Gas in the tank

[Supplement Four]

Alright. Here's the situation:

My player's ship, a 400 ton Type A2, has 120 tons of fuel tankage. They've just jumped two parsecs, using 80 tons of fuel.

Now, there's 40 tons left in the tank--40 tons used by the powerplant and M-Drive for 4-weeks of operation.

But, my players have just jumped into a bit of a pickle. They're being ambushed, and their Type A2 is NOT built for space combat (single turret sporting one pulse laser).

They're thinking about using that 40 tons to jump out. 40 tons would allow for a 1 parsec jump.

But...

That would leave no fuel to operate the powerplant.

I'm thinking (as the GM) they can use that fuel to jump, but when they get to their destination, the ship will be unable to move (no fuel for the powerplant or M-Drive left).

They'll just be adrift, floating uncontrollably.

Emergency batteries will kick in.

They're probably go into their vacc suits (6 hours of O2)....

My question is: How long do you think the ship can operate on just battery power with the powerplant shut down?

What are we talking about here once they jump and the fuel tank is bone dry?

 

[Supplement Four]

Alright. Here's the situation:

My player's ship, a 400 ton Type A2, has 120 tons of fuel tankage. They've just jumped two parsecs, using 80 tons of fuel.

Now, there's 40 tons left in the tank--40 tons used by the powerplant and M-Drive for 4-weeks of operation.

But, my players have just jumped into a bit of a pickle. They're being ambushed, and their Type A2 is NOT built for space combat (single turret sporting one pulse laser).

They're thinking about using that 40 tons to jump out. 40 tons would allow for a 1 parsec jump.

But...

That would leave no fuel to operate the powerplant.

I'm thinking (as the GM) they can use that fuel to jump, but when they get to their destination, the ship will be unable to move (no fuel for the powerplant or M-Drive left).

They'll just be adrift, floating uncontrollably.

Emergency batteries will kick in.

They're probably go into their vacc suits (6 hours of O2)....

My question is: How long do you think the ship can operate on just battery power with the powerplant shut down?

What are we talking about here once they jump and the fuel tank is bone dry?

 

[BillDowns]

Tech Level influence. Higher Tech, the better the batteries.

One could throw in an old, RW technique that got abandoned - nuclear fission heat generation. It's kind of "dirty" if the battery gets cracked, tho.

Could be a complication for your crew??

 

[BillDowns]

Tech Level influence. Higher Tech, the better the batteries.

One could throw in an old, RW technique that got abandoned - nuclear fission heat generation. It's kind of "dirty" if the battery gets cracked, tho.

Could be a complication for your crew??

 

[DaveChase]

Well, assuming that they don't die from a misjump
You could be nice and let them send out a distress signal as they come out of jump and they get rescued (and owe their rescuers).

Of course they might get rescued by some one worse than those they are running from.

Dave Chase

 

[DaveChase]

Well, assuming that they don't die from a misjump
You could be nice and let them send out a distress signal as they come out of jump and they get rescued (and owe their rescuers).

Of course they might get rescued by some one worse than those they are running from.

Dave Chase

 

[mike wightman]

The original write up of the x-boat had it without a power plant, so batteries or whatever must be able to last for a week+

Also, in the MT Starship Operators' Manual a sidebar mentions a ship that has its power plant destrioyed and is heading for a star. To escape the ship jumps (breaking the rules about needing a power plant equal to the jump - but never mind ) and relys on its two week supply of emergency battery power for life support etc.

 

[mike wightman]

The original write up of the x-boat had it without a power plant, so batteries or whatever must be able to last for a week+

Also, in the MT Starship Operators' Manual a sidebar mentions a ship that has its power plant destrioyed and is heading for a star. To escape the ship jumps (breaking the rules about needing a power plant equal to the jump - but never mind ) and relys on its two week supply of emergency battery power for life support etc.

 

[far-trader]

Bad news for them, you seem to have overlooked the week already spent in J-space. They only have 30tons of fuel left at this point, not enough for a suicide J1 on fumes

You could bail them out, or they could bail themselves out, by parlay perhaps.

Or to bend the rules a bit allow a J0 using half the usual fuel. So for 20tons fuel they get to jump nowhere (up to half a parsec in MTU) and come out almost exactly where they were, but a week later with 10tons more fuel spent to keep them in J-space and warm. So when they emerge they are literally on fumes or batteries and have to hope that whoever was causing them grief has moved off. They get to drift there of maybe make a hard emergency landing on just the contragrav emergency and find some fuel. Or maybe with a fair plotted J0 they come out with an angle for a skim on a nearby gas giant.

 

[far-trader]

Bad news for them, you seem to have overlooked the week already spent in J-space. They only have 30tons of fuel left at this point, not enough for a suicide J1 on fumes

You could bail them out, or they could bail themselves out, by parlay perhaps.

Or to bend the rules a bit allow a J0 using half the usual fuel. So for 20tons fuel they get to jump nowhere (up to half a parsec in MTU) and come out almost exactly where they were, but a week later with 10tons more fuel spent to keep them in J-space and warm. So when they emerge they are literally on fumes or batteries and have to hope that whoever was causing them grief has moved off. They get to drift there of maybe make a hard emergency landing on just the contragrav emergency and find some fuel. Or maybe with a fair plotted J0 they come out with an angle for a skim on a nearby gas giant.

 

[far-trader]

Oops, actual questions not directly answered in my rapid post

Originally posted by WJP:
...My question is: How long do you think the ship can operate on just battery power with the powerplant shut down?

One take I've toyed with is a ship can operate on included batteries for a number of days equal to the powerplant size, as a part of the powerplant kickstart. But that's minimal systems. Life support and such and contragrav (good for very limited maneuvering). It's simple, scales, and works with damage. So a size 2 powerplant gives you 2 days of operations without fuel unless it gets damaged in which case it is reduced with the effective size of the powerplant. By the way, if the ship uses this reserve it may not be able to reignite the powerplant without an outside power source of sufficient energy, after they refuel the ship.

Originally posted by WJP:
...My question is: What are we talking about here once they jump and the fuel tank is bone dry?

My take would be they die in a catastrophic misjump. Once the fuel for the jump (if there was enough) drops them into J-space the only thing keeping them alive is the energy from the powerplant. Once that goes J-space closes in on the ship pretty quickly and it all goes dark, pass the dice and roll new characters.

Of course if the jump drive didn't need a powerplant, as in the earliest edition of the game, then they are fine.

 

[far-trader]

Oops, actual questions not directly answered in my rapid post

Originally posted by WJP:
...My question is: How long do you think the ship can operate on just battery power with the powerplant shut down?

One take I've toyed with is a ship can operate on included batteries for a number of days equal to the powerplant size, as a part of the powerplant kickstart. But that's minimal systems. Life support and such and contragrav (good for very limited maneuvering). It's simple, scales, and works with damage. So a size 2 powerplant gives you 2 days of operations without fuel unless it gets damaged in which case it is reduced with the effective size of the powerplant. By the way, if the ship uses this reserve it may not be able to reignite the powerplant without an outside power source of sufficient energy, after they refuel the ship.

Originally posted by WJP:
...My question is: What are we talking about here once they jump and the fuel tank is bone dry?

My take would be they die in a catastrophic misjump. Once the fuel for the jump (if there was enough) drops them into J-space the only thing keeping them alive is the energy from the powerplant. Once that goes J-space closes in on the ship pretty quickly and it all goes dark, pass the dice and roll new characters.

Of course if the jump drive didn't need a powerplant, as in the earliest edition of the game, then they are fine.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I would go with that J0 option. And I would quietly suggest it to the engineer character....

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I would go with that J0 option. And I would quietly suggest it to the engineer character....

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Also, in the MT Starship Operators' Manual a sidebar mentions a ship that has its power plant destrioyed and is heading for a star. To escape the ship jumps (breaking the rules about needing a power plant equal to the jump - but never mind ) and relys on its two week supply of emergency battery power for life support etc.

Sigg,

I thought the ship the Old Timer was on had a destroyed m-drive? Anyway, it's been a while since I read SOM and it is typical of DGP to ignore their own rules!

IMTU WJP's players would be up feces creek without a paddle. No power plant or no power plant fuel, no jump. Period. No run-of-the-mill civvie merchant vessel would have a battery bank big enough to provide even a minimal housekeeping load for 168 hours either.

Then again, my players and I were 'fuel cranks' and my games reflected that. The engineer was constantly checking his tanks and squirreling extra dTons aboard (small craft are good for that). The navigator was constantly badgered into plotting fuel efficient courses too. It was just something we did as a group.

I'm not familiar with WJP's 400 dTon Type A2. Is there a small craft aboard? Does it have fuel? Better yet, does it have a power plant? During one campaign, my players wroked around a damaged main power plant by using their launch's power plant as an APU of sorts. It took quite a bit of work, lots of monitoring, and wasn't perfect but they did manage a two parsec hop with the help of that 'APU' and only once had it go off-line. The scramble to restart it before battery power ran out was rather tense!


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Also, in the MT Starship Operators' Manual a sidebar mentions a ship that has its power plant destrioyed and is heading for a star. To escape the ship jumps (breaking the rules about needing a power plant equal to the jump - but never mind ) and relys on its two week supply of emergency battery power for life support etc.

Sigg,

I thought the ship the Old Timer was on had a destroyed m-drive? Anyway, it's been a while since I read SOM and it is typical of DGP to ignore their own rules!

IMTU WJP's players would be up feces creek without a paddle. No power plant or no power plant fuel, no jump. Period. No run-of-the-mill civvie merchant vessel would have a battery bank big enough to provide even a minimal housekeeping load for 168 hours either.

Then again, my players and I were 'fuel cranks' and my games reflected that. The engineer was constantly checking his tanks and squirreling extra dTons aboard (small craft are good for that). The navigator was constantly badgered into plotting fuel efficient courses too. It was just something we did as a group.

I'm not familiar with WJP's 400 dTon Type A2. Is there a small craft aboard? Does it have fuel? Better yet, does it have a power plant? During one campaign, my players wroked around a damaged main power plant by using their launch's power plant as an APU of sorts. It took quite a bit of work, lots of monitoring, and wasn't perfect but they did manage a two parsec hop with the help of that 'APU' and only once had it go off-line. The scramble to restart it before battery power ran out was rather tense!


Have fun,
Bill

 

[aramis]

I'd let them jump... and count the volume of air. A 1.5m cube is roughly 1/8th of the standard "Dungeon 10' Cube", so the 1 person day per 10' cube with no exertion applies. 1 deckplan square is thus 1/4th person-day., or 6 person hours.

Engineering spaces count 1/5 space, as do weapons, filled cargo bay, etc.

After that, CO2 poisoning begins... at 1/3rd more time, STR, DEX, CON, END, INT and EDU take a 1 point hit; at 2/3rds over and each additional 1/3rd base time, each takes another and 1 point randomly. non-functional and semi-conscious at 1 at 0; out cold at 2 at 0. brain-dead if Int and Edu both 0; Dead if Str Dex and End at 0. Fast drug helps. A lot.

Of course, the ship also gets rather chilly; I assume an ambient temp of 4 Kelvin for J-Space.

I'd also guarantee a jump mishap....

 

[aramis]

I'd let them jump... and count the volume of air. A 1.5m cube is roughly 1/8th of the standard "Dungeon 10' Cube", so the 1 person day per 10' cube with no exertion applies. 1 deckplan square is thus 1/4th person-day., or 6 person hours.

Engineering spaces count 1/5 space, as do weapons, filled cargo bay, etc.

After that, CO2 poisoning begins... at 1/3rd more time, STR, DEX, CON, END, INT and EDU take a 1 point hit; at 2/3rds over and each additional 1/3rd base time, each takes another and 1 point randomly. non-functional and semi-conscious at 1 at 0; out cold at 2 at 0. brain-dead if Int and Edu both 0; Dead if Str Dex and End at 0. Fast drug helps. A lot.

Of course, the ship also gets rather chilly; I assume an ambient temp of 4 Kelvin for J-Space.

I'd also guarantee a jump mishap....

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Also, in the MT Starship Operators' Manual a sidebar mentions a ship that has its power plant destrioyed and is heading for a star. To escape the ship jumps (breaking the rules about needing a power plant equal to the jump - but never mind ) and relys on its two week supply of emergency battery power for life support etc.

Sigg,

I thought the ship the Old Timer was on had a destroyed m-drive? Anyway, it's been a while since I read SOM and it is typical of DGP to ignore their own rules!...</font>[/QUOTE]Know what's really funny, that's exactly what I was thinking. So I checked and Sigg has it right, the Old Timer did say powerplant. I think both Bill and I did a little mental errata while reading it to make it fit the rules All you really need to do to still make the story work is change it to a maneuver drive hit. I'd take anything that Old Timer said with an asteroid of salt anyway

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Also, in the MT Starship Operators' Manual a sidebar mentions a ship that has its power plant destrioyed and is heading for a star. To escape the ship jumps (breaking the rules about needing a power plant equal to the jump - but never mind ) and relys on its two week supply of emergency battery power for life support etc.

Sigg,

I thought the ship the Old Timer was on had a destroyed m-drive? Anyway, it's been a while since I read SOM and it is typical of DGP to ignore their own rules!...</font>[/QUOTE]Know what's really funny, that's exactly what I was thinking. So I checked and Sigg has it right, the Old Timer did say powerplant. I think both Bill and I did a little mental errata while reading it to make it fit the rules All you really need to do to still make the story work is change it to a maneuver drive hit. I'd take anything that Old Timer said with an asteroid of salt anyway