For the lower end of TLs at least i would consider a setup with a non landing freighter and shuttles for transporting freight to and from the freighter.
Either the shuttles wait at the destination planets, or the freighter has one as subcraft.
An important point that has not been discussed yet, is what is done automated, and what is done by the crew. The millenium falcon seems to need 2 people as bridge crew, and gunners, but no permanent engeneer.
You could also come up with a setting, where flying shooting ect is done by the computer, and the crew is needed for general decision making (where to fly too, who to shoot at) and for maintanance.
Or you could do it like one star treck incarnation, where you give jobs like loading torpedos to crew members, where the most plausible explaination, why thats not automated, would be, that some trade union must have insisted on it.
With regards to cargo size, you can fudge things somewhat with the typical size of a lot of cargo. If you have a cargo of ore or rubber ducks or whatever, it's not so terribly important, how many tons you exactly have.
An other important part is what is the usual travel times. Are the crews out there for month, or do they get anywhere at each day? This also changes, what sort of people typical freighter crews are.
And an other point is the matter, who has jurisdiction on the freighter? While it is in transit, close to a port, in port ect. What legal protections do passangers and minor crewmembers have against abuse by the captain? While mostly a social matter, some choices here might be prevented by technological restrictions.
One mans groundfloor is an other mans earthmissle @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Johannes Trimmel @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
