld Kline (Magyar 3012 A541987-E)

Service Drifter, 1 term

Rank N/A

Skills Admin 0, Athletics 0, Carouse 0, Jack-of-All-Trades 1, Melee 0, Recon 0, Stealth 0, Streetwise 1, Survival 0

Possessions wafer jack

Money Cr100

Comments Aleg is a strapping, clean-cut figure with a winning smile and a friendly, confident demeanor. A remarkably quick study, he is inquisitive and highly observant. Aleg is also an extraordinarily successful con man and imposter. Aleg’s mother had been a successful executive with Allied Prefabricated Ships & Vessels until she was arrested for embezzlement when Aleg was still a teenager. He has spent the last five years wandering the sector, successfully running a series of fraudulent schemes. He has unfortunately drawn the attention of the Imperial Ministry of Justice and is being actively pursued by at least two dedicated agents. Aleg is currently claiming to be a starship engineer and is seeking working passage to the next three starports. An expert forger, he can produce documentation showing he is a veteran of the Klinean Naval Reserves, rated as class 1 jump drive engineer.

Robertina Nine

UPP 78A987

Species human clone

Gender female

Age 19

Homeworld Coglan (Magyar 2214 AA9A8A6-E)

Service N/A

Rank N/A

Skills Electronics (computers) 1, Engineer (M-drive) 1, Engineer (J-drive) 1, Engineer (power plant) 1, Mechanic 1, Profession (construction) 1, Science 0, Survival 0, Vacc Suit 0

Possessions none

Money Cr0

Comments Robertina Nine is a guest clone produced by Totaliti Workforce, well suited for construction and engineering tasks. She is a small, slender woman with short dark hair and a prominent red facial tattoo of the Totaliti corporate logo, a status identifier. Tough and clever, her pattern spent four terms building and rehabbing starport facilities. Robertina was sold to the free trader Logan, but when the ship’s captain attempted to assault her she fled at the next starport. After seven months on the run she was caught by a Totaliti bounty hunter. The company will tell prospective buyers that she was repossessed because her former employer fell into arrears. Her 5-year indenture can be bought for a down payment of Cr36,000 and monthly payments of Cr2,912.

Spr0cket

Starport Mechanic Toolbot

Manufacturer Popov Robotics

Model Tinker 5600

Cost KCr100

TL12

Hits 56

Speed 6m

Traits Armor (+2), Large (+1)

Programming Basic (mechanic)

Skills Engineer 0, Electronics 0, Mechanic 0

Comments The Tinker 5600 is a common toolbot found in starports throughout Magyar, designed for delicate repair work on electronics and control systems. It has a large cylindrical body that rides atop a set of motorized tracks. Its two light tentacles and two light arms allow it to access restricted work spaces inside a starship. The Tinker, a blatant copy of Tukera’s 232-BHR-7, is notorious for its tendency to fail at inopportune moments. Spr0cket can be financed for a 10-year term with a down payment of Cr20,000 and monthly payments of Cr800. However, Spr0cket requires monthly repairs of Cr170 in order to continue to function.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2020 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Man or Makhidkarun? The Costs of Artificial Persons

Now that we have looked into salary costs for a human starship Engineer across editions, let’s consider the artificial person options: robots, clones, and synthetics.

Calibration

First, given the disparity between Engineer salaries across editions, I wanted to double check costs in general. Here are some common commodities:

Purchase Prices Across Editions (Cr)
Item	CT	MT	MgT	T5
Shotgun	150	150	200	300
Reflec Armor	1,500	1,500	1,500	100
Vacc Suit	10,000	7,000	11,000	10,000
Air/Raft	600,000	389,000	250,000	60,000
Free Trader	37,080,000	36,915,000	45,342,000	61,100,000
Source	The Traveller Book	Imperial Encyclopedia	Core Rulebook	v5.10

There is a reasonable correspondence across editions, with a couple of anomalies in Traveller⁵. (I really wonder if the air/raft cost is potentially a typo.) Each of the editions also have some baseline cost of living figures that we can compare to the expected salaries of regular ship engineers. In MT, MgT, and Traveller⁵ these costs are associated with the SOC characteristic:

Monthly Living Costs Across Editions (Cr)
Category	CT	MT	MgT	T5
Regular Engineer	4,400	1,200	4,000	500
Poor Lifestyle	300	500	400	200
Average Lifestyle	400	1,750	1,200	700
Rich Lifestyle	900	3,000	5,000	1,200
Source	Traveller Book 109	Player’s Handbook 30	Core Rulebook 92	Traveller⁵ Book 1, 44

While the monthly cost of living values are consistent within the editions, they vary greatly across editions, particularly at the higher end of the scale. And what’s more, the relationships between an engineer’s salary and standards of living vary widely. In MT and Traveller⁵, the monthly salary of the engineer is below the average cost of living. In MgT, the salary nearly supports a rich standard of living. But in CT, the lucky engineer’s salary supports a lifestyle almost 5x that of a rich citizen!

I think an engineer’s salary should be better than average but less than rich: a starship engineer is a critical position that requires technical training and involves long hours in occasionally dangerous conditions. To me, the CT costs of living seem much too low compared to an engineer’s salary; in MT and Traveller⁵, the salary seems much too low.

The MgT number falls in the right place, but still looks a bit high—until you consider that few engineers are probably spending 52 weeks a year in space. A long term megacorp contract probably provides at least a month a year unpaid leave, and maybe closer to two. And most independent engineers might spend a few months in space, take a month living high on the hog, and then wait months before landing their next assignment.

Here I am influenced by John McPhee’s great nonfiction book about merchant marines, Looking for a Ship. There the pay was good but the opportunities limited: sailors might spend months every year stuck in port, waiting for their next chance to go to sea. A typical starship engineer only employed 6–9 months a year at the MgT salary can still afford a better than average standard of living, but not exorbitant.

I think the takeaway is that costs are generally within an order of magnitude across these four editions, with a few weird exceptions. You could use a T5 number in MT or a MgT number in CT and generally be in the zone. Just don’t expect a perfect correspondence.

Robots

A TL14 synthetic meets a TL13 heavy construction robot.

As I have already noted, while robots have always been in Traveller in one form or another, there’s no single benchmark model that spans all editions. The closest we can get is the TL12 Tukera 232-BHR-7 model starport mechanic, which first appeared in the DGP 101 Robots supplement (18), written for CT. As it happens, this model can substitute for the Engineer position so it’s the perfect place to start. The 232-BHR-7 was converted to MT as the “Starship Maintenance Robot” in MegaTraveller Robots (5). Both versions are fairly similar in capabilities and costs: Cr101,000 in CT and Cr103,972 in MT.

The 232-BHR-7 reappears in the TNE supplement Vampire Fleets (81), but the cost jumps an order of magnitude to a whopping Cr1,839,130! I am much less familiar with TNE than other editions of Traveller, so I am not sure if this cost reflects the new design system, the post-Virus setting, or some combination of the two.

The very same price is cited for the Tukera SM-232 mechanic robot in Traveller Hero Book 2 (52). But that said, the costs of the robots in the Traveller Hero Special Supplement 1: Robots of Charted Space appear to be generally lower than the costs for CT robots of similar capabilities. For example, the Sharurshid Astrotech IV, “a fine example of a mechanic/technician robot encountered in shipyards and garages across the 11,000 Worlds of the Imperium,” is only priced at Cr73,750. Given this, I’m strongly inclined to just set aside the TNE pricing.

As far as I know, the 232-BHR-7 has not yet been converted to either Mongoose Traveller (1e or 2e) or Traveller⁵. MgT2 uses a fairly abstract system for detailing robots that most closely resembles the system used for animals. I find this approach works very well as a game mechanic, but when combined with the relative lack of examples it’s hard to cost out a MgT2 version of the 232-BHR-7. Traveller⁵ also lacks for example robots—but in contrast to MgT, has a design system so detailed and complex I honestly can’t be bothered to puzzle it out.

My gut feel, based on looking at the examples in MgT2 Central Supply Catalog and the first two issues of the T5 Xboat zine, is that robots generally seem to be more expensive than in CT or MT: perhaps something like 2 to 3 times more expensive. Since neither system has a very close comp for the 232-BHR-7, I’ll simply analyze two different robot price points for our comparison: Cr100,000 and Cr300,000.

Both CT and MT have required annual maintenance for robots equal to 1% of the purchase price. There is no similar cost in either MgT or Traveller⁵. This is a little surprising for T5 since there is an entire section on robot “disease and illness.” While I think adding maintenance costs makes sense, the overall effect is pretty negligible, so I haven’t included this in the analysis.

Both CT and MT allow robots to be financed, just like starships, to make them more affordable to the average Traveller. The MT book assumes that robots can be financed for a term of up to one half the robot lifespan, which varies by TL. A TL12 robot has an expected lifespan of 40 years, so can be financed for a term of up to 20 years. To calculate finance costs, assume 20% down payment. Then take 80% of the purchase price and divide by six times the term in years to get the monthly payment price.

So let’s see how 5 and 10 cumulative years of human Engineer salary compares to the purchase price of a KCr100 and KCr300 robot:

Robot v. Human Costs over Time (KCr)
Category	5 Years	10 Years
Category	Robot Purchase Price	100–300	100–300
CT Human Salary	264	528
MT Human Salary	72	144
MgT Human Salary	240	480
T5 Human Salary	30	60

Over a 5 year period, the KCr100 robot is cheaper than a human Engineer in CT and MgT, and more expensive in MT and Traveller⁵. Meanwhile the KCr300 robot is more expensive than a human in all systems. Over a 10 period, the KCr100 robot is cheaper in CT, MgT, and MT but the KCr300 robot is only cheaper in CT and MgT. So over a 5 and 10 year period, robots are usually cheaper than humans in CT and MT, always more expensive in T5, and a toss-up in MT.

Beyond cost, there are other considerations when comparing humans to robots. Below TL16, robots might be intelligent but they are not sentient and lack true initiative. So in the Imperium circa 1105, robots are considered property and not citizens because they are “non-living.”

Robots can be bought, sold, or scrapped with impunity. Robots are reliable, untiring, and never lose focus, but are relatively inflexible and limited in scope. A robot will not complain about its berth, duties, or having to take a dog watch. A robot will not demand higher wages, pick fights with other robots, or run off with a starport vending machine. But a robot will also not take it upon itself to tune the maneuver drive, or question the passenger who keeps skulking around the cargo bay. A robot will be hard-pressed to work on the electronics system if it has not been programmed with that skill. And many worlds in the Imperium have strong cultural prohibitions and prejudices against robots.

Robots, at least at the lower end of the price scale, are a reasonable alternative to humans for small, independent ships in CT, MT, and MgT—but much less so in Traveller⁵. With nearly unlimited cash and an ability to plan long-term, megacorporations probably make extensive use of robots on their starships due to their longevity and reliability.

Clones

While clones are described in virtually all editions of Traveller, Traveller⁵ is the first to provide detailed game mechanics. And here we are talking specifically about guest clones, which are clones “produced to provide cheap labor” (Traveller5 Book 1, 116). In terms of role, they resemble the “fabricants” from Cloud Atlas.

“A guest is a skilled duplicate of the pattern, lacking only the memories of the original… Guests have force-grown organic bodies, cloned brains, and edited implanted personalities (an edited recording of the original personality). Guests are typically sterilized when created.” (Traveller5 Book 1, 116).

These rules are complemented by Marc Miller’s novel Agent of the Imperium, which provides useful color:

The best [astrogator] candidate was Legend’s strange woman with a strange name that told me more: Florine Ten. A clone by the name, and now I understood the tattoos: status identifiers applied by her creator.
* * * * *
I told Legend’s captain I needed his astrogator for Xyneid. He objected; she was his property; he could not let her go without compensation… She was indeed property; technically not a slave, but certainly not free. And yet, the record showed her factory-option skillset made her a capable astrogator and a tolerable pilot; I suppose her owner saved money using her instead of paid crew.
* * * * *
[Her] clone batch owed a joint debt to the factory that created her and her sisters. If she defaulted, her sibs would bear its burden.
(178-179)

A guest clone takes 19 weeks to create at a cost of Cr182,000. There is no price difference between cloning a raw recruit or an experienced veteran, so presumably most guest clones are created from highly experienced and skilled patterns.

Clone v. Human Costs over Time (KCr)
Category	5 Years	10 Years
Guest Purchase Price	182	182
CT Human Salary	264	528
MT Human Salary	72	144
MgT Human Salary	240	480
T5 Human Salary	30	60

A look at the long term costs of a guest contract compared to engineer salary shows that, contrary to Traveller⁵’s claim, guests are clearly not a cheaper option in that system, even over 10 years. In contrast, in CT and MgT guest clones are significantly cheaper than naturally born humans, even over just 5 years.

A guest clone is a sophont and subject to all the rights and privileges afforded any other citizen. That said, as shown in Agent of the Imperium, guests are considered property by their owners and are clearly subject to exploitation. I assume that guest clones avoid the Imperium’s strict prohibition against chattel slavery by being treated as indentured servants with contracts of limited term, perhaps no more than 4 or 8 years in length. (A guest clone of a human is force-grown to age 18, and begins aging at 26, so a maximum 8 year contract seems appropriate.) Agent implies that runaway clones might be subject to capture and return by bounty hunters.

There is some natural variability in the physical characteristics of guest clones, but their mental characteristics and skill levels are consistent. A guest clone’s personality is edited in order to encourage a contented and happy worker. So all of these factors, plus the strength of the factory contract, make a guest clone a more reliable option than a “natural” human.

Synthetics

Synthetics are biologically based artificial creatures: essentially, Blade Runner replicants or the hosts of the rebooted Westworld TV series. “Synthetic” is a generic term for any such creature, while “android” is specifically used to describe a synthetic human. Synthetics fall somewhere between clones and robots in terms of capabilities, and in some ways are superior to both. A synthetic has the consistency of a robot, as all iterations have the same characteristics. They also have behavioral control codes that keep them more reliable than clones, but synthetics also have more flexibility than robots.

Synthetics are described in Marc Miller’s “Ref’s Notes: Robots” from the Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society 2 (1979):

Android: A biologically-based being created to a set of specifications for some purpose or duty. Androids exhibit life, in that they are biologically living; their distinction is that they were created, rather than having evolved. Androids generally are incapable of reproduction, and can be identified by close inspection. Some suggestions concerning androids in science fiction include permanent identifying marks such as tattoos or a blue dyed skin
(10).

Forrest Johnson provided simple mechanics for creating android characters in “Alternate Characters for Traveller” from The Space Gamer 32 (Oct 1980). But Roger Moore took up this idea and really ran with it in the excellent “Androids in Traveller” from White Dwarf 30 (Apr/May 1982). Unfortunately, the whole concept drops out of the game until Traveller⁵. (Although several “vatgrown” NPCs in the Mongoose Traveller adventure Pirates of Drinax might qualify as synthetics.)

Synthetics are detailed in Traveller⁵ Book 1, which even provides an example synthetic engineer, but this “premium” model has extra skills and a monstrous cost of Cr8,600,000! A batch synthetic engineer, in contrast, with SDEI 6666 comes with 9 skill points and “only” costs Cr1,296,000. Let’s say it has the following T5 skills: Engineer-6, Jump-1, Small-Craft-1, Pilot-1.

But at this price point, the synthetic engineer is far more expensive than any of the options we have considered:

Synthetic v. Human Costs over Time (KCr)
Category	5 Years	10 Years	40 Years	100 Years
Synthetic Purchase Price	1,296	1,296	1,296	1,296
CT Human Salary	264	528	2,112	5,280
MT Human Salary	72	144	576	1,440
MgT Human Salary	240	480	1,920	4,800
T5 Human Salary	30	60	240	600

A synthetic is only more economical than humans over a 40 year period in CT and MgT and is still not cheaper at 100 years in Traveller⁵. There is no discussion of synthetic aging, but considering that clones have only an 8 year window before they begin aging checks, synthetics probably don’t have extraordinarily long lifespans and so long term financing is probably not available. This suggests androids would only be viable to high nobility, governments, and megacorporations.

But if economics are not a motivator, why create synthetics? As Roger Moore suggested,

Android populations are typically created and maintained by human societies requiring their services in occupations involving much physical labour, repetitive tasks, and considerable to extreme hazard. The tasks do not usually require above-average intelligence or planning to carry out, as well. The human population in charge of the androids is generally unwilling to perform these tasks themselves and cannot or will not use robotic assistance. Problems often arise due to the androids’ similarities to humanity; androids may be equated with slaves and suppression of their rights to proper care may occur, or well-intentioned humans may believe them equal to humanity and develop expectations of them that the androids cannot meet. Androids are often seen as expendable and given little control over their fates.
“Androids in Traveller,” White Dwarf 30, 10.

It’s not clear to me whether synthetics would be afforded the same protections given to sophonts in the Third Imperium. I am inclined to think that they probably are not, which has rather dark implications: synthetics are probably vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous entities, much as in Blade Runner or Westworld.

Conclusions

After reviewing the costs of different options for filling a starship engineer position, humans, low-end robots, and guest clones are all reasonable choices for even smaller ships in every edition except Traveller⁵, where humans are always the lowest cost solution. On a cost basis, synthetics are never a better option than humans in all editions.

Copyright Information

Monday, September 30, 2019

Robots of Magyar Sector

A Tukera 232-BHR-7 toolbot.

Robots were essential to the Terran exploration and development of Magyar sector during the Interstellar Wars. Building on the success of the Thalassa colonies, advance Terran survey teams methodically charted unexplored systems in Delta quadrant. Swarms of tiny, semi-autonomous robotic probes greatly sped up this effort; as the survey teams moved forward they left behind robotic beacons and refueling caches for successive waves of explorers. For the most promising systems, the Terrans deployed factory-scale bootstrapping robots that harvested and processed raw materials, laying down infrastructure in advance of Terran colonists. Robot attendants oversaw facilities where artificial wombs produced thousands of “test-tube” infants per year, allowing the Terrans to establish a fully productive, heavily populated colony world in under twenty years. Thanks to robots new settlements flourished on habitable worlds such as Beagle, Union, and Leikung.

Similarly, during the Rule of Man various émigré colonies relied on robots for settling new worlds, though their robots tended to be used for agricultural rather than industrial applications. Most robotics capability was lost in Magyar during the Long Night, though the Reavers were said to have especially prized those robots seized as plunder during their raids. In contrast, the Aslan who ventured into the region carried a formidable cultural resistance to robotics that impeded their own development of robots until -400 or so, fairly late in the Border Wars.

Notable Magyar Worlds
for Robot Production

Acara (1627 B67999B-D)
Antaeus (0921 A779730-D)
Clown (1807 B431975-E)
Indet (0131 B7B79BD-D)
Keyor (1521 A201889-E)
Meza (0813 B000831-D)
Mickel (0119 A742855-D)
Ock (0227 A9A8855-E)
Pryon (0115 A889747-D)
Quizen (0134 B6AA865-D)
Ramaniam (1927 A431869-E)
Roblig (1513 B301863-D)
Roen (2335 A431830-E)
Stanislav (0211 B000688-D)

Source: Imperial Ministry of State,
“Solomani Robotic Markets, 1100.”

A native capability to produce robots was not regained until after the Third Imperium and Old Earth Union established new communication and trade routes with the worlds of Magyar. Development of robots exploded after the creation of the Solomani Autonomous Region, where they proved vital to the rapid build-out of Magyar’s shipbuilding capacity.

During the final stages of the Solomani Rim War, as Imperial forces rampaged through Magyar sector, an increasingly desperate Confederation pressed robots into new and untested roles. Robotic infantry units, which the Imperium had tried and abandoned centuries earlier, were deployed in limited ground engagements with generally underwhelming results. More successfully, robotic heavy gunships patrolled the skies of strategically important worlds. Confederation Admiral Arturo Coglan used a squadron of robotic monitors to great effect during the First Battle of Fornorb, catching the Imperial invaders off-guard and setting up one of the most improbable victories of the Magyar Campaign.

The Rim War shattered much of the industrial infrastructure of Magyar’s Beta quadrant, and a century later many worlds have still not completely recovered. No world in the sector has yet reached TL15, the Imperial maximum, and the overall tech level lags somewhat behind neighboring sectors. As a consequence, within Magyar robots are often more economical than humans at many tasks, and as such robots are fairly common within the sector. The Academy of Electronics and Robotics at Spectrum University on Spectrum (Magyar 1333 E558999-8) is famed throughout the region as a leading center of robotics research and development.

The prevalence of robots within Magyar has resulted in some backlash, as seen by the rise of the quasi-religious Society for the Sovereignty of Man over Machine (SSMM), which has begun to gather adherents on a few Confederation worlds.

Important Imperial manufacturers of robots in Magyar include the megacorporations General Products, Ling-Standard Products (LSP), and Naasirka. Shululsish Internetworking LIC is an important regional producer, and recently, advanced models from Vegan Robot Associates (VRA) have appeared on Imperial worlds. The most important Solomani manufacturers in Magyar include Panstellar, Odyssey, and Thinking Machines, Inc. (TMI). An important local producer is Popov Robotics, located on Clown (Magyar 1807 B431975-E).

Notable low-population worlds in Magyar that rely heavily upon robots include Tarn (1209 A747220-D), The Rock (1314 B300234-D), Finn (1416 B799200-D), Paxton (2126 B420121-D), Geb (2434 A554224-D), Lincoln (0836 BA9A213-D), Garvey (1313 B59A123-D), Crisp (1511 A520210-D), Creighton (1730 B436233-D), and Cammon (3237 A886222-D).

Common Robot Models

The following Mongoose Traveller 2e robots are fairly common in Magyar Sector. The entries were either direct conversions or inspired by robots from the following books: 101 Robots, Solomani and Aslan, Traveller: The New Era Guilded Lilly 2: Belly of the Beast, and Traveller Hero Robots of Charted Space.

AJ-62 Janitorial Robot

TL 12

Intect (Imperial)

Hits 20

Speed 4m

Cost KCr115

Skills Profession (janitor) 1

Traits Armor (+2), Small (-1)

Programming Basic (janitor)

This popular and widely encountered janitorial robot has two telescoping arms and moves on a set of tracks.

AN-427 Security Robot

TL12

ICAM Technology (Imperial)

Hits 40

Speed 7m

Cost KCr299

Skills Gun Combat (energy) 1, Recon 2, Tactics 0

Attacks laser carbine (4D + 3)

Traits Alarm, Armor (+6)

Programming Basic (security)

The AN-427 is a widely used security robot throughout the Imperium and popular due to its rugged reliability. It is programmed to patrol all areas of a sensitive installation and to seek out and kill or incapacitate unauthorized intruders. The AN-427 can operate in concert with other robots via its built in radio and can instantaneously share information with them. This is a wheeled robot which experiences difficulty in negotiating stairs, ladders and any uneven ground. Although it is not as mobile as grav powered units, it is less expensive to operate, and replacement parts are easier to fabricate.

Apparatchik Deskbot

TL13

Panstellar (Solomani)

Hits 12

Speed 0m

Cost KCr131

Skills Admin 2, Electronics (computers) 1, Investigate 0

Traits Alarm, Armor (+2), Small (-2)

Programming Advanced

The Solomani Confederation and in particular, Solomani Security, requires an enormous administration in order to manage such a large and diverse population. Much of the administration has been automated through use of robots such as Panstellar’s Apparatchik deskbot, which eliminates a need for low-level personnel. The Party values its robots for their diligence and absolute loyalty to the Cause. This model, which resembles a mounted octahedron outfitted with sensors and a vocoder, is a common sight in government offices, working tirelessly to analyze the vast amounts of data generated by the Confederation apparatus.

Cabbi Taxibot

TL13

Thinking Machines, Inc. (Solomani)

Hits 12

Speed 0m

Cost KCr170

Skills Admin 0, Drive (wheel) 2, Navigation 1

Traits Armor (+2), Small (-2)

Programming Advanced

The TMI Cabbi is employed throughout the Solomani Confederation and closely resembles the equally ubiquitous Naasirka taxibot found in the Imperium. This robot appears to be nothing more than a yellow urn studded with tiny visual and audio sensors. It lacks any limbs or means of locomotion and is generally plugged directly into its vehicle. All interactions with riders are handled via a convenient computer interface. The Cabbi’s Drive skill is appropriate to the vehicles used on a particular planet.

Domestibot Valet Robot

TL 14

Thinking Machines, Inc. (Solomani)

Hits 40

Speed 6m

Cost KCr717

Skills Medic 2, Steward 3, Profession (instructor) 1

Traits Armor (+2)

Programming Advanced

The Domestibot is TMI’s premier household servant robot, and not uncommon within the homes of elite Solomani families: high-placed corporate executives, military leaders, and Party officials. The Domestibot is a humaniform robot, programmed to perform a wide variety of household duties with accuracy, alacrity, and complete discretion.

Dzazhan Construction Robot

TL 14

Vegan Robot Associates (Vegan)

Hits 120

Speed 6m

Cost KCr431

Skills Athletics (strength) 3, Profession (construction) 2

Traits Armor (+4), Flyer (idle), Large (+5)

Programming Advanced

The Dzazhan is a massive, spherical robot that glides on an integral grav floater. Its graceful appearance belies its primary role as a heavy construction robot. A Dzazhan is ringed by 18 separate arms and is equipped with several different integral toolkits allowing it to perform many heavy construction tasks, often simultaneously. This robot is common on higher tech Imperial worlds in Magyar sector, but its import into the Solomani Confederation is strictly prohibited.

JP-3 Cargo Handler Robot

TL 13

Naasirka (Imperial)

Hits 42

Speed 8m

Cost KCr84

Skills Profession (cargo handler) 1

Traits Armor (+2)

Programming Basic (cargo handling)

The JP-3 is perhaps the most common robot encountered by travellers, as Naasirka’s marketing efforts have successfully placed this wheeled robot everywhere a ship cargo handler is desired. The robot has a squat, stocky appearance with two medium arms for handling cargo.

J0NZ-E Pet Robot

TL14

Thinking Machines, Inc. (Solomani)

Hits 9

Speed 9m

Cost KCr218

Skills Athletics (dexterity) 1, Survival 2

Traits Armor (+2), Small (-3)

Programming Basic (hunt, snuggle)

Many Solomani free traders keep a cat or other small predatory Terran animal aboard to hunt down pests. The J0NZ-E model robot was designed to be an endearing, affectionate ship’s cat but otherwise, it closely resembles a normal cat.

MedRobot 300 Medical Robot

TL14

Ling Standard Products (Imperial)

Hits 38

Speed 6m

Cost KCr384

Skills Admin 0, Medic 3, Science (sophontology) 1

Traits Armor (+2), Large (+1)

Programming Very Advanced

Although LSP has introduced a TL15 version within the Imperium, the venerable MedRobot 300 can still be found on higher tech worlds on both sides of the border in Magyar sector. The MedRobot has a large, boxy appearance and moves on wheels. It has three eyes, complete with high-powered magnification, light intensifiers, and spotlights. Using its six light tentacles and its medical instrumentation packages, the MedRobot can perform most major operations without assistance.

N121-F Imperial High Security Guard Robot

TL15

Naasirka (Imperial)

Hits 77

Speed 9m

Cost KCr1,729

Skills Gun Combat (energy) 1, Heavy Weapons (man portable) 1, Melee (unarmed) 1, Recon 2, Survival 1, Tactics (military) 2

Attacks laser carbine (4D + 3), FGMP (4DD)

Traits Armor (+18), Heightened Senses

Programming Very Advanced

The N121-F is a humaniform high security robot manufactured under exclusive contact to the Third Imperium and is generally found only in service of various governmental agencies. Sensitive information and machinery vital to the security of the Imperium are usually guarded by a formidable mix of Imperial marines and high security robots like the N121-F.

Odyssey 500 Heavy Agrobot

TL12

Odyssey (Solomani)

Hits 82

Speed 8m

Cost KCr121

Skills Athletics (endurance) 1

Traits Armor (+2), Flyer (idle), Large (+1)

Programming Basic (agriculture)

Equipped with an ultra heavy duty grav module, the Odyssey 500 agrobot can travel anywhere on a world’s surface while carrying several hundred kilograms of supplies. A variety of peripheral devices enable it to plow, irrigate, plant, weed, and harvest crops. One agrobot can tend about 4 square kilometers, depending on the crop and planetary conditions. Radio communication is used to relay instructions and other information back and forth between a far-ranging agrobot and its home base. Typically, an agrobot will return to its home base only to refuel, or to carry supplies to and from the fields.

Sagacity Courtroom Robot

TL14

Panstellar (Solomani)

Hits 70

Speed 10m

Cost KCr428

Skills Advocate 2, Melee 0, Persuade 3, Recon 1

Traits Armor (+2), Flyer (idle), Large (+1)

Programming Advanced

Panstellar’s Sagacity is one of the Confederation’s most often encountered courtroom robots. The robot appears to be a large globe with two arms; it floats on an internal grav floater. Equipped with a sensitive neural activity sensor, the Sagacity can often detect when an individual is lying. It is able to capture holographic recordings of court proceedings and project these images back as needed. The use of Sagacity robots in the courtroom has stirred bitter controversy—many people object to the use of a robot for discerning if they are telling the truth or not.

SaloonKeeper Bartender Robot

TL13

Thinking Machines, Inc. (Solomani)

Hits 32

Speed 6m

Cost KCr182

Skills Melee (unarmed) 1, Steward 1

Traits Armor (+2)

Programming Advanced

The TMI SaloonKeeper model is a humaniform robot that ships with basic bartending protocols installed, including a wide variety of subroutines for handling typical barroom chores. In addition, the SaloonKeeper model also comes equipped with a personality interface and basic psychology programming, primarily geared for listening. Should push come to shove, the physical strength of this robot allows it to double as one of the bar’s bouncers.

Starport Mechanic Toolbot

TL12

[Various]

Hits 56

Speed 6m

Cost KCr150

Skills Engineer 0, Electronics 0, Mechanic 0

Traits Armor (+2), Large (+1)

Programming Basic (mechanic)

This common toolbot, found in starports throughout Magyar, is designed for delicate repair work on electronics and control systems. It has a large cylindrical body that rides atop a set of motorized tracks. Its two light tentacles and two light arms allow it to access restricted work spaces inside a starship. The Tukera 232-BHR-7 is the original model, widely used within the Imperium due to its legendary reliability. The Tinker 5600, a product of Popov Robotics, is a blatant copy of Tukera’s design and has been the subject of numerous, but so far unsuccessful, lawsuits. Unlike the Tukera model, the Tinker is notorious for its tendency to fail at inopportune moments.

Z-16 Deskbot

TL 12

Naasirka (Imperial)

Hits 16

Speed 0m

Cost KCr148

Skills Admin 2, Language (Vilani) 1

Traits Armor (+2), Small (-1)

Programming Basic (administration)

The Naasirka Z-16 is typical of many administrative dumbots, often called “deskbots.” Designed without power plant or locomotion, the Z-16 can handle most simple administrative tasks with a minimum of sentient interference. Its emotion simulation programming allow it to interact with visitors in a courteous way. The Z-16 has a barrel-shaped body with three light arms.

Copyright Information

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Monday, September 23, 2019

Robots in Traveller

A TL12 starport mechanic robot.

Robots have an odd and somewhat unfortunate history within Traveller. Certainly, robots are common within much of the golden age science fiction that inspired the game. But the original three little black books (1977) did not include any details on robots, and many fans, finding this a glaring omission, tried to fill the gap with their own house rules, such as Tony Watson’s “Robotics for Traveller” in The Space Gamer 15 (1978) or Andy Slacks’ “Expanding Universe” article in White Dwarf 15 (1979).

One of the challenges with describing robots within Traveller is they cross over a few different (game) mechanical categories, making it difficult to create a universal robot design system that works well with all models. Do you write them up like characters, or computers, or vehicles? A vehicle system might work well with an automated grain harvester or robot tank, but maybe not so much for a humanoid assistant droid.

Marc Miller finally addressed this omission with a three-part article that appeared in issues 2 (1979), 3 (1980), and 4 (1980) of the Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society, followed by Loren Wiseman’s “Sample Robots” in issue 5 (1980). For reasons I do not quite understand, this treatment of robots did not seem to fully take. Roger Moore’s unofficial (though excellent) “Androids in Traveller” in White Dwarf 30 (1982) was one of the few subsequent pieces that really seems to embrace the Miller model.

Although robots are mentioned in passing throughout classic Traveller, they were one of the last subjects to be covered in a dedicated supplement. In 1985 Joe Fugate of Digest Group Publications put out a series of articles on “Robot Design Revisited” in The Travellers’ Digest issues 1, 2, and 3. His variant system was collected and made official in Traveller Book 8: Robots (1986). Fugate followed up with 101 Robots (1986), which used the Book 8 system and was published by DGP under license from GDW.

The Book 8 treatment of robots does not quite line up with the JTAS treatment, particularly with relation to androids and pseudo-biological robots. To make matters worse, the Book 8 system was not fully compatible with the new MegaTraveller game, which debuted in 1987. And maybe for those reasons the Book 8 take on robots does not seem to have been universally embraced, either.

In any case, MegaTraveller never got an official robot design supplement. DGP had been working on one, but before they could publish it GDW decided to shake up the entire Traveller line with the Virus, kicking off the third edition of Traveller. (A draft of the lost DGP robot supplement was found many years later, cleaned up, and released—it’s quite good and a shame it didn’t get it due.)

So robots in Traveller occupy this weird place. There is a distinct fork between the Fugate model—which is followed in TNE, Hero Traveller, T20, and Mongoose Traveller—and the Miller model, which is followed in T⁵. The different design systems across editions can produce widely differing results. Compare, for example, the same models in 101 Robots with TNE Vampire Fleets—some prices differ by an order of magnitude between the systems!

And as an additional complication, many of the example models from 101 Robots are caught up in the same vexing intellectual property limbo that has affected many DGP products. As a result, there is no robot equivalent of the far trader merchant ship: a recognizable touchstone that appears across different editions. (Although the Tukera 232-BHR-7 Starport Mechanic toolbot comes close.)

Without a definitive set of robot design rules and lacking an iconic robot model, many Traveller fans have speculated that robots just aren’t common or important within the Third Imperium setting. But Agent of the Imperium and T⁵ have shown us that the Official Traveller Universe actually contains a great many things, such as posthumanist technology, that have long been erroneously assumed to be absent. As the T⁵ rules explain, “Non-anthropomorphic robots (robots not in the shape of people) are commonplace at the higher technological levels, although they are effectively invisible… they fade into the background” (Book 1, 15).

T⁵ has a fairly detailed robot generation system. While it potentially represents Marc Miller’s definitive vision of robots in Traveller, I find it hard to follow and the ultimate output doesn’t line up with the system I’m using right now: Mongoose Traveller 2e. As detailed in the Central Supply Catalog (2016), Mongoose takes a rules light approach for statting out robots that resembles the system used for animals. While I am drawn to T⁵ for providing accurate capabilities and pricing for robots in the Third Imperium setting, I really like the simplified MgT approach for use at the table.

I use the following guidelines for converting T⁵ robot stats to Mongoose 2e:

Hits: Sum the three physical characteristics.
Speed: Guestimate based on human movement rate of 6 meters.
Cost: As T⁵
Skills: Divide T⁵ skill levels by 2 and add 1. Assign these values to equivalent MgT skills.
Attacks: Guestimate using MgT’s “How Big a Beast” table and weapon stats.
Traits: Pick from animal or robot lists. Most robots seem to have Armor of at least +2.
Programming: Use T⁵ INT:
- 1–4: Basic
- 5–8: Advanced
- 9+: Very advanced

As an example, here is a common starship maintenance robot derived from the EngLe Drive Tech Robot, which appeared in the first issue of Rob Eaglestone’s excellent T⁵ zine, Xboat:

Mekagune-3 Starship Maintenance Robot

TL13

Shululsish Internetworking, LIC

Hits 28

Speed 4m

Cost KCr560

Skills Engineer (power) 3, Electronics (computers) 1, Mechanic 2

Traits Armor (+2), Flyer (idle)

Programming Basic (maintenance)

The Mekagune-3 model robot is a product of Shululsish Internetworking LIC of Shululsish (Solomani Rim 0214 A584A52-F) and is designed to perform delicate repair work on board starships. Sometimes called “the Big Red Egg” due to its shape and standard factory paint scheme, this robot is a familiar sight onboard commercial ships and in the Imperial starports of Magyar sector. A Mekagune-3 is approximately 2 meters tall and weighs 150kg. It moves on an integral grav floater and has two light arms for fine detail manipulation and two retractable tentacles for dextrous work. Each model ships with an integral toolkit including a light laser welder. All of its components are hardened against hot, cold, and vacuum environments. Although its mechanical brain is not truly aware, the robot can understand voice commands and has a vocoder allowing it to respond. A Mekagune-3 is networked to its ship by a 1km radio transceiver and runs off broadcast power from the ship or on a one day emergency power cell.