CMC Rules

Because the CMC is a device unique to New Diasporia I have included this page on rules for using CMC devices. As I have explained before New Diasporia is a game background. For many aspects of the game any rule system will do, and because many RPG rulesets dedicated to science fiction already include rules for handheld sensor and communication devices feel free to completely disregard this post if you prefer the rules you are familiar with or are already integrated into the ruleset of your choice. I should start by stating that these rules are based upon the sensor rules for GURPS, of which both the 3rd edition, which I use, and the 4th edition which I do not (but sometimes steal shamelessly from) were developed by David Pulver.
As already stated I do not use GURPS's 2 plus TL of development progression limits. In New Diasporia new technological developments for devices continue as TL levels increase. This basically means that most technology gets smaller, lighter and more energy efficient as TL increases. This tends to mean that while a device at its original TL might be as big as a bread box and require mains power in a half dozen TLs it's likely to fit in a thimble and run for a week on a AA cell.
CMCs are basically superscience enhanced cell phones. Their range is generally very limited compared to vehicle mounted sensors. The ranges and capabilities document here are for TLA CMC devices. At lower TLs range is generally lower to allow devices of the same size and weight to be used so that a CMC is always in the .4-.5 lbs range and has a display that is in the 5.5 to 6 inch range.

Sensor rules

I should go over  the sensor rules that I use. They are based on GURPS 3rd Edition. Basically the skill of the sensor operator is modified by the characteristics of the sensor and a result is given by how successful the roll is. The GM makes the roll after applying the modifiers the the player's skill stat in using that sensor. A non-expert is assumed to have a minimum default stat of 11 at their own TL. If using GURPS rules default is IQ-5. When using a CMC with special software, such as with a medical scanner application, skill is directly related to the skill level in that profession. So a physician or someone with diagnostics skills uses their skill level in those skills, typically 12- 18, with 18 being an expert. Anyone else gets IQ-7.

Modifiers are the sensor's scan rating, the object's size (for detecting a vehicle, object, or person), Speed/Range, Special, prior contact, and distraction and sometime a unique sensor type modifier.

The scan rating is based upon the range to the object (see the scan table below). For the size modifier see the size modifier table. Humans and smaller objects, have a size modifier of 0. Some indirect sensors do not use size modifiers in the same way, as explained below. If the object is beyond the range of the sensor it cannot be seen. Note that object of certain sizes are always within range of specific sensors. For example a PESA visual scan will always be able to record a planet or mountain that a person can see with the naked eye. Of course minimum resolution might prevent any kind of meaningful detail of the image. Most sensor can detect a fast moving object easier than they can detect a motionless one. A Special modifier is applied when certain types of sensors and evasion technologies are used. Prior contact gives a +4 bonus if the target was previously detected visually or using another sensor. If the total of all the modifiers is -10 or more detection is impossible. If the bonus is +10 detection is automatic. Else roll vs. the operator's sensor skill and take the degree of success from the Sensor Scan Table. GURPS rules include many more entries in their tables than I've included below. These tables encompass only use of  CMC. For other sensor sets you'll have to check the GURPS rulebooks because I'm not copying them here.
Range to Scan Table

Range (Mile)	Scan	Range (Mile)	Scan
0.1	5	1.5	12
0.15	6	2	13
0.2	7	3	14
0.3	8	4.5	15
0.5	9	7	16
0.7	10	10	17
1	11	15	18

Size Modifier is assigned for vehicles when they are designed in the GURPS vehicle system. Ships and vehicles in New Diasporia are based on cuft. For comparison a standard midsize car is about 120 cuft. A van is 300 to 400 cuft. Ships are thousands and hundreds or thousands cuft.
Size Modifier Table

Volume (cuft)	Modifier	Volume (cuft)	Modifier
0.1	-4	300	+3
0.3	-3	1000	+4
1	-2	3000	+5
3	+1	10,000	+6
10	+0	30,000	+7
30	+1	100,000	+8
100	+2	300,000	+9

Speed/Range
Speed/Range is not terribly important when using an CMC. Most vehicles that are moving at all will have a modifier large enough to make detection automatic if within range. A scanning CMC will always detect a moving vehicle within its line of sight.
Sensor Scan Table

Degree of Success	Result
Critical Failure	Contact error
Failure by +3	No contact
Failure by 1-2	Detection- by may be spoofed
Success by 0-2	Detection
Success by 3-4	Detection and Recognition
Success by 5+ or critical success	Detection, Recognition and Identification

In some modes or with some applications additional special bonuses will apply. For example when connected to a shipboard or planetary database library, rather than its own internal library a bioscan ID of an individual may be considered to be a critical success if the individual was Detected and Recognized.
Force Screens block all active sensors (AESA, gravscanners in Imaging mode, bioscanners and chemscanners.) GRADAR can detect the field itself.

Gravscanner

Gravscanners have two modes. In the gravscanner Imaging mode the CMC can create what is effectively an x-ray hologram of an object. It can scan 46 cuft per second and has a range of 1,500 feet in scan mode but is limited to 150 feet if the user wants to integrate other scanning modes with the Image. It cannot penetrate a full force field, but can penetrate the relatively light fields used for structural integrity fields. This gives the device a GURPS scan rating of 8 in scan mode.

In GRAvity Detection and Ranging (GRADAR) mode a CMC can be used to detect B/G propulsion fields or artificial gravity. The following modifiers apply.
Object is using
Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine propulsion +4
Force Screen up +4
Gravitic or gravity beam weapon or tractor/pressor beam +5*
*Grav Pulse Weapons @ TLA are routinely shielded to prevent detection
Cloaking technology -12(+1 per TL level below the sensor)
Detection Reveals the objects bearing, its approximate mass to the ton, and its speed within 10 mph. Also determines if whether any gravity manipulating technology is in use.
Recognition Reveals the objects range and reveals its size. Revels which gravity manipulation technology is being used.
Identification Reveals the exact size and weight of the object. Details of gravity manipulation technology. If technology is local identification of model and manufacturer may be possible.
In Imaging mode it can be detected by another gravscanner at double its maximum range or 3000 ft.

Multiscanner

A multiscanner is a multifunction energy scanner. Unlike a gravscanner which is a passive device a multiscanner is an active scanning device which can itself be detected by a radscanner at twice it's normal range. For a CMC this is about 3000 ft or about half a mile . This gives it a GURPS scan value of 9.
If used with the gravscanner in imaging mode range is limited to 150 ft.
A TLA CMC can scan in all modes in parallel. This is made possible by the CMC's processing power. A TLC CMC can only use one multiscanner mode at a time.
In scanner mode the user can interactively attempt to scan each individual object in range.
Each mode will be covered below.

Radscanner

Radscanner mode can act as an advanced radar/radio/laser direction finder. In radscanner mode the device is passive and emits no energy that can be detected by another radscanner. A successful Detection or above roll indicates the source of the signal has been located. This includes bearing. Detection and Recognition indicates the specific type of signal has been identified, i.e. comm signal, radar, AESA or power plant. Detection, Recognition and Identification means the type of device had been found. i.e. a model Gradfield Air Search Radar. If a power plant the MW output of the plant is known. If power output of unit is known then range can be calculated.

Bioscanner

A bioscanner can be used to identify lifeforms. It can identify specific species and with a proper library database identify specific individuals through their unique DNA. A successful Detection or above roll indicates the type (species) of the lifeform has been identified. i.e. a bear vs. a human. Detection and Recognition indicates more specific identification. It can differentiate a German Shepherd from a chiwawa.  Detection, Recognition and Identification means a specific individual can be found, provided their DNA is on record. The following penalties apply:

-1 per 30 ft of vegetation cover

-1 per 6 feet of water

-1 if behind 5 points (DR and HP) of wall

-1 per DR of armor. Bioscanner can not penetrate a force field.

-20 (+1 per TL below sensor) Cloaking technology

Known biological life forms can be filtered out by the CMC processor but requires the lifeform be in the database. So common and easy to do in an Terran forest. Perhaps not easy on an unfamiliar planet. The bioscanner is an active sensor and can be detected by a radscanner at twice its maximum range or 6000 ft.

Chemscanner

Can detect specific chemical compounds or elements A successful Detection or above roll indicates the type compound or element. i.e. a pure metal or organic compound. Detection and Recognition indicates more specific identification. An alkali, a crystalline metal.   Detection, Recognition and Identification means a specific chemical compound.  C₈H₁₀N₄O_{2 (coffee).} The following penalties apply:

-1 per 30 ft of vegetation cover

-1 per 6 feet of water

-1 if behind 5 points (DR and HP) of wall. -1 per 5 points.

-1 per DR of armor. Bioscanner can not penetrate a force field.

-20 (+1 per TL below sensor) Cloaking technology

Known elemental and chemical compounds can be filtered out by the CMC processor but requires the compound be in the database. Classic chalk and wood frame walls and modern hollow cermacrete walls provide only a slight penalty as noted above. The chemscanner is an active sensor and can be detected by a radscanner at twice its maximum range or 6000 ft.

PESA

Passive Electromagnetic Sensor Array (PESA) sensors are a radiation imager. It basically combines thermograph IR and passive radar into a single sensor. It is a broadband sensor that can also operate in the range of visible light. So it can operate as a low light CCTV with magnification. A CMC PESA can be used to record video, but while typically only video in the visible range is displayed during playback the PESA recording actually includes a full spectrum recording of the recorded scene. PESA is line of sight, so outdoors is limited to the horizon. Certain types of materials are opaque to IR or visible light, so in real conditions sometimes only parts of the spectrum can be recorded. For example an ordinary glass window will block IR, but permit visible light and UV to penetrate. A CMC recording made through such a window will record a blank surface where the glass is in the IR range, though it will still be able to record in the visible light range.

The CMC PESA is hyperspectral, that is it combines its full scan wavelength range into a single picture. It's post processing real time viewing software can combine visible imagery with thermograph or UV imagery to give a more complete picture or what it sees. It can also magnify up to 10 times, which gives a +6 for object already detected and a +3 to see undetected objects.
The following penalties apply:

-1 per 150 ft of vegetation cover

-1 per 3 feet of water

-1 per 150 ft of rain or snow

PESA can receive any emission that leak out of a force field. If someone can see through a force field then a PESA unit can record it.
-4 (+1 per TL below sensor) IR cloaking (in thermograph wavelengths only)
-1 x jamming rating.
+2 if silhouetted against sky

-20 (+1 per TL below sensor) Cloaking technology
A successful Detection gives a bearing and approximate size as well as temperature contrast. Medium size powerplant, hot. Detection and Recognition indicates more specific identification. A man.   Detection, Recognition and Identification gives sharp definition. Large turrented vehicle. If the design is in the library or a com accessible database full information is available. Model X275 Frathman Surface Battlerider, Mod 4.
Barring weather or specific jamming assume PESA can record anything a human can see with their naked eye all the way to the horizon or beyond. Note that resolution may suffer.

AESA

Active Electromagnetic Sensor Array (AESA) in a CMC consists of an active EM projector used with the PESA sensor system and postprocessing software to extend the capabilities of the PESA unit. In PESA operation the sensors use ambient EM radiation, be it visible light, UV from a sun, or electromagnetic radiation from an existing communication network. In AESA operation the CMC produces its own radiation to provide greater resolution and image fidelity. A CMC can work in only a single AESA mode at a time, though the associated PESA sensors can continue to receive data from it's full range of sensors. An AESA can switch between imaging radar, LADAR (LAser Detecting And Ranging), and visible light (torch) modes.

Range for a CMC in AESA mode is 1500 ft with a Scan rating of 8. Beyond that distance sensors are relying on ambient radiation or operating as a PESA. The following penalties apply:

For LADAR

-1 per 150 ft of vegetation cover

-8 per 3 feet of water

-1 per 15 ft of rain or snow

LADAR cannot penetrate a force field.
-1 x jamming rating. No penalty against lower TL jammers.
-5 or -2 per yard which ever is worse Chaff
Blackout gas no LADAR penetration
+2 if silhouetted against sky

-12 (+1 per TL below sensor) Cloaking technology
A successful Detection gives a bearing and approximate size, range and speed. Medium size transport capsul. Detection and Recognition indicates specific shape. A man.   Detection, Recognition and Identification gives sharp definition. Large turrented vehicle. If the design is in the library or a com accessible database full information is available. Model X275 Frathman Surface Battlerider, Mod 4.
For Radar, Imaging Radar

-1 per 15 ft of vegetation cover

-2 per 3 feet of water

-1 rain or snow

Radar imaging cannot penetrate a force field.
-1 x jamming rating. No penalty against lower TL jammers.
-5 or -2 per yard which ever is worse Chaff
-4 if not silhouetted against sky

-20 (+1 per TL below sensor) Cloaking technology
A successful Detection gives a bearing and approximate size as well as temperature contrast. Medium size powerplant, hot. Detection and Recognition indicates more specific identification. A man.   Detection, Recognition and Identification gives sharp definition. Large turrented vehicle. If the design is in the library or a com accessible database full information is available. Model X275 Frathman Surface Battlerider, Mod 4.
For visible, IR and UV an AESA unit acts as a torch whose radiation enhances the ability of PESA to receive them. Basically if within range, absent weather or vegetation modifiers a PESA gets automatic identification if the visible, IR or UV modes are used. Note the AESA can project in all three mode simultaneously (but not at the same time as when operating in Radar or LADAR mode). The visible light mode also means objects are also visible to the naked eye. The CMC is being used as a torch. Use in this mode is detectable at 5 times it range by a radscanner, or in the case of visible light at night, at 5 x its maximum range or 7500 ft, almost a mile and a half.

Magnetometer

The magnetometer was an early addition to the mobile device and the CMC retains this capability. Any CMC can be used as a magnetic compass on any world with a magnetic field. It must be remembered however that not all planets have a magnetic field and that on those that do magnetic north may not correspond to true north. If the CMC is properly calibrated when in the magnetic field and proper software is installed to compensate for the local environment the CMC can act as an adequate magnetic compass. 

A CMC can also act as a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD). A MAD detects the fluctuations in a planetary magnetic field due to the movement of large ferrous metallic objects. Such objects can be tracked, their mass, size and speed determined. A MAD can also detect the magnetic fields used by maglev, the MHD technology used in fusion plants, unshielded gauss weaponry and particle weapons. Gauss and particle weapons can be detected at 5 x their maximum range. An MAD is not a line of sight sensor and it can scan through (nonferrous) walls. A CMC magnetometer has a range of 528 ft and a scan rating of 5.

At close range (50 ft) a magnetic field can be plotted by The CMC and integrated into imaging. 

The following modifiers apply:

If object is below TLF and is armored or made of metal use Size modifier normally. At higher TLs hulls and armour are typically ceramic or some kind of nonferrous smart metal in nature.

+8 Maglev or MHD technology. (+1 per 10^x kW). For example 10³ kW = 100 kW so modifier is (+8 +3=+11) to roll.

+5 Unshielded gauss and particle beam weapons. (Almost all military grade gauss weapons are shielded.)

-20 (+1 per TL below sensor) Cloaking technology.

If an object is not ferrous, or discharged a weapon or uses magnetic technology it cannot be detected. Motors and other minor magnetic devices can be detected at .1 the range or 5 ft for a CMC.

A successful Detection gives a bearing and signal strength. Medium size powerplant. Detection and Recognition indicates more specific identification, provided the fingerprint is in the database. Speed and power output will be within nearest 20 mph and power within an order of magnitude. An aircar travelling at 250 mph.   Identification is not possible using an MAD.

Sound

The CMC can record sound in a wide range, in the frequencies normally within human hearing and in ranges both far above and far below them. It can also be used as a Sonar (SOund Navigation and Ranging) device. As a recording device a CMC is basically able to do bearing and range calculations, as well as recording. If it can hear it it can do range and bearing. Transmission profiling software allows sounds in the database to be matched to their sources, very handing for location of a specific animal by its cry or a human by their voice. 

Active sonar can be used to accurately measure a room in seconds, as opposed to the longer scan used by the gavscanner. Of course one must be in the room to measure it!

In water a CMC can act as a depth finder. If in contact with the ground it can be used as a geophone to detect tunneling or movement.

+5 to detect tunneling

-2 extremely low ground pressure (footsteps)

-1 low ground pressure

+1 high ground pressure

+2 very high ground pressure

Detection gives a bearing and signal strength and whether it is moving closer. Detection and Recognition identifies the ground propulsion method being used   Identification reveals the mass of the object in pounds and its speed  in mph.

Communication

The CMC has the ability to interface with a variety of different communication networks using a number of protocols. The range of these devices is based on a number of factors. Certain kinds of networks deliberately limit transmission power to prevent swamping nodes farther away from the user. 

As a point to point device the CMC has a range of about 10 miles. This is a line of sight capability and large geological features like mountains can severely limit range. In this mode a CMC can also be used to connect to a node on a larger network. This means that where there is a cell communication network, standard for the inhabited regions of most worlds, a CMC can connect to it as long as there is a node within 10 miles. Most urban areas will have local nodes that will compensate for the signal degradation due to structures.

In the New Diaporia universe, at least in the Highlands it has long been recognized that everything is data; voice, text, video, etc. all travel on the same networks.

In this mode the CMC can also use a repeater node on a vessel to connect. This is the method spacers use to connect to their ship in orbit using the repeater on the transport capsule or brake used for landing.

As a receiver a CMC can detect signals from orbit. This is used for Geographic Position Systems (GPS) operation on worlds that have this system. In the Highlands this is every inhabited planet. Even outside in the Midlands GPS is such a useful system, and with Barnes-Gutierrez gravity technology so cheap to emplace, that only the most backward or repressive worlds will not have such a system.

Com systems can best be separated as Network, Broadcast and Recording.

The CMC Broadcast capabilities have already been covered. Point to point transmit and reception of signals, voice, video and data directly to another CMC.

Network capabilities encompass a number of protocols. Communication in voice, video, data or text through a commercial network which typically requires a small automatic access fee. Such fees can be ad hoc or subscritional. Most Highland CMC users pay a subscription fee to access the interweb. Legion and Ranger users have access to their own tactical networks which have highly secure gateways also into the commercial networks. Even the most open civilian systems will be highly encrypted for user privacy. Legion and Ranger systems use advanced encryption beyond the ability of any but someone with nation-state level ability to compromise, and even that is unlikely for anyone not having TLA level technology.

Recording can be from local CMC sensors or through the network or broadcast interface.

Computer

All of the CMC's sensors and communication functions depend upon the computer processing power of the device's computer processors and installed memory. Every sensor uses postprocessing of the data flow to integrate and display the information that it receives. 

The data library contains information used to interpret the various sensor inputs and provides a method by which target identification can be provided. If a network connection is available additional information can be accessed to increase the devices capabilities.

Legion CMC's have access to custom applications that extend the capabilities of what is merely a ruggedized version of the commodity CMC hardware.

The CMC provides a interface terminal to commercial or tactical networks. At TLA the complexity of a CMC is 9.

Minimum functional CMC software is basic level software and open source. Most users buy or create custom software to enhance the capabilities of their devices. Legion members have a wide variety of custom and routinely unavailable applications available to them.

Power

A CMC can operate on a B power cell for 12 hours. It can be recharged by placing it on a charging pad for 1 hour. A CMC's screen doubles as a solar cell and it can recharge in 2 hours if left in the equivalent of Earth standard sunlight. 

Communication Technology

Mostly New Diasporia is an RPG background that is game system agnostic. Since I use GURPS, particularly GURPS 3rd Edition, with some GURPS 4th edition rules, I from time to time talk about game system specific rules, particularly design rules.
Today I'm going to talk about communication rules in GURPS. I'm going to start out by saying the rules are broken. Why do I say that? Because today at TL8 we have communication devices which exceed the capabilities of the higher TL devices listed in UltraTech (both G3 and G4).
As a general set of rules they're workable enough for someone who doesn't have a background in electronics or communication systems. Unfortunately I do. They also break down when compared to existing devices.
Let's lay out an example. The typical cell phone weighs in at about .28 lbs. That includes it's battery and no less than five different radios, operating on different radio bands. They include a GPS receiver, a cell duplex channel radio, a wifi radio, a Bluetooth radio, an FM receiver (which in the U.S., at least, is usually turned off by the carrier.)
These radios have varying ranges which depend on a lot of factors.
The cell duplex radio has a theoretical range of about 45 miles. Its typical range (outside urbane areas) is closer to 10 miles, which is the usual spacing between towers in a cell phone system.
The GPS receiver is tiny and has a range of over 15,000 miles in receive mode. True a GPS satellite weighs about a 1000 lbs. and no doubt qualifies as what GURPS 4e calls a Very Large Communicator. However a Very Large Communicator is only suppose to have a range of 10,000 miles. GPS orbits at 12,656 miles and signals from lateral distances will be even greater.
FM ranges are on the order of 40 to 60 miles. Even using the half cost function of receive only radios a Small communicator would still be half a pound vs. the ounce or so of a cell phone FM chip.
A cell phone designed under the communicator rules would weigh about 20 lbs and cost $5000.
So why are the rules broken? Mostly because radio communication is hard. That is, there are many details that determine what the range is for a particular set of radios under particular conditions, which are difficult to capture in RPG rules.
One detail is the size of the antenna. Cell phone usually have really crappy antennas. Your typical cell phone would get much better range if it had a better (in this case better means bigger) antenna. Of course you'd probably feel pretty dorky with a big old dipole antenna sticking out of your iPhone.
Another is power. GPS satellites transmit at about 500 watts. FM transmitters broadcast in the kiloWatt range. Most Cell phones have two signal strengths: .6 watts and 3 watts. Bluetooth devices typically transmit in the 100mW range.
Note that GPS satellites have much weaker transmitters than FM, yet have much greater range. This is partially due to the frequencies they operate at, because frequency band also has an effect upon range. It effects things like whether the radio is line-of-sight or can utilize skip. Skip or skywave is what allows Ham radio operators to talk to Moscow from a set in Tampa.
So we've established GURPS radio communicator rules are broken. What do we do now? We can replace them with house rules based on real world radio communication factors or we can go Hollywood, and just decide what rules work best for our game world based upon the effects we want to see in the game.
In my game I pretty much stick to GURPS 3rd Edition rules for my spacecraft communication systems outside the Grand Route Hypercable system.  So ships and vehicles in the Wilds, Midlands or in the Highlands off the Major Routes use ranges from the Vehicle Design System.
I treat anywhere that has Hypercable as connected all the time, just as I hope most of you are connected to the cell network all the time. (Isn't that a nice fantasy?)
The Highland version of the cell phone, the CMC, is likewise connected through the wireless broadband network in most villages, cities and homesteads. Settled places will have repeaters installed to allow the devices to relay into the wider system.
Spacers will use their ruggedized CMCs to communicate with orbiting spacecraft through the communication systems in their HUVs or brakes, and directly with each other with reasonable distances (see the upcoming CMC entry for details.) And they will work on board their ships using the ship's internal wireless network.

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.

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.

Urban Life

The span of history of the New Diasporia actually ranges just over a century. Most of the great social trends originate from before that period. By the time of Fr. Borland Barnes and Joesph Gutierrez a Unified Catholic Church was already in existence. The Great Compromise was in place. In many ways the first wave of the New Diasporia was made up of people who had problems with both those facts of history. Only more slowly did the Church and society follow in successive waves.
The just of those facts means that throughout all extra solar space human civilization is barely a century old. For almost all of that time travel was limited to conventional road and air vehicles. Even in the farthest reaches of the Wilds civilization, or what passes for it, is just a generation or two old. In the oldest and most primitive places perhaps as many as six generations have passed since the invention of the B/G engine.
This tends to mean that on any particular world history is not too deep. On Earth it is not unusual to see structures several hundred years old. It is even possible to see man made structures thousands of years old. This is not the case on other worlds.
Because of the pace of technological development and the speed of transport cities tend to be smaller than the old Earth cities. Most terrestrial cities are old. They formed at transportation hubs, which is why so many cities were founded where rivers meet each other, or meet the sea. In the age of rail cities were founded at rail heads and junctions. Even in the pre-industrial age cities sometimes were built at places where gold, silver and iron could be found. Only in the age of the automobile did population centers swell over the land, tied together by concrete and asphalt ribbons.
In the Highland cities, towns and villages, founded before the mid-twenty third century, it is common to have roads and highways connecting buildings and other population centers. On many worlds these artifacts of an earlier age are abandoned and unused. At least by human traffic. Interior roads are still sometimes used to transport goods using autonomous robot vehicles. On others settled during the last seventy years often commercial transmat portals are still in use, connecting roads or monorails over vast distances. Some settled recently have no roads at all, with all transportation via transmat portal.
A matrix may be used to help determine the probable mixture of transportation technologies. Many of the other cultural and social characteristics of the world can be inferred from the combination of when the world was founded and what is it's present Tech Level.

Present Technology Level	A	B	C	D
Founding Year
2320
2310
2300					Nanotech
2290
2280
2270
2260					Transmat
2250
2240
2230					Hyperdrill
2220
2210					B/G Engine

Any Highland world founded after 2300 A.D. and founded at TLA will lack roads. Transmat portals will provide the primary transportation technology. Cities will be small and widely dispersed, perhaps even over several continents. A city, village or town is really more a designation of jurisdiction than of geographical area, since the shopping district can be in one place, the residential district in another place and facilities for space traffic somewhere else. Cities are differentiated from villages in that a village will have shopping, residential areas, churches and perhaps even a monastery all within walking distance, with transmat portals primarily used to travel to other places. Such population centers are not primarily vehicle friendly (since vehicles are seldom if ever used) and walkways and pathways are laid out with aesthetic and architectural considerations in mind rather than vehicular. If transportation is need to areas not served by transmat transport capsules will be used.These worlds are represented by the dark blue area of the graph.

Any world founded before 2300 A.D. but after 2260 A.D. and founded at TL A or B will have some form of road network. If they are still TL B they will have a mixture of commercial transmat portals and vehicle lines. Transmat assisted monorail and roadways allow trans continental and trans world travel using public trains or private road vehicles. Air travel will be relegated to orbital or extra-planetary transport. If they have advanced to TL A it is likely they will have abandoned roads. Streets will be relegated to older, economically depressed areas. New villages and towns will resemble those seen on worlds in the dark blue area of the graph. These worlds are in the medium blue area of the graph.

Any world founded before 2260 A.D. after 2210 A.D. will have as extensive a road network as would be required without transmat technology. Any population center which pre-dates the mid twenty-third century will have extensive road or rail or public transportation systems. If the world has advanced to TL B some of these systems, especially those between population centers will have been replaced with commercial transmat portals. If they have advanced to TL A whole population centers with their road systems may have been abandon in favor of more advanced, nanotech produced, villages and cities supported by transmat technology. Those areas not abandoned may be occupied by the economically disadvantaged or they may have been upgraded, with their street re-purposed as tracks or walkway or built upon as newly reclaimed land.

Worlds still at tech levels below B will still use their roads and public transportation systems. Gravity assisted ground vehicles and transport capsules will make up the majority of transport. Newer materials might be used for roads, and it is possible that planned communities could exist which separate vehicles from pedestrians. With lots of land and relatively few people the overcrowding existing in many areas of Earth is seen less, at least in the Highlands.

Outside the Highlands a much greater variety of technology mix and social and cultural geography is possible.

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:

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

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.

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.

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:

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.

Of Saints and sinners.

In discussing character attributes it was mentioned that one of the goals of Characters in New Diasporia should be the quest to sainthood. It is not a goal every Player Character will attain to, but it is one to which some PC's should, if New Diasporia is to be different from every other space based science fiction RPG.
As was discussed every Character starts out with a level of holiness. The default starting level for any baptized character should be initially high, based upon their lifestyle. In what way do I mean? If the character is a Christian, and by design most characters will be Catholic Christians of one of the rites, East or West, then they must be what is commonly called a practical Catholic.
What is a practical Catholic? A practical Catholic is someone who follows the precepts of the particular rite of the Church to which they belong. So if they are a Roman Catholic they will abstain from meat on Fridays, attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and at least make their Easter duty of going to Reconciliation and receiving Communion. If they are members of one of the Eastern rites during Lent they will follow the strict fasting of Pure Monday and Great and Holy Friday. On Wednesday and Fridays in Lent they will keep the simple fast.
And they will adhere to the teachings of the Church on matters of faith and morals.
It is likely that in the course of their adventures that most Player Characters will fall. It is a component of the human condition and a Player will really want to have his character become a Saint to take the hard road. Becoming a martyr, when you've spent a good time building a character is not any more pleasant than the thought of real life martyrdom, though of course no where near as painful. So most characters will now and then take the easy way out.
Does that mean their quest is over? Not at all. As in real life a character can seek out a priest to receive confession.
So how is the game master ne referee ne storyteller to know where the lines are for characters? It's quite simple really. If the PC is following the authentic teaching of the Church then they are good. If they are going against it, even for good reason then they are not.
The difference between disciplines and dogma are discussing in broad terms here. Beyond that, look to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in this matter it is your rulebook. (Don't be afraid to apply it outside the game too.)

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.

Proximity Detectors

Proximity Detectors are short range, commercial grade, gravscanners which are used by light spacecraft for the purpose of collision avoidance and subspace navigation. The range of proximity detectors is much lower than even the lightest gravscanner. A proximity detector does not have an active mode.

Proximity Detector	Volume(cuft)	Mass	Cost	Power	Scan	Range
Proximity Detector/D	1000	25	11	neg.	35	10,000
Proximity Detector/C	2000	50	20.4	neg.	39	50,000
Proximity Detector/B	2000	50	20.2	neg.	42	100,000