Highguard 2.0 - Railgun Barbette

[AnotherDilbert]

Do it graphically or with counters and it is simplified to the point that anyone can understand it.

Yes, that answers the question "Where do I end up if I accelerate this way?", but the question "How do I accelerate to intercept?" is far from trivial to answer.


I experimented with a one-dimensional vector movement system (like CT Starter Traveller) in beta:
http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=118018
I found it usable, but it added bookkeeping overhead. Infojunky had some practical experience.

 

[Infojunky]

Do it graphically or with counters and it is simplified to the point that anyone can understand it.

Yes, that answers the question "Where do I end up if I accelerate this way?", but the question "How do I accelerate to intercept?" is far from trivial to answer.


I experimented with a one-dimensional vector movement system (like CT Starter Traveller) in beta:
http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=118018
I found it usable, but it added bookkeeping overhead. Infojunky had some practical experience.

My current an longest standing idea is to graft on the Mayday hex based movement system onto MgT as guided by the optional rules in MgT 1st ed High Guard. As major section of the rules from across the editions are largely modular. Note some turn order stuff might fall out weird, notably the initiative system, my current fix is Movement occurs in reverse initiative order while firing takes place in initiative order.

 

[Solomani666]

Like I was saying...

http://futurism.com/uss-zumwalt-the-largest-ever-destroyer-has-joined-the-u-s-navy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Njvtm78zrs

 

[Solomani666]

Like I was saying...
Railguns are definitely available at by TL-8

http://futurism.com/uss-zumwalt-the-largest-ever-destroyer-has-joined-the-u-s-navy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Njvtm78zrs

 

[wbnc]

Like I was saying...
Railguns are definitely available at by TL-8

http://futurism.com/uss-zumwalt-the-largest-ever-destroyer-has-joined-the-u-s-navy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Njvtm78zrs

Thread drft..there is no defense ....

Railguns are still next-generation weapons but they are definitely feasible as high-end weapons at our tech level. Basically, they shrink the Paris gun down to the size of an 8inch deck gun. Mister Bull would have been very happy to see them.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

My current an longest standing idea is to graft on the Mayday hex based movement system onto MgT as guided by the optional rules in MgT 1st ed High Guard. As major section of the rules from across the editions are largely modular.

That should not be too difficult?

Note some turn order stuff might fall out weird, notably the initiative system, my current fix is Movement occurs in reverse initiative order while firing takes place in initiative order.

That is probably a very good idea. I don't know if I really want the initiative otherwise, especially for fighters that must get close to the enemy.

Thread drft..there is no defense ....

Yes, sorry, I will desist.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Like I was saying...

http://futurism.com/uss-zumwalt-the-largest-ever-destroyer-has-joined-the-u-s-navy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Njvtm78zrs

No new information there?

We could one day see Zumwalt-class warships equipped with kinetically-charged railguns capable of launching projectiles as far as 201 km (125 miles) at Mach 6 speeds.

"could one day" is far from "is now".

Yes, experimental rail-guns, or as HG calls them: Mass Drivers, exist. They are still way too slow to have any value in Travelleresque space combat.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

It would seem the rail-gun is not ready for deployment yet:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a23440/zumwalt-destroyer-railgun/

Current experimental rail-guns seems to be too slow even to hit a surface ship at range:

The second problem is that, even at Mach 6, it might be difficult for railgun rounds to hit a moving ship. Let's say that a railgun-equipped ship is firing on an enemy ship at maximum range—111 miles. The railgun projectile travels at 1.26 miles per second, so it will reach its target in 88 seconds. The enemy ship, however, is traveling 49 feet per second, and in 88 seconds will have traveled 4,312 feet—the better part of a mile. The problem becomes even worse if the enemy ship is zig-zagging.

 

[Sigtrygg]

There is a reason BBs used to have more than one gun...

you fire several guns in the hope at least one round will score a hit, or you use a guided projectile. Originally aircraft could be considered as guided weapons of a sort, the guided missile replaced them.

A single railgun could only hope to score a hit on a moving target if the round had some sort of terminal guidance built into it.

In MgT with military ships now routinely having 9g drives your chance to hit at range should be practically nil.

 

[Anonymous]

My take on sci-fi railguns is that (1) it requires no physical contact in the weapon. If the systems can withstand the frictional heating of sci-fi railgun velocities, you can probably just fly your spaceship though the sun, and (2) If you do have railguns, they're probably solid slugs as well. Otherwise, if systems can survive it, you could just as well use the railgun to boost your missiles out of the launcher or your fighter-planes out of the carrier.

To answer the other point, I've always seen Traveller as Stars Wars with slower hyperdrives. It's always been hand-wavy in both the 'make it up' sense, and the 'jedi force powers' sense, and magic technology (e.g. the ancients) have always been a part of the setting. But then, Star Wars has always supported at least 3 play styles: jedi v sith, soldier on soldier, and smuggers v empire in the periphery.

By the way, take a look at Attack Vector by Ad Astra if you want true Newtonian movement IN 3D on your tabletop. In that system you have a limitation on reaction fuel that Traveller doesn't so you can't get up to 0.1c for drive-bys.