TL-16 Aslan world?
- Thread starter MasterGwydion
- Start date
Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
According to the write up, Vincennes can build them now.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I said most powerful world, not more powerful than the Imperium. You just compared one world to a Sector Fleet.
What is the greatest consequence of a polity having one or two TL-16 worlds? To my mind it’s being able to produce a few prototype Hop-1 drives for either emergency fast response and/or communications. I can’t see the production of Jump-7 ships occurring.
It seems it would be almost invaluable if a far-flung polity could position a small Hop-1 courier craft in each of its farthest sectors, perhaps with enough fuel to make 2 or 3 jumps without refueling. Yes it would be an expensive small ship, but being able to mobilize a response from the capital weeks sooner would seem to be worth the cost, and would have an outsized impact despite those few ships only being produced from a system or two.
What else would result that would have a similar or even greater impact? Am I thinking too narrowly just because ship travel is such a focus of the game?
It seems it would be almost invaluable if a far-flung polity could position a small Hop-1 courier craft in each of its farthest sectors, perhaps with enough fuel to make 2 or 3 jumps without refueling. Yes it would be an expensive small ship, but being able to mobilize a response from the capital weeks sooner would seem to be worth the cost, and would have an outsized impact despite those few ships only being produced from a system or two.
What else would result that would have a similar or even greater impact? Am I thinking too narrowly just because ship travel is such a focus of the game?
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
Speed of communication and intelligence will win almost every war. If you know things before your enemy, then you have the advantage. In war, in economics, emergency response, etc.
This could be a reason why the Zhodani initiated the Fifth Frontier War. I don’t know that current Mongoose canon incorporates any prototype Hop drives into the Imperium’s fleet, but it could have been intelligence that the Imperium was about to start building such ships that pushed the Zhodani to start the war now before the Imperium gained another qualitative edge.
I’ve read that a reason why the Imperial German military was eager to wage war against Imperial Russia in the lead up to WWI was that the Germans were afraid that as Russia industrialized they would become the greater power within the next decade or so.
I can see similar thinking for the Zhodani. It doesn’t have to be a good reason to start the war, just a sufficient reason.
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
Canonically within the setting Hop technology isn't discovered until nearly IY1900. Hop, like jump before it, is not a guaranteed technological brekthrough. Nor is it a guarantee that just because you discover jump drive at TL9 (or TL7 for experimental 
) that you will discover any of the higher TL drives.
I also question how an Aslan world can achieve TL16 when they lag behind all the other major polities technologically. Secrets learned in Dark Nebula perhaps?
) that you will discover any of the higher TL drives.I also question how an Aslan world can achieve TL16 when they lag behind all the other major polities technologically. Secrets learned in Dark Nebula perhaps?
Last edited:
Ok, I didn’t k ow that there was a canonical date for Hop technology. However, credible intelligence could lead to the same motivations, even if the intelligence was faulty.Canonically within the setting Hop technology isn't discovered until nearly IY1900. Hop, like jump before it, is not a guaranteed technological brekthrough. Nor is it a guarantee that just because you discover jump drive at TL9 (or TL7 for experimental
I also question how an Aslan world can achieve TL16 when they lag behind all the other major polities technologically. Secrets learned in Dark nebula perhaps?
As far as experimenting with FTL technology 2 levels higher than a base level I thought that since experimental technology fails after 24 hours of use typically would prevent such experiments; perhaps that’s learned the very hard way.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
The write up I read said that they do not think like other Aslan and actively learn from other races and cultures. They are also using a large portion of that TL-16 infrastructure just to pay bribes to their rival clans so they don't get a Cultural Purge performed on them.Canonically within the setting Hop technology isn't discovered until nearly IY1900. Hop, like jump before it, is not a guaranteed technological brekthrough. Nor is it a guarantee that just because you discover jump drive at TL9 (or TL7 for experimental
I also question how an Aslan world can achieve TL16 when they lag behind all the other major polities technologically. Secrets learned in Dark nebula perhaps?
collins355
Cosmic Mongoose
Sorry, but I personally find the whole, "oh here's a TL16 world despite the fact we've said this polity is TL whatever for years" a bit meh.
Vincennes was a bad move back in the day, and a TL16 Aslan world is even less of a good idea today.
And then with the whole Mongoose/T5 experimental technology thing it suddenly becomes TL17. Spare me!
Vincennes was a bad move back in the day, and a TL16 Aslan world is even less of a good idea today.
And then with the whole Mongoose/T5 experimental technology thing it suddenly becomes TL17. Spare me!
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
79 days from Vincennes to Capital. Hop-1 with fuel for 4 hops. Limited to 10 parsecs. Can't jump less since it is experimental and doesn't have a governor. 400-ton TL-16 ship.
Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
Skimming High Guard 2022 Update, I'm not seeing where it says prototype drives can't come with governors. Do you have a quote on that?
WHULorigan
Emperor Mongoose
Yes. Samiqys in Antares Sector. It is a legacy world from a prior precursor race that effectively ran into the Robotic-AI / Terminator™ problem and got themselves exterminated, but the TL17 pseudobiolgical Robots still populate the world and are inimical to visitors. The Imperium placed it under interdiction and TAS has listed it as a Red Zone.
I don’t think the lack of a governor is a major factor; the very last jump to Capital could be handled by any capable Imperial Navy ship, so long as that last jump by the Hop courier was within 3-4 parsecs of Capital. There would be plenty of candidates in all directions of Capital.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
House rule
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
I counted it as 11 hops from Vincennes to Capital. If you aren't trying to hit at exactly 10 parsecs per jump, you can probably shave some off of that.
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
This already exists in JTAS 6 as the Steppehauler-class Modular Freighter
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
A 400-ton Hop-1 Courier with a 4-hop range would cost about the same as a Destroyer Escort from High Guard.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Cheap, considering capability.
Agreed. I was informed that per CT canon that a Hop drive wasn’t developed until IY 1900. Seems like a long time, but without being super familiar with CT canon that could be explained by all the other chaos that soon engulfs the Third Imperium in CT.
However, my understanding is that MgT doesn’t really have canon past IY 1105, though if running the FFW it goes a few years farther. It seems that the Imperium would be highly motivated to develop a few ships with Hop drives, but it isn’t necessary to have them by the time of the FFW. I like the idea that the threat Hop couriers represent to the balance of power helps prod the Zhodani to attack, and after the FFW I can see adding them to MTU canon, finding use as supreme couriers or as far ranging scouts in very limited number.
