Imperial Navy Question

The Captain's been infected with an alien disease
<stick him in the transporter filter out the disease>
The Captain's been shot
<stick him in the transporter and rebuild from the saved pattern>
We need drama this week
<transporters don't work because of the reverse neutron flux ion storm>
 
For all of the attention paid to Offensive Interstellar Navies in Traveller (at both BCS & ACS scale), very little documentation as been fleshed out concerning system defensive forces, and the vessel types and roles cited are typically way too thin.

To cite the T5 & AotI BCS & ACS paradigms for "Defensive Naval Elements":

_____________________________________________

1) Capital BCS Vessels are (Super)-Monitors
2) Principal ACS Vessels are System Monitors
3) Major ACS Vessels are System Defenders
4) Special ACS Vessels are System Defense Boats
5) Minor ACS Vessels are System Escorts

The ACS Siege Defensive Unit called the Sentinel is also noted.
_____________________________________________


The mission of a Siege Sentinel is to remain on station and defend a position and hold it at all costs.

A Monitor is similar, but more mobile. Monitors are heavy on Armour but low on Maneuver, as they are not intended to stray far from the patrol range they are monitoring, sticking close to their charge.

It is the System Defender (i.e. "System Defence Vessel" (SDV) might be a general class term that may be representative of a number of different mid-size vessel types) that likely represent the Heavy SDB among others (such as the 2000ton Scorpion Class that defend the Yards in the Dynam (Depot) system in Lishun). It likewise probably includes larger higher/fast manoeuvre units (1000 - 2500ton +) that act in the role of System Patrol Cruisers/Frigates and Perimeter Action Units engaging enemy combatants at a distance from the primary target. Most of these are probably also distinguished by carrying bay weaponry as main weapons.

System Escorts would support the SDVs in their primary role, as well as act on their own as pickets, patrols, interception vessels, courriers, and customs vessels at need. A few may have Jump-1 for rapid response to out-system regions.

The special role of SDBs is already well defined.
 
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Yeah, that original text about non-starships being able to beat starships was always not quite correct back in the day because for a given tonnage both carried the same max armour, turrets and bays. Even Spinals had a limit, so the difference ended up being that non-starships had more space for magazines and carried craft.

However, under the current rules it's gospel true, since ships can carry Medium and Large bays at 100 tons per hardpoint to use up any amount of spare tonnage.
 
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rinku said:
Yeah, that original text about non-starships being able to beat starships was always not quite correct back in the day because for a given tonnage both carried the same max armour, turrets and bays. Even Spinals had a limit, so the difference ended up bing that non-starships had more space for magazines and carried craft.

However, under the current rules it's gospel true, since ships can carry Medium and Large bays at 100 tons per hardpoint to use up any amount of spare tonnage.
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Yeah, but those bays can't hit the same size ships they are mounted on, as they take penalties when firing on smaller ships.
 
Except for missiles and torpedoes. Small SDBs suffer no such penalties with those shooting at other small ships, which is why they usually seem to carry missile bays.

SDBs that are larger than 2000 tons are fighting other larger than 2000 ton ships without penalty.
 
rinku said:
Except for missiles and torpedoes. Small SDBs suffer no such penalties with those shooting at other small ships, which is why they usually seem to carry missile bays.

SDBs that are larger than 2000 tons are fighting other larger than 2000 ton ships without penalty.
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True, so basically all FFW-type wars are now strictly missile wars, defensively anyhow. How many of the 400-ton SDBs does it take to overwhelm the defenses on a Tigress? Each has a Small Missile Bay.
 
Sigtrygg said:
If you want consistency you could always look to Star Trek where their technology was always... sorry I can't bring myself to finish that :)
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SFB did an OK job. Starfire did an excellent job of laying things out. Ships were easy to design - you got full control of which places your engines, quarters, holds and such went, along with your weapons. They had external racks for 1-shot (usually first) Alpha strikes and then you were on internal launchers only. Later they got smaller craft and new weapons that skipped armor and shields. Movement was pretty well thought out and how the jump points and stealth systems worked out.

The books are pretty good reads as well if you like that sort of stuff.
 
MasterGwydion said:
True, so basically all FFW-type wars are now strictly missile wars, defensively anyhow. How many of the 400-ton SDBs does it take to overwhelm the defenses on a Tigress? Each has a Small Missile Bay.
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Small bays are almost useless against ships that size, as you fully well know.

But as you also fully well know, SDBs can exist in all hull sizes, though the larger ones are usually called monitors.

The SDBs we had presented in CT Traders and Gunboats (which is very much a small ship supplement) and Fighting Ships (which is an even smaller ship that the other one) are only the starting point. As both books are clear - SDBs can be all sorts of sizes. And even in their Mongoose conversion are turret based ships anyway, so their ability to hit is not an issue.

But those two small ships aren't the defense against a Zhodani fleet, or even a cruiser raid, any more than Patrol cruisers are. They're small end defenses.
 
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rinku said:
Small bays are almost useless against ships that size, as you fully well know.

But as you also fully well know, SDBs can exist in all hull sizes, though the larger ones are usually called monitors.

The SDBs we had presented in CT Traders and Gunboats (which is very much a small ship supplement) and Fighting Ships (which is an even smaller ship that the other one) are only the starting point. As both books are clear - SDBs can be all sorts of sizes. And even in their Mongoose conversion are turret based ships anyway, so their ability to hit is not an issue.

But those two small ships aren't the defense against a Zhodani fleet, or even a cruiser raid, any more than Patrol cruisers are. They're small end defenses.
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General rule of naval combat. Like goes after like. For example, you don't want your fighters to not be able to attack other fighters. Unless you are treating the SDBs as bombers and therefore only for use against larger ships?
 
Editional design rule changes affect performance of spacecraft.

If a spinal mount weighs in at a kilotonne, you could have two kilotonne monitors.

If a hundred tonne bay requires ten hardpoints, than a bayed system defence boat is minimum a kilotonne.

Besides, ship types can undergo mission creep and size inflation.
 
MasterGwydion said:
General rule of naval combat. Like goes after like. For example, you don't want your fighters to not be able to attack other fighters. Unless you are treating the SDBs as bombers and therefore only for use against larger ships?
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Honestly, I've lost track of what your point even is now.

All I pointed out is that under Mongoose High Guard (but unlike Classic Traveller) non-starships can use the space saved on not having jump drives and fuel to install more weaponry, in the form of bays.

Clearly, very small ships that are up against other small ships are more likely to rely on turrets.
 
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