Ultra light small craft: teaser,proposed releases: Feedback and suggestions requested

Tenacious-Techhunter said:
Ooh, yeah, that sounds like a pain... that sort of thing would just stop me dead from working on something. I hate it when tools misbehave. Good luck!

Aspirin, coffee, and a stubborn streak....my magic elixir...but considering I only started to do models at the first of the year and haven't had a single formal art or modeling class I think I am doing pretty well. evidently I failed that enlistment role in the artist career LOL.
 
wbnc said:
One option I considered was using a Half ton reactor. Nowhere in the rules does it say that have to be installed in one-ton increments.

We are going to leave the text 'as is' on this. We are unlikely to do any half ton reactors in 'official' designs, but we would be happy to consider this a viable 'hack' if ship designers want to do it in their games/supplements!
 
msprange said:
wbnc said:
One option I considered was using a Half ton reactor. Nowhere in the rules does it say that have to be installed in one-ton increments.

We are going to leave the text 'as is' on this. We are unlikely to do any half ton reactors in 'official' designs, but we would be happy to consider this a viable 'hack' if ship designers want to do it in their games/supplements!

I knew I liked you guys for some reason:D...thanks for the feedback. That makes it a lot easier to make a few of the low power use small craft.
 
Condottiere said:
Well, a half tonne fusion power plant would be quarter of the power output of it's larger tonner cousin.

About the only time you would use a half ton unit would be as a power core for something very small. Ironically it could probably power a good sized town, outpost on it's own . LOL
 
Tenacious-Techhunter said:
Sounds a bit low... look up the power storage of an electric car sometime.

Probably is a bit on the low side.

I have always tried to come up with how much power the average starship would use. Unfortunately, that is a pretty complex issue with factors that I can't even begin to guess at. I am going to have to just make a ballpark figured of Somewhere between a Lot and a "Metric Buttload."

I have seen an article that indicates a Nuclear powered Trafalgar class sub can power a city of 180,000. So if a nuke sub is that powerful a starship that has to creatively sidestep most of the laws of physics just to operate probably has to generate more power than that.
 
Checking up on HG smallcraft design, sA fusion plant is one and one fifth tonnes, with the overhead at point three tonnes.

In theory, you'd end up with point six tonnes, and a third of the power output.
 
Condottiere said:
Checking up on HG smallcraft design, sA fusion plant is one and one fifth tonnes, with the overhead at point three tonnes.

In theory, you'd end up with point six tonnes, and a third of the power output.

So if you take a TL-8 reactor that generates 10 power you would get a 0.6 ton reactor generating 3 power.Applying Decreased size once, and energy efficient twice you get roughly 4 Points of power at 0.5 tons.at 0.375 Mcr..if my coffee deprived math holds up.

It isn't an optimum result, but it does allow for a small craft to carry a very compact reactor. if a small craft has thrust of 2, and a 10-ton hull it has just enough power to work i can power a laser drill but it has to power down to minimum power, and can't maneuver.

a. 5-ton small craft has enough power i reserve to move at thrust 4 fire a laser weapon.

at Higher TL it becomes more efficient and allows for higher thrust or larger hulls.

So if you call it a small craft power pack, it provides a relatively cheap way to create a low acceleration minimal power smallcraft.
 
But I'm guessing that they removed the overhead in the new edition, though apparently the power output might actually coincide.
 
Tenacious-Techhunter said:
Something that I just remembered, but forgot on account of other details:

“Ultra light small craft” sounds like you’re talking about Ultralight Aircraft. Which, you’re really not.

Hmm good point but calling them size f a small house smallcraft isn't as easy to say.
 
I came up with the term ultralite for smallcradft smaller than ten tonnes a while ago, it's an obvious progression.

The term pocket is applied to rather larger craft, that aren't as large as conventionally presumed.
 
Condottiere said:
I came up with the term ultralite for smallcradft smaller than ten tonnes a while ago, it's an obvious progression.

The term pocket is applied to rather larger craft, that aren't as large as conventionally presumed.

Considering "Light" starships can be as big a 500-600 tons..they aint tiny. :D

for small craft I go with...
Ultralite = 5-10 tons
Light= 15-25 tons
Medium 30 to 45 tons
Heavy 50+

and, I have "Capital" smallcraft which are 100 Tons and heavier.these being such things as heavy landers, dropships, lighters, assault boats etc.Somewhere around here, I have a 200 ton heavy lifter..basically a space crane for landing or maneuvering extremely large objects...and a 100 ton jump capable suicide missile...what da ya think happens when a 100 ton starship with cargo fo 10 tons of nickel-iron slams into a planet at 40K MPH.
 
I would guess it depends on the function of the smallcraft.

It used to be that heavy fighters start at forty tonnes, due to armament min-maxing, and probably stop at sixty nine tonnes, due to speed restrictions; though the new edition may eliminate those.

Bombers start at seventy tonnes, again due to armament min-maxing, and speed restrictions; anything below that would be a fighter bomber, or COIN.

Medium fighters might be a blend of armour and speed, though with a single weapon slot.

A heavy smallcraft probably starts at seventy tonnes, but without speed restrictions, sixty tonnes.

A medium one might be thirty one tonnes and up, due to docking clamp limitations.
 
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