Marc's 2011 Vision for Spines/Major Weapons

[robject]

In 2011 Marc typed up a one-page vision for major weapons. It's fairly straightforward but thought-provoking.

His concept started with High Guard 2: spines are lettered, with higher letters meaning both more stopping power and higher TLs. He was able to stretch the spine codes out over a wide TL expanse because he uses Maker ideas, such as Stage Effects, Range Effects (perhaps), and Burden to create a weapon selection at each TL.

The rules here list the base tonnages for major weapons from TL 10 through TL 21. Note that, using this scale, some spines would start at C or D (Meson Spines) or higher. There are three fundamental major weapons: the spine, the dish, and the bay. The type used depends on the weapon you're installing. For example, beam weapons like Particle Accelerators only work as a Spine. But field weapons such as Stasis Projectors only work in Dishes or Bays. Finally, Spines and Bays can be ordnance or "fighter" launchers (I assume a "fighter" could range from the Gnat to the Nolikian, but don't quote me).

MAJOR WEAPON TONNAGES

TL Code Spine Dish Bay 
-- ---- ----- ---- ----
10  A   5100  9500 8000
11  B   4800  9000 7500
12  C   4500  8500 7000 
13  D   4200  8000 6500 
14  E   3900  7500 6000 
15  F   3600  7000 5500 
16  G   3300  6500 5000 
17  H   3000  6000 4500 
18  J   2700  5500 4000 
19  K   2400  5000 3500 
20  L   2100  4500 3000 
21  M   1800  4000 2500

Codes N through Z are enhanced, double-power,
double-volume versions of codes A through M.

POWER. Marc's document didn't list power requirements, even though he knew major weapons needed their own power source. I have extrapolated power needs below by using High Guard 2 for Particle Accelerators and Meson Guns.

EMPLACEMENT and POWER REQUIREMENTS

Type       TL Emplacements HG Energy Points
---------- -- ------------ -------------
Railgun    10 Spine        300 + TL x 40
Plasma     10 Spine        300 + TL x 40
PA         11 Spine        400 + TL x 33
Fusion     12 Spine        300 + TL x 50
Meson      13 Spine        500 + TL x 50

Data       10 Dish         300 + TL x 25

JDamper    14 Dish, Bay    500 + TL x 50
Tractor    16 Dish, Bay    500 + TL x 50
Inducer    17 Dish, Bay    500 + TL x 50
Disruptor  18 Dish, Bay    500 + TL x 100
Stasis     21 Dish, Bay    500 + TL x 200

Missile     7 Spine, Bay   300 + TL x 20
Ortillery  12 Spine, Bay   300 + TL x 20
Launcher      Spine, Bay   ?

(TL is minimum TL)

POWER PLANTS. Volumes are based on EPs but need tuning. Percentages are from T5 ACS.

POWER PLANTS

POWER PLANT
TL Type        Volume   MCr/ton  Fuel
-- ----------  -------  -------  -------
 7 Fission      5% EP      1.5   (neg)
 9 PowerPlant   3% EP      1     [EP] tons per month (wartime)
12 PowerPlant   2.5% EP    1     [EP x 0.9] tons per month (wartime)
15 PowerPlant   2% EP      1     [EP x 0.8] tons per month (wartime)
19 Antimatter   1% EP      2     (neg)

* NOTE: Power Plants are subject to Stage Effects and Efficiency.

Customizing a Spine. So the table above gives you a default, standard spine. Not included in his one-page summary, but mentioned by him in emails, is a way to select weapon BURDEN from a table somewhat like those in VehicleMaker, but tuned for spines. Similarly, Stage Effects can tune-up a spine depending on the base technology used. Untuned examples:

Burden     TL  Volume  Mod
---------  --  ------  ---
VLight     +1  x1/3    -2
Light      +0  x1/2    -1
Heavy      +1  x2      +1
VHeavy     +2  x3      +2

Stage      TL  Volume  Mod
---------  -- -------  ---
Prototype  -2  x3      -3
Early      -1  x2      -2
Improved   +1  x1      +1
Modified   +2  x1/2    +2
Advanced   +3  x1/3    +3

Key: TL modifies the weapon's TL. Volume modifies the weapon's volume. Mod is a modification to damage, or to-hit, or both, or something else entirely.


Contrived Example. Using the highly unofficial and untuned tables above, a Standard "C" meson spine is TL 12 and 4400 tons. Applying Burden and Stage results in up to 20 variations on the theme, mainly centered on the standard spine, but with variants reaching as high as TL+5 and as low as TL-2.

And that's per letter. Recall that the major weapon letter dictates the base TL. So while the "C" spine ranges from TL 10 to TL 17, the "F" spine ranges from TL 13 to TL 20.

 

[atpollard]

Just an observation, I find it intriguing that the base weapon gets SMALLER and MORE POWERFUL at each TL. At first blush, it felt like a mistake ... so I can build a 14" Gun first, then learn to build an 8" Gun and eventually perfect the 4" gun ... What???

Then I realized that I had it all wrong. First I build a large 10d6 gun, then I learn to build a medium 12d6 gun and eventually I perfect a small 14d6 gun ... with the ability to scale them up or down in size.

It should yield an interesting selection of weapons at each TL to choose from ... it warms my gun-bunny heart.

 

[robject]

It should yield an interesting selection of weapons at each TL to choose from ... it warms my gun-bunny heart.

A reasonable range of selections at each TL is important.

Also, approximating High Guard is important, because it's a given that High Guard 2 is a success.

 

[mike wightman]

HG2 spinals have once major factor that determines tonnage and damage code (USP) - energy input.

As TL increases more powerful spinals can be built, while some of the lower energy guns get smaller.

If I were designing spine maker energy input would be my starting point.

This would give you a base tonnage and cost which you can then modify by burden and stage at each TL - although I would limit the options you can choose at the lower TLs (no light or v.light at TL of introduction, that sort of thing).

You should take a look at MgT High Guard and how it does higher TL options too.

 

[robject]

HG2 spinals have one major factor that determines tonnage and damage code (USP) - energy input.

Yeah, Marc's doc didn't bring energy into this, even though it has to be accounted for. That's a helpful point for reverse engineering HG2.

Looking at HG2, I see these patterns:

PA "standard" is TL 10 or 11, and Meson "standard" is TL 12.

Looks like PA tonnage seems very roughly [EP x 50 / TL].

Meson tonnage (EP ~ Vol x TL / 100) seems very roughly [EP x 100 / TL].

 

[robject]

So in HG2, energy roughly follows this curve:

EP(meson) = TL x Volume / 100.
EP(PA) = TL x Volume / 50.


Quite reasonable. Now I apply the scale factor between T5 and HG and get T5 EP formula.

Meh. I've done this before but can't remember it. Call it 100 T5 EP to 1 HG EP.

 

[mike wightman]

Yup, I graphed it a few years back.

Pretty sure I made a few posts about implications and extrapolations - may have them saved somewhere.

 

[robject]

Assuming 100 T5 EP ~ 1 HG EP, then I'll start with these for T5, and backtrack when I find a problem:

EP(meson) = TL x Volume.
EP(PA) = TL x Volume x 2.

 

[atpollard]

Pet Peeve ... can we use real units at some point.
Mw, Joules, KW-hours, you know something that has an actual meaning!

I realize that mine is a very un-T5 like request, so I am not asking to rewrite the rules. Just one line somewhere that confirms a value that I can use to port something from Real Life to FF&S and into T5.

Energy Points ... :nonono:

 

[robject]

Try using the HG2 suggested conversion of 1 EP = 250 MW, then scale by 100 to get T5's EP = 0.25 MW. THEN find out how far off that value is and propose an alternate suggestion. The Rule Of Thumb is that Fusion+ can produce something like 1 kW per 17 Liters or something, and that Power Plants, though predating Fusion+, are related.

Anyway.

I've geeked out the OP to include power plant and fuel volume calculation, expanded out the basic major weapons table, and so on.