Rules Only: Heat management and LBB2 combat

[mike wightman]

What generates heat?
laser fire, laser hits, drives, life support, electronics/computer

How much heat can each system take?
Weapons - laser double fire has rules for overheating
Computers - computer damage results are similar to the laser overheating
Life support - no rules
Drives - drive malfunction from fuel, what about the electronics controlling the drives overheating?

How is heat removed?
Heat "sinks" - radiators, jump capacitors, gravitic heat sinks, liquid hydrogen venting

Proposed resolution mechanic
For each subsystem make a saving throw, roll 2d for a result of 1+, DM -(Heat point build up)
if failed that system is offline for a turn.

 

[mike wightman]

Radiators are mentioned in Traveller canon, jump capacitors are a thing, and even venting liquid hydrogen as a coolant comes up so my only invention if the gravitic heat sink - the grav plates and acceleration compensation field can be used to turn waste heat into artificial gravity.

Under normal operation a ship, even a laser armed warship, shouldn't have a problem with heat. But what about when you are double-firing the lasers, taking incoming laser hits? I need to come up with simple numbers...

System	laser	maneuver	laser damage	missile
heat generated	2 per laser	1 per g of acceleration	1 per hit	1d6

 

[whartung]

But what about when you are double-firing the lasers, taking incoming laser hits?

One can suggest that double-firing lasers is simply a local phenomenon, like a waffle iron. It's notable because the laser system is not designed to manage the excess heat of double firing. That's why it's notable in the first place. Just like your waffle iron isn't designed for 220 volts.

While, yes, in the large, heating up the waffle iron affects the total heat budget of the ship, we're just not that detailed about that kind of thing.

So, laser heating can just be considered a local effect on the individual weapon rather than a systemic problem.

 

[Tobias]

If you want to make heat a thing, take a look at BattleTech and its related series of games.
What I liked about them especially was the idea of heat as a risk management subsystem.

 

[mike wightman]

That's pretty much what I am after, and the BT stuff is a useful "damage track" for heat effects - I wanted to see what I could get from the base rules first. Only two Traveller sources have taken a stab at heat management - T2300 and FF&S.

What I am after is less "structural damage" and more heat management causing degradation until you get to the point where you surrender, retreat, or risk total shutdown and sitting duck status.

Remember the Donnager battle in Expanse - the Donnager eventually had to throttle back its engines or risk systems malfunctioning.

 

[Condottiere]

Hence torpedoes.

 

[kilemall]

One neglected aspect are fuel tank losses. My view is fuel is wrapped around the hull as an ersatz form of armor one can afford losing better than expensive cannot replace bits.

Looked at through the lens of heat management, the classic fuel hit could be less broken tank and more intentional controlled venting of heated hydrogen or water.

 

[mike wightman]

Hence torpedoes.

Easily countered by point defence - until the heat build up means your lasers don't work and you have run out of ammo for your guns.

 

[mike wightman]

One neglected aspect are fuel tank losses. My view is fuel is wrapped around the hull as an ersatz form of armor one can afford losing better than expensive cannot replace bits.

Looked at through the lens of heat management, the classic fuel hit could be less broken tank and more intentional controlled venting of heated hydrogen or water.

Nice idea

 

[kilemall]

Was watching a video documenting an interview with the Saturn V IU guy, followed up with the IU itself and found it had heat control mitigation systems. The primary tool is what we tend to call radiators but the pros apparently call cold plates.

Here is a link to the ISS standards for cold plates-

https://nasasitebuilder.nasawestprime.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2019/12/thermal_baseline_final_8-2019.pdf