A couple of questions

[loydeh]

I was thinking about fleet operations and had two questions pop into my head.

1st: How can a fleet make sure they arrive at the same time in an enemy system? Since each ship jumping is in it's own pocket in jumpspace and the jump time is 7 days +/- 10%, the randomness factor would make fleet operations a b*tch. You could have whole sections of the fleet arriving across a 32.6 hour span. A fleet could be decimated in detail that way.

2nd: How is it that a ship emerging from jump space doesn't exit on top of another object? i.e. Two ships either or both emerging from jump space into the same space.

Loyde H.
<I have a mind like a safe. Unfortunatly I forgot the combination.>

 

[far-trader]

Welcome aboard Loyde H.

Another long time listener first time poster, with two good questions that get asked sooner or later.

Short answers:

1st: There is a technique to cover this operation, a coordinated fleet jump. Two discussions of this I found with the boards search function (below the menu bar) are here:

First Link

Other Link

2nd: Is a little tougher. I think it's been ruled that the nature of the jump drive simply won't allow it to happen. The field won't allow the ship to emerge closer than 100 diameters from any mass. That's the easiest way. There was however a Traveller News report once waaaaay back about two liners coming out of jump kind of melded together. At least I remember it that way but I can't find it so maybe it's not canon.

 

[jfetters]

Yep, glad you found that link, Dan, and welcome Loyde!

The first link is what I go by and what I remember - spend more time calculating the jump vectors and you have less variance. I can't remember if there is anything in Battle Rider, but I would doubt it since that is in fleet operations.

 

[loydeh]

Thanks guys, I didn't see the past posts about the jump times while dredging forums.


Loyde H.
<I have a mind like a safe. Unfortunatly I forgot the combination.>

 

[Ptah]

Welcome Loyde H.

On the 2nd I go with far-trader's explaination.

On the 1st, I've a little different take on jump sapce than canon but with respect to your question I think my take dovetails with canon. The short answer is the variation is very, very hard to remove. One reason IMTU a fleet can't just jump within 100D of a world and start blasting. System invasions require either a lot os ships (at least enough come out close enough in time) and/or they jump far out from the system forces so they have enough time get in formation before the system defense forces arrive. This is pretty far away, so the possible "invasion sphere" is large requireing a lot of patrol vessels if you really want to be safe.

Here's an excerpt from a previous post on MTU, just replace jump sphere with "invasion sphere" and it should make some sense with canon.

"12. Jumping in Formation A primary goal of The Navigation is the refinement of techniques for the emergence from jump space in formation. Currently, it is believed that emergence in formation is only possible when jumping from jump point to jump point, and even then a difficult navigational task, minimum of Nav-3 on all ships. Jumping from or to the jump sphere generally results in a somewhat random distribution (vector is preserved etc.) of the ships in space, time or both across the jump sphere. It is generally known that emergence on the jump sphere at the same place or the same time is possible to a degree, but that simultaneous emergence in roughly the same space at roughly the same time is impossible. Private research on the emergence from jump space in formation is forbidden by Imperial edict. All such research must be conducted under the control and oversight of the Imperial Navy. Open discussion of navigational methods and techniques for emerging in formation on a jump sphere is considered high treason. "

More fullsome post is here:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000346#000000

 

[Scarecrow]

For fleet jumps, is it not concievable that a single carrier might perform the jump? Sort of like the vast ships in Dune. All ships dock with the carrier and it then performs a single jump.

Crow

 

[far-trader]

That, Scarecrow, and the canon use of exactly that kind of ship predating (rules wise) as far as I know the fleet jump coordination idea is exactly the reason I DON'T like the fleet jump coordination rules

It's called a Battle Carrier, and it's main function is to carry the Battle Riders through jump to the fight. And it's the Riders, with all the space saved from not having to carry jump drives and fuel, that fight the battles with all that much more space for weapons and speed.