100 ton challage

[GypsyComet]

I do notice you calculate the construction of a ship with DEHs as if they are a permanent fixture of the ship. Technically, it should be feasible with the understanding a 100ton ship without its DEHs is unable to use its jump drives.

Hiro's misgivings about prior editions aside, it has long been established that jump drives and software are flexible enough to handle when a ship changes displacement between jumps. That's why drop tanks and external grapples work at all. The only reason why a 100 ton ship with the ability to take another 100 tons bolted onto the outside might NOT work is if the builder forgot to install the software to allow the drive to reach its rating for the 100 ton configuration.

The opening scenes of Star Trek Generations comes to mind.
"Set a course for Hefry."
"That's two parsecs away, Sir. We don't have J2 software."
"We left spacedock without jump software?"
"Oh, we have jump 1 software. We're supposed to carry cargo pods and never use the full range of the drive."

 

[Sevain]

Designing a 100 ton ship is difficult because there is such a tiny amount of space available. On the other hand I rather like the fact that a cheap A-Drive will get you adequate jump performance.

100 ton commerce raider

A 100 ton ship designed to use a drop tank to kick itself into a hostile system, fire its 5 torpedoes into enemy logistics convoys/traders and return.

Hull 1: 100 tons streamlined 2,2M
9 Crystaliron 11,25 tons 0,99M
Aerofins 5 tons 0,5M
Power Plant C (Power 6) 10 tons 24M
Operational fuel for 20 days 8,95 tons
Manoeuvre Drive C (Thrust 6) 5 tons 12M
Jump Drive A (Jump-2) 10 tons 10M
Jump fuel (2 parsecs) 20 tons
Drop tank fittings for 20 tons 0,8 tons 0,4M
Compact Hardened Bridge (-1 DM to actions) 7,5 tons 0,75M
Computer Model 3 (Rating 15) 2M
Jump Control/2 (Rating 10) 0,2M
Fire Control/3 (Rating 15) 6M
Basic Military Sensors (+0 DM) 2 tons 1M
2x Stateroom 8 tons 1M
Ship’s Locker
Torpedo Barbette (TL 12) 4 tons 6M
3 nuclear torpedoes (Very High Yield) 7,5 tons
Total 100 tons 67,04 million credits

 

[Reynard]

"The only reason why a 100 ton ship with the ability to take another 100 tons bolted onto the outside might NOT work is if the builder forgot to install the software to allow the drive to reach its rating for the 100 ton configuration"

If a ship owner 'forgets' to put a Jump Control2 software pack for their J2 Drive, that's a bit of Darwinism. From what I gather, carrying 99 tons above your ship's size, in other words, just below the next size class, is now problem. Hitting the 100+ mark makes you engine less efficient and shows up big time when it only has a J1 drive: you become a stationary carrier or hauler.

So, consensus, a 100t ship with a J2 drive can carry up to 99 tons carried vessels and/or EDHs and just run as if only having a J1?

 

[F33D]

Could there be a need for one or two person vessels? Could a small and less expensive ship go where other ships won't? Stripping down the ship to a basic design, one Jump 2, 2G for 4 weeks, one state room, computer 1bis, standard electronics, single turret, Jump control/2, Maneuver/2, Library and there's about 45 tons to play with. Yes, I did not include a fuel purifier.

Using the TL/price reduction rules in HG you can make a viable, 1 man, 100 Ton freighter/trader.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Specified and Adjusted Jump Capacity

The Astrogator has to do something to earn his pay, which would include tweaking the programming.

My personal rule is that a one percent variation is acceptable, and anything upto ten percent, with an increasing chance of misjump.

You can't go wrong by lowering the jump distance.

 

[F33D]

"

So, consensus, a 100t ship with a J2 drive can carry up to 99 tons carried vessels and/or EDHs and just run as if only having a J1?

Not per any rule in MgT that I've seen. I don't have all books so maybe there is a rule somewhere...

 

[GypsyComet]

"

So, consensus, a 100t ship with a J2 drive can carry up to 99 tons carried vessels and/or EDHs and just run as if only having a J1?

Not per any rule in MgT that I've seen. I don't have all books so maybe there is a rule somewhere...

High Guard, page 45-46. under Docking Clamp (what MGT calls external grapples). By that rule section, it could even be an extra 100 tons.

 

[F33D]

"

So, consensus, a 100t ship with a J2 drive can carry up to 99 tons carried vessels and/or EDHs and just run as if only having a J1?

Not per any rule in MgT that I've seen. I don't have all books so maybe there is a rule somewhere...

High Guard, page 45-46. under Docking Clamp (what MGT calls external grapples). By that rule section, it could even be an extra 100 tons.

Very good. That opens up some vistas alright!

 

[Condottiere]

Optimally, you could have three thirty ton pods on three one ton docking clamps, on my take on it, a ninety ton pod if the docking clamps are correctly aligned.

 

[Reynard]

The rules say the docking clamps are for ships and vehicles, not cargo pods or am I reading something wrong? I could see cargo pods could be treated as no different.

I believe I made a mistake referring to the external cargo as detachable. I was probably remembering they can be jettisoned but with explosive bolts, not a pod that can be removed and replaced. Not very efficient for a 100 tonner. This means external cargo is part of the ship when designed. That also means if you were to jettison the external cargo on a 100 ton vessel, it is no longer a 100 ton vessel and the Jump engines will not work.

 

[GypsyComet]

The rules say the docking clamps are for ships and vehicles, not cargo pods or am I reading something wrong? I could see cargo pods could be treated as no different.

I believe I made a mistake referring to the external cargo as detachable. I was probably remembering they can be jettisoned but with explosive bolts, not a pod that can be removed and replaced. Not very efficient for a 100 tonner. This means external cargo is part of the ship when designed. That also means if you were to jettison the external cargo on a 100 ton vessel, it is no longer a 100 ton vessel and the Jump engines will not work.

Only if the external cargo is within the 100 tons, or would reduce the hull below 100 tons if removed.

Alternately, you install clamps and carry either a five-pack of Launches or a pair of Cutters. Either configuration gets you 65 tons of cargo that can load and unload itself.

 

[Condottiere]

What you need is a minimum hundred tons when you transition. The rules specify that you need an Adventure Class hull to design jump drive, though that doesn't seem to account for a dispersed structure, which would mirror having a collection of modules.

 

[GypsyComet]

This is all a bit ticklish precisely because we are noodling around at the minimum size to support jump physics and running into some inefficiencies built into MGT at that threshold. Fiddle with modular ships for very long and they start to grow just to make room.

 

[Condottiere]

GURPS did give the option for fractional (quarter parsec) jump drives, so an astrogator discovering that take-off weight exceeds standard practice, could fiddle with the jump programme to exit within system, but much closer to the direction of entry.

 

[F33D]

What you need is a minimum hundred tons when you transition. The rules specify that you need an Adventure Class hull to design jump drive, though that doesn't seem to account for a dispersed structure, which would mirror having a collection of modules.

Except those "modules" are permanent and not detachable. So not really applicable to those rules.

 

[GypsyComet]

What you need is a minimum hundred tons when you transition. The rules specify that you need an Adventure Class hull to design jump drive, though that doesn't seem to account for a dispersed structure, which would mirror having a collection of modules.

Except those "modules" are permanent and not detachable. So not really applicable to those rules.

The rules in Scoundrel specifically mention jettisoning individual cargo pods, but don't go into further details about the effect that has on the ship. The example ship on page 93 then fails to make it any clearer. That is clearly an "external frame", but cutting individual modules loose from that arrangement with explosive bolts looks needlessly exciting.

If this was intended to emulate the "Jump Ship" from the original CT Fighting Ships, it fails to do so as written. It also fails at emulating the many "space trucks" seen in movies, TV, etc. A statement with options for volume effects would fix most of it, but the whole "explosive bolts" thing is so low tech that it doesn't belong in a TL11 game, much less at TL15.

 

[Condottiere]

Since the current system revolves around a jump bubble, you can assume it's the total volume that counts, since you don't have to gird the hull(s) with a jump grid.

 

[Reynard]

Since the external cargo rules are in the scoundrel book and you can jettison them, it sounds a little Hans Solo there. Only reason I can conceive for any ship, especially an illicit vessel, is to boost speed and escape, cargo be damned. Not so great for 100 tonners for jumping though.

 

[Condottiere]

I got the impression that he dumped the contraband through the garbage chute.

 

[Jacqual]

Didn't they have Jump Nets in CT, that you can shove stuff in attach to the jump ship and jump with the extra stuff outside of the ship. At reduced jump of course.