[gurps] Brainships in GURPs 3ed

[Troy Guffey]

Wyrm wrote:
> The Shell:
> Power,
> Life Support(a few hours/days)
> Armor
> Audio/Video/Speakers
>    (may or may not be disabled from outside the shell)
>
> The Ship:
> Top of the line scout ship,
> Comfortable passenger space for about 8? + 1 Brawn
> Cargo space capable of providing life support under emergency
> situations, Computer,
> Communications
> Armor
> Engines best available reaction mass.
> FLT Engines Fastest of their TL type not really described. Warp come
> closest.
> Weapons - None as far as I can recall.
> Bridge

Not all shell-persons go into brainships.  Some are station-managers, like 
Simon from /The City Who Fought/.  Other's run bases on planets.  And there 
are hints of other work where it is an advantage to tightly integrate 
computers with a human brain, like lawyers, or science.

There are also some dedicated combat brainships.  Those have two brawns, a 
commander and a "gunner".  And even "unarmed" brainships have short-range 
utility weapons like external mount cutting lasers.  (/....Searched/)

Nancia from /Partnership/ had a hyperspace drive in addition or maybe 
instead of a warp drive.

> Shell-Person:
> Skills (Dependant on job)
> Typical of Brain-ship:
> Navigation
> Ship op.
> Sensor op.
> Computer op.
> Engineer
> Communications op.
>
> Advantages:
> Present every where on the ship at will
> Complete control of ship
> Increased life span (several centuries)
> Ally almost always: "Brawn" a (who deals with everything a normal crew
> would that the Ships Brain can not)The "Brawn" is, in their own
> right, a highly trained scout, specializing in being a Brainships
> partner. Does not sleep? Can't remember if this is true.
>
> Disadvantages:
> Duty to "Central" sometimes hazardous as long as in debt
> Debt.... millions of credits - training, the ship, maintenance, fuel,
> upgrades etc.
> Sessile on planet surfaces?
> Disembodied Brain
>   (higher TL's may allow for remotely controlled *cough* "fully
> functioning" human form robotic bodies _The City Who Fought_?)

Tia was the one who "invented" the human-form remote bodies.  Bought up the 
company and pushed R&D to make them, anyway.

> Social Stigma?

No.  Maybe a reaction penalty to people who don't think about them being a 
person.  It's considered VERY rude to talk to a shell-person like they are 
an AI.

> Missions pay credit to the ship that can be used for anything from
> changing the color of the cargo compartment walls to paying off the
> debt. "Central" has a vested interest in keeping the ships in debt,
> but they are very honest.
>
> What all this would cost???