Project Phoenix Refits

[Sigtrygg]

There is a difference between the ideas that people write down, and those that make it into the setting.

The parsec range teleportation is canon from a written perspective, but it was never included in the setting canon.

In a similar way FF&S and MgT HG have variant technologies, these are canon as they are written down, but are not setting canon.

Is there stutterwarp drive in Charted Space? It is canon, it is in FF&S, it is in MgT 2300, which is now written Traveller canon.

 

[swordtart]

There is a difference between the ideas that people write down, and those that make it into the setting.

The parsec range teleportation is canon from a written perspective, but it was never included in the setting canon.

In a similar way FF&S and MgT HG have variant technologies, these are canon as they are written down, but are not setting canon.

Is there stutterwarp drive in Charted Space? It is canon, it is in FF&S, it is in MgT 2300, which is now written Traveller canon.

If the table appears only in a Singularity product it is canon to Singularity setting only and I am fine with that.

If it appears as an update to the CRB it becomes a baseline rule canon. Currently Hop drives are already in HG2022 so are no less official than all the other exotic tech and are certainly optional canon.

I don't object to 10 parsec jumps as I have rules to cover that. I object to 10 parsec commercial travel as a baseline. I am a bit of a pedant to the rules as my players have access to them and I don't like having exceptions all over the place as that way lies madness. If it is insulated within a setting I will never use then it isn't an issue as I don't care if that setting can or can't explain the logical implausibility of it all.

It is not really just about Hop drives either. We already have the option of Jump 9 at TL 18 (and lower with prototypes). They are not the same size or have the same fuel requirements as a J-1 drive though so are self-limiting. They are never going to be cost effective for commercial passengers.

Even Jump-6 is highly unlikely to be commercially viable. Jump-3 sounds reasonable and funnily enough, that's the sweet spot for Subsidised liners. 2 extra jumps only adds a month onto your journey time vs a J-9 even with a week layover. The highest I go for commercial passage is J-4 but that is only as a commercial charter of the entire vessel. It is good for zinging up and down the sword worlds main arm hitting only the big starports (that are needed to provide the necessary passenger density).

At some point I'll do the maths and work out what the RAW actually tells us about "going rates" for travel and exactly what needs to be in place to allow a J-4 to J-9 ship to be plausibly viable. I am guessing it is stupid rich (or rich stupid) people.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Someone requested I do the Tigress. Here are the original and refitted versions. I doubled the fighters and increased the number of weapons. It can still manage two hops. Oh, and I added a Black Globe Generator.

The original:



The refit:

 

[pasuuli]

But in T5, it wasn't the "jump" distance attempted, but the drive "type" that determined the entry tolerance. Each successive drive type increased the minimum entry/exit distance by a factor of 10 with use of that type of drive.

MgT2 is its own thing. But I’m always happy when it draws concepts from prior art, especially Traveller5. I’m thinking there are ways to justify T5’s rules even inside Mongoose if desired: for example, the early generations of jump drives in the Ziru Sirka were terribly inefficient compared with the jump drives we all know and love.

 

[pasuuli]

Matt was very clear that it is only applicable in the Singularity timeline, and that they won't be using it anywhere else.

And the Singularity timeline is so radically destructive of the assumptions of Charted Space as we know it that hop drives are arguably just a detail in that context. Society, governance, perception of reality and of self, understanding of consciousness and the nature of being are all, arguably, somewhat more important!

Thank you for this clarification!

 

[pasuuli]

If the table appears only in a Singularity product it is canon to Singularity setting only and I am fine with that.

yes.

I object to 10 parsec commercial travel as a baseline.

I’m interested in hearing why. It would seem to be a boon to travel and trade. In one hop you have access to markets within a 10pc radius; that means you should be able to optimize your cargo. And perhaps you can hit high pop worlds with every hop. That seems to be an improvement…. But maybe you have unforseen consequences in mind?

 

[swordtart]

I’m interested in hearing why. It would seem to be a boon to travel and trade. In one hop you have access to markets within a 10pc radius; that means you should be able to optimize your cargo. And perhaps you can hit high pop worlds with every hop. That seems to be an improvement…. But maybe you have unforseen consequences in mind?

A core principle of Traveller has always been limited communications. It allows a planet of the week play-style as each system is largely autonomous. Even in the TI, Sector Dukes have considerable latitude as it would take far too long to ask permission from the core and wait for a response. If that time is reduced from several months to only a week then there is less reason for variety.

The civilizing influence of Trade is also diminished. With J-1 to J-3 being the norm, you had to make nice with your neighbours as they might be the only source of industrial goods. Even a tiny Industrial world will have importance to any NI world within J-3. Like small towns that got bypassed when the motorways came in, if you can import goods just as cheaply from a world J-10 away as you can from the poorer one J-2 away, you might as well. The industrial world will probably start a war over it,

 

[Sigtrygg]

When the Spinward Marches were threatened with a jump 6 courier network, which would allow for faster communication with the core sectors and thus greater Imperial authority, there was a sudden rise in sabotage accidents and freedom fighter terrorist activity within the Regina subsector.

A hop network would be far worse. The Imperium could build hub worlds every 10 parsecs and keep the lesser worlds in low TL poverty to provide the services, labour, and markets for Imperial goods.