With the first Solomani Rim novel being published I thought I'd explore a Soli Campaign after I read it. Shadow of the Storm by Dougherty, Martin J.
So I picked up Soli Alien Module and found a Colonial Cruiser, aka the Soli version of a Kinunir.
Now the Kinunir, Annic Nova and Leviathan are the three best starships in TRAV as the designers put thought into what a starship needs to keep the crew at 100%. The vast majority of designs we get are nothing but U-Boats, full of weapons and engineering and nothing else. U-Boats had no heating, air conditioning or refrigeration the crew had to last 30 days then get out. Most TRAV ships are designed to jump one week then crew can unwind at next port. But some ships need to last longer or go through frontier regions where there are no ports to unwind in just empty or down right hostile rocks.
So what do those three have that 95% of subsequent designs left off? Holds for refrigeration, admin offices, metal/electronic workshops, recreation rooms, library, chapel, squad bays, garbage disposals, troop dispersal ramps, proper staffing with ability to stand watches 24/7.
The Independence has no place on the frontier, it lacks above amenities and too small a crew.
Crew needs to show officers and enlisted and Marines in detail.
Should have Officers: Capt, XO, CE, EW Officer, Comp/Admin officer, SolSec officer (to assess various planets more so than as a commissar watching crew) Gunnery Officer, Pilot, Nav, Engineer.
Crew: CPO, 3 medics (ship and two squad corpsmen) 4 engineers, 1 tech, 10-12 gunners (two needed for cutters if armed, they should be) sensor tech, 3 pilots, comp tech, steward, servant (messman) for capt, Marine LT, 2-3 Sgt, 1 comms/comp man, 14 grunts including 2 corporals. Gunners would also serve in Admin or steward capacity when not at battle stations.
What needs doing to deck plan?
Hanger Deck: Add squad bay and access ramp opening rearward (Think Forbidden Planet's C57D's stairs that dropped on landing) to left of the portside cutter.
Quarters Deck: Add Machine/Elec shop leading from aft deadspace corridor near 9 and crew exercise/rec area off opposite deadspace corridor.
Command Deck, eliminate the 'black hole amidships, add double stateroom for capt, XO stateroom, CE stateroom and small double stateroom for SolSec. Add ward room (officers mess), food prep and refrigeration and disposal rooms, 2-3 admin offices, chapel (OPTIONAL), library/study room. Add sickbay aft to right of the #4.
Command Deck OPTION: Upgrade port and starboard guns to fusion or particle accelerators to bring firepower closer to Kinunir.
General: Add any available space: Cleaning Stores (Laundry, good old mops and buckets and cleaning bots to keep the mops and buckets in storage)
This leaves 8 officers staterooms for 12 officers.
10 staterooms for 18-19 Marines on hanger deck. (I'd divide port and starboard into full one room barracks and the tiny room into a store room but that is OPTIONAL).
16 staterooms for 27 crewmen on Quarters Deck.
Lost fuel is fudged into rather generous hull design i.e. the tail fin.
Lastly for MATTHEW SPRANGE
I've probably said it before, but, feel free to send me any starship designs to vet them, after 35 years we should be able to do better than design unhealthy, dirty U-Boats and create gleaming starships with crew amenities and self-cleaning and repair facilities.
So I picked up Soli Alien Module and found a Colonial Cruiser, aka the Soli version of a Kinunir.
Now the Kinunir, Annic Nova and Leviathan are the three best starships in TRAV as the designers put thought into what a starship needs to keep the crew at 100%. The vast majority of designs we get are nothing but U-Boats, full of weapons and engineering and nothing else. U-Boats had no heating, air conditioning or refrigeration the crew had to last 30 days then get out. Most TRAV ships are designed to jump one week then crew can unwind at next port. But some ships need to last longer or go through frontier regions where there are no ports to unwind in just empty or down right hostile rocks.
So what do those three have that 95% of subsequent designs left off? Holds for refrigeration, admin offices, metal/electronic workshops, recreation rooms, library, chapel, squad bays, garbage disposals, troop dispersal ramps, proper staffing with ability to stand watches 24/7.
The Independence has no place on the frontier, it lacks above amenities and too small a crew.
Crew needs to show officers and enlisted and Marines in detail.
Should have Officers: Capt, XO, CE, EW Officer, Comp/Admin officer, SolSec officer (to assess various planets more so than as a commissar watching crew) Gunnery Officer, Pilot, Nav, Engineer.
Crew: CPO, 3 medics (ship and two squad corpsmen) 4 engineers, 1 tech, 10-12 gunners (two needed for cutters if armed, they should be) sensor tech, 3 pilots, comp tech, steward, servant (messman) for capt, Marine LT, 2-3 Sgt, 1 comms/comp man, 14 grunts including 2 corporals. Gunners would also serve in Admin or steward capacity when not at battle stations.
What needs doing to deck plan?
Hanger Deck: Add squad bay and access ramp opening rearward (Think Forbidden Planet's C57D's stairs that dropped on landing) to left of the portside cutter.
Quarters Deck: Add Machine/Elec shop leading from aft deadspace corridor near 9 and crew exercise/rec area off opposite deadspace corridor.
Command Deck, eliminate the 'black hole amidships, add double stateroom for capt, XO stateroom, CE stateroom and small double stateroom for SolSec. Add ward room (officers mess), food prep and refrigeration and disposal rooms, 2-3 admin offices, chapel (OPTIONAL), library/study room. Add sickbay aft to right of the #4.
Command Deck OPTION: Upgrade port and starboard guns to fusion or particle accelerators to bring firepower closer to Kinunir.
General: Add any available space: Cleaning Stores (Laundry, good old mops and buckets and cleaning bots to keep the mops and buckets in storage)
This leaves 8 officers staterooms for 12 officers.
10 staterooms for 18-19 Marines on hanger deck. (I'd divide port and starboard into full one room barracks and the tiny room into a store room but that is OPTIONAL).
16 staterooms for 27 crewmen on Quarters Deck.
Lost fuel is fudged into rather generous hull design i.e. the tail fin.
Lastly for MATTHEW SPRANGE
I've probably said it before, but, feel free to send me any starship designs to vet them, after 35 years we should be able to do better than design unhealthy, dirty U-Boats and create gleaming starships with crew amenities and self-cleaning and repair facilities.
