Would a far/free trader ever use missiles?

[AndrewW]

US convoys soon after their entry into the war were unescorted, despite both the British and Canadians telling them this was a bad idea. but even then there are MANY different types of shipping convoy.

That is what happens when the US admiral in charge on the Atlantic coast didn't like the British and refused to listen. At least eventually they started escorting convoys.

 

[Condottiere]

In theory, missiles should be the equivalent of nuclear deterrence.

Powerful enough to make it really hurt.

At the same time, an investment that pays off if it's not used, and in accounting terms, carried forward.

 

[tytalan]

Can a merchant ship carry missile racks? Certainly that’s really not in question. Is it economically viable? Probably not depending of course how you look at it. Should they that’s the real question and that comes down to RP and your GM. Missiles according to HG 2022 are considered military weaponry so any of the major powers and probably some of the bigger lesser powers are not going to like merchant ships with missiles racks. The reasons are simple missiles with their extreme range are an offensive weapons which a merchant should not be using , while In theory you could load defensive missiles the bottom line is the rack doesn’t care if your packing decoy missiles or nuclear ones and the only way to tell is to be on the receiving end or to investigate in person. Lasers and sandcasters which are the only weapons considered not military, are short range and have a strong defensive aspect as well not having a nuclear option. For these reasons a merchant ship in any of the larger political’s will be considered suspicious and may even be impounded for investigation, possibly for no other reason than the possibility of being a pirate. So should a merchant ship have Missile racks probably not unless they are working primarily in independent systems or they are pirates on the side.

 

[Condottiere]

I did toy with using sandcaster canisters as sabotted minimissiles.

However, since you really have a rather limited window to use missiles against a raider, you want an accurate one with large damage potential.

Range wouldn't be an issue, since the raider would only declare it's intentions a lot closer.

 

[swordtart]

Missiles according to HG 2022 are considered military weaponry so any of the major powers and probably some of the bigger lesser powers are not going to like merchant ships with missiles racks.

Can you cite a reference to that, I couldn't find anything like that in HG 2020. Barbettes, Bays and Spinal Mounts are specifically called out as military but not missiles unless I have missed a reference buried somewhere.

 

[tytalan]

Can you cite a reference to that, I couldn't find anything like that in HG 2020. Barbettes, Bays and Spinal Mounts are specifically called out as military but not missiles unless I have missed a reference buried somewhere.

Can’t find it now maybe I was mistaken on that part. That said every missile rack is a potential WMD that can not be said about lasers and sandcasters. Do you think any government in the world wouldn’t have issues with a civilian ships carrying WMDs. Like I said can have a missile rack? Sure you can. Should there be RP considerations? MOST DEFINITELY YES!!! If you can’t tell which missile rack is a WMD than your going to treat every missile rack as having a WMD it just common sense.

 

[tytalan]

I did toy with using sandcaster canisters as sabotted minimissiles.

However, since you really have a rather limited window to use missiles against a raider, you want an accurate one with large damage potential.

Range wouldn't be an issue, since the raider would only declare it's intentions a lot closer.

“ ANTI-PERSONNEL This canister type launches multiple fragmentation charges that detonate a pre-set distance from the target, creating a hail of small fragments that inflict 3D damage (Ground scale) in a cloud around the targeted ship. Anti-personnel canisters can be used against targets in space or on a planetary surface.”

Range not being an issue is just another reason for a commercial ship not to carry missile, since neither gunnery nor the smart trait are considered at those ranges missiles are actually less accurate than lasers.

 

[Condottiere]

I gave up on the idea after a rules update, I forget which.

However, in interests of completeness, it's a warhead from a multi warhead missile, mated with standard propulsion, which should be small enough to get sabotted in a fifty kilogramme volume.

Cold launch from the sandcaster, reorientation in space, target lock, and rocket ignition.