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Book2 vs Book5, Oh my...

infojunky

SOC-14 1K
Peer of the Realm
In another thread there was some discussion about the two "combat" systems. Which turned into a either or situation rather quickly.

So the question occurs, not which is better, but what would you like from one translated into the other?

Historically I have worked on translating stuff from Book5 into Book2 terms. Though recently playing with Power Projection specifically I have seen some utility of going the other direction. As a Proviso I am mostly focused on ACS ships.

Any thoughts?
 
Mayday, p12:
_ _ High Guard: Book 5 for Traveller deals with an alternative starship design and combat system; that system can be adapted to the Mayday movement system (by incorporating statements as to range) while retaining its own combat resolution.
_ _Two ships which have matched courses are considered to be at boarding range. Otherwise, all ships within five hexes of each other are at short range. Ships separated by more than five hexes are at long range. Ships beyond fifteen hexes are out of range, and cannot fire.
 
Which contradicts LBB2 combat ranges...
5 hexes in Mayday equates to 5 light seconds - that is five times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

I think they got their conversion numbers mixed up.
 
Which contradicts LBB2 combat ranges...
5 hexes in Mayday equates to 5 light seconds - that is five times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
not 5×, only about 4×... median is 1.282 LS or so.
I think they got their conversion numbers mixed up.
the maximum ranges are very different in Mayday from in CT...

CT 77CT 81Bk 5-79Bk5-80Mayday
Turn Length10 minute
(600 seconds)
1000 seconds20 minutes
(1200 sec)
20 minutes
(1200 sec)
100 minutes
(60,000 sec.)
Scale1" = 1000 mi
(0.00536819 LS)
1 mm = 100km
(0.00333564 LS)
n/an/a1 hex = 1 LS
= 300,000 km
1 G ×1 T2"/turn100mm/turnn/an/a1 hex/turn
Beam ModsLasers Only
150" TH -2
300" TH -5 (-7?)
Laser only
250mm TH -2
500mm TH -5 (-7?)
Short/long
L -0/-1
PA +2/+0
PG +0/--
FG +0/--
MG: +0/+0
Short/Long
L +0/-1
PA+0/+0
MG +2/+0
PG +0/--
FG +0/--
-1 per hex
detection civilian500"1500 mm
1/2 LS
Not specifiedNot specifiedNot specified
Detection, military2000"6000 mm
2 LS
Not specifiedNot specifiedNot specified
Detection of Silent100,000. mi
(100")
half aboveNot specifiedNot specifiedNot specified
TrackingNot specified9,000. mmNot specifiedNot specifiedat least 9 hex (9 LS)
The mayday tracking range must be figured for a minimum.
7+ needed to hit, max DMs (sans PCs) +4, -1 per hex so, a -9 could hit on a nat 12 with best mods...
But that's not the whole story, either - as ships with multiple lasers fire them as a single battery with +1 per additional laser.

Really, only Bk5 79 and Bk5 80 match up on scales...
 
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Mayday has as much in common with Triplanetary as it does with Traveller.

As such the absolute scale/turn length is much less important to me than the mechanism. I.e. 1g is one hex.

Though right now I probably would use the base FullThrust cinematic movement.
 
I integrate both, as I want the LBB2 maneuver but the LBB5 toys and economics, and ships designed by both systems to 'play' together.

Many problems, but the biggest one was dealing with letter drive stepdown damage vs. value damage.

My solution was to go with a tonnage based damage system, predicated on the EP system for LBB5 black globe absorption. 1 EP of damage equals 10 tons.

Armor stops damage or allows pens. Pen based on comparing battery strength to armor, has to be higher number.

To hits are as per LBB5. Short range is 250,000km.

Battery strength for any sort of energy weapon drops 1 per 100,000km, which affects damage and to hit.

Missile pen is predicated on battery strength plus velocity. The higher the velocity the higher the pen potential and damage. To hit numbers are not affected, the base battery to hit remains the same (subject to computer power).

To hit increases +1 per 10,000 km lower then 100,000km, for both missile and energy weapons.

Damage tonnage is determined, divided in half and rolled depending on weapon type. Less then spinal weapons typically roll surface for the first damage and general for the second. Meson weapons get the first hit internal and the second general. Radiation hits follow the first hit, doubling damage if it can be hurt by rads (fuel is not destroyed but is considered unrefined), and second hit rolls separately.

PA Spinal and nuclear weapons are two general hits and two radiation hits (that means two shots at Critical, meson guns have internal hits first and that one is a 1d6 for critical instead of 2d6).

Critical hits are disable not destroyed.

One damage table based on the CT one, but with ranges that cover surface, internal and radiation hits.

Missile design redo is a big part of it, m-drive up to 10G by TL15 and missiles can carry their own computer model. I mitigate that quite a bit with a custom detect/lockon, but it was important to me to put in the economics of having to pay for those missiles especially bay ones.

Much more to it, but that's the basics.

Not everybody's cup of tea, but always the chance of stealing bits for people's own purposes.
 
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