M-Drives as a weapon

[sabredog]

Back in the day, when Traveller first came out, it wasn't specified that M-drives were reactionless, or anything else for that matter. At one point I recall some set of rules - possibly Mayday - that mentioned that M-drives could be used as a close range weapon but that vanished as the game went through its myriad revisions and evolutions.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure it was Mayday but my original copy was lost long ago in one of my moves, and the version on the CD fro FFE is the reprint and this rule isn't mentioned - if it was there to begin with. Nor can I find the rule in the Lost Rules supplement.

Does anyone remember, or have that rule? Or a similar rule? Or am I delirious from my painkillers again?

 

[Timerover51]

Back in the day, when Traveller first came out, it wasn't specified that M-drives were reactionless, or anything else for that matter. At one point I recall some set of rules - possibly Mayday - that mentioned that M-drives could be used as a close range weapon but that vanished as the game went through its myriad revisions and evolutions.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure it was Mayday but my original copy was lost long ago in one of my moves, and the version on the CD fro FFE is the reprint and this rule isn't mentioned - if it was there to begin with. Nor can I find the rule in the Lost Rules supplement.

Does anyone remember, or have that rule? Or a similar rule? Or am I delirious from my painkillers again?

I got out my hard copy of Mayday, with a copyright of 1978 and 1980, and I cannot find such a rule in that. However, I do remember such a rule as well, and I wonder if it might be in the Belt Strike game. I will have to find my copy and take a look.

 

[robject]

Or perhaps High Guard, 1st Edition.

Sure 'nuff, page 40. "Fusion Drives As Weapons". It's treated like a short-ranged energy weapon.

 

[sabredog]

Ah, excellent! Now I can sleep better - thanks!

 

[Timerover51]

Or perhaps High Guard, 1st Edition.

Sure 'nuff, page 40. "Fusion Drives As Weapons". It's treated like a short-ranged energy weapon.

Okay, I have that 1st Edition as well. Should have checked it, as I knew that I had seen that rule somewhere. Chalk one up for Robject.

Side Note: We really should have a "thumbs up" emoticon.

 

[robject]

Like this?

I like a lot of things in 1st edition, by the way.mega:

 

[sabredog]

Yeah, me too. I like the 10 ton bay weapons and missile magazines. HG ought to have 25 ton bays, too.

 

[infojunky]

Yeah, me too. I like the 10 ton bay weapons and missile magazines. HG ought to have 25 ton bays, too.

I have always thought that too.

We have
1 ton turrets
2 ton turrets
3 ton Barbettes
5 ton Barbettes
10 ton Bays
50 ton Bays
100 ton Bays

So a 25 ton bay isn't too far out of the range...

 

[robject]

T5 created a mechanic that I think any version of Traveller could use. It's a range adjustment to an emplacement, and it changes its volume. It's one way to fill the gap in between the barbette and the small bay.

For example, just using two of the range effects from T5 gets you:

Short range = TL-1, half tonnage and price.
Long range = TL+1, twice tonnage and price.

So your 5 ton barbette can be a range-extended 10 ton mini-bay.

Likewise, your 50 ton bay can be reduced to a short-range 25 ton "lite" bay.

And so on.

 

[infojunky]

T5 created a mechanic that I think any version of Traveller could use. It's a range adjustment to an emplacement, and it changes its volume. It's one way to fill the gap in between the barbette and the small bay.

For example, just using two of the range effects from T5 gets you:

Short range = TL-1, half tonnage and price.
Long range = TL+1, twice tonnage and price.

So your 5 ton barbette can be a range-extended 10 ton mini-bay.

Likewise, your 50 ton bay can be reduced to a short-range 25 ton "lite" bay.

And so on.

Cool I missed that bit last I was mining T5...

 

[sabredog]

I have always thought that too.

We have
....
3 ton Barbettes
.....
So a 25 ton bay isn't too far out of the range...

No, HG2 has 3 ton turrets for particle accelerators. the first ed. of HG doesn't have barbettes at all, but they were in the Gazelle design in JTAS.

So the progression would be turrets: 1, 2, 3 tons... 5 ton barbettes...bays: 10, 25 50, 100 tons...then spinal weapons.

 

[infojunky]

No, HG2 has 3 ton turrets for particle accelerators. the first ed. of HG doesn't have barbettes at all, but they were in the Gazelle design in JTAS.

So the progression would be turrets: 1, 2, 3 tons... 5 ton barbettes...bays: 10, 25 50, 100 tons...then spinal weapons.

Ah, But T5 does have 3 ton Barbettes.... And then TNE had the standard 3 ton Can for weapons turrets....

 

[sabredog]

I thought this was the CT thread?

So what goes in the 3 ton barbette vs. the 5 ton?

 

[infojunky]

I thought this was the CT thread?

So what goes in the 3 ton barbette vs. the 5 ton?

Sorry, we wandered....

 

[sabredog]

It's the season for wassailing and wandering.

So....what goes in those barbettes? I seem to recall dimly the 2 and 3 ton turrets in MT (and maybe TNE?) just allowed for bigger lasers, but what about barbettes. Leaving aside all the issues with what a barbette was and what it was even for in this game.

As for the fusion drive weapons - in HG 1st ed. the code for the drive was the code used for an energy weapon value. No modifier for size, which is a pity, but I'm thinking of using these in my current campaign as just a lower tech drive. So any ideas on what the difference would be in a small ship game (the player level game is) between a large M-drive as a torch vs a small one? Obviously acceleration should be a factor but a Type T drive ought to be more potent than a Type A.

I treat fusion and plasma guns in a small ship game as short range weapons doing x number of hits against a location (less armor value) per turret X the number of guns in the double turret. So a fusion gun does 4 hits damage against the location hit, less any armor points. A beam laser does 1 point, a plasma gun would do 3 and so on.

What should a fusion drive do relative to the size of the drive in LBB2?

 

[aramis]

You're misremembering, Saberdog. MT's 2T turrets are only for disintegrator, plasma and fusion, and TL 16 PA; and the three tons are for TL15 PA's. The barbettes are PA only,

 

[sabredog]

Aaaaahhhh!

Well, that's what I get for not running MT then.

 

[infojunky]

Aaaaahhhh!

Well, that's what I get for not running MT then.

I know that feeling....

 

[Carlobrand]

I'm not sure there's a functional difference between a Traveller turret and a Traveller barbette. It's just labeled differently, in certain sources, because of its size.

 

[Reban]

I'm not sure there's a functional difference between a Traveller turret and a Traveller barbette. It's just labeled differently, in certain sources, because of its size.

I'd agree with this.

The whole language used around turrets, barbettes, bays and spines is very imprecise.

For turret I think = Small trainable mount.

For barbette I think = Large trainable mount.