[1e] Turret Weapons - Thoughts and House Rules

[kilemall]

Kinetic kill missiles could be designed.

Under current rules, they have an endurance of an hour, and half lose track after thirty minutes.

If doing pure LBB2 combat, it’s already baked into the missile supplement. I believe the idea is the normal auto hit is a HEAT blast then an additional opportunity for a kinetic to hit with the missile body.

 

[whartung]

We used to add the comparitive velocity between the missile and the target to the damage, (an extra hit per difference in range band) Kinetic weapons should do more damage on impact when travelling faster than slower ones.

You really don't want kinetic kill weapons.

I think Chadwick is right on this.

They're no fun. That's why he skipped them.

Traveller ships go very, very fast. Kinetic kill weapons end up either be mostly useless (no dV, say coming from behind), or cosmically lethal (going the other way, impacting head on).

Kinetic kill weapons are a shotgun fight in an office cubicle. Bloody, brief, as much luck as anything else.

 

[mike wightman]

There is a "raging" argument at Atomic Rockets...

one side is of the opinion that missiles are useless with laser and other point defence being able to take them out at range

then there are the missile fans who think some will get through.

The 50kg Traveller missile is more of a magic missile than any mage in D&D conjured.

 

[whartung]

one side is of the opinion that missiles are useless with laser and other point defence being able to take them out at range

then there are the missile fans who think some will get through.

Well, yea, I do think light speed weapons (with fast enough ROF) make missile very problematic at space ranges.

However, it can be said "How much can a laser damage a dumb, solid mass", and that has merit.

Clearly "some" will get through, for appropriate amounts of "some". Anyone can be overwhelmed.

All comes down to the practicality of bringing "enough" so that "some" can get through, whatever those all end up meaning.

My biggest issue with kinetic missiles at Traveller ranges with Traveller drives is simply I think (feel) that "getting out of the way" is easier than not at the speeds things are traveling (which impact decision response and reaction times, etc.) vs the sizes of the targets.

 

[Condottiere]

Rather suspect that a repulsor beam, and/or a bunch of balls bearing, could be an adequate defence.

 

[Rupert]

The ball-bearings are basically a sandcaster.

As for the beams vs missiles, assuming your beams can also damage ships (and they can probably at least blind them), it comes down to whether X tons of beams weapons (including power supply, radiators, and so on) can kill X tons of missiles (including launchers, etc. in that tonnage of course). If the missiles can't get through, you're better off with the beams. If they can, missiles will at least have a place, if not dominance.

I just run with TNE's detonation laser warheads and the assumption that point defences mean no contact missiles in space combat. I do need to get round to designing some non-atomic stand-off warheads for civilian use (which would also have military applications because they'd be damper-proof).

 

[mike wightman]

I wonder why no one had adapted the casaba-howitzer to Traveller?

 

[kilemall]

There is a "raging" argument at Atomic Rockets...

one side is of the opinion that missiles are useless with laser and other point defence being able to take them out at range

then there are the missile fans who think some will get through.

The 50kg Traveller missile is more of a magic missile than any mage in D&D conjured.

The Erma Felna EDF universe has kinetics being the only way as hulls can be proofed against energy weapons.

As always it’s whatever game effect and aesthetic one desires.

 

[Rupert]

I wonder why no one had adapted the casaba-howitzer to Traveller?

One could reasonably assume that nuclear missiles use such tech - it exchanges some damage for a bit of stand-off, which would make landing hits easier, and explain why hits from nuclear missiles aren't all "ship gone, game over".

 

[Condottiere]

In theory, you ripple off missiles, and try and overwhelm point defence.

I'd go for heat seeking, and have them prioritize the drive exhausts.

 

[jec10]

Traveller doesn't have exhausts. Thruster plates aren't rockets.

MegaTrav for better or worse introduced neutrino homing missiles that substituted for IR homing missiles against starships/vehicles using fusion powerplants.

 

[kilemall]

Traveller doesn't have exhausts. Thruster plates aren't rockets.

MegaTrav for better or worse introduced neutrino homing missiles that substituted for IR homing missiles against starships/vehicles using fusion powerplants.

Fusion reactor heat gotta go somewhere.

 

[Condottiere]

I guess the simple way to find out, is to start up the engines, and touch the drive exhausts.