mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
Since the beast disappeared a bit into the "Defence of Suffren" discussion here the space fortress as a seperate topic
Having just received and digested a book on pre 1918 german costal defences I simply had to design this one GTL 10/TTL 12 space fortress:
8,000-ton Langluetjens-class Space Fortress (TL10)
A small space fortress/fighter sortie base transportable by battle rider or large jump-frighter, the Langenlutjens class space fortress features heavy stealthing, total compartmentalisation, double system layout, a turret-safe armor, heavy meson screens and an armament of five long range particle accelerator bays aided by laser and sandcaster batteries. All weapons are build as pop up systems to benefit the most from the hulls heavy armor.
While the fortress itself is a powerful defence system, it also houses three squadrons of light fighters (36 total), 6 standard SDB and 6 Assault/Landing craft for the stations marine complement. These allow the base to attack the enemy before those come into range to fire at the base.
Since the stations crew are normally rotated out once every 90 days, the crew accomodations are rather spacious with individual cabins for the crew members and large recreational areas for all aboard.
Physically the station is build as a rounded block, some 180meters long, 60 meters wide and 40 meters thick.The main guns are placed on one of the large surfaces while the smaller sides contain the hangar bay doors. The crew and engineering systems are wedged in between the gun and small craft decks using them as additional shielding against enemy fire.
Crew: 400 Total. 22 Command and Control, 9 Maneuver Drive, 4 Meson Screen Operators, 8 Nuclear Damper Operators, 5 Weapon Bay Gunners, 20 Turret Gunners, 28 Maintenance, 160 Marines</P>
Design: 8,000-ton USL Hull, Heavy Frame, DR 25,000, Psi-Shielded, Instant Chameleon, Radical Stealth, Radical Emission Cloaking, 5 Lg External Bay (PUp) (DR 2,000) with one 29 Gj Lg PAW Bay, 10 Pop Turret (DR 2,000) with three 250 Mj Std Laser, 10 Pop Turret (DR 2,000) with three Sand Caster [200], 10 Pop Turret (DR 2,000) with one 810 Mj Hv Laser.
Modules: 2 Command Cockpit (Hardened), 4 PESA-UHv, 2 Traffic Control, 2 Advanced Sensors, 2 EW (Hardened), 2 Adv Commo Suite, 2 Engineering, 51 Fusion Power Slice, 500 Meson Screen (DR 26,471), 2 Nuclear Damper (15 mi), 2 Nuclear Damper (15 mi), 626 Maneuver Drive (25,040 stons thrust), 15 Utility, 400 Stateroom, 10 Military Sickbay, 8 Gymnasium, 4 Logistics, 3 Hall/Bar/Conference Room, 50 Escape Capsule, 4 Normal Office, Stage, Theater, 3 Military Holoventure, 5 Brig, 20 Shooting Range, 6 Galley, 10 Brig/Armory/Safe, 7 Complete Workshop, 9 Troop Armory, 2 Zero G Handball Court, 240 Spacedock (12x10-ton Iramda Fighter), 360 Spacedock (6x30-ton Bucaneer-class Assault Landing Craft[30dt Assault Shuttle]), 240 Spacedock (12x10-ton Iramda Fighter), 240 Spacedock (12x10-ton Iramda Fighter), 1,600 Spacedock (2xTL10 SDB), 1,600 Spacedock (2xTL10 SDB), 1,600 Spacedock (2xTL10 SDB), 870 Hold.</P>
Statistics: EMass 245,823.72 stons, LMass 250,173.72 stons, Cost MCr15,168.54, HP: 510,000 (DT 25,500), Size Modifier: +12, HT 10, Maint. 0.2 Hrs (591.2 man-hrs./day).</P>
Performance: sAccel 0.10 G / 0.10 G (empty tanks), Air Speed 0 mph, Dodge -2 + 1/2 Pilot Skill (-4 vs Meson Fire).</P>
Printed with GMV Version 2.32.01 on 27.12.2006 12:44:30<BR>
Copyright © 2006 by Michael Brinkhues
Actually I see either one or three of those defending a central planet from a geo-stationary orbit and maybe a few more scattered through the asteroid belt used as a combination fighter base and combat platform. Their 0.1g maneuver drive allows them to change orbits often enough to prevent fractional-c attacks from the outer system. In peacetime the stations also act as traffic control center and sends out patrol craft to board and search suspect ships
As for possible scenarios:
+ Have one of those survive into the TNE era and block the access to an important graveyard world. Or wake up after a contact team has landed on-world and force the players to shut it down
+ The station can be build locally as low as TTL9. On the other hand higher TL ones can be equipped with Meson weapons instead of Particle beams. In the Hard Times or TNE era the players might be send out to salvage those advanced guns for a local station. And stumble upon a security mechanism
+ This stations have ample space for laboratories either in the cargo hold or replacing some of the small craft. Maybe one is used for a research station and one of the experiments went totally wrong. The players are send in to investigate by their government
+ The SDB's can easily be replaced by jump-capabel ships like the Typ-T. This might happen in stations near the border where this crafts are used for recon in the nearby systems. Make the players part of the stations crew and dig out those old DS-9 scenarios. Add a nearby high-port for additional fun
+ Unless destroyed those stations will last a very long time. And as time advances, technologies advance and the old spare-parts are no longer produced, the technologie becomes jury-rigged and prone to failures. As an added difficulty you may make the stations computer an early AI that has some quirks of it's own, starting form the simple (Think B5's AI) to the dangerous (HAL)
+ Use the station as a McGuffin. The players are a diplomatic mission to persuade an client-state system to allow such a station to be established in-system. Or even worse an unaligned system with both pro- and anti-imperial factions present
+ If one uses the SolRim war as a background, the mission might be to eleminate one such station before the assault troops appear. For an alternate the Sollies must disable an imperial station to escape. Guns of Navaronne anyone?
Having just received and digested a book on pre 1918 german costal defences I simply had to design this one GTL 10/TTL 12 space fortress:
8,000-ton Langluetjens-class Space Fortress (TL10)
A small space fortress/fighter sortie base transportable by battle rider or large jump-frighter, the Langenlutjens class space fortress features heavy stealthing, total compartmentalisation, double system layout, a turret-safe armor, heavy meson screens and an armament of five long range particle accelerator bays aided by laser and sandcaster batteries. All weapons are build as pop up systems to benefit the most from the hulls heavy armor.
While the fortress itself is a powerful defence system, it also houses three squadrons of light fighters (36 total), 6 standard SDB and 6 Assault/Landing craft for the stations marine complement. These allow the base to attack the enemy before those come into range to fire at the base.
Since the stations crew are normally rotated out once every 90 days, the crew accomodations are rather spacious with individual cabins for the crew members and large recreational areas for all aboard.
Physically the station is build as a rounded block, some 180meters long, 60 meters wide and 40 meters thick.The main guns are placed on one of the large surfaces while the smaller sides contain the hangar bay doors. The crew and engineering systems are wedged in between the gun and small craft decks using them as additional shielding against enemy fire.
Crew: 400 Total. 22 Command and Control, 9 Maneuver Drive, 4 Meson Screen Operators, 8 Nuclear Damper Operators, 5 Weapon Bay Gunners, 20 Turret Gunners, 28 Maintenance, 160 Marines</P>
Design: 8,000-ton USL Hull, Heavy Frame, DR 25,000, Psi-Shielded, Instant Chameleon, Radical Stealth, Radical Emission Cloaking, 5 Lg External Bay (PUp) (DR 2,000) with one 29 Gj Lg PAW Bay, 10 Pop Turret (DR 2,000) with three 250 Mj Std Laser, 10 Pop Turret (DR 2,000) with three Sand Caster [200], 10 Pop Turret (DR 2,000) with one 810 Mj Hv Laser.
Modules: 2 Command Cockpit (Hardened), 4 PESA-UHv, 2 Traffic Control, 2 Advanced Sensors, 2 EW (Hardened), 2 Adv Commo Suite, 2 Engineering, 51 Fusion Power Slice, 500 Meson Screen (DR 26,471), 2 Nuclear Damper (15 mi), 2 Nuclear Damper (15 mi), 626 Maneuver Drive (25,040 stons thrust), 15 Utility, 400 Stateroom, 10 Military Sickbay, 8 Gymnasium, 4 Logistics, 3 Hall/Bar/Conference Room, 50 Escape Capsule, 4 Normal Office, Stage, Theater, 3 Military Holoventure, 5 Brig, 20 Shooting Range, 6 Galley, 10 Brig/Armory/Safe, 7 Complete Workshop, 9 Troop Armory, 2 Zero G Handball Court, 240 Spacedock (12x10-ton Iramda Fighter), 360 Spacedock (6x30-ton Bucaneer-class Assault Landing Craft[30dt Assault Shuttle]), 240 Spacedock (12x10-ton Iramda Fighter), 240 Spacedock (12x10-ton Iramda Fighter), 1,600 Spacedock (2xTL10 SDB), 1,600 Spacedock (2xTL10 SDB), 1,600 Spacedock (2xTL10 SDB), 870 Hold.</P>
Statistics: EMass 245,823.72 stons, LMass 250,173.72 stons, Cost MCr15,168.54, HP: 510,000 (DT 25,500), Size Modifier: +12, HT 10, Maint. 0.2 Hrs (591.2 man-hrs./day).</P>
Performance: sAccel 0.10 G / 0.10 G (empty tanks), Air Speed 0 mph, Dodge -2 + 1/2 Pilot Skill (-4 vs Meson Fire).</P>
Printed with GMV Version 2.32.01 on 27.12.2006 12:44:30<BR>
Copyright © 2006 by Michael Brinkhues
Actually I see either one or three of those defending a central planet from a geo-stationary orbit and maybe a few more scattered through the asteroid belt used as a combination fighter base and combat platform. Their 0.1g maneuver drive allows them to change orbits often enough to prevent fractional-c attacks from the outer system. In peacetime the stations also act as traffic control center and sends out patrol craft to board and search suspect ships
As for possible scenarios:
+ Have one of those survive into the TNE era and block the access to an important graveyard world. Or wake up after a contact team has landed on-world and force the players to shut it down
+ The station can be build locally as low as TTL9. On the other hand higher TL ones can be equipped with Meson weapons instead of Particle beams. In the Hard Times or TNE era the players might be send out to salvage those advanced guns for a local station. And stumble upon a security mechanism
+ This stations have ample space for laboratories either in the cargo hold or replacing some of the small craft. Maybe one is used for a research station and one of the experiments went totally wrong. The players are send in to investigate by their government
+ The SDB's can easily be replaced by jump-capabel ships like the Typ-T. This might happen in stations near the border where this crafts are used for recon in the nearby systems. Make the players part of the stations crew and dig out those old DS-9 scenarios. Add a nearby high-port for additional fun
+ Unless destroyed those stations will last a very long time. And as time advances, technologies advance and the old spare-parts are no longer produced, the technologie becomes jury-rigged and prone to failures. As an added difficulty you may make the stations computer an early AI that has some quirks of it's own, starting form the simple (Think B5's AI) to the dangerous (HAL)
+ Use the station as a McGuffin. The players are a diplomatic mission to persuade an client-state system to allow such a station to be established in-system. Or even worse an unaligned system with both pro- and anti-imperial factions present
+ If one uses the SolRim war as a background, the mission might be to eleminate one such station before the assault troops appear. For an alternate the Sollies must disable an imperial station to escape. Guns of Navaronne anyone?