FTL rate of movement for GURPS SPACESHIPS

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Rupert

I assume that's including crew salaries and life support costs, etc.

Yes, and propellant, insurance, amortisation, depreciation. Also maintenance, repairs, and overhauls of the reaction and FTL engines based on engine hours.

Did you try a SM9- ship with Total Automation of the Engine Room?

No. It seemed to me that total automation is so expensive that you would need really, really low interest rates, insurance rates, and depreciation to let it compete with crew salaries, quarters, and life support.

I'm curious as to whether the high cost of total automation would be worthwhile in this case.

At 8% interest, insurance, & depreciation (which was as low as I dared to go) each workspace totally automated costs G$400,000 per year. Spaceships 2 suggests a crew employment cost of $67,200 per year for base-level crew, plus which it costs G$150,000 (G$12,000 per year) to give them a cabin, $75,000 to give them a shared stateroom or couchette, or $37,500 a bunk in a bunkroom. And $730 per year for consumables. High automation is really marginal at 8%, even with comfortable long-occupancy crew quarters. Only adding foremen to large crews puts it firmly over the top.

If I had ships with very small payload fractions it might be different: total automation of all workspaces and NAI "officers" might mean having no crew habitat at all. But I was at a payload mass fraction of 70% or better, so it obviously wasn't going to work.

I'll take a look after breakfast and get back to you.