GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
Because everyone expects the old deckplan wonk to tear this book up anyway...
This will be a "quick pass" review of the contents. I'm not going to hit the stat blocks, largely because they actually look mostly correct. They do reveal a few head-scratchers, but in general the stat blocks look good.
Countermeasures Drone
How often do opposing ships get within Short range? Just sayin...
Suicide Drone
The text suggests that we are missing ship-scale collision rules, while the statblock says its just a really big bomb-pumped laser warhead. Some consistency would be appreciated.
Mine Drone
Adjacent Range? Uh.
Also see note above about collision rules.
Recon Drone
What Scout Ship is going to carry very many of these things? They're huge.
Freight Handler Pod
Only the first of many "which direction is the artwork going?" occurences...
Business Shuttle/Yacht
Art: those are NOT solar sails.
Deckplan: With an entire lower deck to play with, the airlock is still ten feet off the ground...
Space Control Router, Shepherd-Class
Why passenger seats?
Artwork looks like this thing should be a tail-sitter. Deckplan obviously isn't.
All that room and you couldn't line up the decks in relationship to each other?
Covert Insertion Craft, Type XI
artwork and deckplan are a total mismatch.
Modular Skiff
Deckplan flat, art round.
No modules?
Are the engines off-center for a reason?
Retrieval Boat
art/deckplan mismatch.
Ship-to-Ship Shuttle, Type XSX
This must be designed for passengers that don't like each other, since the chairs are TWENTY FEET APART.
The airlock is in about the worst possible spot for ship-to-ship transfers. Or are VIPS expected to be delivered by crane arm?
Slow Boat
Long-skinny phallus art, short stubby phallus deckplan.
Space Surveillance Craft
Art is a cone, deckplan is flat.
Slow Pinnace
More passengers who don't like each other.
Solar Sailing Yacht
Fuel seems a bit light, but hey, I'm not flying it.
Antique Fighter
With horizontal trim like this (heavy missiles "balanced" by light fuel) this thing is a death trap if one of the engines goes...
Assault Fighter
Nothing but ground-scale weapons? Really?
Assault Shuttle
Art has more third dimension to it than the deckplan, which is built with ballroom dancing in mind.
Junk Fighter
Inventing rules for specific designs is not a good idea...
Orbital Defence System (ODS)
That's a dispersed structure hull if ever I've seen one.
Art and deckplan mismatch
Strike Boat
Deckplan (and text) puts the torp underneath, while the art suggests that there are two torps and these are at the end of each wing.
Fuel and cargo are arranged to take this design out of trim, though not to the same extent as a some of the others.
Superiority Fighter, Type 7
I am amused. That is all.
Interceptor Mk III
Art and deckplan mismatch
Antique In-systems Hauler
Which direction does this thing fly, and why are the docking clamps venting so much heat and light?
Airlock is hanging over open space, an entire deck above the cargo bays. How DO you get out of this thing?
The lower decks appear to be stretched. Square floor grid is distinctly rectangular...
Express Boat, Type X
No M-Drive, so just what is the artwork depicting? A ship under thrust, that's what.
Fast Trader, Type A3
That portside quad airlock is... fascinating. Where do the doors go, precisely?
Engineering is designed for spider monkeys and Olympic sprinters. Getting from one workstation to the other involves a trip through popsicle alley and opening the BIG starboard door, or running a grand tour of the crew staterooms. Fancy a jog?
Large Freighter
Picture is of the shuttle. No, really.
Getting cargo in and out of this thing is going to be loads of fun.
Modular Clipper
Now that's an art-to-deckplan mismatch.
Deck 3 is asymmetric why, again? Shuffle the extra fuel forward and even out those hips.
Animal-class Safari Ship
Er, NO. This is a nice Type K, but the "Animal Class" it ain't. The same way there are many Type S ships out there, but only one version is the Sulieman.
What are you storing in that nether corner of the (rather huge) ship's locker?
Floor hatch for the ATV? It isn't getting out any other way...
Sanatorium Hospice Boat, Saint Class
If this is for crazy people, should it look like a Vampire Bat in space armor?
Also, art-to-deckplan mismatch.
Quarters deck is asymmetrical for no good reason. It is also slightly wider than the deck below, which makes the "aerofins" a bit cramped.
Express Boat Tender, Type XT
More of that rectangular deck grid.
Don't hire any claustrophobic engineers. That's a 60-foot ladder down to engineering with nowhere to go but up or down.
Deck 9 is missing. From the art, I assume it is identical to Deck 7.
Art shows the *tail* of this ship.
Pirate Raider (Ambush Frigate)
The old argument about purpose-built pirates aside, er, watch DS9 much?
The breaching tube either needs to angle down quite a bit or be long enough to get past 50 feet of fuel wing...
Minor nit: Most ships in the book are flying up the page, while this one is flying down.
Prisoner transfer is going to be a real pain. Map the path from breaching tube (or launch) to cold berths. Now do that holding a gun on someone...
Armed Fast Smuggler
With a name like that, you'd think packing a huge and highly reflective attention-getter like a solar sail would be a non-starter...
How do you get passengers into this thing again? Oh right. Walk across the top of the cargo deck to that door over there.
Level with me, please. That command deck was built specifically for neato fire fights, right?
Pirate Cruiser (Cutlass-class)
Nice curves on that hull. Sort of a shame none of them reached the inner walls.
You do NOT want to be the second fighter back to the ship.
So... break bulk cargo only, then?
Labourer-class Salvage Hauler
Switching cutter modules can NOT be fun on this thing.
Slight mechanical issue: if even another thousand tons is in the docking clamps, the formula for calculating new G rating goes right off the top of the standard ships chart...
Vulture-class Armed Salvage Ship
Just what is that a picture of?
Aesthetics aside, the maintenance pod is going to have trouble getting in or out if the vict... salvaged hull in the clamps is at all odd-shaped. Now go back and look at your other ships for odd shapes...
Light Assault Transport
Picture's orientation and relationship to the deckplans is not immediately obvious, though it is a decent picture once you get it pointed the right direction.
The utterly asymmetric interior is, as far as I can tell, completely without purpose. The Assault Shuttle Berths CAN fit side by side, and there is really no reason aside from cool gunfights in the corridors to arrange the crew section that way. Also, why are the engines off-center?
Q-Ship
I approve.
Minesweeper, Type M/R
Art is tipped on its side flying UP. Art is also taller than the deckplans by at least a deck or two.
Naval Auxiliary, Type NA
Art is flying to the left. That's the crew lounge window so brightly lit...
Gratuitous asymmetry.
Fuel Scoops? Really?
So. I get out of this thing via the cargo bays, then?
Security Pursuit Ship
Long skinny art, short stubby deckplan stacked really tall.
Apparently the only way in or out of this ship is through the breaching tube or out the hatches the drones use. Good luck with that.
Once again, prisoner transfers in this ship are going to be a real pain. Map the path from the breaching tube to the low berths...
Subsidized Liner, Type M
The asymmetry on Deck 3 is simply painful.
Escape Pods were a Copy-Paste-Mirror, weren't they? Backwards "S"...
That disk on the nose is not the right size.
For a ship that had decent plans before, this is really a disappointment.
Defence Frigate
A bit clunky, but could have been a lot worse.
Fighters drop out the bottom AND are stacked two high? Hot recovery is going to suck. A LOT.
A narrow spot in the hull equals a potential weak spot that opponents will shoot at, so I suppose putting the escape pods there makes some sort of sense. Maybe.
How do you get into this thing, by the way?
Advanced Systems Defence Boat (SDB-II)
I'm sorry, but that picture is really funny. It's a good picture, but damn.
Antique Systems Defence Boat
A bit of a hull proportions mismatch.
Missile Systems Defender (MSD-II)
No picture?
Aside from a bit of asymmetry, it'll do.
Systems Defence Boat (SDB)
Now with shiny roof rack
Assault Gunship, Type RG
For a moment I was afraid you'd put the breaching tube in a place that would make the girls laugh and point...
Bombardment Ship (Seige-class)
Boarding through the missile storage bay again, Ensign?
Colonial Cruiser
Gah. All that space and the living spaces are all crammed into the back end.
This ship is 1200 tons and only TWO decks?
Escort Frigate
Airlock on the roof?
Destroyer Escort (Convoy Variant)
Where is that airlock going?
Destroyer Escort (Patrol Variant)
More of those rectangular squares...
Fiery-class Gunned Escort
Now brought to you by Space Aztecs!
Light Scout, Type ST
Amusing.
Art has the upper deck a bit far back, but that's minor.
Missile Corvette
The off-center cargo bay is odd and unnecessary.
Patrol Cruiser, Type T
Not bad. Internal asymmetry could be worse.
Watchdog-class Fleet Picket
Another third-story airlock. Otherwise, not bad.
This will be a "quick pass" review of the contents. I'm not going to hit the stat blocks, largely because they actually look mostly correct. They do reveal a few head-scratchers, but in general the stat blocks look good.
Countermeasures Drone
How often do opposing ships get within Short range? Just sayin...
Suicide Drone
The text suggests that we are missing ship-scale collision rules, while the statblock says its just a really big bomb-pumped laser warhead. Some consistency would be appreciated.
Mine Drone
Adjacent Range? Uh.
Also see note above about collision rules.
Recon Drone
What Scout Ship is going to carry very many of these things? They're huge.
Freight Handler Pod
Only the first of many "which direction is the artwork going?" occurences...
Business Shuttle/Yacht
Art: those are NOT solar sails.
Deckplan: With an entire lower deck to play with, the airlock is still ten feet off the ground...
Space Control Router, Shepherd-Class
Why passenger seats?
Artwork looks like this thing should be a tail-sitter. Deckplan obviously isn't.
All that room and you couldn't line up the decks in relationship to each other?
Covert Insertion Craft, Type XI
artwork and deckplan are a total mismatch.
Modular Skiff
Deckplan flat, art round.
No modules?
Are the engines off-center for a reason?
Retrieval Boat
art/deckplan mismatch.
Ship-to-Ship Shuttle, Type XSX
This must be designed for passengers that don't like each other, since the chairs are TWENTY FEET APART.
The airlock is in about the worst possible spot for ship-to-ship transfers. Or are VIPS expected to be delivered by crane arm?
Slow Boat
Long-skinny phallus art, short stubby phallus deckplan.
Space Surveillance Craft
Art is a cone, deckplan is flat.
Slow Pinnace
More passengers who don't like each other.
Solar Sailing Yacht
Fuel seems a bit light, but hey, I'm not flying it.
Antique Fighter
With horizontal trim like this (heavy missiles "balanced" by light fuel) this thing is a death trap if one of the engines goes...
Assault Fighter
Nothing but ground-scale weapons? Really?
Assault Shuttle
Art has more third dimension to it than the deckplan, which is built with ballroom dancing in mind.
Junk Fighter
Inventing rules for specific designs is not a good idea...
Orbital Defence System (ODS)
That's a dispersed structure hull if ever I've seen one.
Art and deckplan mismatch
Strike Boat
Deckplan (and text) puts the torp underneath, while the art suggests that there are two torps and these are at the end of each wing.
Fuel and cargo are arranged to take this design out of trim, though not to the same extent as a some of the others.
Superiority Fighter, Type 7
I am amused. That is all.
Interceptor Mk III
Art and deckplan mismatch
Antique In-systems Hauler
Which direction does this thing fly, and why are the docking clamps venting so much heat and light?
Airlock is hanging over open space, an entire deck above the cargo bays. How DO you get out of this thing?
The lower decks appear to be stretched. Square floor grid is distinctly rectangular...
Express Boat, Type X
No M-Drive, so just what is the artwork depicting? A ship under thrust, that's what.
Fast Trader, Type A3
That portside quad airlock is... fascinating. Where do the doors go, precisely?
Engineering is designed for spider monkeys and Olympic sprinters. Getting from one workstation to the other involves a trip through popsicle alley and opening the BIG starboard door, or running a grand tour of the crew staterooms. Fancy a jog?
Large Freighter
Picture is of the shuttle. No, really.
Getting cargo in and out of this thing is going to be loads of fun.
Modular Clipper
Now that's an art-to-deckplan mismatch.
Deck 3 is asymmetric why, again? Shuffle the extra fuel forward and even out those hips.
Animal-class Safari Ship
Er, NO. This is a nice Type K, but the "Animal Class" it ain't. The same way there are many Type S ships out there, but only one version is the Sulieman.
What are you storing in that nether corner of the (rather huge) ship's locker?
Floor hatch for the ATV? It isn't getting out any other way...
Sanatorium Hospice Boat, Saint Class
If this is for crazy people, should it look like a Vampire Bat in space armor?
Also, art-to-deckplan mismatch.
Quarters deck is asymmetrical for no good reason. It is also slightly wider than the deck below, which makes the "aerofins" a bit cramped.
Express Boat Tender, Type XT
More of that rectangular deck grid.
Don't hire any claustrophobic engineers. That's a 60-foot ladder down to engineering with nowhere to go but up or down.
Deck 9 is missing. From the art, I assume it is identical to Deck 7.
Art shows the *tail* of this ship.
Pirate Raider (Ambush Frigate)
The old argument about purpose-built pirates aside, er, watch DS9 much?
The breaching tube either needs to angle down quite a bit or be long enough to get past 50 feet of fuel wing...
Minor nit: Most ships in the book are flying up the page, while this one is flying down.
Prisoner transfer is going to be a real pain. Map the path from breaching tube (or launch) to cold berths. Now do that holding a gun on someone...
Armed Fast Smuggler
With a name like that, you'd think packing a huge and highly reflective attention-getter like a solar sail would be a non-starter...
How do you get passengers into this thing again? Oh right. Walk across the top of the cargo deck to that door over there.
Level with me, please. That command deck was built specifically for neato fire fights, right?
Pirate Cruiser (Cutlass-class)
Nice curves on that hull. Sort of a shame none of them reached the inner walls.
You do NOT want to be the second fighter back to the ship.
So... break bulk cargo only, then?
Labourer-class Salvage Hauler
Switching cutter modules can NOT be fun on this thing.
Slight mechanical issue: if even another thousand tons is in the docking clamps, the formula for calculating new G rating goes right off the top of the standard ships chart...
Vulture-class Armed Salvage Ship
Just what is that a picture of?
Aesthetics aside, the maintenance pod is going to have trouble getting in or out if the vict... salvaged hull in the clamps is at all odd-shaped. Now go back and look at your other ships for odd shapes...
Light Assault Transport
Picture's orientation and relationship to the deckplans is not immediately obvious, though it is a decent picture once you get it pointed the right direction.
The utterly asymmetric interior is, as far as I can tell, completely without purpose. The Assault Shuttle Berths CAN fit side by side, and there is really no reason aside from cool gunfights in the corridors to arrange the crew section that way. Also, why are the engines off-center?
Q-Ship
I approve.
Minesweeper, Type M/R
Art is tipped on its side flying UP. Art is also taller than the deckplans by at least a deck or two.
Naval Auxiliary, Type NA
Art is flying to the left. That's the crew lounge window so brightly lit...
Gratuitous asymmetry.
Fuel Scoops? Really?
So. I get out of this thing via the cargo bays, then?
Security Pursuit Ship
Long skinny art, short stubby deckplan stacked really tall.
Apparently the only way in or out of this ship is through the breaching tube or out the hatches the drones use. Good luck with that.
Once again, prisoner transfers in this ship are going to be a real pain. Map the path from the breaching tube to the low berths...
Subsidized Liner, Type M
The asymmetry on Deck 3 is simply painful.
Escape Pods were a Copy-Paste-Mirror, weren't they? Backwards "S"...
That disk on the nose is not the right size.
For a ship that had decent plans before, this is really a disappointment.
Defence Frigate
A bit clunky, but could have been a lot worse.
Fighters drop out the bottom AND are stacked two high? Hot recovery is going to suck. A LOT.
A narrow spot in the hull equals a potential weak spot that opponents will shoot at, so I suppose putting the escape pods there makes some sort of sense. Maybe.
How do you get into this thing, by the way?
Advanced Systems Defence Boat (SDB-II)
I'm sorry, but that picture is really funny. It's a good picture, but damn.
Antique Systems Defence Boat
A bit of a hull proportions mismatch.
Missile Systems Defender (MSD-II)
No picture?
Aside from a bit of asymmetry, it'll do.
Systems Defence Boat (SDB)
Now with shiny roof rack
Assault Gunship, Type RG
For a moment I was afraid you'd put the breaching tube in a place that would make the girls laugh and point...
Bombardment Ship (Seige-class)
Boarding through the missile storage bay again, Ensign?
Colonial Cruiser
Gah. All that space and the living spaces are all crammed into the back end.
This ship is 1200 tons and only TWO decks?
Escort Frigate
Airlock on the roof?
Destroyer Escort (Convoy Variant)
Where is that airlock going?
Destroyer Escort (Patrol Variant)
More of those rectangular squares...
Fiery-class Gunned Escort
Now brought to you by Space Aztecs!
Light Scout, Type ST
Amusing.
Art has the upper deck a bit far back, but that's minor.
Missile Corvette
The off-center cargo bay is odd and unnecessary.
Patrol Cruiser, Type T
Not bad. Internal asymmetry could be worse.
Watchdog-class Fleet Picket
Another third-story airlock. Otherwise, not bad.
