This is a re-visit of one of the “Book 2 Loophole” ships I’d posted a while back. Basically, this is the “Prize in the Starship Category” awarded for achieving TL-13 under LBB2. (TL-12 enables Jump-5 in a 400Td hull, but with no significant payload.)
The Shugushaag (Vilani: “Logistics Management”) series of ships was a boondoggle from the start. Collace/District 268 (SM1237) started building 24 of these 600Td J-5 ships to curry favor with the Third Imperium during the False War. The intent was to demonstrate TL-13 Collace’s value as a potential Imperial world by building J-5 ships (normally TL-14) and donating them to the Imperial forces. None were finished before the end of the war. Eighteen were completed, with the Imperium accepting only six. None of them are economically viable at standard cargo and passage rates, requiring either heavy subsidies, charters, or consistently high-profit speculative cargo. The design is obsolete at TL-14 when high-efficiency J-5 Jump Drives and Power Plants become available [i.e. that’s when HG construction rules allow J-5].
There were three variants of the design. These are a Merchant, a Yacht, and an Escort. The Escort is similar to the other two but has 4 or 5G acceleration instead of 2G (depends on design rules and purpose – more on that later), heavier armament, and limited cargo capacity (or none, dependent on design rules). All are built under LBB2 Second Edition rules except as noted.
Distant Merchant (Type M5): Using a non-standard 600-ton hull, the Distant Merchant is a long-range cargo transport. It has a Jump Drive-Q, Maneuver Drive-F, and Power Plant-Q, giving performance of Jump-5 and 2-G acceleration. There is fuel tankage for 350 tons, sufficient for the power plant and one Jump-5. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are ten staterooms and eight low berths. One triple turret is installed, armed with a missile launcher, beam laser, and a sandcaster. There are two other hardpoints, each with one ton set aside for turret installation. There are no ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 41 tons plus two tons storage space at the unused hardpoints. Two staterooms are available for passengers. The hull is streamlined.
The Distant Merchant requires a crew of eight: pilot, navigator, gunner, medic, and four engineers. Up to two more gunners may be employed if additional turrets are mounted; they occupy the passenger staterooms. The ship costs MCr408.2 individually and takes 24 months to build.
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EDITED TO ADD: DECK PLANS START HERE
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Distant Yacht (Type Y5): Using a non-standard 600-ton hull, the Distant Yacht is a noble’s luxury transport for long-range diplomatic or commercial missions. It has a Jump Drive-Q, Maneuver Drive-F, and Power Plant-Q, giving performance of Jump-5 and 2-G acceleration. There is fuel tankage for 350 tons, sufficient for the power plant and one Jump-5. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are nineteen staterooms, of which eleven are for crew while two are combined into an owner’s suite; this allows seven more passengers at high-passage standards. Three triple turrets are installed, one armed with missile launchers, one with beam lasers, and one with sandcasters. One armored and pressurized Grav-Limo is carried (stats and costs as GCarrier, its “weapon” is a countermeasures dispenser). There is no cargo capacity. The hull is streamlined.
The Distant Yacht requires a crew of eleven: pilot, navigator, medic, four engineers, three gunners, and a steward. The ship costs MCr413.5 individually and takes 24 months to build.
Note: The point of the Type Y5 is not luxury -- though it's nicely-appointed -- but to demonstrate that the owner is from a world that can build a Jump-5 ship. In the technology-stratified OTU, this is a significant point of honor.
Variant: Distant Liner (Type L5): Same as Distant Yacht, with the following changes: Delete the limousine, add two staterooms, delete two turrets (and their gunners), split the owner’s suite back into two staterooms, add a second steward; all crew is in double-occupancy. This allows 16 high passengers and 2 tons of cargo. Cost is 2MCr less than the Distant Yacht.
Variant: Distant Scout (Type S5): Same as Distant Yacht, with the following changes: Delete the limousine, delete four staterooms, add one Air/Raft, add one 10Td Dory (see below). Delete the steward position. Depending on mission, reduce armament to 1 triple turret MLS and eliminate two gunners. Ship has 10 tons cargo capacity, no less than 2 (and up to 6) of which are occupied by small-craft alternate mission equipment. Cost with all three turrets armed is MCr5.5 higher than Distant Yacht.
Carried Craft: Dory: Using a 10-ton (needle) hull, the Dory has 3-G acceleration, 1 ton of fuel, seats 2 including the pilot, and can carry 4Td of cargo[1] or eight passengers[2] or two modular small-craft staterooms[3]. It has a Model/1 computer[4] in place of a small craft bridge and has three fixed-mount sandcasters[5]. The craft costs MCr8.6, plus MCr0.3 for the modular cabins and seating. It is TL-13.
Notes:
[1] Specifically, an Air/Raft will fit.
[2] 8 Ea. Demountable seats occupy 2 tons when stored outside of craft.
[3] 2 Ea. Modular cabins occupy 4 tons when stored outside of craft.
[4] Treat as Model/0 for combat purposes.
[5] There is insufficient power for energy weapons. Sandcaster dispensers can also launch drones or cubesats (if so loaded).
(The Dory was designed under High Guard Second Edition.)
Distant Escort (Type E5): Using a non-standard 600-ton hull, the Distant Escort is a long-range protector for the Distant Yacht. It has a Jump Drive-Q, Maneuver Drive-Q, and Power Plant-Q, giving performance of Jump-5 and 5-G acceleration. There is fuel tankage for 350 tons, sufficient for the power plant and one Jump-5. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are fourteen staterooms. Six triple turrets are installed; one is armed with beam lasers, two with missile launchers, three with sandcasters. There are no ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 10 tons. The hull is streamlined.
The Distant Escort requires a crew of fourteen: pilot, navigator, six gunners, medic, and four engineers. The ship costs MCr449.6 individually and takes 24 months to build.
In operation, the Distant Yacht is accompanied by two Distant Escorts. When the ships are not in Jump or under planetary defenses, the Yacht’s passengers transfer to the Escorts (split between the two, with the host crews double-bunking to make room) and return to the Yacht before Jump or disembarkation. This transfer is kept confidential; mostly for operational security, but partly because the accommodations are déclassé and it would be embarrassing if it became common knowledge.
If the High Guard combat system is being used, the Distant Escort will have a Size M maneuver Drive (4G) and Armor 2. Crew except captain are in double-occupancy, and add 1.5 staterooms so there’s room to accommodate 4 passengers if everyone including the captain is in double-occupancy. There is no cargo space. This version is 4G, Agility=4. Missiles: 1Btty4, Laser: 1Btty3, Sand: 1Btty6 (one sand launcher is “wasted” under HG stats). This version costs MCr2.75 more than the LBB2-only variant.
If the HG version is not built for use as an escort for the Distant Yacht, delete the 1.5 extra staterooms and make it 5G (but still Agility=4). This version costs MCr14.75 more than the LBB2-only variant.
If High Guard construction rules are allowed, each of these ships are MCr 12 less expensive as they use “flattened sphere” hulls instead of the generic “streamlined” LBB2 hull. Specifically, these ships look like giant over-inflated guitar picks (it’s actually a composite of semi-spheroids but that’s a decent visual shorthand for the shape).
That’s the background justification and LBB2 descriptions of the Shugushaag series. I’ll follow up with some details and use cases (both in-universe and from a referee’s perspective).
The Shugushaag (Vilani: “Logistics Management”) series of ships was a boondoggle from the start. Collace/District 268 (SM1237) started building 24 of these 600Td J-5 ships to curry favor with the Third Imperium during the False War. The intent was to demonstrate TL-13 Collace’s value as a potential Imperial world by building J-5 ships (normally TL-14) and donating them to the Imperial forces. None were finished before the end of the war. Eighteen were completed, with the Imperium accepting only six. None of them are economically viable at standard cargo and passage rates, requiring either heavy subsidies, charters, or consistently high-profit speculative cargo. The design is obsolete at TL-14 when high-efficiency J-5 Jump Drives and Power Plants become available [i.e. that’s when HG construction rules allow J-5].
There were three variants of the design. These are a Merchant, a Yacht, and an Escort. The Escort is similar to the other two but has 4 or 5G acceleration instead of 2G (depends on design rules and purpose – more on that later), heavier armament, and limited cargo capacity (or none, dependent on design rules). All are built under LBB2 Second Edition rules except as noted.
Distant Merchant (Type M5): Using a non-standard 600-ton hull, the Distant Merchant is a long-range cargo transport. It has a Jump Drive-Q, Maneuver Drive-F, and Power Plant-Q, giving performance of Jump-5 and 2-G acceleration. There is fuel tankage for 350 tons, sufficient for the power plant and one Jump-5. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are ten staterooms and eight low berths. One triple turret is installed, armed with a missile launcher, beam laser, and a sandcaster. There are two other hardpoints, each with one ton set aside for turret installation. There are no ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 41 tons plus two tons storage space at the unused hardpoints. Two staterooms are available for passengers. The hull is streamlined.
The Distant Merchant requires a crew of eight: pilot, navigator, gunner, medic, and four engineers. Up to two more gunners may be employed if additional turrets are mounted; they occupy the passenger staterooms. The ship costs MCr408.2 individually and takes 24 months to build.
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EDITED TO ADD: DECK PLANS START HERE
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Distant Yacht (Type Y5): Using a non-standard 600-ton hull, the Distant Yacht is a noble’s luxury transport for long-range diplomatic or commercial missions. It has a Jump Drive-Q, Maneuver Drive-F, and Power Plant-Q, giving performance of Jump-5 and 2-G acceleration. There is fuel tankage for 350 tons, sufficient for the power plant and one Jump-5. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are nineteen staterooms, of which eleven are for crew while two are combined into an owner’s suite; this allows seven more passengers at high-passage standards. Three triple turrets are installed, one armed with missile launchers, one with beam lasers, and one with sandcasters. One armored and pressurized Grav-Limo is carried (stats and costs as GCarrier, its “weapon” is a countermeasures dispenser). There is no cargo capacity. The hull is streamlined.
The Distant Yacht requires a crew of eleven: pilot, navigator, medic, four engineers, three gunners, and a steward. The ship costs MCr413.5 individually and takes 24 months to build.
Note: The point of the Type Y5 is not luxury -- though it's nicely-appointed -- but to demonstrate that the owner is from a world that can build a Jump-5 ship. In the technology-stratified OTU, this is a significant point of honor.
Variant: Distant Liner (Type L5): Same as Distant Yacht, with the following changes: Delete the limousine, add two staterooms, delete two turrets (and their gunners), split the owner’s suite back into two staterooms, add a second steward; all crew is in double-occupancy. This allows 16 high passengers and 2 tons of cargo. Cost is 2MCr less than the Distant Yacht.
Variant: Distant Scout (Type S5): Same as Distant Yacht, with the following changes: Delete the limousine, delete four staterooms, add one Air/Raft, add one 10Td Dory (see below). Delete the steward position. Depending on mission, reduce armament to 1 triple turret MLS and eliminate two gunners. Ship has 10 tons cargo capacity, no less than 2 (and up to 6) of which are occupied by small-craft alternate mission equipment. Cost with all three turrets armed is MCr5.5 higher than Distant Yacht.
Carried Craft: Dory: Using a 10-ton (needle) hull, the Dory has 3-G acceleration, 1 ton of fuel, seats 2 including the pilot, and can carry 4Td of cargo[1] or eight passengers[2] or two modular small-craft staterooms[3]. It has a Model/1 computer[4] in place of a small craft bridge and has three fixed-mount sandcasters[5]. The craft costs MCr8.6, plus MCr0.3 for the modular cabins and seating. It is TL-13.
Notes:
[1] Specifically, an Air/Raft will fit.
[2] 8 Ea. Demountable seats occupy 2 tons when stored outside of craft.
[3] 2 Ea. Modular cabins occupy 4 tons when stored outside of craft.
[4] Treat as Model/0 for combat purposes.
[5] There is insufficient power for energy weapons. Sandcaster dispensers can also launch drones or cubesats (if so loaded).
(The Dory was designed under High Guard Second Edition.)
Distant Escort (Type E5): Using a non-standard 600-ton hull, the Distant Escort is a long-range protector for the Distant Yacht. It has a Jump Drive-Q, Maneuver Drive-Q, and Power Plant-Q, giving performance of Jump-5 and 5-G acceleration. There is fuel tankage for 350 tons, sufficient for the power plant and one Jump-5. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are fourteen staterooms. Six triple turrets are installed; one is armed with beam lasers, two with missile launchers, three with sandcasters. There are no ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 10 tons. The hull is streamlined.
The Distant Escort requires a crew of fourteen: pilot, navigator, six gunners, medic, and four engineers. The ship costs MCr449.6 individually and takes 24 months to build.
In operation, the Distant Yacht is accompanied by two Distant Escorts. When the ships are not in Jump or under planetary defenses, the Yacht’s passengers transfer to the Escorts (split between the two, with the host crews double-bunking to make room) and return to the Yacht before Jump or disembarkation. This transfer is kept confidential; mostly for operational security, but partly because the accommodations are déclassé and it would be embarrassing if it became common knowledge.
If the High Guard combat system is being used, the Distant Escort will have a Size M maneuver Drive (4G) and Armor 2. Crew except captain are in double-occupancy, and add 1.5 staterooms so there’s room to accommodate 4 passengers if everyone including the captain is in double-occupancy. There is no cargo space. This version is 4G, Agility=4. Missiles: 1Btty4, Laser: 1Btty3, Sand: 1Btty6 (one sand launcher is “wasted” under HG stats). This version costs MCr2.75 more than the LBB2-only variant.
If the HG version is not built for use as an escort for the Distant Yacht, delete the 1.5 extra staterooms and make it 5G (but still Agility=4). This version costs MCr14.75 more than the LBB2-only variant.
If High Guard construction rules are allowed, each of these ships are MCr 12 less expensive as they use “flattened sphere” hulls instead of the generic “streamlined” LBB2 hull. Specifically, these ships look like giant over-inflated guitar picks (it’s actually a composite of semi-spheroids but that’s a decent visual shorthand for the shape).
That’s the background justification and LBB2 descriptions of the Shugushaag series. I’ll follow up with some details and use cases (both in-universe and from a referee’s perspective).
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