Far Scouts Reimagined - Ramscoops and Collectors

[alex_greene]

Seriously, I want to redesign a Far Scout with a ramscoop and collectors. Maybe design the Jump drive with extra capacitors for two Jumps.
Such a ship would never run out of places to go, even across Rifts, because it could collect stellar gases and particles to just keep on going, even without systems with gas giants or oceans.

 

[alex_greene]

High Guard has ramscoops and collectors.
Ramscoops collect ambient hydrogen in space to refill fuel tanks. Collectors gather exotic particles for the Jump drive. These fill Jump capacitors and negate the need for fuel tanks for the Jump drive.
Collectors cannot be used while expending thrust, but they can be used while coasting - so accelerate to the speed you need, and coast away.
Ramscoops can only be used at high speeds, so they are exclusive with collectors. One or the other. They refuel the tanks at a rate of 5 tons of fuel per ton of ramscoop per week of travel. But they mean that a ship need never stop even if there are neither gas giants, comets, or water oceans for wilderness refuelling.
They can Jump across rifts without need for fuel caches.

 

[Arkathan]

For collectors, you need 13 tons at a cost of MCr 6.5.
For Ram Scoops, you need 10 tons at a cost of MCr 2.5. This will scoop 50 tons of fuel per week. So 1.6 weeks between jumps, add half a day to top off the operational fuel.
3 tons of TL 12 batteries (MCr 0.6) provide 180 points of power. Enough to power two jumps with some left over.

 

[alex_greene]

Collectors mean you don't need fuel for the Jump.

 

[Arkathan]

Collectors mean you don't need fuel for the Jump.

You said you wanted Ram scoops and collectors.
I gave you stats for both.

 

[wingsday]

Is there any real reason to store the power? Unless you're downsizing the power plant so that you have to charge up a battery in order to run the j-drive, you have to refill on fuel/collector juice either way

Also I think it's worth pointing out that ramscoops break if you fly the ship in atmosphere, so you probably need a launch of some kind(bonus points if it has vanilla fuel scoops, since wilderness refueling is way faster)

 

[alex_greene]

Far Scout, Class: Rift Runner

TL 15	Hull 80	Crew Pilot, Astrogator, Engineers x2
Armour	Bonded Superdense, 4	7.68 tons
M-Drive, TL 15, energy efficient x3 (-75%)	Thrust 2	4 tons
J-Drive, TL 15, energy efficient (-25%)	Jump 4	25 tons
Extra capacitors	Allows drive to make two successive jumps	5 tons
Power Plant, Fusion, TL 15, 20 points / ton	240	12 tons
Fuel for 24 weeks of operation		12 tons
Ramscoops (5 tons + 1% of ship tonnage, minimum 10 tons)	Process 50 tons per week	10 tons
Collectors (5 tons + 4% of ship tonnage)		13 tons
Remove fuel scoops, fuel processors		-2 tons

Keep the rest of the stats for the Far Scout, but add

Biospheres x2

Eliminate life support costs for crew of 4

2 tons

Cargo

47 tons

Power Requirements

Basic Ship Systems	40
Manoeuvre Drive	10
Jump Drive	60
Sensors	5
Weapons	2
Biospheres	2

Let somebody else worry about the cost. The Scouts can put some sort of number in their annual budget. Talk to the Bureaucracy.

 

[alex_greene]

The above ship could make two successive Jumps, deploy Collectors every other Jump, and every few weeks it could instead just use the ramscoops to top up its fuel.
That would allow it to just keep on going across even the Great Rift, without need for fuel caches.

 

[Condottiere]

Like a shark, you have to keep moving.

I tried calculating if it works for reactionary rockets and non gravitated hulls.

Only if you like microgravity.

 

[alex_greene]

Like a shark, you have to keep moving.

I tried calculating if it works for reactionary rockets and non gravitated hulls.

Only if you like microgravity.

It's okay for it to stay still once every couple of weeks, between Jumps. The Rift Runner only needs to move to refuel every couple of weeks, so maybe once every third or fourth Jump for a day or so to keep the tank topped up. It can Jump through the empty spaces between star systems and not encounter a soul, or have to stop anywhere to refuel - only for maintenance and repairs and restock once in a while at some Class A or B port and/or Scout base.

Replace the Air/Raft with Docking Space for a 20 ton Launch, like a subby launch, standard model, and it would have 30 tons of cargo space, not counting the cargo space in the Launch.

 

[Sigtrygg]

You can't use the collectors while "accelerating", but you can use them while coasting. So thrust until the ramscoop speed is reached and then coast, and deploy the collector.

 

[alex_greene]

You can't use the collectors while "accelerating", but you can use them while coasting. So thrust until the ramscoop speed is reached and then coast, and deploy the collector.

There you go. And don't worry about having to engage some ship in battle if you're four parsecs from any star system.

 

[alex_greene]

Is there any real reason to store the power? Unless you're downsizing the power plant so that you have to charge up a battery in order to run the j-drive, you have to refill on fuel/collector juice either way

Also I think it's worth pointing out that ramscoops break if you fly the ship in atmosphere, so you probably need a launch of some kind(bonus points if it has vanilla fuel scoops, since wilderness refueling is way faster)

I just worked out what would happen if I replaced the Air/Raft with a 20 ton subby Launch Docking Space. Cargo bay 30 tons. Still acceptable.

 

[alex_greene]

For collectors, you need 13 tons at a cost of MCr 6.5.
For Ram Scoops, you need 10 tons at a cost of MCr 2.5. This will scoop 50 tons of fuel per week. So 1.6 weeks between jumps, add half a day to top off the operational fuel.
3 tons of TL 12 batteries (MCr 0.6) provide 180 points of power. Enough to power two jumps with some left over.

Thank you.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Make it much bigger and the base ship for smaller jump capable system scouts.

 

[alex_greene]

Introducing the DSB Class Deep Scout Base. Big, lightly armed, lightly armoured, home away from home for almost 900 scouts.
Oh, and it's built to move.

60,000 tons	TL 15
Hull - Heat Shielding, Radiation Shielding, Stealth	30,000
Armour Bonded Superdense, 10 points	480 t

M-Drive (Thrust 2, Energy Efficient x3)	1200 t
J-Drive (Jump 2, Stealth Jump, Energy Efficient x3)	6000 t
Power Plant (Fusion, TL 15, 20 points)	2500 t

Fuel for 12 months' operation

3000 t

Collectors		1205 t
Ramscoops	6000 tons per week	1200 t

Bridge	60 t
Sensors, Advanced	5 t

Turrets, 600 (empty)

600 t

Construction Deck

800 t

Total Crew 895

3580 t

Common Spaces		3200 t
Biospheres	450	900 t
Libraries	5	20 t
Theatre	1	100 t
Medbays	20	80 t
Laboratories	20	80 t
Workshops	100	600 t
Briefing Rooms	10	40 t
Brothel	1	20 t

Hangar Spaces

Scout Type S	20	4000 t
Far Scout, Rift Runner Class	10	4000 t
Stealth Scout	4	800 t
Medical Scout	2	1600 t

Cargo

26000 t

Energy Requirements

Basic Energy Requirements	12000
M-Drive	3000
J-Drive	3000
Turrets	600
Sensors	6
Construction Deck	800
Biospheres	450

 

[alex_greene]

As you can imagine, these ships are designed for very long-range exploration.

Yes, this can be used in modules such as The Great Rift, and even Deepnight Revelation, with or without the Fungus From Hell at the end of the road. This is leaving the worlds you know far behind, exploring The Spinner, traversing the vast, empty gulf between galactic arms.

Gather a fleet of DSBs and launch your own Core Expeditions or Rim Expeditions. The closest thing to running a Stargate Universe-style campaign in Traveller.

 

[Nuke16]

Re: Far Scout, Class: Rift Runner

"Power Plant, Fusion, TL 25, 20 points / ton", now a TL 25 power plant would be great, assuming this is TL 15?

 

[Condottiere]

eBrothel.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Is there any real reason to store the power? Unless you're downsizing the power plant so that you have to charge up a battery in order to run the j-drive, you have to refill on fuel/collector juice either way

Also I think it's worth pointing out that ramscoops break if you fly the ship in atmosphere, so you probably need a launch of some kind(bonus points if it has vanilla fuel scoops, since wilderness refueling is way faster)

Someone needs to design a pop-up or deployable Ramscoop.