User:Captain Gecko/Gecko Sandbox One

While certainly not new, expeditions became much more common on the Horizon than on most other corporate installations. Expeditions are missions that are set up and executed during a shift, involving a small crew, and are generally aimed toward exploration, scavenging, or reconnaissance for future, long-term missions such as the colonization of recently discovered worlds. Expeditions can be some of the greatest experiences the more adventurous crewmembers could get, but it could also be a terrible deathtrap, or even simply a massive waste of time and resources... Such a thing depends on how prepared the Expedition crew is, and if they know what they are doing. The goal of this guide is to make sure that the crew knows the basics of expeditions in order to prepare properly for such missions, as well as what to know in the face of the unknown.

REMEMBER: Expeditions are presently tentatively canon and all interaction with them is to be treated as such. Your character may remember that they went through an expedition in a space station, but they cannot remember the exact layout, loot, and nature of this station. This is to avoid having characters say "I went there already" when going through a site that you might have already explored in the past, and also to avoid having some players use Out-Of-Character knowledge to their advantage.

Preparing an Expedition
Preparation is key. Without proper preparation, an expedition can be doomed from the start, thus this part has to be taken very seriously. Along with this guide, using the "Intrepid Check-list" form from any request console on the Horizon will ensure that your expedition is prepared as correctly as possible.

Knowing your mission
First, why are you setting up an expedition? What is it that you're seeking? Missions can be varied, and objectives beside "exploring" or "scavanging" have to be given to the crew. Is it a derelict corporate station that is being investigated? Then perhaps the objective might to look for materials (Phoron maybe?), investigate the reasons behind its crew leaving it, or perhaps fix and reclaim the place. You can, and should get a preliminary scan from the Horizon's sensors to get a good idea of where to and what you will throw your expedition into, and thus, choose what the objective will be.

Of course, missions can change, which is why the Horizon should be ready to listen to the reports from the Intrepid and adapt the mission parameters to the finds on the ground. In the absence of the Horizon, or if a command member or another "Expedition Leader" can, the Intrepid and its crew can adapt to the situation by itself, naturally. In any case, having a clear objective for the expedition, and being aware of it, is paramount to properly gearing up for the expedition, as well working on the field efficiently and safely.

Choosing an adequate crew
It takes a good crew to make make a success out of an expedition. There are no hard rules, a two-man crew can do miracles if they are talented and experienced enough, and a ten-man can lead to massive failures... What matters is what the crew, no matter their numbers, can do. Any good expedition crew should include a minimum of: Naturally, one crewmember can have have the skills to cover multiple fields.
 * At least one crewmember trained in piloting the Intrepid. Do note that Bridge Crewmen and Scientists have access to the cockpit and can open the expedition shotguns' locker, other crewmembers will need to be let in.
 * At least one crewmember trained in engineering, both in the structural, electrical, and atmospheric domains.
 * At least one crewmember trained in the medical field, something better than first aid if possible.
 * At least one crewmember trained or able to deal with hostility, may it be xenofauna, automated defenses, or other kinds of direct threats.

Naturally some missions might require extra skills. If the goal is to find and recover anomalies, then a Xenoarcheologist or an Anomalist will be required, for instance. Some times, the limitations of Horizon's crew itself might limit your options as far as setting up an expedition crew goes might be limited. Some times, the best medical services that an expedition might get might be limited to first aid, for exemple. It is ultimately the choice of the command crew, and the expedition crew, if yes or not they might want to take these extra risks.

Any expedition can present risks, the real question is how many risks is the crew willingly take, and how prepared it is for them.

The right gear for the right job
While the Intrepid, or even the mining pod comes with some gear that might help, an expedition crew will almost ALWAYS need to bring extra gear. Depending on the site, you might need to adapt as well, however, there are things that you should always bring, no matter where you're headed:
 * A GPS for each member of the expedition, and an extra one to leave on the Intrepid, so that expedition members can find their way back to the shuttle.
 * A stack of steel sheets, and a stack of steel rods at least. Rods are especially important if headed to a site located in space, allowing the crew to build lattice bridges, and reduce the risks of ending up stranded in space.
 * Some form of weaponry. The Intrepid offers some, but if for some reason it is either not enough, or cannot be accessed, then some way for the crew to defend itself against Xenofauna and other threats will be nescessary.
 * Spaceworthy suits and a proper, filled air tank to go along. These are always nescessary, even on exoplanets (DO NOT ASSUME THAT AN EXOPLANET'S ATMOSPHERE IS BREATHABLE BECAUSE THERE IS LIFE ON IT.)

Depending on your mission, or site, then, it is highly advised that you bring these gears with yourself:
 * Anomaly containers if you seek to bring anomalies back to the Horizon.