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unbroken xboat

Pwyll

SOC-12
submitted for your approval:

a functional design for the mythical xboat.

input is as always, appreciated


X-Boat
200 ton Jump-4 12 months Streamlined TL 10
MCr 131.9
Crew: 1 pilot, 2 engineers, 1 medic, 1 gunner
Drives: jdrive-D, mdrive-A, pplant-D. 4 parsec jump range, 1g manuever
Bridge: model/4 computer
Fuel: 120 tons (1 jump and 28 days endurance)
Armament: 1 triple turret (beam,missile,sand), 1 unused hardpoint
3 staterooms
3 tons cargo
 
Happy to offer some feedback


Functional is a relative term, I presume you mean the originals' lack of maneuver drives. Personally I have no problem with them as it is the only way to fit in a high jump in 100dT, and 100dT allows a single crew person. All that of course under LBB2 rules. YTU variations are great and sharing the same is also nice, but always with the caveat that it will change a whole host of other areas, some you may not even be aware of initially.

Now to specifics for the above design, and of course this is meant only as constructive critique of the design.

It looks like this is indeed a LBB2 design since you have letter rated drives and J4 at TL10 (LBB2 only referenced the computer to TL, in this case the model/4 is TL10 and allows up to J4). Of course every later design system pegs J4 drives as TL13 so there is a minor point to emphasize that this is a LBB2 design.

A quick add up gives me a different total cost but it's close so I may be missing something from the description or maybe you missed adding some small item(s). I get Mcr133.7 (before 10% discount if allowed).

It looks like the second unused hardpoint has 1T set aside for fire control which bears mentioning so that the cargo isn't reduced if someone borrows your design and adds the second turret.

Overall not bad if the original doesn't work for you. Personally I prefer the old jump only 100dT solo operated X-Boat but of course YMMV ;)
 
While we're on the subject I have a LBB2 X-Boat that is unbroken and fits the original design idea. I can't recall if it ever got posted anywhere but I know I meant to when it came up (on the TML some years ago iirc) that it was a broken design.

So for your perusal another unbroken xboat :D

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">TAS Form 3s - Ship's Papers (Short Form)...... Commissioned 184-0952

Ship Name - XBOAT-23940................ Registration - IISS-003-0952

Type X - Express Boat TL-D............... Discounted Cost Mcr069.300

Hull - 100.0T Custom Unstreamlined....................... Crew - 001

Jump Drive B - J4..... Maneuver Drive 0 - 0G..... Power Plant B - 4P

Jump Fuel 4P - 40.0T..... Power Plant/Maneuver Drive Fuel 1W - 10.0T

Staterooms - 01L/00S... Low Berths - 00S/00E... Cargo Hold - 0000.0T

Computer - Model 4std........ Hardpoints - 000........ Turrets - 000</pre>[/QUOTE]Notes:

The Express Boat, aka xboat is employed by the Communications branch of the IISS to quickly transfer electronic messages across the Imperium. The craft is totally reliant on each systems Tender for refueling, resupply and fresh crew.

Easily operated by a single Scout, a second Scout can be deadheaded with double occupancy of the single stateroom. In rare cases a special passenger may be carried instead.

The model 4 computer is large enough for basic ship operations and 5 units of mail. The software includes a full jump suite (1-4 and generate and navigate) as well as anti-hijack and encryption programs. A full library program is available for the crews diversion.

The design is so tight that the power plant only has sufficent fuel for one weeek of operation resulting in the practice of the Tender topping the tanks off while the jump is plotted. Many Scouts have had to rely on thier VaccSuit for life support while the Tender closed upon arrival.

A rescue ball is standard equipment along with a VaccSuit atmospheric re-entry pack in case of emergencies.

Designer's rambling:

The Type X was taking some flack a while back and I did have a Book 2 version (I was curious) and at least in the case of this design system it works. I should have posted it then but here it is now.

The 100T hull allows operation by a single crewperson, and jump 4 just fits. There is NO room for a manuever drive.

Unlike some published versions there is no cargo room, just one stateroom and the required computer level for J4. The encryption program mentioned above is my own design. It allows fail safe security of carried data, costs Mcr1.0 and is a 1 slot program.
 
While we're on the subject I have a LBB2 X-Boat that is unbroken
Err, sorry but it is broken
file_23.gif
.

A powerplant B requires 40 t of fuel (10 tons per powerplant number according to 2nd ed B2) on top of the jump fuel. No partial fuel loads, that's a house rule (a very sensible one that I use a lot myself ;) ). The x-boat from Supplement 7 can not be built using revised Book2 rules because of this. The original Book2 only required a powerplant if a maneuver drive is installed hence no maneuver drive for the S7 X-boat.

Once High Guard came along with its inversion of maneuver drive and jump drive sizes and a much more reasonable powerplant fuel formula then an X-boat becomes easy to construct (I'm fairly sure you can squeeze in M1 as well).

Hang on a second, on re-reading your original post you think this is a broken design too.
 
Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> While we're on the subject I have a LBB2 X-Boat that is unbroken
Err, sorry but it is broken
file_23.gif
</font>[/QUOTE]:D Ah, right you are, it is an ancient house rule, so well used I forget it's not 'strictly' canon.

As you say the first edition way was no power plant needed but that's silly imo justified by the later edition ;) and then there's HG...

You are probably right about being able to do it with some maneuver using HG. I might have done one way back but don't remember now. I think I have one kicking around here somewhere for T20 too but it's probably easier to build it again than find my old notes
 
Hmm, come to think of it now, I was quite pleased at the time when it worked out to one week fuel. As (iirc) the Sup.7 description said something about 4 days for jump and 3 days of fuel (presumable beyond that) for a total of 7 days of fuel (for the 'built in' power plant part of the ed.1 LBB2 designed xboat). Of course it's been a few years so I may be misremembering that


Please do correct that if anyone has Sup. 7 handy. Or maybe it came from somewhere else?
 
As (iirc) the Sup.7 description said something about 4 days for jump and 3 days of fuel
Please do correct that if anyone has Sup. 7 handy.
Since you've asked, OK I will ;) .
The data block gives a range of one jump 4, plus 3 days. In the text it says "its power, atmosphere and food reserves are good for only three days after break-out"
Now the average jump can last up to eight days according to B3, so that Tender better turn up quickly
file_23.gif
.
 
Thanks for looking that up. Wish I could find the 4 days to jump reference but so many of the groups old books are gone. The few I acutally owned are mostly still around and I can't find it in them. I'm pretty sure I didn't just hallucinate it
 
heya Dan

Functional is a relative term, I presume you mean the originals' lack of maneuver drives.
actually, by functional, i meant that it mounts a power plant. i put m-drives in my 200 ton design because i had the room for them. but i did enjoy eliminating the need for a tender
i also enjoyed arming such an expensive investment. (imho everything expensive ought be well-protected unless its nailed down, and sometimes even then).

i frequently forget to include important specifics when i post... :(

this is indeed a LBB design.
jumps up to 4 parsecs, 1g acceleration.
double occupancy

(LBB2 only referenced the computer to TL, in this case the model/4 is TL10 and allows up to J4)
my copy of LBB3 gives tech level for drives A-Z in the tech table. this is in fact why i am redesigning some canon ships. (tho you are correct in saying the computer is what pushed the TL to 10)
A quick add up gives me a different total cost but it's close so I may be missing something from the description or maybe you missed adding some small item(s). I get Mcr133.7 (before 10% discount if allowed).
No discount was applied. i could not find any error in my math. DOH! perhaps i left something out. i need to track this down, because i am coding a LBB2 ship design util.

Thanks for your input!
 
Hi Pwyll


Originally posted by Pwyll:
my copy of LBB3 gives tech level for drives A-Z in the tech table. this is in fact why i am redesigning some canon ships. (tho you are correct in saying the computer is what pushed the TL to 10)
Hey! That's right, I'd totally forgotten!
Hmm, yep, I'd penciled in notes for Jump Drive TLs from HG

No discount was applied. i could not find any error in my math. DOH! perhaps i left something out. i need to track this down, because i am coding a LBB2 ship design util.

Thanks for your input!
And it could be again another little edition difference, trust your own source, my LBB2 is gone, all I was using to compare was the hardcover combined volume from 1982.

Happy to help, good luck with the utility
 
Using MTU Ship Design rules[*], the 'traditional' xboat would look like this:

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Component Vol MCr
UnStl Hull, 100t 5
Jump drive B (J4) 15 20
Power plant B 7 16
Fuel 44 -
Computer (R4) 2 4 (not sure about this row)
Staterooms (1) 4 0.5
Bridge 20 -
------------------- ----- -----
SUBTOTAL 92 45.5</pre>[/QUOTE]...leaving 8 tons for cargo and whatever. For an extra ton, a turret could be installed, and for another ton, a maneuver-2 drive. Essentially a long-range courier...


* MTU non-canon Ship Design rules
 
What about a docking collar? Kinda like what Obi-Wan uses in the latest Star Wars movie? But just the opposite (the collar Obi-Wan had was the HyperDrive)? Instead of a tender, how about an automated maneuver drive collar that homes in on the X-Boat's beacon and hooks up to it. Then it can automatically take the X-Boat to the nearest fueling area and then disengage when the X-Boat gets to a jump point. Almost like a tug. Robot run for autonomous ability. These could easily be scattered throughout the system to be close to a jump break-out. Shouldn't be more than 25 to 50 tons to build...

Just a thought,

Scout
 
One thing I always questioned, My Lords, is the "Ice Cream Cone" Configuration of the traditional X-Boat. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool ship, but wouldn't a design more conducive to tendering be more effective? The lack of M-Drives negates the need for streamlining, so why not X-boats that Stack like Legos or something in the bay? Plus, A dispersed configuration is cheap to produce... Just a thought...

omega.gif
 
I have to agree Baron. The only reason I can see (if it can be called reason) is because it was drawn that way. Artists will often draw what their muse tells them to if not given specific direction and so you get results that don't always match the descriptive.

Given that it is a cone, can we come up with valid game reasons? I'm still sure I read that the xboat can make it's jump in 4 days rather than the standard 7 days, maybe the reason is partially a special jump grid layout only possible for the cone that makes the transition a little faster? I know there's no direct canon support for Jump Space streamlining, I'm just proposing one possible reason. The obvious questions then of course are why aren't all ships cones and why don't other cone hulls get the same treatment? Of course this whole line of reasoning is built on that 4 days reference that I don't seem to be able to find the source of so it's suspect at best.

Of course with HG we can easily build the xboat with maneuver and so a streamlined design would make sense then, but I'm not ready to give up my old clunker of a dead in space tightly engineered xboat yet. So such discussion while interesting won't likely find it's way into my game. Not any more than replacing the xboat with a J5 or J6 version, though, if they were built without maneuver drives...

Any other ideas?
 
How about being engineered for survival in case of an emergency (and of course unpowered) reentry? Looks like a nice teardroplike shape has aerodynamic properties.

It probably has some nice, high-TL chutes to slow it dramatically in stages. It might even be able to make a land reentry.
 
One of the GT supplements, G:T First In I think, said that some versions have a small maneuver drive. This makes me wonder why they wouldn't otherwise...

Also, I've always wondered why they never had a crew of two, for companionship issues if nothing else (much as I don't like lots of people I don't think I could take a week without anyone - though obviously I'd prefer a woman...
file_23.gif
), wether they're the same gender or species or not.
 
Originally posted by Jame#1:
One of the GT supplements, G:T First In I think, said that some versions have a small maneuver drive. This makes me wonder why they wouldn't otherwise...
I think there's also mention in the CT supplement description of the xboat of putting a solar sail in the locker/hold of a few in the Marches for emergency manuver.

Originally posted by Jame#1:
Also, I've always wondered why they never had a crew of two, for companionship issues if nothing else (much as I don't like lots of people I don't think I could take a week without anyone - though obviously I'd prefer a woman...
file_23.gif
), wether they're the same gender or species or not.
I've always had xboat service as a punishment assignment and a good place to put those misfits who really do prefer to be alone, but then that may be just the way I see it. I also figure the jockeys have a short stopover after each jump to hit port for some R&R before they ride again.
 
I think there's also mention in the CT supplement description of the xboat of putting a solar sail in the locker/hold of a few in the Marches for emergency manuver.
Well remembered!

The light sail takes up 4t stored and replaces the second stateroom. No acceleration rating is listed, unfortunately :( .

And now for the bad news.
I'm still sure I read that the xboat can make it's jump in 4 days rather than the standard 7 days
I have read and re-read supplement 7 and there is no mention of a 4 day jump.
Could you be thinking of the Ship's Data block which has this entry:
Range: One jump-4. Three days
 
Originally posted by Jame#1:
One of the GT supplements, G:T First In I think, said that some versions have a small maneuver drive. This makes me wonder why they wouldn't otherwise...

Also, I've always wondered why they never had a crew of two, for companionship issues if nothing else (much as I don't like lots of people I don't think I could take a week without anyone - though obviously I'd prefer a woman...
file_23.gif
), wether they're the same gender or species or not.
IIRC, there's been some concern about two-man crews aboard the International Space Station; three-member crews are preferred, because a disagreement between two of them leaves one to "mediate".

Regardless of gender, or any other factors, a week alone would be far, far better than a week with someone you're not comfortable with, as I've learned from many a long road trip.

DGv2.0
 
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