[Spaceships] of the Solar Patrol - Page 3

Quadrone · 12-30-2008, 02:14 PM

Just made this one for an upcoming PbP game. It's an obsolete cargo boat being used as a training vessel for Patrol Cadets. The Mark II Electron Drive and Tesla Coils are earlier versions of the technology (I'm calling the current versions Mark V). Mark II Electron Drive has 40% of the performance and cost of the standard Electron Drive. Mark II Tesla Coils are functionally equivalent to a TL 9 Fusion Reactor Power Plant.

SPS Swift
Appleton Class
Cargo Boat
TL (6+2^)

Front Hull
[1] Light Alloy Armor (dDR 3)
[2-6] Habitat (cabin, 2 bunkrooms, one-bed sickbay, rec room)
[core] Control Room (2 control stations, C3 Infomat, Comm/Sensor 3)

Central Hull
[1] Light Alloy Armor (dDR 3)
[2!] Weapon – Secondary Battery (1 3 MJ laser, 4.5 tons cargo)
[3-6] Cargo Hold (25 tons)

Rear Hull
[1] Light Alloy Armor (dDR 3)
[2] Robot Arm
[3-4] Hangar Bay (6 tons)
[4] Soft Landing System
[5] Engine Room (1 workspace)
[6!] Mark II Electron Drive (provides 2G acceleration, max speed .0001c)
[core] Mark II Tesla Coils (provides 2 Power Points, 50 year endurance)

Features:
Untreamlined, gravitic vector, hangar bay carries 2 hover cargo-movers

PILOTING/TL 6+2 (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT)
dST/HP 30; Hnd/SR -1/4; HT 13; Move 2G/.0002c; LWt. 100; Load 31.4; SM +6; Occ 9 ASV; dDR 3; Cost $3M

wabishtar · 05-23-2009, 09:33 PM

I've been trying to model the ships of the Overlord of Jupiter, but I've had a bit of trouble due to the book being a bit vague about something. Tales of the Solar Patrol clearly states that the Electron Drive is a technology that the Overlord of Jupiter stole from Earthers. It also makes it quite clear that the Overlord of Jupiter would not have been able to mount his attack on Earth without the Electron Drive, heavily implying that whatever drive he used previously had constrained him to the Jovian system. Finally, the book makes it clear that after the Solar War, the Overlord was forced to destroy all of (or at least most of) his Electron Drive ships, forcing him to return to the space drive he used before. It does not, however, say anywhere at all what that space drive is! So, when trying to build post-Solar War Jovian ships, I had to get a bit creative and fill in the gaps left by the main book.

The book is quite clear that without the Electron Drive, the Overlord is more or less limited to the Jovian system. To me, this implies some kind of reaction drive. After looking through GURPS Spaceships, I decided I would use the Fusion Torch for the Overlord's ships. Nuclear Fusion was often mentioned in the sci-fi of the 40s and 50s, so the inclusion of a super science fusion drive seems in line with the setting to me. Also, the book makes mention of mining for fissionable materials on Mercury and in the Belt, meaning that Earth is still using fission power, so fusion can be one of the Overlord's unique and alien technologies.

Given that the Electron Drive and the Tesla Coil are strongly linked technologies with one relying upon the other, it occurred to me that if he didn't have the Electron Drive before, he might not have the Tesla Coil. So, instead of the Tesla Coil, I decided to give him another power plant. Sticking with the fusion theme, I went with the Super Fusion power plant from GURPS Spaceships. Of course, there's nothing in the book stating that the Overlord didn't have Tesla Coil technology, so this is really just me making Jovian ships different for the sake of being different. I personally like the touch as it makes his ships more alien. Also, since Super Fusion isn't linked to the Sun, it allows for the possibility that The Overlord of Jupiter has secretly been building a fleet of Super Fusion-powered Electron Drive ships somewhere out past the Tesla line in preparation for his next invasion of Earth! (Cue dramatic music) However, if you don't like this little change, you should be able to switch out the Super Fusion power plants in my design for Tesla Coils pretty easily.

So we'll start with the Sky Scourer. The Delta-V that I've given it may seem a little low, but keep in mind that at a speed of only 3 miles per second, you can cross the Jovian system in a week, so the Overlord's ships don't need to go that fast to patrol his territory. Also keep in mind that the Overlord considers his ships to be expendable, so they don't need that much Delta-V for maneuvering given that they're expected to either win or die very early on in the fight. Anyway, without further delay, here's my version of the Electron Drive-less Sky Scourer. NOTE : To give credit where credit is due, I borrowed quite liberally from Quadrone's existing design of a Sky Scourer with an Electron Drive.

Jovian Sky Scourer
Patrol Ship
TL (6+3^)

Front Hull
[1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 10 ea., dDR 30 Total)
[4!] Weapon - Spinal Mount (300 MJ Atomic Gun)
[5] Fuel Tank (7.5 Delta-V)
[6] Control Room (C4 Infomat, Comm/Sensor 5, 3 Control Stations)

Central Hull
[1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 10 ea., dDR 30 Total)
[4-5] Habitat (8 bunks, 1 Cell, 1 2-person cabin)
[6] Fuel Tank (7.5 Delta-V)
[Core!] Weapon - Spinal Mount (300 MJ Atomic Gun)

Rear Hull
[1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 10 ea., dDR 30 Total)
[4!] Weapon - Spiral Mount (300 MJ Atomic Gun)
[5-6] High Thrust Fusion Torch (2G Acceleration)
[Core] Super Fusion Power Plant (Derated to 3 Power Points)

Features:
Unstreamlined, Gravitic Vector

PILOTING/TL 6+3 (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT)
dST/HP 50; Hnd/SR 0/5; HT 12; Move 2G/15 mps; LWt. 300; Load 1; SM +7; Occ 6+4 ASV; dDR 30; Cost $38.8M

And now for the Pacifier. Given that this ship is used mainly to attack ground targets, I gave it a Fusion Ram-Rocket so that it had unlimited range within an atmosphere. Also, I figured the Overlord wouldn't have a problem with spewing radiation all over his subject's air. Also, since it's said that it's not equipped for long range flight, I gave it half the Delta-V of the Sky Scourer.

Jovian Pacifier
Ground Attack Ship
TL (6+3^)

Front Hull
[1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 5 ea., dDR 15 Total)
[4-6] Habitat (12 Bunks)
[Core] Control Room (C4 Infomat, Comm/Sensor 4, 2 Control Stations)

Central Hull
[1-2] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 5 ea., dDR 10 Total)
[3-6!] Major Battery (4 30 MJ Atomic Guns, Turreted)

Rear Hull
[1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 5 ea., dDR 15 Total)
[4] Fuel Tank (7.5 Delta-V)
[5-6] High Thrust Fusion Torch Ram-Rocket (2G Acceleration)
[Core] Super Fusion Power Planet (4 Power Points)

Features:
Streamlined, Winged, Gravitic Vector

PILOTING/TL 6+3 (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT)
dST/HP 30; Hnd/SR 0/4; HT 12; Move 2G/7.5 mps; LWt. 100; Load 1.2; SM +6; Occ 6+6 ASV; dDR 15/10/15; Cost $21.83M

Anyway, those are my versions of the Overlord's ships without Electron Drives. Use 'em if you like 'em, ignore 'em if you don't. I just put a fair amount of work into them, so I thought I'd share.

NOTE : When I run Tales of the Solar Patrol, the Solar Patrol ships have an acceleration of 2G as in the book, not the 10G they're given in this forum, so the Jovian ships can match the Solar Patrol's ships for acceleration, if not endurance.

Stormcrow · 05-30-2009, 10:11 PM

With 10G electron drives and 300MJ, range R3 atomic guns, we should be using a three-minute turn length. How does this compare with how combat would happen with the standard vehicle combat rules? In the standard rules, wouldn't most ships—provided they've got their targets in sight—get to fire once every two seconds (one turn to Aim, one turn to Attack)? Would maneuvering tend to cancel this out and lead to something similar to what's in Tales of the Solar Patrol? Or will combat with the Spaceships rules lead to entirely different and incompatible results? Has anyone worked out what these different results will be—or tried them in practice?

12-30-2008, 02:14 PM	#21
Quadrone Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA	Re: [Spaceships] of the Solar Patrol Just made this one for an upcoming PbP game. It's an obsolete cargo boat being used as a training vessel for Patrol Cadets. The Mark II Electron Drive and Tesla Coils are earlier versions of the technology (I'm calling the current versions Mark V). Mark II Electron Drive has 40% of the performance and cost of the standard Electron Drive. Mark II Tesla Coils are functionally equivalent to a TL 9 Fusion Reactor Power Plant. SPS Swift Appleton Class Cargo Boat TL (6+2^) *Front Hull* [1] Light Alloy Armor (dDR 3) [2-6] Habitat (cabin, 2 bunkrooms, one-bed sickbay, rec room) [core] Control Room (2 control stations, C3 Infomat, Comm/Sensor 3) *Central Hull* [1] Light Alloy Armor (dDR 3) [2!] Weapon – Secondary Battery (1 3 MJ laser, 4.5 tons cargo) [3-6] Cargo Hold (25 tons) *Rear Hull* [1] Light Alloy Armor (dDR 3) [2] Robot Arm [3-4] Hangar Bay (6 tons) [4] Soft Landing System [5] Engine Room (1 workspace) [6!] Mark II Electron Drive (provides 2G acceleration, max speed .0001c) [core] Mark II Tesla Coils (provides 2 Power Points, 50 year endurance) Features: Untreamlined, gravitic vector, hangar bay carries 2 hover cargo-movers PILOTING/TL 6+2 (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT) *dST/HP* 30; *Hnd/SR* -1/4; HT 13; *Move* 2G/.0002c; *LWt.* 100; *Load* 31.4; SM +6; *Occ* 9 ASV; *dDR* 3; *Cost* $3M Last edited by Quadrone; 12-30-2008 at 03:48 PM.

05-23-2009, 09:33 PM	#22
wabishtar Join Date: Oct 2006	Re: [Spaceships] of the Solar Patrol I've been trying to model the ships of the Overlord of Jupiter, but I've had a bit of trouble due to the book being a bit vague about something. Tales of the Solar Patrol clearly states that the Electron Drive is a technology that the Overlord of Jupiter stole from Earthers. It also makes it quite clear that the Overlord of Jupiter would not have been able to mount his attack on Earth without the Electron Drive, heavily implying that whatever drive he used previously had constrained him to the Jovian system. Finally, the book makes it clear that after the Solar War, the Overlord was forced to destroy all of (or at least most of) his Electron Drive ships, forcing him to return to the space drive he used before. It does not, however, say anywhere at all what that space drive is! So, when trying to build post-Solar War Jovian ships, I had to get a bit creative and fill in the gaps left by the main book. The book is quite clear that without the Electron Drive, the Overlord is more or less limited to the Jovian system. To me, this implies some kind of reaction drive. After looking through GURPS Spaceships, I decided I would use the Fusion Torch for the Overlord's ships. Nuclear Fusion was often mentioned in the sci-fi of the 40s and 50s, so the inclusion of a super science fusion drive seems in line with the setting to me. Also, the book makes mention of mining for fissionable materials on Mercury and in the Belt, meaning that Earth is still using fission power, so fusion can be one of the Overlord's unique and alien technologies. Given that the Electron Drive and the Tesla Coil are strongly linked technologies with one relying upon the other, it occurred to me that if he didn't have the Electron Drive before, he might not have the Tesla Coil. So, instead of the Tesla Coil, I decided to give him another power plant. Sticking with the fusion theme, I went with the Super Fusion power plant from GURPS Spaceships. Of course, there's nothing in the book stating that the Overlord didn't have Tesla Coil technology, so this is really just me making Jovian ships different for the sake of being different. I personally like the touch as it makes his ships more alien. Also, since Super Fusion isn't linked to the Sun, it allows for the possibility that The Overlord of Jupiter has secretly been building a fleet of Super Fusion-powered Electron Drive ships somewhere out past the Tesla line in preparation for his next invasion of Earth! (Cue dramatic music) However, if you don't like this little change, you should be able to switch out the Super Fusion power plants in my design for Tesla Coils pretty easily. So we'll start with the Sky Scourer. The Delta-V that I've given it may seem a little low, but keep in mind that at a speed of only 3 miles per second, you can cross the Jovian system in a week, so the Overlord's ships don't need to go that fast to patrol his territory. Also keep in mind that the Overlord considers his ships to be expendable, so they don't need that much Delta-V for maneuvering given that they're expected to either win or die very early on in the fight. Anyway, without further delay, here's my version of the Electron Drive-less Sky Scourer. NOTE : To give credit where credit is due, I borrowed quite liberally from Quadrone's existing design of a Sky Scourer with an Electron Drive. Jovian Sky Scourer Patrol Ship TL (6+3^) Front Hull [1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 10 ea., dDR 30 Total) [4!] Weapon - Spinal Mount (300 MJ Atomic Gun) [5] Fuel Tank (7.5 Delta-V) [6] Control Room (C4 Infomat, Comm/Sensor 5, 3 Control Stations) Central Hull [1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 10 ea., dDR 30 Total) [4-5] Habitat (8 bunks, 1 Cell, 1 2-person cabin) [6] Fuel Tank (7.5 Delta-V) [Core!] Weapon - Spinal Mount (300 MJ Atomic Gun) Rear Hull [1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 10 ea., dDR 30 Total) [4!] Weapon - Spiral Mount (300 MJ Atomic Gun) [5-6] High Thrust Fusion Torch (2G Acceleration) [Core] Super Fusion Power Plant (Derated to 3 Power Points) Features: Unstreamlined, Gravitic Vector PILOTING/TL 6+3 (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT) dST/HP 50; Hnd/SR 0/5; HT 12; Move 2G/15 mps; LWt. 300; Load 1; SM +7; Occ 6+4 ASV; dDR 30; Cost $38.8M And now for the Pacifier. Given that this ship is used mainly to attack ground targets, I gave it a Fusion Ram-Rocket so that it had unlimited range within an atmosphere. Also, I figured the Overlord wouldn't have a problem with spewing radiation all over his subject's air. Also, since it's said that it's not equipped for long range flight, I gave it half the Delta-V of the Sky Scourer. Jovian Pacifier Ground Attack Ship TL (6+3^) Front Hull [1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 5 ea., dDR 15 Total) [4-6] Habitat (12 Bunks) [Core] Control Room (C4 Infomat, Comm/Sensor 4, 2 Control Stations) Central Hull [1-2] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 5 ea., dDR 10 Total) [3-6!] Major Battery (4 30 MJ Atomic Guns, Turreted) Rear Hull [1-3] Advanced Metal Laminate Armor (dDR 5 ea., dDR 15 Total) [4] Fuel Tank (7.5 Delta-V) [5-6] High Thrust Fusion Torch Ram-Rocket (2G Acceleration) [Core] Super Fusion Power Planet (4 Power Points) Features: Streamlined, Winged, Gravitic Vector PILOTING/TL 6+3 (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT) dST/HP 30; Hnd/SR 0/4; HT 12; Move 2G/7.5 mps; LWt. 100; Load 1.2; SM +6; Occ 6+6 ASV; dDR 15/10/15; Cost $21.83M Anyway, those are my versions of the Overlord's ships without Electron Drives. Use 'em if you like 'em, ignore 'em if you don't. I just put a fair amount of work into them, so I thought I'd share. NOTE : When I run Tales of the Solar Patrol, the Solar Patrol ships have an acceleration of 2G as in the book, not the 10G they're given in this forum, so the Jovian ships can match the Solar Patrol's ships for acceleration, if not endurance.

05-30-2009, 10:11 PM	#23
Stormcrow Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ronkonkoma, NY	Re: [Spaceships] of the Solar Patrol With 10G electron drives and 300MJ, range R3 atomic guns, we should be using a three-minute turn length. How does this compare with how combat would happen with the standard vehicle combat rules? In the standard rules, wouldn't most ships—provided they've got their targets in sight—get to fire once every two seconds (one turn to Aim, one turn to Attack)? Would maneuvering tend to cancel this out and lead to something similar to what's in Tales of the Solar Patrol? Or will combat with the Spaceships rules lead to entirely different and incompatible results? Has anyone worked out what these different results will be—or tried them in practice?