OT(?): How big is an Alderson point - Reply

Chris asked:

Status: RO

> Phil might be the best one to answer this... <

Ah, fame... <g>

> ...but in case it has been discussed before, I thought I would toss

This isn't off-topic. If there's one thing that Jon has made clear, it's
that FT is generic, so discussion of special rules needed to adapt the game to
a particular scenario is the kind of thing that this list is for.

> Just how big is an Alderson point?
I'm asking because it has a tremendous impact on how you protect a system. If
the points are small, then fixed defenses a la _Starfire_ can turn every
hostile warp assault into a buzz saw. <

My impression is that Alderson points (hereafter, APs) are "small", i.e., only
big enough for a single ship to transit at a time. Certainly, we never see
more than one ship go through simultaneously, although the Moties get close
with their
formation transits in "The Gripping Hand/The Moat Around Murcheson's
Eye".
But, even with ships that split into multiple parts immediately after recovery
from Jump Shock, only one object ever goes along the "tramline" at a given
time. So there's one limit on Alderson travel, something that is at least
partially confirmed by the existence of a manoeuvre called "convoy escort",
where a warship (in the book, a frigate) Jumps first, deliberately, to absorb
any fire from ships waiting on the other side; civilian ships, or whatever's
being protected, then follow, hiding (hopefully) in the shadow of the escort.

> _Starfire_ warp points, IIRC, are extremely small, with some being so

I think that APs are big enough for any size ship to use them, but only one at
a
time, so in game terms, I'd make them pretty small -- say, 2" diameter,
or even less, with a flat statement that only one ship (or a limited number,
depending
on how long you want to assume a game-turn is) can use it at a time.

> McCollum's foldspace points appear to be bigger, but still small

I don't remember seeing this in the CoDo universe. IIRC, the only defenses we
really see are mobile, and they consist of 1) the _Defiant_ off New
Chicago, and 2) the Crazy Eddie squadron inside the supergiant. The latter is
clearly a special case (presumably the outcoming ships are pretty disoriented
by appearing in a sun), and the former, if memory serves, involved the captain
lamenting that the
_MacArthur_ appeared so close. <

Several points here: i. A fleet, ready and waiting, could well get a free shot
at an incoming ship while
the crew _and_ the computers are helpless from Jump shock. What stops
each system from becoming an invulnerable fortress, apart from the need for
free
transit for trade purposes, is two-fold:
-- first, a ship exiting a Jump point does so with a velocity carried
over from its movement within the original system, and this can be in any
direction and, if your computers are good, or you're a Motie, can be quite
high. So the defenders
either have to englobe the AP, and that takes a _lot_ of ships, or they
have to stand off and see where the incoming ship is going, then intercept it.
This is what I think the Crazy Eddie Squadron does, from what little
description of their operation we get; the inner squadron, ships without Jump
engines, lurk inside the red giant to identify and engage, if they can, Motie
ships that come into the system. Once a target is found and identified, the
squadron moves to intercept and destroy it. If the Moties are good enough to
get past them, then
_real_
heavies are waiting near the only other exit from the system.

-- second, as Chris says, the Crazy Eddie Squadron is a special case.
APs are located out in space, a long way from useful real estate, and, being
more-or-less
on a direct line of sight between the stars at each end, they don't move
(well,
relative to that line) -- and, of course, planets, asteroids, etc.,
_do_. So it's a
major effort, involving moving a lot of supplies (and people!), for a fleet to
stay on station there. Mike or someone may correct me, but I suspect that
there'd be a fair expenditure of fuel necessary for a ship to remain within a
fixed radius of the AP against the natural tendency of an object in orbit
around a star to move in that orbit. All of which means that it's probably
easier to fortify planets and bases and intercept an invading fleet after it
gets into the system. You don't get the "free shot", but you do have a much
reduced supply line without the need to keep large numbers of ships tied up
waiting for an attack that will come it its own good time. There was mention
of mines around the Crazy Eddie point, but
they'd have the same station-keeping problems as ships. Of course, if
you have good intel, you can set up one hell of an ambush...

ii. In the scene in TMiGE where Rod Blaine is reporting to Admiral Plekhanov,
he specifically states that the MacArthur was involved in fighting the New
Chicago satellite defences when he decided to go in with the Marines, so
orbital stations are used. This makes sense, because they can be bigger and
meaner than ships, and they have a comparatively short supply line.

Hope this helps,

Phil, wondering which FT miniatures could be converted to make models of
Empire ships -- NAC? Also wishing he hadn't had to give away his model
of the MacArthur when he moved from Oz...