Skills for operating a TL9 ballistic missile submarine

[RogerBW]

Assume a fairly linear extrapolation of present-day tech. (This is for a Reign of Steel campaign.)

Shiphandling (Submarine): overall control and direction
Submarine (Large Sub): steering, diving and ascending
Electronics Operation (Sonar): the sonar
Electronics Operation (Comms): radio, laser and sound comms
Electronics Operation (EW): ESM gear and sonar countermeasures
Navigation (Sea): determining position and route
Mechanic (Large Sub): maintenance other than weapons
Armoury (Heavy Weapons): weapon maintenance
Artillery (Ballistic Missile*): nuclear missiles
Artillery (Cruise Missile*): torpedo-tube-launched cruise missiles
Artillery (Torpedo): torpedoes
Submariner: living on board

Am I missing anything? I don't see Computer Operation (or Electronics Repair (Computer)) as being particularly important; they're more or less subsumed into the broader job skills.

* are for new specializations of artillery - "cruise missile" is for something that uses terrain matching, lat/long and maybe a target picture for terminal guidance, while "ballistic missile" is for purely lat/long weapons. In theory these could both be rolled into Guided Missile, and distinctions made with familiarity penalties. Thoughts?

[AmesJainchill]

I'd roll them into Guided Missile specialty. I wouldn't expect any major difference between the skills that couldn't be fixed by a few hours with the weapon's manual.

Unless the sub has some kind of mini-sub or provisions for carrying UDT divers (or something weird like that), I think you've got everything.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by AmesJainchill

I'd roll them into Guided Missile specialty. I wouldn't expect any major difference between the skills that couldn't be fixed by a few hours with the weapon's manual.

That's fair, I think, particularly as it's an Action campaign. Yay, two of my PCs now know how to fire nuclear missiles. :-)

Unless the sub has some kind of mini-sub or provisions for carrying UDT divers (or something weird like that), I think you've got everything.

Well, actually it does have the latter - the British Bellerophon class was designed with an eye to the SSGN rebuilds of the Ohio class, as something that would have a use other than pure nuclear warfighting, so the Trident D5 tubes are set up also to be able to carry other things - diver tow vehicles, UUVs, multiple smaller missiles, and so on. But this particular one doesn't have any of those on board.

http://tekeli.li/reign-of-steel/debug_journal.html has the whole campaign log so far.

[jason taylor]

What rating is your character? Surely no character would need all of them.

[jason taylor]

Tactics(Submarine).
Tactics: Surface ( ASW)

From what I can understand, it is not uncommon for sub and ASW officers to take a week or two of training in the opposite skill to give them a glimpse into their enemy's head. At the least, that sounds fairly sensible and one can give a character one or two points in that.

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Tactics(Submarine).
Tactics: Surface (low level, ASW)

From what I can understand, it is not uncommon for sub and ASW officers to take a week or two of training in the opposite skill to give them a glimpse into their enemy's head. At the least, that sounds fairly sensible and one can give a character one or two points in that.

According to the RAW, you do not need to take a specialty in Tactics, but it might make sense to take Tactics (ASW) and Tactics (Submarine Warfare) as optional specialties. These would be IQ/A skills.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

What rating is your character? Surely no character would need all of them.

The PCs, an SAS team, have just recovered this submarine, in fairly serviceable condition, but without a crew (killed by concussion from nuclear depth bombs). They will be able to scrape together a crew from among the few surviving Royal Navy personnel, but they will probably want to learn the skills themselves as well in case they have to take over and be Heroic.

[cosmicfish]

I come from a Navy family, and for realism I would definitely consider adding:

Hazardous Materials (Radioactive)
Mechanic (Nuclear Reactor)
Navigation (Undersea)
Professional Skill (Firefighter)
Strategy (Undersea)
Tactics (Undersea)

Some of these would be optional specializations, but the differences between surface and undersea operations can be drastic! Firefighter seems like an odd one, but fire in a ship is a huge hazard, and submariners are all extensively trained.

Otherwise I think you are fine.

[Jabani]

I think Professional Skill (Firefighter) is likely subsumed by Submariner a la Soldier, in GURPS terms, and almost certainly in an Action campaign.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Mgellis

According to the RAW, you do not need to take a specialty in Tactics, but it might make sense to take Tactics (ASW) and Tactics (Submarine Warfare) as optional specialties. These would be IQ/A skills.

I would personally require at least specialization by Land/Sea/Air, but Submarine and ASW are certainly plausible as optional specialties. Not sure how much tactics are really used by boomers, though, unless things go very wrong.