Drop tank Gazelle

[rinku]

Dunno if someone's done this before, but the basic Gazelle in MGT isn't really the classic variant with drop tanks and PA barbettes (In actual fact the MGT design is really the streamlined Firey class model).

Since these options were added in MGT High Guard, I decided to rework it to reflect the classic variant:

Standard 300 dTon hull
8 points Crystalliron armour
M-Drive H
J-Drive H
Powerplant H
92 tons internal fuel tankage
100 tons external fuel tankage in drop tanks
Fuel scoops and 2 fuel processors
Model/6 computer
Jump Control/5
Evade/2
Fire Control/3
Military sensors
8 Staterooms
20 ton Gig
2 triple beam laser turrets
2 Particle Barbettes
11 dTons cargo

MCr229.1 (before standard design... and using the normal 20 ton launch price as a placeholder - the actual gig is armed, fast and has emergency low berths)

Jump-4, 4G, 4 weeks operations with drop tanks carried
Jump-5, 5G, 5.25 weeks operations with drop tanks used and dropped
Jump-2, 5G 4 weeks operations without drop tanks.

I beefed up the powerplant fuel to 4 weeks as this is an important issue for patrol work and scouting. I figured this was more important than another 16 tons of cargo, and the original design only had a small cargo space. Plus it can be used to help fuel the gig and escortees.

Gazelles had a major variant which took out the PA barbettes and replaced them with missile turrets. Swapping them for Heavy Missile Barbettes or triple missile turrets with 4 tons of magazine works fine.

I left the armour as per MGT at 8 points of Crystaliron as Gazelles are produced in large numbers and it would make sense for most components to be produced as widely as possible (the jump software and jump drive have to be TL14 by definition, but everything else is able to be built by the default rules.)

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

You have four hardpoints on the ship, but it can only have 3 since it is 300 tons. I don't think you can use the drop tank tonnage to pick up a fourth hardpoint.

Although, you could legally put a hardpoint on the droptank (but you would loose a couple of tons of fuel) but that seems to be against the spirit of the rules.

 

[Captain Jonah]

You have four hardpoints on the ship, but it can only have 3 since it is 300 tons. I don't think you can use the drop tank tonnage to pick up a fourth hardpoint.

Although, you could legally put a hardpoint on the droptank (but you would loose a couple of tons of fuel) but that seems to be against the spirit of the rules.

Traditionaly as in previous versions, everyone just sort of ignores that point

It is a 400 dton ship that sometimes is 300dtons, even in classic it had two triple turrets, 2 Pbeam Barbettes and a 300dton hull with 100dtons of fuel drop pods.

Handwave the fact that its structure and frame is braced for 400dtons and thus 4 hardpoints even if it is a part time 300dtonner, give it penalties for not having the drop pods attached, non streamlined and such like.

 

[rinku]

Y'know, I'd *never* picked up on that point

Even TNE made this mistake...

As for drop pod penalties... the ship is already unstreamlined (standard hull) and the new drop pod rules do make the ship quite vulnerable. Basically any shot has a 25% chance of hitting the unarmoured pods and causing a free fuel hit. I don't think I really want to add to that

 

[Captain Jonah]

Y'know, I'd *never* picked up on that point

Even TNE made this mistake...

Thats not a bug, that's a feature

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I don't call breaking the rules a "feature".

OR, if they are going to break the rules like that, at least justify it somehow...

 

[Captain Jonah]

I don't call breaking the rules a "feature".

OR, if they are going to break the rules like that, at least justify it somehow...

That was a joke hence the smiley.

Every version of traveller has had a Gazelle with 100dtons of drop tanks and 2 turrets and 2 barbettes. Every version for 30 years.

I know its been wrong all those years, so does everyone else. Leave the poor Gazelle alone

That was also intended to be humerous hence another smiley

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I got it, but it just frustrates me that the designers make an error like that and it get perpetuated for 30 years.

No harm.

 

[Captain Jonah]

Y'know, I'd *never* picked up on that point

Even TNE made this mistake...

As for drop pod penalties... the ship is already unstreamlined (standard hull) and the new drop pod rules do make the ship quite vulnerable. Basically any shot has a 25% chance of hitting the unarmoured pods and causing a free fuel hit. I don't think I really want to add to that

TNE is the only one that didn't There was no "1 turret per x dton" rule in TNE/FFS. Instead you used hull area and tonnage as a restriction. And you had powerplants sized in MegaWatt output so even IF you put that Class-T spinal in your 400dton Merchant you still could not use it due to lack of power output.

The Gazelle still had two turrets and two barbettes, TNE just changed the rules to make it a 280dton ship with four hardpoints :lol:

 

[zozotroll]

I have flown Gazelle for thirty years, and never really thought of it as a mistake. Instead of a 300 ton ship that had an extra hard point, I have always thought of it as a 400 ton ship that could leave part of itself behind to get a bit extra range.

That may not be the proper way to look at it, but it has worked for me.

 

[rje]

Two thoughts.

It's an iconic design, so there's motivation to recreate it in current Traveller rules, and it gives players a leg up firepower-wise and performance-wise in a rather cramped warship.

It's an invalid design, so there's motivation to produce a valid version in current Traveller, and its flawed design should not be propagated in Traveller books.

Either way is a 'win' in my book.

 

[rinku]

To make it legal, if that worries you, just drop a barbette and add 5 tons of cargo. For its role, one particle barbette is more than adequate. Very few normal pirate or commercial ships are going to be able to do anything than surrender or die when a Gazelle matches vectors with them. The chin mount barbette always looked pretty awkward, anyway.

 

[Captain Jonah]

Bunch of bullies, stop picking on the poor Gazelle, 30 years old and being picked on.

If you want it legal, as was said drop the chin mount. If you like it as it is treat it as a 400dton ship with dropable bits

 

[rje]

Every version of traveller has had a Gazelle with 100dtons of drop tanks and 2 turrets and 2 barbettes. Every version for 30 years.

That is being remedied.

(also: Every version except Mongoose Traveller, that is. And perhaps T4?)

 

[rinku]

Well, that was really the point of this post, wasn't it?

As I mentioned, the version presented in the core rulebook matches the variant Firey class (apart from the deckplans) - properly streamlined and integral fuel tankage.

 

[Cleon the Mad]

Every version of traveller has had a Gazelle with 100dtons of drop tanks and 2 turrets and 2 barbettes. Every version for 30 years.

That is being remedied.

(also: Every version except Mongoose Traveller, that is. And perhaps T4?)

Did T20 have a Gazelle?

And I'd assume GURPS Traveller set in the Interstellar Wars era wouldn't given it's WAY in the past of most editions of Traveller.

T4 not having one (if it didn't, it's been WAY too long since I cracked open a T4 book to remember) makes sense, given it's 1100 years or so in the past compared to CT/MGT, 1200 or so compared to TNE.

 

[Jame Rowe]

Well, that was really the point of this post, wasn't it?

As I mentioned, the version presented in the core rulebook matches the variant Firey class (apart from the deckplans) - properly streamlined and integral fuel tankage.

If this is the case then I'm making the Firey the Gazelle, and the Firey variant will have different weapons.