Average Jump Distance

[ken at sunrise]

What is the average Jump Distance for average ships.

I'm looking for an easy way to swag/estimate the time getting from one system to another. To go from a planet in the Spinward Marches to Cyril - Moibin Subsector - Reft Sector for example; of course the long way around.

Just tying to estimate it. Each jump takes a week right? But how far?

 

[aramis]

Each jump AVERAGES 7 days, but can take as much as 7.7 or as low as 6.3. Refuelling will be adding a day at least one day per two jumps. So, it's best to allow 8 days per jump and 1 for in-system.

Also, for jumps higher than J1, you're going to get somewhat less than peak performance.
J2 is typically going to be about 1.75 or so, allowing for use of cargo space for a second jump's worth of fuel in demountable and/or collapsible tanks.

J3 about 2.5Pc, J4 about 3.5Pc, J5 about 4.5Pc, J6 about 5.5Pc. J3 can, theoretically, use additional tankage, but (outside of MT), J4 and higher cannot.

If one ignores (or doesn't use) stellar blocking of jump, a route needs about 8.5 days per jump for reliability, while non-route travel can average about 7.5 days.

If you use star blocking, you can't even maintain 1 jump per two weeks... unless using GG refueling most of the time, and then, you need at least a full day for travel into the GG and back, and 0.33days for a refuel attempt. And about 20 worlds in the Marches are over 3 weeks travel to or from the jump point.

 

[ken at sunrise]

Each jump AVERAGES 7 days, but can take as much as 7.7 or as low as 6.3. Refuelling will be adding a day at least one day per two jumps. So, it's best to allow 8 days per jump and 1 for in-system.

I think I followed you up to this point???
J1, J2, J3, etc... are the jump distances right?

But I didn't follow beyond that.

 

[Daddicus]

It varies with the jump number. If you jump 1, that's 1 parsec. 2 is 2 parsecs, etc. The cells on a galactic map are 1 parsec, center-to-center. So, if you jump 4, you go roughly 4 parsecs.

There are end-cases, however. If your jump takes you in a straight line through hex centers, then you travel X parsecs, where X is the jump distance. However, if you do a sort of knight's move jump, it's a bit less.

Also, you can't jump center-to-center because that's where the system's sun is. The ship has to travel outside the 100-diameter (100D) limit before jumping, and has to arrive outside the 100D limit in the target system. Plus, you can't jump in a way that passes near any large gravity well.

So, ROUGHLY, it's 1 parsec per jump number. But, not exactly.

 

[ken at sunrise]

That being so...
And if the average jump takes 7 to 8 days then what is the average jump distance for a:

• Commercial Vessel
• Merchant Vessel
• Military Vessel
• Average Vessel/Luxury/etc.???

I'm guessing they can jump further in a pinch and stress their hull or engines.[/QUOTE]

 

[Daddicus]

Jump distance is strictly limited by the ship drive's jump number and the hull tonnage. See the table on page 340.

A 100-ton ship with jump-A can jump 2 parsecs. A 200-ton ship with the same jump-A can only jump 1 parsec. No ship larger than 200 tons can install a Jump-A drive, because it would be useless.

Sometimes a ship's design doesn't have enough hull space for fuel storage for a larger drive, and so has to be built to lower speed specs. The table shows maximum distances; it's still up to the designer to make the various pieces work together.

 

[Drakon]

That being so...
And if the average jump takes 7 to 8 days then what is the average jump distance for a:

• Commercial Vessel
• Merchant Vessel
• Military Vessel
• Average Vessel/Luxury/etc.???

I'm guessing they can jump further in a pinch and stress their hull or engines.

Most civilian vessels, like Beowulfs and Empress Marava, I have seen have been either J1 or J2. Military vessels are usually J4, although the Imperial Navy do have J6 couriers. The X-boats are J4.

Again J1, 1 Hex or 1 parsec a week. J2, 2 parsecs a week. etc.

 

[aramis]

It varies with the jump number. If you jump 1, that's 1 parsec. 2 is 2 parsecs, etc. The cells on a galactic map are 1 parsec, center-to-center. So, if you jump 4, you go roughly 4 parsecs.

There are end-cases, however. If your jump takes you in a straight line through hex centers, then you travel X parsecs, where X is the jump distance. However, if you do a sort of knight's move jump, it's a bit less.

Also, you can't jump center-to-center because that's where the system's sun is. The ship has to travel outside the 100-diameter (100D) limit before jumping, and has to arrive outside the 100D limit in the target system. Plus, you can't jump in a way that passes near any large gravity well.

So, ROUGHLY, it's 1 parsec per jump number. But, not exactly.

Utterly irrelevant.

What I was talking of is that the average jump (a mathematical construct) works out to be less than the actual rated drive distance because you can't always get to optimal maximum distance.

 

[ken at sunrise]

Most civilian vessels, like Beowulfs and Empress Marava, I have seen have been either J1 or J2. Military vessels are usually J4, although the Imperial Navy do have J6 couriers. The X-boats are J4.

Again J1, 1 Hex or 1 parsec a week. J2, 2 parsecs a week. etc.

Perfect thank you,