Frontier Explorer (T20 build)

[bozzutoman]

Please critique this design. It's in the early stages and will eventually get deckplans as well.

Livingstone II - Venture Class Frontier Explorer
Designed by: B-Man (Brainiac Solutions)

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">PLEASE NOTE: Material in this post may
eventually appear in published material. So
while you may use it for personal, non-profit
use, any other use requires permission.</pre>[/QUOTE]The Venture Class Frontier Explorer (VCFE) is designed for multi-purpose, extended-duty investigation of worlds beyond the borders of known space. The VCFE utilizes today's cutting edge technology to maximize its performance in this capacity. It is equipped with a superior-performance electronics package making the VCFE eminently capable of scouting out new systems. It also sports a DeHart Hubbard 4-parsec jump drive to convey the crew to and from any system it detects. Upon arrival, the VCFE can quickly navigate in-system via four Teklar Mk-III impulse thrusters powered by the awesome Shiva-15P25 power plant.

On initial inspection, this ship appears relatively harmless, with primarily defensive armaments—a useful way to facilitate peaceful first contact. However, should danger arise, the Venture class sports a hidden cache of impressive weapons in the form of three pop-up turrets. Two Legolas-III missile turrets supply exceptional long-range effect, but for close-in combat, the VCFE boasts a Witchfire double-rate fusion turret.

For ultimate flexibility, the VCFE is equipped with several support craft. Two pressurized air/rafts allow for flying reconnaissance while a tracked ATV augments ground-based study. A 20-ton launch rounds off the compliment, useful for re-supply, sample-recovery, frontier speculation, or as an emergency lifeboat.

Accommodations include a private full-size stateroom for the Captain/Navigator, and eleven spacious cabins for the other crewmembers. A spare cabin is available. Five staterooms with double-occupant capacity are provided for mission specialists.

An array of five scientific laboratories allows mission specialists to perform a comprehensive battery of study on practically any phenomena they may encounter. The labs are modular and may be broken down, combined or removed entirely as needed.

Medical facilities include a full sickbay, fitted with extensive diagnostic tools including a cryo-stasis chamber. The ship is also equipped with a Kildare Model-61 Autodoc for redundancy and medical emergencies.

The VCFE costs 390.245 MCr (487.806 MCr without discount) and takes 22 months to construct. Price includes the 20-ton Launch, Tracked ATV and 2 Sealed Air/Rafts.


Statistics:
600-ton Hull (Needle/Wedge) - Streamlined
   • Medium Size Starship
AC: 13 (13 vs. Meson Guns)
   • AR: 2 (TL-15)
   • SI: 175
   • Initiative: 1
Model/9 Computer (PP: 65/14)
   • Avionics: Model/1
   • Sensors: 2 Parsecs (passive survey)
   • Communications: Very Long Range
Cargo: 21.5-tons
   • Extra Ship's Stores: 40 person/weeks of Standard Stores
Annual Maintenance = 39.025 KCr (19.512 KCr if routinely maintained)
Routine Maintenance = 9.756 KCr/Month (97.561 KCr per year)


Performance:
Jump-4 (enough fuel for 1x Jump-4)
Acceleration: 3-G
   • Agility: 1
Atmospheric Speeds:
   • NOE = 1,175kph
   • Cruising = 3,525kph
   • Maximum = 4,700kph
Power Plant: TL-15 Fusion (50 EP output, enough fuel for 4 weeks)
Fuel Scoops & Fuel Purification Plant (TL-15, 5hrs per 200 tons of fuel)


Weapons:
Hardpoints: 6
1x Triple Beam Laser Turret, TL-15
   • +3 To Hit, 3d8 (20/x1), Range: 30,000km
2x Triple Sandcaster Turret, TL-15
   • +5 AC, Ammo: 40 sand canisters
1x Double Popup Fusion Gun Turret, TL-15
   • +5 To Hit, 5d20 (16/x5), Range: 4,500km
2x Triple Pop-up Missile Rack Turret, TL-15
   • 2 missile magazines, Ammo: 40 missiles
   • +4 To Hit, 4d6 (18/x1), Range: 90,000km


Ship's Vehicles:
2x 5-ton Sealed Air/Raft hangars
1x 8-ton ATV hangar
1x 20-ton Launch (Internal small craft Hangar)
   • Launch facilities for 1 Craft per turn


Accomodations & Fittings:
1x Single Occupancy Stateroom
   • Captain/Navigator
5x Double Occupancy Stateroom
   • 10 Mission Specialists
12x Single Occupancy Small Cabin (11 + 1 spare)
   • 1x Pilot, 3x Engineer, 1x Medic, 6x Gunner
5x Laboratory (10 Scientists)
1x Sickbay (2 Patients)
1x Low Berth (1 Person)
1x Autodoc
4x Standalone Freshers
5x Airlocks

 

[savage]

Hope this helps...
Your aiming for an extended mission scout vessel right. Is 600dt big enough? I like the write up...
- how about a "reliable" power plant instead of awesome.
-Its only J4
-Extended missions with only 40person weeks of additional supplies.
-What's cargo capacity without the labs... I assume if they found something more valuable they could dump the labs or vehicles for space.
-spacious cabins? How much bigger did you make them.
-Is there a rec facility of any sort.

Good luck.

 

[fredofmars]

You also might consider having backup machinery (JD, MD, PP, computer, bridge) in case of significant failure. If installing backups, they could be lower levels (ex: JD-1, MD-1, PP-1, comp-1).

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Do the additional ship's stores come out of cargo space? Or are they separate?

 

[bozzutoman]

Thanks for the replies...


Is 600dt big enough?

My initial idea was a 2Kdt ship, which seemed too vast for what I was shooting for. Then I considered a 1Kdt ship, which still seemed a tad too big. I ultimately decided to reduce the size to 600dt to keep things a bit more "cozy" and to keep a GM from being overwhelmed by NPC's. My idea here is a kind of TV-series size cast of characters.

In Star Trek, they had hundreds of crewmen on board but the same six-eight core characters where the only ones to actually do anything. I figured if the ship was small enough that every character on board had broader roles, the Captain joining the landing party isn't such a ludicrous thing. I'm thinking that the gunners will double as security... ya know the ones with red shirts...

Another reason for smaller ships was that sending out many smaller ships allows for more exploration than fewer bigger ships. It also functions as a saftey net considering the enormous potential for losses in the dangerous unknown frontier... especially the frontier I have in mind.


how about a "reliable" power plant instead of awesome

Yeah, I suppose reliable is a less extreme term. I was kind of writing it from the manufacturer's perspective, and since the ship's best TL15 benefit is the incredible EP output, I got a little too outlandish.


Its only J4

It's supposed to be a multi-purpose, mid-range craft, capable of getting to and from systems it can survey with sensors. If a system were beyond reach, even with jump-4, then I am assuming a specialized craft would be sent to that particualar system.


Extended missions with only 40person weeks of additional supplies.

You're probably right. Currently 23 people have standard LS/food + an additional two weeks. T20 isn't terribly detailed on what LS/food constitutes, so I'm not going to be too detailed on them either.


What's cargo capacity without the labs...

5 labs @ 8dton each = 40dt. But I suppose it'd have to be something pretty valuable to dump MCr25 worth of lab equipment... not to mention what the science team might have to say about it.


spacious cabins? How much bigger did you make them.

An additional 6m³. The cabins are 2m x 2.5m. Big enough for a bed, desk-dresser unit, maybe a night-stand and a bit of personal elbow room to avoid going stir-crazy.

But since you've brought it up, I've never really liked the way staterooms/life support/general access are allocated. For "ease" they group it all into staterooms, but then expect you to back it out for calculations and deckplans...that seems kinda weak considering everything else is done individually.

How much life support are huge bunkrooms for marines? How about triple occupancy military staterooms? How big should a galley be per person?


Is there a rec facility of any sort.

Good question. Before my rant on accomodations, I assumed I'd draw it out of the general access, but I see that I only have about 12dt for corridors, galley, accessways AND common areas. I'd also envisioned a conference room and laundry. I may need to pull some space from cargo.


You also might consider having backup machinery (JD, MD, PP, computer, bridge)...

Hmmm... That might be a good idea; push the ship back up in size and include a JD-1 and small PP to limp out of a tough situation.

I'll consider it.

As for computer, considering the size of traveller computers it has always been my assumption that a basic back-up is included.


Do the additional ship's stores come out of cargo space? Or are they separate?

Technically ship's stores are just like cargo space but they are contiguous to the galley and meant only for food. I imagine it as full of shelves and a walk-in freezer.

 

[fredofmars]

"As for computer, considering the size of traveller computers it has always been my assumption that a basic back-up is included."

If you include the human interface space, a 1dton computer is about right. A chair and desk with a computer sitting on/under the desk takes about 1dton if you include enough space behind the chair to slide it back to get out of it, and space behind the desk for wiring, etc.

 

[savage]

There are a lot of questions around the issues related to exploration vessels.
- Imperium vessels might be larger, royalty and corps may use medium size.
- In B5, one of the early characters hanging with Sinclaire had her own ship and did mineral exploration. aka the traveller miner/explorer. There was also a large, deep space exploration vessel.
- So, 2k sounds good 6k is in the ballpark too.
- IMTU I allow backup drives to be used in unison with primary for higher performance. Of course, the ship systems need to be able to support it.
- Your saying that your sending a 4J vessel beyond the realm of known space. So, multi-purpose needs to be questioned. Self sustaining, longrange is more like it.
- people get a bit weary of comfortable quarters for long periods of time. Have a discussion with a few submariners about the needs. I'd say you need some rec center tonnage beyond the ship normal spaces. Larger quarters help.

Will you be supplementing crew with robots?

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by Savage:

- In B5, one of the early characters hanging with Sinclaire had her own ship and did mineral exploration. aka the traveller miner/explorer. There was also a large, deep space exploration vessel.

Her name was Catherine Sakay (sp?); she and Sinclair were two of my favorite characters in that show. Anyhow, Sakay's ship was quite close to a Type-S or a Seeker; however, with the jumpgates in that universe, it could also be a small craft (it was kinda small, even when compared to the "kestrel" shuttles). That's exactly what you do with a Seeker - you Seek mineral wealth and sell your claim to a corp.

 

[veltyen]

On the other hand the explorer vessel "Cortez" is longer then the station. In traveller terms closer to a 200,000 dTon deep space engineering vessel.

First impression. Well thought out. Reminded me strongly of another vessel I've seen recently though (The Scout Cruiser EA05). A similar mission specification will do that.

Personally I'd ditch the buggy in favor of a gcarrier or just something else. I've never understood the need to drive when you have a airraft available. On the other hand a little extra punch (a gcarrier or armed smallcraft) for when the cavalry is needed wouldn't go astray.

Maintenance and engineering facilities are a little lacking for long term exploration. As is stores and cargo space. Possibly worth juggling the labs down a little in favor of this.

Weapons are often a taste thing. If it's meant as a PC vessel I'd suggest removing the spinal weapon

The effects of a double firing TL15 fusion double turret are far too humorous for most PC's to avoid.

As a mission thought with its thin armor and relatively sluggish maneveuring it never wants to get close enough to another vessel to use the fusion gun. I'd think about going with a redundant kit out, two sandcasters, two beam laser turrets, two pop-up missile turrets. This still allows the pop-up secret attack, while maintaining a mostly pacifist demeanour.

Power is always closely involved when looking at weapons. As luck would have it nearly all the systems use a multiple of 12. This lends itself to having multiple power plants of that rating, allowing the ship to have a single damaged plant (or one out for maintenance) and still be spaceworthy. This subtle stylistic change is the other reason for the weapon change above.

One idea might be to have a shared cargo/rec/lab space with the option of collapsing some of the labs. You also seem to be lacking in low berths, this type of ship should probably have a frozen watch.

Otherwise it looks good.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Originally posted by veltyen:
/SNIP/this type of ship should probably have a frozen watch./SNIP/

Ooooohhh! Now, there's an adventure idea! A frozen watch crew on this exploratory vessel is awakened and finds the original crew dead/gone, the last few weeks' logs wiped or never entered, and they have no idea where they are, how they got there, or what woke them.

 

[savage]

That's close to a computer game...Mission Critical. Michael Dorn was the captain leaving clues. You awoke (left in sick bay?) while the captain surrendered the crew to the enemy. Your mission fix the ship...beat the enemy save the day.

Employee Yes I'd always hoped to see more of that romance and the scout ship. I agree with your summary. I was trying to point out that a little more ummmph might help in a jam.

As for buggy or gcarrier... both.