Previous Versions Ship Designs

[William]

As I go through my bits of TNE material, I note that the ships, as presented, in many cases are lower tech versions of the familier craft. Was, for example, the real Beowulf done as a TNE ship or was only the Moraine available officially? Same for the Empress/Jayhawk. If not officially, has anyone done the originals up?

Thanks!

William

 

[snrdg082102]

Evening William,

My understanding is that the TNE designs are based on the CT/MT versions and are frequently cobbled together from various parts built at variou TLs. One example from TNE: Reformation Coalition Equipment Guide:

p. 140 Multimission Scout Notes:
"These are standard TL-15 relic scout/couriers which have been modified..."

"...has also been fitted with a TL-12 area barrage jammer..."

Armament is TL-12.

p. 150 Mary Ellen Carter Armed Merchant is based on a modified Fat Trader.

Finally, I do not recall seeing specifications for CT/MT vessels in TNE, but then I may have been asleep at the time.

 

[Antony]

TL15 versions of the Far Trader (Empress Marava class) and the subsidised merchant (class name not given) appear in The Regency Sourcebook. The TL15 Scout can be found in the Brilliant Lances Technical Manual as well as a TL15 yacht (though with a J4 4G drive this exceeds what I remember of the CT version). Also listed at TL15 are the Lab Ship, type T patrol criuser and the Broadsword class mercenary transport.

If you can get hold of Brilliant Lances this supplement is very useful as it also presents examples of many other vessels including Aslan, Zhodani and Vargr.

 

[snrdg082102]

Evening Antony,

Slapping myself on the forehead

I just got a hold of Brilliant Lances recently and didn't even think to look in the Technical Booklet. Thanks for waking me up, can I go back to sleep now?

Originally posted by Antony:
TL15 versions of the Far Trader (Empress Marava class) and the subsidised merchant (class name not given) appear in The Regency Sourcebook. The TL15 Scout can be found in the Brilliant Lances Technical Manual as well as a TL15 yacht (though with a J4 4G drive this exceeds what I remember of the CT version). Also listed at TL15 are the Lab Ship, type T patrol criuser and the Broadsword class mercenary transport.

If you can get hold of Brilliant Lances this supplement is very useful as it also presents examples of many other vessels including Aslan, Zhodani and Vargr.

 

[TheDS]

Battle Rider has a number of things in it you might find interesting as well. I don't recall the designs being exactly BL-compatible, but you can glean most of the important stats. I particularly remember they had battleships and actual BT/BR type ships.

 

[Antony]

It is possible to reverse engineer from the Battlerider stats. This is helped if you have Vampire fleets as it lists the actual displacement of the ships as opposed to the displacement range.

 

[snrdg082102]

Evening TheDS,

Thank-you for your suggestion and recommendation. That is another item on my list of Traveller
materials to find. Unfortunately, any future purchases will have to wait while I rebuild my Traveller fund.

Originally posted by TheDS:
Battle Rider has a number of things in it you might find interesting as well. I don't recall the designs being exactly BL-compatible, but you can glean most of the important stats. I particularly remember they had battleships and actual BT/BR type ships.

 

[snrdg082102]

Evening Antony,

Thank-you for your comments and indication that Battle Rider has the potetntial to be reversed engineered. I have tried to reverse engineer other Traveller vehicles and spacecraft without yet hitting the mark. Again thank-you for the information.

Originally posted by Antony:
It is possible to reverse engineer from the Battlerider stats. This is helped if you have Vampire fleets as it lists the actual displacement of the ships as opposed to the displacement range.

 

[TheDS]

Originally posted by Antony:
It is possible to reverse engineer from the Battlerider stats. This is helped if you have Vampire fleets as it lists the actual displacement of the ships as opposed to the displacement range.

VF page 10.

Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium and the Rebellion Sourcebook can help with this too. FSSI doesn't name the classes, but you can guess pretty good in some cases. RebS DOES tell you class names. Both give you stats.

Keep in mind FSSI's numbers aren't always correct. For instance, pay no attention to mass. WAAAY off. Even assuming their decimal points weren't working doesn't help.

I just went through these two books looking for the defining characteristics of them, so that they could be more easily made in any system. It's a simple chart with a lot of ships, and a little info on each. Incidentally, does anyone have the Ref manual? I can't find mine atm, and I'd like to know what those stupid Config numbers are (Config 4 = box, I think). I'm also wondering what the important characteristics for the MT weapons are, like what TL each spinal PAW or Meson is available at, and the damage it does.

I HAVE noticed that between MT and TNE (what few ships have been expressed in both rules) that TNE requires more people, and the ships are less capable. The subsidized merchant is a big example. In MT, it looks profitable without subsidy (half cargo). In TNE it hemorages money. (Of course, TNE gave it too big of a fuel tank, but even cutting it in half, I don't think that will save it.)

Anyway, thanks for the help.

 

[Rupert Boleyn]

Originally posted by TheDS:
I HAVE noticed that between MT and TNE (what few ships have been expressed in both rules) that TNE requires more people, and the ships are less capable. The subsidized merchant is a big example. In MT, it looks profitable without subsidy (half cargo). In TNE it hemorages money. (Of course, TNE gave it too big of a fuel tank, but even cutting it in half, I don't think that will save it.)
[/QB]

One thing to check is the TLs - most of the 'standard' ships in MT are TL14 or TL15, whereas many of them (the merchies, in particular) in TNE are only TL10-12.

 

[Antony]

It is probably safe to assume that crew sizes in the TNE period represent the crews on vessels which have had the automation reduced because of virus. For example I have just completed a version of the Azhanti High Lightning and according to the crew requirement in FFS1 it requires a crew of around 2700.

 

[William]

Perhaps I wasn't very clear. I am interested in
the old versions of these craft - Tl 13, 14, &
15. Rather than the older, easier to keep
running, versions. I understand why the Jayhawk
will be more common; I am interested in why the
Empress is not as well as the fate that befel
them.

William