Travellers Needed! High Guard Updates

[Terry Mixon]

Actually, I wouldn't care whether the demarcation was by comma, period, space, or pretty much any other symbol (although emojis would probably be a bit too silly), just so long as there was a clear demarcation. The current standard is nearly unreadable, and getting worse as my eyes get older.

They mentioned considering using KCr, MCr, BCr, and TCr. I wish they would.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Thinking about common area dtons and comfort levels, right now based on the number of staterooms and their type, you either have enough for acceptable comfort or you don’t. You’d almost need to have the common areas for each class of stateroom and make sure there are enough for the appropriate comfort level.

For example, you’ve got 5 middle staterooms, 2 High Staterooms, and 1 Luxury Stateroom. You’d need to allocate blocks of common area for each to make sure you have enough for each class, and allow those blocks to have separate comfort improving add ons like entertainment and luxury spaces. Ditto for crew spaces and staterooms.

It’s a little more bookkeeping, but a spreadsheet can handle it. That granularity can make for some good builds and the VH mentions tracking by groups of staterooms to allow differing comfort levels as opposed to a single one for the entire vessel.

 

[Condottiere]

Lowered gravity bed.

Though, you could just have a variable gravity area stateroom.

 

[ProfGrizzlyJon]

Comfort Levels. I think this system should be used aboard ships as well.

I use a system like this, and now have to revise it.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Missile barbettes have something unexplained called multilaunchers. They are mentioned nowhere else. You should spend a few words on them to make how they work clear. Is it a single mechanism that fires five missiles super fast or a set of five small racks that fire at the same time at the same target? As no other weapons system uses them, I’m inclined to think it is the latter, but inquiring minds want to know.

Equipped with multilaunchers, a missile barbette can unleash a flurry of warheads at a target. A missile barbette fires five missiles at a time and holds enough missiles for five full salvos (a total of 25 missiles). Missile barbettes on Firmpoints consume an additional two tons of space.

 

[Condottiere]

I think it's five separate spacecraft turret launchers, grouped together, with a ready magazine of twenty five missiles.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Missile barbettes have something unexplained called multilaunchers. They are mentioned nowhere else. You should spend a few words on them to make how they work clear. Is it a single mechanism that fires five missiles super fast or a set of five small racks that fire at the same time at the same target? As no other weapons system uses them, I’m inclined to think it is the latter, but inquiring minds want to know.

Umm, yes.

Barbettes and bays are intentionally vague, allowing you to have lots of little guns, or one big one. That is purely a style thing (think of the big guns up front on the Galactica, for example - they would be bay weapons).

 

[Condottiere]

Darrians, as I recall, have triple revolver missile launchers.

 

[ProfGrizzlyJon]

Umm, yes.

Barbettes and bays are intentionally vague, allowing you to have lots of little guns, or one big one. That is purely a style thing (think of the big guns up front on the Galactica, for example - they would be bay weapons).

This is what led to the IMTU creation of ripplecasters, which are basically rapid-firing sandcasters (because popping more sand is very important)

 

[Terry Mixon]

Umm, yes.

Barbettes and bays are intentionally vague, allowing you to have lots of little guns, or one big one. That is purely a style thing (think of the big guns up front on the Galactica, for example - they would be bay weapons).

Then my suggestion would be to remove the bit about multilaunchers and leave it vague. If you mention specific, named equipment, you should clue us in on what it is so we can use it elsewhere if we choose. If it has just a rate of fire, leave it unnamed and up to interpretation. The entry without multilaunchers works great. Don’t do both.

 

[Condottiere]

Outside of cost and volume, the issue is really rate of fire.

 

[saltedcaramelplease]

Travellers, can we talk about the new damage and critical mechanics from the Vehicle Handbook '26? I think they're kind of amazing. I'm curious if this is on the radar for making it into a High Guard update. Thoughts?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Travellers, can we talk about the new damage and critical mechanics from the Vehicle Handbook '26? I think they're kind of amazing. I'm curious if this is on the radar for making it into a High Guard update. Thoughts?

Well, that is the question, isn't it?

Let's see what everyone thinks of it for vehicles first...

 

[Perkanis83]

Having just had a read through and assuming it would not invalidate older designs it does look promising and would most likely give a bit more flair to space combat.

 

[Grognardia]

There isn't really a magic line between 99 and 100 that turns a small craft into large craft. The only real difference is that you can't mount a jump drive under 100 tons.

"It's not going to work. She's still too light."
Yevs peeled the backing off an adhesive strip, pressed a soda can firmly against the hull just below the airlock, and held it there for ten seconds while humming quietly to himself.
"One hundred tons," he announced. "Jump certified. Someone file the paperwork."
Drev stared at the can. "That's a soda can."
"It's part of the vessel now."
"It still has the label on it."
"Displacement is displacement."

 

[FarragoFox]

Not sure if this one has been mentioned yet (and I know I'm late to the party), but can we get a clarification on the ability (or inability) to install parrallel collector systems (High Guard, Exotic Technology, pg83)

 

[ross]

clearly define what is third imperium technology and what isn't

So much this!

 

[ross]

The rules for "small craft" seem skewed. As an example, I would think that any craft that was not jump capable would be able to use a small bridge under a 500 dtons. It would make things like dropships and gunships a lot more logically consistent in my opinion.

 

[Libris]

"It's not going to work. She's still too light."
Yevs peeled the backing off an adhesive strip, pressed a soda can firmly against the hull just below the airlock, and held it there for ten seconds while humming quietly to himself.
"One hundred tons," he announced. "Jump certified. Someone file the paperwork."
Drev stared at the can. "That's a soda can."
"It's part of the vessel now."
"It still has the label on it."
"Displacement is displacement."

Reminds me of an AOG (aircraft on ground) incident in middle of nowhere Australia that my mate dealt with where a small(ish) plane had suffered damage to the leading edge of the wing - nothing structural or dangerous but needed patched. After much back and forward, “Have you got x”, “No”, it turned out there was a coke machine. Faxed template, they cut it out of a flattened can, and pop-riveted it to the leading edge. I can’t remember how many flights/hours they certified it for but it would have needed multiple hops to get to a repair centre.

Knowing the Aussies they would have riveted it on with the logo on the outside! I’m sure a coke can stapled to the wing may have attracted the odd comment from passengers.

 

[CordwainerFish]

Faxed template, they cut it out of a flattened can, and pop-riveted it to the leading edge.

The other month I was assembling a Gundam model (one of the real expensive ones) and lost one of the laser cut metal stickers [1]. I kludged [2] a fake one out of tinfoil and explained it as the engineers on the White Base making do in a similar spirit...

[1] The adhesive on those things is way too weak and, if you follow the instructions, you put them on long before you put the covering plastic bits over them. Bad design.

[2] Spelled that way and rhymes with "fudged", the way Ghu intended.