Nebandi Ru ideas

[Swiftbrook]

I've been interested in stating out the Nebandi Ru 400t freighter as seen here. I just love the artwork. It's from the Distant Places Blog.

So far I've decided it's 1G, Jump-2, TL 13 at most, has 8 staterooms in the bow, and can handle six 30t cargo pods attached port and starboard to the main spine. So, some questions for the community. With attachable cargo pods, could this ship land on a planet? If so, what configuration would you choose? Should I add a launch, probably in a ventricle sling? Would you put crew cabins in the rear next to the engines? I'm thinking three turrets: one triple sandcaster each port/starboard on the engineering structure, and one ventricle single pulse laser under the flying bridge.

Your thoughts?

 

[Matt123]

Nice images

I would suggest no to landing and adopt an open structure (CT HG). I would carry a 50 ton modular cutter that could shift one of the 30tn modules to the syrface at a time. That would be slow, but at most high pop planets there would be other cutters available for charter.

Maybe sling the (empty, therefore 20tn) cutter underneath. If you like interesting fluff in your ships, I would consider that uneven loading of 30 ton modules runs the risk of over stressing the main spine of the ship. Only a suggestion of course.

Crew cabins to the rear, exception one for the steward which could be in the passenger section.

Weaponry means gunners which dramatically ups the cost of running the trader. I wouldn't arm it at all, most high pop systems will have plenty of better equipped SDBs to offer protection. I would give it turret mounts so it could be up-gunned later.

Just my 2cr, YMMV
Cheers

 

[AnotherDilbert]

A first attempt would be something like this (LBB5):

Not really profitable as a freighter.

Adding a cutter would cost 2 modules, and not solve the problem of embarking/disembarking passengers. The added cost would completely ruin profitability, if that is a consideration.

It might be easier to make something useful with the MgT2 system.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

So, some questions for the community. With attachable cargo pods, could this ship land on a planet? If so, what configuration would you choose?

The cutter is streamlined with a module, so it is possible. (Although an internal module is not an external pod.)
That ship does not look streamlined, I would call it Closed Structure (partially streamlined)?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Light Cutter

You might use something like this:

At 40 Dt and MCr 15 it's smaller and cheaper than a Cutter, still carries a 30 Dt module.

M-2, five seats, 1 Dt set aside for a turret that can be used for storage. (Not enough energy for a laser.)

 

[Matt123]

Here's another design, using all bk2 drives and available starting at TL9.

It seems fitting a carried modular cutter isn't doable unless you drop cargo modules or passenger capacity from 8 to 3; or 4 without the steward.

I haven't included the cost of the modules as this type of merchant, I am picking, carries on behalf of others who will deliver to orbit. I'm also assuming standard 30tn Cutter modules, but YMMV.

Trader 400tn, Provincial Merchant
400 ton, TL 9 Civilian Design, 113.20 MCr
6 crew (Command: 1+1, Engineers: 1+1, Steward: 0+1, Medic: 0+1)
8 High/Mid passengers

__Ton._____MCr.____EP.____
| ___.__ | _20.00 | _.__ | Dispersed Structure, not streamlined
| _20.00 | __2.00 | _.__ | bridge
| __1.00 | __4.00 | _.__ | computer model 1-bis (allows jump 2)
| _25.00 | _40.00 | _.__ | drive jump D #2
| __3.00 | __8.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver B #1
| _13.00 | _32.00 | _.__ | power plant D #2
| ___.__ | ___.__ | 4.00 | agility #1
| _20.00 | ___.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (8 weeks powered down)
| _80.00 | ___.__ | _.__ | fuel, jump range 2 parsecs
| __2.00 | __0.20 | _.__ | hard points x2 with no turrets
| _56.00 | __7.00 | _.__ | staterooms x14
| 180.00 | ___.__ | _.__ | 180 tons cargo capacity
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 400.00 | 113.20 | 4.00 EP used, PP generates 8.00 EPs

114.33 MCr (first ship, includes architect fees) built in 64 weeks
90.56 MCr (20% discount in volume, TCS) built in 52 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com

I'd be interested in AnotherDilbert doing a further profit analysis, based on a 90.56MCr purchase price. I suspect it might still be marginal.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Your ship:

With a fuel purifier:

Now it's marginally profitable if we can assure that it is filled to capacity every single jump.

 

[Swiftbrook]

This is what I've been working up for my MegaTraveller campaign.

TL 13
400 dt, irregular and unstreamlined
1080 MW power plant
Duration 30 days (75%) + jump transit (25%) + 1 day combat (100%)
Jump-2
Maneuver 1G
Six 30 dton cargo modules (not designed for a cutter, more boxy)
20 dton internal cargo
20 dton hunter configuration launch (from the Safari ship) - doing triple duty: personnel transport, cargo shuttle and fuel skimmer.
On board fuel purification
2x triple sandcaster turret, 1x triple turret with dual missile + pulse laser
Crew: Bridge 2 (pilot & navigator), Engineering 1, Gunnery/Steward 1
Computer 3 x 3
9 large staterooms (1 for the captain + 8 passengers)
3 small staterooms (crew)

95.65 MCr before discount (76.52 MCr discounted)

Note: If you reduce cargo modules from 180 dtons to 80 dtons you can achieve jump-3. If you reduce cargo modules down to 20 dtons you can achieve jump-4. Now these are not profitable, but they do allow you to traverse across small rifts from one J-2 shipping lane to another.

That's 264,000 cr income per trip with a full load of middle passengers.

Other ideas include reducing staterooms to just the 8 large in the bow, increasing internal cargo a little and adding low berths. More of a freighter feel.

 

[Matt123]

With a fuel purifier:

Ahh, I wondered about your inclusion of a fuel purifier.

How about this variant.
6 x30tn modules, 180tn
7 passenger staterooms, 7 mid or 6 high plus a steward
fuel purifier (9tn @ TL9)
only 1 hardpoint

Trader 400tn, Provincial Merchant
400 ton, TL 9 Civilian Design, 112.14 MCr
5 crew (Command: 1+1, Engineers: 1+1, Medic: 0+1)
7 High/Mid passengers

__Ton._____MCr.____EP.____
| ___.__ | _20.00 | _.__ | Dispersed Structure, not streamlined
| __9.00 | __0.04 | _.__ | purification plant
| _20.00 | __2.00 | _.__ | bridge
| __1.00 | __4.00 | _.__ | computer model 1-bis (allows jump 2)
| _25.00 | _40.00 | _.__ | drive jump D #2
| __3.00 | __8.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver B #1
| _13.00 | _32.00 | _.__ | power plant D #2
| ___.__ | ___.__ | 4.00 | agility #1
| _20.00 | ___.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (8 weeks powered down)
| _80.00 | ___.__ | _.__ | fuel, jump range 2 parsecs
| __1.00 | __0.10 | _.__ | hard point x1 with no turret
| _48.00 | __6.00 | _.__ | staterooms x12
| 180.00 | ___.__ | _.__ | 180 tons cargo capacity
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 400.00 | 112.14 | 4.00 EP used, PP generates 8.00 EPs

113.26 MCr (first ship, includes architect fees) built in 64 weeks
89.71 MCr (20% discount in volume, TCS) built in 52 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Ahh, I wondered about your inclusion of a fuel purifier.

Refined fuel is expensive...

How about this variant.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

This is what I've been working up for my MegaTraveller campaign.

Isn't it a bit underpowered?
The launch would be very hard worked with ~50 trips to unload and load the ship. It would be difficult to get cargo from the pods to the launch, since both are external.
I get something like this:

 

[AnotherDilbert]

You could use something like this:

It's a bit large for a small ship, but it can carry a 30 Dt pod internally, so you do not really lose any space.

It can unload and load the ship much quicker.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

This takes the spine and pod concept a bit further. Might be a little difficult to reconcile with the illustration though.

400 Dt, J-2, M-1
Carries a 50 Dt craft and 8 pods (1 of which inside the craft).

Passengers (and stewards) are carried in pods. One extra stateroom to represent extra lounge space in the front of the ship. So the passenger cabins are in the pods, but the galley and lounge are in the front of the ship.

The ship can be unloaded and loaded fairly quickly by carrying entire pods to the surface.

 

[Swiftbrook]

Isn't it a bit underpowered?
The launch would be very hard worked with ~50 trips to unload and load the ship. It would be difficult to get cargo from the pods to the launch, since both are external.

Oh, shuttles get no love in Traveller. I see this ship as a freighter, not a trader. It travels to worlds with a C or better starport that have cargo handling capabilities. The cargo pods are not standard cutter modules, and actually, the ship can't easily handle standard cutter modules.

This freighter would be hard pressed to service a world with a D or lower starport. Assuming about 10t cargo (135 kl) in the launch, it would require nine trips to completely wilderness refuel the ship. Plus cargo transfers to the planet without shuttle service. There would need to be a very good reason for the Nebandi Ru to visit such a world.

 

[Swiftbrook]

Several have suggested a smaller computer, I have a model 3. I went with a larger computer to reduce crew size. I'll look into ship cost vs. crew cost with my next iteration.

Also, your ship has a model 1/bis computer which has a maximum of 7500 CP. A quick calculation show your design has 9000+ CP.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I looked at a m/3, to save an Engineer, but it cost almost MCr 9 extra. I didn't think it was worth it. YMMV.

A m/1bis has a max CP input of 7500. The ship above input 1915 CP, for a total control capacity of 28725.

 

[Swiftbrook]

I looked at a m/3, to save an Engineer, but it cost almost MCr 9 extra. I didn't think it was worth it. YMMV.

A m/1bis has a max CP input of 7500. The ship above input 1915 CP, for a total control capacity of 28725.

OK, I haven't dug into CPs in a while. I just read it wrong. Your design (and mine) requires 8000+ CP of output, you have plenty of input for the design.

 

[Swiftbrook]

I looked at a m/3, to save an Engineer, but it cost almost MCr 9 extra. I didn't think it was worth it. YMMV.

I think it might be a wash.
Engineer per trip -2,000
Loss of one middle passenger per trip -8,000
23 trips per year yields -230,000
over 40 year cost of ship (not including interest) -9,200,000

 

[AnotherDilbert]

OK, I haven't dug into CPs in a while. I just read it wrong. Your design (and mine) requires 8000+ CP of output, you have plenty of input for the design.

Yes, I have too much CP, but I think the Large HoloDisplay is cool...

 

[AnotherDilbert]

over 40 year cost of ship (not including interest) -9,200,000

You need to make a npv calculation to compare an investment versus later income.

It's easier to compare monthly profitability.
Monthly mortgage on MCr 9.2: kCr -38.
Extra passenger, 2 jumps: kCr 2 × 8 = kCr 16
Saved salary, month: kCr 4
Sum: -38 + 16 + 4 = kCr -18.
Negative value of the investment, even in the best case (ship always full).