steve98052
Mongoose
Here's an article about the greatest pirate in history: a Chinese woman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Shih
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Shih
The Dichotomy of Piracy
- Thread starter phavoc
- Start date
Piracy in Traveller is quite different compared to piracy today. Space is very big and it takes a lot of time for someone to get.the news.
First of all someone needs to get the info. A pirate attack happened? Did it show on someones sensors? Is it necessary to jump to get the info to the authorities that might intervene?
The moment someone has to jump, and that's nearly always the case if the pirates aren't desperate and attack in an inhabited system, it will take 2 weeks for any response. The pirates will be far away after this time.
Furthermore a star system is quite big and your sensors won't be able to scan everything right after you jumped in. And even if you did and find the pirates on the other side of the system it will take quite some time to reach them. Enough time for them to flee to wherever. You won't know to which sytem they jumped and what the jump capabilities are.
Of course the same points make piracy more difficult because you have to be at a place some target might pop up and not on the other side of the system.
Nonetheless if a pirate is careful and doesn't stay at the same place for too long it should be quite hard to catch them. The most problematic case is the vastness of space and the slow flow of information. Some place gets the info of the pirate attack? The pirates could already be doing their second jump.
It doesn't make catching pirates impossible but you have to put in lots of and lots of ressources to do so. And if they only go for small fry (which is still a lot of credits for relatively small crews) it might not be considered worth it.
First of all someone needs to get the info. A pirate attack happened? Did it show on someones sensors? Is it necessary to jump to get the info to the authorities that might intervene?
The moment someone has to jump, and that's nearly always the case if the pirates aren't desperate and attack in an inhabited system, it will take 2 weeks for any response. The pirates will be far away after this time.
Furthermore a star system is quite big and your sensors won't be able to scan everything right after you jumped in. And even if you did and find the pirates on the other side of the system it will take quite some time to reach them. Enough time for them to flee to wherever. You won't know to which sytem they jumped and what the jump capabilities are.
Of course the same points make piracy more difficult because you have to be at a place some target might pop up and not on the other side of the system.
Nonetheless if a pirate is careful and doesn't stay at the same place for too long it should be quite hard to catch them. The most problematic case is the vastness of space and the slow flow of information. Some place gets the info of the pirate attack? The pirates could already be doing their second jump.
It doesn't make catching pirates impossible but you have to put in lots of and lots of ressources to do so. And if they only go for small fry (which is still a lot of credits for relatively small crews) it might not be considered worth it.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
Even at the 100D mark, space is still big. Just as important is trade activity. More trade more ships. Smart pirates don't just go fishin' and hope for a nibble. They learn the ponds and know the fish. They know how much opposition there is and how to lay in wait and time patrols. They use deception such as using known ships, modified or not, to allay suspicion. They try to intercept toward rather than away. Targets will announce themselves with a jump flash when they arrive and will not have fuel for another jump. A pirate, on the other hand, always has a full tank just in case. Most ships do not come screaming blindly into a system especially at the 100D range if they want to live so they are easier to intercept.
Capturing a ship is an art not luck. A severely damaged ship is worthless if it can't jump. That means it take precious time, skill and tactics to carefully wear it down. You need to convince the crew to give up because you have all the advantages.
Notice most commercial craft don't come with weapons. Except for very generous referees and munchkin players, you don't start with an armed ship without serious consideration you can guarantee income for a higher mortgage. That's why most ships hug the 100D entering and leaving systems and often depend on local enforcement. Smart pirates take this all in and see if it's cost effective otherwise move on to another fishin' hole. Smart pirates don't fish too often in one spot giving the patrols time to get lazy and trade to feel it's safe again.
For pirates, high burn thrusters are worth the money but you still need to get close first.
Space pirates are NOT Somali peasants, organized or otherwise, with assault weapons and a couple grenades in tiny boats taking on weaponless crews.
Capturing a ship is an art not luck. A severely damaged ship is worthless if it can't jump. That means it take precious time, skill and tactics to carefully wear it down. You need to convince the crew to give up because you have all the advantages.
Notice most commercial craft don't come with weapons. Except for very generous referees and munchkin players, you don't start with an armed ship without serious consideration you can guarantee income for a higher mortgage. That's why most ships hug the 100D entering and leaving systems and often depend on local enforcement. Smart pirates take this all in and see if it's cost effective otherwise move on to another fishin' hole. Smart pirates don't fish too often in one spot giving the patrols time to get lazy and trade to feel it's safe again.
For pirates, high burn thrusters are worth the money but you still need to get close first.
Space pirates are NOT Somali peasants, organized or otherwise, with assault weapons and a couple grenades in tiny boats taking on weaponless crews.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
They can very well be. A fast small-craft with a breaching tube is quite able to effect a boarding.Reynard said:
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
They modified a standard small craft themselves? A bit of elbow grease and a magic 3D printer later...Reynard said:
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
I donno.
A souped up air/raft in low orbit.
A souped up air/raft in low orbit.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
Ok, you also need a:Sigtrygg said:
Opposed boarding is quite possible in MgT.HG said:
Annatar Giftbringer
Emperor Mongoose
AnotherDilbert said:
Thanks for the reminder, I'd totally forgotten about Forced Linkage Apparataus!
I'm in the process of designing a small boarding Craft, and it looks like it could prove very useful…. But I gotta make room for it somehow…. Ah well, bye bye military sensors!
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
Quite, military small craft tend to be very tightly packed and either huge or leaving some things out.
I tend to skimp on sensors and rely on flight control from the mothership or specific EW craft. The squadron rules support this. But it does not make fighters very good at sensor locks...
I tend to skimp on sensors and rely on flight control from the mothership or specific EW craft. The squadron rules support this. But it does not make fighters very good at sensor locks...
Annatar Giftbringer
Emperor Mongoose
Yeah, and large won’t work for this one, it has to fit in a 20 dt launch tube.
The sensors were a very tough choice, I kinda wanted military sensors, I feel that military craft ‘should’ have it, and it helps them to function independently, but they’re expensive both in credits and tonnage...
The sensors were a very tough choice, I kinda wanted military sensors, I feel that military craft ‘should’ have it, and it helps them to function independently, but they’re expensive both in credits and tonnage...
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
"Thanks for the reminder, I'd totally forgotten about Forced Linkage Apparataus!"
I make FLAs almost a mandatory compliment with Breaching Tubes. I added one to the boarding shuttle from Fighting Ships.
"I'm in the process of designing a small boarding Craft, and it looks like it could prove very useful…. But I gotta make room for it somehow…. Ah well, bye bye military sensors!"
Boarding craft should not be regularly dealing with undamaged targets. After a main ship or squadron has incapacitated the target and the target refuses to stand down and surrender, the BC is launched and approaches to take the ship by force. They don't need the best systems and defenses and the weapon they carry is more for making a breach.
Remember that multiple BCs can attack various points of a ship to spread defenders and/or capture important sections such as engineering and command.
I make FLAs almost a mandatory compliment with Breaching Tubes. I added one to the boarding shuttle from Fighting Ships.
"I'm in the process of designing a small boarding Craft, and it looks like it could prove very useful…. But I gotta make room for it somehow…. Ah well, bye bye military sensors!"
Boarding craft should not be regularly dealing with undamaged targets. After a main ship or squadron has incapacitated the target and the target refuses to stand down and surrender, the BC is launched and approaches to take the ship by force. They don't need the best systems and defenses and the weapon they carry is more for making a breach.
Remember that multiple BCs can attack various points of a ship to spread defenders and/or capture important sections such as engineering and command.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
Agreed.Reynard said:
Boarding fully functional warships is a viable tactic in MgT2. It requires tough boarding craft, though.Reynard said:
Annatar Giftbringer
Emperor Mongoose
AnotherDilbert said:
While the ideal boarding scenario means that the target has cut power to its M-drive, won’t shoot when you approach, the airlock is unlocked and all crew are gathered in the common room with hands in the air, there will of course be times that are a bit trickier
I’m hoping that thrust 6, armour 12 and takeoff via launch tube will be enough for successful boardings, aided by forced linkage apparatus and breaching tube, but that remains to be seen...
I’ll post stats soon-ish in a separate post, no need to detail this one more than necessary!
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
I'm thinking ion cannon.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Seems more OTU than a meson bay.
If we assume Mongooseverse.
If we assume Mongooseverse.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
It might be iffy to run down retreating enemies, unless the mothership takes you to withing Short range?Annatar Giftbringer said:I’m hoping that thrust 6, armour 12 and takeoff via launch tube will be enough for successful boardings, aided by forced linkage apparatus and breaching tube, but that remains to be seen...
With "only" Armour 12 I would recommend Reflec, otherwise a single laser hit risks killing the craft.
Looking forward to it!Annatar Giftbringer said:
