Industria manufacturera

In the years before the Cylon attacks, synthetic gravity technology became so widespread and stable among Colonial ships that few citizens bothered to train or prepare themselves for zero-gravity. When a problem did occur, the chaos of a free-floating environment often caused mass cases of “space sickness.”

Space sickness usually manifests as mild headaches, vertigo, and nausea. More extreme cases result in prolonged vomiting, which causes dehydration and malnourishment. Space sickness mostly fades after several days as the brain relearns how to decode the information sent to it by the body’s sensory system. Anyone is susceptible to space sickness, even the most seasoned veteran of the Colonial Deep Space Program.

Anyone suffering from space sickness incurs a —1 step to all Attributes. Extreme cases impose a —2 step. Vomiting characters are incapable of any actions. GMs are encouraged to award players 1–3 Plot Points should their characters be afflicted with space sickness. Overcoming that sickness takes time, and the characters have

V

ehicles

rule, passengers can travel in cargo holds—housing a person long term takes up two tons of capacity.

As far as elbow room goes, survivors can be divided into two classes: those who were accustomed to living in space, and those who were not.

For those used to living in space—say a member of the Colonial Fleet—day-to-day life has not changed significantly. They get up, do their duty, maybe get some downtime, and bunk down. That does not lessen the personal sacrifices they’ve suffered—most of what they were serving to protect is gone. Still, they haven’t had to change their lifestyle.

As for those people who lived planetside, life has changed radically. They have had to learn to live in an entirely new environment. Desperate lack of living space, recycled air, concentrated food, claustrophobia, forging a new role in the economy—all are monumental adjustments.

Although the makeshift government and tired military are doing their best to ease the

adjustment, survivors do whatever it takes to survive. Some have taken on roles and “occupations” that they are completely untrained for. Others have had to degrade themselves, engaging in crime, child slavery, and prostitution.

Mental health issues are constant. Combat fatigue, survivor’s guilt, work-related anxiety, post-traumatic stress highlight the background pressure of space shortage. The simple fact is that people need more space, but there’s no relief in sight. Tensions between crew and passengers caused by living too closely together could tear the human race apart as surely as any Cylon attack.

Co m/se n sy sT e m s

Starships carry a variety of computers and sensor systems. Without them, space travel and communication would be impossible. Planetcraft are less likely to have such extensive systems, but some will, depending on the mission profile they were designed for.

Computers

The Colonies were stripped of advanced or networked computers during the First Cylon War to avoid infiltration. This was nowhere more true then

in the Colonial military. Once the war ended and the general threat removed, Colonists began to slowly reintroduce linked computer systems into their lives. By the time of the holocaust some forty years later, networked systems were the norm again—even in the military. As it turned out, only non-networked ships (such as the Galactica) or those with comparatively primitive computers were immune to Cylon surprise tactics.

Spacecraft are filled with hundreds and hundreds of computers. They regulate thousands of details aboard a ship, from sublight navigation, FTL jump navigation, damage control, fire control, and avionics just to name a few. The key is that the computers are isolated from one another, and from outside interference. Makes things much less efficient, and requires many more technicians to perform basic operations. That’s just fine. Personnel can be found; safety from Cylon tampering is paramount.

Planetcraft also have numerous computers in them, all designed for specific functions. Whether in audio entertainment systems, anti- locking braking systems, or other safety controls, more computers are found in some civilian automobiles than were part of Colonial space fighters of the early part of the last war. Although the operator has little to no interaction with the computers, the vehicle would not run without them.

Some planetcraft require more “ignorant automation” with respect to computer systems. Commercial water vessels and air transports use computers for many of the same tasks that a starship does: environmental controls, navigation and the like.

The following computer systems are examples of those found on most spacecraft, and a few planetcraft.

Avionics: The computer systems onboard Vipers and Raptors are referred to as avionics. A basic avionics package consists of non-directional medium-range wireless communications for ship-to-ship and ship- to-planet contact, DRADIS hardware for enemy targeting and flight maneuvers, a Colonial transponder for IFF, a stellar navigation system for sublight or FTL travel, and an electronic countermeasurers (EC) computer. EC computers control systems that are used to confuse enemy DRADIS and weapons.

CNP

The Command Navigation Program (CNP) was a system utilized by both the Colonial military and civilian fleets. Created by Dr. Baltar and put into operation in the systems of almost all battlestars (with the exception of Galactica) and their support craft—most notably the Fleet’s Vipers and Raptors— the CNP was a death trap for thousands. During the program’s design phase, a skinjob snuck in a backdoor access point that allowed the Cylons to interface with the CNP and shut down

any vessel loaded with the program.



Chapter Six

On a Viper, the EC computer is largely autonomous, releasing the appropriate countermeasures when it detects a threat, though the pilot can override it. On a Raptor, the ECO generally monitors the EC computer during battle and deploys most countermeasures, but the system can be set for automatic response.

Damage Control: The DC computer alerts the crew about any damage that craft has received, the extent of that damage, and its repercussions on operational integrity. On larger vessels, the computer can activate remote DC systems to counteract or fix damage received, The main DC computer is located in the CIC of a capital military ship, but the forward, aft, port, and starboard sections of the ship all have auxiliary computers keyed just to those sections of the ship. On smaller craft, the DC computer simply alerts the pilot or driver (and on Raptors, the ECO) to any damage taken.

Faster-Than-Light: FTL drives have their own dedicated computer. This system takes the spatial coordinates entered by the Tactical Officer and runs them through complicated algorithms to make sure the FTL drive takes the ship to the correct location. The FTL computer also manages the star fixes of all jump coordinates, compensating for inertial drift that occurs naturally over time.

Fire Control: This computer manages a military vessel’s primary offensive weapons, and any turrets or point defense systems. It also tells the appropriate crewmembers when to reload. On some craft, the Fire Control computer can target numerous individual bogeys with different turret guns.

Like the DC computer, control rooms on certain military vessels allow the ship’s computerized gun control to be overriden.

Navigation: Commonly referred to as the Nav computer, this machine tracks a vehicle’s position, monitor’s the position of vessels and other objects in the vicinity, and coordinates the main power plant, FTL drives, sublight engines, or other propulsion. On larger ships, the Nav computer handles all piloting with guidance from the Tactical Officer. On smaller craft, such as a Viper or Raptor, it aids the pilot based on previously entered coordinates, but does not fly the craft itself.