How ubiquitous would nuclear missiles be in Traveller?

[Whipsnade]

... why are traveller missiles so comparatively slow ?

Peter,

To my mind the answer is two fold. There answer is either an In-Game Excuses, a Meta-Game Reason, or - most likely - a combination of the two.

The In-Game Excuses are many: 6gees is some sort of technological limit, the missiles we "see" are those available to civilians, the missiles we "see" are so small that they're only capable of 6 gees, and so forth.

The Meta-Game Reasons are few: missiles with a greater acceleration will require a much larger "map" for both LBB:2 and Mayday and handling missiles with a greater acceleration in a vector-based wargame will require more skill on the part of the players than could be advisable for a fun game.

When you think about it, missiles in CT cannot be limited to only 6gees of acceleration despite the few missile examples we have. Just follow this chain of reasoning:

• CTi has three tactical ship combat games; LBB:2, Mayday and HG2.
• Of the three, only Mayday and HG2 are explicitly linked in the rules.
• A conversion to HG2 ranges from Mayday hexes are given in the Mayday rules with 0-5 Maydayhexes equaling HG2's Short and 6-15 Mayday hexes equaling HG2's Long.
• Therefore, because each gee of acceleration in Mayday allows the future position marker to be moved one hex and...
• Because missile attacks in HG2 are rolled the same turn they are launched...
• Missiles in HG2 must be capable of at least 15gees.

It's a thorny problem and one whose solution will depend entirely on how much reality a given GM wants to inflict on a given set of players.


Regards,
Bill

 

[dean]

<snip>

It's a thorny problem and one whose solution will depend entirely on how much reality a given GM wants to inflict on a given set of players.

That there's the money quote of the week! And it's only Monday!

 

[Whipsnade]

As our resident nuke expert, what can you tell me about EMP and its effects on vehicles, communicators, computers, etc? Is it blocked by a Faraday cage?

Ico,

I'm going to answer your two questions in two separate posts, okay?

First, EMP...

Faraday cages will work providing...

... they are undamaged in any way and the "holes" in their "mesh" are smaller than the electromagnetic wave length they're shielding against.

EMP depends on there being a pre-existing magnetic field which is "fiddled with" in some manner. Because a magnetic field is necessary, EMP is not a given in deep space as it on a planet with a magnetic field like Earth. A magnetic field can be "overloaded" with charged particles, the field can be "distorted" in some manner, or the field can be effected in other ways. Nuclear explosions are not necessary for EMP, they're just a way to create EMP easily and over a wide area. The type, range, and strength of the EMP effect is wholly dependent on a large number of factors. Discussing those factors would not be a good use of our time.

You can induce an electrical current by either moving a conductor in a magnetic field or moving a magnetic field past a conductor. EMP occurs almost solely due to the latter. Every "straight" length of any conductive material sees an electrical current induced within it. The damage caused by EMP depends on the strength of the current induced.

Faraday cages work by encapsulating a device within a circuit in which is "easier" to induce a current than the device inside it. The cage thus "sucks`up" the "potential" for EMP to occur. Unless the cage's conductor is solid, like the "tinfoil" sheathing seen on video cables, a Faraday cage will have "leaks".

For example, look at the door on your microwave oven. There's a mesh there that let's you see the food being heated. The holes in that mesh are specifically sized to prevent the microwave radiation in the oven from passing through them. The holes in a Faraday cage which uses a mesh will behave the same way. Wavelengths "larger" than the holes will be blocked, wavelengths "smaller" than the hole will pass through.

Keep this one thing in mind and you'll have a good grasp on Faraday cages: A compass still works within a Faraday cage.


Regards,
Bill

 

[Icosahedron]

Thanks for that info, Bill. That's pretty much confirmed how I thought things should work, so I don't need any 'alternative physics' handwavium.
The only thing that surprised me was your last statement:

A compass still works within a Faraday cage.

I thought a volume completely surrounded by a conductor contained zero magnetic field. Maybe it only refers to induced field, or maybe I'm getting mixed up with superconductors? Or are you saying a compass works inside a mesh cage but not inside a solid tin can?
Looking forward to your treatise on grav devices.

 

[aramis]

Icos: the faraday cage will have induced magnetic field anyway. Your compass may go screwy during the EMP, but your electronics won't fry...

 

[socar37]

In Classic Traveller, the Maneuver Drive technology appears to be limited to 6G maximum and is not related to ship mass, but rather to ship volume. Grav drive Missiles cannot accelerate faster than 6G because small craft and starships cannot either. It is a game mechanics 'given'.

Reaction drives, like modern rockets, require about 90% of the volume and mass for fuel and would have much shorter ranges than typical Traveller combats. Note also that no aircraft tend to 6G accelerations. Few aircraft reach 1+ G acceleration (capable of accelerating straight up without the need for lift from the wings). Solid fuel rockets seem capable of no better than 3G.

Mongoose Traveller removed that limit and opens the door to faster missiles.

TNE did something similar with FFS by putting the TL limit onto the G-compensators sold seperately. If your unmanned missile doesn't need them, go ahead and make them 8-9G. Unfortunately you're stuck with HEPlaR for a drive vice tasty Thruster plates. :nonono:

SoCar37
Prepared in Mind and Resources

 

[sabredog]

Just a thought here, in HG missiles are treated as long range weapons and are penalized with a -1DM when used at short range. In LBB2 and Mayday there is no such penalty.

Perhaps this is to reflect the speed of the missiles and the fact that at 6g acceleration you can build up one heck of a vector when moving towards something several light-seconds away as opposed to something a couple hundred miles away or less? And that given the range you's have time for the missile to make corrections to hit easier at those speeds than at a closer range?

It seems that the whole missile question is muddied too much by having tow systems (range band vs. vector) for resolution to properly address it and come to a sensible conclusion.