[Spaceships] TL10^ exploration frigate

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by SCAR

Several of the FA ships I converted (see my sig.) had various control stations in different locations on the deck plans, and I saw no reason not to simply add these all up for a single Control Room, as I was trying to stick to the basic Spaceship rules.
Using split/smaller systems, it seems perfectly reasonable to do what you're suggesting, and an excellent idea when considering layout, either abstract or actual deck plans.

What I'm trying for is to keep the bridge and the passenger accommodations in the core systems so that the civilians and the essential ship-fighting officers are not exposed to enemy fire if it should come to that.

[Agemegos]

Ah! What if I pull the habitat section that consists of cabins back from Forward Core to Midships Core, and then instead of de-rating a power plant I put in a half-size one and a half-size habitat section? That'll give an extra 10 cabins (a great improvement in comfort) at the cost of reducing the endurance of the power-plant from 400 years to 200 years, either of which is grossly superadequate. Then it's a matter of assigning the non-Core cabins to someone who will almost certainly not be in s/his cabin while the ship is fighting. And I won't have to do a fussy split of the Control Room.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

I don't see any compelling reason not to put 2/3 of the control room in the Aft Core and the reamining 1/3 in the Forward Hull, though.

Me neither.

There is a reason: It messes up the random hit location system a bit. But it's not a very compelling one.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Me neither.

There is a reason: It messes up the random hit location system a bit. But it's not a very compelling one.

Exactly so!

[Agemegos]

Now, the computer system of this ship is Complexity 8. So it could run one program of Complexity 8 (say, an NAI with IQ-12 or a VAI with IQ-10) simultaneously with ten of Complexity 7 (say a mix of DAIs with IQ-12 and NAIs with IQ-10).

How do I set Gunner, Electronics Operation, Piloting, and Spacer skill levels for these AIs?

[SCAR]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

That's fine for, as you suggest, low-performance bulk haulers and maybe as an emergency back-up. But it isn't what I'm suggesting. I am thinking about having three control-room systems at SM -1 combining to make a set of standard-size controls, but spreading them between locations. This 3,000-ton ship is still going to have 150 tons of "Control Room", just like standard. Just not all of it in the Core.

Especially given the description for the Control Room system says:

Although the system includes the actual control room and computer systems, most of the mass and cost, especially on large spacecraft, is devoted to systems distributed about the vessel’s hull:

Technically, by the Small System rules in SS7, splitting the Control Room means you have a -1.SM Control Rooms, so you should have -1 to Hnd and SR. There aren't rules for combining 3 systems into 1 of the next larger SM.

I don't see a problem with it (especially for this System), and in this case, a SM+8 control room would have 4 control stations, so 3 of them would have 12 control stations - but the 'split' SM+9 control room has only 6 control stations.

[SCAR]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Me neither.

There is a reason: It messes up the random hit location system a bit. But it's not a very compelling one.

I don't think there are rules for targeting or even damage to small systems in spaceships.
Damage is relatively simple - if there is a hit to a hull section with smaller or half systems, you can roll a d6 to decide which is hit.

Targeting a small or half system would presumably work in a similar manner to Precision Attacks and weak spots, possibly including the need for a detailed scan or blueprints. I'd eyeball Half Systems targeted at -7, and a Small System at -8 ?

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by SCAR

Technically, by the Small System rules in SS7, splitting the Control Room means you have a -1.SM Control Rooms, so you should have -1 to Hnd and SR. There aren't rules for combining 3 systems into 1 of the next larger SM.

There are some such rules in Spaceships 7, on p.5.

[SCAR]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

There are some such rules in Spaceships 7, on p.5.

You know, I'd always assumed the Large Systems rules required the 3 systems to be in adjacent locations in the same hull section - but it doesn't actually say that.
For some Large Systems it doesn't make much sense for the 3 systems not to be in adjacent locations (Weapon Batteries), but others (like the Control Room) could reasonably be distributed systems!

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by SCAR

You know, I'd always assumed the Large Systems rules required the 3 systems to be in adjacent locations in the same hull section - but it doesn't actually say that.
!

There are significant limitations placed on the location of Spinal Mount segments