Standard Seating for small craft

[phavoc]

Everything i've found in previous designs (GURPS, MGT, original Trav) seems to indicate that you can get 2 seats per Dton, 3 if you are doing a commuter-style design. This would also allow a narrow aisle between seats (so 4 per 2 Dtons, with an aisle, or 6 per 2 Dtons).

I can't recall seeing anything specified in the rules addressing this. Does this reasonable? If not, what would say would be reasonable?

 

[dragoner]

Sounds reasonable to me, I have always done by the 2 per myself, it makes for a good assault boat.

 

[phavoc]

I was just going through the rules in HG regarding cabin space. According to what they say, every 1.5Dtons of space you can carry 1 additional person in moderate comfort, with passenger shuttles taking luxuries to upgrade the passenger section.

Seems kinda high for one person's "moderate" comfort.

So I did a comparison to a bi-level TGV car. It's 4m tall x 3m wide x 25 m long (best approximations). Each level has a restroom and a small space for baggage. A 1st-class bi-level car carries 64 (in 1x2 seating), and a 2nd class carries 84 (in 2x2). If I did my math correctly that's about 45Dtons. The old GURPS modular cutter source book had a commuter cutter carrying about 190 passengers in 30Dtons. Though they were certainly sitting in economy seating there!

Using HG's sizing, 45Dtons would allow seating for just 30 people. Are the French really that small??? :roll:

 

[Condottiere]

Since I take an unusual amount of interest in rather micro-craft, space constraints and minimum tend to be rather high on my list.

If I recall, your basic acceleration couch is half a ton, those with control panels are now one and a half. OSHA may regulate the minimum size based on expected acceleration and flight length; in other words, a slow commuter may really squeeze them in for a two hour trip, a long range twelve hour flight on Singapore Aerospacelines would be half a ton and it would be in the military's interest for an assault craft that the troops are well secured and can easily and rapidly be out of the ramps once the shuttle touches down, rather than have them thrown about during an emergency descent, struggle with their straps, and corridors crowded with troops taking out their gear from overhead bins.

 

[phavoc]

The only thing is that with antigrav, the seating for a spacecraft would not need to be any different than what we see on civilian or military seating gear today. The g-forces are not dissimilar, and far more milder in a spacecraft that can control it's own gravity. And stresses beyond that would most likely kill a person anyway (we already have seats that survive crashes when their occupants don't).

Though with your .5DT for an acceleration couch, that would still fit within the 2 seats per 1Dton I was thinking of.

As for troop transport...ha-ha! All the military vehicles I road in were designed to provide some safety, and some comfort, but nothing at all like civilian transports. If they could get you in piece to the battlefield, their job was done.

 

[F33D]

I think a lot will depend on duration of trip and thus, how much L.S. is needed. Earth to Moon might mean 5/Dton. Earth to Jupiter 2/Dton... Etc.

 

[phavoc]

I think a lot will depend on duration of trip and thus, how much L.S. is needed. Earth to Moon might mean 5/Dton. Earth to Jupiter 2/Dton... Etc.

Definitely. Surface to orbit, or say to any orbiting body could be handled with say economy-style seating (1st class for the nobles, natch). Similar to any plane or train. But something to the outer planets, a few days in length would be more like sleeper cabins on trains, or cruise liners.

 

[F33D]

I think a lot will depend on duration of trip and thus, how much L.S. is needed. Earth to Moon might mean 5/Dton. Earth to Jupiter 2/Dton... Etc.

Definitely. Surface to orbit, or say to any orbiting body could be handled with say economy-style seating (1st class for the nobles, natch). Similar to any plane or train. But something to the outer planets, a few days in length would be more like sleeper cabins on trains, or cruise liners.

This is an area of the rules that would be nice to see expanded. Maybe a Small Craft Supplement?

 

[Condottiere]