From: M.J.Elliott@u...
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 10:22:20 -0400
Subject: Re: Traveller Ships
Dear All,
Traveller is one of my old "loves" in the hobby. The role play side of it was
great but I got pissed off when I found that the combat systems left so much
to be desired and it was FT that rekindled my enthusiasm. Great background,
shame about the rules!
Anyway, heres some stuff I have done on "classic" Traveller for FT.
"Traveller" Ship Statistics for "FULL THRUST" by Mike Elliott
° This article was written for "Ragnarok" the journal of the SFSFW. It has
not been published yet (don't ask me why???). The classic science fiction RPG
"Traveller" includes a number of spaceship designs for various purposes.
Statistics are provided for "Traveller"'s own rules systems for ship to ship
combat. The following allows these ships to be used in the "FULL THRUST" game
system. Even if you are not particularly interested in "Traveller" you may
find some interesting ideas for your "FULL THRUST" games. I have made use of
information contained in both "FULL THRUST" and the supplement "MORE THRUST",
as well as "DIRTSIDE II". In particular, it should be noted that I have used
the rule of thumb of 1 MASS unit in "FULL THRUST" is equivalent to 50 tons (as
described in "MORE
THRUST"). Also note that the MASS of both FTL and non-FTL drives are
included in the MASS of the hull.
1. Scout/Courier
The Scout/Courier is the smallest "standard" ship and is often used by
characters because it is easily obtainable. It has a mass of 100 tons which
corresponds to a MASS of 2. It is therefore (very conveniently) equivalent to
the "FULL THRUST" standard Courier ship. The hull is streamlined, so there is
an additional cost of 2 points for a total of 17 points.
2. Far Trader
A "workhorse" small trading ship, a sort of space-age tramp steamer
(maybe the "Millennium Falcon"?). It has a mass of 200 tons or 4 MASS units.
Since it is a Merchant class vessel, it has only 1 Damage point.
MASS Points Hull (streamlined)) 9 FTL Drive)2 4
Thrust-8 ) 8
1 * C beam (3 arc) 1 5 Cargo 1 (50 tons) 0
TOTAL 4 26
3. Close Escort
A small starship designed for escort and anti-pirate duties with a mass
of 300 tons (6 MASS units). It is equivalent to (again, very conveniently) the
standard "FULL THRUST" design for a Corvette. It is partially streamlined. so
there is an additional cost of 3 points for a total of 46 points.
4. System Defence Boat
This is a non-FTL capable ship specifically designed for in-system
defence purposes. Because it does not have an FTL drive, it has a very good
weapons
fit for a ship of its size - outgunning a Frigate and almost as good as
(but more manoeuvrable than) a Destroyer. It has 4 Damage points.
MASS Points Hull (streamlined)) 24 FTL Drive)2 (None)
Thrust-8 ) 16
2 * B beam (3 arc) 4 18 1 * C beam (3 arc) 1 5 1 * PDAF 1 3
TOTAL 8 66
Note: The MASS of the System Defence Boat's hull is only 2 because 75% of the
total MASS is available for weapons and systems in a ship with no FTL drive.
4a. Jump Shuttle The Jump Shuttle provides a way of moving a System Defence
Boat from one
system to another. These vessels are usually in very short supply though! The
shuttle has a mass of 200 tons (4 MASS units) and 2 Damage points.
MASS Points Hull) 8
Thrust-6 )4 6
FTL Drive) 12
TOTAL 4 26
Notes: The high cost of the FTL drive is because it has to move the combined
MASS of both the Jump Shuttle and the System Defence Boat (i.e. 12 MASS
units).
The drive produces Thrust-6 when the shuttle is manoeuvring
independently, but only Thrust-2 when the shuttle is mated with a System
Defence Boat.
5. Subsidised Merchant A typical small freighter operated by the smaller
interstellar freight lines. It is a Merchant class vessel having a mass of 400
tons (8 MASS units) and 2 Damage points.
MASS Points Hull (streamlined)) 18 FTL Drive)4 8
Thrust-6 ) 12
1 * C beam (3 arc) 1 5 Cargo 3 (150 tons) 0
TOTAL 8 43
6. X Boat The X Boat is a tiny 100 ton Merchant class ship (MASS 2) with only
an FTL drive. It has only 1 Damage point.
MASS Points Hull)1 3 FTL Drive) 4 Cargo 1 (50 tons) 0
TOTAL 2 7
Note that extra points have been paid for the FTL drive to make it capable
of Jump-4 (as described in my article on the integration of "Traveller"
and "FULL THRUST").
7. X Boat Tender The X Boat Tender services and maintains X Boats, providing
replacement pilots and so on. It is a Merchant class ship of 1000 tons (MASS
20) and 5 Damage points.
MASS Points Hull) 30 FTL Drive)10 20
Thrust-2 ) 20
2 * C beam (3 arc) 2 10 1 * Size 8 Hanger Bay 8 16
TOTAL 20 96
Note that the Hanger Bay is capable of holding up to 4 X Boats.
8. Mercenary Cruiser Finally, something a little more complicated. The
following describes a mercenary cruiser capable of lifting a platoon sized
unit and providing backup to it during operations dirtside. The cruiser itself
is an 800 ton (MASS 16) Merchant class ship with 4 Damage points.
MASS Points Hull) 24 FTL Drive)8 16
Thrust-4 ) 32
1 * C beam (3 arc) 1 5 1 * Size 3 Hanger Bay 3 6 Accommodation 4 (200 CS) 0
TOTAL 16 83
Note that we have fitted a Size 3 Hanger Bay, even though "MORE THRUST" (p.16)
says the minimum size is 6. If we had to put a size 6 bay on this
ship, there'd be no room for any troops - hence the need to bend the
rules slightly. So what?
The Hanger Bay contains two drop ships (or cutters) each with a Cargo Space of
15. The rule of thumb is that 1 Cargo Space point is equivalent to 2 vehicle
Capacity points, so in "DIRTSIDE II" terms, each cutter is a Size 6
(oversized) vehicle:
Capacity Points
Size 6 hull - 30
Armour 3 - 18
Basic Vehicle Points - 48
FGP Power Plant - 29
Aerospace Mobility - 480
1 * APSW - (free)
1 * GMS/L (Enhanced) 2 30
Cargo capacity 28 0
TOTAL 30 587
You will observe that 1 Cargo Space point is in fact taken up by the
GMS/L
system (you pays yer money...).
Note also that an infantryman (whether in Power Armour or not) occupies 1
Cargo Space unit (2 Capacity points) in a drop ship (as described in "MORE
THRUST"). The additional space is required for all the extra equipment a
"leg" infantry unit needs such as ammunition, supplies, tents etc. If this
bothers you, bear in mind that movement from orbit to planetary surface is
strategic movement and so includes the logistic tail of a unit, rather than
the tactical movement in which a squad of infantry are lifted a few klicks in
an aerospace craft.
Each cutter is therefore able to carry one of the following modular payloads:
1. Vehicle Module. Up to a Size 3 vehicle (takes up 8 * 3 = 24 Capacity
points) plus its crew (who ride mounted up).
2. Infantry Module. Up to 14 infantry (e.g. 3 4-man teams).
3. Assault Module. A General Engineering Package (8 Capacity points, equipped
with digging charges, mainly used for creating hasty defences) plus up to 10
infantry. 4. Cargo Module. Up to 28 points of cargo. 5. Fuel Skimmer Module.
For skimming fuel from a body of water or a
gas giant. 6. Building Module. Up to a size 3 modular building (e.g. command
post, medical centre, barracks unit).
The mercenary cruiser is designed to carry four cutter modules, one
pre-loaded in each cutter and one in each cutter bay.
The mercenary platoon carried aboard consists of 3 squads each of 2 rifle
teams plus a 3 man command team (a total of 27 men). So the cruiser's cargo
space is used like this:
No. Size Cargo Space 3 * Squads (of 2 Rifle Teams) 24 4 96
1 * 3-man command team 3 4 12
2 * Size 3 vehicles 2 12 24 Additional stores 68
TOTAL 200
The platoon vehicles are designed as follows:
Capacity Points
Size 3 hull - 15
Armour 3 - 9
Basic Vehicle Points - 24
HMT Power Plant - 10
High-Mobility Wheeled - 7
1 * APSW - (free)
1 * MDC/1 (in turret) 3 10
Cargo capacity 12 0
TOTAL 15 51
There are several possibilities for modifications to this basic design. I'll
leave you to work them out!
Conclusion. The above designs will hopefully serve to illustrate how "FULL
THRUST" (and "DIRTSIDE II") can easily be integrated with other game systems,
in particular "Traveller". An interesting point to note is that
the smaller ships are pretty vulnerable against anything much larger -
which is as it should be. It will certainly make your characters in their
trusty Scoutship think twice about attempting to dodge past that Destroyer!
Postscript: The Mercenary Platoon for "STARGRUNT II"
Since this article was first drafted, "STARGRUNT II" has finally hit the
streets (well it was on sale at "Salute" anyway). I thought it would be a good
idea to show the platoon in SGII terms as well:
The Command Team Platoon Commander, Gauss Rifle with GL Leading Sergeant,
Gauss Rifle with GL Runner, Gauss Rifle with GL
Three Squads each of: Squad Leader, Gauss Rifle with GL Squad Medic, Gauss
Rifle with GL Squad Support Weapon, Infantry Plasma Gun 4 Troopers, Gauss
Rifle with GL Vehicle driver (trooper in "leg" squad), Gauss Rifle with GL
All are wearing Full Suit Light Armour (D8). Other weapons and systems can be
allocated if desired to your choice.
As regards the really BIG ships in Traveller, I suggest using the Superships
rules from MT (p.22) and if necessary, dividing numbers by 10
(as others have suggested) to bring them to manageable proportions. Bear in
mind that with such "mega" ships in action, the normal size ships become
"minnows" in comparison!!! 8-)