Space Rescue

In a message dated 98-05-05 18:51:55 EDT, realjtl@sj.bigger.net (John
Leary)
writes:

<< > Theres a point though...What kind of rescue procedures exist in the
FT
 > universe?  How long can somone survive after their ship goes boom
around
 > them?
 
 >     I for one, presume that some sort of rescue ships exist.
 >These have no value in the combat section of the game and are not
 >represented on the board or in the points count.   Perhaps some 
 >humanity exists in space combat after all.   
>      This/these would be rescue ships perhaps on the order of the
 >comverted Flower class corvettes on the North Cape run. >>

OK, given the Tech background of FT (some guesses here - please
comment/correct):

During combat operations, all crew would be in pressure suits and the
ship
would probably be opened to vacuum.  I don't think that they have
reached the
confidence level of Star Trek, where NOBODY seems to be bothered by
decompression.	These maybe skinsuits with bubble-helmets (integrated
HUDS) at
high tech, and modern, bulky Shuttle-crew suits at low tech.  See old
Traveller stuff for a good progression.  Warships are heavily
compartmentalized, with automatic damage-control measures (fire
suppression
(just in case), pressure maintenance, etc).  Artificial gravity or spin
would
be off.  Most crew would be locked into shock frames at their duty
stations.
Only Damage Control Parties would be moving around much.  There's
probably not
a lot of replacement crew aboard a modern warship.  Once the computers
start
to go down, the crew would compensate.	Once the crew starts to go down,
the
ship is probably pretty well smoked by then.  Civvie ships would assume
a
shirtsleeve environment at all times, except in some cases, and would be
really vulnerable to crew losses due to damage.  Purpose-built liners
would
have somewhat better protection, passengers having paid to arrive
undecompressed, but the greater amount of people packed into a liner
would
make up for the better safeguards.  More collateral damage potential per
hit.
On a warship or similarly equipped ship, there aould probably be a lot
of
rescue/survival balls in various places.  These are small inflatable
balls (2m
diameter or so) that can keep a few people alive in space for a day or
so,
more if you push it.  You get in, seal it and hit the air canister. 
They have
some food, waste storage and air recycling.  There would be lifeboats,
as
well, especially on liners.  These could carry a lot of poeple,
uncomfortably,
for days or weeks.  Some might even be able to make planetfall, if they
started in orbit.  Others might simply drift.  All lifeboats would have
some
mechanism for getting clear of a dying ship.  Both rescue balls and
lifeboats
would have rather powerful distress beacons, giving condition, origin
and
other info important to any rescuer.  
As far as game mechanics are concerned, rescue equipment is something
that
would come with the hull price, and be appropriate for the ship.  A
random
roll, based on crew quality, modified by situation (calm abandonment,
jump-
before-it-blows, etc.) would determine the percentage of crew that
survive.
Whether or not the captain goes down with the ship is up to the player. 
A
rescue under fire would actually be an interesting scenario.  There
would have
to be some reason a ship just can't blow balls & lifeboats out of space;
maybe
size vs. targeting, or both sides are trying to rescue/capture the same
people, and stop the other from doing the same?

Noah V. Doyle