GRAV CARGO SLED

[Jak Nazryth]

GRAV CARGO SLED

Between work at the office and a friends wedding this weekend, here is what I have with the time permitted, learning the new rules as I go along.

My goal is to use these new rules to create a towed "grav trailer". Since the air/raft has virtually no cargo capacity, these designs below will allow Travellers to haul additional gear on exploration trips, supply runs, salvage operations, or to carry all that loot out of a raiders camp. In all cases I have reduced the speed from "fast" to "zero" which gives a 60% reduction in cost. The grav sled therefore can float about .5 meters off the ground (clearance between the ground and underside of the sled) because of it's Grav technology, but otherwise has no ability to produce it's own movement. It can easily be pushed around by people, or be towed by vehicles or even animals. It will maintain any momentum until slowed to a stop by air resistance, or until something else stops it, (like the vehicle towing it, or the tree/building/vehicle it slams into. 'The structural frame "slab" is about 20" thick (.5 meters) so In its basic hover mode it places the cargo bed itself about 1 meter off the ground. The width is approximately 3 meters and length varies from 3 meters to approximately 6 meters. When powered off, it slowly comes to rest on the ground. 2 small ramps can be pulled out of the rear of the sled and connected to the cargo deck to allow a wheeled vehicle (or hand truck/dolly) easily roll off the back. (Think of the built-in ramp on current vehicle trailers) It also has 4 fold-down skids that can be extended manually and locked into place by Travellers if they want to maintain a 1 meter distance from the cargo deck to the ground. At the front of the sled (centered) a tow-bar can slide out and lock into place. The tow bar/neck extends 1.5 meters on the front of the sled where it can be attached to any typical vehicle. When connected to a wheeled or tracked vehicle, the grav sled maintains a level hover, adjusting automatically to the height of vehicle towing it... be it a TL 7 Jeep, or TL 8 ATV. When towed by a grav vehicle, the control cables connecting it to the main vehicle (lust like with a modern trailer here on earth) allows the grav sled is slaved to the flight controls of the Grav vehicle. This means the grav sled automatically matches the height of the Grav vehicle. All designs below are basically flat bed trailers (open) but you can easily have them enclosed... (Per the new rules there is not a difference in cost) But flat-bed trailers can have larger/longer objects strapped to it as long as the cargo doesn't exceed the max load limit in Kg.
Per the "Towing" rules on page 3, the grav sled will slow down the main vehicle based on the current cargo being carried.
As this is my first attempt, please feel free to critique, give advice, or general comments.

Small Grav Cargo Sled. (4 spaces)
TL 8
Skill = Flyer
Agility = +1
Speed = 0 (60% reduction in cost = 12,000 Cr per space)
Range 1000-1500 (matches range of vehicle towing it)
crew = 0
passengers = 0
cargo = 1000 Kg (4 spaces)
Hull = 8
Shipping = 2 dTons
Cost = 48,000 Cr

Medium Grav Cargo Sled (6 spaces)
TL 8
Skill = Flyer
Agility = +1
Speed = 0 (60% reduction in cost = 12,000 Cr per space)
Range 1000-1500 (matches range of vehicle towing it)
crew = 0
passengers = 0
cargo = 1500 Kg (6 spaces)
Hull = 12
Shipping = 3 dTons
Cost = 72,000 Cr

Large Grav Cargo Sled (8 spaces)
TL 8
Skill = Flyer
Agility = +1
Speed = 0 (60% reduction in cost = 12,000 Cr per space)
Range 1000-1500 (matches range of vehicle towing it)
crew = 0
passengers = 0
cargo = 2000 Kg (8 spaces)
Hull = 16
Shipping = 4 dTons
Cost = 96,000 Cr

Option base on the GM permission. Since the grav sled is basically flat, for 10,000 Cr, (Or what ever is reasonable) a elevated rack can be installed in any ships grav bay - air/raft bay directly above the grav vehicle. The rack can slide down via built-in guide rails in the walls, the grav sled can be moved into position and locked/tied down, then the rack moves up and stops so that the grav sled is hugging the ceiling. Then the air/raft, or GUV, or what ever can park under it. No extra space taken on the ship.

An option for the grav sled is to include "basic" movement (speed band 1) so that the grav sled can move between 1-20 km per hour. A traveller can easily walk beside it and guide it using basic controls... or he can simply sit on it while it moves. This would be a 50% reduction in price. In essence, this version of the grav sled would be a high-tech mule. You could see caravans of these slowly moving across worlds to inhospitable for pack animals, like thin or no atmosphere worlds for instance, full of ore, or what ever.

Another option would be a towed weapons platform, or any other number of things.

Thoughts? Critiques? Options?

Thanks

 

[wbnc]

if someone wanted one in my game I''d allow it.

You could add a basic autopilot or drone rig to the build if you wanted to allow for the control mechanism and its "Follow me" ability. I'd also add a bit of text cautioning against trying anything more than basic maneuvers with a trailer in tow. there really arent rules for losinng a trailer or towed vehicle when you are trying a stunt, or avoiding incoming fire, but you can add it in as a quirk, or drawback to the design.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

You can try the stunt, but be a -2 fllyer/drive roll per the towing rule on page 3.

 

[wbnc]

You can try the stunt, but be a -2 fllyer/drive roll per the towing rule on page 3.

I tend to imagine it's a bit trickier than a -2 to do a 180 slide with a trailer in tow... and a grav vehicle doing an Immelmann turn with a trailer following along might end up with the trailer going one way and the craft going the other

 

[Jak Nazryth]

Yeah, you see that all the time when 18 wheelers jack-knife in snow and rain.
GM can give more negatives or simply add a "bane" dice when doing stunts in a vehicle towing a sled.

 

[wbnc]

Yeah, you see that all the time when 18 wheelers jack-knife in snow and rain.
GM can give more negatives or simply add a "bane" dice when doing stunts in a vehicle towing a sled.

I've seen the bloody things jack knife, on a dry road and a clear day. I also witnessed two guys( on tow separate occasions) botch a simple take off and nearly end up in the highway...., one guy land without wheels down.... ...but then again I have a weirdness magnet that causes a radical shift in the probability of odd crap happening.

the extra DM and bane would definitely do the trick.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

Yes, hauling a towed trailer into combat is not the best idea. 90% of the trouble happens in the real world when a driver has to slam on the brakes to avoid other vehicles.
But the cargo sled isn't designed for combat. It's simply an extension of an air/raft so you can carry more than personal gear.

I did have one more option that I didn't finish last night called the "Power Sled". Basically you pay full price for the hull because the speed is not reduced. You add some electronics like auto pilot or something similar. It's still slaved to what ever it's connect to. In essence it's a grav vehicle without a pilot. You still control the sled from the front vehicle, with a -2 pilot check, but since it is under it's own power, there is no reduction in speed bands for ether vehicle. The power sled is just as fast as the air/raft or GUV or what ever else is controlling it, but it has it's own power.
But it is also quite expensive for a flat-bed flying cargo platform.
Simple enough to write up, I just ran out of time last night.

 

[Condottiere]

Modular seems the way to go.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

Actually an equipment rack mounted to the roof of an enclosed air/raft was the next thing I wanted to explore; to see how to define it per the rules.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Brilliant idea! Why hasn't anyone though of this Before?

I actually had a similar idea some time ago, but never got around to stat it. Perfect for grav trucks and trains - and of course adventurers! I know my light G/Carrier design will be needing one of these, barely room for leg space, definitely no cargo

Designwise I Think it looks good, the one thing I might request/want to add is an autopilot/0 that can maintain balance and ensure safe landings if the towing vehicle disconnects mid-air - due to suddenly coming under fire, or simply needing to manoeuvre for whatever reason.

You should make an enclosed version with bunks, fresher and a galley - grav Caravan

Now, I'm off to plan a safari expedition.... Yes, carry the hunters in the air/raft, camping, survival and field Equipment in sled(s), depending on the type of safari perhaps a gun platform, and possibly another for loading prey... Choo-choo! All aboard the safari train!

Oh, and regarding the roof cargo rack, I'm not sure there's a way to define that through rules. I'd say you need to use the flavour text for that, and possibly add a Little agility modifier.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

I know I mentioned taking a look at a cargo rack yesterday, and try to figure out how to define it per the vehicle rules, but I got side tracked by working on several NPC's my players will encounter on their introductory adventure. (about half are either new or have never played Traveller)

But about the grav sled.. My intention is that a grav sled (if disconnected from it's towing vehicle) will drop about 6 meter per combat round until it suddenly slows and comes to a stop when reaching it's default setting... about a meter off the ground. It will of course maintain any momentum and be subject to the whims of wind and weather at higher altitudes.
If it requires the most basic computer and pilot/0, then that can be added.

And yes, the grav sled is perfect for any number of applications. An advanced Camper for roughing it in the wilderness of an untamed planet... You can tow your habitat into any region and use it as a home base while you continue to explore with your grav vehicle. You can use it for gun platform. A transportable power plant. A fuel processing plant to create refined fuel. A giant aquarium? Anything really.

Plus these are only 3 sizes I came up with, focused mostly on the typical Traveller adventuring party that might need more cargo space as they explore planets or even asteroid belts. It's very easy to make it any size you might require.

I have a size for a large trailer... typical shipping container size... you basic tractor-trailer / 18 wheeler configuration. Most likely larger than any typical adventuring party will want or need, but I'll post it eventually.

I too have looked at the basic rules to help create a grav-train. Because of the drastic drop in speed when towing a vehicle, it almost requires each car in a long train to provide it's own locomotion... they are simply linked together to the master control car at the head of the train. I have not done the math or even attempted it yet. I'm just assuming what will probably needs to be done to make a floating "bullet train" per the rules.

Thank you for your comments.