ISW Timeline: When Weapons Affect Doctrine

[The Rampant Gamer]

It may well be that the ISW rules for ship design don't scale well in the five digit hull sizes. I've sketched out notes for a 20kton ship that has a dDR of 720 - granted, it can only make 2.5G's - but that ship doesn't need repulsors because 720 points of armor is just enough to ignore missile hits entirely, and very nearly shrug off it's own particle accelerator spinal mount...

It's TL10, so it could belong to either side, but as it's sole armament is four particle accelerators (1 SM, 1 Hvy and 2 Lt bays), it feels more Terran in flavor. If it's going up against the Imperials, they'll need nukes to take it out.

[nik1979]

Originally Posted by The Rampant Gamer

It may well be that the ISW rules for ship design don't scale well in the five digit hull sizes. I've sketched out notes for a 20kton ship that has a dDR of 720 - granted, it can only make 2.5G's - but that ship doesn't need repulsors because 720 points of armor is just enough to ignore missile hits entirely, and very nearly shrug off it's own particle accelerator spinal mount...

It's TL10, so it could belong to either side, but as it's sole armament is four particle accelerators (1 SM, 1 Hvy and 2 Lt bays), it feels more Terran in flavor. If it's going up against the Imperials, they'll need nukes to take it out.

I don't fault them for that. I'm just really curious how doctrine looks like. Thats why its a great exercise to build out a fleet with the balanced de-facto doctrine and a combat flow or SOP. I'm just glad to have someone to talk to about it. I follow Honorverse and I'm a fan of Legend of Galactic Heroes and really want to have more ship battles in my game, some naval engagements in the narrative.

I'm using JTAS Imperial Navy in a 4E GURPS campaign, August 11, 2009 for reference and figure out the squadron SOP.

So far after looking at the rules and the common hull size table. I guess its ok top out that 20kdton is the majority of heavy TL10 ships. What would be the best approach? From the largest ships to the most basic?

will be back to post more.

[The Rampant Gamer]

Originally Posted by nik1979

So far after looking at the rules and the common hull size table. I guess its ok top out that 20kdton is the majority of heavy TL10 ships. What would be the best approach? From the largest ships to the most basic?

will be back to post more.

There's a pretty broad gap between the 1000 ton DE and 2000 ton LC and the 30k BB in the ISW book. I suspect there could be benefits from having a Frigate design for each side, some of the aforementioned Dreadnoughts at 20Ktons, Cruisers, Heavy Cruisers, Strike Cruisers, and real Carriers.

On the low end, we have small craft from 10 to 30 tons in size - no heavy fighters to be had, and no larger support craft are included, and probably should be.

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by nik1979

I guess thats where the sci-fi part comes in, could they have figured out a way to overcome that technical hurdle?

It's a fundamental physics hurdle, not a technological one. I don't quite grasp the details, but the lasing medium gets to absorbing more that its share, and reradiating it as other wavelengths that don't get out, save as heat.

[Mike Wightman]

Just use a free electron laser then.

[nik1979]

Borrowing from honorverse
Traveller warships TL10

Ship Classes and Abbreviations by Mass, based*


LAC —- Light Attack Craft [no hyper capability]
FG —- Frigate*(2k)
DD —- Destroyer*(3k)
CL —- Light Cruiser*(5k)
CA —- Heavy Cruiser*(10k)
BC —- Battlecruiser*(20k)
BC(P) —- Battlecruiser pod-layer
BB —- Battleship*(30k)
DN —- Dreadnought**(20k)
CLACL —- Light Carrier*(10k)*
CLACH —- Heavy Carrier (20k)
SD —- Superdreadnought (50k)
SD(P) —- Superdreadnought pod-layer
-----
AS —- Super Auxiliary (30k)
AH —- Heavy Auxiliary (30k)
AA —- LightAuxiliary*(20k)
AC*—- Auxiliary Cruiser (10k)

SECTOR FLEET —-*
1 DN squadron (2 SD, 2 CLACH, 4 DN)
1 BB squadron *(2 BB, 2 CLACL, 4 BC)
2 AS squadron (2 AS, 2 AA, 4 CL)
4 CA squadron (2 CA, 2 BC, 4 CL)*

SUB SECTOR FLEET —-*
2 CA squadron (2 CA, 2 BC, 4 CL)*
2 AH squadron (2 AH, 2 AC, 4 CL)
2 CL squadron*(2 CL, 2 AC, 4 DD)*

SYSTEM FLEET —-*
2 CL squadron *(2 CL, 2 AC, 4 DD)
2 AH squadron (2 AC, 2 DD, 4 FG)
4 DD squadron (2 DD, 2 BC, 4 FG)*

TL1O Economic Doctrine
FM —-* Mega Freighter 50,000dton
FS —-* Super Freighter 20,000dtons
FH —-* Heavy Freighter 10,000dtons
FF —-*Medium Freighter 5,000dtons
FL —- Light Freighter 2,000dtons
TH —- Heavy Trader 1,000dtons
TT*—- Trader 800dtons
MM —- Merchantman 200-400dtons
CR*—-*Courier 100dtons


TL9 Economic Doctrine*
FH —- *Heavy Freighter 2000dtons*
FF —- Light Freighter 1000dtons
MH —- Heavy Merchantman 400dtons
MM —- Merchantman 200
CR —- Courier 100dtons

Mostly 1-0.1G ships

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by nik1979

Borrowing from honorverse
Traveller warships TL10

Ship Classes and Abbreviations by Mass, based*

FYI, the list from the Honorverse is, aside from the specific non-standard abbreviations (carriers, pod-layers), a subset of the one in the Starfire game. (Which David Webber was line developer for during 2 editions.) Only 5 are missing: Explorer, Escort, and Corvette (Which are the three smaller than Frigates in SF) and Monitor and Juggernaut (larger than SD sized).

The Freighter labels correspond to the F1 to F5 Starfire freighter hulls. (Post Webber editions got to F0 through F10 - and match hull sizes directly with EX-JG.)

You may want to import the more standard abbreviations from Starfire in place of DW's very specific and non-standard ones.