MGT Only: 1,200-ton medium troop ship

[Brandon C]

(I have yet to work on the platoon and battalion troop ships)

1,200-ton company troop ship

The company troop ship is intended to transport a marine company (100 men) into a combat zone, providing supporting fire as needed. The company normally deploys in G/carriers, but one platoon can (without vehicles) be landed in a 30-ton armed ship's boat. Marine replacements are carried in low berths and emergency low berths are used for severely injured troops.

The medium troop ship has maneuver drive-M, jump drive-M and power plant-M giving Jump-3 and 3G acceleration. 408 tons of fuel supports the power plant for 4 weeks and one Jump-3. A Model 3/fib computers and advanced electronics are located in the bridge. There are 72 staterooms, 10 low berths and 5 emergency low berths, Four armouries and three briefing rooms are also provided. The ship has twelve hardpoints, with 6 triple beam laser turrets, 4 particle beam turrets and a small missile bay (480 total missiles). The ship has armor 4. Small craft include two 10-ton runabouts and one 30-ton lander in a full hanger. Twn G/carriers are carried in bays. The ship is equipped with repair drones. Cargo capacity is 52 tons. The ship is streamlined.

Crew consists of a commander, first officer, 3 pilots, 3 navigators, 3 medics, 3 engineers, 10 gunners, 4 small craft crew, 3 flight mechanics and 100 marines. The ship costs MCr 595.2 with small craft.

30-ton lander

This is an armed and armored ship's boat, outfitted to transport 33 passengers.

The lander has maneuver drive-sF and power plant-sF, giving 6G acceleration. 0.75 tons of fuel supports one week of operation. A cockpit with a Model 1/fib computer holds the crew of two and 33 passenger couches are installed. An airlock is provided. Two fixed beam lasers are installed and armor is 2. Cargo is 1.8 tons. The boat is streamlined.

 

[McPerth]

There is no medical personnel among the ship's crew?

MgT military crewing (according CB page 113) is 1 medic per 120 passengers (I assume it includes crewmwmbers), and if thisship is intended to serve as support for its Marine company, I guess some more should be (in CT/MT it was explicit that the Marines didn't have their own medical branch, using Navy doctors. I assume this is also true in MgT, though it can perfectly be not only version dependent, but political entity dependent).

 

[Brandon C]

There is no medical personnel among the ship's crew?

There are three medics. I corrected the crew listing to reflect this.

MgT military crewing (according CB page 113) is 1 medic per 120 passengers (I assume it includes crewmwmbers), and if thisship is intended to serve as support for its Marine company, I guess some more should be (in CT/MT it was explicit that the Marines didn't have their own medical branch, using Navy doctors. I assume this is also true in MgT, though it can perfectly be not only version dependent, but political entity dependent).

Funny enough, it seems easier to get a marine doctor than a navy doctor ...

 

[wbyrd]

Not bad.

It would neeed cargo haulers for long term and garrision support duties but for a quick insertion with escort this would be spiffy.

and actually this is definitely a ship that could do with a missile or two for over the horizon shooting.maybe swap out a particle beam for a triple turret, with a ton or two of Ortillery rounds in the cargo hold.

I have some garrison, and troop modules, around here somewhere..I might be able to post them...of course I can post ll of them they go in my Mongoose project.

 

[McPerth]

The company normally deploys in G/carriers, but one platoon can (without vehicles) be landed in a 30-ton armed ship's boat.

Just curious, IYTU the landings use to be in G Carriers/small crafts or by combat drop in capsules?

 

[Brandon C]

It would neeed cargo haulers for long term and garrision support duties but for a quick insertion with escort this would be spiffy.

Yes, it's intended more for raids.

and actually this is definitely a ship that could do with a missile or two for over the horizon shooting.maybe swap out a particle beam for a triple turret, with a ton or two of Ortillery rounds in the cargo hold.

Originally it was a 2,000 ton ship with a 100-ton missile bay and a generous supply of ortillery missiles (plus a few other things like armored bulkheads, a nuclear damper and more combat landers). I decided this was too large for the number of men landed, though, and went with a smaller hull. If I go up to 1,00 or 1,400 tons I should be able to toss in a missile bay.

I have some garrison, and troop modules, around here somewhere..I might be able to post them...of course I can post ll of them they go in my Mongoose project.

 

[Brandon C]

Just curious, IYTU the landings use to be in G Carriers/small crafts or by combat drop in capsules?

I never was a fan of drop capsules, but that may be because of accounts of parachute operations spreading troops all over the place.

I'll post the 30-ton lander later, but it has a crew of 2, 33 passengers, 2 fixed pulse lasers, armor 2, and 6G.

 

[McPerth]

I never was a fan of drop capsules, but that may be because of accounts of parachute operations spreading troops all over the place.

Neither I am, being also more a supporter of vehicle landings, but I was quite alone defending this view in this thread, that's why it surprised me

 

[Brandon C]

Neither I am, being also more a supporter of vehicle landings, but I was quite alone defending this view in this thread, that's why it surprosed me

Drop capsules are okay for very small, covert special operations, but I think it has problems with large numbers of troops.

 

[flykiller]

not sure why you view a company as being effective in a "combat zone".

check my "battalion" link in my sig below.

 

[Brandon C]

not sure why you view a company as being effective in a "combat zone".

In a small ship universe, a battalion is about the largest combat-ready force you can deliver with one ship. If the troops don't have to be ready to fight immediately, you might be able to squeeze a regiment into low berths.

Given that, a company will be an important fighting unit.

Sorry I can't designate a thread as MGT and IMTU. Well, I suppose I can manually do one.

 

[flykiller]

no need, it's all imtu.

Given that, a company will be an important fighting unit.

for a meeting engagement, sure, if you don't mind total victory / total defeat outcomes based on single battles between single companies. but jumping in with just a company, on information that is at best two weeks out of date ... dunno man, seems hazardous from a strategic standpoint. good game setting from an rpg standpoint though. "go a-viking ...."

seems in a "small ship universe" first-in == winner. does "small ship universe" mean "few ship universe" too?

 

[wbyrd]

Acompany size unit and a ship to transport them is useful for a lot of small scale roles. Very similar in size and function of cavalry troops in the post civil war era. they can move rapidly with minimal support structure to drag along. Or more recently special operations units.

a cargo ship, troopship and a couple of corvette/frigates would be enough material and firepower to handle anything likely to happen, outside of a full scale uprising or war.( especially in a small ship setting)

I can see them used as fast response to a Pirate, or criminal stronghold,a company of marines with fire support is a match for any pirate group which won't have the sort of heavy firepower another military unit would have. with the troop ship acting as aircover and command and control loosely organized resistance would be hard pressed to match it's striking power.

They can also act as fast response, or muscle for a security operation. A sudden arrival of a highly trained force backing up a group of security troops would be a nasty surprise to a small scale problem.Especially since it would be unlikely to have been compromised or infiltrated by local "subversives".

 

[flykiller]

Very similar in size and function of cavalry troops in the post civil war era.

hm. dunno. a cavalry troop is simple - simple comms, simple transport, simple weapons, shoot half of them and the other half just rides out of range and away. but a high-tech company has a lot of high-tech weak points. ieds, highly constrained environments and limited lines of sight, highly constrained mobility when deployed, reliance on limited comms, reliance on limited power and supplies without which they're just a bunch of barbarians. heh, shoot down that one grav carrier and the whole unit needs to make a morale check. sure, the company is very mobile and very powerful, but it is also very fragile and very vulnerable to being fixed in place.

might be better off thinking of them not as regular soldiers, but rangers, or military scouts, or vikings.

 

[wbyrd]

Very similar in size and function of cavalry troops in the post civil war era.

hm. dunno. a cavalry troop is simple - simple comms, simple transport, simple weapons, shoot half of them and the other half just rides out of range and away. but a high-tech company has a lot of high-tech weak points. ieds, highly constrained environments and limited lines of sight, highly constrained mobility when deployed, reliance on limited comms, reliance on limited power and supplies without which they're just a bunch of barbarians. heh, shoot down that one grav carrier and the whole unit needs to make a morale check. sure, the company is very mobile and very powerful, but it is also very fragile and very vulnerable to being fixed in place.

might be better off thinking of them not as regular soldiers, but rangers, or military scouts, or vikings.

good point, and a better description of the role I sort of see these ships and assigned troops.

 

[Brandon C]

for a meeting engagement, sure, if you don't mind total victory / total defeat outcomes based on single battles between single companies. but jumping in with just a company, on information that is at best two weeks out of date ... dunno man, seems hazardous from a strategic standpoint. good game setting from an rpg standpoint though. "go a-viking ...."

An attacker can always use multiple transports if more troops are required.

 

[Brandon C]

a cargo ship, troopship and a couple of corvette/frigates would be enough material and firepower to handle anything likely to happen, outside of a full scale uprising or war.( especially in a small ship setting)

I can see them used as fast response to a Pirate, or criminal stronghold,a company of marines with fire support is a match for any pirate group which won't have the sort of heavy firepower another military unit would have. with the troop ship acting as aircover and command and control loosely organized resistance would be hard pressed to match it's striking power.

They can also act as fast response, or muscle for a security operation. A sudden arrival of a highly trained force backing up a group of security troops would be a nasty surprise to a small scale problem.Especially since it would be unlikely to have been compromised or infiltrated by local "subversives".

I'll mention that I had the Colonial Marine transport from Aliens in the back of my mind, although that looked like it carried fewer marines, perhaps a platoon instead of a company.

 

[Brandon C]

I have enlarged the ship to 1,200 tons, which allows installation of a small missile bay, 480 missiles, more cargo, a second runabout, and the required additional fuel and drives. I also included stats for the 30-ton lander.

 

[wbyrd]

I have enlarged the ship to 1,200 tons, which allows installation of a small missile bay, 240 missiles, more cargo, a second runabout, and additional fuel and drives. I also included stats for the 30-ton lander.

good adds


By the way the Sulaco was not carrying her full compliment according to some things I read..she was on a special operation run..investigate and report...basically hired out to Weyland Yutani.

 

[McPerth]

An attacker can always use multiple transports if more troops are required.

See that in a small ship universe, any invasion would need a lot of transport ships, as the ground troops will still be the same (according to population/TL/government, etc.).

So the troops needed for nearly any misión will be the same than in a large ship universe, but the tropos carried by each transport ship will be fewer.