Modular cutter: permanent quarters

[walkir]

I have a new job and to move again, but at the moment, it's commuting 6 hours per direction every weekend.
This spawned the wish for something like this (although I don't know if building a 5 dTon vehicle around a stateroom wouldn't be a better idea):

Permanent Quarters Module

Commuters in the Imperium aren't all that uncommon, as are people moving from one world to the next. Some of them did not want to buy a new home every time they move. The solution to their demand was a new cutter module, which allowed to transport the whole home to another world, link it into the local infrastructure, and just live on.

The module's three staterooms that build a single flat offer 56 square meters of living space (including 120 cf/3.36m³ storage room), while 3.5 dTons of cargo bay offer more than 16.3 square meters of storage room normally used as a cellar replacement. It also includes a garage for an air/raft or other vehicle up to half a dTon.

A basic bridge with one seat as well as engineering and utility modules allow it to sit in the void (or a cargo bay) and work without problems, while the most common use is placement of the module in a special area of imperial cities consisting mainly of modular couplings (allowing to link into the local power grid, communication networks and plumbing) and a transport network for the modules and accompanying vehicles.

Subassembly: SL Hull
Ocupancy: 1-6 Cargo: 3.5 dTons
Equipment
Modules: Engineering, 3 staterooms, utility, 0.25 office, gym, galley, bridge (dumb, Thermograph/LLTV, 2x compact)

A TL11 version would be vastly better, but if you add the infrastructure for it next to convention centers, exhibition halls, etc., this would be very useful, anyway.

I didn't work out mass and cost yet, do you think the basic module choice is sound?

[ak_aramis]

Not a bad idea, but its utility boils down to what percentage of the population can

1. Afford the module
2. afford to ship the module
3. tolerate living in said module for upwards of a month*
4. convince shipmasters to let them stay in the module during transit**

*How few people live in motorhomes? Versus how many own them? the 56 square meters isn't a whole lot... it's more like a mobile home. (2.5x15m to 3.5x20m) But it's still not a lot of space. Especially for a family.

** Yeah, he's getting KCr30 for the 3 stateroom module... instead of KCr 30 for the module and KCr32 for 3 occupied staterooms... It is definitely in his best interests to NOT let the module be shipped occupied, before accounting for the security risk it presents in re other cargo. And/or potential safety issues and legal issues.

Oh, yeah, I'm citing CT prices, not GT, but the principle is the same.

[walkir]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

*How few people live in motorhomes? Versus how many own them? the 56 square meters isn't a whole lot... it's more like a mobile home. (2.5x15m to 3.5x20m) But it's still not a lot of space. Especially for a family.

It's vastly better than a hotel room (or the sleazy hotel I live in while looking for a new flat at the city I'm now working at...), does not include paying two rents and it's better than my first two flats (42 and 50m² respectively), especially if you include the quarter office as a home office.

I'm considering to go the light cockpit+small engineering systems+small craft rooms route, though.

** Yeah, he's getting KCr30 for the 3 stateroom module... instead of KCr 30 for the module and KCr32 for 3 occupied staterooms... It is definitely in his best interests to NOT let the module be shipped occupied, before accounting for the security risk it presents in re other cargo. And/or potential safety issues and legal issues.

Point. But he can use it even when the staterooms are all occupied, and paying by the dTon would be the preferred Modus Operandi, anyway.

edit: and once you get a family, a standard quarters module (MCr. 1.4) adds an extra 5 staterooms, aka 93 1/3 m².

[Sanity]

Originally Posted by walkir

edit: and once you get a family, a standard quarters module (MCr. 1.4) adds an extra 5 staterooms, aka 93 1/3 m².

Too expensive. For civilized worlds.

This could be usefull for fast colonization / temporary bases, though. Not talking of "ok, lets put up a settlement", but "we need to put 100 scientists on a planet for half a year" style of thigns.

therwise the maths just dont work out. Imagine what you could buy for 1mcr. The interest rate is more expensive than a suite in a hotel, or a fully furnished appartement - and I talk of a large one.

[rasimus]

If it were my Cr, I'd be tempted to use standard cargo containers instead. 4A90/8 would give you 8 dton of living space for 163 kCr. For 36 kCr more, I can add 4 dton of garage/storage as a 4A32/8. That way I can get my residence moved about using standard cargo handling vehicles including small tramp freighters when need be. It's certainly more cramped, and a lot more like living in a trailer... well, it is living in a trailer... but it's almost an order of magnitude less expensive and more flexible. (Of course, that's just my opinion, for what it's worth.)

IMTU, just happening to find a jump ship fitted to take a standard cutter module, and going where you want to go might be more difficult. Now, if you happen to work in association with a mercenary band that has a Broadsword Cruiser, and they can drop you on a planet for most of a year, and can come back and pick you up... then I'd love the module!

[walkir]

Originally Posted by rasimus

If it were my Cr, I'd be tempted to use standard cargo containers instead. 4A90/8 would give you 8 dton of living space for 163 kCr. For 36 kCr more, I can add 4 dton of garage/storage as a 4A32/8. That way I can get my residence moved about using standard cargo handling vehicles including small tramp freighters when need be. It's certainly more cramped, and a lot more like living in a trailer... well, it is living in a trailer... but it's almost an order of magnitude less expensive and more flexible. (Of course, that's just my opinion, for what it's worth.)

Containers. You know, I even considered that shortly for RL. But unfortunately, I have no books with me to look them up.

[Darkwalker]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

Not a bad idea, but its utility boils down to what percentage of the population can

1. Afford the module
2. afford to ship the module
3. tolerate living in said module for upwards of a month*
4. convince shipmasters to let them stay in the module during transit**

*How few people live in motorhomes? Versus how many own them? the 56 square meters isn't a whole lot... it's more like a mobile home. (2.5x15m to 3.5x20m) But it's still not a lot of space. Especially for a family.

** Yeah, he's getting KCr30 for the 3 stateroom module... instead of KCr 30 for the module and KCr32 for 3 occupied staterooms... It is definitely in his best interests to NOT let the module be shipped occupied, before accounting for the security risk it presents in re other cargo. And/or potential safety issues and legal issues.

Oh, yeah, I'm citing CT prices, not GT, but the principle is the same.

Actually 56/72m2 (without/with the "cellar") is well within the typical size of a european three room flat. Something that is commonly used by couples and even families (Parents room, child room, living room, kitchen) and since some systems in Traveller are more "compact" than today this should be quite doabel.

[Darkwalker]

Originally Posted by walkir

Containers. You know, I even considered that shortly for RL. But unfortunately, I have no books with me to look them up.

Housing containers are well documented these days. The german cotton ball commandos (formerly: Bundeswehr) use them in foreign deployments. One unit is "extendable" similar to some carnival wagons, basically doubeling the floor space of the 20ft container used as a base (see last picture for a 1:3 container) The base 1:1 container has 28m2 ground space then the extensions come in

The container has air conditioning and can be coupled with other containers or a tent more examples, The tent, Engineering container, Model of deployed 1:3

Basically 4 ISO-20ft containers should be able to provide a solid housing even for a larger family without relying on external utilities (One power/engineering container, two for living, one for supply storage/garage)


The system is already in use IRL for more than one nation so it's working. A 20ft container is about 2.6dton (say 3dton) in total so it can be modeled by the 4dton Traveller container (IRL size is 6.058 mm x 2.438 mm x 2.591)