Star System Naval Reserve

[Condottiere]

The centre of gravity in a castle tends to be the main gateway, which is why they're heavily fortified and reinforced in later renovations, or built that way from the ground up.

In Traveller, it would have to be a system whose occupation or control gives access to the hinterland, or allows a task force to jump to another system that would permit a breakthrough.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

The Schwerpunkt is not necessarily a strategically important point, it's the point where you choose to attack.

 

[phavoc]

Empty weapon bays can carry cargo at their full capacity.

The weaponry in bays is easily removed and replaced by other bay weaponry as the need arises.
Empty weapons bays may be put to a variety of uses, such as holding small craft
(air/rafts, ATVs, fighters, pinnaces, etc), or storing cargo.

So build some bulk haulers for trade lane use, upon conscription they are refitted quickly with weapons in those bays.

Didn't there used to be a 50% penalty for this? So if you had a 100 ton bay the best you could expect was 50 tons of cargo? Logically a 50% penalty is reasonable, since you still have power feeds and everything else that goes along with such a massive weapon installation.

In general I'm not in favor of this rule. It sounds ok on paper, right? Didn't mount a weapon in the 50 tons you set aside? No problem! Just throw some boxes in there and you are good to go.

In reality that makes absolutely no sense. "Bays" are meant to be weapon stations. This is ananalgous to removing the VLS system on a cruiser and tossing some boxes in there. Plus, by definition, a "bay" may actually BE a weapons bay built INTO a ship, while it may also (and is more likely) be a turret mounted EXTERNALLY to the ship. I'm pretty sure naval architects aren't putting in large cargo hatches on an external weapon bay/turret to make it easier to load cargo. That makes absolutely no sense.

 

[Condottiere]

Barbettes are supposed to be super turrets.

Bay has devolved into a rather ambiguous term.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Didn't there used to be a 50% penalty for this? So if you had a 100 ton bay the best you could expect was 50 tons of cargo? Logically a 50% penalty is reasonable, since you still have power feeds and everything else that goes along with such a massive weapon installation.

Empty weapons bays may be put to a variety of uses, such as holding small craft (air/rafts, ATVs, fighters, pinnaces, etc), or storing cargo. Vehicles and craft may be carried in otherwise unused bays at 50% wastage (100 tons of bay holds 50 tons of vehicle or craft). A bay may launch one craft per turn. An otherwise unused bay may also be used to carry deadfall ordnance for planetary bombardment; such a bay is useless in battle, but is used to bombard worlds.

HG'80, p30.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Cargo is carried at full bay volume, just as AD quotes.

 

[Condottiere]

If dimensions allow, of which we have none.

I can pack my cupboard, but only with stuff that fits.