Updated 12.6.97
Please accept my appolgy for this crude estimation of metric conversion. I have never seen a non-american version of the FT rules. I tried to make by conversion easy to use.
3' = 1m
1"= 25mm
so a 6'x3' table would be approx 3x1m.
each point of thrust would move a ship 25mm.
Subject: Re: Logistics in Full Thrust (Long) Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 22:40:06 -0800 From: Thomas Corcoran <tomnaro@calweb.com> Reply-To: FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk To: FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk Michael Sandy wrote: > > > In this particular case, I prefer the Traveller background - where just > > about any ship seems to have a fuel scoop (or carry an auxiliary craft > > which has one) and purification machinery, and a day in orbit around a gas > > gigant will fill your tanks again :-) > > > > Oerjan Ohlson > > I'm sure the naval tacticians of all the involved races would agree > with you, but I've studied Economics and I don't believe in a > technology that provides a free lunch. I mean, why not power a > Star Trek Industrial replicator with a Traveller fuel scoop? >
Ok, since I am a great fan of both Star Trek and Traveller, I must comment.
The replicator/fuel scoop suggestion is possible in the Traveller background. However it wouldn't be economical. The Traveller power plants run on hydrogen. Starfleet uses antimatter. We can postulate that hydrogen conversion simply cannot generate enough power to drive replication technology.
(Transporters and antimatter reactors appear in Traveller at a higher tech level than the standard background, replicators would appear the tech level after that.)
The refueling scenario is significant in the Traveller background.
While a small ship (escort sized) could refuel by skimming in a day, larger ships cannot. Larger ship require significantly more fuel to power their FTL systems. Here is a comparison of a few of the Traveller
Ships:
Ship Tonnage Fuel Min fuel Refuel
Type Load for FTL Time (Tons) Escape (Skimming) ------ -------- ----- -------- ---------- Scout 100 40 10 6 Hours Destroyer 3000 1530 383 16 Hours Cruiser 60000 33000 1650 3 Days Dreadnought 500000 190000 9500 16 Days
(For Traveller Fans: This table is based on calculations that were done almost 10 years ago. Current source may differ.)
Now I have always thought that Traveller ships had an odd sense of scale. (After all the destroyer is 30 times as big as a scout.) The refueling model clearly shows the costs of refueling. Ships undergoing refueling operations are not available for combat and would have a significant impact on war logistics.
Try this scenario:
A dreadnought and its support ships are caught by a enemy patrol. The patrol consists of a 2 cruisers and 4 destroyers. The dreadnought is low on fuel and must stay in planetary orbit for 10 turns before it can make an FTL transition. The patrol has called for additional forces that will over whelm the dreadnought, but they will not arrive in combatrange for at least 20 turns. (In other words, the dreadnought will haveto stay parked or be destroyed later.)
In system player:
Patrol:
2 Cruisers
4 Destroyers
Reinforcement Patrol: Arrives on turn 10
2 Cruisers
4 Destroyers
The In-System player is not required to have ships with FTL Drives
Defense Fleet: Arrives on turn 20 (You might want to quit at this
point.)
2 Dreadnoughts
1 Battleship
4 Cruisers
Refueling Player:
1 Dreadnought (FTL disabled until 10 turns in orbit)
1 Cruiser
4 Escorts
Setup:
The refueling player selects one edge of the table to represent the surface of the planet (Any ship that flies off that edge is destroyed.) The refueling player places his ships within one foot of the edge. The Dreadnought must be placed within 6 inches of the planet surface. Each turn that the Dreadnought is within 6 inches of the surface and has a velocity less than 4 the ship collect 1 unit of fuel. When the dreadnought collects 10 units of fuel it may engage its FTL drive and escape.
The Refueling player wins the scenario if the Dreadnought escapes, otherwise the In-System player wins.