Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

A. And then I came across one shot manoeuvre drives.

B. If you're willing to use substandard materials, you can buy an equivalent performing one to default, at one tenth the cost.

C. Since whatever safety margins inherent in the default design are removed, you can overclock it.

D. Right to two hundred percent.

E. Though it suffers burnout, which apparently you can repair.

F. At twice purchase cost.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

G. It might also apply to reactionary rockets.

H. It would be pretty neat if they only cost one tenth of default, if they're one shot.

I. Doubling thrust would mean that technological level nine would allow acceleration factor/eighteen.

J. Early prototype would allow the same at technological level seven.

K. And prototype would fall in line at technological level eight, at six times cost and one disadvantage.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

L. The other acceleration factors are six, ten, and twelve.

M. Six and twelve are divisible by three, as is fifteen.

N. Default technological level availability would be eight, ten and eleven, respectively.

O. Assuming propulsion is by conventional reactionary rockets.

P. Ten would be in the same bracket as twelve.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

Q. In that sense, I'd downgrade the acceleration of standard missiles to acceleration factor/nine.

R. Technically, technological level seven caps at acceleration factor/three.

S. Which actually would be enough for planetary bombardment.

T. Acceleration factor/nine might, perhaps, require two rounds to reach long distance, five for very long, and runs out of fuel for distant.

U. You either increase the fuel tank, the lowered factor acceleration allows that, or just maintain enough for thirty minutes.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

V. You could, in theory, stage the missile.

W. I don't think it's worth it, but it might be for torpedoes.

X. In theory, the torpedo has a default range of two hours, going by Robots.

Y. I, personally, wouldn't bother launching a missile that requires more than half an hour to reach it's target.

Z. Finding a middle ground between hit probability and designed fuel tank capacity.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

1. If you look at it at default standard, it's twenty percent propulsion, and twenty five percent fuel tank.

2. At the other end, highly technologized advances would be thirty percent propulsion, and fifteen percent fuel tank.

3. The magic number may be forty five percent total.

4. Payload would be fifty five percent.

5. It may be in practice, that propulsion is half, with the other half being the screwed on payload.

6. Don't attach the rocket motors and fuel tank, you have an intelligent bomb.

7. Add wings for in atmosphere guidance, and you have a limited range glided guided smart bomb.

8. I'm guessing you have to add heat shielding.

9. Which would have to be the case for bombardment missiles.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

A. Streamlined, hundred/twelve kilogrammes, non gravitated hull, twenty five hundred starbux each.

B. Reactionary rockets, factor/ten, three and a third kilostarbux.

C. Fuel tank, free (already accounted for in hull).

D. Sensor/guidance package, plus payload, forty five and five sixths kilogrammes.

E. Balance likely fifteen kilostarbux, each.

F. Damage four dice, acceleration/ten, endurance one hour.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

G. Streamlined, hundred/twelve kilogrammes, non gravitated hull, twenty five hundred starbux each.

H. Reactionary rockets, factor/fifteen, five kilostarbux.

I. Fuel tank, free (already accounted for in hull).

J. Advanced missile sensor/guidance package, plus payload, forty five and five sixths kilogrammes.

K. Balance likely twenty one and two thirds kilostarbux, each.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

L. No, I got that wrong.

M. Highly technologized factor/fifteen reactionary rockets have a fifty percent premium.

N. That means, seventy five hundred starbux per.

O. Nineteen and one sixth kilostarbux, balance.

P. The torpedoes might actually have hull armour.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

Q. However, it open the opportunity for making a slightly less expensive model.

R. Half the cost to three and three quarters kilostarbux per.

S. The budget variant would have a fuel consumption of three and eighth per factor per hour.

T. 14.0625 percent for three rounds.

U. Range very long in two rounds.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

V. Since factors ten and twelve fall within in the same technological level, you could make the standard missile faster.

W. Long becomes immediate, very long takes three rounds, and distant nine rounds.

X. Ten rounds would require thirty percent fuel tank, and factor/twelve itself, twenty four percent.

Y. Twenty one percent fuel tank is enough for seven rounds.

Z. Budgetted would be five plus rounds.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

1. I was sort of upset, when the new narrative said that the Confederation Navy had emphasized missiles.

2. I thought that they'd emphasize meson weapon systems, being where they actually kicked butt.

3. The Vilani having an over reliance on ordnance.

4. But, I've been reconsidering my position.

5. Let's say, that the Confederation Navy emphasized both weapon systems.

6. (Also, it would appear, you have more room to manoeuvre with ordnance.)

7. (And wriggle room, with design.)

8. I'm pretty sure that standard volume wasn't meant to changle with inflation/deflation customization option(s).

9. Just the size of the launcher and supporting machinery.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

A. Specifically designed for planetary bombardment, ortillery missiles are powerful but too slow to be used effectively as anti-ship weapons unless the target is not expecting an attack.

B. See the Orbital Bombardment and Orbital Strike trait descriptions on page 30 for more information.

C. The question is, would the penalty be due to the lowered acceleration factor, or lousy sensors and guidance.

D. Weapons with the Orbital Strike trait suffer DM-8 when attacking targets that can manoeuvre in ship combat.

E. They suffer no penalty to bombard static orbital installations such as a shipyard or starport.

F. Orbital Strike weapons are precise, lacking the greater destructive capabilities of Orbital Bombardment weapons.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

G. In theory, a low acceleration missile, all other things being equal, can, eventually, intercept their locked targets.

H. The difference would be the increased range, and the greater opportunity for the target to shoot it down.

I. Acceleration factor/six versus a spacecraft factor/one, launched at medium range, should have a fairly good chance to intercept that spacecraft.

J. Feasibly, you could have acceleration factor/three for bombardment missiles, since their intended for targets don't tend to be mobile.

K. Of course, usual tactic would require the launching platform to get uncomfortably close, and a longer time for the target to shoot down either that platform, or the missile.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

L. Assuming same hour endurance, an ortillery missile would have twelve percent reactionary rockets, and between six to fifteen percent fuel tank.

M. At technological level seven, that would make that a prototype, at six times default cost.

N. Considering the rather large warhead, let's go optimum at technological level eleven.

O. Balance eighty two percent, for ten dice damage, and crappy sensors/guidance package.

P. And likely, heat shield.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

Q. Without heat shielding, no rocket propelled can reentre an atmosphere, without burning up.

R. And without a streamlined hull, you'll have an accuracy penalty.

S. If everything takes place in a vacuum, missile hull configuration probably doesn't matter.

T. Though, it's likely that the missile launcher would need to be customized to launch that specific hull configuration.

U. It would be one way to trim costs.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

V. What we could do, is replace a missile warhead with a canister.

W. Which, while inherently more expensive, does remove the need of sandcasters, while maintaining the capability.

X. Canisters are pushed out of casters, since they have no propulsion.

Y. Rocket propelled, you'd need only factor one to three, maybe, even, factor/zero.

Z. Fuel tank only enough for six minutes.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

1. In order to reach orbit, what you need is acceleration factor/(local gravity well plus ten percent).

2. If you were to redesign a spacecraft missile to be a battlefield missile, you'd only need to give them acceleration factor/(local gravity well plus ten percent).

3. Of course, you'd need to know in what speed band plus ten percent falls in.

4. Going by the current rule set, I'd say that plus factor/one is hypersonic.

6. Range would depend on how long the reactionary rockets would keep firing.

7. One issue would be, that after thirty minutes, half could get lost.

8. Intercontinental range ballistic configured missiles would need heat shields.

9. Though, I suppose, all missiles are streamlined and heat shielded, by default.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

A. Five sixtieths of a tonne minus three sixtieths of a tonne, balance two sixtieths of a tonne.

B. Six percent reactionary rockets, plus three times (three and one eighth percent/ten), equals nine and three eighths percent.

C. Fifty kilogrammes plus 7.8125 kilogrammes, equals 57.8125 kilogrammes.

D. Balance 25.52083333333333 kilogrammes, guidance and sensors.

E. Acceleration factor/three, endurance six minutes.

F. Canister twelve and a half hundred starbux, seven and a half hundred kilostarbux, plus guidance and sensors.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

G. When targeting boarders, pebble canisters cause 1DD damage (Ground scale).

H. Replace those with tungsten ball bearings, and add an explosive charge.

I.

J. Since I'm not quite sure out of what material pebbles are made of.

K. Nor, if they carry an explosive charge.