Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Modularization

1. I think it's a question of what's suitable.

2. Real life analogues would be Jolly Green Giants, Hueys, Blackhawks, Chinooks, Merlins or Ospreys.

3. Or Hercules, since I think we're looking at rough field capability.

4. Modularization allows swapping out of innards to accomplish certain missions.

5. Gravity based drives basically allow vertical take off and landing, so similar to helicopters.

6. Different helicopter equivalents sort of demonstrate how you expect the spacecraft to be used and its capabilities.

7. You could have a standardized module configuration and size, which are compatible with different smallcraft.

8. If the module compartment is larger, you could also have a second module, which would act to plug the gap.

9. Though under current updated rules, I don't see much point at the smallcraft category, to go beyond a combined fifty tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Docking Clamps

1. As the issue of the standard sized hulls popped up again, I thought I'd have another investigation if these are fit for (my) purpose.

2. Type V is fifty tonnes, costs eight megastarbux, and can take anything above kilotonnes, which is an oddity, but unbeatable.

3. The smallest allowed volume currently is five tonnes.

4. That makes Type I one to thirty tonnes capacity, somewhat, what's the word, unnecessary?

5. Especially since the desired range would be more five to fifty tonnes.

6. Type II never made sense, since Type I and Type III established a weight ratio of docking clamp to dockee of one to thirty.

7. To at least pay lip service to published material, we have to look at minimum volume that the docking clamp can grasp.

8. Type II is five tonnes and must grasp thirty one tonnes, and Type III ten tonnes and must grasp one hundred tonnes.

9. Type IV is twenty tonnes with a grasp of three hundred and one tonnes, and finally Type V is fifty tonnes, with a grasp of two kilotonnes plus.

Time to review this again.

Docking clamp/Victor - two thousand and one tonnes plus capacity, fifty tonnes, eight megastarbux.

Docking clamp/Alpha - one and three quarters to fifty two and a half tonnes capacity, one and three quarters tonnes, seven eighths megastarbux.

Now to figure out the middle, since the above covers most large spacecraft, and in accordance with the current rules set, organic cockpitized smallcraft.

 

[Condottiere]

Docking clamp/Beta - seventy to two hundred ten tonnes capacity, seven tonnes, one and a half megastarbux.

You have a gap between fifty three to sixty nine tonnes, though I suppose you could attach a couple of sabots to buffer the clamp(s), if necessary.

Or the odd sized spacecraft have their own organic docking clamp to attach themselves like leeches.

 

[Condottiere]

Next gap is between two hundred eleven to two thousand tonnes.

Beta covers seventy tone plus smallcraft, usually designed to take advantage of three firmpoints, though I find this somewhat of questionable value, as well as one hundred and two hundred tonne hulls.

So you'll want to take advantage of the one to a hundred ratio, rather than the previous one to thirty.

It's guessing what's the likeliest size of hulls you'll be clamping, between two to twenty hundred tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Nineteen hundred ninety nine tonne hulls are relatively immune to spinal mounts, two kilotonne ones are a little harder to hit by bayed weapon systems.

Twenty tonne bridges are default for hull sizes between two hundred one to a thousand tonnes, though cost scales with tonnage.

Militarily, there seems little point in constructing destroyers below five kilotonnes, and Victor covers that. And I think that a thousand tonnes is enough for patrolling.

Commercially, couldn't comment, but you probably have to cover that possibility for wider acceptance.

In theory, quadrupling the docking clamp would end up with twenty eight tonnes, and a capacity of two hundred eighty to twenty eight hundred tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

We could leave IV (capacity three hundred one to twenty hundred tonnes) as is, but where's the fun in that?

The essential point is maintaining the one to a hundred ratio, and here we'll make an assumption that it starts at fifteen tonnes, the halfway point, and costs three megastarbux.

Docking clamp/Gamma - two hundred twenty five to fifteen hundred tonnes capacity, fifteen tonnes, three megastarbux.

Again, you could have sabots to buffer the Victor docking clamps, for fifteen hundred one to twenty hundred tonnes gap.

A more difficult question would be scaling down the docking clamps to be just large enough to take very light spacecraft only.

 

[Condottiere]

The question would be how light.

Twenty six tonnes allows a decent percentage of armour plating with a single firmpoint, while thirty five tonnes, nine tonnes more, upgrades to two firmpoints; between those two tonnages, you get twenty seven twenty six tonne fighters for twenty thirty five tonne fighters.

So fighterwise, not worth it; gunship, maybe.

Do light fighters need armour? Or, perhaps more precisely, is it worth cementing on armour on the hull?

Sixteen tonnes sort of allows some form of armour protection, without going overboard.

For utility spacecraft, thirty five tonnes would eliminate the need for either forty tonne pinnaces or thirty tonne ship's boats.

Twenty six tonnes is probably too close to thirty five tonnes.

Twenty tonnes is next, and far enough distant from thirty five tonnes.

So the question would be if a sixteen tonne gig can replace the twenty tonne default version.

 

[Condottiere]

Assuming that the one to thirty ratio is still valid, could you half the size of docking clamp/one?

That would make capacity half to fifteen tonnes, half a tonne, and costs a quarter of a megastarbux.

Seven tenths of a tonne would make capacity upto twenty one tonnes, which would cover a twenty tonne gig.

Six tenths of a tonne would be upto eighteen tonnes, bit more than required for sixteen tonnes.

A six tonne heavy grappling arm would have a grasp of a quarter klik, costs three megastarbux, and has a capacity upto ten tonnes.

Multiple grappling arms of either type can be used to move heavier objects.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

1. Limitations would be four to eight kilopoints.

2. Maximum seven starships, plus one freebie support ship.

3. Could have more than one support ship, but additional ones subtract from starship and point caps.

4. Possibly, upgrades, including smallcraft, count towards point total.

5. Unlikely to reconstruct full Fleet or Strike Squadrons, so partial Fleet or Strike Divisions.

6. Rear Admiral, eight thousand points.

7. Contra Admiral, six thousand points.

8. Brevetted Commodore, five thousand points.

9. Captain, four thousand points.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

A. First up, would be two Mercuries at twenty eight hundred points each, and one Jupiter Mark One at twenty one and a half hundred points each.

B. The Mercuries would be the equivalent to the latest technological level fifteen fast dreadnought.

C. The Jupiter/One would be technological level fourteen Prometheii.

D. Generally, you get the choice between a Defender or a Celestra as support.

E. If it were an option, I'd get four independent Raptor (squadrons) to make up the numbers, since they do have jump capability.

F. Shuffle the Raptors between the battlestars and the support ship, when they need maintenance.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

G. Generally speaking, you group (starwar)ships together by identical or similar performance and capability.

H. The two Mercuries would make up one Fleet Division, while the Jupiter/One would be accompanied by the support ship.

I. If the tactical situation called for it, the Jupiter/One would be regrouped with the two Mercuries, to become a reinforced Fleet Division.

J. While the three battlestars have the same speed, the Mercuries are more agile, despite being a size bigger.

K. If not walled, they could pivot around the Jupiter/One.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

L. While the proxy ablative armour feature has saved the bacon of countless of Colonial ships I commanded, I think the Mercuries and the Jupiter/One probably are probably sufficiently armoured not to require this service, and have sufficient hull points to soak up the damage if the armour is breached.

M. Five missile slots are probably enough, together with the really heavy gun batteries, to take apart most Cylon formations, without the two extra replenishment slots.

N. So I'd pick the Defender support frigate as freebie support, not necessarily because that's seven and a half hundred points versus five and a half hundred points for the Celestra.

O. The Defender has an organic (light) flak screen, four Marine contingents to reinforce ships, technical support craft to enhance one ship system, one squadron slot (total twelve, not counting any independent Raptor squadrons), and repair bay for squadrons.

P. Plus some guns for self defence, while the Celestra is unarmed.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

Q. At six kilopoints, you drop the Jupiter/One, and add another independent Raptor squadron.

R. This would be the pinnacle of Confederation Navy Fleet Division, with three making up the elite of the Fleet Squadrons, plus support, and likely only configured that way in the Strategic Reserve.

S. Committed in it's entirety for decisive battles, otherwise shifted around deployed Fleet Squadrons, to confuse enemy naval intelligence.

T. Mercuries would never be deployed singularly, and usually paired together.

U. If no Jupiter is available for pairing, or two Artemisii to make a reinforced Fleet Division, most likely would be withdrawn to reserves, as historically, battleship plus battlecruiser pairings don't tend to prosper.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

V. Three Jupiter/Twos at twenty five hundred points each, plus a five hundred point Manticore corvette, plus Defender.

W. That's four munitions slots, and thirteen squadrons.

X. Jupiter/Twos being refitted Prometheii and new production, postwar, since there was little point developing new frontline (of battle) designs, until the next generation of technological level fifteen fast dreadnoughts.

Y. Three Jupiter/Ones at twenty one and a half hundred points each, plus a fifteen and a half hundred point Artemis, plus Defender.

Z. Four munitions slots and eleven squadrons, though any combination of Jupiters, one One two Two plus seven and a half hundred point Adamant or Defender, two One one Two plus an eleven hundred point Atlas, with independent Raptor squadrons making up the hundred point remainder..

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

1. By a process of elimination, the Minervas would be the Zeus class battlecruisers.

2. At eighteen and a half hundred points each, you could have one for every two kilopoints.

3. At eight kilopoints, that's four with a Celestra, plus Defender, plus two independent Raptor squadrons.

4. I don't think you'd need a Manticore, since in theory battlecruisers are basically reconnaissance in force.

5. The Celestra would be a given, given the thin skins of the Minervas.

6. So, nine squadrons, eight munition slots and two replenishments.

7. I tend to lose my Minervas, since there's no place to run; speaking of which, hit and run is not really an option, as the battle only ends when the other side retreats or is dead, and the Minervas aren't really tactically fast enough.

8. Organization would be two Minervas in two Fleet Divisions, though technically, that's about enough for a Fleet Squadron.

9. The Zeus seem to have been the workhorse in the War of Imperium Aggression, as the Victories were obsolescent and there weren't enough Prometheii.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

A. Presumably, we'll have to make do with the Artemisii for the Victory battlecruiser class.

B. Five of which would be seventy seven and a half hundred, and you could have two independent Raptor squadrons, plus a Celestra.

C. That's ten squadrons, five munitions, and two replenishments.

D. The Artemisii can hold the line, not too sure that Victories could.

E. An updated Victory to represent the battlecruisers that are mentioned as being in the modern Confederation Navy, might be a plausible combatant.

F. For Fleet Squadrons, probably three in a reinforced Fleet Division, and three of them, though at eight kilopoints, it would be three in the first division, and two in the second.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

G. Anything below an Artemis, so far, isn't worth placing in the line of battle.

H. If I wouldn't mix a battlecruiser with a battleship, I certainly wouldn't with something in the cruiser category.

I. The thirteen hundred point Valkyrie is considered a modern battlestar.

J. While it has an equivalent flak screen to an Artemis and a munitions slot, it only has one squadron, no heavy artillery, and the armour layout of the Minerva.

K. Arguably, a super cruiser.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

L. If the Colonial heavier units were capable of manoeuvring, this may seem more relevant.

M. The Fleet Squadron's primary purpose is to engage and win an engagement with their opposing numbers in an Imperium battle squadron.

N. The Confederation Navy is at great pains to keep their combat power (there) concentrated.

O. Strike Squadrons, on the other hand, tend to be quite happy with being asymmetrical in regard to their conduct.

P. So while you won't find a Mercury leading one, and unlikely a Jupiter, you can encounter a battlecruiser being assigned there, possibly two.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

Q. A desperate fleet commander could stuff (a) Strike Division(s) with three heavyish cruisers, to make up the numbers for a battle fleet.

R. Normally, there would be one heavy unit as a flagship per Strike Division.

S. The concentration is to allow maximum coordination of the potential fire power of the cruisers.

T. Otherwise, the default would be more River Plate, where the cruisers jump a larger ship and try to catch it in a crossfire.

U. Even battlecruisers (and the occasional battleship) would be in separate divisions, with two escorts each.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Deadlock

V. The Minotaur is tagged as a heavy gunship.

W. It's what we define as a (heavy) gun cruiser.

X. I wouldn't use this as a flagship for a Strike Squadron, but a composite part of a mixed group of cruiser range of starwarships, that would, or should, complement each other.

Y. Stick three of them together into a Strike Division, and they probably could chew up any Cylon ship that they caught on it's own.

Z. In Traveller terms, probably a fifty kilotonne (mediumish) cruiser, optimized for close combat.