Solomani Confederation (Military)
- Thread starter Condottiere
- Start date
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
To be fair, it's meant to be satire.
The novella is a must read science fiction classic, by contrast, I found I had to slog through the novel, and after one and a half sequels, I gave up and mostly purged my memory of the experience, so can't really comment on the exact scope and extent of the infiltration. Having read a couple of more of Card's works, I find that Ender's Game was a flash in the pan, and at least, Heinlein is more amusing.
The novella is a must read science fiction classic, by contrast, I found I had to slog through the novel, and after one and a half sequels, I gave up and mostly purged my memory of the experience, so can't really comment on the exact scope and extent of the infiltration. Having read a couple of more of Card's works, I find that Ender's Game was a flash in the pan, and at least, Heinlein is more amusing.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Navy: Patrol Cruisers
140. I like to see the evolution of any particular ship type.
141. It's one reason I'm trying to link the Samurai and Independence classes, to both their more modern descendants and see if the lineage can extend a little more into the past.
142. At a point of amusement, even as far back as the Littoral Combat Ship, which it sort of resembles in terms of crew, construction and function.
143. Of course, littoral doesn't quite work in terms of outer space.
144. So I came up with L(ow)orbital Combat Ship.
145. It works with my view of the actual purpose of what the Confederation Navy sees as the role of these types of ships.
146. Basically, they're actually useless against a near peer opponent, at least in terms of an extended engagement.
147. I wouldn't make the mistake of over investing in their capabilities, since their other role would be massing them in wolf packs, and trying to overwhelm the enemy by numbers and firepower.
148. Lorbital Combat Ship, when it occurred to me around lunch time, I had to laugh, after going through L based descriptive adjectives and nouns.
149. The cruiser gap just raised their significance, not so much in the Confederation Navy order of battle, since they compensated with increased numbers of dreadnoughts, and I would assume a variety of fighters, bombers, and fighter bombers, but presence, patrol, trade protection, and commerce raiding.
140. I like to see the evolution of any particular ship type.
141. It's one reason I'm trying to link the Samurai and Independence classes, to both their more modern descendants and see if the lineage can extend a little more into the past.
142. At a point of amusement, even as far back as the Littoral Combat Ship, which it sort of resembles in terms of crew, construction and function.
143. Of course, littoral doesn't quite work in terms of outer space.
144. So I came up with L(ow)orbital Combat Ship.
145. It works with my view of the actual purpose of what the Confederation Navy sees as the role of these types of ships.
146. Basically, they're actually useless against a near peer opponent, at least in terms of an extended engagement.
147. I wouldn't make the mistake of over investing in their capabilities, since their other role would be massing them in wolf packs, and trying to overwhelm the enemy by numbers and firepower.
148. Lorbital Combat Ship, when it occurred to me around lunch time, I had to laugh, after going through L based descriptive adjectives and nouns.
149. The cruiser gap just raised their significance, not so much in the Confederation Navy order of battle, since they compensated with increased numbers of dreadnoughts, and I would assume a variety of fighters, bombers, and fighter bombers, but presence, patrol, trade protection, and commerce raiding.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Military: Basic Training
If you break up the first year of enlistment as basic and advanced specialist training, for the Confederation military, as opposed to Home Guard or other planetary defence forces, basic training for all branches, Army, Marines and Navy, would be:
1. Athletics - you're no good to us unless you're in shape
2. Gun combat - everyone fights, no one quits
3. Vacuum suit - you can be deployed anywhere, anytime; also, battle dress
If you break up the first year of enlistment as basic and advanced specialist training, for the Confederation military, as opposed to Home Guard or other planetary defence forces, basic training for all branches, Army, Marines and Navy, would be:
1. Athletics - you're no good to us unless you're in shape
2. Gun combat - everyone fights, no one quits
3. Vacuum suit - you can be deployed anywhere, anytime; also, battle dress
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Navy: Advanced Training
1. Pilot - surprising, but those TIE fighters don't fly themselves, and a ninety nine tonne cockpitted smallcraft is a lot cheaper than a hundred tonned abridged smallship; also suspect it's a metagame mechanism to ensure at least one player character was qualified to fly a spacecraft
2. Gunner - everyone fights? someone has to be responsible for damage control
3. Mechanic - now I get it
1. Pilot - surprising, but those TIE fighters don't fly themselves, and a ninety nine tonne cockpitted smallcraft is a lot cheaper than a hundred tonned abridged smallship; also suspect it's a metagame mechanism to ensure at least one player character was qualified to fly a spacecraft
2. Gunner - everyone fights? someone has to be responsible for damage control
3. Mechanic - now I get it
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Marines: Advanced Training
1. Tactics - so the Marine knows what he's doing and why
2. Stealth - complements tactics, but I tend to see them as more shock troops, so probably would have gone with melee
3. Heavy weapons - door knockers, airlock busters, and armour crackers
1. Tactics - so the Marine knows what he's doing and why
2. Stealth - complements tactics, but I tend to see them as more shock troops, so probably would have gone with melee
3. Heavy weapons - door knockers, airlock busters, and armour crackers
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Army: Advanced Training
1. Recon - orientate yourself, and know where the enemy is
2. Melee - when things get up close and personal
3. Heavy weapons - say 'ello to my little Freud
1. Recon - orientate yourself, and know where the enemy is
2. Melee - when things get up close and personal
3. Heavy weapons - say 'ello to my little Freud
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation C.A.V.A.L.R.Y.: Advanced Training
Since this is my own invention, basic training is more or less standardized across all Confederation armed forces, but this required a little soul searching:
1. Recon - basic function of modern cavalry
2. Drive - you do have to keep contact with the enemy and generally get around
3. This one's a little tougher, because Stealth wasn't a requirement, since hiding wasn't an issue, nor melee really, since getting that close wasn't either, which left either gunner or heavy weapons, and I saw them more likely to use turret weaponry, original or adapted from ground weapon systems
Since this is my own invention, basic training is more or less standardized across all Confederation armed forces, but this required a little soul searching:
1. Recon - basic function of modern cavalry
2. Drive - you do have to keep contact with the enemy and generally get around
3. This one's a little tougher, because Stealth wasn't a requirement, since hiding wasn't an issue, nor melee really, since getting that close wasn't either, which left either gunner or heavy weapons, and I saw them more likely to use turret weaponry, original or adapted from ground weapon systems
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Navy: Astrogation
Astrogation probably is a mandatory skill for Line Officers, since you need to know where the ship is, and where you want it to go.
Ship's Astrogator is a sub branch of Flight, and would need to have at least a skill level of one, though for really large capital ships, the Chief Astrogator would be levelled up to a three, while a Fleet Astrogator would be a four.
Astrogation probably is a mandatory skill for Line Officers, since you need to know where the ship is, and where you want it to go.
Ship's Astrogator is a sub branch of Flight, and would need to have at least a skill level of one, though for really large capital ships, the Chief Astrogator would be levelled up to a three, while a Fleet Astrogator would be a four.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Navy: Standard Docking Clamps
. Aerospacecraft
.. facilities
... docking clamps
.... type a
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 15 tonnes and less
..... tonnage
...... 0.5 tonnes
..... cost
...... 250'000 schmuckers
.... type b
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 37.5 tonnes and less
..... tonnage
...... 1.25 tonnes
..... cost
...... 1'250'000 schmuckers
.... type c
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 210 tonnes to 30 tonnes
..... tonnage
...... 7 tonnes
..... cost
...... 1'400'000 schmuckers
.... type d
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 2000 tonnes to 200 tonnes
..... tonnage
...... 20 tonnes
..... cost
...... 4'000'000 schmuckers
.... type e
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 10'000 tonnes to 1'000 tonnes
..... tonnage
...... 100 tonnes
..... cost
...... 15'000'000 schmuckers
Condottiere said:
. Aerospacecraft
.. facilities
... docking clamps
.... type a
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 15 tonnes and less
..... tonnage
...... 0.5 tonnes
..... cost
...... 250'000 schmuckers
.... type b
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 37.5 tonnes and less
..... tonnage
...... 1.25 tonnes
..... cost
...... 1'250'000 schmuckers
.... type c
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 210 tonnes to 30 tonnes
..... tonnage
...... 7 tonnes
..... cost
...... 1'400'000 schmuckers
.... type d
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 2000 tonnes to 200 tonnes
..... tonnage
...... 20 tonnes
..... cost
...... 4'000'000 schmuckers
.... type e
..... attached craft tonnage
...... 10'000 tonnes to 1'000 tonnes
..... tonnage
...... 100 tonnes
..... cost
...... 15'000'000 schmuckers
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Confederation Navy: Standard Docking Clamps
Notes:
1. Generally speaking, anything smaller than a type b wouldn't be worth installing, considering the fact that you might want or need to embed additional infrastructure like energy or fuel lines, passenger and cargo airlocks and hatches.
2. Unless, you have a lot of these small spacecraft, when the additional tonnage of underutilized docking clamps would matter significantly.
3. Otherwise, there's always the hangar, and maybe a launch tube.
4. Increased slightly size and capacity of type b, to allow three of them to clamp on a ninety nine tonne hull.
5. Again, generally speaking, type c can and should deal with anything less than two hundred ten tonnes, for similar reasons as above.
6. Type d is taken right out of High Guard, though I'm tempted to increase capacity to two and a half kay, depending on future hull trends.
7. Still no idea capacity of a fifty tonner, but in any event, considering the likely large size of hulls involved, probably a lot more convenient to have larger but fewer docking clamps involved.
Notes:
1. Generally speaking, anything smaller than a type b wouldn't be worth installing, considering the fact that you might want or need to embed additional infrastructure like energy or fuel lines, passenger and cargo airlocks and hatches.
2. Unless, you have a lot of these small spacecraft, when the additional tonnage of underutilized docking clamps would matter significantly.
3. Otherwise, there's always the hangar, and maybe a launch tube.
4. Increased slightly size and capacity of type b, to allow three of them to clamp on a ninety nine tonne hull.
5. Again, generally speaking, type c can and should deal with anything less than two hundred ten tonnes, for similar reasons as above.
6. Type d is taken right out of High Guard, though I'm tempted to increase capacity to two and a half kay, depending on future hull trends.
7. Still no idea capacity of a fifty tonner, but in any event, considering the likely large size of hulls involved, probably a lot more convenient to have larger but fewer docking clamps involved.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Good news.
My brother has just purchased Sword Worlds and Aliens Too for me.
I get to vivisect them earlier than anticipated.
I note Solomani Front is scheduled.
My brother has just purchased Sword Worlds and Aliens Too for me.
I get to vivisect them earlier than anticipated.
I note Solomani Front is scheduled.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Ship's Cat
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and Heavy Missiles
1. Preferred secondary weapon system for the Confederation seems to be missiles.
2. This is where the heavy missile comes in: one shot ship killers.
3. The launcher needs two hardpoints and five tonnes, presumably single.
4. What gets me is that reloading by itself costs a quarter of a million, plus the price of the missile.
5. Storage volume of said missile not mentioned.
6. It seems to be implied you'e going to need a port, hangar or base to reload the launcher, though I suppose you could have a tender do that as well.
7. I rather suspect that the Confederation Navy is planning on commissioning quite a number of Hilfskreuzers .
8. You know who else has quite a number of self described one shot ship killers? The People's Republic.
9. While the Japanese made due with the Long Lance.
10. Going by torpedo scaling, probably three and a third tonnes.
1. Preferred secondary weapon system for the Confederation seems to be missiles.
2. This is where the heavy missile comes in: one shot ship killers.
3. The launcher needs two hardpoints and five tonnes, presumably single.
4. What gets me is that reloading by itself costs a quarter of a million, plus the price of the missile.
5. Storage volume of said missile not mentioned.
6. It seems to be implied you'e going to need a port, hangar or base to reload the launcher, though I suppose you could have a tender do that as well.
7. I rather suspect that the Confederation Navy is planning on commissioning quite a number of Hilfskreuzers .
8. You know who else has quite a number of self described one shot ship killers? The People's Republic.
9. While the Japanese made due with the Long Lance.
10. Going by torpedo scaling, probably three and a third tonnes.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and Heavy Missiles
11. The advanced variant is available at technological level fifteen, which means it's available mostly as a prototype.
12. Presumably the attrition rate rules are still in effect, which is why you have a long range variant; I doubt the bang is worth the starbux.
13. Standard variant also has double the blast; again, I don't see much point in it.
14. Which leaves us with the nuclear option, probably the only one worth it with a one shot.
15. Would this weapon system be worth designing a two hundred tonne torpedo bomber around it? Stay tuned.
11. The advanced variant is available at technological level fifteen, which means it's available mostly as a prototype.
12. Presumably the attrition rate rules are still in effect, which is why you have a long range variant; I doubt the bang is worth the starbux.
13. Standard variant also has double the blast; again, I don't see much point in it.
14. Which leaves us with the nuclear option, probably the only one worth it with a one shot.
15. Would this weapon system be worth designing a two hundred tonne torpedo bomber around it? Stay tuned.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and Combination Torpedo/Missile Launcher
1. Heavily implied one tonne turret, without explicitly laying it out on a table.
2. Can launch three torpedoes in it's three launchers.
3. It's a good thing that an extra tonne is added, because otherwise the torpedoes certainly wouldn't fit.
4. Though that would make it a two tonne turret.
5. Doesn't account for gunner workstation; maybe he points the turret in the right direction and pulls a lanyard.
6. I've actually been thinking how neat it might be to find a combination ordnance launcher, considering the artificial limitation on the number of weapon systems dependent on number of hardpoints.
7. The smaller ordnance would be held in place with sabots.
8. Probably could launch sand canisters as well.
9. Ordnance costs twenty five percent more and is specific to the combination launcher.
1. Heavily implied one tonne turret, without explicitly laying it out on a table.
2. Can launch three torpedoes in it's three launchers.
3. It's a good thing that an extra tonne is added, because otherwise the torpedoes certainly wouldn't fit.
4. Though that would make it a two tonne turret.
5. Doesn't account for gunner workstation; maybe he points the turret in the right direction and pulls a lanyard.
6. I've actually been thinking how neat it might be to find a combination ordnance launcher, considering the artificial limitation on the number of weapon systems dependent on number of hardpoints.
7. The smaller ordnance would be held in place with sabots.
8. Probably could launch sand canisters as well.
9. Ordnance costs twenty five percent more and is specific to the combination launcher.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and Heavy Missiles
16. Actually, no.
17. If the normal rules for missiles persist, than considering the cost of such missiles, you have to go to medium range, and survive getting that close.
18. The nuclear exchange of the Pegasus in The Original Series comes to mind, as well Kormoran versus Sydney.
19. While I think in most circumstances Queue ships are a waste of time and resources, it would be a nasty surprise to a minor combatant.
16. Actually, no.
17. If the normal rules for missiles persist, than considering the cost of such missiles, you have to go to medium range, and survive getting that close.
18. The nuclear exchange of the Pegasus in The Original Series comes to mind, as well Kormoran versus Sydney.
19. While I think in most circumstances Queue ships are a waste of time and resources, it would be a nasty surprise to a minor combatant.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and Missile Container/Launcher
1. Considering the costs involved, might as well use quadruple launchers on hardpoints.
2. Same applies to firmpointed double launchers.
3. An obvious caveat applies: if you expect a protracted engagement, or continuous usage over the lifetime of the ship, then you might as well pay for an actual turret; missile storage is free.
4. A triple turret is going to cost a cool million, compared to a quadruple launcher at ten percent short of that.
5. And a rather absorbitant reloading cost.
6. If you never use it, it's probably a cheap way to scare off pirates.
7. Which might leave some to believe they are just replicas.
8. You could probably hide them under some tarpaulin, and surprise non well wishers.
9. For true effectiveness, probably convert all those hardpoints to firmpoints.
1. Considering the costs involved, might as well use quadruple launchers on hardpoints.
2. Same applies to firmpointed double launchers.
3. An obvious caveat applies: if you expect a protracted engagement, or continuous usage over the lifetime of the ship, then you might as well pay for an actual turret; missile storage is free.
4. A triple turret is going to cost a cool million, compared to a quadruple launcher at ten percent short of that.
5. And a rather absorbitant reloading cost.
6. If you never use it, it's probably a cheap way to scare off pirates.
7. Which might leave some to believe they are just replicas.
8. You could probably hide them under some tarpaulin, and surprise non well wishers.
9. For true effectiveness, probably convert all those hardpoints to firmpoints.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and External Torpedo Grapple
1. Firmpointed variant can carry two non reloadable torpedoes.
2. Hardpointed variants four torpedoes.
3. When loaded streamlining effected; maybe there are streamlined torpedo variants?
4. They take up no space.
5. Reloading is free, ordnance is not.
6. Light torpedo bomber looks viable.
7. Again, you could convert hardpoints to firmpointsm and have a net gain in torpedoes available to salvo.
8. Funny thing is, barbettes require five tonnes just for the launchers, which admittingly, the grapples hold the torpedoes naked.
9. Though, for two firmpoints, you get to reload them internally.
1. Firmpointed variant can carry two non reloadable torpedoes.
2. Hardpointed variants four torpedoes.
3. When loaded streamlining effected; maybe there are streamlined torpedo variants?
4. They take up no space.
5. Reloading is free, ordnance is not.
6. Light torpedo bomber looks viable.
7. Again, you could convert hardpoints to firmpointsm and have a net gain in torpedoes available to salvo.
8. Funny thing is, barbettes require five tonnes just for the launchers, which admittingly, the grapples hold the torpedoes naked.
9. Though, for two firmpoints, you get to reload them internally.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Condottiere said:
10. I may have misread the text, which may be a little ambiguous.
11. Can you only replace one launcher per turret, or all?
12. Ammunition storage text implies all can be.
13. Ammunition storage would need to be separate from default ordnance.
14. Loading failure rate not stated.
15. There are no ready rounds in the turret.
16. Mixed ordnance storage possible.
17. Reload space is mentioned, but this is probably a mistake.
18. Logic would dictate that each launcher needs an additional one tonne, which with a triple turret, ends up with four tonnes, pretty close to a three shot hardpointed barbette.
19. Wonder if this includes the quadruple turret, which would have four launchers and weigh in at five tonnes.
