Depot

[Ben W Bell]

Just doing some work on Depots and going through the Gateway book and I came up with a couple of questions concerning the Ley Sector Depot.

Depot, Ley Sector 1420.
Listed as A453532-B with a PBG of 300

Isn't a tech level of B really a little low for a Depot system? This place should be cutting edge.

Also does it really make sense to build a Depot system in one that doesn't have any gas giants? True you don't want people stumbling by, but you could then at least pick one with a decent hydrosphere.

Also three planets only seems low for a Depot system, at least the way I have it in my mind. Doesn't give much for weapons testing, resource extraction and living facilities really.

Also why is the Law level so low? Only a 2, I'd have thought something like this would be locked down tighter than a Hiver's little black book.

 

[robject]

Howdy Mr. Bell,

The world was probably randomly generated without regard for what Depot really needs. Having said that, some of your concerns are not as important as others.

1. TL B seems awfully low to me. I'd say it's "true TL" is F, unless there's a reason to have a low TL Depot...

2. No GG is okay, as long as there's tanker support from the surface of the mainworld, which has plenty of water.

3. The "3" in the "300" of the UWP stands for "population multiplier", not "number of planets". But again, the number of planets is no real concern to Depot. All they need is one rich resource pool that meets their needs.

4. That Law Level thing is funny, and I suppose it's due to the random worldgen thing. I also think the LL should be very high, or 'military' (M?).

 

[Ben W Bell]

Originally posted by robject:
3. The "3" in the "300" of the UWP stands for "population multiplier", not "number of planets". But again, the number of planets is no real concern to Depot. All they need is one rich resource pool that meets their needs.

Of course it is, damn my misreading of things. Too late at night to think straight there.

 

[savage]

The UWP's are a bit misleading when discussing Depots. So if we imagineer this a bit more.

I'd suggest that the primary planetary starport has not been upgraded. The UWP downport may be at the tech level of the planet(s) and may not have been updated. I'd assume it does act as Naval headquarters.

Its possible that Ley contains several massive facilities orbiting the star with higher tech functionality. Perhaps its location even requires them to be somewhat mobile with the intention of re-establishing the depot elsewhere during a war.

Savage

 

[shield]

Hi,

Couple of thoughts

- no gas giants is good, snoops can't nip in, have a look around, refuel and jump out. It makes the place a lot more defendable navy wise.

- TL11, Thats the local sustainable TL, I assume that all the high tech stuff is shipped in from offworld i.e. parts for protype ships etc. You could have local TL15 factories but if they are maintained by offworld industries the sustainable tech is not TL15, Dubious arguement, but best I could come up with.

- Law level. I think i remember from the very early traveller stuff, that imperial law level in deep space etc. was TL2. It is supposed to measure the hassle level from the local cops, and the Imperium is supposed to be very hands off. And if the world is offlimits to non navy types, once you are in, there is probably less internal checks. The checks are effectively at the borders.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Theophilus]

Please note that in MT's rebellion era depot listing, Ley sectors depot is only TL 10, Fornast depot TL 10, Ilelish Depot TL 12, Zarushagar TL 6 Delphi (two Depots) TL 10, And in Travellers Digest #7, we get to visit The Depot At Dynam/Lishun Sector a TL13 Facility.

I suppose depots come in two flavors, those like Dynam where thousands of ships are mothballed, and huge stores of spare parts are warehoused. OR state of the art shipyards where new classes are tested. I imagine that there are fewer of these, probably strategically placed near large nodes of natural resources and pockets of heavily industrialized worlds.

 

[mike wightman]

You missed out the most impressive of the lot IMHO, Depot/Deneb. TL 16 in MT and TNE. In the Regency sourcebook it even goes on to mention the Regency building a second TL 16 Depot.

 

[savage]

Originally posted by Theophilus:

I suppose depots come in two flavors, those like Dynam where thousands of ships are mothballed, and huge stores of spare parts are warehoused. OR state of the art shipyards where new classes are tested.

Well Rebellion was was pretty specific. More likely 1 type of depot that had upgraded options at different locations.

Savage

 

[shield]

The Depot at Lishun was being gradually closed down (see traveller digest 7) as it had not seen much use since the pacification campaigns / corridor battles / first civil war.

The depot in diaspora was known to be a training facility and was about TL13. The depot in Old expanses was also about TL13 and was being run down (following 1st solomani rim war).

The imperium seems to let depots gradually fade away when there has not been a major war in the area for a century or so. That may explain why some of the depots in the core sectors are so low tech. They haven't seen a major war since the civil war. Their TL base was probably only TL12 when set up in Milleu 0 and they have not been improved since.

Cheers
Richard

 

[notagoodusername]

Also, that is the sustainable manufacturing tech level. The Imperium may well have imported higher tech spares and ships.

Shane

 

[Theophilus]

So, what's your definition of a Depot?

Is it a storage facility for obsolete ships and spare parts? Is it a high tech ship design and construction facility? Is it both?

 

[far-trader]

Hmm, can't find the source right now but there is an official definition of what you find in a Depot system.

Myself I see it being all of that and more. I'm probably forgetting something at the moment but I'd say...

An active training fleet for all the cadets at the Naval Academy, which I place only in Depot systems.

A ghost-fleet for sure. Ships in a state of near readiness, just not top of the line cutting edge. With some in the process of being decommissioned for resale or transfer to the salvage yard.

The salvage yard, for ships even older or in worse shape than the ghost-fleet. All in the process of being scrapped and recycled, possibly(probably?) by civilian subcontractors.

A cutting edge R&D shipyard. Not high capacity, more for testing new theories and designs, being capable of one off builds at one TL higher than the standard Naval shipyards.

Massive Naval shipyards of the highest TL for fleet construction and repair.

I see the system mainworld as simply being like the nearest city to a modern Naval yard. It's the place the cadets, crews, and officers might take liberty, or might have some civilian relations living if not quartered on base. The local TL and starport are not indicitive of the Navy presence, only the mainworld. Most of the time civilian traffic can frequent the mainworld with no hassle from the Navy, just don't go wandering into any restricted space

 

[Shadowdancer]

Far-trader, that's pretty much how I've always imagined a depot system.

Glad to know great minds still tend to think alike.

 

[mike wightman]

Hmm, can't find the source right now but there is an official definition of what you find in a Depot system.

There's a definition of the Naval Depot in the MT Imperial Endyclopedia.

The only thing to add to Far Traders excellent list is that a depot is capable of repairing and re-supplying a "large fraction of the fleet" at a time during wartime. So I'd add munitions/equipment stores. Big ones.

 

[shield]

They probably are also stuffed full of command colleges, ammo / parts stores, bomdardment ranges, zero G training schools, training schools,R&D labs.

There are also probably a major naval command centre there.

I think I read somewhere that besides having a large system defence force, they also have training squadron where the average imperial unit can pit itself against a top gun type unit (possible using enemy tactics or captured ships).

As for storage of old ships, I remember from TD7 that the imperium dumped those ships there because the place was secure more than anything else.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Theophilus]

Then why are most of the depots listed in MT of a TL well below the then standard TL of 15? Is this the TL of the Main "civilian" world, perhaps the "off base" facilities that spring up around any major military base, and most minor bases as well.

Of course the Dynam depot is the only "detailed" depot we've got, there are references to other depots but none have been published in any detail.

Perhaps Mr. Bell will give us a look at another Depot, one in the "Prime" of the Imperium, Not some washed up facility on it's way to the scrap yard.

 

[mike wightman]

There's also the Depot detailed in the MegaTraveller Digest number three.

 

[savage]

Corridor Depot. I based my variation campaign off of it. Hence, I've done a bit of research.

Rebellion sourcebook has several pages on the Navy Depots. What's not covered here is that it would take up the entire system! Each stationed military unit would have a base and training area.

Also, its a repository for ships and crews that are not assigned to fleets.
Any civilian traffic would be restricted to certain travel patterns. The entire system is owned by the navy, in cooperation with the
initially owning noble.

Where is Dynam documented?
If you were the Imperium Navy would you document the strengths of your navy depots in public records? Probably not. More than likely, as previously stated, those are civilian statistics.

Savage

 

[Theophilus]

Dyanm is documented in Travellers Digest #7, It's the feature adventure.

 

[savage]

Don't have that one. What's the lowdown on it? Is it a brief review of the facility, no review, or detailed.

Thanks in advance.

Savage