[This was sent to traveller-request, but obviously was destined for
traveller. I'm forwarding it. I also reformatted the long lines and
ran it through the spell checker -- James]
I would let them have the ship, charge them a whopping registration fee
(or it would be like an unregistered car, but with penalties like
confiscation possible) and make them upgrade some equipment to current
standards (maybe a triple cost overhaul - latest comm/safety stuff
required by Imperium) Also, depending on the reactions of the officials,
bribes, and circumstances of the original disappearance, and how well
they documented their find (pictures of it before they moved it, records
of the search for the original crew, etc..) I might impound it for a
long/short while for an investigation (length depending on bribes, admin
skill, friends in high places, etc...).
It could be made into several interesting (or frustrating) encounters.
If they are still too wealthy, it could always have a major breakdown.
Maybe the jump drive has gone bad and needs to be replaced. This should
be discovered in the overhaul. (If the players are all ignorant, and
don't get a second opinion, maybe the yard will try to replace something
that works fine, and charge the players. Or use a defective part. Or
switch an old broken piece for a good one on their ship).
Or you could just use a pirate to blow a hole in the ship that they
would have to get fixed. Never any problem separating money from
players. To be fair though, if they stick out an initial period of
hassles/expenses, then they should be considered to have earned the ship
and shaken out the bugs. Then let them use it normally.
Jim Pendergraft