Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls and Docking Clamps

I'm not too sure how Mongoose calculated the various loadings on the docking clamps, all I know is that the idea is to optimize spacecraft around them, which means that for the smallcraft, this would mean it falls to the thirty tonne hull.

There is the five-tonne clamp with a loading of ninety tonnes, but that has the odd ratio of eighteen to one, which pales in efficiency to the normal thirty to one, and the rather unbelievable hundred to one, for the twenty- and fifty- tonne clamps.

Thirty tonnes is far from my ideal smallcraft volume, which would be either forty, fifty, and as it now turns out, sixty nine tonnes, each having features that I prefer for the thirty tonner. Weapon allocation (double), easier to calculate performance, or the biggest hull still able to go over sx gees, though without any real indication by how much.

So thirty tonnes is pretty much driven by game mechanics in space, since you don't really need a docking clamp on a terratype world.

So the next objective is to discover how many roles and missions a thirty tonner can perform, which would justify it's widespread military and commercial usage, and in fact become the standard utility smallcraft within the Solomani Confederation.

I thought it a neat feature to have onboard and siamese twin a one-tonne docking clamp with the airlock, though I've wondered if I should stick that feature in the nose, so that it would attach itself like a leech, rather than on the side. It would destroy the aesthetic of the shuttle but probably make it easier for the pilot to dock.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Launch Facilities and Weapon Bays

Or to be more precise, empty weapon bays are used as launch facilities and smallcraft garages.

Even if takes half an hour to launch or recover a craft, you can have any number of weapon bays.

Of course, the smallcraft has to fit in there, and you have to wonder if the normal hatch works, or if a special hatch has to be installed.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Missile Bays

In addition the torpedo bays themselves are refined designs, allowing the more accurate launch of their munitions. Using revolving cylinders, standard bays contain 15 torpedoes launched in salvoes of three, whilst large bays hold 30 torpedoes, which can be fired in salvoes of six.

A 50 ton railgun bay consists of multiple linked railguns. It always fires in full auto mode, has Autofire 8 and includes space for 200 shots of ammunition. The railgun bay deals 3d6 damage on each successful hit. The 100 ton version of the railgun bay is as the 50 ton bay version except it has Autofire 12 and includes space for 400 shots of ammunition.

With the exception of the Ortilery Railgun, I've always assumed that the missile, torpedo and railgun bays have an inherent magazine capacity, but apparently they don't, unless it's explicitly stated.

Which makes them pointless for small ships, as everything larger does have the space for large extra magazine capacities, and for torpedoes, only Darrians explicitly states an inherent magazine capacity, or perhaps the author made the same assumption I did.

So basically, you have hundred tonnes of launching equipment to put two tonnes of missiles on target per turn, which frankly, sounds nuts, considering that a hundred tonne torpedo bay can put fifteen tonnes of ordnance on target, and apparently still has space for a sixty or seventy five tonne magazine.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Missile Bays

We know that a one-tonne missile pack can launch twelve missiles simultaneously, so a hundred tonne bay could hold one hundred missile packs, which is an intriguing option by itself, even ifs basically a one-shot option, and take quite a while to reload externally.

Even if you take the turret as an example, where presumably you have a half a tonne which includes a group of three sets of launchers plus handling equipment, you'd need only eight groups at four tonnes to launch twenty four missiles, and have the tubes reloaded, ready for the next round.

That should leave you ninety six tonnes for a magazine, or a possible capacity of one thousand fifty two missiles.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Turret Ordnance Capacity

1. There was a question that tends to come up as to whether turrets have ready ammunition, besides the one in the launcher.

2. This assumes that the weapon systems take up half a tonne, the other half being for the local operator and fire control.

3. Mongoose states that a missile magazine has twelve units per tonne, which would mean you could only squeeze in six in a half a tonne.

4. The launch tubes could have one in the barrel, but by their nature, would have to be considerably bigger than aforesaid missile, at which point you can assume that there won't be space for the remaining three missiles, and then you add the autoloader(s), presumably, and you're going to have less.

5. It would be fairly safe to say there isn't any space in a one tonne turret for ready ammunition, and considering the explosive nature of the warheads, perhaps you'd rather keep them in the magazine in any case.

6. Unless the ship is about to go into battle, they might prefer to keep the launchers empty as well, to pre-empt any possible accident.

7. Now you come to sandcasters.

8. Sand canisters must be smaller than standard missiles, as you can squeeze in twenty units in a tonne, compared to twelve for the standard missiles.

9. Canisters are also less likely to blow up by themselves.

10. So you could half ten canisters per half tonne, in a loading and launching system that wouldn't have to be so particular about safety.

11. So you might have three preloaded canisters, with three on immediate standby.

 

[Askold]

Spaceships: Armaments and Turret Ordnance Capacity

1. There was a question that tends to come up as to whether turrets have ready ammunition, besides the one in the launcher.

2. This assumes that the weapon systems take up half a tonne, the other half being for the local operator and fire control.

3. Mongoose states that a missile magazine has twelve units per tonne, which would mean you could only squeeze in six in a half a tonne.

I would think that the weight of the missile turret does not include the weight of the ammo. Since you need to count the ammo separately to see how much you can carry in the ship anyway, counting it twice would be kinda silly. There might be more room for missiles in the turret than the half tonne or it could be that there is some kind of magazine or loader that brings more missiles to the turret as needed. The latter would be safer as there would be only few missiles inside the turret (which would avoid the chance that when the turret is hit a half tonne of missiles go off...)

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Turret Ordnance Capacity

I think the safety issue is covered in points five and six.

As regards to the volume occupied by the weapon systems, it's implied that they are more or less modular and standard in size, so that they can be installed in any turret, regardless of where they are manufactured, or maybe just where Imperium standards and templates are used, which could include the Imperium itself, the Solomani Sphere, and bordering regions and pocket empires.

The half tonne is just an assumption, based on three characteristics, the old Classic ten missiles per half tonne magazine capacity, the nine ready rounds in a triple turret (three sets of three missiles), and a half tonne acceleration couch, which sort of approximates the space a human needs .

In a large capacity magazine, it doesn't really matter, however, ready rounds could provide the following advantages (bearing in mind that it's based on my assumption):

1. Snapshot; firing off the pre-loaded rounds doesn't consume any initiative or reaction points.

2. Surprise; you might be, but you still can react normally in terms of firing off the preloaded rounds.

3. Double shot; in a triple turret, only possible with the sandcaster(s).

4. Spare magazine capacity; only available in a triple of double turret where there is only two or one weapon system(s) installed; the extra space can be used for ready rounds:
a. missiles, two or four, plus one possibly in the launcher
b. canisters, four or seven, plus one likely in the launcher

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls and Significant Volumes

More significant for the Solomani, rather than the Imperium.

The numbers are nine, fifty nine, sixty six and sixty nine, though probably not for the reason you may imagine.

Theoretically, an object below nine tons should be harder to hit than one at ten, and if you can build a fighter at nine tonnes, you can build a light utility smallcraft at the same tonnage, which can fulfil the same roles light helicopters are used for.

That means that you should design smallcrafts at the upper limit of ninety nine tonnes. You can, but I don't see any benefit for that, the size is too large for a practical strikecraft, and for commercial purposes, you would probably find a small ship hull more useful.

I came up with sixty nine when I wanted to emulate HG's Bomber design, as I realized that all I needed was to sacrifice a turret to get a bay, and two weapon slots were more than enough. Sixty nine allowed an unlimited speed advantage while allowing a decent payload, which could recreate the Mosquito. Then I had a closer at the Bomber description, and realized that the missile bay as a purely launch facility is a vast waste of space and money, since for some reason, missiles needed a separate magazine.

That little realization made me doubt the value of having a seventy tonne bay equipped bomber, or any strikecraft that couldn't use bayed torpedoes or energy weapons, which means that the next level had to start at a minimum of hundred tonnes.

The sixty niner still had a military role as a very fast assault shuttle, and a commercial one as well as a very fast interplanetary courier. However, sixty six is an easier number to calculate performance, so laziness would be the guiding motivation behind that decision.

So we come to fifty nine. Why fifty nine? This would be more a commercial standard, than a military one, since I've already assigned the general utility role to the thirty tonner, whether seven or ten tonnes more, the next level for the military would be standardized at either sixty six or sixty nine. The advantage the fifty niner would have is that it could be docked with two one-tonne clamps, and only need one crew member. An assault shuttle will have a weapons officer, so that would meet the criteria for two crew members, though again, docking with three one-tonne clamps would overcomplicate that procedure. So it comes down whether you build the launch facilities to accept the sixty six or sixty niners.

Standardizing the size and configurations ensures that the smallcraft can generally fit in most rather tight spaceship hangar spaces.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Drop Tanks and Mountings

Jump tanks come in two parts. Firstly, there are the docking ports, fuel injectors and explosive collars that allow the spacecraft to mount drop tanks and to jettison them quickly. Secondly, there are the physical tanks themselves.

Drop tanks can be any size, but the mountings seem to come in two tonne sets per fifty tonnes of tank. Is this necessary?

Probably not, as these would likely be the standard across the Imperium, so that available drop tanks can be attached with minimal adjustments, and any deviation would be considered a custom job, and the mechanics can spend a long time rerouteing the connections to pump the fuel and placing the attachments so that there would be a clean break prior to transition.

One alternative that isn't mentioned are more or less permanently attached tanks without explosive bolts, that could be armoured and have enough structural strength to support hardpoints. This wouldn't ignore the fact that the mountings would still be weak points.

Another issue is how much stress the mountings can bear in regard to violent manoeuvring and acceleration, because drop tanks are a way to extend endurance on any number of crafts, not just a means to propel a starship further than it's onboard fuel tanks warrant.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Missile Packs

Each missile pack takes up a turret hardpoint and weighs one ton but fires all loaded missiles at once and uses the Gunner (bay) skill. However they can only be reloaded in a starport.

1. That one tonne of fire control should be able to control that discharge, which wold allow selective firing of various missile types to suit the situation.

2. As an option, have a sandcaster variant, again with selective firing.

3. Another variant would be a hybrid missile pack, with say ten canisters and six missiles.

4. While you can't reload except at a starport (which might apply only to private ships without the necessary facilities), it does ensure that no one within the hull has access to the missiles.

5. It should be noted that you can give up a hardpoint for a hundred tonnes of bay, so theoretically, your missile pack could consist of twelve hundred missiles.

6. And I'd like a torpedo pack.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Killjoys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoLJK2Gng_o

Very Travellerish, though currently limited to a trio. Production values have obviously been well funded, but script seems a little weak.

 

[wbnc]

Spaceships: Armaments and Missile Packs

Each missile pack takes up a turret hardpoint and weighs one ton but fires all loaded missiles at once and uses the Gunner (bay) skill. However they can only be reloaded in a starport.

1. That one tonne of fire control should be able to control that discharge, which wold allow selective firing of various missile types to suit the situation.

2. As an option, have a sandcaster variant, again with selective firing.

3. Another variant would be a hybrid missile pack, with say ten canisters and six missiles.

4. While you can't reload except at a starport (which might apply only to private ships without the necessary facilities), it does ensure that no one within the hull has access to the missiles.

5. It should be noted that you can give up a hardpoint for a hundred tonnes of bay, so theoretically, your missile pack could consist of twelve hundred missiles.

6. And I'd like a torpedo pack.

this sounds a lot like the Vertical launch systems used on some modern warships.

This modification would work really well for a number of designs I have resting in the backwaters of my Hard drive

I'd suggest some means of in field reloading. Such as with work pods, or specialized gear that can be mounted on a support vessel or carried as cargo on the ship itself. reload times could be fairly long for an entire cluster of missiles but it'd make it possible to rearm a ship without it having to return to a base of operation.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Missile Packs

It was one of the more interesting concepts from Trillion Credit Squadron, but the author didn't really develop it fully.


Spaceships: Hulls and External Cargo

Instead of carrying its cargo inside the hull, a ship may be designed to mount cargo in an external rack or framework. This allows a smaller hull to be used instead, making the ship considerably cheaper.

1. Instead of containers, empty or otherwise, attach armour plating which will function as ablative armour.

2. This would affect the percentage of the hull that could be studded with hardpoints, and possibly further limiting weapon systems capability to bear on a target.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Missiles

.. Missile
... Basic
.... 1d6.10/10
.... KCr 1.25
... Decoy 9C
.... 1d6-1.8/10
.... point defense DM-2
.... KCr 2.916
... Fragmentation 8B
.... 1d6-1.10/10
.... smallcraft hits DM+2
.... KCr 1.666
... Jumpbreaker CE
.... jump role DM–8 for the current and next turn of combat (6–12 minutes)
.... KCr 8.333
... Long-Range
.... 1d6-1.15/7
1. Tech level?
... Multi-warhead
.... 1d6x1d6.8/10
1. Tech level?
... Nuclear 7A
.... 2d6c.10/10
.... KCr 3.75
... Ortillery 7A
.... 1d6.slow/close-adjacent
.... KCr 2.083
1. Exactly how is this better than a multi-warhead?
... Shockwave 7A
.... Negate use of sandcasters if at least 5% damage inflicted?
.... blast is harmless to spacecraft, but it scatters and polarises sand clouds, making them useless
.... KCr 2.916
1. partially contradicts each other
2. if the damage is virtual, how do you calculate it?
... Smart 8B
.... keep making attacks until they hit or are destroyed
.... KCr 2.5
1. How about a self-destruct switch?

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Spinal Mounts


. Railgun
.. medium range
.. 10'000-kilometres
.. sub-light speed
.. ignores armour equal to three times its penetration rating
.. damage reduced by remaining armour points after penetration by 20 points per point of armour
.. no residual or radiation damage

. Ammunition
.. 20-tonnes
.. MCr 0.5

. A
.. TL 9
... 4'500-tonnes
... MCr 2'800
... 120
... I
.. TL 10
... 4'050-tonnes
... MCr 2'520
... 126
... I
.. TL 11
... 3'600-tonnes
... MCr 2'240
... 132
... I
.. TL 12
... 2'700-tonnes
... MCr 1'680
... 144
... I
.. TL 13
... 1'800-tonnes
... MCr 1'120
... 168
... I
. B
.. TL 10
... 6'000-tonnes
... MCr 3'500
... 190
... I
.. TL 11
... 5'400-tonnes
... MCr 3'150
... 199
... I
.. TL 12
... 4'800-tonnes
... MCr 2'800
... 209
... II
.. TL 13
... 3'600-tonnes
... MCr 2'100
... 228
... II
.. TL 14
... 2'400-tonnes
... MCr 1'400
... 266
... II
. C
.. TL 11
... 5'000-tonnes
... MCr 4'000
... 240
... II
.. TL 12
... 4'500-tonnes
... MCr 3'600
... 252
... II
.. TL 13
... 4'000-tonnes
... MCr 3'200
... 264
... II
.. TL 14
... 3'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'400
... 288
... II
. D
.. TL 12
... 4'000-tonnes
... MCr 5'400
... 300
... III
.. TL 13
... 3'600-tonnes
... MCr 4'860
... 315
... III
.. TL 14
... 3'200-tonnes
... MCr 4'320
... 330
... III


. Meson
.. long range
.. barrage value damage d6 against spacecraft
.. radiation damage
.. rapid fire option
... can be fired twice in one round due to capacitors and redundant reaction chambers
... must skip the following round to recharge
... tonnage and the cost of the weapon increased by 10%

. A
.. TL 11
... 5'000-tonnes
... MCr 5'000
... 200
... I
.. TL 12
... 4'000-tonnes
... MCr 4'000
... 220
... I
.. TL 13
... 3'000-tonnes
... MCr 3'000
... 240
... I
.. TL 14
... 2'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'000
... 260
... II
. B
.. TL 11
... 8'000-tonnes
... MCr 8'000
... 250
... I
.. TL 12
... 6'400-tonnes
... MCr 6'400
... 275
... II
.. TL 13
... 4'800-tonnes
... MCr 4'800
... 300
... II
.. TL 14
... 3'200-tonnes
... MCr 3'200
... 325
... III
. C
.. TL 12
... 10'000-tonnes
... MCr 10'000
... 350
... III
.. TL 13
... 8'000-tonnes
... MCr 8'000
... 385
... IV
.. TL 14
... 6'000-tonnes
... MCr 6'000
... 420
... IV
. D
.. TL 13
... 14'000-tonnes
... MCr 14'000
... 450
... IV
.. TL 14
... 11'200-tonnes
... MCr 11'200
... 495
... V


. Particle Accelerators
.. long range
.. barrage value damage d6 against spacecraft
.. armour damage reduced by thirty points per armour factor
.. radiation damage
.. residual damage 10% single section standard barrage hit
.. rapid fire option
... can be fired twice in one round due to capacitors and redundant reaction chambers
... must skip the following round to recharge
... tonnage and the cost of the weapon increased by 10%

. A
.. TL 8
... 5'000-tonnes
... MCr 3'500
... 200
... amour 6
.. TL 9
... 4'500-tonnes
... MCr 3'150
... 210
... armour 7
.. TL 10
... 4'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'800
... 220
... armour 7
.. TL 11
... 3'500-tonnes
... MCr 2'450
... 230
... armour 7
.. TL 12
... 3'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'100
... 240
... armour 8
. B
.. TL 12
... 3'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'100
... 300
... armour 10
.. TL 13
... 2'700-tonnes
... MCr 1'890
... 315
... armour 10
.. TL 14
... 2'400-tonnes
... MCr 1'680
... 330
... armour 11
. C
.. TL 10
... 5'000-tonnes
... MCr 3'500
... 300
... armour 10
.. TL 11
... 4'500-tonnes
... MCr 3'150
... 315
... armour 10
.. TL 12
... 4'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'800
... 330
... armour 11
.. TL 13
... 3'500-tonnes
... MCr 2'450
... 345
... armour 11
.. TL 14
... 3'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'100
... 360
... armour 12
. D
.. TL 14
... 3'500-tonnes
... MCr 2'500
... 400
... armour 13
. E
.. TL 12
... 4'000-tonnes
... MCr 2'800
... 400
... armour 13
.. TL 13
... 3'600-tonnes
... MCr 2'520
... 420
... armour 14
.. TL 14
... 3'200-tonnes
... MCr 2'240
... 440
... armour 14

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Spinal Mounts

1. How do you define a spinal mount, besides the obvious features that it runs along the keel of a large spaceship, and tends to ignore some or all armour plating.

2. Can it be physical size? In which case, what is the minimum tonnage?

3. Can it be damage potential? How much power would be required that it transcends to become a spinal mount?

4. Going by tradition, the minimum size would be a thousand tonnes.

5. Damage seems to be a minimum two hundred points, going by meson and spinal characteristics; however, railguns indicate that one hundred twenty would be sufficient.

6. Particle accelerators seem to cost between MCr 1.4 to MCr 1.428571 (though mostly this).

7. This might be more accurate

. D
.. TL 14
... 3'500-tonnes
... MCr 2'500 should be MCr 2'450
... 400
... armour 13

8. Mesons costs MCr 1.0 per tonne.

9. Can't pin down a formula for the railguns, and at the moment, hard to find a pattern for meson guns.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Black Globes and Periscopes

I say periscope, but instead of it sticking out of the sail, it could poke out from the prow, if you can adjust the radius of the Black Globe to allow that piece of equipment to pierce it.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Spinal Mounts

1. Taking it to it's logical conclusion, railgun spinal mounts progress as follows:

. A1
.. TL 9
... 7'000-tonnes
... MCr
... 150
... I
. E
.. TL 13
... 3'000-tonnes
... MCr
... 370
... III
. F
.. TL 14
... 2'000-tonnes
... MCr
... 450
... IV
. G
.. TL 15
... 1'000-tonnes
... MCr
... 540
... V
. H
.. TL 16
... 0'000-tonnes
... MCr
... 640
... VI

2. Can't find a pattern for the costs yet.

3. Bore size remains the same, as it shoots a twenty tonne shell.

4. As such, the calibre of the barrel length is shortened, indicating a greater efficiency in transferring energy, though you'd expect there has to be some mini8mum size, as not only the barrel grows shorter, but the damage increases.

5. So how much TNT equivalent does a twenty-tonne iron meteorite impact at relative speed impart?

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Mine Clearance and Torpedo Netting

Cargo nets are a slower but safer method than cargo scoops for retrieving cargo from space. The net consists of a mesh of tough plastic and several remote–controlled tow drones. The drones are launched from the mother craft and drag the net out behind them. The net is drawn around a volume of space and then retracted.

The plastic is extremely stretchable, allowing the volume of the net to be increased to over a dozen cubic kilometres. The more the net is expanded, the longer it takes to draw it on board. A cargo net takes up 5 tons of space, including the drones and costs 1MCr.

1. No tech level mentioned.

2. Doesn't mention drone speed.

3. In mine clearance mode, the drones keep moving forward, until they encounter one or more, which are then trapped within the net and destroyed.

4. As torpedo netting, the drones keep pace with the ship they are protecting, entangling missiles, torpedoes and possibly drones, on final approach.

5. Entangled objects are easier to target with ship weapon systems, and are more likely to lose target locks.

6. Military grade nets are probably heavily reinforced.

 

[Reynard]

Spaceships: Black Globes and Periscopes

I say periscope, but instead of it sticking out of the sail, it could poke out from the prow, if you can adjust the radius of the Black Globe to allow that piece of equipment to pierce it.

I believe the descriptions of black globes prevent items extending beyond the field. I remember a source from a long time ago mentioning the spectacular disaster when Imperial researchers turned one on the first time in an enclosed area.