Vehicle Handbook Update 2026 - Now Here!

[Sigtrygg]

The weapon is a component, not a vehicle. It is 4 spaces to one ton.

It can't be. A space is defined as the space you use for contruction and then another hidden space that can't be used. So every space is effectively 2 spaces.

Except when they are not.

Hence the use of the word inconsistent.

All this could be avoided by a definition of a space that doesn't sometimes mean twice the size.

(not to mention the ridiculous inconsistency of the Robot slot)

Why litres, cubic metres and displacement tons can't be used is a complete bafflement.

 

[Arkathan]

I

It can't be. A space is defined as the space you use for contruction and then another hidden space that can't be used. So every space is effectively 2 spaces.

Except when they are not.

Hence the use of the word inconsistent.

All this could be avoided by a definition of a space that doesn't sometimes mean twice the size.

(not to mention the ridiculous inconsistency of the Robot slot)

Why litres, cubic metres and displacement tons can't be used is a complete bafflement.

It can be. If you install that vehicle weapon on a ship, it is the listed spaces/tonnage. Only when you store the attached vehicle are you having to worry about chassis, fuel, etc.
I get it. You want dtons and only dtons. Faked obtuseness does not get anyone closer to understanding the system they decided to use.

 

[Sigtrygg]

No, I do not just want displacement tons.

I am not being obtuse, and would have thought you would comprehend my dislike of what has made it to pre-print.

What I want is a consistent definition of spaces and slots that scale between the various design systems.

Having a space that is sometimes one space and sometimes two is not good design, slots are in an even worse place since they can be anything between 3 litres and 55 litres depending on the scaling and context and also sometimes two and sometimes one.

Define a space as 1/4 of a displacement ton, and define a space as so many slots and you have consistency.

At the moment there is none, as was pointed out before this project was even started.

 

[Arkathan]

No, I do not just want displacement tons.

I am not being obtuse, and would have thought you would comprehend my dislike of what has made it to pre-print.

What I want is a consistent definition of spaces and slots that scale between the various design systems.

Having a space that is sometimes one space and sometimes two is not good design, slots are in an even worse place since they can be anything between 3 litres and 55 litres depending on the scaling and context and also sometimes two and sometimes one.

Define a space as 1/4 of a displacement ton, and define a space as so many slots and you have consistency.

At the moment there is none, as was pointed out before this project was even started.

The space is always one space. The spaces you define the vehicle with are the customizable ones.
Pardon if you weren't being obtuse... it sounded like you were being obtuse, confused about the chassis space, because we all know you are smarter than that.

 

[Libris]

We do seem to be getting tied in knots and in somewhat of a tizz over the issue of spaces - which I understand, different strokes for different folks and all that.

The explanation of spaces on p25 has definitely proven… problematic. The first paragraph starts off perfectly, describing a space as an abstract unit before then trying to define it in engineering terms - what happened to the abstract unit!
How big is a space really should be asking, “Heh, I’ve started with X useable spaces what is the absolute smallest size dTon of garage I can cram this into.”

Pages 28-34 tell you that. All components that need space take up useable spaces - the barbette on your tank needs 20 useable spaces. A seat takes up 1 space. does it take up 1/2 dTon? No, it’s actually about half of that. Roughly, more or less.

 

[TrooperSJP]

This is really a brand new book with 50 pages of new material, art, etc.
Mongoose has said in other threads that this is not a free update to the previous Vehicle book.

Thanks! I was just confused becuase the cover in my downloads page had been updated to the 2026 version before being reverted back a day later. Not a big deal, it just means I wait until I have enough books to order to trigger free shipping and put the new Vehicles in that order!

 

[Stargrove]

Something I have noticed is that while many of the weapons listed in the new Vehicle book are also in the CSC2023 book, many of them have stats that differ between the two books. Sometimes significantly.

 

[rinku]

Since the way mesons are meant to work has always been that they don't interact with normal matter* until they decay into particles that DO interact normally, there should be a difference as how they act in a vacuum or not.

That is, if the calculation is accurate, they decay inside the target and interact, lots of splosy, radiation, yadda yadda.

If they decay before they reach the target, or after passing through it, in an atmosphere there would be an explosion at that point, any armour or rad protection would apply normally. If a vacuum, mesons that decay early will probably still be heading towards the target (unless they got the direction wrong as well) and could impact on the surface of the target, explosion, radiation etc. Mesons that decay into other particles *late* in a vacuum will continue on until they hit something, or decay further into something else.

*(probably more accurate to say they only weakly interact, like neutrinos. So you might see the odd one in a billion interaction...)

 

[GabrielGABFonseca]

Something I have noticed is that while many of the weapons listed in the new Vehicle book are also in the CSC2023 book, many of them have stats that differ between the two books. Sometimes significantly.

Refer to Page 126 of the VHB26:

Many of the heavy weapons listed in this book are compatible with those in the Central Supply Catalogue, however some have been resized to better balance them with spacecraft-scale weapons. Where they differ, those in this book should supersede them. Smaller weapons, such as personal energy and slug weapons, can be installed in a vehicle. The Space allocation for each weapons mount can contain up to 250 kilograms of weapons per Space, with a minimum of one Space consumed.

 

[rinku]

At a guess, in many cases you could just list both weapons. In real life there's any number of models of a weapon type. If there are still numbers you don't like, adjust those to suit, use VHB26 ones or write a helpful email to Mongoose...

 

[CordwainerFish]

Per Solomani Front, meson guns do not actually emit mesons at all - the name was wartime maskirovka that stuck, like 'tank' for the armored vehicle with the big boomstick on top. What they actually are is New Physics™.

 

[Condottiere]

That seems pretty retconnish.

Out of curiosity, does the new book cover transport infrastructure, like building roads and railways?

 

[Libris]

That seems pretty retconnish.

Out of curiosity, does the new book cover transport infrastructure, like building roads and railways?

Well a bit about trains but really more a description of infrastructure.

Details on transport infrastructure could be a book on its own.

With supersonic cars quite practical feasible at high TL it would require a fairly specialised highway construction to allow for them. Suffice to say that road surface would likely limit a ground vehicle to a more respectable speed more than the vehicle itself - you may have hypersonic car but good luck with that on a TL7 interstate.

As an aside it’s worth noting that even the cruising speed of vehicles is impressive versus the actual speed they average in day to day use. The average speed of London traffic is 16mph. I have a Nissan Note (a most uninspiring mini people carrier thing) which has, in theory, a top speed of 105mph (medium speed) - but it’s old and several cars down the road from my need to “see what it can do” - but it’s average speed over the last four years is 23mph.

 

[Terry Mixon]

That seems pretty retconnish.

Out of curiosity, does the new book cover transport infrastructure, like building roads and railways?

It did before the infrastructure section was pulled. Geir said it would be likely used in an unscheduled book he has in mind at some point.

 

[Condottiere]

Sort of important, especially on frontier worlds.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Sort of important, especially on frontier worlds.

No argument.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Where are vehicle energy screens?

They are part of the Third Imperium setting so I would expect them to be in the book.

 

[Stargrove]

On page 111 , column 1, paragraph 2 (The very rapid-fire gauss gun is a support weapon...). The bolded heading above this paragraph is missing for the VRF Gauss Gun.

 

[Endie]

On page 111 , column 1, paragraph 2 (The very rapid-fire gauss gun is a support weapon...). The bolded heading above this paragraph is missing for the VRF Gauss Gun.

There's an errata thread in the feedback section: https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/vhb-2026-errata.126364/

 

[Stargrove]

There's an errata thread in the feedback section: https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/vhb-2026-errata.126364/

Roger that and I did find this in the thread. Thanks.