Constructing Starports and Bases

[RogerD]

What information is out there about how Starports and Bases are built and improved?

The main thing I've been able to find is that Imperium lets you build an Outpost for 4 RU, and only one could be placed per year. Terraforming to create a world from an outpost requires 3RU/year for 50 years.

I've seen various sources (Trillion Credit Squadron, each Traveller edition's main rules, etc) that describe the capabilities of each base type, but nothing I've seen really describes how to build one.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

TNE World Tamer's Handbook has a simple economic development model.
T4 Pocket Empires has tasks for improving starports etc.

 

[RogerD]

Pocket Empires is exactly what I was looking for. Time to go read, thank you!

 

[MThompson016]

GT Starports has information on creating a Class E/I Starport. Basically, it starts with a clearing the site, and then a cutter module is left behind with a beacon as the office. The sole employee is the port director, and there's not much on hand.

 

[RogerD]

GT Starports has information on creating a Class E/I Starport.

Thanks for the GURPS Traveller reference! I'm not sure it will be worth picking up for me, but I'll think about it.

Summarizing Pocket Empires:
Basically there is a table of times and costs (in RU) to upgrade a starport. Upgrades can be done in half the time by doubling the number of resources. The "culture factor" of the world and random chance could delay or accelerate construction.

My main interest today was how fast an empire expands its effective radius, which I define as about 12 jumps from each class B starport (considering the maintenance requirement). To establish a class B starport from scratch would take 33 years, or roughly 2 human generations.

I realize now that what I'm after is pretty close to a T4 Year 0 campaign, so I probably should read up on that version - I mostly skipped T4, but I do have it via the CD.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Dee Six class Downport (Traveller wiki link)

 

[Condottiere]

Spacestations, by default.

I think the issue with spacecraft design is that add ons aren't really detailed, so expansion would appear haphazard.

Dirtside, you have the planetary crust as base to build on, over, through and expand.

 

[Spinward Flow]

I think the issue with spacecraft design is that add ons aren't really detailed, so expansion would appear haphazard.

You kind of have to ... interpolate/extrapolate a solution ... based upon an understanding formulas and "good taste" in ship design practices.

The fact that no such explicit rules interpretation was ever provided in CT (and thus, seemingly never a priority for successor editions) is a bit of an oversight. Fortunately, "towing rules" for microgravity conditions are a relatively straightforward proposition (formula-wise), since double the mass/displacement equates to half the acceleration available (because F=ma in simplified Newtonian Physics).

Once you get past that hurdle, you can extrapolate from there ... which is actually the way that L-Hyd Drop Tanks are structured to work.

 

[Condottiere]

It's more that if you start adding on modules, their connections seem rather fragile, unless you start off with the spacecraft at a preset tonnage, and just mention it's a work in progress.