[Master Text Old] Small Craft Examples

[robject]

This thread is for the Small Craft Maker rules on the "Master Text Old" PDF found on the T5 CD-ROM. My intention is to

(1) adjust the values to align with the small craft in CT's The Traveller Book.

(2) offer defaults, being primarily explanatory text, for the maker system to explain away the discrepancies that aren't otherwise handled.


I believe that the original tables assumed that some of these craft were gravitic, while others had true M-drives. However, since all CT small craft have M-drives, I therefore believe that it's better to re-tune the tables.

Suggested Fixes

• Launch: reduce Load to 3.
• Boat: reduce Load to 12, change Price to 7.5.
• Pinnace: reduce Load to 22, change Price to 9.5.
• Cutter: reduce Load to 27.5 or 28.
• "Fast": change Price to +0.5.
• "Slow": reduce Load to +4, change Price to -0.5.
• "Cargo": reduce Load to +24, and increase Price to +5.5.

 

[robject]

Launch

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Launch        12    20     3      10    20 10 10 10 10  0  10 10    8
Slow          -1          -2      +5                               -1
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 11    20t    1G     20t free                     MCr 14
CT Stats:           20t    1G     13t free                     MCr 14

Possible fix: decrease load on Launch to 3 tons.

 

[robject]

Ship's Boat and Slow Boat

Ship's Boat

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Boat          12    30     5      19    30 10 10 10 10  0  10 10    7
Fast          +1          +1      -5                               +1
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 13    30t    6G     19t free                     MCr 16
CT Stats:           30t    6G     13.7t free                   MCr 16

Slow Boat

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Boat          12    30     5      19    30 10 10 10 10  0  10 10    7
Slow          -1          -2      +5                               -1
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 13    30t    3G     29t free                     MCr 12
CT Stats:           30t    3G     20t free                     MCr 15

Possible fixes:
1. decrease load on Boat to 12 (?) tons.
2. decrease "Slow" load to +4 tons.

I may have to adjust the effects of Slow and Fast on the small craft price; for example, if "Slow" and "Fast" are MCr -0.5 and MCr +0.5, and the Boat's price increased to MCr 7.5, then the Fast Boat would still be MCr 8, but the Slow Boat increases to MCr 7 -- bringing it acceptably close to the CT Slow Boat.

 

[robject]

Pinnace and Slow Pinnace

Pinnace

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pinnace       14    40     4      25    30 10 10 10 10  0  10 10    9
Fast          +1          +1      -5                               +1
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 15    40t    5G     25t free                     MCr 20
CT Stats:           40t    5G     22t free                     MCr 20

Slow Pinnace

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pinnace       14    40     4      25    30 10 10 10 10  0  10 10    9
Slow          -1          -2      +5                               -1
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 13    40t    2G     35t free                     MCr 16
CT Stats:           40t    2G     31t free                     MCr 18

Possible fixes:

1. Load for the Pinnace can be reduced to 22, which will help.
2. Load for "Slow" can be reduced to +4, which closes the gap.

As with the Boat and Slow Boat, adjusting the price change for Fast and Slow would help bring up the price of the Slow ship without changing the cost of the Fast one. For example, if the base Pinnace cost increases to MCr 9.5, and "Fast" increases cost by MCr 0.5, and "Slow" decreases it by MCr 0.5, then the Slow Pinnace would cost MCr 9; the M-Drive version would be MCr 18, hitting the CT target on the nose.

 

[robject]

Modular Cutter

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cutter        12    50     4      31    40 10 10 10 10  0  10 10   13
Modular       +1                                                   +1
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 13    50t    4G     36t free                     MCr 28
CT Stats:           50t    4G     32.5t free                   MCr 28

Possible fix: reduce load for the Cutter to 27.5 tons.

 

[robject]

Shuttles

Shuttle

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shuttle       11    70     4      42    20 10 10 20 10  0  20 10   11
Cargo         -1   +25    -1     +25                               +5
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 10    95t    3G     72t free                     MCr 32
CT Stats:           95t    3G     71t free                     MCr 33

Shuttle from the Spinward Marches Campaign

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shuttle       11    70     4      42    20 10 10 20 10  0  20 10   11
Slow          -1          -2      +5                               -1
Light         -1    /2    +1      /2    /2       /2        /2 /2   /2
Months END    +1    +5                                            +20
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 10    40t    3G     23.5t free                   MCr 25
CT Stats:           40t    2G     25t free                     MCr ??

Possible fixes: Change "Cargo" Load to +24, and Price to +5.5.


T5's 40t shuttle is different than SMC's, but I'm disinclined to change T5.

 

[robject]

Gig from Supplement 7

Well, I can't build the Gig from Supplement 7. I see this as a PROBLEM. I thought I was able to do it at one time, but I can't seem to find the right combination now. Problem.

Here's something somewhat close.

Gig, sort of

Descriptor    TL   Tons  Accel   Load   AV Ca Fl Ra So Psi In Se   MCr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Boat          12    30     5      19    30 10 10 10 10  0  10 10    7
Attack        +1   +10    +1            50 10 10 20 10     10 10   x4
M-Drive                           +5                               x2
Light         -1    /2    +1      /2    /2       /2        /2 /2   /2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
           TL 12    20t    7G     12t free                     MCr 28
CT Stats:  TL 14    20t    6G      8.5t free                   MCr 27.65

Analysis. The TL seems too low (might be okay, but I don't like it); acceleration is a bit higher (that's okay); free space is much larger (it might be okay, it might not); the price looks good.

 

[Murdoc]

Given the differences I got when trying to do this with robots, I'd say even the Gig turned out pretty good!

 

[Reban]

Analysis. The TL seems too low (might be okay, but I don't like it); acceleration is a bit higher (that's okay); free space is much larger (it might be okay, it might not); the price looks good.

By the time you add a weapons mount and sensors you'll reduce the free Load. If you add Vehicle Enhancer options like Fast or High Powered you raise the TL and lower the available Load, the question is, does +1 Speed convert to +1G in Smallcraft terms. Its debatable if adding 1ton of "engine" should increase the acceleration that much.

 

[robject]

If you add Vehicle Enhancer options like Fast or High Powered you raise the TL and lower the available Load, the question is, does +1 Speed convert to +1G in Smallcraft terms. Its debatable if adding 1ton of "engine" should increase the acceleration that much.

Yes, small craft maker replaces speed with acceleration. In fact, it has its own tables for each design element -- it doesn't share the common descriptors for the rest of Vehicles.

And yes, adding 1 ton of "engine" could easily increase the acceleration of a small craft by 1G.

 

[Reban]

Ah yes I'd forgotten that Mission and options were part of the Smallcraft table.

 

[robject]

I note that building these small craft using ACS is quite a bit slower than doing it this way -- and the benefits are nonexistent for most typical small craft.

Therefore, I want to see SmallCraftMaker, perhaps modified with my suggestions, officially pushed out into the T5 world. At the same time, ACS is still there for special purposes, and reasonably compatible.

 

[robject]

I have one major suggestion for the small craft maker page:

Change the default drive configuration to M-drive, rather than G-drive. (This changes price and load defaults for the small craft types).

Why? Because almost every small craft in Traveller, up until now, are interplanetary.

 

[Reban]

That's a very good idea. If you make SmallcraftMaker about M Drive craft it differentiates it nicely from VehicleMaker GravFlyers which in theory can reach orbit and function as far as the 10D limit.

Smallcraft are not just interplanetary they are deepspace craft which can satisfy a number of niches such as drones and missiles as well as passenger and cargo movers. Smallcraft are "at home" alongside spacecraft and starships even though they can be based planet-side.

By "changes the Load defaults" I assume you mean that the +5ton Load that comes with a Smallcraft M Drive means you remove 5tons of Load from the Type. So Pinnace would start with 20ton Load not 25 and Launch would start with 5ton Load not 10? I can see one problem with that; Pod and Fighter type's starting tonnage would have to change.

Otherwise I'm on board.

 

[Nerhesi]

Jeez I cannot wait to get my book so I can keep up with the conversation.

Regarding smallcraft with hardpoints, armor and so on, doesn't T5 provide several examples of fighter/intercepter/advanced fighter/etc? I thought I saw those on the flash-ship maker program one of you gents created.

Can we then not reverse an engineer a smallcraft (that has weapons/armor) to identify which system it was created using? Or were they created adhoc/arbitrarily

 

[robject]

By "changes the Load defaults" I assume you mean that the +5ton Load that comes with a Smallcraft M Drive means you remove 5tons of Load from the Type. So Pinnace would start with 20ton Load not 25 and Launch would start with 5ton Load not 10? I can see one problem with that; Pod and Fighter type's starting tonnage would have to change.

None of the changes required are drastic, and none fundamentally change how any of the craft can be modded; it's mostly changing the default Load in some cases, changing a couple of the options by 1 or 2, and so on. The biggest change is recalibrating the price and load in many cases to correspond to the CT small craft (i.e. M-drive craft).

I've submitted errata for the small craft maker page, complete with ten example small craft pulled from Classic Traveller; six of the eight small craft from Book 2/TTB are exact matches. The two which don't match are the Ship's Boat and Slow Boat: the Ship's Boat is off by 0.3 tons of free space, and the Slow Boat has 3 tons extra free space and is MCr14 instead of MCr15. The other two small craft -- the Armored Gig from Supplement 9, and the Small surface-to-orbit Shuttle from the Spinward Marches Campaign -- are 1 to 2 tons off in free space, and are within 10% of the price.

I'm not worried about the Gig and Small Shuttle, since they were originally generated using High Guard, and are unlikely to be exact matches. I'm a bit concerned with the Boats, but I think they're within reasonable tolerances. To be sure, ACS-built small craft will also produce slight variations in the basic design.

... doesn't T5 provide several examples of fighter/intercepter/advanced fighter/etc? ...

Can we then not reverse an engineer a smallcraft (that has weapons/armor) to identify which system it was created using? Or were they created adhoc/arbitrarily

I created them using the small craft maker page, probably in 2011.