CT Only: Book 2 Gazelle

[robject]

Mr. Dilbert and I got to talking about CT Book 2 design philosophy in edge cases, which led inevitably to the Gazelle.

So I want to recapture the CT Book 2 Gazelle design from JTAS 4.

GAZELLE-CLASS CLOSE ESCORT:

Tons  Component             MCr Notes
----  --------------------- --- -------------------
400   hull (standard)
 20   bridge of course
  3   computer Model/3
 50   (J) Jump drive
 28   (J) Power plant
 17   (J) Maneuver              Could be H drive...
100   drop tanks (jump fuel)
 60   jump fuel
 40   power plant fuel
 32?  crew staterooms
 20   common space
  2   T3 Beam lasers
  3   B1 PA ventral             Stolen from High Guard
  3   B1 PA dorsal              Stolen from High Guard
 ??   Port Nuclear Damper       Stolen from High Guard
 ??   Starboard Nuclear Damper  Stolen from High Guard
 20   underslung gig (probably need 1t for the grapples LOL)

Nuke dampers look as though they're only 1 ton, but surely not!

Does the gig count towards the hull total?

Details

Yes, by Traders & Gunboats it was re-engineered in a High Guard way, but JTAS 4 shows us the seamy underbelly of Book 2 starship design! Let's do it!

Tonnage: 400 (standard), jump-4. And 4G.

So the drives are designed for jump-4 on a 400t hull, but jump-6 on a "300t" hull (which indeed is nonstandard from a Book 2 perspective, but certainly possible to interpolate). These are drives J (not H).

The two longitudinal fuel tanks of the Gazelle class ship are engineered to be droppable in extreme circumstances. The ship has high capacity accumulators in its jump drive, and can completely burn its fuel prior to jump, storing the energy while the tanks are then jettisoned. The decrease in tonnage for the ship results in greater efficiency, and the ship can jump farther (J-6). Additional fuel tankage within the ship allows maneuver, but the tanks must be replaced before the ship can again jump.

So far, so good.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

The JTAS design is clearly a LBB5'79 design, something like this:

CE-44444C2-900600-40400-0        MCr 351         240 Dton
         TL=15 Cargo=12 Fuel=16 EP=16 Agility=4 DropT=160

Dual Occupancy                                       12     350,9
                                     USP    #      Dton      Cost
Hull, Part Streaml  Custom             2            240          
Configuration       Close Structure    4                     14,4
Scoops              Partial                                   0,2
Armour              9                  9             15         6
                                                                 
Drop Tanks          160                                       0,2
Total tonnage       400                                          
                                                                 
Jump Drive                             4    1        20      80,5
Manoeuvre D                            4    1        48      28,8
Power Plant                            4    1        16        64
Fuel, #J, #weeks    J-4, 4 weeks            4        16          
Purifier                                    1        15       0,1
                                                                 
Bridge                                      1        20       1,2
Computer            m/3fib             C    1         6        27
Software                                                     34,4
Staterooms                                  8        32         4
                                                                 
Cargo                                                12          
                                                                 
Bay                 Particle           9    2        10        12
Turret-3 Beam       1 Turret           4    2         2         8
                                                                 
Nuclear Damper                         6    1         8        38
                                                                 
Launch              20 Dton                 1        20        32
                                                                 
Nominal Cost        MCr 350,88           Sum:        12     350,9
Class Cost          MCr  66,96          Valid        ≥0        ≥0
Ship Cost           MCr 287,1                                    
                                                                 
                                                                 
Crew &               High     0        Crew          Bridge     2
Passengers            Mid     0          12       Engineers     3
                      Low     0                     Gunners     6
                 Extra SR     0      Frozen         Service     1
               # Frozen W     0           0          Flight     0
                  Marines     0                     Marines     0

A 20 Dt jump drive trivially gives J-4 @ 400 Dt and J-6 @ 285 Dt.


Yes, the gig is part of the 240 Dt hull. If you wish you can consider the main hull 220 Dt + 20 Dt gig + 160 Dt drop tanks = 400 Dt total tonnage. Formal oversized hangar space and limited launch facilities wasn't formalised until LBB5'80.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

... "300t" hull (which indeed is nonstandard from a Book 2 perspective, but certainly possible to interpolate).

Nothing wrong with a 300 Dt hull, or even 247 Dt hull, in LBB2. It just needs drives as a 400 Dt hull.

 

[boomslang]

Mr. Dilbert and I got to talking about CT Book 2 design philosophy in edge cases, which led inevitably to the Gazelle.

So I want to recapture the CT Book 2 Gazelle design from JTAS 4.

If you want to be strict B2, you will need to lose the PAs and the NDs. I would consider mounting pulse lasers for their extra damage, and with a comp model/4, you have enough CPU to run both ECM and Anti-Missile Fire if desired. In B2 combat, I am inclined to allow a dedicated EW technician to add Electronics or Gunnery skill as a DM to the ECM roll, just to keep it interesting.


Also, the drives-H you need for level-4 performance at 400dt will not produce any additional performance at 300dt; you might as well just go ahead and build as a Fiery-class instead of a Gazelle.


So you end up with something like this:

p-plant-H   25  (P-4)
j-drive-H   45  (J-4)
m-drive-H   15  (M-4)
fuel       200  (one J-4 & four weeks, standard)
bridge      20
comp/4       4
4 hp         4  (2 triple missile turrets, 2 triple pulse laser turrets)
16 states   64  (p, n, m, 3e, 4g, plus boaters and troops; dbl occ)
hold        23  (Launch/Gig, or a pair of Fighters, plus stores/reloads)
          ----
           400dt, streamlined, military drives & sensors

TL10

The skeleton crew is 6; 4 gunners, a couple of boaters, and up to maybe 20 troops can be accommodated under double occupancy.


Oughta get the job done.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

How about a little bigger PP for laser double fire?

 

[boomslang]

How about a little bigger PP for laser double fire?

There is just barely room, but it would bump the TL to 11.


Certainly an option depending on naval requirements, though.

 

[robject]

If you want to be strict B2

No, just minimal borrowing.

 

[boomslang]

No, just minimal borrowing.

Fair enough; I just prefer to keep radiation weapons out of B2.

Do to hard radiation being their primary force-projection, I figure PA weapons probably ought to be considered "Nuclear Weaponry" and restricted under the Imperial Rules of War. And thus, along with nuclear warheads, prohibited in planetary navy or paramilitary use. (Looking at you, Al Morai.) YMMVIYTU.

In a B2 context, I see the Fiery class as a longer-ranged, less-versatile alternative to the standard Type T Spacewedge patrol cruiser, and better-suited as an escort for high-Jump-number squadron or fleet naval units.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

In a B2 context, I see the Fiery class as a longer-ranged, less-versatile alternative to the standard Type T Spacewedge patrol cruiser, and better-suited as an escort for high-Jump-number squadron or fleet naval units.

The point of the JTAS Gazelle is that it is LBB5. It's a proper little warship with real weapons, armour, and dampers, not a LBB2-style glamourised civilian ship.

 

[robject]

That's a good point, Dilbert, although it's detailed to a level where it is just as much an "ACS" as the Mercenary Cruiser.

 

[Timerover51]

Yes, by Traders & Gunboats it was re-engineered in a High Guard way, but JTAS 4 shows us the seamy underbelly of Book 2 starship design! Let's do it!

"Seamy underbelly of Book 2 starship design."

GDW published Traveller, written and designed by Marc Miller, in 1977. I view it as the first science-fiction role-playing game that included things like ship design and world creation. Metamorphosis Alpha came out in 1976, but did not include any ship design or world design components, being closer to the adaption of Dungeons and Dragons to science-fiction. The original books for D&D came out in 1974, and my Blue Book copy of the basic rules dates from 1977.

Marc also wrote the article on the Gazelle-class escort which came out in 1980, using the Book 2 rules presumably. However, the Book 2 rules were apparently developed more with civilian ships in mind, rather than purely military ships. Hence, High Guard, clearly intended for military ships was released in two editions, which difference in the details.

Considering that D&D, under Gary Gygax, went through several editions with further development of the rules and concept, I hesitate to call anything with respect to the earlier editions of Traveller written by Marc as having a "seamy underside." Maybe not fully developed ideas, based on Marc having written further editions showing the development of his thoughts on Traveller. The rules evolved over the years.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Marc also wrote the article on the Gazelle-class escort which came out in 1980, using the Book 2 rules presumably.

Still obviously a LBB5'79 design:

 

[mike wightman]

It even says it uses HG (79) in the article - armoured hull, nuclear damper, drop tanks, no letter drives mentioned at all, and then the particle accelerator weapons (although these are not rules as written in 79 but would become street legal in the 80 edition - they do appear to have the stats of a 10t PA bay).

 

[robject]

Yes, Dilbert pointed out the USP to me earlier.