Would a far/free trader ever use missiles?

[Vormaerin]

I just found a reference. P157 of the updated Traveller Companion (P147 of the per 2024 update).

Transit in and out from a safe jump distance can be quite lengthy and in a busy system there might be numerous ships headed in and out at once. However, there is no single ‘jump point’ in a system so these ships will be spread out over a huge volume of space.

I probably read this at some point and it set my expectation and policy. In the light of there being no guidance indicating corridors existing then I see no reason to revise my opinion.

Incidentally reading the jump mechanics section I also note Lagrange points are explicitly stated as dangerous when jumping so that are less attractive as locations for a preferred jump location if you decide that is a thing in YTU.

No, the Lagrange point makes a good place to put something outside the jump zone, but close enough to be in response range. Like a patrol base.
You are correct that there is no "Jump point". But I take that to mean that there is no single spot where everyone arrives. Lots of sci fi with jump mechanics has that mechanism where jump space essentially has "gates" you come out of. In fact, some popular Traveller adjacent settings using Cepheus do so.

I don't know about you, but I consider a sphere 100k km in diameter to be a pretty huge volume of space, but it still puts it into a pretty manageable area for customs and patrol.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Do they allow a thousand ships per system hex though. I excluded empty hexes for patrols (at a ratio 1:3 for system hexs: empty hexes), but if we are counting more than the corvette contingent and therefore ships that are also supposed to be looking for infiltrators we should not be excluding them.

Changing the goalpoasts a tad there are you not?

So far the discussion has been about the Imperium being able to patrol every member world to protect merchant shipping, now you want to extend that to... what exactly? Why do you all of a sudden desire a thousand ships per hex?

 

[swordtart]

Changing the goalpoasts a tad there are you not?

So far the discussion has been about the Imperium being able to patrol every member world, now you want to extend that to...

Not really. My assumption and argument was based on the 40-60 Corvettes that are listed as being for anti-piracy duties. I was assuming the fleets larger ships like cruisers etc. were patrolling the empty hexes for foreign powers vessels. If you want to include multiple sector fleets you need to include the rest of the duties those sector fleets need to accomplish as well as anti-piracy.

It is no good saying I have 1000 ships in my fleet available for anti-piracy work and system defence if half those ships are Battleships, carriers, tankers etc. The big ships are also going to tend to remain in their flotillas since the flotillas are designed with mixed ships with complementary capability. If you detach a chunk of that then you remove that capability from the fleet. The enemy flotilla that you trip over one day might not helpfully wait a few weeks so your detachment can re-join.

Or are you suggesting that the IN doesn't patrol empty hexes?

 

[Arkathan]

Truthfully I’d scrape the passenger staterooms increase the maneuver drive keep the turrets load them with a double long range beam laser in one double sandcasters in the other upgrade the sensors to military and add a ECM suite

This was the cause of the confusion. Double Beam with Long Range instead of Beams with Double Long Range.
I initially read it three times before getting the correct meaning.

 

[swordtart]

To cite the example from the IN Handbook. The So-Skire subsector (old expanses) has over 30 populated systems. The subsector fleet (Fleet 308) consists of around 70 vessels if my interpretation of the org structure is correct. That would make 2-3 per system, but that doesn't take into account the 20 big ships of the three task forces are kept close to bases or are patrolling the "neutral zone".

The largest patrol flotilla consists of 7 Escort Destroyers and 18 Corvettes plus there are two smaller flotillas one of a fleet escort and 12 corvettes the other 4 fleet escorts, 3 fleet destroyers and 8 corvettes. This gives a total of 48 Corvettes, 7 Escort Destroyers, 4 fleet destroyers and 5 fleet escorts. It is noted that the majority of corvettes are colonial units on loan.

It mentions worlds with "significant populations" Also have their own defence vessels varying from some fighters and small craft based out of the star port, in many cases there are "numerous" system defence boats and even monitors and some worlds even buy in old cruisers and battleships to refit as system defence craft. Sadly it gives no indication of the numbers for these system flotillas. I'll have a look in the sector guides to see if there are any clues (but in the worst case it should be possible to calculate a budget based off a proportion of living expenses per capita as tax and noting they are already funding a Corvette - GURPS Far Trader beckons).

The final paragraph is interesting as it states that defended system are patrolled (to keep the flag flying) , but the 308th fleet is responsible for everything else in the subsector. I am inferring from this that the IN presence in systems is not large, nor is it there to defend the system. It is a notional presence to provide early warning more than anything.

It is also noted that So-Skire is on the border and so has a higher number of task forces than usual, but hopefully it is otherwise somewhat typical (and it would be annoying for the only example provided to be atypical)

Nothing here is dissuading me from "the navy is spread thinly" that I espoused previously.

 

[Vormaerin]

Let me further clarify that I am making a distinction between "can" and "may". You CAN arrive anywhere in the system that is not inside the jump shadow of a sufficiently large mass. That's what they mean when they say their are no jump points.

It is my contention that just because you can doesn't mean that you may do that. IRL the approaches to airports and seaports are regulated. There are shipping lanes and flight lanes and so on. I am saying that a combination of government regulation, industry best practices (enforced by underwriters), and corporate policy (for the majority of ships that are corporate owned) would designate arrival zones and departure zones for civilian traffic because that makes life easier for everyone (except pirates).

If the planetary and Imperial authorities know that all legit traffic is arriving in this designated 100k km (for instance) diameter region, it is much easier to have customs on hand, preset flight plans to approach the starport, rescue craft for ships arriving in distress, and a corvette/SBD/whatever on overwatch to intimidate pirates.

You can arrive somewhere else, but that's going to immediately designate you for prompt attention from a patrol craft. Because if you didn't arrive where you are supposed to, you are either in distress, a criminal, or a hostile vessel.

They will probably have a different, but parallel departure path to keep things easy on the traffic controllers without stretching the security too much. So ships hanging out in the departure lane or not following their assigned flight path upon leaving are going to get flagged promptly.

If you want to appear nowhere near an inhabited planet then you can do that and likely no one will care unless its a designated military restricted zone.

This would likely be true at every class C and above port in the Imperium. It may well be the case at D&E ports also, even though they won't have any real enforcement except maybe automated space tickets . On the other hand, basically no one goes to D or E ports except freelance traders. Because if there was actual trade of note there, the megacorps would either finance a better port or pressure the planet or the Imperium to build one. Because, again, that's what has happened all throughout history IRL with sea and airports. I don't see any reason to think starports would be different.

Is this written down anywhere in a supplement? No. Either because they rightly judged that most people wouldn't GAF about this sort of thing or because none of the freelancers writing books felt inclined to think about it. So you can do whatever you want and be in compliance with the completely non-existent setting information.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Not really. My assumption and argument was based on the 40-60 Corvettes that are listed as being for anti-piracy duties. I was assuming the fleets larger ships like cruisers etc. were patrolling the empty hexes for foreign powers vessels. If you want to include multiple sector fleets you need to include the rest of the duties those sector fleets need to accomplish as well as anti-piracy.

It is no good saying I have 1000 ships in my fleet available for anti-piracy work and system defence if half those ships are Battleships, carriers, tankers etc. The big ships are also going to tend to remain in their flotillas since the flotillas are designed with mixed ships with complementary capability. If you detach a chunk of that then you remove that capability from the fleet. The enemy flotilla that you trip over one day might not helpfully wait a few weeks so your detachment can re-join.

Or are you suggesting that the IN doesn't patrol empty hexes?

Umm, the sector fleet is different to all the fleets in a sector.

Now Mongoose decided to say that empty hexes are no longer empty I would say the IISS has picked up a new mission type alongside the IN, routine sweeps through empty hexes. There are more than enough scouts, patrol corvettes, close escorts, couriers, destroyers, fleet escorts etc to do the job - an empty hex likely has a series of sensor stations that are routinely visited, not to mention the empty hexes that contain secret IN and or IISS bases.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Umm, the sector fleet is different to all the fleets in a sector.

Now Mongoose decided to say that empty hexes are no longer empty I would say the IISS has picked up a new mission type alongside the IN, routine sweeps through empty hexes. There are more than enough scouts, patrol corvettes, close escorts, couriers, destroyers, fleet escorts etc to do the job - an empty hex likely has a series of sensor stations that are routinely visited, not to mention the empty hexes that contain secret IN and or IISS bases.

An empty hex is large. A parsec takes years for light speed sensors to detect things if it is far enough away. What do they gain in that kind of patrol?

 

[Vormaerin]

An empty hex is large. A parsec takes years for light speed sensors to detect things if it is far enough away. What do they gain in that kind of patrol?

I think the "empty hexes are not empty" concept is a great one...for a different setting. It breaks how Charted Space works. IMHO.

But even still, I don't think anyone is patrolling empty hexes, but scouts would be mapping them and turning them into not empty hexes.

 

[Arkathan]

Along the lines of the empty hexes, you have large numbers of "uninhabited" secondary or tertiary systems.
This further spreads out your patrol range - and many of those systems need a jump drive to access, meaning they are as isolated as a nearby hex is.

 

[Vormaerin]

Yeah. I keep my campaign to two subsectors because that's what I can manage, but all the worlds in it are chock full the way the Sol system is presented.

 

[Vormaerin]

Do any sources state the range transponders can be picked up and the range they can be pinged to demand additional information. I would be inclined to say Medium range but I would prefer a canon answer if one exists.

This will depend on who is doing the pinging, because it's just a radio signal. It technically goes infinitely far. But the person listening determines whether they can still hear it. Technically, all the rules state is that it gives a +4 to being detected.

However, MgT2e's sensor rules are not very good. T5 or 2300 do a better job with this. Anyway, at the very minimum, a civilian ship running basic passive array should notice a transponder at Very Long, because it can detect the ship's existence at that range and the transponder is an active communication. With their better sensors a military ship or a station would detect much farther away. However, there is no clear statement within MgT2e beyond that. T5 and 2300 have answers, but I'm assuming you aren't interested in that since they are technically different systems.

 

[PeterDebney]

There’s a lot of discussion about the merits of using pulse lasers over beam. They certainly cause more damage, but only if they hit. So how much more damage are they likely to cause over multiple rounds?

First of all, what are the chances of 2D equalling or exceeding a particular score:
2+ (1): 36/36‎ = 1
3+ (2): 35/36‎ = 0.972
4+ (3): 33/36‎ = 0.917
5+ (4): 30/36‎ = 0.833
6+ (5): 26/36‎ = 0.722
7+ (6): 21/36‎ = 0.583
8+ (5): 15/36‎ = 0.417
9+ (4): 10/36‎ = 0.278
10+ (3): 6/36‎ = 0.167
11+ (2): 3/36‎ = 0.0833
12+ (1): 1/36‎ = 0.0278

Average Potential Damage
Beam laser: 1D : 3.5 pts
Double beam laser: 1D+1 : 4.5 pts
Pulse laser: 2D : 7 pts
Double pulse laser: 2D+2 : 9 pts

Assumptions

• Gunnery skill 1
• No pilot aid
• No software aid
• No dex modifier
• Ignoring effect
• Ignoring armour
• Average damage scored is chance of hitting x average potential damage

Single beam laser
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*3.5‎ = 3.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*3.5‎ = 3.402 pts

Single pulse laser
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*7‎ = 6.419 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*7‎ = 5.831 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*7‎ = 4.081 pts

Double beam laser
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*4.5‎ = 4.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*4.5‎ = 4.374 pts

Double pulse laser
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*9‎ = 8.253 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*9‎ = 7.497 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*9‎ = 5.247 pts

Calculating the effect of effect on the average is complicated, but for simplicity we can assume the mode roll of 7:

Single beam laser : MCr0.7
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*3.5+7-2‎ = 8.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*3.5+7-3‎ = 7.402 pts

Single pulse laser : MCr1.2
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*7+7-4‎ = 9.419 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*7+7-5‎ = 7.831 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*7+7-7‎ = 4.081 pts

Double beam laser : MCr1.5
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*4.5+7-2‎ = 9.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*4.5+7-3‎ = 8.374 pts

Double pulse laser : MCr2.5
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*9+7-4‎ = 11.253 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*9+7-5‎ = 9.497 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*9+7-7‎ = 5.247 pts

Costs included in case you want to do a cost benefit analysis…

Thus a single pulse laser will typically score 0.4-0.9 point damage more than a beam laser, and a double pulse 1.1-1.8 points more than a double beam. Or keeping it simple: +1 | +2 pts.

Unless there is an error in my maths and modifiers (it’s not unknown): please feel free to point any out.

So that extra D for a pulse laser only adds about 1pt damage, but does allow long range attacks.

The average damage of a missile salvo is a lot harder to calculate, taking into account the effects of electronic warfare and point defence. A 200 ton trader can only fire a maximum of 6 missiles in a salvo. How many would get through and how much damage would, on average, be caused, may need a Monte Carlo simulation- unless someone has the probability skills to work that out…?

 

[tytalan]

There’s a lot of discussion about the merits of using pulse lasers over beam. They certainly cause more damage, but only if they hit. So how much more damage are they likely to cause over multiple rounds?

First of all, what are the chances of 2D equalling or exceeding a particular score:
2+ (1): 36/36‎ = 1
3+ (2): 35/36‎ = 0.972
4+ (3): 33/36‎ = 0.917
5+ (4): 30/36‎ = 0.833
6+ (5): 26/36‎ = 0.722
7+ (6): 21/36‎ = 0.583
8+ (5): 15/36‎ = 0.417
9+ (4): 10/36‎ = 0.278
10+ (3): 6/36‎ = 0.167
11+ (2): 3/36‎ = 0.0833
12+ (1): 1/36‎ = 0.0278

Average Potential Damage
Beam laser: 1D : 3.5 pts
Double beam laser: 1D+1 : 4.5 pts
Pulse laser: 2D : 7 pts
Double pulse laser: 2D+2 : 9 pts

Assumptions

• Gunnery skill 1
• No pilot aid
• No software aid
• No dex modifier
• Ignoring effect
• Ignoring armour
• Average damage scored is chance of hitting x average potential damage

Single beam laser
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*3.5‎ = 3.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*3.5‎ = 3.402 pts

Single pulse laser
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*7‎ = 6.419 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*7‎ = 5.831 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*7‎ = 4.081 pts

Double beam laser
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*4.5‎ = 4.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*4.5‎ = 4.374 pts

Double pulse laser
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*9‎ = 8.253 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*9‎ = 7.497 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*9‎ = 5.247 pts

Calculating the effect of effect on the average is complicated, but for simplicity we can assume the mode roll of 7:

Single beam laser : MCr0.7
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*3.5+7-2‎ = 8.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*3.5+7-3‎ = 7.402 pts

Single pulse laser : MCr1.2
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*7+7-4‎ = 9.419 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*7+7-5‎ = 7.831 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*7+7-7‎ = 4.081 pts

Double beam laser : MCr1.5
Close (8-(1+4+1)‎ = 2): 1*4.5+7-2‎ = 9.5 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+4+1)‎ = 3): 0.972*4.5+7-3‎ = 8.374 pts

Double pulse laser : MCr2.5
Close (8-(1+2+1)‎ = 4): 0.917*9+7-4‎ = 11.253 pts
Short/medium (8-(0+2+1)‎ = 5): 0.833*9+7-5‎ = 9.497 pts
Long (8-(-2+2+1)‎ = 7): 0.583*9+7-7‎ = 5.247 pts

Costs included in case you want to do a cost benefit analysis…

Thus a single pulse laser will typically score 0.4-0.9 point damage more than a beam laser, and a double pulse 1.1-1.8 points more than a double beam. Or keeping it simple: +1 | +2 pts.

Unless there is an error in my maths and modifiers (it’s not unknown): please feel free to point any out.

So that extra D for a pulse laser only adds about 1pt damage, but does allow long range attacks.

The average damage of a missile salvo is a lot harder to calculate, taking into account the effects of electronic warfare and point defence. A 200 ton trader can only fire a maximum of 6 missiles in a salvo. How many would get through and how much damage would, on average, be caused, may need a Monte Carlo simulation- unless someone has the probability skills to work that out…?

This is awesome now figure it with TL 12 beam and pulse lasers.
Probably the most common Pulse laser variant at TL 12 would be accurate and high focus that’s going to creat a major change
While the most common beam laser for TL 12 would probably long range
I think you’ll find that the pulse laser will have a even greater advantage with those two modifications

 

[tytalan]

This was the cause of the confusion. Double Beam with Long Range instead of Beams with Double Long Range.
I initially read it three times before getting the correct meaning.

I thought we’d already clarified this but apparently we must do so over and over.

 

[PeterDebney]

As to the old "well you accept jump drive" there is an old rule, the more unexplained handwavium you have in a sci fi setting the further it moves towards fantasy than sci fi.

There is another old rule (from Arthur C Clarke if memory serves…), which is that any technology that is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.
I think that he also allowed one item of fantasy in all his hard-sf stories.
We are trying to understand TL 12 to 15 technology with our TL 8 knowledge. How much understanding could our TL 4 Victorian forbears understand modern computing?
For that matter, how many of us here understand current quantum computing?
Conversely, an old friend of mine, who worked for CERN, actually laughed out when I mentioned plasma weapons…
As it is a game, I am quite comfortable with a generous level of handwavium and a sprinkling of magic, sorry, highly advanced technology that I don’t understand, as long as the game is consistent and fun.

 

[swordtart]

Let me further clarify that I am making a distinction between "can" and "may". You CAN arrive anywhere in the system that is not inside the jump shadow of a sufficiently large mass. That's what they mean when they say their are no jump points.

It is my contention that just because you can doesn't mean that you may do that. IRL the approaches to airports and seaports are regulated. There are shipping lanes and flight lanes and so on. I am saying that a combination of government regulation, industry best practices (enforced by underwriters), and corporate policy (for the majority of ships that are corporate owned) would designate arrival zones and departure zones for civilian traffic because that makes life easier for everyone (except pirates).

If the planetary and Imperial authorities know that all legit traffic is arriving in this designated 100k km (for instance) diameter region, it is much easier to have customs on hand, preset flight plans to approach the starport, rescue craft for ships arriving in distress, and a corvette/SBD/whatever on overwatch to intimidate pirates.

You can arrive somewhere else, but that's going to immediately designate you for prompt attention from a patrol craft. Because if you didn't arrive where you are supposed to, you are either in distress, a criminal, or a hostile vessel.

They will probably have a different, but parallel departure path to keep things easy on the traffic controllers without stretching the security too much. So ships hanging out in the departure lane or not following their assigned flight path upon leaving are going to get flagged promptly.

If you want to appear nowhere near an inhabited planet then you can do that and likely no one will care unless its a designated military restricted zone.

This would likely be true at every class C and above port in the Imperium. It may well be the case at D&E ports also, even though they won't have any real enforcement except maybe automated space tickets . On the other hand, basically no one goes to D or E ports except freelance traders. Because if there was actual trade of note there, the megacorps would either finance a better port or pressure the planet or the Imperium to build one. Because, again, that's what has happened all throughout history IRL with sea and airports. I don't see any reason to think starports would be different.

Is this written down anywhere in a supplement? No. Either because they rightly judged that most people wouldn't GAF about this sort of thing or because none of the freelancers writing books felt inclined to think about it. So you can do whatever you want and be in compliance with the completely non-existent setting information.

I accept how all the above could be possible (and maybe even desirable for a specific referee) but it would have avoided a whole lot of previous posts had you made it clear that this was your opinion of how it should work, rather than your understanding of the rules that stated how it did work. I have less interest in someone's opinion versus their reasons for holding that opinion. I also note that you agree that your hypothesis only applies to class C+ ports and not every system in the empire. As I indicated some posts ago I am simply trying to align the encounter tables with your perception of the way the universe should operate. The vast majority of encounters are not authority vessels.

You say that you can choose where to arrive on the 100D limit. I don't think that is the case. You cannot even guarantee you will arrive at a specific distance from the planet.

You are choosing to assume an equivalence to terrestrial equivalents and whilst that has validity for many aspects of travel it needs to be remembered that terrestrial travel lanes are within a fixed geography. The port of Dover is always at the same latitude and longitude regardless of the the time of year and has been for centuries. Some planets rotate so your arrival points would need to be at the poles for your routes to be geostationary. Once you get to the 10D limit I can see the need for some control and as thus is a far more compact volume. It is also far more credibly within the scope of a planetary based sensor net to monitor and can therefore be geostationary. Whether a world that only has the resources for a landing beacon has the resources for a planetary sensor net is for the referee's judgement.

The planet also rotates around the star and jumping in earlier or later than you plotted will mean the site you selected at the time you jumped will not be far away from where you intended. I presume this is covered within of jump variance. The traveller companion expands on this and makes it clear that that 100D is the limit and a target but the vast majority of astrogators will routinely be double digit percentages off it. In addition to avoid the effects of precipitation captains tend to add a 10% safety margin.

Once you add all that in perfectly legitimate ships will be emerging well over 100D possibly as much as 160D before it is even classed as a bad jump. Hopefully that will coincide with the engineer managing to emerge early so you can make up the time in normal space. but that is not guaranteed. This massively increases the required catch net of the patrols if you are going to check everyone at emergence and means you cannot be sure that someone arriving somewhat out of place is "a wrong un". It doesn't stop you creating a patrol network at 100D (since you need to establish the boundary somewhere) but you probably are not going to send a ship out to 160D to investigate what turns out to be cadet astrogator having a bad day as the ship you send is itself going to vulnerable if it turns out that ship is in fact a pirate. Also this is technically Imperial Space and the job of the IN to investigate should they deem necessary. I have still seen nothing to suggest the IN has enough ships to do this effectively.

This actually allows more of that intersystem travel at risk that you were bemoaning the lack of.

 

[swordtart]

Umm, the sector fleet is different to all the fleets in a sector.

Now Mongoose decided to say that empty hexes are no longer empty I would say the IISS has picked up a new mission type alongside the IN, routine sweeps through empty hexes. There are more than enough scouts, patrol corvettes, close escorts, couriers, destroyers, fleet escorts etc to do the job - an empty hex likely has a series of sensor stations that are routinely visited, not to mention the empty hexes that contain secret IN and or IISS bases.

What are these other fleets and how many ships are we talking.

I'd like some facts on which to base my opinion. Currently the facts at my disposal say the sector fleets patrol the sector and the colonial fleets patrol the systems (though the So-Skire Colonial "fleets" might consist of a few fighters and maybe a cutter or two). The "other fleets" in the sector presumably have other duties than to patrol every system for pirates, though they may decide to descend on a specific system for a thorough spring clean and lord help anyone who even looks like a pirate in that system.

Fleets are generally not created for no reason and jurisdictions are quite specific (no-one wants another empire of admirals). A non-sector fleet would have a specific remit but also by definition would not be permanently assigned to a specific sector and would tend to stay with a jump or two at most of the flag ship. It might have a roving commission but it can't be everywhere in the sector and so it's influence is diluted.

It is also fairly easy to track fleet movements around since they are often large and shore leave for a fleet can boost a systems economy massively. If a fleet is avoiding that by moving around in deep space to keep it's location secret (so it can strike in force at any incursion whilst preventing the enemy from destroying it "at anchor") it won't be giving that away by doing anti-piracy operation either.

 

[swordtart]

Along the lines of the empty hexes, you have large numbers of "uninhabited" secondary or tertiary systems.
This further spreads out your patrol range - and many of those systems need a jump drive to access, meaning they are as isolated as a nearby hex is.

Yes, I did say uninhabited hexes. A hex with a gas giant but no inhabited planet counts. It might be patrolled simply by virtue of it being a refuelling point. A hex with no star can still provide that facility as I would expect the IN to put at least fuel dumps there "just in case", they just don't advertise the fact so it doesn't appear on the maps.

On the borders these empty hexes might be mined or contain automated sleeper stations that monitor the system and would need to have that data collected periodically. That would also constitute a patrol cruise.

 

[swordtart]

This will depend on who is doing the pinging, because it's just a radio signal. It technically goes infinitely far. But the person listening determines whether they can still hear it. Technically, all the rules state is that it gives a +4 to being detected.

However, MgT2e's sensor rules are not very good. T5 or 2300 do a better job with this. Anyway, at the very minimum, a civilian ship running basic passive array should notice a transponder at Very Long, because it can detect the ship's existence at that range and the transponder is an active communication. With their better sensors a military ship or a station would detect much farther away. However, there is no clear statement within MgT2e beyond that. T5 and 2300 have answers, but I'm assuming you aren't interested in that since they are technically different systems.

I am using things from many systems where MGT2 is silent. I just don't like contradicting the rules system I am currently using as it creates knock on effects.

I concur with Very Long since beyond that you cannot detect EM regardless of the quality of your sensors (Core Rulebook P160).

Whilst electro magnetic emissions do have infinite range, the power reaching an antenna drops rapidly with distance. In theory you could have an infinitely high gain antenna, but the higher the gain the more directional it becomes, the harder to target the antenna and the more interference can impact the reception. At some point the ship itself will become the biggest source of interference and that imposes a practical limit to the amount of gain.

High guard clarifies that Distant is out to 300,000 km and adds some extra range bands where sensor checks become even harder (and these would be limited to Thermal and Active Radar and Lidar).

Jump events are sufficiently dramatic that there appears to be no range at which they cannot be detected, so presumably by some thermal signature. Which I would say would allow you to determine the tonnage of the jumping or arriving vessel but nothing else at that range.

Over 5 Million Km active RADAR/LIDAR would allow you to target and detected object and determine whether it is a ship or some sort of astronomical object.