Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

50. Armour plating asteroids is cheap, but still takes a hefty percentage of volume.

51. It's about here that you can get to that fork in the road.

52. Sloops are armour plated; corvettes are not.

53. Sloops will be used for most non combat or passive roles, that can be entrusted to vessels of that general tonnage.

54. Modern destroyers seem to be used as anti aircraft and strike platforms, and frigates general purpose and anti submarine warfare.

55. In the Traveller context, anti submarine implies sensing stealth platforms and mission killing them.

56. Also, mine hunting, which arguably, would use the same techniques to accomplish that mission.

57. Mine sweeping could be done by drones, or some cheap commercially built vessel.

58. It's possible, that you could set up anti torpedo (and missile) nets, that physically create a barrier between them and valuable targets.

59. Could battleships create missile net barriers by swinging out booms?

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Astrography of the Rim

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55. Solomani Revolution - Big Tech reactionaries.

56. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité!

57. British American Colonies expansion into the wilderness.

58. Freemasons; Freemani?

59. Make Solomani Great Again.

60. Justice Progressives.

61. Secession.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

60. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.

61. Torpedo boat destroyers eventually evolved the capability to launch torpedoes themselves.

62. The primary raison d'etre for destroyers is to do unto others before they do unto you, and your charges.

63. They are meant to screen capital ships and cruisers from attempts by submarines, torpedo boats, and destroyers, from the consequences of chance that a torpedo can inflict serious or critical damage.

64. This starts to includes the aerial dimension, where aircraft or missiles can suddenly threaten their charges.

65. Torpedo boats were designed to suddenly dart in and at optimum range, launch a torpedo, that has the potential to mission kill a capital ship.

66. Submarines to do that stealthily.

67. And aircraft and their payload, to achieve this even faster.

68. And of course, when the opportunity presents itself, or is created, to try and knock out the enemy major combatants and capital ships.

69. Detecting and deterring stealthed underwater threats has devolved unto frigates and specialized helicopters.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

70. I think one distinguishing factor between destroyers and frigates is speed.

71. Destroyers are meant to be aggressively used in packs, screen the main fleet units and then be opportunistic predators.

72. Frigates are more passive observers, used in pairs to hunt down threats, shepherd their charges, and maintain a presence.

73. As such, since most commercial vessels aren't as fast or as long ranged as starwarships, neither do frigates.

74. Legacy Traveller tends to trap fleet speed at acceleration factor six.

75. Destroyers would be expected to maintain that speed in order to keep up with fleet units.

76. For the Imperium, the current expected range for fleet units is four parsecs.

77. For Confederation fleet units, it appears to have dwindled to three parsecs.

78. Legacy Traveller commercial vessels seem to be predominantly acceleration factor ones and two.

79. So I'm speculating, fleet units have a cruising speed and frigates would be expected to keep up with that,

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Astrography of the Rim

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62. The Solomani Era - Sounds like the coopting of a political party.

63. If persecution means assassination attempts or pitchfork carrying mobs; social hierarchy would normally insulate aristocrats from cancellation.

64. Business friendly.

65. State monopoly of violence.

66. That never ends badly; though, you could now take into consideration the current television series of Foundation. On the other hand, these are the types who are motivated to succeed.

67. Appears to be a logical progression.

68. Again, it seems like a logical progression, without internal resistance or outside intervention.

69. Hubris and radicalization.

70. That's an interesting question, why didn't the Imperium Navy risk a deeper penetration of Confederation space?

71. Asymmetrical warfare.

72. Reinforced with what?

73. Arms race, though I suspect Confederation efforts turned out to be rather inefficient.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

80. Size inflation and mission creep have expanded the capabilities of ship classes beyond their stereotypical capabilities.

81. Destroyers are now the size of formerly light cruisers, certainly armoured ones first class in the extreme case.

82. Frigates tend to be designed to fill any particular holes or niches that appear to be unfilled.

83. For Traveller, fleet frigates are likely to be capable of acceleration factor five, and be able to keep up with the fleet, but I'd guess they would be most relegated to watch over the baggage train.

84. General purpose ones might be stuck acceleration factor four, and their range could vary between two to four parsecs.

85. It's probably a misconception to believe that anti submarine frigates will need to be fast to keep up with main fleet units, as their mission is to detect stealthed threats sneaking up spacecraft that have slowed down enough for the stealthed threats to be able to sneak up on them.

86. There probably is no point in having frigates below acceleration factor four.

87. You should rather clear in what your naval requirements are; if you need a destroyer, order a destroyer, don't try to cut corners by getting a frigate.

88. In most cases, frigates aren't likely to have the available capacity for major upgrades, so figure out what you need for the next fifteen to twenty years (after commissioning) to keep them viable.

89. And the point to them, is to have warships that are inexpensive to purchase, cheap to operate, and still make an impression on the locals.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

90. The first of the Littoral Combat Ships is getting prematurely retired.

91. It's a clear case of mission creep and size inflation from the original concept of a dispersible small warship engaging the enemy at knifefighting range.

92. Plus pork barrel politics.

93. They're faster than default destroyers, so I'd categorize them under fast corvettes.

94. Though I understand their operational range is crap.

95. They're also corvettes in the sense they appear to be specialized single role warships, determined by an onboard module.

96. Which appears to require a semi permanent stationing both onshore and onboard of civilian contractors, and on installation, the module appears to be a permanent fixture, rather than vaunted versatility that modularization tends to imply.

97. Sometimes stuff works better ingame than in real life.

98. I get the impression that someone thought that the Littoral Combat Ship can get really close to the enemy coast and hide in the weeds, while fighting off near peer warships and delivering special forces, or mine hunting, or chasing submarines, by just switching out modules.

99. You could, but you would need High Guard.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Astrography of the Rim

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74. The Solomani Rim War - Emden and Sydney.

75. Seems to contradict Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation.

76. About that, I would have thought the Confederation would have gone scorched earth strategy, specifically through Vegan worlds, so no industrial base.

77. Strategic bombing campaign; all or nothing.

78. Lack of forward scouting assets?

79. Well, there was always the Volksgrenadiers and Volksturm militia.

80. Pragmatism rules, or at least, vested interests.

81. No evacuations or refugee streams.

82. Local politics.

83. More like, the Imperium Navy ran out of steam, and they may have known that the Confederation was reinforcing with their frontier forces.

84. Exhaustion might be the correct term, with continuation of hostilities unlikely to move the frontline significantly.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

100. And finally we arrive at the ideal Confederation sloop of war.

101. Performance would be jump factor two, and acceleration factor five.

102. The instinct would be to internalize the improved capabilities of a highly technologized jump drive, which at technological level fourteen, would be a thirty percent increase in parsec tonnes.

103. Instead, we externalize that those extra parsec tonnes in the form of one or more external modules, or hulls.

104. Hundred tonnes of jump drive produce forty hundred tonnes of parsec tonnes at default technological level eleven.

105. Highly technologized technological level fourteen variant with thirty percent size reduction is 5,714.285714285714 parsec tonnes.

106. Minusing off default forty hundred parsec tonnes for jump factor two, you're left with 857.142857142857 parsec tonnes.

107. Four type Gamma docking clamps [7 tonnes, 1.5 megastarbux attached ship tonnage; seventy tonnes to two hundred ten tonnes], would provide upto eight hundred forty tonnes capacity.

108. Could be arranged around the top of the hull, making the eight hundred forty tonne module somewhat like a hat, or you could have four separate two hundredish tonne sized modules.

109. The modules could have been pre configured to fulfill certain functions or roles.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Astrography of the Rim

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85. Post War Reconstruction - occupation.

86. De Solomanization; Restoration. I'm guessing there's some resentment between the émigrés and those who resisted; presumably, loyalty was rewarded.

87. Phoenix Project eradicated on Terra, how about off Terra? Nothing shows confidence like relegitimizing poetical opponents, who have to reject violent revolution and accept Imperial sovereignty.

88. We skip a Cold War, and attempt a recoupling of the galactic economy.

89. Remarkably resilient, though apparently, minimal wartime damage.

90. Trade patterns and an economic gravity shift.

91. I don't recall the Confederation establishing Special Economic Zones, but they might have, informally.

92. There appear to have been attempts to evacuate.

93. Shift to commercial and parochial interests, from pure ideology. There are going to be quite a number of surprised billionaires when the shift reverses itself.

94. Still a powderkeg.

95. Look for a political or economic crisis within the Confederation, or possibly an important anniversary.

96. Pretty much depends on who is the Helmsman of State.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

110. In theory, we have a surplus of seventeen tonnes.

111. This is more a nod to maintaining a two parsec range capability, than a reflection of how much Confederation captains are willing to load on their starwarships insystem.

112. Four docking clamps along the equator type Beta [1.75 tonnes, 0.875 megastarbux attached ship tonnage - one and three quarters tonnes to fifty two and a half tonnes], to dock smaller smallcraft.

113. If the sloop is wearing a hat, it could take along an extra fifteen tonne smallcraft when transiting.

114. In addition to the docks, you can also add on drop tank mountings.

115. This would allow a double jump, useful if the exit hex has no ready fuel supply, or for reconnaissance into hostile territory.

116. Assuming a volume of 2'855.00 tonnes, that's a twenty percent fuel tank of 571.00 tonnes.

117. That would be 2.284 tonnes mount, costing 1.142 megastarbux.

118. In theory, you could attach drop tank shaped external cargo modules on the mounts, and configure them for something other than fuel.

119. Price should be the same, since drop tanks are based default non gravitated hull cost.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Subsector Albadawi


... composite cruiser squadron comprising one heavy and two light cruisers, plus two cruiser-sized carriers. This force is based out of the subsector fleet’s headquarters at Durim, with other bases supporting a large destroyer and escort complement. Systems closest to Confederation space are quite heavily patrolled but there is little sector fleet presence.

Krypton - likely staging ground for an invasion route to Kidashi, if only to give the Imperium forces something to distract them.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

120. Two kilotonnes provides twenty hardpoints.

121. Optimal usage would be energy weapons, and the best choice for a dual use weapon system would be pulse lasers.

122. While offensive power is middling, with default at medium range and two dice.

123. You can retask them to act as point defence.

124. Highly useful both as self defence and in the close escort role.

125. Weapons mix could be eighteen triple turrets of pulse lasers.

126. The remaining two would be two tonne pop up triple turrets, armed with missiles.

127. The module(s) could be armed with torpedoes and missiles, since you'd want to flush those magazines, as the module(s) are more vulnerable than the primary hull.

128. The modules could be equipped with bays, not just turrets.

129. Fire control is likely to be independent of the primary hull.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

130. The primary hull should be as uncomplicated as possible.

131. This isn't to accommodate the Confederation Navy crews, as they would be highly trained, but rather for the likely wartime volunteers who are less likely to be so, and ease of manufacture.

132. I do believe that length of production in days is cost divided by a million.

133. Though the shipyards could draw on standard pre existing stocks, like weapon systems and engineering components.

134. That would allow the Confederation to really ramp up production once hostilities commence.

135. By externalizing the module, you can use the same machinery spaces, as the the engines modules are based on a standard volume, but have varying performance.

136. The varied performance still allows a base capability for the primary hull, with any additional performance mirrored in the size of the external module, which would give the same overall performance, since it's based on overall volume.

137. Since the hull is based on two thousand and one tonnes, it's going to be a sixty tonne bridge, even if de popping one or two turrets brings the hull down to two kilotonnes, or nineteen hundred ninety nine tonnes.

138. Cost of the bridge is dependent on a per hundred tonnes basis, not on the size of the bridge itself, except if defined as being smaller.

139. Two thousand, and two thousand one, one tonne difference, is a marginal case, but it seems clear it's going to default to sixty tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

140. Twenty hardpoints looks sufficiently largo enough number to have Advanced Fire Control/three and thirty bandwidth and eighteen megastarbux.

141. Anti Hijack/three at ten bandwidth and ten megastarbux, considering the higher likelihood of contact with outsiders; it could be lowered to Anti Hijack/one during routine operations.

142. Battle System can probably be ignored.

143. Broad Spectrum Electronic Warfare, with bandwidth twelve and fourteen, megastarbux, as it it a close escort.

144. Electronic Warfare/two, bandwidth fifteen and eighteen megastarbux.

145. I think we can skip Launch Solution.

146. Point Defence/one, twelve bandwidth and eight megastarbux.

147. I think we can skip Screen Optimizer.

148. That's about sixty nine bandwidth.

149. With Core/ninety, that's twenty one bandwidth to spare.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

150. Basics would be Manoeuvre/zero, Library /zero, and Jump/two.

151. Evade/three would be balanced since at some point you just run out of bandwidth, being itself bandwidth twenty five but at a rather cheap three megastarbux.

152. Fire Control/five would only be used specifically if you need to snipe a target, as Virtual Gunner was better suited to remotely control turrets, as bandwidth is twenty five, and it costs ten megastarbux.

153. Auto Repair/two is a given for a warship, or should be, though with a bandwidth of twenty, might only be turned on when required, at a cost of ten megastarbux.

154. You cannot run all the programmes simultaneously, so either the commander, or more likely a dedicated specialist, balances the various programmes, at the direction of the command staff, who determine priority.

155. Virtual Crew/one requires ten bandwidth, and costs five megastarbux, and probably is used if the spaceship is on autocruise; only gunners, pilots and sensor operators are mentioned, but presumably include all crew positions, since you'd assume an autonomous bridgeless spacecraft has to keep an eye on the engines, and sort of maintain the ship.

156. Virtual Gunner/one, at five megastarbux; takes up ten bandwidth for the first ten gunners, and one bandwidth for every extra ten more, is certainly better than Fire Control.

157. Virtual Mining, paying for the daily operating cost? Ninety times fourteen would be 1'260 starbux per day, times three hundred sixty five days, 459'900, times a thousand, 459.9 megastarbux total cost.

158. The Core/ninety costs 120 megastarbux, which is 120'000 annual maintenance, so that would be a profit of 339'900 profit per annum.

159. You pay back the cost of the computer in 354 years.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Alpha Crucis

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1. Dissidents and secessionists.

2. A History of the Sector - lack of enthusiasm, and lots to be unenthusiastic about in a market meltdown.

3. Dibs.

4. Dat da dat da det de dedda de det de det de det det de.

5. Virginia; Jedda ruins.

6. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

7. Pretty sure you can call a sector whatever you want.

8. Vilani outposts over dependent on Imperial military?

9. Follow the money.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Alpha Crucis

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10. Historically, interracial marriage tends to happen extensively when one gender is unbalanced.

11. I believe that the Vilani would have a galactivization trade policy, but Terrans would aim at self sufficiency.

12. If there is a critical mass of the correct raw material, both people and minerals, isolated worlds should be able to reindustrialize.

13. Information is virtual.

14. Why not pagans?

15. Successor state.

16. Galactivized galaxy.

17. Empire Union.

18. Scout bases, maybe; naval bases either pork barrel politics, or a nasty wake up call.

19. Off planeting; galactiviation

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Alpha Crucis

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20. You know what's missing, emigration. Well, Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose ...

21. Interstellarnet.

22. Militias.

23. Small governments, that can be drowned in bath tubs.

24. Permissive environment to exploit planetary preserves.

25. Ghost cities?

26. Probable reprioritizing of resources.

27. Although much of the navy’s program was military in nature, it also included the long-awaited expansion of communication links.

28. Founding myth.

29. Anschluss.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Sloops of War

160. Being stuck at technological level fourteen, Improved Sensors is about as high as you can go.

161. That's lidar, radar, jammers and densitometers.

162. You get a plus one bonus, with a power requirement of four, at three tonnes and four and three tenths of a megastarbux.

163. Countermeasures suit gives a plus four bonus regardless and one more power point, at an additional two tonnes and four megastarbux; seems okay.

164. Deep penetration scanners would be popular for customs inspections, but onboard they might have only small units, which means they strategically select which parts of a spacecraft they'll examine.

165. Distributed arrays can't be emplaced on a Confederation sloop, since the vessels would be too small.

166. Enhanced signal processing gives a plus four bonus with two power points, at two tonnes and eight megastarbux; doable.

167. Extended arrays penalize you with an additional detectability of two; about the only option, at tripling power, cost and tonnage.

168. Extension net is doable, sort of like sonobuoys.

169. Improved signal processing at about half the costs and performance of enhanced signal processing, but doubling the possibility of getting jammied.