SPACE TRAVEL

Starships can travel between star systems at speeds many times faster than the speed of light. A trip that would have taken hundreds of years in a spaceship could be made in only a few days in a faster-than light ( FTL ) starship. Because of their cost, however, most starships in the Frontier are owned by large corporations, planetary governments or starship travel companies.

The established travel routes are marked on the Frontier map. These are the only explored routes that have been mapped and certified as safe for starships to use. When adventurers travel, they are limited to scheduled or chartered trips following these routes.

Travel Time

The length of each route in light-years is printed on each route. Because FTL ships travel one light-year per day, this number also is the number of days needed to travel this route. This time includes take-off and landing, maneuvering in orbit, passenger loading and all other normal procedures. For example, the route from Prenglar to Cassidine is 7 light-years. A starship traveling from Prenglar to Cassidine, or from Cassidine to Prenglar, would take 7 days (140 hours) to reach its destination.

Most starships never land on a planet. Passengers board shuttles on the ground that take them into orbit, where they board the starship. When the starship reaches its destination, shuttles again take the passengers either to the planet's surface or to an orbiting space station where they can wait for another flight.

Starship Tickets and Costs

Travelers can buy three types of starship tickets: First Class, Journey Class and Storage.

First Class. First Class tickets are the most expensive, but First Class passengers get the best food, the biggest cabins and on-board entertainment. A First Class passenger can bring along up to 1 metric ton of cargo at no extra charge. The First Class section also is closest to the starship's lifeboats and emergency spacesuits, so First Class passengers have the best chance to survive a catastrophe. A First Class ticket costs 200 Credits per light-year traveled. For example, a First Class ticket from Prenglar to Cassidine costs 1,400 Credits.

Journey Class. Travelers with Journey Class tickets get smaller cabins, poorer-quality food and no entertainment. A journey Class passenger can bring along up to .5 metric ton of cargo at no extra charge. In addition, they are farther from the lifeboats than First Class passengers. A Journey Class ticket costs 100 Credits per light-year traveled.

Storage. Passengers traveling Storage Class ship themselves as cargo. The passenger is frozen and stored in a special berth. The frozen passengers are revived at their destination. A Storage Class ticket costs 30 Credits per light-year traveled, and includes up to 100 kg of cargo.

Schedules

Starship flights are not always scheduled at convenient times for the adventurers. If the referee does not have a specific flight in mind for the characters, he can roll 3d10 and subtract 3. The result is the number of days the adventurers must wait before the next scheduled flight leaves for their destination. If the result is 0, a starship is leaving that day.

Layovers

If characters must travel through several star systems to reach their destination, they probably will make layovers at each star system along the way. Unless the starship they are traveling on is continuing along the same route, the characters must stop and wait for another scheduled flight totheir next destination. If the characters are working for a company that is flying them to their destination, their ship probably will not stop over in a system for more than one or two days: just long enough to pick up supplies, fuel and news.

EXAMPLE: Justin Balinar and Sh'Kree Kir must travel from Cassidine to Athor. Their ship takes seven days to reach Prenglar. When they arrive, the referee rolls 3d 10 and subtracts three days to see when the next ship leaves.The result is an 8, so Justin and Sh'Kree must spend eight days on Prenglar before leaving for Athor. They can look for a temporary job, see the local sights, or perhaps get involved in a short, surprise adventure that the referee has prepared for them.

Customs, Duties and Taxes

The referee may want to add local baggage inspections and special visitors' taxes on some planets. These are not standard, and are left to the referee's judgment. However, they can lead to interesting adventures if the characters are trying to smuggle goods onto a planet or hide from the law. Local duties and taxes also are a good way to relieve rich characters of some of their extra cash. If players ask, the referee should tell them what sorts of inspections and charges they can expect at their destination.