Space combat was been lightly covered in previous posts. Within the Highlands any ship-on-ship actions are primarily single ship-on-ship police or anti-piracy affairs conducted primarily by Ranger units on corvettes or schooners. From time to time a Frigate patrolling the border between the frontier and the Midlands might find itself engaged by a foreign vessel or multiple hostile vessels of a subordinate class.
Outside the Highlands, in the Midlands or the Wild large scale squadron, task force or fleet battles are much more likely. Such combat is very much different in scope and character from single ship actions. While a Frigate embarks support craft and might deploy pinnace to act as scouts or pickets or even have fighting vehicles or battleriders to act as support craft they typically do not have the long range reconnaissance or Command and Control systems necessary to engage in fleet level actions.
During one-on-one actions vessels typically depend upon their own sensor suites to locate enemy vessels, direct fire control and engage enemies.
During fleet actions major combatants, such as dreadnoughts and superdreadnoughts use pickets made up of destroyers and battleriders to deploy sensor nets, act as forward firecontrol nodes and provide support. To aid in this role destroyers tend to be light on energy weapons, but heavy on missiles. They primarily use railguns and light lasers in the anti-missile roll. Destroyers are small enough to employ relatively effective stealth and cloaking technology, like the more heavily armored battelriders.
In real space combat even the most powerful energy weapons are limited to 300,000 miles range. In subspace their range is a twentieth of that. At those ranges sensor response lags only a second. Missiles are effective at distances far beyond the range at which sensor response lags by minutes. Sensor nets can also be effectively deploy at distances which result in information minutes or hours old being the most recent data upon which response decisions must be made. Likewise large dispersed sensor nets can detect objects at distances so great that the information is an hour and a half old by the time the information reaches its control node.
Showing posts with label Spacecraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spacecraft. Show all posts
Monday, October 9, 2017
Divergence
As originally stated though the background for New Diasporia can be applied to any game system, the game itself was developed using GURPS, primarily 3rd Edition, especially some of the Traveller rules, but also GURPS Space. Here and there other GURPS source book rules are used. Some rules come from GURPS 4th Edition, though modified for use with the 3rd Edition rules.
I have also stated that there are fundamentals of the GURPS Rule set, primarily in Tech Levels, Tech Level advancement and maintenance rules which have been modified, primarily to support the background but also because they don't work reasonably as originally constructed.
During the original playtest for GURPS Traveller it was noted that the rules for missiles and spinal mounts resulted in missiles dominating, a circumstance that did not well reflect the original Traveller material. Several rule modifications were introduced to mitigate this, but resulted in other problems vis a vis ship survivability against spinal mounts.
In New Diasporia this is not so much a problem. Traveller Meson weapons do not exist and particle weapons are primarily relegated to close support planetary use. While Laser and Grazer weapons are used, especially in the close support and anti-missile roles space combat is dominated by missiles.
That is real space combat is dominated by missiles. Subspace combat is another story. In subspace missile drives propel a missile not faster than other B/G powered vessels, making missiles ineffective. Subspace combat is heavily dominated by energy weapons which have very much reduced ranges, just as do sensors.
A variety of energy weapon sizes are available for use on spacecraft. Lasers and Grazers typically mounted in turrets (1500 cuft for turret space, 500 cuft for mounts and rotation space.) New Diasporia turrets typically do not contain crew spaces. Weapons may also be mounted in barbettes. Barbettes come in 2500 cutft and 5000 cuft versions which require 500 cuft and 1000 cuft of internal volume for mounts and rotation space respectively.
Smaller turrets can also be used for close support weapons (which in Traveller are called planetary weapons), but such weapons are typically only mounted on battleriders and small craft like pinnaces.
Weapons may also be fix mounted. Missile tubes may be fixed mounted individually or they may be mounted in missile bays. Missile bays typically come in 25,000 cuft and 50,000 cuft sizes. The difference in fixed mounted weapons and weapons mounted in a bay is that a weapon bay includes a targeting computer and laser communications links sufficient all of its launchers. Fixed mounted weapons must use an external computer with the proper software and a separate communication suite, which is probably mounted in a turret somewhere.
It is also possible to fix mount an energy weapon, but only the battleriders use spinal mounted energy weapons, typically heavily supplemented by missile tubes for use in the anti-missile role. A fixed mounted energy weapon cannot be used in the anti-missile role.
I have also stated that there are fundamentals of the GURPS Rule set, primarily in Tech Levels, Tech Level advancement and maintenance rules which have been modified, primarily to support the background but also because they don't work reasonably as originally constructed.
During the original playtest for GURPS Traveller it was noted that the rules for missiles and spinal mounts resulted in missiles dominating, a circumstance that did not well reflect the original Traveller material. Several rule modifications were introduced to mitigate this, but resulted in other problems vis a vis ship survivability against spinal mounts.
In New Diasporia this is not so much a problem. Traveller Meson weapons do not exist and particle weapons are primarily relegated to close support planetary use. While Laser and Grazer weapons are used, especially in the close support and anti-missile roles space combat is dominated by missiles.
That is real space combat is dominated by missiles. Subspace combat is another story. In subspace missile drives propel a missile not faster than other B/G powered vessels, making missiles ineffective. Subspace combat is heavily dominated by energy weapons which have very much reduced ranges, just as do sensors.
A variety of energy weapon sizes are available for use on spacecraft. Lasers and Grazers typically mounted in turrets (1500 cuft for turret space, 500 cuft for mounts and rotation space.) New Diasporia turrets typically do not contain crew spaces. Weapons may also be mounted in barbettes. Barbettes come in 2500 cutft and 5000 cuft versions which require 500 cuft and 1000 cuft of internal volume for mounts and rotation space respectively.
Smaller turrets can also be used for close support weapons (which in Traveller are called planetary weapons), but such weapons are typically only mounted on battleriders and small craft like pinnaces.
Weapons may also be fix mounted. Missile tubes may be fixed mounted individually or they may be mounted in missile bays. Missile bays typically come in 25,000 cuft and 50,000 cuft sizes. The difference in fixed mounted weapons and weapons mounted in a bay is that a weapon bay includes a targeting computer and laser communications links sufficient all of its launchers. Fixed mounted weapons must use an external computer with the proper software and a separate communication suite, which is probably mounted in a turret somewhere.
It is also possible to fix mount an energy weapon, but only the battleriders use spinal mounted energy weapons, typically heavily supplemented by missile tubes for use in the anti-missile role. A fixed mounted energy weapon cannot be used in the anti-missile role.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Monitors and Forts
So one might say, if the Grand Human Union is such a peaceful, benevolent place why does the Star Legion have such devastating firepower as embodied in First, Second and Third Raters?
The answer is monitors and forts.
A monitor is a 10 to 30 million cuft warship. They are heavily armored with force fields and armed with massive energy weapons and missile launchers. Unlike battleships they typically do not embark battleriders or troops. They also typically do not have shunting capability. That means that they are limited to accessing subspace using a gate.
That means that monitors are used as both system defense ships and gate defense platforms.
The development of the battleship was a direct result of the deployment of monitors which greatly outclassed the frigates and battleriders that existed at that time.
However dreadnoughts and superdreadnouths were a response to the even larger and more powerful forts developed to defend systems.
A fort is a grav powered installation typically grav anchored on the subspace side of a gate or in orbit near the real space side of a gate. With BG engines typically only within the 4 to 6 g range a fort can move only sufficiently to move to its place of station and make a poor target for ballistic weapons (like unpowered missiles.) Because it does not have to mount a powerful BG engine a fort is not limited to 250 million cuft. As a matter of fact it usually mounts more powerful force field armor than all but the most powerful superdreadnought as well as having a massive structural frame supported by structural integrity fields and physical armor as well as internal armor force fields.
Forts also typically mount massive energy weapons, missile launchers (for use in real space) as well a numerous battlerider squadrons. Forts are often located near each other where they can provide mutual fire support.
Like other combat vessels forts deploy either sensor drone nets or purpose built sensor arrays to enhance their abilities to detect incoming enemies.
Enemies who defeat gate defense forts often find themselves facing another layer of defensive positions on the far side of the gate in real space.
The answer is monitors and forts.
A monitor is a 10 to 30 million cuft warship. They are heavily armored with force fields and armed with massive energy weapons and missile launchers. Unlike battleships they typically do not embark battleriders or troops. They also typically do not have shunting capability. That means that they are limited to accessing subspace using a gate.
That means that monitors are used as both system defense ships and gate defense platforms.
The development of the battleship was a direct result of the deployment of monitors which greatly outclassed the frigates and battleriders that existed at that time.
However dreadnoughts and superdreadnouths were a response to the even larger and more powerful forts developed to defend systems.
A fort is a grav powered installation typically grav anchored on the subspace side of a gate or in orbit near the real space side of a gate. With BG engines typically only within the 4 to 6 g range a fort can move only sufficiently to move to its place of station and make a poor target for ballistic weapons (like unpowered missiles.) Because it does not have to mount a powerful BG engine a fort is not limited to 250 million cuft. As a matter of fact it usually mounts more powerful force field armor than all but the most powerful superdreadnought as well as having a massive structural frame supported by structural integrity fields and physical armor as well as internal armor force fields.
Forts also typically mount massive energy weapons, missile launchers (for use in real space) as well a numerous battlerider squadrons. Forts are often located near each other where they can provide mutual fire support.
Like other combat vessels forts deploy either sensor drone nets or purpose built sensor arrays to enhance their abilities to detect incoming enemies.
Enemies who defeat gate defense forts often find themselves facing another layer of defensive positions on the far side of the gate in real space.
Subspace Combat
In subspace combat the nature of the environment makes missiles useless. No matter how good their engines a missile effectively travels no faster than any other vehicle. This makes them easy prey for energy weapons.
Like missiles, railgun projectiles are really just matter enhanced with gravitational engines. They tend to lose momentum quickly and become ineffective at any kind of range.
Energy weapons ranges are drastically reduced, but their effectiveness within their useful range is unimpaired. Typically energy weapon ranges are reduced by 20, that is they are half as effective as they are in normal atmosphere.
Force fields are just as effective in subspace as in real space, but as a gravitic phenomenon are less detectable in the high gravametric environment of subspace. In other words a ship protected by a standard force field is harder to detect. Against the high gravometric background of subspace force field stealth technology is less effective.
On balance this makes it hard to detect protected warships at greater ranges, but distortion fields and masking are less effective at close ranges.
The heavy electromagnet interference in the subspace environment makes long range and active sensors not nearly as good as in real space. This is one reason road beacon stations are seeded so close together and why off road vehicles and ships must depend upon inertial navigation and gravitational topology plotting and can only detect subspace beacons when they are fairly close to the system that has anchored them. This also makes the kinds of weapon ranges seen in real space battles untenable in subspace. Because of the high EM background EM masking and stealth become more effective.
Once away from the beacon stations of the Major Routes and Blue Highways accidentally meeting another vessel is unlikely. So battles in subspace tend to occur at gates or near system beacons. Of course this is where systems concentrate their own defenses when they expect an attack as well as where standard defenses are anchored.
Like missiles, railgun projectiles are really just matter enhanced with gravitational engines. They tend to lose momentum quickly and become ineffective at any kind of range.
Energy weapons ranges are drastically reduced, but their effectiveness within their useful range is unimpaired. Typically energy weapon ranges are reduced by 20, that is they are half as effective as they are in normal atmosphere.
Force fields are just as effective in subspace as in real space, but as a gravitic phenomenon are less detectable in the high gravametric environment of subspace. In other words a ship protected by a standard force field is harder to detect. Against the high gravometric background of subspace force field stealth technology is less effective.
On balance this makes it hard to detect protected warships at greater ranges, but distortion fields and masking are less effective at close ranges.
The heavy electromagnet interference in the subspace environment makes long range and active sensors not nearly as good as in real space. This is one reason road beacon stations are seeded so close together and why off road vehicles and ships must depend upon inertial navigation and gravitational topology plotting and can only detect subspace beacons when they are fairly close to the system that has anchored them. This also makes the kinds of weapon ranges seen in real space battles untenable in subspace. Because of the high EM background EM masking and stealth become more effective.
Once away from the beacon stations of the Major Routes and Blue Highways accidentally meeting another vessel is unlikely. So battles in subspace tend to occur at gates or near system beacons. Of course this is where systems concentrate their own defenses when they expect an attack as well as where standard defenses are anchored.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Extensible Hulls
Small craft, such as brakes and HUVs often use extensible hulls to maximize usable space while in space or on the ground, yet allow for a more streamlined shape while transiting atmosphere. Extensible hull craft also allow for smaller hanger footprints while being carried aboard larger craft. They also sometimes allow hull compact enough to use transport portals, a reason many brakes and HUVs are held to 8 ft by 13 ft. cross sections to allow their use in standard 10 ft by 20 ft transport portals.
Slide compartments are skinned in hull sheets made of smart material that can expand to allow the underlying structure to slide out while maintaining an air tight envelope. The use of structural integrity fields allows both greater stress to be tolerated by the sliding section and helps maintain airtight integrity.
Slide compartments are skinned in hull sheets made of smart material that can expand to allow the underlying structure to slide out while maintaining an air tight envelope. The use of structural integrity fields allows both greater stress to be tolerated by the sliding section and helps maintain airtight integrity.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Highland Department of Roads
The Highland Department of Roads maintains the system of gates, beacon stations, and waystations along the Major Routes in subspace. They also operate the hyperdrills that stabilize subspace and make possible the placement of gates in planetary orbit. Workers of the department are called roadies.
Along with members of the Grand Postal Service roadies also maintain and operate the hypercable system. They work with the posties in ensuring messages are delivered once they have exited the hypercable system for delivery to systems not connected.
As might be expected with such a wide range of responsibilities there is no typical roadie.
Within the Grand Human Union the department maintains huge traveling road camps in subspace, typically built on large 500,000-1,500,000 cuft ship platforms which contain quarters, workshops and hangars for hyperdrills, mining craft and other supporting vehicles.
Subspace contains no natural occurring bodies to provide construction material so road camps typically ferry raw materials from asteroid belts and gas giants in handy systems in normal space into subspace to provide stock for the huge industrial nanofactory fabricators located in the road camp workshops and for the portable fabricator machines used to construct the gates, beacon stations and waystation frames. Much of the interior of these structures are constructed by follow on contractors.
Typically thousands of workers support the typical road camp and the camp supports dependents as well. Many couples work the road camps and spend most of their lives traveling along the roads.
Operating roads still require a cadre of specialist technicians to support the repair robots which maintain the beacon stations. Some live at one of the waystations and travel down their route in brakes or HUVs configured as repair vehicles, returning to family after a few days on the road seeing to their charges.
Others are under the care of technician couples working from saucer shaped ketches, 15,000-50,000 cuft vessels containing living spaces, workshops and stock storage holds, most commonly staffed by extended family. In many ways this class of roadies most closely resembles the lighthouse keepers of maritime days, living in relative isolation as they move down the road of their section, maintaining beacon stations, picking up repair stock at roadie depots on the waystations and repairing hypercable installations.
Another responsibility of the Department of Roads is the DOR stormwatch channel. Stormwatch sensors located in beacon stations transmit gravametric information to weather centers located at certain waystations in each road section. The weather stations analyze the information and post storm warnings to be broadcast from the beacon stations to local traffic on the DOR stormwatch channel.
Keeping the stormwatch sensors operating is a part of the job of the maintenance road crews. Most of the storm analysis on the establish network is done by AI, but on new roads or ones still under construction people still have to aid in storm detection.
Along with members of the Grand Postal Service roadies also maintain and operate the hypercable system. They work with the posties in ensuring messages are delivered once they have exited the hypercable system for delivery to systems not connected.
As might be expected with such a wide range of responsibilities there is no typical roadie.
Within the Grand Human Union the department maintains huge traveling road camps in subspace, typically built on large 500,000-1,500,000 cuft ship platforms which contain quarters, workshops and hangars for hyperdrills, mining craft and other supporting vehicles.
Subspace contains no natural occurring bodies to provide construction material so road camps typically ferry raw materials from asteroid belts and gas giants in handy systems in normal space into subspace to provide stock for the huge industrial nanofactory fabricators located in the road camp workshops and for the portable fabricator machines used to construct the gates, beacon stations and waystation frames. Much of the interior of these structures are constructed by follow on contractors.
Typically thousands of workers support the typical road camp and the camp supports dependents as well. Many couples work the road camps and spend most of their lives traveling along the roads.
Operating roads still require a cadre of specialist technicians to support the repair robots which maintain the beacon stations. Some live at one of the waystations and travel down their route in brakes or HUVs configured as repair vehicles, returning to family after a few days on the road seeing to their charges.
Others are under the care of technician couples working from saucer shaped ketches, 15,000-50,000 cuft vessels containing living spaces, workshops and stock storage holds, most commonly staffed by extended family. In many ways this class of roadies most closely resembles the lighthouse keepers of maritime days, living in relative isolation as they move down the road of their section, maintaining beacon stations, picking up repair stock at roadie depots on the waystations and repairing hypercable installations.
Another responsibility of the Department of Roads is the DOR stormwatch channel. Stormwatch sensors located in beacon stations transmit gravametric information to weather centers located at certain waystations in each road section. The weather stations analyze the information and post storm warnings to be broadcast from the beacon stations to local traffic on the DOR stormwatch channel.
Keeping the stormwatch sensors operating is a part of the job of the maintenance road crews. Most of the storm analysis on the establish network is done by AI, but on new roads or ones still under construction people still have to aid in storm detection.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Transport Capsule
Transport capsules are small utility craft used for short range transport in space or on planetary surfaces. Transport capsules are small enough to use commercial vehicle transmat portals. They have no facilities for sleeping or food preparation and so are unsuitable for use on the subspace transport networks. They are most often used to haul a few passengers or small amounts of cargo between spacecraft, transporting personnel between station modules or as transport on worlds to places not served by the transmat system. The capsule is not designed to be serviced in space, although the engine compartment is accessible by removing the floor decking. Access is through the single rear hatch. Transport capsules do not have an enclosed airlock relying on a membrane barrier to maintain cabin pressure when the hatch is open.
Transport Capsule in GURPS VE2 format:
TLA Transport Capsule-class
Crew: 2 total. 2 crew stations covering vehicle maneuvering system, communicator, 4 sensors.
Subassemblies: Vehicle +4, Body +4.
P&P: 52,000,000-kWs rechargeable power cell, 10,000 lbs. thrust Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine (Barnes Manifold deflector; no access space).
Occ: two roomy crew stations (gravity web), five roomy passenger seats (gravity web), three roomy passenger standing room locations, 10-man full life support system.
Armor F RL B T U
Body 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5
Equipment
Body: AESA (scan 17, 10-mile range; non-targeting); long range radio communicator (50,000-mile range); searchlight (0.45-mile range); PESA (scan 21, 50-mile range); gravscanner (scan 17, 10-mile range); multiscanner (scan 17, 10-mile range); small computer (complexity 8; compact, dedicated); routine vehicle operation program (piloting-12, C2); datalink program (C1); computer navigation program (C2); artificial gravity unit (27,000cf covering); full fire suppression system; sealed.
Statistics
Size: [LxWxH] 10'x8.5'x8' Payload: 2,000 lbs. Lwt.: 9,189 lbs.
Volume: 689 cf Maint.: 25 hours (3.85 mh/day) Price: P6420
HT: 14 HP: 750 [Body].
Space Performance: sAccel (unloaded) 1.09 G, ( 1.09 G), sDecel 1.09 G, sMR 1.09, sAccel 20 mph/s.
Aerial Performance: Stall Speed 0 mph, Drag 501, Top Speed 385 mph, aAccel 20 mph/s, aMR 5.5, aSR 4, aDecel 20 mph/s.
Design Notes:
TLA medium frame standard materials [Vehicle].
TLA DR 5 expensive metal [Vehicle].
Operating Duration: 14 H 11 M 46 S.
Vehicle Features: computerized controls, computerized diving controls, pressure proofed, no streamlining.
Volume: 689 cf [Body].
Area: 500 sf [Body].
TLA Transport Capsule-class
Crew: 2 total. 2 crew stations covering vehicle maneuvering system, communicator, 4 sensors.
Subassemblies: Vehicle +4, Body +4.
P&P: 52,000,000-kWs rechargeable power cell, 10,000 lbs. thrust Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine (Barnes Manifold deflector; no access space).
Occ: two roomy crew stations (gravity web), five roomy passenger seats (gravity web), three roomy passenger standing room locations, 10-man full life support system.
Armor F RL B T U
Body 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5
Equipment
Body: AESA (scan 17, 10-mile range; non-targeting); long range radio communicator (50,000-mile range); searchlight (0.45-mile range); PESA (scan 21, 50-mile range); gravscanner (scan 17, 10-mile range); multiscanner (scan 17, 10-mile range); small computer (complexity 8; compact, dedicated); routine vehicle operation program (piloting-12, C2); datalink program (C1); computer navigation program (C2); artificial gravity unit (27,000cf covering); full fire suppression system; sealed.
Statistics
Size: [LxWxH] 10'x8.5'x8' Payload: 2,000 lbs. Lwt.: 9,189 lbs.
Volume: 689 cf Maint.: 25 hours (3.85 mh/day) Price: P6420
HT: 14 HP: 750 [Body].
Space Performance: sAccel (unloaded) 1.09 G, ( 1.09 G), sDecel 1.09 G, sMR 1.09, sAccel 20 mph/s.
Aerial Performance: Stall Speed 0 mph, Drag 501, Top Speed 385 mph, aAccel 20 mph/s, aMR 5.5, aSR 4, aDecel 20 mph/s.
Design Notes:
TLA medium frame standard materials [Vehicle].
TLA DR 5 expensive metal [Vehicle].
Operating Duration: 14 H 11 M 46 S.
Vehicle Features: computerized controls, computerized diving controls, pressure proofed, no streamlining.
Volume: 689 cf [Body].
Area: 500 sf [Body].
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Pinnace
A Pinnace is an armed vessel typically carried aboard other vessels, or used from a base or station in system. Pinnace are typically built in the 250 to 400 thousand cubit foot range. They have shunting capability and are used as scouts or couriers.
Like most spacecraft which are larger than a brake or hypershuttle, but smaller than a Man-'O-War, pinnace are usually saucer shaped. Pinnace in service with the Legion usually are lightly armed, being intend primarily for planetary combat support and uncontested ship boardings. They can be used to land troops or to carry messages in areas where there is no hypercable system.
Because they are capable of independent operation most contain both eating and sleeping accommodations. Often small craft, such as ridged inflatable boats, air utility vehicles, or transport capsules are carried aboard to allow operations in frontier areas and regions off the grid. They are capable of water landings and can set down at unimproved landing areas and even remained tethered by a gravity anchor in mountainous areas too rugged for conventional landing.
All of these characteristics makes this type of vessel highly sought after by private users and traders guilds. Many second hand ones have found there way into this market, though most such vessels have had their weapons stripped and sensors degraded.
Like most spacecraft which are larger than a brake or hypershuttle, but smaller than a Man-'O-War, pinnace are usually saucer shaped. Pinnace in service with the Legion usually are lightly armed, being intend primarily for planetary combat support and uncontested ship boardings. They can be used to land troops or to carry messages in areas where there is no hypercable system.
Because they are capable of independent operation most contain both eating and sleeping accommodations. Often small craft, such as ridged inflatable boats, air utility vehicles, or transport capsules are carried aboard to allow operations in frontier areas and regions off the grid. They are capable of water landings and can set down at unimproved landing areas and even remained tethered by a gravity anchor in mountainous areas too rugged for conventional landing.
All of these characteristics makes this type of vessel highly sought after by private users and traders guilds. Many second hand ones have found there way into this market, though most such vessels have had their weapons stripped and sensors degraded.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Structural Integrity Fields
So what are these structural integrity fields and why should I care? Structural Integrity Fields are a product of force field technology. They allow spacecraft to be constructed at a reduced cost and weight, while also permitting warcraft to be more survivable. A SIF is a system of planar force fields which are formed inside bulkheads and structural members to strengthen them. An SIF increases the amount of stress that such a bulkhead or structural member can take before it fails. As a side benefit SIF will prevent gravscanners and other force based technology from penetrating a hull which is reinforced with a Structural Integrity Field.
So how do I handle this in the game? An SIF allows a ship to be built as if it was built with a heavier frame, without the weight penalty. So in the GURPS VE2 or modular spacecraft system normally Hit points for a hull are calculated using the following formula:
When a vessels has a Structural Integrity Field its Hit Points are calculated using the SIF multiple. It's cost is calculated as for the next highest Frame Value.
So for a vessel with a Super Light Frame the cost multiplier is normally 0.1. Outfitting the vessel with a Structural Integrity Field will raise the Hit Point multiplier to .5 while leaving the Mass Multiplier at .1, but the cost will increase to .25, still less then the 1 multiplier used for an equivalent light frame vessel. The technology's benefits are most dramatic at the heavy and extra heavy frame level used by Men 'O War.
Structural Integrity Fields do add a layer of cost and complexity to a vessel but the benefits are great enough that even small craft, such as brakes and HUVs often have them.
So how do I handle this in the game? An SIF allows a ship to be built as if it was built with a heavier frame, without the weight penalty. So in the GURPS VE2 or modular spacecraft system normally Hit points for a hull are calculated using the following formula:
area * 1.5 * Frame Value
| Frame | Frame Value | SIF |
| Super Light | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Extra Light | 0.25 | 1 |
| Light | 0.5 | 2 |
| Medium | 1 | 4 |
| Heavy | 2 | 8 |
| Extra Heavy | 4 | 16 |
So for a vessel with a Super Light Frame the cost multiplier is normally 0.1. Outfitting the vessel with a Structural Integrity Field will raise the Hit Point multiplier to .5 while leaving the Mass Multiplier at .1, but the cost will increase to .25, still less then the 1 multiplier used for an equivalent light frame vessel. The technology's benefits are most dramatic at the heavy and extra heavy frame level used by Men 'O War.
Structural Integrity Fields do add a layer of cost and complexity to a vessel but the benefits are great enough that even small craft, such as brakes and HUVs often have them.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Anti-Missile Game Mechanics
As for other space combat mechanics in the game this section assumes GURPS VE2 rules modified using New Diapsoria modifications
Assuming a Sensor Net Anti-Missile Missiles (AM Missiles) may be deployed whenever missiles are detected within a range of 1 million miles (100 hexes). From a game mechanics point of view an AM Missile which passes withing the same hex as an attack missile is an automatic kill, unless penetration aids are being used. In the case of an active Jammer there is a one in six chance of a missile hitting an actual missile as opposed to a false or spoofed missile. The GM records a number. If the attacker rolls that number it is a hit. If not a miss.
When jamming is used with a large number of missiles it becomes purely a numbers game. Determine the number of attacking missiles and subtract the number of anti-missile missiles to determine the number of missile which survive. At space combat ranges it is beyond the ability of sensors to determine the actual number of attacking missiles so for the defender it is a game of probabilities. If the defender launches too few AM Missiles attack missiles will get through to their targets. If the defender launches too many AM Missiles the excess missiles will be wasted and might be needed for subsequent attacks.
If penetration aids are used six times as many anti-missile missiles must be launched to stop every missile.
So if an attacker launches 300 missiles and the defender launches 200 AM Missiles, 100 missiles will survive to face the defender's point defense. If the attacker has used penetration aids then only 200/6 missiles (33.3, round up to 34) missiles will be destroyed and 266 missiles will survive to face the defender's point defense.
In the space combat round any missile within 10 hexes (100,000 miles) will be destroyed within the launching turn of the anti-missile missiles. Missiles within 40 hexes (400,000 miles) will be destroyed the turn after AM Missiles are launched. Missiles at 100 hexes (1,000,000) will be destroyed two turns after the AM Missiles are launched. Of course anti-missile missile ranges may be extended by launching them from a heavy missile booster package. In that case the 500mm missile may travel to it full range before deploying it's 10 Viper anti-missile missiles. The Vipers accumulate the heavy missile acceleration as well as their own. Some ship launch Vipers from gravity pulse launchers which will give an extra 1000 Gs of initial acceleration. This really has little effect on game play because of the 10,000 mile hexes used. Difference in range and velocity are lost in the noise.
500mm attack missiles accelerate by one hex every turn. 250mm attack missiles accelerate by one hex every other turn. Missile with laser communicators may be commanded to move at any acceleration up to their maximum acceleration each turn. They may also be made to hold station, creating an kind of space mine which can then attack as the result of a remote trigger from a ship or station.
Any missile which survives will face the defender's point defense. Point defense consists of X-Ray Lasers and railguns firing canister shot. X-Ray Lasers are one-shot/one-kill weapons. In the anti-missile roll they are operated at reduced power and a higher rate of fire. Each laser will kill one missile per turn. For example a quad turret can kill 4 missile per turn. As for anti-missile missiles take the number of attacking missiles and subtract the number of point defense lasers to determine if any missiles survive. Canister shot is an area effect weapon capable of destroying multiple missiles. This is because the range is so short because kinetic kill missiles and contact nukes must converge on the target in order to damage it. Any missiles which do not employ a "pop-up" trajectory will be damaged by canister fire.
X-Ray laser warheads detonate outside the range of point defense lasers and railguns. Such point defense weapons are ineffective against these weapons.
Assuming a Sensor Net Anti-Missile Missiles (AM Missiles) may be deployed whenever missiles are detected within a range of 1 million miles (100 hexes). From a game mechanics point of view an AM Missile which passes withing the same hex as an attack missile is an automatic kill, unless penetration aids are being used. In the case of an active Jammer there is a one in six chance of a missile hitting an actual missile as opposed to a false or spoofed missile. The GM records a number. If the attacker rolls that number it is a hit. If not a miss.
When jamming is used with a large number of missiles it becomes purely a numbers game. Determine the number of attacking missiles and subtract the number of anti-missile missiles to determine the number of missile which survive. At space combat ranges it is beyond the ability of sensors to determine the actual number of attacking missiles so for the defender it is a game of probabilities. If the defender launches too few AM Missiles attack missiles will get through to their targets. If the defender launches too many AM Missiles the excess missiles will be wasted and might be needed for subsequent attacks.
If penetration aids are used six times as many anti-missile missiles must be launched to stop every missile.
So if an attacker launches 300 missiles and the defender launches 200 AM Missiles, 100 missiles will survive to face the defender's point defense. If the attacker has used penetration aids then only 200/6 missiles (33.3, round up to 34) missiles will be destroyed and 266 missiles will survive to face the defender's point defense.
In the space combat round any missile within 10 hexes (100,000 miles) will be destroyed within the launching turn of the anti-missile missiles. Missiles within 40 hexes (400,000 miles) will be destroyed the turn after AM Missiles are launched. Missiles at 100 hexes (1,000,000) will be destroyed two turns after the AM Missiles are launched. Of course anti-missile missile ranges may be extended by launching them from a heavy missile booster package. In that case the 500mm missile may travel to it full range before deploying it's 10 Viper anti-missile missiles. The Vipers accumulate the heavy missile acceleration as well as their own. Some ship launch Vipers from gravity pulse launchers which will give an extra 1000 Gs of initial acceleration. This really has little effect on game play because of the 10,000 mile hexes used. Difference in range and velocity are lost in the noise.
500mm attack missiles accelerate by one hex every turn. 250mm attack missiles accelerate by one hex every other turn. Missile with laser communicators may be commanded to move at any acceleration up to their maximum acceleration each turn. They may also be made to hold station, creating an kind of space mine which can then attack as the result of a remote trigger from a ship or station.
Any missile which survives will face the defender's point defense. Point defense consists of X-Ray Lasers and railguns firing canister shot. X-Ray Lasers are one-shot/one-kill weapons. In the anti-missile roll they are operated at reduced power and a higher rate of fire. Each laser will kill one missile per turn. For example a quad turret can kill 4 missile per turn. As for anti-missile missiles take the number of attacking missiles and subtract the number of point defense lasers to determine if any missiles survive. Canister shot is an area effect weapon capable of destroying multiple missiles. This is because the range is so short because kinetic kill missiles and contact nukes must converge on the target in order to damage it. Any missiles which do not employ a "pop-up" trajectory will be damaged by canister fire.
X-Ray laser warheads detonate outside the range of point defense lasers and railguns. Such point defense weapons are ineffective against these weapons.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sensor Drone Design
Using GURPS sensor rules if missile are allowed to utilize stealth technology and emission cloaking they become effectively undetectable at anything resembling useful ranges. This is especially true of missile which use some kind of gravity drive system, such as the B/G Engine, which itself is not highly detectable, except using a gravscanner. Gravity emission masking, which is available at TL A makes even that method of detection ineffective.
The answer in the New Diasporia universe is the use of sensor drones. To detect stealthed missiles a sensor net, consisting of hundreds of sensor drones are deployed. Such nets are deployed as far forward, that is as close as possible, to the perceived threat.
The goal is to deploy a sensor array that missile will have to physically pass. Optimum deployment forces missiles to approach the sensor drones at a range of no more than 10 to 20 thousand miles at least half a million miles out from the fleet. This will give almost 11 minutes response time for anti-missile launch. As for many of the game mechanics of New Diasporia I have pillaged freely from other GURPS science fiction space based games. The Sensor array Rules are based on the home brewed rules for GT Sensor Arrays by Kenneth Witt located at John G Wood's elv GURPS Traveller site.
As with all my designs I run against the GURPS 3rd Edition TL progression limits. For most technology GURPS assumes that items which are developed in a specific TL cost half as much in the next TL and weigh half as much. Two Tech Levels after their introduction they weigh a quarter as much and their costs is again halved. They may also become more effective. Beyond that no improvement is seen. As one can see in the case of many devices this is not reflective of reality. Computers are an excellent example. Moore's law seems to have no boundary. Room sized at TL6, PC size at TL7, cell phone size at TL8, perhaps pin size at higher TL's. The cost was reduced at an even greater scale.
Rather than limiting progression to two tech levels I allow progression to continue. Since New Diasporia TLA is equivalent to GURPS TL14 in many areas, for sensors designs I continue to reduce sensor cost, mass, and volume for every Tech Level until TL14.
On this basis numbers for TLA sensor systems are:
Using the modified sensor rules there is a +3 scan if >100 sensor platforms are used. If 300 sensor drones are deployed to cover a band of space between the attacking ship and the defender then the mass, volume and cost will be spread over 300 drones. Additional cost of the drone will be the B/G engine, Nuclear Power Generator, three laser communicators and a robotic computer brain. Individual drones will have radical stealth and emission cloaking.
Each drone will have a PESA 2.08 cuft sensor package, costing P2500, a AESA 1.0 cu ft sensor package costing P40.75, and a Gravcanner .375 cuft sensor package costing P5.6. Scann ratings for the whole system will be PESA:54, AESA:54 and Gravscanner:45.
A roll less than 4 on 3x6d will result in detection of a single 500mm missile. Obviously if 100 missiles detection odds are rolled the chance that some of them will be detected is almost a sure thing. So much so that a roll isn't necessary. Because the net is dispersed ignore the scan rating limit of size+36. Its actual size will be greater than size+36, but since each drone must be detected separately (for targeting purposes at any rate) this limit is unimportant.
Such a sensor net requires a signal processing program in a complexity 7 computer in the control node. The node is usually a forward deployed fighter or battlerider, although it can also be a destroyer or destroyer escort, which have the further benefit of being able to deploy the sensor net themselves.
The answer in the New Diasporia universe is the use of sensor drones. To detect stealthed missiles a sensor net, consisting of hundreds of sensor drones are deployed. Such nets are deployed as far forward, that is as close as possible, to the perceived threat.
The goal is to deploy a sensor array that missile will have to physically pass. Optimum deployment forces missiles to approach the sensor drones at a range of no more than 10 to 20 thousand miles at least half a million miles out from the fleet. This will give almost 11 minutes response time for anti-missile launch. As for many of the game mechanics of New Diasporia I have pillaged freely from other GURPS science fiction space based games. The Sensor array Rules are based on the home brewed rules for GT Sensor Arrays by Kenneth Witt located at John G Wood's elv GURPS Traveller site.
As with all my designs I run against the GURPS 3rd Edition TL progression limits. For most technology GURPS assumes that items which are developed in a specific TL cost half as much in the next TL and weigh half as much. Two Tech Levels after their introduction they weigh a quarter as much and their costs is again halved. They may also become more effective. Beyond that no improvement is seen. As one can see in the case of many devices this is not reflective of reality. Computers are an excellent example. Moore's law seems to have no boundary. Room sized at TL6, PC size at TL7, cell phone size at TL8, perhaps pin size at higher TL's. The cost was reduced at an even greater scale.
Rather than limiting progression to two tech levels I allow progression to continue. Since New Diasporia TLA is equivalent to GURPS TL14 in many areas, for sensors designs I continue to reduce sensor cost, mass, and volume for every Tech Level until TL14.
On this basis numbers for TLA sensor systems are:
| PESA | TL | Scan Rating | Range | Hex | Mass | Volume | Cost |
| A | 51 | 4.5M | 450 | 46.875 | 1.25 | 75 |
| AESA | TL | Scan Rating | Range | Hex | Mass | Volume | Cost |
| A | 51 | 4.5M | 450 | 4.45 | 0.5625 | 1.22 |
| Gravscanner | TL | Scan Rating | Range | Hex | Mass | Volume | Cost |
| A | 42 | .45M | 45 | 0.703125 | 0.225 | 8.0 |
Using the modified sensor rules there is a +3 scan if >100 sensor platforms are used. If 300 sensor drones are deployed to cover a band of space between the attacking ship and the defender then the mass, volume and cost will be spread over 300 drones. Additional cost of the drone will be the B/G engine, Nuclear Power Generator, three laser communicators and a robotic computer brain. Individual drones will have radical stealth and emission cloaking.
Each drone will have a PESA 2.08 cuft sensor package, costing P2500, a AESA 1.0 cu ft sensor package costing P40.75, and a Gravcanner .375 cuft sensor package costing P5.6. Scann ratings for the whole system will be PESA:54, AESA:54 and Gravscanner:45.
A roll less than 4 on 3x6d will result in detection of a single 500mm missile. Obviously if 100 missiles detection odds are rolled the chance that some of them will be detected is almost a sure thing. So much so that a roll isn't necessary. Because the net is dispersed ignore the scan rating limit of size+36. Its actual size will be greater than size+36, but since each drone must be detected separately (for targeting purposes at any rate) this limit is unimportant.
Such a sensor net requires a signal processing program in a complexity 7 computer in the control node. The node is usually a forward deployed fighter or battlerider, although it can also be a destroyer or destroyer escort, which have the further benefit of being able to deploy the sensor net themselves.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Airlock Technology
An airlock is a device which allows movement from one kind of environment to another, while maintaining separation between the two. By the time of the New Diasporia airlocks have been in use for hundreds of years. Most spacecraft will have some form of airlock to allow people and objects in the shirtsleeve environment inside the craft to get outside the craft without completely depressurizing it.
The most elementary form of airlock consists of a room with two doors. Each door opens into a different environment. In the case of a spacecraft one will open into the hostile environment outside the ship and the other into the human standard environment inside the ship. Some primitive ships in the Wilds still use this technology.
More modern airlocks use much more sophisticated technology. Modern small craft, especially low tonnage commercial craft use an Airlock Containment Unit. An ACU is a device which is primarily mounted under the deck of a vehicle adjacent to the egress door. The ACU contains the air recovery system and a containment made of smart material. When the unit is in the stowed position it is out of the way and can be walked across like any other section of deck. When deployed the smart material expands to lock into the assembly mounted in the overhead and along the bulkhead. The overhead assembly usually contains a decontamination system. ACUs are available in a number of sizes, with the smallest just big enough for a single person. The ACU has no second door. Its user steps into the delineated square and activates the device which causes the walls to expand and isolate the area. The air is pumped out and the outer door to the vessel opened to allow egress. Most are controlled directly by the vessel's computer, although most also have an emergency power source and manual controls.
A more conventional airlock system for a larger craft consists of a multi-layered airlock system. The typical external airlock door consists of a blast door or safety shutter, which is normally closed during ship operation. Around the external door is typically a docking ring of compressed smart material which can be extruded to create a passage tube between vessels.
Behind the blast door is typically an airlock membrane. Membranes are v-branes which are selectively permeable. That means people and object can pass through them, but atmosphere can't.
A more advanced airlock consists of an opening with a brane which will allow vehicles or individuals to pass through while retaining atmosphere. An airlock planer force field acts as an emergency barrier should the brane fail.
A typical airlock on the most advanced vessels consists of a set of walls which form the airlock each with its portal protected by a brane, with an emergency planer force field and backup blast doors.
While the normal method of airlock control is through the ship's computer most airlocks have control stations located inside the airlock and at each portal. The inner control station typically has a touch panel which will have controls for both sets of doors and for the planar force field. An interlock will prevent de-energizing both planar force fields at the same time. If a force field goes down the blast doors will close.
The station inside the airlock has controls for both the inner and outer portals. Emergency handles allow the brane to be manually deployed and emergency buttons can activate the force field and shut both sets of blast doors.
The outside control station typically has a communication terminal to allow a visitor to "knock" at the airlock door if the blast door is closed. It is possible to set the brane to keep out anyone not recognized as having authorized access, which is typically established using a wireless transponder or RFID tag.
An atmospheric testing station, which monitors the environment outside the outer door and in the airlock itself is also typically available, usually on the same touch panel as the controls. In normal operation the inside of a modern Tech A airlock is at ship's pressure, even during use. Should the brane fail if the planer force field deploys properly there should be little or no drop in pressure. If the force field should fail the airlock can be cycled in emergency mode from any of the three control stations.
A biofilter field in the brane can selectively keep out dangerous microbes and macropests. Still almost all serious airlock systems include a decontamination system and a dust recovery vacuum system to protect the vessel interior.
Airlocks can also be located between compartments of a ship, but it is much more common for a modern ship to have planer force field projectors installed to allow the ship to be segmented. Men 'O War typically supplement damage control force fields with pressure doors. Each pressure door consists of a pair of heavy sliding hatches with a small compartment between them. brane curtains, which will be activated by falling pressure, even without ships power, provides a final line of defense in preventing catastrophic depressurization. Segmenting barriers always include pressure displays to indicate the pressure on the door's far side.
Closed doors can be remotely overridden using the ship's computer, provided one has the proper access. They can be manually overridden only with the proper tools. If air is rushing past an open door it will automatically re-close unless disabled.
The most elementary form of airlock consists of a room with two doors. Each door opens into a different environment. In the case of a spacecraft one will open into the hostile environment outside the ship and the other into the human standard environment inside the ship. Some primitive ships in the Wilds still use this technology.
More modern airlocks use much more sophisticated technology. Modern small craft, especially low tonnage commercial craft use an Airlock Containment Unit. An ACU is a device which is primarily mounted under the deck of a vehicle adjacent to the egress door. The ACU contains the air recovery system and a containment made of smart material. When the unit is in the stowed position it is out of the way and can be walked across like any other section of deck. When deployed the smart material expands to lock into the assembly mounted in the overhead and along the bulkhead. The overhead assembly usually contains a decontamination system. ACUs are available in a number of sizes, with the smallest just big enough for a single person. The ACU has no second door. Its user steps into the delineated square and activates the device which causes the walls to expand and isolate the area. The air is pumped out and the outer door to the vessel opened to allow egress. Most are controlled directly by the vessel's computer, although most also have an emergency power source and manual controls.
A more conventional airlock system for a larger craft consists of a multi-layered airlock system. The typical external airlock door consists of a blast door or safety shutter, which is normally closed during ship operation. Around the external door is typically a docking ring of compressed smart material which can be extruded to create a passage tube between vessels.
Behind the blast door is typically an airlock membrane. Membranes are v-branes which are selectively permeable. That means people and object can pass through them, but atmosphere can't.
A more advanced airlock consists of an opening with a brane which will allow vehicles or individuals to pass through while retaining atmosphere. An airlock planer force field acts as an emergency barrier should the brane fail.
A typical airlock on the most advanced vessels consists of a set of walls which form the airlock each with its portal protected by a brane, with an emergency planer force field and backup blast doors.
While the normal method of airlock control is through the ship's computer most airlocks have control stations located inside the airlock and at each portal. The inner control station typically has a touch panel which will have controls for both sets of doors and for the planar force field. An interlock will prevent de-energizing both planar force fields at the same time. If a force field goes down the blast doors will close.
The station inside the airlock has controls for both the inner and outer portals. Emergency handles allow the brane to be manually deployed and emergency buttons can activate the force field and shut both sets of blast doors.
The outside control station typically has a communication terminal to allow a visitor to "knock" at the airlock door if the blast door is closed. It is possible to set the brane to keep out anyone not recognized as having authorized access, which is typically established using a wireless transponder or RFID tag.
An atmospheric testing station, which monitors the environment outside the outer door and in the airlock itself is also typically available, usually on the same touch panel as the controls. In normal operation the inside of a modern Tech A airlock is at ship's pressure, even during use. Should the brane fail if the planer force field deploys properly there should be little or no drop in pressure. If the force field should fail the airlock can be cycled in emergency mode from any of the three control stations.
A biofilter field in the brane can selectively keep out dangerous microbes and macropests. Still almost all serious airlock systems include a decontamination system and a dust recovery vacuum system to protect the vessel interior.
Airlocks can also be located between compartments of a ship, but it is much more common for a modern ship to have planer force field projectors installed to allow the ship to be segmented. Men 'O War typically supplement damage control force fields with pressure doors. Each pressure door consists of a pair of heavy sliding hatches with a small compartment between them. brane curtains, which will be activated by falling pressure, even without ships power, provides a final line of defense in preventing catastrophic depressurization. Segmenting barriers always include pressure displays to indicate the pressure on the door's far side.
Closed doors can be remotely overridden using the ship's computer, provided one has the proper access. They can be manually overridden only with the proper tools. If air is rushing past an open door it will automatically re-close unless disabled.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Space Combat Missile Design
As for all New Diasporia technical game rules missiles are designed using GURPS 3rd Edition rules from VE 2nd Edition, modified for the New Diasporia Universe. If you use another system either just import the operating statistics into your ruleset or design your own, based upon what ever design rules that ruleset uses.
Standard missiles (250mm & 500mm) were designed using the vehicle rules from VE2 and using GURPS Vehicle Builder, a program which I believe is still available from SJGames. I created a custom Barnes-Gutierrez Engine Module for GVB. Basically it is a Gravity Drive with a low power deflector representing the Barnes Manifold Interface. It was created at TL12 and improves over the next two TLs per standard GURPS Tech Level rules.
Viper anti-missiles were created using the space missile design rules on VE2 p122. The P factor has a progression which goes from TL4 to TL11+. This progression discounts the fact that according to GURPS Reactionless Thruster (and Gravity Drive) rules a drive becomes 1000 times more efficient (that is its weight to thrust ratio is a thousand times greater at TL13+ than it is at TL9.) By increasing setting P=P*1000 to reflect this progression, I got a very high acceleration, but short endurance, anti-missile missile.
X-Ray Laser warheads use damage from GURPS Traveller rather than Gurps Space Third Edition, that is they do 9dx200(2) damage. Note divide by 2 only against Armor, not force fields. As can be seen at that level of damage a flight of 10 missiles could damage even a dreadnought, even with an operating force field. 10 flights of them could easily do in even such a first rater as a super dreadnought.
Missiles with X-Ray warheads are not susceptible to typical point-defense weapons (lasers and rail guns) nor to nuclear dampers at the ranges they deploy at. Anti-Missile Missiles are the best defense against them. Typical ranges of Vipers is 1 million miles (or 100 hexes if using the Traveller 10,000 mile hex based combat system.)
Point-defense weapons typically are only effective when missiles get within 3,000 miles of the target, or within the same hex. X-Ray Lasers detonate at ~10,000 miles from the target or just within the same hex.
Nuclear dampers are only effective in the < 100 mile range. Since nuclear tipped missiles are effectively contact weapons this is more than adequate. Even an active force field will not protect against the 12dx20,000 damage from a 250mm warhead or the 12x2,000,000 damage of a 500mm warhead.
I'll cover more about New Diasporia space combat philosophy in another post.
Standard missiles (250mm & 500mm) were designed using the vehicle rules from VE2 and using GURPS Vehicle Builder, a program which I believe is still available from SJGames. I created a custom Barnes-Gutierrez Engine Module for GVB. Basically it is a Gravity Drive with a low power deflector representing the Barnes Manifold Interface. It was created at TL12 and improves over the next two TLs per standard GURPS Tech Level rules.
Viper anti-missiles were created using the space missile design rules on VE2 p122. The P factor has a progression which goes from TL4 to TL11+. This progression discounts the fact that according to GURPS Reactionless Thruster (and Gravity Drive) rules a drive becomes 1000 times more efficient (that is its weight to thrust ratio is a thousand times greater at TL13+ than it is at TL9.) By increasing setting P=P*1000 to reflect this progression, I got a very high acceleration, but short endurance, anti-missile missile.
X-Ray Laser warheads use damage from GURPS Traveller rather than Gurps Space Third Edition, that is they do 9dx200(2) damage. Note divide by 2 only against Armor, not force fields. As can be seen at that level of damage a flight of 10 missiles could damage even a dreadnought, even with an operating force field. 10 flights of them could easily do in even such a first rater as a super dreadnought.
Missiles with X-Ray warheads are not susceptible to typical point-defense weapons (lasers and rail guns) nor to nuclear dampers at the ranges they deploy at. Anti-Missile Missiles are the best defense against them. Typical ranges of Vipers is 1 million miles (or 100 hexes if using the Traveller 10,000 mile hex based combat system.)
Point-defense weapons typically are only effective when missiles get within 3,000 miles of the target, or within the same hex. X-Ray Lasers detonate at ~10,000 miles from the target or just within the same hex.
Nuclear dampers are only effective in the < 100 mile range. Since nuclear tipped missiles are effectively contact weapons this is more than adequate. Even an active force field will not protect against the 12dx20,000 damage from a 250mm warhead or the 12x2,000,000 damage of a 500mm warhead.
I'll cover more about New Diasporia space combat philosophy in another post.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Space Combat - Missiles
In the New Diasporia Universe, at TL A at any rate, space combat is dominated by the missile. Energy weapons, especially among the largest ships, are formidable weapons with very great ranges. In single ship actions, especially between relatively small vessels at very close range, energy weapons are very effective. In fleet actions missiles are the deadliest weapons.
The Legion has standardized on offensive missiles in 2 standard sizes, 250 mm 6 cf missiles and 500 mm 30 cf missiles. Other armed ships inside the Union tend to use these same missile sizes. Because much of the weapon technology of the nearer Midland worlds tends to originate in the Highlands these sizes are also common there,
The typical light missile is a kinetic kill weapon, primarily a heavily stealthed B/G engine with a mass of collapsed matter for a warhead and a brilliant compact computer guided by a sensor targeting array. Topping out at 700G acceleration and with an endurance of 15 minutes and a range of almost 2 million miles light missiles are formidable weapons, even against a target with a force field, if you throw enough of them at it.
Heavy missiles are even more versatile. Topping out at 1000G acceleration and with an endurance of 18 minutes and a range of 3 miles heavy missiles can carry a variety of payload packages, including nuclear and X-Ray laser warheads.
Viper anti-missile have a crushing 10,000G acceleration, but only have a 3 minute endurance, but they can still have a range of a million miles of powered flight. A heavy missile can deliver 10 Viper anti-missiles, extending the usable range of these lethal fire and forget weapons. They can also be fired from a gravity pulse launcher, which conveys an even higher initial acceleration, extending their range. Vipers typically contain a force field warhead which gives them an intersection cross section larger than their own size.
Unlike Vipers, light and heavy missiles are a combination of guided and fire-and-forget technology. Each missile contains a long range laser receiver that allows it to be controlled from its firing vessel or any other platform with the proper access codes. When the missile gets withing close range of its target an on board computer uses the missile's own sensor package to guide it to its target. A self-destruct charge allows the remote operator to destroy the missile at need.
Modified heavy missiles can be used to control other missiles in its flight allowing one laser guidance transmitter to control a barrage of missiles.
There are versions of both light and heavy missiles which have been converted into surveillance drones, ECM drones and even delivery systems for smart bombs, glide bombs and deadfall ordnance.
There are a variety of different sensor packages that can be used for guidance. Passive systems include radscanners, which can be used for Anti-Radiation Missile Homing (ARM), ladar homing, and neutrino homing, and PESA, good for Infrared imaging, Radar homing, and even optical homing. Multiscanners can be used to target particular targets based on human occupation or even to avoid them, as well as working in radscanner mode as above. In chemscanner mode particular ship locations or economic targets can be chosen. Gravscanner homers can lock onto force fields or the Barnes Manifold of a B/G engine.
For the cost in weight of a laser transceiver a missile can send telemetry data back to its mother ship. This slightly reduces its payload.
Because they can be remotely controlled missiles can be seeded in a location and be activated later. A missile's engine can also be turned off to allow it to drift further extending its range, though ballistic missiles are easy targets for lasers or railguns.
The Legion has standardized on offensive missiles in 2 standard sizes, 250 mm 6 cf missiles and 500 mm 30 cf missiles. Other armed ships inside the Union tend to use these same missile sizes. Because much of the weapon technology of the nearer Midland worlds tends to originate in the Highlands these sizes are also common there,
The typical light missile is a kinetic kill weapon, primarily a heavily stealthed B/G engine with a mass of collapsed matter for a warhead and a brilliant compact computer guided by a sensor targeting array. Topping out at 700G acceleration and with an endurance of 15 minutes and a range of almost 2 million miles light missiles are formidable weapons, even against a target with a force field, if you throw enough of them at it.
Heavy missiles are even more versatile. Topping out at 1000G acceleration and with an endurance of 18 minutes and a range of 3 miles heavy missiles can carry a variety of payload packages, including nuclear and X-Ray laser warheads.
Unlike Vipers, light and heavy missiles are a combination of guided and fire-and-forget technology. Each missile contains a long range laser receiver that allows it to be controlled from its firing vessel or any other platform with the proper access codes. When the missile gets withing close range of its target an on board computer uses the missile's own sensor package to guide it to its target. A self-destruct charge allows the remote operator to destroy the missile at need.
Modified heavy missiles can be used to control other missiles in its flight allowing one laser guidance transmitter to control a barrage of missiles.
There are versions of both light and heavy missiles which have been converted into surveillance drones, ECM drones and even delivery systems for smart bombs, glide bombs and deadfall ordnance.
There are a variety of different sensor packages that can be used for guidance. Passive systems include radscanners, which can be used for Anti-Radiation Missile Homing (ARM), ladar homing, and neutrino homing, and PESA, good for Infrared imaging, Radar homing, and even optical homing. Multiscanners can be used to target particular targets based on human occupation or even to avoid them, as well as working in radscanner mode as above. In chemscanner mode particular ship locations or economic targets can be chosen. Gravscanner homers can lock onto force fields or the Barnes Manifold of a B/G engine.
For the cost in weight of a laser transceiver a missile can send telemetry data back to its mother ship. This slightly reduces its payload.
Because they can be remotely controlled missiles can be seeded in a location and be activated later. A missile's engine can also be turned off to allow it to drift further extending its range, though ballistic missiles are easy targets for lasers or railguns.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Celestial Architecture
Celestial Architecture is the art and science of designing spacecraft. In the New Diasporia universe this typically means shunt capable vessels as opposed to space vehicles capable of using the Major Routes or Blue highways. The design of the smaller, mass produced vessels used on these routes is typically called Aerospace Engineering.
While small spacecraft are designed based on both aesthetic and practical engineering considerations, large space vessels are almost totally designed based on practical engineering design factors. This leads to a uniformity of design practices. That is, vessels of similar purposes will almost always be designed to the same constraints, and will look and perform similarly.
So for example, men o' war are almost always spherical in shape. This is because force fields which are spherical rather than conformal are lighter, cheaper and require less power. The size and strength of the field required by a hyper utility vehicle is small enough that the difference between maintaining a spherical or conformal field does not result in a great enough limitation to constrain the design. Other considerations, such as parking convenience and ability to utilize transmat portals are more important. For heavily armored war craft though, the spherical shape is the most efficient one.
Smaller vessels, like the pinnace, schooner and corvette are typically cylindrical or saucer shaped, depending on their size.
Unlike craft propelled by reaction engines a vessel which uses a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine is not constrained to a single axis of movement. A B/G engine can thrust equally well in any direction. In all but the smallest craft the control room, or as it more properly known, the bridge, is typically centrally located in the vessel rather than at the "front." Most modern vessels will typically thrust so that the vessel's motion is perpendicular to the main deck, with "down" facing the direction of origin. Since it is not required to change the orientation of the engine to change its direction of thrust vessels do not "flip" to decelerate. On larger vessels not all decks necessarily are oriented to the same direction. Such vessel are never meant to land on a planetary surface and provide their own gravity anyway. There is no reason they should maintain a consistent "down" direction, and often it is more convenient for them not to.
Radial designs have many benefits and most modern vessels which are not spherical use a radial design. The very smallest craft; brakes, HUVs and hypertrains are the exception.
While small spacecraft are designed based on both aesthetic and practical engineering considerations, large space vessels are almost totally designed based on practical engineering design factors. This leads to a uniformity of design practices. That is, vessels of similar purposes will almost always be designed to the same constraints, and will look and perform similarly.
So for example, men o' war are almost always spherical in shape. This is because force fields which are spherical rather than conformal are lighter, cheaper and require less power. The size and strength of the field required by a hyper utility vehicle is small enough that the difference between maintaining a spherical or conformal field does not result in a great enough limitation to constrain the design. Other considerations, such as parking convenience and ability to utilize transmat portals are more important. For heavily armored war craft though, the spherical shape is the most efficient one.
Smaller vessels, like the pinnace, schooner and corvette are typically cylindrical or saucer shaped, depending on their size.
Unlike craft propelled by reaction engines a vessel which uses a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine is not constrained to a single axis of movement. A B/G engine can thrust equally well in any direction. In all but the smallest craft the control room, or as it more properly known, the bridge, is typically centrally located in the vessel rather than at the "front." Most modern vessels will typically thrust so that the vessel's motion is perpendicular to the main deck, with "down" facing the direction of origin. Since it is not required to change the orientation of the engine to change its direction of thrust vessels do not "flip" to decelerate. On larger vessels not all decks necessarily are oriented to the same direction. Such vessel are never meant to land on a planetary surface and provide their own gravity anyway. There is no reason they should maintain a consistent "down" direction, and often it is more convenient for them not to.
Radial designs have many benefits and most modern vessels which are not spherical use a radial design. The very smallest craft; brakes, HUVs and hypertrains are the exception.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Gravity Drives
The Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine is a form of gravity drive. A gravity drive is a type of propulsion engine which operates by manipulating space-time. A gravity drive produces a "bubble" which is gravitationally isolated from the rest of space-time. This produces a number of effects which define the operational characteristics of the Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine.
The interface or topological surface produced by the B/G engine is called the Barnes Manifold. Mass inside the Barnes Manifold is accelerated by the engine without translating the resultant inertial force to the the field's interior. In other words, inside the Barnes Manifold the usual acceleration force is not present. As a matter of fact vehicles and spacecraft which use Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engines require an artificial gravity web to maintain a comfortable gravity field, else the occupants would be weightless. This means that a passenger in a vehicle using a B/G Engine will feel neither acceleration nor deceleration. This allows such vehicles to perform hairpin turns, rapid changes in acceleration, and high speed stops, without fear of injuring the occupants. This also means that a spacecraft utilizing a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine can provide thrust in any direction without the vessel changing orientation.
The strength and permeability of the Manifold Interface is a function of its size and differential interaction with outside space. So micro B/G Engines, such as are used by smart ammunition, have very weak Barnes Manifolds even though they accelerate at >200,000 Gs. A full size space vessel, accelerating at only dozens of Gs will have a substantial, and well defined Barnes Manifold. The Manifold Interface acts as a buffer between particles outside the field and those inside the field. That means that even without a force field, a craft with a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine provides it's own radiation shield and protection against particulate radiation and even micrometeorites. The higher the acceleration the better the protection. The lower the acceleration the less protection.
Most spacecraft using reaction engines accelerate for approximately one half of a trip through space and then turn over to use their engines to decelerate for the second half of the journey to arrive at their destination with approximately zero residual velocity. Because a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine can produce thrust in any direction it is not required for a spacecraft equipped with one to "flip" during a typical journey. Most spacecraft that use reaction drives will adjust pitch and yaw through the use of small reaction engines. A vessel equipped with a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine can control its facing by manipulating the slip along the Barnes Manifold Interface such that the vessel can easily be set to any heading.
Because facing is not terribly relevant for a large vessel using a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine many are spherical with a fore and aft section designated more for reasons of tradition than from need. Such vessels typically maintain a single heading during a voyage, changing the vector of their thrust rather than their heading.
Because it is a form of gravity drive a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine behaves differently in subspace. On the gravitational topology of subspace too much gravitational thrust will actually result in a contra-gravitational force causing a vessel to lose velocity rather than gain it. To allow a vessel to move through subspace a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine must be adjusted to match local gravitational conditions. The vessel will then move at a more or less constant velocity unless affected by local gravitational eddies.
With proper modification a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine can open a temporary conduit to subspace. This is called shunting. A Barnes-Gutierrez Engine cannot provide both acceleration and open a shunt at the same time. This is a limitation of the nature of space-time and not of the engine itself. No one foolish enough to attempt to operate two engines in the same vessel, in different modes at the same time has survived to explain the result.
Engines operating in acceleration mode can easily coexists, though two vessels operating at high accelerations, with well defined Barnes Manifolds will have problems trying to dock. The effects will not be catastrophic, the vessels will simply tend to push each other away. This makes it easy to launch battleriders or shuttles even at high acceleration, but difficult to recover them without moving at a constant velocity.
Most spacecraft using reaction engines accelerate for approximately one half of a trip through space and then turn over to use their engines to decelerate for the second half of the journey to arrive at their destination with approximately zero residual velocity. Because a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine can produce thrust in any direction it is not required for a spacecraft equipped with one to "flip" during a typical journey. Most spacecraft that use reaction drives will adjust pitch and yaw through the use of small reaction engines. A vessel equipped with a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine can control its facing by manipulating the slip along the Barnes Manifold Interface such that the vessel can easily be set to any heading.
Because facing is not terribly relevant for a large vessel using a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine many are spherical with a fore and aft section designated more for reasons of tradition than from need. Such vessels typically maintain a single heading during a voyage, changing the vector of their thrust rather than their heading.
Because it is a form of gravity drive a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine behaves differently in subspace. On the gravitational topology of subspace too much gravitational thrust will actually result in a contra-gravitational force causing a vessel to lose velocity rather than gain it. To allow a vessel to move through subspace a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine must be adjusted to match local gravitational conditions. The vessel will then move at a more or less constant velocity unless affected by local gravitational eddies.
With proper modification a Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine can open a temporary conduit to subspace. This is called shunting. A Barnes-Gutierrez Engine cannot provide both acceleration and open a shunt at the same time. This is a limitation of the nature of space-time and not of the engine itself. No one foolish enough to attempt to operate two engines in the same vessel, in different modes at the same time has survived to explain the result.
Engines operating in acceleration mode can easily coexists, though two vessels operating at high accelerations, with well defined Barnes Manifolds will have problems trying to dock. The effects will not be catastrophic, the vessels will simply tend to push each other away. This makes it easy to launch battleriders or shuttles even at high acceleration, but difficult to recover them without moving at a constant velocity.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Space Combat - Movement
Generally speaking there are two broad types of space combat scenarios in New Diasporia: Individual ship actions and fleet actions.
Individual ship actions can be done using the abstract combat rules from GURPS Space by converting the standard GURPS statistics of New Diasporia to GURPS Space statistics (which in most cases means dividing them by 100.) Any other space combat system can also be used, provided the game master/story teller/referee is willing to convert the ship statistics to that game system.
Fleet actions are divided into a strategic and a tactical phase. In the strategic phase fleet assets are moved to the target using the stellar maps. Movement on the star system scale should be calculated using the proper calculations. I use those given in the Space Travel and Combat appendix of the GURPS fourth edition Sourcebook Vorkosigan Saga, specifically the Newtonian Space Flight box. All of these formula are derivable from real world sources. As for many other calculation used in the game I use a spreadsheet which allows me to plug in the values rather than having to calculate them by hand during the game. That keeps the game moving.
At the tactical level I use the modified GURPS Traveller hex map rules already referenced. That is hex distances are 1 hex = 10,000 miles. Time scale is 1 min. This is a two dimensional playing field instead of a three dimensional field. Yes a three dimensional field is more accurate, it is also very difficult to play. Playability thumps accuracy in this case. For game purposes movement can be rounded such that 100 Gs of acceleration will equal 1 hex per minute movement. So a ship with 100 Gs acceleration will move 1 hex in its first movement phase 2 hexes in its second movement phase. 3 hexes in its third movement phase, etc.
To calculate how many miles a vessel will move use the formula:
Individual ship actions can be done using the abstract combat rules from GURPS Space by converting the standard GURPS statistics of New Diasporia to GURPS Space statistics (which in most cases means dividing them by 100.) Any other space combat system can also be used, provided the game master/story teller/referee is willing to convert the ship statistics to that game system.
Fleet actions are divided into a strategic and a tactical phase. In the strategic phase fleet assets are moved to the target using the stellar maps. Movement on the star system scale should be calculated using the proper calculations. I use those given in the Space Travel and Combat appendix of the GURPS fourth edition Sourcebook Vorkosigan Saga, specifically the Newtonian Space Flight box. All of these formula are derivable from real world sources. As for many other calculation used in the game I use a spreadsheet which allows me to plug in the values rather than having to calculate them by hand during the game. That keeps the game moving.
At the tactical level I use the modified GURPS Traveller hex map rules already referenced. That is hex distances are 1 hex = 10,000 miles. Time scale is 1 min. This is a two dimensional playing field instead of a three dimensional field. Yes a three dimensional field is more accurate, it is also very difficult to play. Playability thumps accuracy in this case. For game purposes movement can be rounded such that 100 Gs of acceleration will equal 1 hex per minute movement. So a ship with 100 Gs acceleration will move 1 hex in its first movement phase 2 hexes in its second movement phase. 3 hexes in its third movement phase, etc.
To calculate how many miles a vessel will move use the formula:
Travel time [hours] = SQRT(0.0000508)*((Distance[Miles])/Acceleration [Gs])
This gives the time require for the spacecraft to travel longer distances.Saturday, July 23, 2011
Men O'War -Vessel Classes
The smallest standard warship class is the Corvette, also known as the patrol ship. Corvettes are usually no more than four to five hundred thousand cubic feet in size. They have a small crew and are used for custom and policing duties, by both the Legion and Rangers. Other space navies use them for equivalent duties. Corvettes are lightly armed and armored.
The Pinnace is an even smaller vessel. Typically between 250 thousand and 400 thousand cubic feet, pinnaces, though they have hypershunting capability, are typically carried aboard other vessels to provide couriers, engage in scouting tasks and provide messenger services. A Pinnace is typically an armed vessel. They are capable of landing on world, which larger combat ships are not, as well as operating in hyperspace.
The Schooner is a lightly armed, swift courier vessel which often accompanies fleets and tasks forces. Like the Pinnace they are small enough to be embarked on major combatants as auxiliary vessels. most Schooners are in the fifty thousand to hundred thousand cubic foot range.
Frigates are more heavily armed ships designed for independent duty. The typical frigate is from 5 to 8 million cubic feet in size, though some Midland forces are known to field frigates in the ten million cubic foot size. Frigates range from medium to heavily armored and are usually outfitted to provide for planetary combat support as well as space combat. This means they embark a number of space and planetary combat craft, as well as having sufficient personnel to man them.
The Destroyer and its even smaller cousin the Destroyer Escort are ships in the 5 to 6 million and 3 to 5 million cubic feet range respectively. Unlike the Frigate, Destroyers and Escorts are designed to provide support to larger warships or convoys of merchant craft. They are neither designed for independent action, nor capable of supporting planetary combat.
A Battlerider is a small vessel in the 50 thousand to 400 thousand range optimized for space combat. Unlike the Pinnace they lack passenger facilities and though shunt capable and landing rated, they are seldom used for any other purpose than space combat. Most battleriders are specialized with a specific weapons mix or sensor package. They most often operate in groups which consists of craft of varied capabilities. Like most large space combatants they are typically roughly spherically shaped.
A third-rater or Battleship is a ship of the line usually in the 10 million to 50 million cubic foot range. Battleships are the lightest of the ships of the line. They are armored with heavy force fields. Like all ships-of-the-line a battleship will have a large troop contingent, as well as combat support craft, including many battelriders.
A second-rater or Dreadnought is a ship of the line usually in the 100 to 200 million cubic foot range.
A first-rater or Superdreadnought is a ship of the line usually in the 200 to 250 million cubic foot range.
The Pinnace is an even smaller vessel. Typically between 250 thousand and 400 thousand cubic feet, pinnaces, though they have hypershunting capability, are typically carried aboard other vessels to provide couriers, engage in scouting tasks and provide messenger services. A Pinnace is typically an armed vessel. They are capable of landing on world, which larger combat ships are not, as well as operating in hyperspace.
The Schooner is a lightly armed, swift courier vessel which often accompanies fleets and tasks forces. Like the Pinnace they are small enough to be embarked on major combatants as auxiliary vessels. most Schooners are in the fifty thousand to hundred thousand cubic foot range.
Frigates are more heavily armed ships designed for independent duty. The typical frigate is from 5 to 8 million cubic feet in size, though some Midland forces are known to field frigates in the ten million cubic foot size. Frigates range from medium to heavily armored and are usually outfitted to provide for planetary combat support as well as space combat. This means they embark a number of space and planetary combat craft, as well as having sufficient personnel to man them.
The Destroyer and its even smaller cousin the Destroyer Escort are ships in the 5 to 6 million and 3 to 5 million cubic feet range respectively. Unlike the Frigate, Destroyers and Escorts are designed to provide support to larger warships or convoys of merchant craft. They are neither designed for independent action, nor capable of supporting planetary combat.
A Battlerider is a small vessel in the 50 thousand to 400 thousand range optimized for space combat. Unlike the Pinnace they lack passenger facilities and though shunt capable and landing rated, they are seldom used for any other purpose than space combat. Most battleriders are specialized with a specific weapons mix or sensor package. They most often operate in groups which consists of craft of varied capabilities. Like most large space combatants they are typically roughly spherically shaped.
A third-rater or Battleship is a ship of the line usually in the 10 million to 50 million cubic foot range. Battleships are the lightest of the ships of the line. They are armored with heavy force fields. Like all ships-of-the-line a battleship will have a large troop contingent, as well as combat support craft, including many battelriders.
A second-rater or Dreadnought is a ship of the line usually in the 100 to 200 million cubic foot range.
A first-rater or Superdreadnought is a ship of the line usually in the 200 to 250 million cubic foot range.
Space Combat - Framework
Generally speaking New Diasporia is about the background, not about the game system. But for aspects of the game which are either central to the concept or describe technology unique to the game universe it is very difficult to present the background in a way which will allow use of the material without adding game mechanics to the mix. If your preferred game system already has rules or a way in which to incorporate these concepts by all means use them. Game mechanics included here are for those who wish to have a set of rules ready made for the background.
The native game rule set of New Diasporia is GURPS 3rd Edition. Any rules present here are based upon or are variants of that rule set.
The area in which New Diasporia has the largest set of applicable rules is in space combat. Space combat rules are always almost entirely driven by the technology of the game universe. Often that in game technology is driven by the feel of the space combat experience desired by the creator. So for example, Traveller most closely resembles the age of battleships, while a game like Full Thrust or Star Wars D6 fulling incorporates fighter combat, like modern naval warfare.
As for GURPS, over the years GURPS has incorporated a number of different space combat rule sets. GURPS Compendium II introduced the Space Opera Combat System and the Abstract Space Combat System. GURPS Space has its own, slightly more detailed abstract space combat system. GURPS Traveller used a hex grid based combat system, optimized for the Traveller universe. GURPS Space has a sidebar conversion to allow the use of the GT hex system with GURPS Space. All of these systems are predicated on very low spacecraft acceleration, 6 Gs or less for GURPS Traveller.
I find the GURPS Traveller Rules the most useful after modifications. Each hex is 10,000 miles across. Time scale for each round is reduced from 20 minutes to 1 minute. Vessels traveling at >50 Gs acceleration tend to pass outside of effective combat range very quickly. Capital ship energy weapons have ranges in the 40,000 to 80,000 mile range. Missiles tend to have longer ranges, in the 1,000,000 mile range for a single stage missile and many times that for a multiple stage missile.
Classes of combat ships follow.
The native game rule set of New Diasporia is GURPS 3rd Edition. Any rules present here are based upon or are variants of that rule set.
The area in which New Diasporia has the largest set of applicable rules is in space combat. Space combat rules are always almost entirely driven by the technology of the game universe. Often that in game technology is driven by the feel of the space combat experience desired by the creator. So for example, Traveller most closely resembles the age of battleships, while a game like Full Thrust or Star Wars D6 fulling incorporates fighter combat, like modern naval warfare.
As for GURPS, over the years GURPS has incorporated a number of different space combat rule sets. GURPS Compendium II introduced the Space Opera Combat System and the Abstract Space Combat System. GURPS Space has its own, slightly more detailed abstract space combat system. GURPS Traveller used a hex grid based combat system, optimized for the Traveller universe. GURPS Space has a sidebar conversion to allow the use of the GT hex system with GURPS Space. All of these systems are predicated on very low spacecraft acceleration, 6 Gs or less for GURPS Traveller.
I find the GURPS Traveller Rules the most useful after modifications. Each hex is 10,000 miles across. Time scale for each round is reduced from 20 minutes to 1 minute. Vessels traveling at >50 Gs acceleration tend to pass outside of effective combat range very quickly. Capital ship energy weapons have ranges in the 40,000 to 80,000 mile range. Missiles tend to have longer ranges, in the 1,000,000 mile range for a single stage missile and many times that for a multiple stage missile.
Classes of combat ships follow.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Nanomaterials & Game Mechanics
In the universe of the New Diasporia nanomaterials have been around for a long time. The field of nanomaterials encompasses a materials- based approach to nanotechnology. Unlike the nanite based microelectronic field of nanorobotics upon which later tech levels are based nanomaterials are not strictly speaking nanomachine based. Most nanomaterial properties are based on quantum mechanical effects. Novel material properties become apparent in the nanoscopic region. For example opaque substances become tranparent (copper), stable materials become combustible (aluminum), isulators become conductors (silicone), solids exhibit the characteristics of liquids (gold). Many of these properties are used in the construction of nanomachines, however many materials such as ceramics, alloys and fixed powders can evidence properties which are unattainable at larger sizes, but do not require a mastery of advanced nanorobotics.
In the game mechanics of New Diasporia nanomaterials are sometimes invoked as a mechanism to alter the GURPS 3ed. rule set for the background or as an in universe explanation for how some of the tech works.
A particular example is spacecraft "skin." New Diasporia spacecraft at the TLA technology level have two characteristics which are not standard GURPS properties.
The first is stealth. In GURPS VE 2nd Edition rules only streamlined vehicles can be stealthy. This is an extension of existing stealth designs which are based on LO or low observable technology. This technology depends on both surface shape and composition. In the New Diasporia rules a nanomaterial stealth coating allows even unstreamlined vehicles to have basic or radical stealth characteristics. Stealth reduces a vehicle's chances of being detected by active sensors. Typically only military vessels will have radical stealth. Naturally such nanomaterial stealth like other crystal skin properties is adjustable, so a ship with stealthy "skin" can be unstealthy at will.
The second is solar cells or rather solar power accumulating skin. VE 2nd allows, at TL11+ for direct surface mounting of solar cells using the formula solar cell sqft = hull area/2. New Diasporia allows total coverage to be equal to any skin area not occupied by weapons or sensors. Even windows can absorb sunlight in the non-visible spectrum. Calculate output of the solar absorbtion system by calculating the square footage of "skin" and use the TL9+ value of .08 kW per sqft. pwr = hull area x .08. Actual effective output is typically one-half of that number since typically only one side of the craft can face the sun. It is possible of course to sit between binary suns and get maximum output, but that is a special case. The craft skin can still have stealth, infrared or liquid crystal skin.
Broadly speaking TLA is roughly equivalent to GURPS TL14. Nanomaterials first become widely available at TLF, so are widely used on even fairly obsolete vessels. Standard Tech Level GURPS rule relationships between sensor and stealth/emission control effectiveness are used. So sensors from higher Tech Levels are more effective against sensor masking techniques of lower Tech Levels.
In the game mechanics of New Diasporia nanomaterials are sometimes invoked as a mechanism to alter the GURPS 3ed. rule set for the background or as an in universe explanation for how some of the tech works.
A particular example is spacecraft "skin." New Diasporia spacecraft at the TLA technology level have two characteristics which are not standard GURPS properties.
The first is stealth. In GURPS VE 2nd Edition rules only streamlined vehicles can be stealthy. This is an extension of existing stealth designs which are based on LO or low observable technology. This technology depends on both surface shape and composition. In the New Diasporia rules a nanomaterial stealth coating allows even unstreamlined vehicles to have basic or radical stealth characteristics. Stealth reduces a vehicle's chances of being detected by active sensors. Typically only military vessels will have radical stealth. Naturally such nanomaterial stealth like other crystal skin properties is adjustable, so a ship with stealthy "skin" can be unstealthy at will.
The second is solar cells or rather solar power accumulating skin. VE 2nd allows, at TL11+ for direct surface mounting of solar cells using the formula solar cell sqft = hull area/2. New Diasporia allows total coverage to be equal to any skin area not occupied by weapons or sensors. Even windows can absorb sunlight in the non-visible spectrum. Calculate output of the solar absorbtion system by calculating the square footage of "skin" and use the TL9+ value of .08 kW per sqft. pwr = hull area x .08. Actual effective output is typically one-half of that number since typically only one side of the craft can face the sun. It is possible of course to sit between binary suns and get maximum output, but that is a special case. The craft skin can still have stealth, infrared or liquid crystal skin.
Broadly speaking TLA is roughly equivalent to GURPS TL14. Nanomaterials first become widely available at TLF, so are widely used on even fairly obsolete vessels. Standard Tech Level GURPS rule relationships between sensor and stealth/emission control effectiveness are used. So sensors from higher Tech Levels are more effective against sensor masking techniques of lower Tech Levels.
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