Mongoose 2300AD Progress Report
- Thread starter Colin
- Start date
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
There is also a REALLY GOOD TV show about MI-5, called "Spooks" in the UK and "MI-5" in the US.
I find it on PBS stations usually. I thought BBCA was going to carry it, but they didn't.
One of the best shows on TV anywhere in my opinion. Very gritty and "nobody truly wins in the end" type of stories. They are on their fourth main character in what 8-9 seasons, so the body count can be very high by US TV standards; I think there is only one main character (the head guy) who was there at the beginning and is still there.
It gives you a very good idea (well TV idea) of what MI-5 does.
I find it on PBS stations usually. I thought BBCA was going to carry it, but they didn't.
One of the best shows on TV anywhere in my opinion. Very gritty and "nobody truly wins in the end" type of stories. They are on their fourth main character in what 8-9 seasons, so the body count can be very high by US TV standards; I think there is only one main character (the head guy) who was there at the beginning and is still there.
It gives you a very good idea (well TV idea) of what MI-5 does.
Colin
Mongoose
After quite a bit of thought, i've decided to go with the original star list and map. While a new map would definitely be more accurate, it would take me quite of bit of time to research and create the new map, and then reconcile it with the classic colonies, stutterwarp, and the very notion of "Arms" of colonies.
gloomhound
Mongoose
Probably for the best.
Hmm, let's not go overboard here...
WOO HOOOOOOO!!!!
Ok, back to your normally scheduled questions and comments
I like that you are staying with the old star map. if the arms were changed it would really change the feel of the campaign. The entire strategic situation depended on the astrography of the Arms. If the Arms were significantly changed it wouldn't feel like 2300 anymore.
Oh yeah, personal request. If you could add the distance between the stars for the various stutterwarp connections on the map I (and probably many others) would be forever in your debt. It was always a royal pain trying to calculate the distances.
From the way you sounded in the first post it seems as if you are making the ships work like 2300 ships should work, but just for my peace of mind if you could verify that ships will use Stutterwarp and use big honking missiles to attack each other in a "submarine" style combat as opposed to the more standard Traveller style I would much reassured.
Also I was wondering if there will be an energy budget for ships. I don't mind really one way or the other, but energy budgets were a big thing in the design of 2300 ships. Some ships were not even able to travel at high speed and fire their energy weapons at the same time.
Overall I am very happy to see a date for release (come on November) and am eagerly planning to buy not only the core book, but pretty much whatever expansion books are published as well.
2300 is my favorite sci fi game setting and I cant wait to get new material for it.
Thank you your hard work on my favorite setting.
Forgot this question. Compared to the OTU, 2300 capital ships should be relatively tiny. I was wondering what tonnage range ships like the Bismarck or the St. Jean D'Arc will occupy.
Edited for extra question.
WOO HOOOOOOO!!!!
Ok, back to your normally scheduled questions and comments
I like that you are staying with the old star map. if the arms were changed it would really change the feel of the campaign. The entire strategic situation depended on the astrography of the Arms. If the Arms were significantly changed it wouldn't feel like 2300 anymore.
Oh yeah, personal request. If you could add the distance between the stars for the various stutterwarp connections on the map I (and probably many others) would be forever in your debt. It was always a royal pain trying to calculate the distances.
From the way you sounded in the first post it seems as if you are making the ships work like 2300 ships should work, but just for my peace of mind if you could verify that ships will use Stutterwarp and use big honking missiles to attack each other in a "submarine" style combat as opposed to the more standard Traveller style I would much reassured.
Also I was wondering if there will be an energy budget for ships. I don't mind really one way or the other, but energy budgets were a big thing in the design of 2300 ships. Some ships were not even able to travel at high speed and fire their energy weapons at the same time.
Overall I am very happy to see a date for release (come on November) and am eagerly planning to buy not only the core book, but pretty much whatever expansion books are published as well.
2300 is my favorite sci fi game setting and I cant wait to get new material for it.
Thank you your hard work on my favorite setting.
Forgot this question. Compared to the OTU, 2300 capital ships should be relatively tiny. I was wondering what tonnage range ships like the Bismarck or the St. Jean D'Arc will occupy.
Edited for extra question.
>E: - Exotic (Supergun, Laser lift etc)
petrol, diesel, hybrid ..... theyre all still car so both examples would be probably be classed as catapults and the actual implementation not being via gauss on a site be a local footnote.
the thing that was left out of the list was scramjets. the difference between 200 people flying a jumbo equivalent to orbit in a couple of hours or using an SR71 equivalent to get the president & first lady there (or anywhere else on the world) in about 30 minutes
petrol, diesel, hybrid ..... theyre all still car so both examples would be probably be classed as catapults and the actual implementation not being via gauss on a site be a local footnote.
the thing that was left out of the list was scramjets. the difference between 200 people flying a jumbo equivalent to orbit in a couple of hours or using an SR71 equivalent to get the president & first lady there (or anywhere else on the world) in about 30 minutes
middenface
Cosmic Mongoose
Speaking of 2300, just posted this 'mauvais garçon' on my blog...
http://biomassart.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/traveller-2300-aero-char-8/
http://biomassart.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/traveller-2300-aero-char-8/
Colin
Mongoose
Since power plants in 2300 do not have power ratings, (MW, EP, "points") energy budgeting is more difficult. What we're going to do is something like this:
If you have power plant "N" and stutterwarp "N" you can move at full speed, but you cannot fire energy weapons or use active sensors. If you lower your speed by half, you can use active sensors or fire energy weapons, but not both. If you go "all-stop" on the stutterwarp, you can use active sensors and fire energy weapons.
If you have power plant "P" (there is no "O") and stutterwarp "N", you can move at full speed, and either fire energy weapons or use active sensors, but not both.
If you have power plant "Q" and stutterwarp "N", you can move, fire, and use active sensors.
Energy weapons are relatively short-ranged, so most combat is with missiles, long-range, remote-controlled stutterwarp vehicles. Smart missile (RAMs) exist, but they are not as effective as remote-controlled vehicles.
Heat will be addressed through simple game rules for radiators (power plant "N" requires radiators "N" which take up a certain amount of space, and affect detection. Better radiators are harder to detect passively, easier to detect actively. MHD power plants require smaller radiators than fusion and fission plants, and even fuel cells for a similar output.
If you have power plant "N" and stutterwarp "N" you can move at full speed, but you cannot fire energy weapons or use active sensors. If you lower your speed by half, you can use active sensors or fire energy weapons, but not both. If you go "all-stop" on the stutterwarp, you can use active sensors and fire energy weapons.
If you have power plant "P" (there is no "O") and stutterwarp "N", you can move at full speed, and either fire energy weapons or use active sensors, but not both.
If you have power plant "Q" and stutterwarp "N", you can move, fire, and use active sensors.
Energy weapons are relatively short-ranged, so most combat is with missiles, long-range, remote-controlled stutterwarp vehicles. Smart missile (RAMs) exist, but they are not as effective as remote-controlled vehicles.
Heat will be addressed through simple game rules for radiators (power plant "N" requires radiators "N" which take up a certain amount of space, and affect detection. Better radiators are harder to detect passively, easier to detect actively. MHD power plants require smaller radiators than fusion and fission plants, and even fuel cells for a similar output.
Thank you for the answers Colin.
As for barnest2's question. Combat in 2300 takes place at ranges of multiple light seconds. Energy weapons have an effective range of a few hundred thousand kilometers. In the old 2300 ship combat system 1 hex was 2 LS which gave energy weapons a range of 1 hex. Remote piloted missiles equipped with bomb pumped X-Ray lasers were the standard shipkiller weapon. Sometimes as little as one good hit from one of the deadly missiles was enough to cripple or even destroy a starship. Energy weapons exist primarily to shoot down these missiles before they can blow the guts out of your ship. They are also useful as a last ditch defense if an enemy should get that close.
Ship combat in 2300 is almost more like submarine warfare than the surface ship model. You know the enemy is out there, and even roughly where he is. But until you can localize his position you cant target accurately enough to attack. Passive sensors can track an enemy but you usually need to go active to attack and if you do that the enemy can localize you as well. Sensor drones and remote piloted missiles are the primary methods of detecting and destroying the enemy. It is a completely different combat paradigm from any other sci fi setting that I know of.
Oh, and Colin, any clue on the upper mass ranges for warships? Just wondering. 8)
As for barnest2's question. Combat in 2300 takes place at ranges of multiple light seconds. Energy weapons have an effective range of a few hundred thousand kilometers. In the old 2300 ship combat system 1 hex was 2 LS which gave energy weapons a range of 1 hex. Remote piloted missiles equipped with bomb pumped X-Ray lasers were the standard shipkiller weapon. Sometimes as little as one good hit from one of the deadly missiles was enough to cripple or even destroy a starship. Energy weapons exist primarily to shoot down these missiles before they can blow the guts out of your ship. They are also useful as a last ditch defense if an enemy should get that close.
Ship combat in 2300 is almost more like submarine warfare than the surface ship model. You know the enemy is out there, and even roughly where he is. But until you can localize his position you cant target accurately enough to attack. Passive sensors can track an enemy but you usually need to go active to attack and if you do that the enemy can localize you as well. Sensor drones and remote piloted missiles are the primary methods of detecting and destroying the enemy. It is a completely different combat paradigm from any other sci fi setting that I know of.
Oh, and Colin, any clue on the upper mass ranges for warships? Just wondering. 8)
kustenjaeger
Mongoose
Greetings
I always liked 2300AD in spite of the rules. I've kept all the supplments I bought years ago. All the things that Colin mentions sound good - this is going on my books to buy list.
Regards
Edward
I always liked 2300AD in spite of the rules. I've kept all the supplments I bought years ago. All the things that Colin mentions sound good - this is going on my books to buy list.
Regards
Edward
Colin
Mongoose
The Kennedy is somewhere around 800 tons, and almost half of that is the fusion reactor. The Bismarck is around 1200 tons (I think), while the Richelieu comes in at 2000-3000. Very few starships, including bulk transports, are larger than 2000 tons.
At the same time, few starships are any smaller than 200 tons. In either case, most are not capable of landing anywhere, and rely on local interface transport.
At the same time, few starships are any smaller than 200 tons. In either case, most are not capable of landing anywhere, and rely on local interface transport.
