Doors and Door Pressures

[travchao999]

Once again, I have this problem where I could have sworn there was something about this in a traveller book, but I can't find it in any of mine.

This time its starship doors. I could have sworn there was something somewhere about what doors are on a starship (iris valves, hatches, just regular sliding doors etc.) and clarified things like what the difference between Iris Valve Floor and Iris Valve Ceiling was. It also said which ship doors were pressurized and which were not. It may also have talked about what happens when external pressure isn't kept to a body, but I'm not sure.

I just can't find it, and I would really like to. Does anybody know which book that was in?

Like I said before, Mongoose really needs to make some database of which things are covered in which books.

 

[sideranautae]

Never seen it written up in MgT.

 

[travchao999]

In Adventure 1 The Kinunir, in 1979 Traveller, it has exactly what I was thinking of, but I was sure there was a modern book that had exactly that. Also Bulkheads vs. Partition walls were explained there.

 

[sideranautae]

So many editions I have played and read material from it just kinda flows together.

 

[travchao999]

I know, but it seems weird that Mongoose would use these things like hatches and iris valves, and not ever say anything about them, like they don't say even important for gameplay things, like the fact that iris valves are hard to open, or how much damage is needed to breach bulkheads or partitions

 

[sideranautae]

I know, but it seems weird that Mongoose would use these things like hatches and iris valves, and not ever say anything about them, like they don't say even important for gameplay things, like the fact that iris valves are hard to open, or how much damage is needed to breach bulkheads or partitions

True. Combat is likely aboard a ship. Need those stats for walls & bulkheads

 

[travchao999]

I know, but it seems weird that Mongoose would use these things like hatches and iris valves, and not ever say anything about them, like they don't say even important for gameplay things, like the fact that iris valves are hard to open, or how much damage is needed to breach bulkheads or partitions

True. Combat is likely aboard a ship. Need those stats for walls & bulkheads

According to that book, partitions will suffer structural failure at 100 points of explosive or large energy damage.

Bulkheads (which is all external walls), take 1000 points of explosive or energy damage, before a person sized hole is punched in it.

 

[sideranautae]

I know, but it seems weird that Mongoose would use these things like hatches and iris valves, and not ever say anything about them, like they don't say even important for gameplay things, like the fact that iris valves are hard to open, or how much damage is needed to breach bulkheads or partitions

True. Combat is likely aboard a ship. Need those stats for walls & bulkheads

According to that book, partitions will suffer structural failure at 100 points of explosive or large energy damage.

Bulkheads (which is all external walls), take 1000 points of explosive or energy damage, before a person sized hole is punched in it.

Those external hulls are pretty dang thin when compared to the damage personal size weapons are supposed to do vs. starships...

 

[travchao999]

I believe its 1000 points of personal scale damage. Hull walls hold until the hull value goes to 0, I think. At that point the hull is assumed to be completely compromised, and all remaining attacks go through to the interior of the ship. If you think about it, it really doesn't take that many points of damage to compromise the hull. Probably like 100 points through the hull will breech it. I rule, though, that if the effect of an attack is higher than the remaining hull points of an attack, then the damage goes to the internal. I think it's a pretty good rule that makes sense.

 

[sideranautae]

I believe its 1000 points of personal scale damage.

Right. But, what is the conversion ratio personal/ship? It is in one of the MgT books.

 

[Reynard]

It used to be Iris valves and hatches were for between bulkheads and built to isolate sections during decompression. Stateroom doors won't stop much of anything and are just modesty partitions.

Looking through the various books, it seems cover is very simplified for combat purposes. Without a breaching charge, hard barriers are immune to most weapons. I too would prefer even a simplistic level of barrier harnesses. Bulkheads would definitely be on the high end needing breech charges or PGMPs and FMPGs to do any damage.

Tomorrow, I shall check Snapshot for ideas. Was the original detailed combat system for Traveller.

 

[travchao999]

you multiply starship weapon damage by 50 to get the personal scale damage.

 

[travchao999]

It used to be Iris valves and hatches were for between bulkheads and built to isolate sections during decompression. Stateroom doors won't stop much of anything and are just modesty partitions.

Looking through the various books, it seems cover is very simplified for combat purposes. Without a breaching charge, hard barriers are immune to most weapons. I too would prefer even a simplistic level of barrier harnesses. Bulkheads would definitely be on the high end needing breech charges or PGMPs and FMPGs to do any damage.

Tomorrow, I shall check Snapshot for ideas. Was the original detailed combat system for Traveller.

I agree, I wish the barrier system was improved. Maybe have something like shadowrun has, where barriers have what is essentially a structure rating and an armor rating.

 

[sideranautae]

you multiply starship weapon damage by 50 to get the personal scale damage.

"high-yield weapons like plasma and fusion cannons can punch through lighter
starship-scale targets. ... ground force weaponry must divide its damage by 50 before comparing it to a starship-scale target’s armour."

A laser rifle won't touch a bulkhead. Neither will a PGMP or FGPM unless after dividing by 50 you can get at least one point of damage.

 

[travchao999]

you multiply starship weapon damage by 50 to get the personal scale damage.

"high-yield weapons like plasma and fusion cannons can punch through lighter
starship-scale targets. ... ground force weaponry must divide its damage by 50 before comparing it to a starship-scale target’s armour."

A laser rifle won't touch a bulkhead. Neither will a PGMP or FGPM unless after dividing by 50 you can get at least one point of damage.

The damage points to make a hole in a bulkhead is just what the book says. Keep in mind that this is not the hull of the ship, I'm guessing that the use of bulkheads is much like they are used in modern seacraft, where the "hull" of the ship is actually comprised of several bulkheads, so the 1000 points of energy damage only will cut through one bulkhead, which doesn't even make up a whole hull or structure point.

 

[Reynard]

Here's what Snapshot has:
Interior walls - Non-loadbearing, non-airtight. Broken through for a man size hole with 100 hit points by energy weapons or explosives.

Bulkhead - Holed (allowing pressure equalization between two sides of a bulkhead) with 100 points or a man sized hole with 1000 hit points by energy weapons or explosives.

Sliding doors - Not airtight. If unpowered, can be forced open with a Strength check.

Hatch - hinged metal door set in bulkheads. Airtight and sealed with a hand wheel. Can't be locked but can be jammed with an object. Damage as bulkhead.

Iris valves - Metal plates sliding into place in a bulkhead and airtight. Powered to open and close. Forcing open is a Difficult (-2) task if fully closed but an Easy (+4) task if initially blocked with any strong metal object. Iris valves are impossible to force closed. If there's power, iris valves automatically close if pressure drops. Any weapon fire or explosives make the door close tighter.

Lift shaft - Normally hold one person at a time. One turn for each level up or down. After passing through a bulkhead the bulkhead becomes airtight.

Access plate - Maintenance panels in walls or bulkheads opened with a key. Same hit points as the wall.

 

[phavoc]

I have assumed that stateroom doors and walls are sufficient protection against explosive decompression and can hold in their own atmosphere. So I would chalk them up to the 100pts damage to get through.

Bulkheads would come in two flavors - structurally reinforced, and armored. Reinforced just means they are tougher, armored would be equivalent to hull armor.

 

[Reynard]

I think High Guard allows specially reinforced and armored bulkheads but the standard bulkhead would be as stated. Interior walls and doors are part of partitioning within a section ringed by hull and bulkheads so there's no need for the great expense to armor every wall. Interior walls are tough but not especially well made.

When people create deck plans, they might now want to consider the arrangement of bulkheads remembering anything inside is mere partition. If you're that paranoid about decompression or battle damage one could have every room it's own bulkhead but that should come at some sort of increased cost.

Keep It Simple Sir.

 

[phavoc]

Bulkheads would be along the naval design today, with separate sections receiving their own bulkhead doors. It would be more pronounced in a naval vessel, less so in say a passenger liner or freighter.

As far as the staterooms go, I would expect any stateroom to be able to hold it's own atmosphere as a safety factor. Were a passenger ship to experience a collission, hull rupture, etc, sheltering in place would be the first line of defense for the passengers. That would be included in the costs since I see it as a standard (if not defined) practice.

YMMV though.

 

[sideranautae]

I have assumed that stateroom doors and walls are sufficient protection against explosive decompression and can hold in their own atmosphere. So I would chalk them up to the 100pts damage to get through.

From past editions, those types of walls ad doors are not airtight. Just partitions. Although MgT CRB pg. 144 says: "Internal doors on a ship are airtight."