101 uses for a dead scout.

[The Thing]

OK, maybe not dead but definitely past her prime. What alternate uses can people come up with for a standard 100dton sulieman scout?

I see some are stripped of weapons, jump drive and fuel, then used as rescue vessels to carry people out of danger zones or crippled ships.

I was wondering what other uses one could be put to. Since they're limited to one turret you can't really upgun them a lot and turn them into point defense boats. Pity.

I was thinking that on a dedicated jump 1 route you could convert 2/3 of the fuel tanks into cargo and use it as a cheaper alternative to a beyowulf for small cargos. her better speed in n-space would make her faster and her smaller size and crew would make her cheaper to run small, high value cargoes.

I suppose they could be used as "suicide ships" fitted with a kamikaze autopilot or remote controlled. Getting rammed by a 100dton piece of pointed metal moving at high speed can even worry a dreadnought.

I could see a crippled one being converted into a home on some frontier world. I mean, a family or two could live in one, they're spacious enough if you yank the drives and refurbish the fuel storage space. A weatherproof hull and a turret for emergency defense might make a dead scout an attractive home on rough worlds or those with dangers that armor and guns are good defenses against.

What else can you do with a dead scout?

 

[BetterThanLife]

Jump Fighter. (Leave it at J2, lose the cargo hold and potentially 2 staterooms), upgrade the powerplant, the maneuver drive, improve the computer and up gun it.

Small Q-Ship. Increase maneuver drive and agility, up gun it but no need to go quite as high on either maneuver drive or computer as the fighter. Use the balance of the space to either carry cargo or armor it. Great for damaging standard Corsairs.

Target drone. Something for the Navy to shoot at.

Small Fast Courier. Bring the Jump Drive up to 3 replace half the cargo with fuel.

 

[far-trader]

If you allow Jump Nets (canon per S9 Jump Ship) Then just buy a 100dton net and turn it into a cheap free-trader with J1 and 100dtons of external cargo capicity. No major structural or engineering changes beyond the net. I'd figure maybe MCr1 for the net and tie-ins. Of course you're unstreamlined while hauling the net, and cargo in the net must be able to withstand vacuum unless carried in shipping containers.

 

[far-trader]

Target drone. Something for the Navy to shoot at.

Shhh, that's a Detached Duty assignment :file_23:

 

[Badbru]

The best use for a dead scout I ever saw was TNE's Covenanter Class Exploration Cruiser. Take the drives and power plant out and weld it to the front of a Gazelle. Two ships I quite liked turned into one I loved.

 

[Gadrin]

a spy ship ala the SR-71. the airspeed alone (I'm using GURPS) is 2357 mph and 2.1 Gs in space. you should be able to get anywhere on *most* worlds
very quickly.

strip her down and keep even basic sensors and she should be a nice performer. add those nice probes from First In and you add yet another
dimension.

I suppose in actuality given the ships contours and mission, that's not far from her original purpose.

 

[fredofmars]

Jump nets

If you allow Jump Nets (canon per S9 Jump Ship) Then just buy a 100dton net and turn it into a cheap free-trader with J1 and 100dtons of external cargo capicity. No major structural or engineering changes beyond the net. I'd figure maybe MCr1 for the net and tie-ins. Of course you're unstreamlined while hauling the net, and cargo in the net must be able to withstand vacuum unless carried in shipping containers.

Jump nets are a bit more complicated than that, at least if you accept the reasoning I put forth in my article on JTAS regarding them.
http://jtas.sjgames.com/login/archives/2002/02.05.html

 

[far-trader]

Jump nets are a bit more complicated than that, at least if you accept the reasoning I put forth in my article on JTAS regarding them.

Understandably opinions will differ since the first use saw no speicifics and appears to cost nothing in either volume or credits

Nobody can see your article without a subscription to JTAS though, can you post a brief outline without breaking any rules there?

 

[atpollard]

Magnum Arms Barbette

Since they're limited to one turret you can't really up-gun them a lot and turn them into point defense boats.

Are bullies kicking sand in your face?
Do you get no respect at the local starport?
Are you the 100 dTon weakling on the block?
Do people snicker at the little turret on your surplus scout ship?

Well have no fear, Magnum Arms is here, and have we got a deal for you. For MCr 2.1**, we will:

Step 1: Strip off your grandpa’s old 1 dTon turret and gut your existing fire control.
Step 2: Update your fire control to TL 14 and modify your hardpoint.
Step 3: Install a fully reconditioned, military surplus “Particle Accelerator Barbette”
(stripped of all weapons and custom modified to hold 5 triple turrets worth
of standard turret lasers, sand casters or missile launchers).

Load your new 5 dTon turret up with your choice of up to 15 standard turret weapons
and ask those Subsidized Merchants, “Who is laughing now, fat boy!”

Remember MAGNUM ARMS for all your weapon needs.
Because size does matter.



**Weapons not included. Price is based on a reconditioned barbette (3 MCr new, 2 MCr reconditioned) and new fire control (TL 14; Cr 100,000). Laser weapons may require an additional power plant (also not included).

 

[BetterThanLife]

Lots of things to do with an overage Type-S:

Starport Landing Zone impact studies.

Collision safety tests.

Highport Fire crew training.

SAR crew training.

Squad level boarding action training.

Target beacon towing.

Orbital bombardment (As the ammunition).

 

[Straybow]

Ditto the above. Especially if you are talking about a dead scout.

If you merely mean an ancient and well-worn vessel that is mostly functioning then some of the other suggestions are fine.

 

[aramis]

Light Troop Transport

Using an IISS TL15 Surplus Type-S, HG design, you can load a platoon in cold sleep and add carry the PSgt and LT warm. Strip the Air/Raft for equipment storage, and you can carry about 40 popsicles plus non-BD field gear.

Or you can carry a squad of 8xBD troops (+4xSR, custom A/R kitted for field support, replace the turret with a single launcher, and you've 7 TD for tubes and suits; 6 tubes, plus a custom 4td drop-raft with 2 aboard, and 8 suits.)

 

[The Thing]

Hmmm, using it as a giant drop pod has some merit.....

 

[BetterThanLife]

I keep coming back to using it as planetary bombardment ordinance. It could be programmed to maneuver on the way down, and the fusion reactor would add nicely to the damage caused by impact alone.

 

[Nurd_boy]

remote operated ...
up the m-drives, p plant and give it fixed forward weps, loose the j-drive, add some armor instead...
give to belters to break big rocks in asteriods fields into smaller ones...

sound familiar?...idea inspired by 'Asteroids' video game

 

[tinker123]

As someone said, it depends on just how dead it is. If it's ancient and discharged from duty, but still runs, then it could be the interstellar equivalent of a bizjet. 1 passenger (& a companion) could travel in some style in a type-S.

If the jump drives are dead, then they can be stripped out and the space used for testing new equipment. Like I've seen old BAC-111 & Trident airliners fitted with experimental engines & even combat radar. Or it could be used a submarine (I guess the hull must be airtight to at least 1 atmosphere). Or a tender on something big, like an AHL.

If all the engines are shot, then it would make a nice diner or small hotel. I saw a picture of a DC3 that ended up as a diner. Or you could just drop it in town as a landmark - "take a left at Suleiman intersection ..."

If the seals are still good, you could dump it on an airless moon with your secret cache of ill-gotten booty inside. Just remember to switch off the transponder, or some pesky adventurers will find it

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Nurd, how do you propose breaking them - with the laser or with the nose?

tinker, oh there HAVE to be some on a stick, somewhere! Planes on a stick is standard! (Says the old guy....)

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Though I liked the "Starport Landing Zone impact studies" the best. :file_21:

 

[selunatic2397]

In my old group the PCs would take an old scout, mothball it as best as they could, and stash it for future use.

What they put in it depended on what they were up to at that particular moment...but usually included guns, armor, spare parts, and 3 tons of durable cargo.

I ran a campaign where the PCs got stranded without a ship on more than a few occasions, and having a basic and useful little ship like a scout stashed in most of the subsectors they wandered and wondered in was seen as...practical!

As a GM it was practical as well as it drained excess credits and tech as well as requiring them to spend time on keeping the caches secret and up to date.

They usually put them in out of the way caves, but were pretty creative about it...remote asteroids...buried under a corn field...nothing was too cliche for my boys!

 

[Spinward Scout]

If she's really reallly old, she could become part of a museum. The WWII German submarine U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago comes to mind. The adventure Leedor on Aramis in The Traveller Adventure has a Scout in the museum.

Or to bait Pirates for the Imperial Authorities.