Ships of Clement Sector 14 – Boyne class Replenishment Ship

From: Gypsy Knights Games

Reviewed by: Ron McClung

Ships of Clement Sector 14: Boyne-class Replenishment Ship is a new RPG Supplement from Gypsy Knights Games.

NOTE:  This is the Traveller edition of the PDF.  Since receiving this, Gypsy Knights has disassociated from the Traveller game system and developed their own called The Clement Sector, the Rules, using an alternate version of the Cepheus Engine Universe.  If they haven’t yet already, they will be converting this supplement to the game system.

The Boyne class starship is a mid-size replenishment ship for military use.  A cross between a freighter and light gun boat, this ship is very versatile.  Although surpassed in size by newer and larger models, it still can service a small squadron or a single patrol vessel.  In particular, the Hub Federation utilizes them for their  attack boat and strike squadrons formed around the Vulkan class attack boat tenders and Shadowstrike class strike carriers.

From page 3: “There we were, dropping gees like we had energy to burn and they still came after us. In our  wake we left a trail full of ‘sand’ and missiles, trying to keep them at bay. I’ll let you in on a secret… flying one of these big mothers is like doing atmospheric maneuvers with a brick, but then again, it was the same for them. To make it worse, we’d only just arrived in the system and couldn’t jump again for another eight hours… so we had to run.”

The Boyne class ships in the Clement Sector are a holdover from before the Collapse, and over the years, the many that remain have been  modified customized.  Now, Anderson and Felix Shipyards are the only company that constructs new Boyne class ships as well as services and refits them.  They have 3 decks – Command, Hangar/Boat, and Lower.  They have space for one small shuttle-like transfer launch as well as two cutters that are docked internally.

The ship has a crew of just under 50, which makes for a large ship in an RPG situation. But in general, the players can easily be members of a crew on board.  Or this can be used as transit from one military location to another.  Cross pirate infested regions aboard a ship loaded with volatile fuel and munitions sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

From page # 6: “I think we have an important role, someone has to keep providing stuff to throw at the bad guys.” Leutnant Hannah Schmidt, Senior
supply officer, HFS James Joyce, Wellington c2339 CE

The PDF includes all you need to know about the Boyne class including deck plans for it, the transfer shuttle, and the two cutters.  Both sets of deck plans for each ship are top notch, as usual for Gypsy Knights as is the computer-generated art. It’s an extensive and heavily armed ship with lots of potential for fun and adventure.  What one GM could do is assign multiple levels of a crew as players to create a massive campaign (similar to the famed Darkstryder campaign for Star Wars d6).  Each player could play command level characters, crew members as well as away-team members.  This could make for a very complex but very fun campaign.  The PDF provides background to the executive officer, Elliot Lee Smith of the CSDFS Wilson Fields as a possible starting point, as well as adventure seed ideas for a ship based campaign.

The Boyne class is also used on the civilian side and is called the Aranui-class merchant vessel.  The PDF also includes example Aranui-class ship and command crew.  The Eveline is a merchant ship for the Yellow Rose Freight Transport Company and travels along routes to worlds in the Hub and Sequoyah sub-sector. Commanded by Roxanna Trace, the Eveline’s crew is all female and has a reputation for efficiency and reliability.  The PDF provides stats and background to four of the crew as well as adventure seeds for civilian adventures on a Aranui-class merchant ship.

In conclusion, although a little larger than I would prefer in an RPG campaign, I can see many uses for this ship in a game.  It’s a great looking ship and I love the cutters and the shuttle.  Supplying various fleets on patrol while travelling through various regions of space doesn’t sound adventurous on the surface but when you delve into the politics and dangers of Clement, you can see where the adventure can be found.

For more details on Gypsy Knights Games and their new RPG Supplement“Ships of Clement Sector 14: Boyne class Replenishment Ship” check them out at their website Gypsy Knights Games, and at all of your local game stores.

Codex Rating: 15

Product Summary

Ships of Clement Sector 14: Boyne class Replenishment Ship

From: Gypsy Knights Games

Type of Game: RPG Supplement

Author: Michael Johnson

Additional Material: Bradley Warnes

Artists: Ian Stead, Bradley Warnes, Michael Johnson

Cover Layout: Stephanie McAlea

Editor: Curtis Rickman

Website: Gypsy Knights Games

Reviewed by: Ron McClung