Hey, I'm putting together my con game and I have some questions. It's going to take place on a modern-day cruise ship. The players play a suburban nuclear family. A dionysian cult is secretly taking over the ship to take it to a certain spot at a certain time to sacrifice all the passengers to their god and ascend orgiastically or something like that. I'm using Savage Worlds.
I've never been on a cruise ship, so if any of you have, answers to these practical questions would be very helpful.
1) What kind of fire protection is there in every room or suite? Are there fire extinguishers? Axes? What about in the hallway?
2) Are there cats on cruise ships? Maybe not where the guests are but in the holds and engine rooms. I believe most cargo ships have cats to combat vermin. Does this hold for cruise ships?
3) How do the lifeboats work? I imagine they are massive affairs, lowered down automatically. Are there smaller lifeboats as well?
4) Can you open the windows in the room that look out at the sea? How hard are they to smash?
5) What kind of security is on a cruise ship? Are there any peace officers or all they all members of the crew? Is anyone armed? What happens if someone causes trouble?
I know I can make a lot of this stuff up, but I want to have at least some of it adhere to the reality in case any of my players have actually been on a cruise ship.
Thanks!
Good article on fire safety (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9D0DEFD91F39F931A3575BC0A96E958260) on cruise ships, and how it hasn't always been a concern when figuring the bottom line.
United States Coast Guard (http://www.uscg.mil/hq/gm/cruiseship.htm) consumers fact sheet on Cruise Ships and safety.
Great article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeboats) on life boats.
More later.
Decent article on Security on Cruise Ships here. (http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/consumer/security.cfm)
Also if you need it cruise ship deck plans (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&rls=DVFA%2CDVFA%3A1970--2%2CDVFA%3Aen&q=cruise+ships+deck+plans&btnG=Search+Images).
Dang, Serious. He was just askin a question.
That's awesome. :)
Well I had it all in one nice neat post, and had some ad lib comments to go with it, then fire fox crashed. So I lost the post. Then I rewrote it all, and accidentally killed my own tab. Then I started it up one more time and my wifes fucking cat unplugged my machine's power strip.
So after that I realized coherent posting was over for me tonight! :)
Awesome, SP! This'll be some good reading. Thanks a lot. As for your post, well that is clearly more than coincidence. I think someone is telling me I need to do more research on my own first.
And I spent quite a while on google with "cruise ship layout" getting way fewer results than "cruise ship deck plans". D'oh!
Thanks!
Awesome, SP! This'll be some good reading. Thanks a lot. As for your post, well that is clearly more than coincidence. I think someone is telling me I need to do more research on my own first.
And I spent quite a while on google with "cruise ship layout" getting way fewer results than "cruise ship deck plans". D'oh!
Thanks!
This may help on the general experience of being on a cruise ship as I was lucky enough to have taken a trip a few years back.
The short answer is being on a cruise ship for the average passenger is like being in a slightly above average college dorm attached to a casino, 4 star restaurant, mini-mall, pool, and health spa. For the wealthy passengers a cruise ship is like a good hotel.
I use the dorm example because the regular class cabin and corridor have the same closed-in feel of a 60's era college dormitory. Space is at a premium on a cruise ship. The first class rooms are slightly more open and have balconies and a view.
There are safety sign all over the place. I would say about twice as dense as the fire safety instructions of a regular hotel.
The Windows on regular cabins would be pretty damn difficult to bust through and wouldn't lead anywhere you want to go. A straight shot down to the water. First class cabins are a different story since many have balconies.
Hope this helps.
What a coincidence! One of the choices on my upcoming campaign prospectus is a 1632- or Islands in the Sea of Time-like situation where a cruise ship sails through a rift back to c. 700 C.E., so these questions have been on my mind as well. Thanks!
Quote from: balzacqWhat a coincidence! One of the choices on my upcoming campaign prospectus is a 1632- or Islands in the Sea of Time-like situation where a cruise ship sails through a rift back to c. 700 C.E., so these questions have been on my mind as well. Thanks!
that's a lot of npc's to work with, there!
Quote from: walkerpI've never been on a cruise ship, so if any of you have, answers to these practical questions would be very helpful.
1) What kind of fire protection is there in every room or suite? Are there fire extinguishers? Axes? What about in the hallway?
2) Are there cats on cruise ships? Maybe not where the guests are but in the holds and engine rooms. I believe most cargo ships have cats to combat vermin. Does this hold for cruise ships?
3) How do the lifeboats work? I imagine they are massive affairs, lowered down automatically. Are there smaller lifeboats as well?
4) Can you open the windows in the room that look out at the sea? How hard are they to smash?
5) What kind of security is on a cruise ship? Are there any peace officers or all they all members of the crew? Is anyone armed? What happens if someone causes trouble?
Hey man. I've been on a cruise twice (managed to weasel myself on board, essentially, but probably cost more then I was able to afford. Neither here nor there...), so I'll answer from what I *saw*. I can't always answer conclusively, but I spent a lot of time walking around where I was allowed to go.
#1: There were fire extinguishers in the hallways. Occasionally I'd see, like, a fire kiosk or something, with way more stuff. Axes coulda been in there, no problem.
#2: I had never seen a cat. I have strong doubts that there were any on the ship, but they may have been confined.
#3: Lifeboats are a major issue. You didn't ask this, specifically, but maybe it'll help. On the ships I went on, on the first evening before dinner, there's a mandatory drill where you're designated your lifeboat, told where to go, told how to operate a life vest, try one on, listen to the clarion that tells you you're supposed to go, and run through a drill. Life boats are large, and possess emergency supplies. They were significantly larger then my dad's cheap recreational boat, but not huge ships in general. They easily seat upwards of, like, 50 sitting passangers.
#4: Some yes, some no. If you're significantly above ocean level, you might even get a deck. Some will open. Anything even close to water level is going to be shut securely. Anything at or below has no window. You can't expect to shatter them without significant effort or special tools. A lamp isn't going to do it. They don't fuck around.
#5: I imagine there are plaincloathes security, but I don't remember anyone in uniform. I think staff are trained for emergency situations, and there are some security officials on board, but they don't make themselves obvious. There arn't lots, but I've heard of people being detained, so I imagine they can handle at least some severe, localized outbreaks. In the event of a huge one, someone is going to be able to radio for help. There's no easy way to stop it, but I don't know what the procedure is.
I hope I was a little helpful. ^_^
Took a Carribean cruise in 2003. No axes on board - at least not in the passenger sections. Likewise no cat.
Security were very visible on disembarking and embraking at the island we stopped at. Metal scanners and some people getting frisked.
All passengers (with the exception of children possibly) got a swipe card. This was your room key, onboard credit card and boarding pass all rolled into one. Without it you were persona non grata.
Holy crap, the swipe card. I hadn't even thought of that. That could be either too complicated or interesting.
Very helpful, everyone. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Gives me some confirmations and some.
Thanatos, do rooms have balconies that actually stick out over the ocean?
I'm sure a lot fewer know about this, but I wonder what the bowels of a cruise ship are like, the engine rooms, storage decks, crews quarters and such. A lot different, I imagine.
I had a balcony room but all the rooms were enclosed within the body of the ship. The only bit that "poked" out either side of the ship was the bridge.
So the outside edge of the balcony is flush with the outside of the ship?
Quote from: walkerpThanatos, do rooms have balconies that actually stick out over the ocean?
Naw. It stuck out over the deck. My grandfather had a swanky-ass room compared to mine. But I guess it could have been, if it's more dramatic too have someone walk the plank or something. ^_^
Some extra fluff remembered from my Navy days that might be useful...
Most cruise lines are owned by multinational companies, and the crew reflects this. I've never seen an engineering crew of a cruise line that wasn't asian (usually Phillipino), a command crew that wasn't european (usually Swedish or Norwegian), and a services/entertainment crew that wasn't American (if the ship sailed in the Atlantic waters, can't say about the Pacific).
With all these nationalities mixed, an international incident type scenario (terrorism if it hasn't been overused) would be easy to imagine.
Oh, and piracy still happens in the world. Usually around Africa, but pirates based out of Haiti or Cuba would be easy to imagine for a game.
The service crews of the ships I was on was heavily international, but with heavy contingents of africans, Caribbean islanders, and on one case, Russians.
I'll ask my brother some of these questions as he's a marine engineer and worked on the cruises for several years. He never mentioned a cat though - I suspect quarantine laws for UK-based ships were an issue.
The majority of the ships officers were European, but waiting and cleaning staff were generally Asian and be on board for a number of tours. My brother would do 2-3 months on, then the same off. IIRC 3 months was thejourney time for a round the world cruise. I can't recall any balconies actually overhanging the sides and I'd forget about getting out of cabin windows. As far as the light fire-fighting gear goes it's scattered around the ship but for crew to actually fire-fight there's breathing apparatus, suits, etc.
Most lifeboats are launched fairly slowly from davits because of their size, but you might find a liferaft available.
I remember him telling me about the final voyage of the Canberra when it was going to the beach in Asia to be broken up. Lots of entertainment for the skeleton crew who even rigged a water slide from one of the upper decks to the swimming pool. How about that for an adventure setting? A large beach in Asia, several rusting hulks run aground, a flurry of crews breaking them and somehow you have to find your way inside to retrieve a hidden package.
They really are such massive structures, not unlike giant floating dungeons or space vessels.
I'm thinking about the balconies in terms of hanging off of them and dropping to balconies below (or the water :D ).
Another question, do cruises tend to stop every day at port? Or are their ones that spend more time just out in the ocean?
(I'm using the advice in this thread heavily, so thanks again everyone).
Quote from: walkerpAnother question, do cruises tend to stop every day at port? Or are their ones that spend more time just out in the ocean?
(I'm using the advice in this thread heavily, so thanks again everyone).
It really depends where your cruise is going to, but unless you're going around the world it'll probably be no more than a couple of days between ports, because whilst they are floating towns, many people like the fact you can visit a wide variety of places in a short time with no driving or flying between and are fed and watered to your heart's content in the meantime.
http://www.pocruises.com/quick-cruise-finder.aspx has examples of itineries.
Awesome. Found my itinerary. I'm going to have to tweak my adventure a bit because I had initially envisioned it all taking place way out at sea. But my own research fits with what you said, cruises tend to stop a lot. And I want to keep it in the Mediterranean, as it fits the theme of the ship being taken over by Dionysian sex cultists.
Quote from: Serious PaulDecent article on Security on Cruise Ships here. (http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/consumer/security.cfm)
Dude
Quote from: your articleSome lines carry security to extremes: Princess Cruises uses Gurkahs, the famed and extremely fierce Nepalese fighters of the British Army, for it's fleetwide security force. They have been in place for some time; at last report, there were at least six on both Grand Princess and Golden Princess.
That is wild! Motha-fuckin' Gurkhas as cruise ship security. Tell me that's not RPG material!
Yeah I thought that was pretty cool.
There is no better way than to find out firsthand...
One of the things that really caught my eye was the gaming cruises Strategic
Retreat 2008! This will be hosted on one of the Carnival Cruise line
oceangoing cities. I kid you not, there are actually two scheduled for 2008,
one to be held in the Caribbean March 8-16, 2008, departing from Port
Canaveral (Orlando) Florida and one in the Pacific on the Mexican Riviera
February 17-24th, 2008, departing from Long Beach California. It's still
cold and snowy here in Indiana at that time of year, so a tropical gaming
vacation onboard an oceangoing cruise ship would be tops. Accommodation,
meals & entertainment, a hosted cocktail party, $100 per cabin shipboard
credit, prizes, surprises, Warhammer, Cthulu (in Spanish?), board games,
wargames, and RPG gaming rounds.
For more information contact Kimberly Maita at Ships and Travel
kim.shipsandtrips@yahoo.com or telephone 916.502.5585 or
916.454.4045 (fax)
Cheers!
Wow! Gaming cruise! That is very cool...
wonder if they would listen to my idea to have one that goes from the UK to the US just before and after Gen-Con...
(not for me, but you blokes across the pond, I'm already here you see, just trying to show some love).
Edit: Strategic Retreat (http://www.strategic-retreat.com/index.php)
Quote from: TechnomancerThat is wild! Motha-fuckin' Gurkhas as cruise ship security. Tell me that's not RPG material!
It's good to see that they are getting good work after the collapse of the Empire! And you are right that this is RPG material served up to you on a silver platter. Imagine your players' slack-jawed amazement when you show them the article to prove that you where not, in fact, pullin the Gurkha security guards out of your ass! ;)
TGA
Hey, just wanted to let you all know that I managed to put together a decent (if a bit railroadey) little con adventure that I ran with decent success this saturday. When I have some breathing time (it's insane at work right now), I'll comment in detail on some of the issues that arose. I am also planning to finish writing it up and posting it on savageheroes. Anyways, thanks for your help with this everyone.
looking forward to the report! been interested in doing something similar, so any data on how it pans out will be cool. don't forget to link us in on it