Ship's Troops and Berthing Spaces

[Condottiere]

Depends on whether you need to fling the troops into action, immediately on arrival.

I sort of suspect you'd have similar concerns with thawing them out.

 

[tytalan]

Well, my discussion is specifically about transported troops, not 'ship's troops'.
Transported troops are, yes, 'cargo' in a sense, but they still need to be delivered to the deployment area in condition to fight.
Ship's troops are Marines or PROFORS trained Army troops part of the ship's complement. They're trained in damage control, act as masters-at-arms providing security for the ship, and man gunnery stations aboard some ships. While they are available for deployment at the captain's discretion, such deployments are usually very short term.

Every troop transport I’ve seen written up has large Common area, Training Areas, Briefing rooms (that also can be used for study) and Armories. Just because they sleep in Barracks doesn’t mean that’s the only area they have in fact just like real life bunks are for sleeping and that all. Barracks are sleeping areas for low rank enlisted be they crew or marines that’s all they are, what they are not it the only areas available for those enlisted personal. Common areas cover things like mess halls(which from personal experience is used for more than cooking and eating I’ve been in a platoon that did its PT in a mess hall durning a South Carolina monsoon) facility (depending on you view of the imperium either coed or with gender segregation of one kind or another) and others things. Training Areas are designed to be changeable from target range to PT Field to battlefield simulation. Briefing rooms can yes be used to give briefings about missions but they also are used for none physical training which troops do a lot of. You make it sound like the only space the troops have is their bunks and that’s simply not true. The Broadsword Merc cruiser for example has 30dt of barracks for its 30 troopers but it also has a extra 14dt of common area, 4dt of briefing rooms, 10 dt of Training facilities and a 7dt armory that’s 65dt dedicated to the 30 troopers.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Every troop transport I’ve seen written up has large Common area, Training Areas, Briefing rooms (that also can be used for study) and Armories. Just because they sleep in Barracks doesn’t mean that’s the only area they have in fact just like real life bunks are for sleeping and that all. Barracks are sleeping areas for low rank enlisted be they crew or marines that’s all they are, what they are not it the only areas available for those enlisted personal. Common areas cover things like mess halls(which from personal experience is used for more than cooking and eating I’ve been in a platoon that did its PT in a mess hall durning a South Carolina monsoon) facility (depending on you view of the imperium either coed or with gender segregation of one kind or another) and others things. Training Areas are designed to be changeable from target range to PT Field to battlefield simulation. Briefing rooms can yes be used to give briefings about missions but they also are used for none physical training which troops do a lot of. You make it sound like the only space the troops have is their bunks and that’s simply not true. The Broadsword Merc cruiser for example has 30dt of barracks for its 30 troopers but it also has a extra 14dt of common area, 4dt of briefing rooms, 10 dt of Training facilities and a 7dt armory that’s 65dt dedicated to the 30 troopers.

Concur.

 

[MonsterX]

Fast drug isn't supposed to be sleep. It is supposed to be greatly slowed metabolism so that 1 subjective week would be 60 weeks to non drugged individuals. Nothing says you need ANY medical support. You're able to eat and drink so dehydration is not an issue.

Please cite a source for these issues.

You don't need a source to realize that only being able to move at 1/60th speed is going to really affect your ability to do things a lot, and make everyday life very dangerous. You'd be almost like someone who is paralyzed, except with just enough ability to move to get yourself into trouble. A drug like this is also going to have massive side effects. Something messing with the human metabolism that much is going to do a number on you.

Here's a list that I came up with, no need to pile them all on at once, it might be better just to make Medic and endurance rolls:

Side effects may include Hallucinations, Memory Loss, Priapism, Blood Clots, Compulsive Behaviors, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Frequent and Violent Bowl Movements, Loss of Bladder Control, Headaches, and Dizziness, Anxiety, Restlessness, Fast heartbeat, Fever, Sweating, Muscle spasms, Twitching, Nausea, and Vomiting, Do not drive or attempt to operate heavy machinery while on Fast Drug (TM).

Talk with your physician about whether Fast Drug (TM) is right for you!

 

[swordtart]

Well, my discussion is specifically about transported troops, not 'ship's troops'.
Transported troops are, yes, 'cargo' in a sense, but they still need to be delivered to the deployment area in condition to fight.
Ship's troops are Marines or PROFORS trained Army troops part of the ship's complement. They're trained in damage control, act as masters-at-arms providing security for the ship, and man gunnery stations aboard some ships. While they are available for deployment at the captain's discretion, such deployments are usually very short term.

Except at #45 (and you original post) you specifically mentioned Marines needing the same accommodation as other ships crewmembers. Later you started talking about packing other troops like cargo.

I am not sure why you consider the short term transportation of non-ships troops in barracks is materially different to the transport of marines. If a deployment is longer term then the accommodation the troops have en-route to that deployment is even less relevant as it forms a shorter proportion of the overall deployment time.

I am having trouble envisaging a scenario where "space dragoons" - i.e. army troops who ride space/star ships to the theatre of operations would need to spend a significant amount of time onboard. If they are conducting planetary operations I would assume space superiority has already been established (or they would be too vulnerable) and in that case there might well be options for in system reserve bases (or even at remote locations on the main world). At worst they would be brought from a system a jump away, so time aboard would be limited to no more than a single jump plus a few days transit time.

What problem are we trying to solve here?

 

[ottarrus]

Except at #45 (and you original post) you specifically mentioned Marines needing the same accommodation as other ships crewmembers. Later you started talking about packing other troops like cargo.

I am not sure why you consider the short term transportation of non-ships troops in barracks is materially different to the transport of marines. If a deployment is longer term then the accommodation the troops have en-route to that deployment is even less relevant as it forms a shorter proportion of the overall deployment time.

I am having trouble envisaging a scenario where "space dragoons" - i.e. army troops who ride space/star ships to the theatre of operations would need to spend a significant amount of time onboard. If they are conducting planetary operations I would assume space superiority has already been established (or they would be too vulnerable) and in that case there might well be options for in system reserve bases (or even at remote locations on the main world). At worst they would be brought from a system a jump away, so time aboard would be limited to no more than a single jump plus a few days transit time.

What problem are we trying to solve here?

Let me clarify.
There are two kinds of troops transported aboard Navy vessels, ship's troops and, for lack of a better term, 'troop contingents'.

- Ship's troops 'belong' to the ship's complement just like the spacehands do. PFC Alpha is assigned to 1010th Marine Regiment and the Regiment is assigned as Ship's Troops for the 12th Battle Squadron of the Spinward Marches Fleet. Alpha's battalion is specifically assigned to the INS Outrageous. Able Spacehand Bravo is likewise assigned to the Outrageous as a gunner's mate. While they arrive at their duty stations by administratively different routes, PFC Alpha and ASH Bravo still turn wrenches on Outrageous' Missile Bay 3 and both are permanently part of the ship's listed complement.
Alpha is under the orders of both his Marine Force Commander and the Captain of Outrageous, though the Captain will likely route any orders to the Marines aboard through the Force Commander. Bravo is under the orders of Outrageous' Captain, and is not normally in a chain of command that includes Marines.

- Troop contingents are Army or Marine units being transported to their deployment zones by Navy ships. They are 'cargo' in the sense that they are temporary occupants of the ship's troop berthing. Once the ship reaches its destination, the troop contingent and all it's equipment will permanently disembark the ship for whatever campaign they're assigned to fight. At no point are troop contingents subordinate to the transporting ship's captain other than safety matters.

What I'm saying is that troops of both types ought to have the same berthing arrangements as the naval spacehands AND that troops of both types require space to train and maintain their equipment in addition to enough common space to mess and recreate. Why does a spacehand rate the comparative luxury of having just one roomate when troops are wedged into barracks stacked three to a bunk tier?

 

[swordtart]

Let me clarify.
There are two kinds of troops transported aboard Navy vessels, ship's troops and, for lack of a better term, 'troop contingents'.

- Ship's troops 'belong' to the ship's complement just like the spacehands do. PFC Alpha is assigned to 1010th Marine Regiment and the Regiment is assigned as Ship's Troops for the 12th Battle Squadron of the Spinward Marches Fleet. Alpha's battalion is specifically assigned to the INS Outrageous. Able Spacehand Bravo is likewise assigned to the Outrageous as a gunner's mate. While they arrive at their duty stations by administratively different routes, PFC Alpha and ASH Bravo still turn wrenches on Outrageous' Missile Bay 3 and both are permanently part of the ship's listed complement.
Alpha is under the orders of both his Marine Force Commander and the Captain of Outrageous, though the Captain will likely route any orders to the Marines aboard through the Force Commander. Bravo is under the orders of Outrageous' Captain, and is not normally in a chain of command that includes Marines.

- Troop contingents are Army or Marine units being transported to their deployment zones by Navy ships. They are 'cargo' in the sense that they are temporary occupants of the ship's troop berthing. Once the ship reaches its destination, the troop contingent and all it's equipment will permanently disembark the ship for whatever campaign they're assigned to fight. At no point are troop contingents subordinate to the transporting ship's captain other than safety matters.

What I'm saying is that troops of both types ought to have the same berthing arrangements as the naval spacehands AND that troops of both types require space to train and maintain their equipment in addition to enough common space to mess and recreate. Why does a spacehand rate the comparative luxury of having just one roomate when troops are wedged into barracks stacked three to a bunk tier?

So we agree that either transported Army troops, "Marine" troops who are part of the ships complement as security/gunners and Marine regiments that are part of a warships permanent deployable complement should all be treated equally.

So your issue seems to be is assigning troops to barracks rather than the type of troops they are. In your bunk it makes little difference if you are in a room shared with 2 or 4. When you are standing your watch (either in the gunroom or at a crew station) it also makes no difference as you are not in the accommodation. So we are really talking about the 8 hours or so of "private" time.

I do see a fundamental difference between regular crew who stand regular watches vs troops that only stand to in emergencies (bearing in mind in an emergency the regular crew will likely stand too as well).

A unit of troops will tend to socialise as a group. They tend to operate as a team and so sharing accommodation is probably beneficial for the team. Whether that is a 4 man bunk-room or 5-man (depending on your doctrine) you are spending all your time with the other people who will be looking out for you on your deployment. You will socialise with the broader unit, but that very close relationship with your squad-mates will have a beneficial effect in combat. The same is true to a lesser extent regarding the ships gunners who will often need to coordinate fire arcs. I therefore also accommodate dedicated ships gunners to barracks. The fact that a Gunner is paid the lowest of all crew is also indicative of the level of accommodation they could expect. I tend to assume dedicated gunners spend the rest of their time as deckhands.

In contrast crewmembers who are not required to react instinctively in relation to the actions of their squad mates but whose job might require disagreement and discussion to resolve issues, might benefit from spending less time in the close company of others. If you and another Engineer have had a robust discussion about the solution to a problem, you might well need a place to distance yourself so you can regroup, get some perspective and be able to compartmentalise that disagreement in order to work together successfully the next shift.

We also gloss over how crews actually perform their function. It is not unreasonable to expect many of the technical crews to have facilities in their accommodation to work independently (away from distraction). That likely includes a desk space and a terminal of some sort and possibly a backup crew station. If a gunner needs some alone time to practice that is as easily performed in the gunroom or turret since it is only in use in an emergency.

Crew accommodation has become more pragmatic through the versions. Sharing a stateroom was the first step. Now with Cabin Space, Barracks and other accommodation we can revisit the general crew requirements so that they reflect the needs (and privilege) of all crew, not just troops.

Training, and maintenance and storage of equipment are covered by other components in High Guard. If you want to do more than field strip your side arm, you need an armoury or workshop. Training will be via the same mechanism that the other crew have access. By the time it becomes an issue your barracks will be sufficiently extensive that the 10% recommended common space will be able to handle it. You could fit a tube range in 1DTon if you chose the correct place to put it.

 

[ottarrus]

My issue is that troops aboard, be they assigned ship's troops or transported troop contingents, are treated like they're cargo that can be wedged in any old where and housed in barracks with one out-house. I think that any awake sophont aboard ship should be allocated a shared stateroom and training and exercise space separate from 'common areas'. I also think that troops require cargo space for their own unique expendables separate from naval stores. Lastly, I think that transported vehicles need extra space for maintenance and and the ship will need extra workshop space in order to keep everything running.

BTW, I was a tank crewman in the US Army once upon a time. Yeah, I know that troop teams [vehicle crews, squads, whatever] live in their own little high pressure universe. The rest of the company is another planet and anything outside of the company as well be on Capital so far as the average boot is concerned.

But I also distinguish between ship's troops being part of the ship's complement and troop contingents NOT being part of that complement.
Ship's troops have duties directly related to the care and feeding of the ship they're part of. They man gunnery stations, are trained for damage control, guard ship's boats and personnel planetside, form honor guards, etc. etc. etc.
Troop contingents don't. All their equipment beyond personal issue items [including weapons, which need armory space] are packed for shipment and are not accessible in transit.

Lastly, I don't think it's beyond the pale that an Army regiment with Protected Forces training might be trained as ship's troops to replace marines that might be being concentrated for a major operation. They probably won't be as good as Marines from the 'star marine' career at it, but they could be trained in the role.

 

[Condottiere]

Actually we didn’t know whether the crew members slept in their clothes or not; we kept to our part of
the ship and the Navy men kept to theirs, because they were made to feel unwelcome if they showed up
in our country other than on duty — after all, one has social standards one must maintain, mustn’t one?
The Lieutenant had his stateroom in male officers’ country, a Navy part of the ship, but we never went
there, either, except on duty and rarely. We did go forward for guard duty, because the Rodger Young
was a mixed ship, female captain and pilot officers, some female Navy ratings; forward of bulkhead thirty
was ladies’ country — and two armed M. I. day and night stood guard at the one door cutting it. (At
battle stations that door, like all other gastight doors, was secured; nobody missed a drop.)

Officers were privileged to go forward of bulkhead thirty on duty and all officers, including the
Lieutenant, ate in a mixed mess just beyond it. But they didn’t tarry there; they ate and got out. Maybe
other corvette transports were run differently, but that was the way the Rodger Young was run — both
the Lieutenant and Captain Deladrier wanted a taut ship and got it.

Nevertheless guard duty was a privilege. It was a rest to stand beside that door, arms folded, feet
spread, doping off and thinking about nothing... but always warmly aware that any moment you might see
a feminine creature even though you were not privileged to speak to her other than on duty. Once I was
called all the way into the Skipper’s office and she spoke to me — she looked right at me and said,
"Take this to the Chief Engineer, please."

My daily shipside job, aside from cleaning, was servicing electronic equipment under the close
supervision of "Padre" Migliaccio, the section leader of the first section, exactly as I used to work under
Carl’s eye. Drops didn’t happen too often and everybody worked every day. If a man didn’t have any
other talent he could always scrub bulkheads; nothing was ever quite clean enough to suit Sergeant Jelal.
We followed the M. I. rule; everybody fights, everybody works. Our first cook was Johnson, the second
section’s sergeant, a big friendly boy from Georgia (the one in the western hemisphere, not the other one)
and a very talented chef. He wheedled pretty well, too; he liked to eat between meals himself and saw no
reason why other people shouldn’t.

With the Padre leading one section and the cook leading the other, we were well taken care of, body
and soul — but suppose one of them bought it? Which one would you pick? A nice point that we never
tried to settle but could always discuss.

The Rodger Young kept busy and we made a number of drops, all different. Every drop has to be
different so that they never can figure out a pattern on you. But no more pitched battles; we operated
alone, patrolling, harrying, and raiding. The truth was that the Terran Federation was not then able to
mount a large battle; the foul-up with Operation Bughouse had cost too many ships, ‘way too many
trained men. It was necessary to take time to heal up, train more men.

 

[Condottiere]

The Rodger Young carries one platoon and is crowded; the Tours carries six — and is roomy. She has
the tubes to drop them all at once and enough spare room to carry twice that number and make a second
drop. This would make her very crowded, with eating in shifts, hammocks in passageways and drop
rooms, rationed water, inhale when your mate exhales, and get your elbow out of my eye! I’m glad they
didn’t double up while I was in her.

But she has the speed and lift to deliver such crowded troops still in fighting condition to any point in
Federation space and much of Bug space; under Cherenkov drive she cranks Mike 400 or better — say
Sol to Capella, forty-six lightyears, in under six weeks.

Of course, a six-platoon transport is not big compared with a battle wagon or passenger liner; these
things are compromises. The M. I. prefers speedy little one-platoon corvettes which give flexibility for
any operation, while if it was left up to the Navy we would have nothing but regimental transports. It
takes almost as many Navy files to run a corvette as it does to run a monster big enough for a regiment
— more maintenance and housekeeping, of course, but soldiers can do that. After all, those lazy troopers
do nothing but sleep and eat and polish buttons — do ‘em good to have a little regular work. So says the
Navy.

 

[swordtart]

My issue is that troops aboard, be they assigned ship's troops or transported troop contingents, are treated like they're cargo that can be wedged in any old where and housed in barracks with one out-house.

Where is the one out-house specified? All barracks include freshers, and food prep areas but the number is not specified.

I think that any awake sophont aboard ship should be allocated a shared stateroom and

There are levels of sharing. I am happy that 14 cubic metres (which even with a 3m deck height is over 50sq feet) is plenty per person. Once you take into account that the services (autochef, fresher, terminal, access space etc.) shared between 4 will take up less space per person than if the same services were shared by only 2, it becomes even more spacious.

We are talking service accommodation here, not hotel suites.

training and exercise space separate from 'common areas'. I also think that troops require cargo space for their own unique expendables separate from naval stores.

High Guard (2022) has the following components that meet these requirements and are separate from common areas.
Armoury: MCr0.25, 1 DTon per 5 Marines. p58
Briefing Room: MCr0.5, 4 DTon. p59
Training Facilities: MCr0.2, 2 DTon per trainee. p63

Lastly, I think that transported vehicles need extra space for maintenance and and the ship will need extra workshop space in order to keep everything running.

Workshops, Docking Spaces and Hangars are also available.

If these are not present on existing designs then you can always add them. Or build your own designs that include them. They are already exist in MGT2 High Guard, but they may not be part of a specific published setting (especially of that setting has ships that predate these components).

BTW, I was a tank crewman in the US Army once upon a time. Yeah, I know that troop teams [vehicle crews, squads, whatever] live in their own little high pressure universe. The rest of the company is another planet and anything outside of the company as well be on Capital so far as the average boot is concerned.

But I also distinguish between ship's troops being part of the ship's complement and troop contingents NOT being part of that complement.
Ship's troops have duties directly related to the care and feeding of the ship they're part of. They man gunnery stations, are trained for damage control, guard ship's boats and personnel planetside, form honor guards, etc. etc. etc.

Again you make a distinction but then say they should be treated the same. If that is the case then it is irrelevant.

Troop contingents don't. All their equipment beyond personal issue items [including weapons, which need armory space] are packed for shipment and are not accessible in transit.

I am sure not all marine equipment is necessarily "to hand". You probably don't want them wandering about with fusion guns on ship whenever they feel like it. At other times there is the armoury. Armouries also serve 25 regular crew and probably that would be fine for "Dragoons" personal arms. Where the heavier weapons for both Marines and "Dragoons" would be rather depends on where they might be expected to use them and how they are deploying. They might be in their vehicles or small craft if they are landing hot or they might be packaged up if they are going to a secure base before deploying.

Lastly, I don't think it's beyond the pale that an Army regiment with Protected Forces training might be trained as ship's troops to replace marines that might be being concentrated for a major operation. They probably won't be as good as Marines from the 'star marine' career at it, but they could be trained in the role.

I don't think anyone said they couldn't. You have been at pains to point out the differences between them, I have been treating them the same. They might not be any good in zero-G but repelling boarders is not much different to FIBUA. Ship security officers could as likely be drawn from Navy, Marine, Army careers (or really any with a weapon skill in the service table). Gun Combat and Melee are the major skill requirement, but at the short ranges and narrow fire corridors probably Tactics (Military) of the squad leader will make the most difference.

If you specifically want gunners (and basic security/deckhands), any 22 year old Navy/Naval Academy washout with decent DEX will do.

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

You don't need a source to realize that only being able to move at 1/60th speed is going to really affect your ability to do things a lot, and make everyday life very dangerous. You'd be almost like someone who is paralyzed, except with just enough ability to move to get yourself into trouble. A drug like this is also going to have massive side effects. Something messing with the human metabolism that much is going to do a number on you.

Here's a list that I came up with, no need to pile them all on at once, it might be better just to make Medic and endurance rolls:

Side effects may include Hallucinations, Memory Loss, Priapism, Blood Clots, Compulsive Behaviors, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Frequent and Violent Bowl Movements, Loss of Bladder Control, Headaches, and Dizziness, Anxiety, Restlessness, Fast heartbeat, Fever, Sweating, Muscle spasms, Twitching, Nausea, and Vomiting, Do not drive or attempt to operate heavy machinery while on Fast Drug (TM).

Talk with your physician about whether Fast Drug (TM) is right for you!

None of which is in the rules. Slow drug however does indicate side effects. What are your side effects for low berths beyond that of DEATH which is listed. It is a much larger "messing with your metabolism" as it stops it entirely.

A system to system run takes call it 10 days which is a subjective 4 hours. Spend it asleep in your bunk. Beneficial side effect the more time you spend under the less you age.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Traveller has the annoying habit of cutting really good stuff from 1st edition, here is a case in point from High Guard '79. The text is cut n paste, the formatting is mine for emphasis:

"OPTIONS AND OTHER POSSIBILITIES
The following options are available for installation on ships. Some are well described, while others are left to the referee to fully implement.

The following items are suggested uses for interior space aboard a starship. The actual masses and costs* for such areas are left to the referee when actually designing such a ship. Many of these items are subsumed in the costs and tonnages of 4 ton staterooms.** In most cases, such areas are required only when drawing up deck plans.***
Food Service Areas, including mess hall, galley, ward room.
Scientific Areas, including laboratories and storerooms.
Electronics Areas, including commo suites, avionics areas, electronics counter-measures installations, gunnery simulation trainers, computer operations areas and parts storage.
Vehicle Decks, including garaging, maintenance bays, launching areas and parts storage.
Recycling Stations.
Medical Areas, including isolation wards, surgeries, pharmacies, and examination rooms.
Recreational Facilities, including theatres, crafts shops, libraries, and pool rooms.
Agricultural Areas, including fresh food gardens, hydroponics areas, and algae tanks.
Troop Barracks, including squad areas, training rooms, armories, brigs, ammunition magazines, vacc suit storage, capsule launch areas and briefing rooms."

* so in '79 they still considered tons to be mass... interesting factoid
** calculate the number of staterooms for all the people on board, this gives you the tonnage but then comes deckplans. The referee can decide that some of these require additional tonnage and costs.
*** drawing deck plans allows you to map the "stateroom squares" as any of the options listed above.

 

[MonsterX]

None of which is in the rules. Slow drug however does indicate side effects. What are your side effects for low berths beyond that of DEATH which is listed. It is a much larger "messing with your metabolism" as it stops it entirely.

A system to system run takes call it 10 days which is a subjective 4 hours. Spend it asleep in your bunk. Beneficial side effect the more time you spend under the less you age.

sure, it isn't in the rules. But a lot of stuff which has to actually be happening in the Traveller universe is not in the rules. Rules can't cover everything. Do people brush their teeth in the Third Imperium? I think they do. RAW is silent on the issue. What are the effects of not brushing your teeth ever? The Referee can think up something, if needed. (Hopefully it doesn't come up too often) A lot of things are like that.

 

[Condottiere]

You can regenerate your teeth, so optional.

It really comes down to how long the troops will be onboard, and how long they can prep themselves, before getting deployed in a combat zone.

If it's a single jump, and just a case of reinforcing existing units already on the ground, then, the authorities may opt for more close contact, and waiting lines outside the fresher.

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

sure, it isn't in the rules. But a lot of stuff which has to actually be happening in the Traveller universe is not in the rules. Rules can't cover everything. Do people brush their teeth in the Third Imperium? I think they do. RAW is silent on the issue. What are the effects of not brushing your teeth ever? The Referee can think up something, if needed. (Hopefully it doesn't come up too often) A lot of things are like that.

How often does brushing your teeth affect or not the adventure? On the other hand if you have to use fast drug debilitating side effects would and would likely be mentioned if they exist.

Slow drug mentions negative effects. Anti-rad drugs mentions side effects. So do Combat drugs. Medicinal drugs the same. Metabolic accelerator also. Notice a pattern? Drugs with side effects that would affect an adventure mention them even if they don't go into detail. Fast drug does not and can therefore be assumed not to have any that would affect the adventure.

 

[tytalan]

What I'm saying is that troops of both types ought to have the same berthing arrangements as the naval spacehands AND that troops of both types require space to train and maintain their equipment in addition to enough common space to mess and recreate. Why does a spacehand rate the comparative luxury of having just one roomate when troops are wedged into barracks stacked three to a bunk tier?

They shouldn’t. Enlisted personal below the rank of petty officer 2nd class be they marine or troop should be housed in barracks this goes back to my post on Traveller capital ships being under gunned. Rank has its privileges and one of them is larger living space.

Now imagine how cramped and claustrophobic it would be in those tight spaces with no 'outside'. There is no deck to go out on, no water well, no nothing. Add to that all the extra equipment those Marines are lugging along... A minimum of two environment suits per man [a vacc suit and Battle Dress rig], two weapons per man [a High Energy heavy weapon (F/PGMP) and a Gauss rifle], plus vehicles.
This illustrates why I think troops need more space aboard Traveller's ships.

But that was not your original post in that post you clearly indicated that marines should use staterooms because their barracks are to cramped and claustrophobic. It’s been clearly pointed out that barracks are only sleeping space and that there’s plenty of space for them so now your changing your argument.