Cheap as ships

[Klaus Kipling]

Did a design for a cheap as chips transport, a sort of Transit van in space. Not going to burden this with the full breakdown, as it is pretty simple anyhow.

Basically, a 100dTon streamlined hull, with a single stateroom, the most basic drives and plant, and no other frills.

Essentially, this M2, J2, 48dTon cargo vessel comes in at around 22Mcr (as a standard design).

Compared to the Far Trader, at 50Mcr for 64dTons of cargo, it's a bargain, but against the Free Trader, not quite as good a bargain (not every J2 ship will always make J2 jumps).

If it were possible to have a half class A drives and plant, giving a hundred dTon ship performances of 1, then the craft would be around 13Mcr and be a true out and out bargain.

But we can't use the small craft rules to get those drives as there is actually quite a hefty disconnect between TMB ship rules and HG small craft rules. IE: TMB type A M-drive, M2/100dTons, 2 tons and 4Mcr, or HG small craft, M2/100dTons, type sH, 4 tons, 9Mcr. Therefore, the sDrives are twice as large and expensive as equivalent TMB drives.

(To get M1 for a 100ton vessel requires an sE drive, which costs the same and is half a ton larger than the TMB type A drive. M6 for 100 tons in TMB is 5 tons and 12Mcr; in HG small craft rules, this is now sX at 17tons and 34Mcr. Quite a big difference, but I'm not so bothered about this discrepancy, as the small craft rules in HG work and produce some cool fighters and boats).

So a postulated half-A for jump and maneuver drives and power plant:

J<A = 5 tons, 5Mcr
M <A = 1 ton, 2Mcr
P <A = 2 tons, 4Mcr (req. 1 ton fuel/2 weeks)

A rough mental tally makes that Transit class space transport, J1, M1, P1, at 12.4Mcr as a standard design - cheaper than a ship's boat!

BTW, the price of the Seeker is too cheap in TMB and in the errata pdfs. Has anyone spotted this before? In the books, it totals 22.75Mcr, but if you total the prices listed and then take the 10% standard design discount, it comes in as 26,005,500cr.

 

[GypsyComet]

BTW, the price of the Seeker is too cheap in TMB and in the errata pdfs. Has anyone spotted this before? In the books, it totals 22.75Mcr, but if you total the prices listed and then take the 10% standard design discount, it comes in as 26,005,500cr.

Assume its a 40-50 year old converted Scout, perhaps?

 

[Klaus Kipling]

Perhaps, but it still a bit misleading, given that it adds up all wrong. I would in fact assume it was an older vessel, but that should be indicated in the price. I would also expect the additions to the design to not get the standard design discount, sp those mining drones would be full price.

I am, however, more concerned (if that's the right word) with the inability to have M1, J1 starships at 100dTons.

 

[GypsyComet]

I am, however, more concerned (if that's the right word) with the inability to have M1, J1 starships at 100dTons.

I have the numbers around here somewhere...

(digging)

 

[GypsyComet]

Okay, a J-1 drive for a 200 ton ship takes up 5% of the volume, while a J-2 drive in a 100 ton hull takes 10%.

With no other references, a 5% drive would make sense.

However, the progression in the 100 ton hull is 10% for J-2, 15% for J-4, and 20% for J-6. To allow for a certain amount of scale inefficiency, I would thus probably make the J-1 "sub-A" drive 7.5 tons.

For maneuver, the table calls for a bit less of a stretch: 1% of the hull volume is the rule for 1G regardless of size. As such a 1G "sub-A" M-Drive would be one ton.

I'm really not worried about the powerplant.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

In this case it's not so much displacement as cost. Using the HG capital ship rules, the M-Drive should cost 2Mcr, the P-Plant (assuming 1.5 tons), 3.75Mcr, and the J-Drive a whopping 15Mcr at 7.5 tons. Hmmmm.....

Halving the cost of the type A M-drive and P-plant seems reasonable, so that's 6Mcr instead of 12, but what cost saving should the <A J-drive get?

 

[GypsyComet]

In this case it's not so much displacement as cost. Using the HG capital ship rules, the M-Drive should cost 2Mcr, the P-Plant (assuming 1.5 tons), 3.75Mcr, and the J-Drive a whopping 15Mcr at 7.5 tons. Hmmmm.....

Halving the cost of the type A M-drive and P-plant seems reasonable, so that's 6Mcr instead of 12, but what cost saving should the <A J-drive get?

I was thinking 8 for the sub-A Jump, 2 for the sub-A Maneuver, and 4 for the sub-A Power, since the basic system seems to like whole numbers. That's an MCr8 savings on purchase price (KCr33 per month), plus the 14 tons of additional revenue space being gained.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

That sounds eminently reasonable. So the basic model, with no frills, ends up around 15Mcr, and 62dTons cargo space, with stuff like fuel processors, J2, better sensors, turrets, escape pods etc as optional extras. The mass produced hull's made with fittings and holes for all the extra kit, which are then paneled over on the basic model.

Should be able to make a tidy profit if Type A's and A2's can make marginal ones...

 

[dayriff]

That sounds eminently reasonable. So the basic model, with no frills, ends up around 15Mcr, and 62dTons cargo space, with stuff like fuel processors, J2, better sensors, turrets, escape pods etc as optional extras. The mass produced hull's made with fittings and holes for all the extra kit, which are then paneled over on the basic model.

Should be able to make a tidy profit if Type A's and A2's can make marginal ones...

Well.... It should be able to make a tidy profit so long as absolutely nothing goes wrong. If pirates are lurking about, or a micrometeor hits, or something comes up that you'd like to be able to take a closer look at, or the refueling station you were counting on suddenly isn't there anymore, then you can end up regretting your thriftiness.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

Actually a built in escape pod won't break the bank, but these ships are intended for safish areas and routine work, with only the desperate and the stingy taking them into dodgy places.

I mean, if I was taking a cross country safari in, say, The Congo, I'd get a Land Rover (preferably with armour) instead of a basic model Transit van.