Ship Design Philosophy
- Thread starter Condottiere
- Start date
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Spaceship sleeping facilities
Pirates may have slung hammocks in the corridors.
2. Solomani Jolly Boat
1. Ten ton streamlined titanium steel TL7 hull at 1.1 Mcr.
2. Airlock 1 ton 0.2 Mcr.
3. Cockpit holographic 1.5 tons at 0.155 Mcr (based on 20 tons, otherwise 92'500 Cr.); standard electronics suite and iPod.
4. Fusion plant sA 1.2 tons at 3 MCr.
5. Gravitic Drive sA 0.5 tons at 1 MCr.
6. Fuel 0.8 tons for 11 days four hours and forty eight minutes.
7. Aerofins 1 ton at 0.1 MCr.
8. Three cabin spaces 4.5 tons at 0.225 MCr.; 0.3 ton cargo.
9. Self-Sealing at 0.1 MCr.
10. Heat shielding at 1 MCr.
12. Flight crew of Pilot.
6.88 MCr.; 2G acceleration. I wonder how long the flight from London to New York is? Or can you pull a hypermach flight to Sydney by going orbital?
Notes: Artificial gravity? Wouldn't know, though TL7 permits acceleration 2. Grav drives and fusion plant? Probably not, but finding the appropriate entries is a pain. Probably would have to push the envelope to TL8, though the precise purpose is to create a cheap discounted TL12 manufactured smallcraft.
Two other variants would be an all passenger one with acceleration couches and half a ton fresher; and a cargo one for a twenty foot container.
Pirates may have slung hammocks in the corridors.
2. Solomani Jolly Boat
1. Ten ton streamlined titanium steel TL7 hull at 1.1 Mcr.
2. Airlock 1 ton 0.2 Mcr.
3. Cockpit holographic 1.5 tons at 0.155 Mcr (based on 20 tons, otherwise 92'500 Cr.); standard electronics suite and iPod.
4. Fusion plant sA 1.2 tons at 3 MCr.
5. Gravitic Drive sA 0.5 tons at 1 MCr.
6. Fuel 0.8 tons for 11 days four hours and forty eight minutes.
7. Aerofins 1 ton at 0.1 MCr.
8. Three cabin spaces 4.5 tons at 0.225 MCr.; 0.3 ton cargo.
9. Self-Sealing at 0.1 MCr.
10. Heat shielding at 1 MCr.
12. Flight crew of Pilot.
6.88 MCr.; 2G acceleration. I wonder how long the flight from London to New York is? Or can you pull a hypermach flight to Sydney by going orbital?
Notes: Artificial gravity? Wouldn't know, though TL7 permits acceleration 2. Grav drives and fusion plant? Probably not, but finding the appropriate entries is a pain. Probably would have to push the envelope to TL8, though the precise purpose is to create a cheap discounted TL12 manufactured smallcraft.
Two other variants would be an all passenger one with acceleration couches and half a ton fresher; and a cargo one for a twenty foot container.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Traveller as a reflection of current events
Generally, role playing can be used as an escape from reality, a metaphor for it, or a way to work it out virtually.
The Solomani Confederation could be a future successor to Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia or Communist China. They can't be the antagonists of the Honorverse, Haven, since they don't have the overwhelming numbers of capital ships, nor is the Imperium the underdog.
However, you probably do have a factionalized ruling party, with an expansionist policy, and an apolitical military that needs both to be monitored and mollified by turns.
The Solomani resent any form of containment, but may have found their Siberia in Rimward expansion, free of competing interests.
The Party may have given their commercial interests a more or less free hand to trade, allowing a rapid rise in revenue, which in turn gets partially channelled in increasing their military spending.
Despite having a single political apparatus steering the ship of state, politics in the Solomani Sphere tend to be fiercely local, heavily influenced by Terran history and traditions. I'll bet that part of about the right of the people bearing arms still can't be infringed.
The Imperium may actually be the New World, with Solomani immigrants viewing that their loyalty lies with their new homeland.
2. Spinward Solomani Sea
The Solomani have not given up the claim to the space they believe belongs to them, currently administered by the Imeprium or their puppet states. An aggressive policy to slowing re-exerting hegemony over these disputed areas and rebel provinces is starting to make itself be felt.
3. Solomani Military
The Solomani military definitely know that they lag technologically behind the Imperium, but are willing to experiment with new doctrines and technological innovations in order to level the playing field. This includes importing TL15 equipment, dual use if a military embargo is in place.
4. Minimum fleet specifications
I'm going to base it around Jump 3, because their lines of communication are shorter than the Imperium's. Their flying squadrons would be Jump 4 and their deep strike ones would be Jump 5.
5. Troop Transports
A Marine division of 8400 souls sounds a little short, and does bring into question how a totalitarian government plans to keep five plus sectors worth of worlds suppressed. I suppose that ordinary army units are levied and that their home planets are responsible for their transports. Or they go Imperial Guard on them, and use them up, which means transport is the Navy's problem.
Generally, role playing can be used as an escape from reality, a metaphor for it, or a way to work it out virtually.
The Solomani Confederation could be a future successor to Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia or Communist China. They can't be the antagonists of the Honorverse, Haven, since they don't have the overwhelming numbers of capital ships, nor is the Imperium the underdog.
However, you probably do have a factionalized ruling party, with an expansionist policy, and an apolitical military that needs both to be monitored and mollified by turns.
The Solomani resent any form of containment, but may have found their Siberia in Rimward expansion, free of competing interests.
The Party may have given their commercial interests a more or less free hand to trade, allowing a rapid rise in revenue, which in turn gets partially channelled in increasing their military spending.
Despite having a single political apparatus steering the ship of state, politics in the Solomani Sphere tend to be fiercely local, heavily influenced by Terran history and traditions. I'll bet that part of about the right of the people bearing arms still can't be infringed.
The Imperium may actually be the New World, with Solomani immigrants viewing that their loyalty lies with their new homeland.
2. Spinward Solomani Sea
The Solomani have not given up the claim to the space they believe belongs to them, currently administered by the Imeprium or their puppet states. An aggressive policy to slowing re-exerting hegemony over these disputed areas and rebel provinces is starting to make itself be felt.
3. Solomani Military
The Solomani military definitely know that they lag technologically behind the Imperium, but are willing to experiment with new doctrines and technological innovations in order to level the playing field. This includes importing TL15 equipment, dual use if a military embargo is in place.
4. Minimum fleet specifications
I'm going to base it around Jump 3, because their lines of communication are shorter than the Imperium's. Their flying squadrons would be Jump 4 and their deep strike ones would be Jump 5.
5. Troop Transports
A Marine division of 8400 souls sounds a little short, and does bring into question how a totalitarian government plans to keep five plus sectors worth of worlds suppressed. I suppose that ordinary army units are levied and that their home planets are responsible for their transports. Or they go Imperial Guard on them, and use them up, which means transport is the Navy's problem.
GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
Condottiere said:
Many of the same factors that influence the Rebellion era come into play in the Solomani Sphere. They can control 90% of the population by controlling 10% of the worlds: the High Pops. These are a bit more common in Solomani space than Imperial space, but they still concentrate populations usefully.
Second, they can use the same strategies seen in historical empires: raise a division on one side of the Sphere to garrison a world somewhere else. Just enough cultural isolation and maybe a healthy dislike for each other makes the troops less likely to empathize with the people they help suppress.
The Solomani are also starting from a position of carefully cultivated patriotism, so there may be less suppression needed than normal.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Garrisoning
Roman Legion deployments is a possibility, but I suspect control is a lot more subtle, with a Great Wall filtering communications and databases, and a professional public relations approach to influencing and steering the electorate.
The immediate concern is more on the probable troop transports.
2. Mothership
Speaking of which, exploring the possibilities of a flattened spheric all-around TL12 ancient transporter.
3. Shipboard facilities
Minimum number of toilets.
Number of employees of each sex -Minimum number of toilets per sex
1 to 15 - 1
16 to 35 - 2
36 to 55 - 3
56 to 80 - 4
81 to 110 - 5
111 to 150 - 6
Over 150 - 1 additional toilet for each additional 40 employees.
Note to Table F-2 of § 1915.88: When toilets will only be used by men, urinals may be provided instead of toilets, except that the number of toilets in such cases shall not be reduced to less than two-thirds of the minimum specified.
Unisex toilet facilities
Design occupancyNumber
1–5 1
6–30 2
Greater than 30 add 1 per 40
Lavatories per passenger provided aboard aircraft vary considerably from airline to airline and aircraft to aircraft. On board North American aircraft, including low-cost, charter, and scheduled service airline carriers, the normally accepted minimum ratio of lavatories to passengers is approximately one lavatory for every 50 passengers. However, in premium cabin and business cabins, passengers may have access to multiple lavatories reserved primarily for their use. These ratios of lavatories to passengers vary considerably, depending upon which airline is being used with some first class passengers having one lavatory for every 12 passengers. Additionally, many of the larger long-haul airlines elect to equip their aircraft with larger lavatories for this particular group of passengers willing to pay higher fares.
If the employer provides an eating area, the following minimum floor area per person, based on the maximum number of persons scheduled to use the room at any one time, is recommended:
No. of persons Floor area per person
In square metres In square feet
25 and fewer 1.1 (min. 5.6 sq. m) 12 (min. 60 sq.ft.)
26 to 74 .93 10
75 to 149 .65 7
150 to 499 .56 6
500 and more .47 5
4. Easily accessible shipboard refreshers
A luxurious 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres.
An American manufacturer of aircraft cabin products has designed smaller bathrooms for Boeing 737s.
The new design will allow up to four extra economy seats to be fitted on each plane, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The standard one-square-metre size of the economy class lavatory will be reduced, using space that is currently "wasted" behind the sink.
Delta Airlines will be first airline to incorporate the new loos, insisting that passengers will not notice the difference. And never fear, if you have a seat in front of the toilets you will still be able to recline your chair due to sculpted exterior walls. Snazzy, huh?
Roman Legion deployments is a possibility, but I suspect control is a lot more subtle, with a Great Wall filtering communications and databases, and a professional public relations approach to influencing and steering the electorate.
The immediate concern is more on the probable troop transports.
2. Mothership
Speaking of which, exploring the possibilities of a flattened spheric all-around TL12 ancient transporter.
3. Shipboard facilities
Minimum number of toilets.
Number of employees of each sex -Minimum number of toilets per sex
1 to 15 - 1
16 to 35 - 2
36 to 55 - 3
56 to 80 - 4
81 to 110 - 5
111 to 150 - 6
Over 150 - 1 additional toilet for each additional 40 employees.
Note to Table F-2 of § 1915.88: When toilets will only be used by men, urinals may be provided instead of toilets, except that the number of toilets in such cases shall not be reduced to less than two-thirds of the minimum specified.
Unisex toilet facilities
Design occupancyNumber
1–5 1
6–30 2
Greater than 30 add 1 per 40
Lavatories per passenger provided aboard aircraft vary considerably from airline to airline and aircraft to aircraft. On board North American aircraft, including low-cost, charter, and scheduled service airline carriers, the normally accepted minimum ratio of lavatories to passengers is approximately one lavatory for every 50 passengers. However, in premium cabin and business cabins, passengers may have access to multiple lavatories reserved primarily for their use. These ratios of lavatories to passengers vary considerably, depending upon which airline is being used with some first class passengers having one lavatory for every 12 passengers. Additionally, many of the larger long-haul airlines elect to equip their aircraft with larger lavatories for this particular group of passengers willing to pay higher fares.
If the employer provides an eating area, the following minimum floor area per person, based on the maximum number of persons scheduled to use the room at any one time, is recommended:
No. of persons Floor area per person
In square metres In square feet
25 and fewer 1.1 (min. 5.6 sq. m) 12 (min. 60 sq.ft.)
26 to 74 .93 10
75 to 149 .65 7
150 to 499 .56 6
500 and more .47 5
4. Easily accessible shipboard refreshers
A luxurious 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres.
An American manufacturer of aircraft cabin products has designed smaller bathrooms for Boeing 737s.
The new design will allow up to four extra economy seats to be fitted on each plane, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The standard one-square-metre size of the economy class lavatory will be reduced, using space that is currently "wasted" behind the sink.
Delta Airlines will be first airline to incorporate the new loos, insisting that passengers will not notice the difference. And never fear, if you have a seat in front of the toilets you will still be able to recline your chair due to sculpted exterior walls. Snazzy, huh?
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Happy New Year.
2. Solomani Sphere
I'm more convinced that the political structure and policies are closer to the PRC; especially if the Vegan Autonomous District is an analogue for the Tibet Autonomous Region. As long as the primacy of the Solomani Party isn't directly challenged, planetary politics are allowed to run their course, unless they either destabilize the economy or cause interstellar disruptions.
3. Starship accomodations
Just minusing off a ton from each full stateroom may not be enough to account for all the passageways and onboard facilities for crew and passengers. Also, where's the life support equipment?
4. Venture Class Starship
Urban legend has it it was the first successful starship design from GSbAG, and was quickly adapted as a vehicle for reconnaissance, light transport and communications in the forthcoming Interstellar Wars. Gasbag PR personnel tend to mishear any such inquiries for the veracity of such tales, while company officers react rather irritably when the subject arises, which has less to do with the the lapse of design patents over the last several millenia, but a rather embarrassing litigation attempts to prevent rivals from replicating the flattened sphere hull form.
Also, cut-rate copies by white slipway back alley shipwrights do not reflect their current renowned range of quality starships they offer to discerning customers.
2. Solomani Sphere
I'm more convinced that the political structure and policies are closer to the PRC; especially if the Vegan Autonomous District is an analogue for the Tibet Autonomous Region. As long as the primacy of the Solomani Party isn't directly challenged, planetary politics are allowed to run their course, unless they either destabilize the economy or cause interstellar disruptions.
3. Starship accomodations
Just minusing off a ton from each full stateroom may not be enough to account for all the passageways and onboard facilities for crew and passengers. Also, where's the life support equipment?
4. Venture Class Starship
Urban legend has it it was the first successful starship design from GSbAG, and was quickly adapted as a vehicle for reconnaissance, light transport and communications in the forthcoming Interstellar Wars. Gasbag PR personnel tend to mishear any such inquiries for the veracity of such tales, while company officers react rather irritably when the subject arises, which has less to do with the the lapse of design patents over the last several millenia, but a rather embarrassing litigation attempts to prevent rivals from replicating the flattened sphere hull form.
Also, cut-rate copies by white slipway back alley shipwrights do not reflect their current renowned range of quality starships they offer to discerning customers.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
I thought I'd add a few more thoughts on containerization:
1. The Jolly Boat could easily be converted to a pick up truck variant, with an external cargo frame, which would limit it to space operations in transferring small loads, though how a twenty foot container is a small load baffles me.
2. Like the modular skiff and cutter before it, you could also have a modular four ton boat, instead of a pick up truck, though the greater use of titanium steel (compared to less than four tons of corrugated steel) for the protection of contents through the freezing cold of space and the heat of re-entry does question the viability of this option. The cost of the standard container (according to Alibaba) would be between twenty five to thirty hundred bucks.
3. Containers make less than ideal housing, except in cost and speed. Perfect for setting up semi-permanent housing for mercenaries. Or cheapskate adventurers.
4. If you standardize the containers, than you have to standardize the boxes and pallets. These probably become more important once you have to travel on smaller planetary transports, and may be constructed out of lightweight material, such as plastics, aluminum or wood.
5. While I used the dimensions six metres by three metres by three metres out of convenience, they are probably six metres by less than three metres by deck height externally, and internally, less.
6. The modular containers would have to be streamlined, which adds ten percent to the price.
7. Actually, if you configure them like drop tanks, they have a natural streamlining; all you need are the necessary clamps without the requisite pumping equipment. How much is a four ton drop tank, four thousand credits?
1. The Jolly Boat could easily be converted to a pick up truck variant, with an external cargo frame, which would limit it to space operations in transferring small loads, though how a twenty foot container is a small load baffles me.
2. Like the modular skiff and cutter before it, you could also have a modular four ton boat, instead of a pick up truck, though the greater use of titanium steel (compared to less than four tons of corrugated steel) for the protection of contents through the freezing cold of space and the heat of re-entry does question the viability of this option. The cost of the standard container (according to Alibaba) would be between twenty five to thirty hundred bucks.
3. Containers make less than ideal housing, except in cost and speed. Perfect for setting up semi-permanent housing for mercenaries. Or cheapskate adventurers.
4. If you standardize the containers, than you have to standardize the boxes and pallets. These probably become more important once you have to travel on smaller planetary transports, and may be constructed out of lightweight material, such as plastics, aluminum or wood.
5. While I used the dimensions six metres by three metres by three metres out of convenience, they are probably six metres by less than three metres by deck height externally, and internally, less.
6. The modular containers would have to be streamlined, which adds ten percent to the price.
7. Actually, if you configure them like drop tanks, they have a natural streamlining; all you need are the necessary clamps without the requisite pumping equipment. How much is a four ton drop tank, four thousand credits?
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Modular Boat
0.1 MCr open frame sealed environment thirty ton module. 13'333 Cr for a four ton one.
2. Containerization
0.1 MCr for fifty ton drop tank; 8'000 Cr for four ton drop tank. Two ton clamp at 1 MCr, 0.16 tons at 80'000 Cr; or docking clamp 1:30 is 0.133 tons at 75'000 Cr. Both would be stripped of their pumping or docking equipment, so should be lighter and cheaper.
3. Docking clamps
Ever notice that you have a one to thirty formula for upto thirty tons, one in eighteen for upto ninety, one in thirty for upto three hundred, one in hundred for upto two thousand, and apparently infinity for a fifty ton clamp?
4. Dispersed structure hundred ton starship
Any canon examples?
0.1 MCr open frame sealed environment thirty ton module. 13'333 Cr for a four ton one.
2. Containerization
0.1 MCr for fifty ton drop tank; 8'000 Cr for four ton drop tank. Two ton clamp at 1 MCr, 0.16 tons at 80'000 Cr; or docking clamp 1:30 is 0.133 tons at 75'000 Cr. Both would be stripped of their pumping or docking equipment, so should be lighter and cheaper.
3. Docking clamps
Ever notice that you have a one to thirty formula for upto thirty tons, one in eighteen for upto ninety, one in thirty for upto three hundred, one in hundred for upto two thousand, and apparently infinity for a fifty ton clamp?
4. Dispersed structure hundred ton starship
Any canon examples?
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Hull tonnage, pop ups, pop outs, and turrets
1. I was looking at a container turned home, and noticed that you could pop out the walls to increase acreage. This seems an interesting option for a spacecraft that's either landed or cruising in normal space.
2. Which made me wonder, if you don't install the turret, is the hundred ton scout actually hundred tons or ninety nine? Unless you install a dummy.
3. Q ships could install pop up barbettes, possibly under a dummy one ton turret to lull their opponents.
1. I was looking at a container turned home, and noticed that you could pop out the walls to increase acreage. This seems an interesting option for a spacecraft that's either landed or cruising in normal space.
2. Which made me wonder, if you don't install the turret, is the hundred ton scout actually hundred tons or ninety nine? Unless you install a dummy.
3. Q ships could install pop up barbettes, possibly under a dummy one ton turret to lull their opponents.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Turrets and fire control
This may be more obvious to others than myself, but having fire-control plus turret means two tons dedicated; turrets not installed either add or substract tonnage. This is only important when a Scout would then be ninety nine tons, in which case it can't jump, or any added tonnage when the turrets are added, as it would screw up drive calculations and performance by a factor.
2. Pop out modules and collapsible tanks
Install collapsible tanks into pop out modules, that contract as the fuel is used up. which would positively influence performance by the power plant and the drives.
It would also be interesting to figure out if a shrinking starship changes jump parameters, as in being able to jump further.
This may be more obvious to others than myself, but having fire-control plus turret means two tons dedicated; turrets not installed either add or substract tonnage. This is only important when a Scout would then be ninety nine tons, in which case it can't jump, or any added tonnage when the turrets are added, as it would screw up drive calculations and performance by a factor.
2. Pop out modules and collapsible tanks
Install collapsible tanks into pop out modules, that contract as the fuel is used up. which would positively influence performance by the power plant and the drives.
It would also be interesting to figure out if a shrinking starship changes jump parameters, as in being able to jump further.
AndrewW
Emperor Mongoose
Condottiere said:
Traveller Core Rulebook page: 111 said:
The table only gives one ton for the turret (Other then Pop-Up), this is the fire control.
Condottiere said:
Trillion Credit Squadron covers collapsible and demountable tanks. Spinward Marches mentions fuel bladders.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
"This may be more obvious to others than myself, but having fire-control plus turret means two tons dedicated; turrets not installed either add or subtract tonnage. This is only important when a Scout would then be ninety nine tons, in which case it can't jump, or any added tonnage when the turrets are added, as it would screw up drive calculations and performance by a factor."
Now you went and made me think! It's some sort of canon error that somehow make one ton turrets external and therefore (logically?) not part of the displacement tonnage whereas bays actually take up internal tonnage as well as the extra one ton for fire control. Checking my classic Traveller book shows the same thing. No one remembered even an external block of one ton displacement adds an additional one ton displacement. Not sure how that was missed. I always concluded the turret and fire control were integrated into that one ton and the external turret 'blister' is still part of the hull.
Bless MegaTraveller for making displacement tonnage a standard for describing ship hulls then using the calculated volume for assigning components. Ships turrets, bays and spinal mounts have volume (and weight) subtracted from the total volume of a particular hull.
Since the damage has bee around forever. Treat turret and fire control as an integrated package and continue using the rules as is. No weapon at a particular hardpoint means one ton of space for other components. A 100 ton scout is still a 100 ton scout with or without a turret.
Now you went and made me think! It's some sort of canon error that somehow make one ton turrets external and therefore (logically?) not part of the displacement tonnage whereas bays actually take up internal tonnage as well as the extra one ton for fire control. Checking my classic Traveller book shows the same thing. No one remembered even an external block of one ton displacement adds an additional one ton displacement. Not sure how that was missed. I always concluded the turret and fire control were integrated into that one ton and the external turret 'blister' is still part of the hull.
Bless MegaTraveller for making displacement tonnage a standard for describing ship hulls then using the calculated volume for assigning components. Ships turrets, bays and spinal mounts have volume (and weight) subtracted from the total volume of a particular hull.
Since the damage has bee around forever. Treat turret and fire control as an integrated package and continue using the rules as is. No weapon at a particular hardpoint means one ton of space for other components. A 100 ton scout is still a 100 ton scout with or without a turret.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Turret and volume
You'd think at least half the volume would be outside, and the other half inside: an ambiguous position to find one self in, satisfying neither side.
Instead of a dummy, you could install a glass dome and arrange some potted plants beneath.
2. Escort sizes
Two interesting ones would be five thousand, because of the sensor array benefit, and twenty two hundred, in order to get the maximum benefit out of eleven ton bridges.
Speaking of which ...
3. Capital Ship Bridges
The wording seems unclear as to whether all bridges are needed to be manned to control the ship, or that the additional ones are just relay stations, as for example, the arse end of a dinosaur, and that it's implied they could be used as auxiliary, command, etcetera, bridges.
You'd think at least half the volume would be outside, and the other half inside: an ambiguous position to find one self in, satisfying neither side.
Instead of a dummy, you could install a glass dome and arrange some potted plants beneath.
2. Escort sizes
Two interesting ones would be five thousand, because of the sensor array benefit, and twenty two hundred, in order to get the maximum benefit out of eleven ton bridges.
Speaking of which ...
3. Capital Ship Bridges
The wording seems unclear as to whether all bridges are needed to be manned to control the ship, or that the additional ones are just relay stations, as for example, the arse end of a dinosaur, and that it's implied they could be used as auxiliary, command, etcetera, bridges.
Condottiere said:
Turrets have always been a bit nonsensical in Traveller. It's worse when you get up into bay's as their tonnage vs. firepower makes no logical sense. A 100 ton missile bay should be able to launch 100 times the number of missiles as a single triple-turret mount, or at least 33x if you are downgrading things. But it can't. And then 'bays' can be internal or external. But an external isn't called a bay, it's called a turret. And then there's the whole silly idea of mounting missiles in a turret when it's far more reasonable and logical to have a launcher built into the hull.
But of course some of these concepts didn't exist at the beginning of Traveller. And no publisher has ever updated the gaming rules to account for this, at least not in weaponry. The original computers took up tonnage, and in the latest versions they don't. Which that tracks to upgrades in tech.
As far as a dummy turret, you wouldn't need to do so. When you install a hard point you have a mount for the turret, but need not do anything with it other than reserve 1 ton for fire control, machinery, etc. You could mount a turret there if you like, but also where the weaponry would go it would simply be covered up. In the smaller ship illustrations you never see anything protruding from the actual turret itself, which leads one to believe the focusing arrays are rather short and stubby to fit within the turret. Conversely, the larger 'bay' turrets of the AHL class, you actually see barrel's sticking out of the large PA mounts. So I guess at some point they need that, but no details have ever been put into the rules.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. What's really interesting on the subject of curious rules is that you could tow an object six times your size at -7 thrust with a tow rope and a piloting penalty. And you can scale that up and downwards.
2. Relevance? If the grav drives rules disallow adventure and capital ships installation, you have smallcraft tugs, without clamps.
2. Relevance? If the grav drives rules disallow adventure and capital ships installation, you have smallcraft tugs, without clamps.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
There should be some aerodynamic advantage to pop up turrets. Which would resolve the issue of actually how much tonnage a turret takes up.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
Most illustrations and descriptions for the ship turrets have their shape as a semi-hemispherical blister making them highly aerodynamic. The turret's drag coefficient should be very minimal in game mechanics so a pop-up turret really doesn't save anything. Let's not go MegaTraveller detail.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Ship Classifications
1. Armoured Cruisers - were the predecessors to battlecruisers, of which we don't really see a lot of at TL15. This may be a designation from TL13 for large, long range powerful cruisers from the TL13 era, superceded by battlecruisers in the TL14 period. Battlecruisers being made obsolete by fast TL15 battleships.
2. Protected Cruisers - another relic from the TL13 era, unlike their armoured brethren, used speed and careful use of armour to protect critical components to survive in battle. Succeeded by a general purpose cruiser in TL14, eventually splitting between light and heavy variants to permit wider coverage of spacelanes in proportion to expected threats, as the light cruisers would be more than capable to deal with marauders, pirates and commerce raiders, as well as acting as a flotilla leader, while heavy cruisers would power project into regions where a dreadnought would be considered overkill, show the flag, deal with naval threats that a light cruiser wouldn't be expected to and support the battle line.
3. Ironclads - Titanium armoured armoured warships.
1. Armoured Cruisers - were the predecessors to battlecruisers, of which we don't really see a lot of at TL15. This may be a designation from TL13 for large, long range powerful cruisers from the TL13 era, superceded by battlecruisers in the TL14 period. Battlecruisers being made obsolete by fast TL15 battleships.
2. Protected Cruisers - another relic from the TL13 era, unlike their armoured brethren, used speed and careful use of armour to protect critical components to survive in battle. Succeeded by a general purpose cruiser in TL14, eventually splitting between light and heavy variants to permit wider coverage of spacelanes in proportion to expected threats, as the light cruisers would be more than capable to deal with marauders, pirates and commerce raiders, as well as acting as a flotilla leader, while heavy cruisers would power project into regions where a dreadnought would be considered overkill, show the flag, deal with naval threats that a light cruiser wouldn't be expected to and support the battle line.
3. Ironclads - Titanium armoured armoured warships.
