Bridge workstations?

[Frostvarg]

Im in the process of designing a 175000 tons ship and i got a bridge with 184 workstations, what will all those people do at the bridge. i cant realy see a task for everyone of them.

in my mind i see the bridge manned with command crew for every section and a group of support for them but i cant realy see what 184 crew will do on the bridge.

 

[mike wightman]

Which design system are you using?
184 seems a tad high.

 

[Frostvarg]

i use FF&S

This is the total crew for the ship
Crew: 1436 (2xManeuver, 2xElectronics, 655xEngineer, 319xGunnery, 102xMaintenance, 100xShip's Troops, 38xFlight, 27xSteward, 11xMedic, 180xCommand)

i dont think the whole 180xcommand will need to be on the bridge. they should be better placed in their sections of the ship leading the crew they command.

somehow it feels wrong with all those bridge workstations

 

[far-trader]

The way I set up crewing (think centralized control) I easily see your bridge assignments being up to (presuming 1/3 duty rotation):

60 command

1 maneuver

1 electronics

22 engineers (10% = chiefs)

11 gunners (10% = chiefs)

3 maintenance (10% = chiefs)

3 troops (10% = chiefs)

1 flight

102 total... easily

I could find reasons for more, as much as triple that since as I recall the crewing levels are not shifts but required. During routine ops you might have less, but a full on battle stations situation would be more.

It doesn't have to all be one big open room either. It could be broken up as adjacent areas: A command bridge with flight control, a tactical bridge, a gunnery bridge, and an engineering bridge, for example. Each with some overage of control stations to allow transfer of control.

 

[Tellon]

i use FF&S

This is the total crew for the ship
Crew: 1436 (2xManeuver, 2xElectronics, 655xEngineer, 319xGunnery, 102xMaintenance, 100xShip's Troops, 38xFlight, 27xSteward, 11xMedic, 180xCommand)

i dont think the whole 180xcommand will need to be on the bridge. they should be better placed in their sections of the ship leading the crew they command.

somehow it feels wrong with all those bridge workstations

Maintainance use regular workstations

Ships Troops *might* use regular workstations -- which is why I built a police station for my 48 (on my 5000 dton ships) -- so they really dont need bridge workstations either ..

Flight crew already have space for them -- on thier own ships ..

Stewards -- I give regular workstations to, Medics -- I have in Sick Bays and medical facilities I build for bigger ships

Gunners (if they are on Turrets are with thier weapons systems). i.e. a PAw will have the gunners & command withthe PAW instead of on the bridge

So essentially -- the Bridge is for Command, Manuver. Electronics, (some) engineerrs [as most of the engineers will be in Enginneering!!]

 

[far-trader]

I figure crew chiefs (petty officers) on large ships will have bridge stations simply to facilitate orders and coordinate subordinates. That's why I included them. And at just 10% of 1/3 of the total I think it's minimal. The inclusion of flight is the flight officer who manages all small craft coordination.

I agree the actual Gunners, Troops, Engineers, and Maintenance personnel will be at their active station elsewhere on the ship but a big enough ship will have a good deal of command structure on the bridge, even for these departments. The way I see it anyway

Besides we gotta come up some kind of way to fill all those by-the-rules bridge chairs. Preferably without resorting to letting mothers and their gifted child plonk their butts down beside the Captain

 

[Shonner]

A ship with that amount of crew will need a police force. MPs onboard with their own security workstations.

 

[Tellon]

A ship with that amount of crew will need a police force. MPs onboard with their own security workstations.

lol -- the ships troops is basically the security force, thus the police .. lol. WHich is why I build police stations on my large ships -- (look at the facilities thread I made and see what I did)

 

[Shonner]

I keep ship troops separate from security guys. Ship troops can get out of hand in numbers. They just need to go to planets and kick butt. Security guys are on planets too to keep the troops in check with the civilian population.

But maybe your ship troops are set up differently?

 

[Tellon]

I keep ship troops separate from security guys. Ship troops can get out of hand in numbers. They just need to go to planets and kick butt. Security guys are on planets too to keep the troops in check with the civilian population.

But maybe your ship troops are set up differently?

Yeah probably -- but on Naval vessels -- Ships Troops are marines -- which generally do both jobs -- ship security and kicking ass

so thus I dont have 2 groups overlapping thier duties if I dunt need ta

 

[Shonner]

We got seals doing security on naval bases sometimes with their K9's. We have contracted security too.

 

[Tellon]

We got seals doing security on naval bases sometimes with their K9's. We have contracted security too.

Is it a water world -- cause why would there be so many seals?

and were taking about a Space Navy -- or a Wet Navy?

 

[Shonner]

Space navy for game. Wet navy for real. My games imitate life, I guess.

 

[Tellon]

Space navy for game. Wet navy for real. My games imitate life, I guess.

Yeah -- Seals are wet navy specialists -- your not gonna have Seals wearing heavy Battledress and firing plasma rifles --

Seals do pop n drops and scale cliffs and 20 mile middle of the night hikes -- lol. a BIG diff between a SEAL team and space marines .. lol

Space Fleet guys are desk jockies compared to the small A-team/Unit style that SEALS do .. .so you need to change that I'd say

 

[far-trader]

Yeah -- Seals are wet navy specialists -- your not gonna have Seals wearing heavy Battledress and firing plasma rifles --

Actually you might, in the far-future, just as the IN has (space) "Marines" wearing heavy BD and firing plasma rifles

Call them Space Seals if that defines it better. And don't forget the Space Rangers And every other elite group of any service. They'll all have their far-future counterpart, using the best available tools imo.

My understanding is US Navy Seals train for and do all kinds of missions, not just wet ones. They jump from planes and helicopters (often into water of course), deploy from ships and subs into the water (and planes and helicopters onto land), perform under, on, and out of the water, using the latest tools. In fact the name SEALS comes from their operational mandate Sea, Air, and Land.

p.s. In fact it just hit me the name would fit even better. SEALS - Sea, Air, Land, and Space.

 

[Shonner]

Yeah -- Seals are wet navy specialists -- your not gonna have Seals wearing heavy Battledress and firing plasma rifles --

Seals do pop n drops and scale cliffs and 20 mile middle of the night hikes -- lol. a BIG diff between a SEAL team and space marines .. lol

I'm just talking out loud that the navy bases I've been to use seals as MP's to keep the SK and CS guys in line.

 

[aramis]

I'm aware of a couple seals who have served in Afghanistan. Pretty far from water... but their diving & demo experience was used in clearing wells....

So just because they are navy, doesn't mean they won't be in some of the oddest locations, and not always for obvious reasons.

 

[aramis]

I'm just talking out loud that the navy bases I've been to use seals as MP's to keep the SK and CS guys in line.

In the 1980's, EVERYONE in the navy was subject to Shore Patrol Duty... in teams of 2-3 people under a MA2 or MA1. Even marines occasionally pulled it. While in Pearl Harbor, in '87, staying at Arizona Hall, I was flirting with a really cute female MA2. The SA, SN, and PO3's on SP duty with her varied EVERY shift, and none were MA's. One evening she had an SKSN and a Marine LCPL and PFC. Both off of a DD. Next night, she had 3 GM3's off a CG, all happy that they got to take it together. Not everyone got tagged, but regs said anyone could be tagged.

So IMTU, the IN tends to operate the same way: 1 MA per 100 crew, min 3, but everyone else gets some time doing shore patrol and docking port details. Marines will pull lots more docking port details, and the navy more shore patrols (due to not scaring the locals as much), but everyone can be tapped if needed.

 

[Shonner]

Any game rules for crew members getting pregnant on ship? Probably handled the same as real life.

 

[Icosahedron]

For the OP:
The rules just work to a formula that generates numbers, and the formula is designed mainly for small PC ships.
If the formula generates numbers that defy common sense, use Rule #1 and ditch the formula.

The bridge is equivalent to a HQ detachment full of desk jockeys. Figure how many desk jockeys you should sensibly have as a proportion of your toatal crew, and go with that.

Rules are meant to be an aid to play, not a constraint on it.