Ship Recongnition: pg 80 MTJ#4

[BruceEdwinMorrow]

Can someone tell me what ship is on page 80 of Mega Traveller Journal #4? I don't recongize it but it seems interesting..

Thanks!

 

[Swiftbrook]

Can someone tell me what ship is on page 80 of Mega Traveller Journal #4? I don't recognize it but it seems interesting..

Thanks!

Note: The art originally appeared in Travellers' Digest #14 on page 20 with an article titled Starmercs: Mercenary Military Starships.

It's a Stingray class type 'ME' Merchant Escort. This is not to be confused with the 200 t Stingray class patrol ship by some company (FASA ?).

Yes, I named it and I'm not anyone official. I created a four plus page folio about this class of ship complete with history, deckplans, full MT stats, and more just from that piece of wonderful art! Basically, it's a starmerc (mercenary ship option) designed to fill the gap between the Broadsword and the Kinunir. As a Christmas present to The Fleet:

The following information has been released by Barrium Technum (BT).

In 1081 Barrium Technum (BT) introduced the Stingray Class merchant escort. BT designed the Stingray from the keel up to be a starmerc vessel. Originally built for sector sized and larger corporations to provide protection for their fleets, a second, less-armored, less-expensive ‘B’ version was introduced in 1085 for smaller independent starmerc operations. The two version are virtually identical.

[b]Type ‘ME’-Merchant Escort[/b]

	Craft ID:	Merchant Escort, Type ME, TL15, MCr642.31 ███████
	Hull:	Disp = 1000, Config = 6SL,
		Armor = ██████████████████████████████████████████
	Power:	Fusion = 16,300 Mw, Duration = ███████ 
		██████████████████████████████████████████
	Loco:	Jump = 4, Maneuver = 5,
		Cruise =750, Top = 1000, NOE = ███████, Agility = ███████
	Commo:	Radio = System x3, ███████████████████████████████████
	Sensors:	PassiveEMS = InterStellar x2, ██████████████
		ActiveEMS = FarOrbit x2█████████████████████
	Off:	Beam Laser = 4 triple turrets 	ParticalAcc = 2 barrettes 
		Missile = 2 triple turrets
	Def:	Sandcaster = 2 triple turrets
	Control:	Computer = 6 ███████████████████████████████████
	Environ = BasicEnv, BasLife, ExLife, GravPlates, InertialComp, AirLock x4
	Accomm:	Crew = 25 (Bridge = 3, Gunner = 8, Command = 2, 
Engineering = 3, Ships Troops = 16, Medical = 1, Flight = 8) Medical Bay,
Large Staterooms = 10, Small Staterooms = 23,
	Other:	Cargo = 675kl, Fuel = ███████, Fuel Scoops, Purification Plant,
SubCraft = Pinnace, one external 20t docked, 2x 20t internal craft, Docking Tube,
███████ Missile Btty Rnds, ObjSize = Average, EMLevel = ███████

For security reasons, some information has been redacted

Merry Christmas!

-Swiftbrook

 

[Cryton]

Awesome! love the redacted text!

 

[Orr]

It's a Stingray class type 'ME' Merchant Escort.

It's nothing of the sort.

The hull design is very well known and has been used across every version of Traveller in the last thirty-plus years. You can count and note the position of the four turrets, note the "bug eye" bulges towards the bow, and easily determine that the ship is the classic, standard 400dTon patrol cruiser.

And the ship docked below it is the "broad wedge" version of the 100dTon scout/courier found in Snapshot.

Yes, I named it and I'm not anyone official. I created a four plus page folio about this class of ship complete with history, deckplans, full MT stats, and more just from that piece of wonderful art!

While the ship you created is very good, it's not the ship shown in the illo.

If you want to stat out a real mystery ship, turn to page 82 in the same book and have a go at what you find there. Is it a variant of the 600dTon subsidized liner? Is it a SDB/jump shuttle combo? Or is it something else?

 

[Swiftbrook]

It's nothing of the sort.

The hull design is very well known and has been used across every version of Traveller in the last thirty-plus years. You can count and note the position of the four turrets, note the "bug eye" bulges towards the bow, and easily determine that the ship is the classic, standard 400dTon patrol cruiser.

And the ship docked below it is the "broad wedge" version of the 100dTon scout/courier found in Snapshot.



While the ship you created is very good, it's not the ship shown in the illo.

If you want to stat out a real mystery ship, turn to page 82 in the same book and have a go at what you find there. Is it a variant of the 600dTon subsidized liner? Is it a SDB/jump shuttle combo? Or is it something else?

Ummmm, your pages are off by 2. Page 78 has the classic patrol cruiser and scout. Page 80 has the picture in question and page 82 has all text (Q&A).

-Swiftbrook

 

[Orr]

That's what I get for having the .pdf and not the hard copy. :rofl:

 

[Fovean]

Perhaps Orr means the ship on pg 89?

Seems to be an Empress Marava, but a much more bad-ass variant of it...

 

[Starviking]

I know the pic being discussed, it's a lovely piece of art by Tom Peters. It would be good if we could get a low-rez image up so we could have a common reference.

I've always thought that the forward section of the ship could detach, as it appears to have thrusters at its aft, and there is a noticeable difference between the forward an aft sections of the ship. I see it as a possible merc cruiser - forward section goes in harm's way, aft section is command and fire support.

 

[Swiftbrook]

I know the pic being discussed, it's a lovely piece of art by Tom Peters. It would be good if we could get a low-rez image up so we could have a common reference.

I've always thought that the forward section of the ship could detach, as it appears to have thrusters at its aft, and there is a noticeable difference between the forward an aft sections of the ship. I see it as a possible merc cruiser - forward section goes in harm's way, aft section is command and fire support.

Uploaded here: Tom Peters Art

 

[Starviking]

Cheers for that!

 

[Theophilus]

The following information has been released by Barrium Technum (BT).

In 1081 Barrium Technum (BT) introduced the Stingray Class merchant escort. BT designed the Stingray from the keel up to be a starmerc vessel. Originally built for sector sized and larger corporations to provide protection for their fleets, a second, less-armored, less-expensive ‘B’ version was introduced in 1085 for smaller independent starmerc operations. The two version are virtually identical.

-Swiftbrook

I've never heard of the "Barrium Technum" before, are they related to the "Baraccai Technum" from Adventure 4 Leviathan?

 

[Swiftbrook]

I've never heard of the "Barrium Technum" before, are they related to the "Baraccai Technum" from Adventure 4 Leviathan?

I have no idea. I create that folio April 4th 1997 according to the date stamp on the file.

After pulling out Adventure 4 and reading about Baraccai Technum, I'd have starship construction really doesn't fit with the "Large multi-system trade cartel" described in the adventure. But, if you want it to be Baraccai Technum, go right ahead.

-Swiftbrook

 

[Theophilus]

Well, I guess Barrium Technum is better than Barrium Rectum, a company specializing in radioactive enema's.

Seriously though, probably just a misprint, since BT also produces large ship's like the Leviathan class merchant.

 

[Swiftbrook]

Well, I guess Barrium Technum is better than Barrium Rectum, a company specializing in radioactive enema's.

Seriously though, probably just a misprint, since BT also produces large ship's like the Leviathan class merchant.

The Leviathan was designed by BT and Bilstein Yards but was built by Bilstein Yards.

 

[Mithras]

It looks like a Subsidized Merchant, without wings ...

 

[Simon Jester]

Something was mentioned about deckplans...?

 

[tpeters]

Here is one of my original drawings of the ship in question, which I named Warsprite (I see from my notes. I'd forgotten that!) along with some design notes. It was designed to have familiar lines, common to many Imperial ships, but it was conceived as a totally new ship class, optimized for space to space combat. The back wedge was swappable with other specific mission modules, and the maneuver drive was located midline to make it very agile. (although if one drive gets hit, you've got some real thrust-balancing problems!)
Anyway, thats my .02 credits. Enjoy!
-tom


http://www.TravellerRPG.com/CotI/Gallery/index.php?n=1144

 

[Starviking]

Very nice design Tom. I see I was completely off track with my idea of it being like a mini-battle tender - tough as nails rider at the front and less threatening jump tender/command section at the rear.

Eamon

 

[tpeters]

Yeah, I just wasn't that creative when I got the assignment. A mini-battletender is a VERY cool idea!

 

[Starviking]

Yeah, I just wasn't that creative when I got the assignment. A mini-battletender is a VERY cool idea!

Cheers

That said - your modular merc is also very cool and creative. You can not only match payloads to missions, but also do snazzier stuff like increasing jump range with sub-size modules - or creating a lumbering pig of a ship filled to the gills with weapons and troops with larger modules.

One question before I go: is there only one fighter with your Merc, or is there another on the ventral section of the module hull?