What's the range of starship missiles?

[Sigtrygg]

No, but you can download the gunner...

see the short story Names by MWM.

 

[Arkathan]

Careful, I've seen that approach go real bad.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Does a missile have a soul?

The missile knows where it is...

 

[Limpin Legin]

The missile knows where it is...

Does it know it's purpose in life is just to die?

 

[WHULorigan]

Does it know it's purpose in life is just to die?

"Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die . . . ".
"We who are about to die, salute you . . ."

 

[Condottiere]

 

[MonsterX]

second best movie ever made. After Repo Man.

 

[Limpin Legin]

"Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die . . . ".
"We who are about to die, salute you . . ."

That is a misquote from the Charge of the Light brigade (TL?). And, in any event, it is about failure - not success.

The phrase ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do and die is a slightly altered version of lines written by Lord Alfred Tennyson in his 1854 poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade, about a failed British military action: “Theirs not to make reply / Theirs not to reason why / Theirs but to do and die.”

Source: Tennyson 1854 poem | grammarist

 

[WHULorigan]

That is a misquote from the Charge of the Light brigade (TL?). And, in any event, it is about failure - not success.

Yes, but expresses sentiment over ruminations about one's reason for existence, nonetheless.

 

[WHULorigan]

Charge of the Light brigade (TL?).

About TL= 3.5

 

[Condottiere]

Commander's intent not communicated, and malicious compliance.

Arguably, factors missing at Trafalgar.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I'm looking at the rules for the maximum range of missiles/torpedoes in starship combat.

Traveller Core Rules 2022 says: if the missile hasn't reached its target after 10 rounds, it runs out of fuel and becomes inert.

High Guard 2022 says: The number of missiles in a salvo is halved every five full rounds of movement. This doesn't apply to long range missiles and torpedoes.

The way that the High Guard rule is written ("every five full rounds"), it seems like it is ignoring the original Traveller Core Rules - as "five full rounds of movement" will only occur once before all missiles go inert.

A 50% failure rate of missiles seems extremely high, and if the halving is done rounding down, it means that a single missile only works for five rounds of combat.

Am I interpreting these rules correctly? How do others handle missile range?

Simples.

Missiles are halved for each 5 rounds. Does not apply to torpedoes and Long Range missiles.
Missiles are dead after (not at) 10 rounds.


So:
Round 5: halved, torpedoes full.
Round 10: halved again, torpedoes full.
Round 11: inert.

 

[MasterGwydion]

No, but you can download the gunner...

see the short story Names by MWM.

Can you in Traveller though?

Simples.

Missiles are halved for each 5 rounds. Does not apply to torpedoes and Long Range missiles.
Missiles are dead after (not at) 10 rounds.


So:
Round 5: halved, torpedoes full.
Round 10: halved again, torpedoes full.
Round 11: inert.

I thought half of a half is a quarter. Is this not right?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

So:
Round 5: halved, torpedoes full.
Round 10: halved again, torpedoes full.
Round 11: inert.

I thought half of a half is a quarter. Is this not right?

Yes, of course? Halved, and halved again is a quarter remaining.

 

[Condottiere]

Statistically.

Though, you could flip a coin after five rounds, for each missile.

Depending on your interpretation, after ten rounds, and the missile is on a ballistic course to a space station, that number gets halved.

Since the cause of wandering off is likely navigation soft and hardware, once fuel is exhausted, eleven turns onward you don't have to check.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Statistically.

Though, you could flip a coin after five rounds, for each missile.

Depending on your interpretation, after ten rounds, and the missile is on a ballistic course to a space station, that number gets halved.

Since the cause of wandering off is likely navigation soft and hardware, once fuel is exhausted, eleven turns onward you don't have to check.

True, it would be hard to "wander off course" without fuel. How does a missile just lose its way anyhow? Is there no sensor operator maintaining the target lock from the ship?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Is there no sensor operator maintaining the target lock from the ship?

No, they are 'Smart' = fire-and-forget.

You can launch and jump out if you wish, the missiles will still complete their attack runs.

 

[MasterGwydion]

No, they are 'Smart' = fire-and-forget.

You can launch and jump out if you wish, the missiles will still complete their attack runs.

So Smart means that they get lost? Doesn't sound so "smart" to Me.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Can you in Traveller though?

If you consider Marc's Third Imperium set novels to be Traveller then yes.

And as we are now discovering the ship paradigm for building effective combat ships in HG2022 are very different to the Third Imperium setting.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

So Smart means that they get lost? Doesn't sound so "smart" to Me.

They don't "get lost". Apparently they break down or something like that:

HG, p37, sidebar:
In addition, when huge salvoes of missiles are in-flight, problems with guidance and motor systems can become more apparent. Halve the number of missiles within a salvo for every full five rounds of travel. Torpedoes have much greater endurance and ignore this rule.