OSB-11 Orbital Security/Sensor Boat

[LiminalMask]

EDIT: New deckplan based on feedback; added basic (cheaper) model and 2 advanced models.

Pierreich-Fenac OSB-11 – Orbital Security/Sensor Boat
(Mongoose Traveller Rules)
Statistics
Mission(s): Logistics, Command, Border Security, Police, Science, Survey
Hull: 200 tons, Distributed Configuration (7.9Mcr)
Armor: Crystaliron 15% (12 pts.) (4.32M) (30 tons)
OSBr-11: Add Reflec Coating (+20Mcr)
OSBs-11: Add Stealth Coating (+20Mcr)
M-Drive: A (2 tons) (4Mcr)
J-Drive: None
Power Plant: A (4 tons) (8Mcr)
Computer: Model 3/fib (Advanced Electronics, Fire Control/3, Long Distance Scanning, Planetary Survey, Surveillance Software) (Redundant)(20 tons) (19MCr)
Armaments: 3 Triple Turrets, Beam Lasers standard (3 tons) (12MCr)
Fuel: 30 tons (210 days operation)
Crew: 13 (Captain, Navigator, 2x Sciences/Electronics, Engineer, Medic, Crew Chief, 3x Gunner/Security, 3x Crew) (32 tons) (4.5Mcr)
Small Craft: Ship’s Boat (30 tons) (16Mcr)
Cargo: 24 tons
Tech Level: 11
Cost: 71,400,000cr
OSBr-11 & OSBs-11: 91,400,000cr

Overview: The OSB-11 is a maneuverable boat designed to orbit a planet and remain in operation for weeks or months at a time. The OSB is capable of fulfilling a variety of missions and can be refit and staffed accordingly. Two more expensive models of the OSB are available for combat or espionage fittings: the OSBr-11 comes with a Reflec coating to its hull, while the OSBs-11 is made with a stealth coating. All models are built with advanced sensor packages and a redundant Model 3/fib computer, and run advanced software for increasing the efficacy of their sensors (Visual, Thermal, EM, Lidar, Densitometer. Reduce Range by a factor of 1 to determine level of detail. Additional cost 1Mcr.) In addition, by removing the jump drive and reconfiguring the hull, the OSB sports a third hardpoint. (Additional cost: 10% basic hull.) Coupled with crystaliron armor the OSB can be a tough nut to crack. Often, the OSB is deployed to keep tabs on system borders, either in high orbit around a mainworld or near a jump point to watch for ships arriving and leaving the system. The OSB is also useful in planetary defense, where it can serve as a command center, logistics station, or communications hub. Some governments deploy the OSB in lower orbits and use them as surveillance and law enforcements tools against the population on the surface. Lastly, the OSB can take on a purely scientific mission for long-term study of a world or moon, though getting to that world may require a Jump carrier. The OSB is designed for long-term self-sufficiency, with room for its crew of 13, plenty of fuel, and cargo space for supplies. When fuel runs low, however, the OSB must find an orbital starport or be visited by a fuel ship. The OSB-11’s cost means that only planetary governments or scientific research megacorporations will invest in non-Jump capable vessel like this; however, its versatility, durability, and longevity make it worth the cost.

Adventure Ideas for the OSB-11:
1 – Distress Call: The players receive a mayday from a nearby OSB, under attack by local enemies (pirates, enemy navy, rebels, etc.). The OSB is owned by either the local government (which will be grateful for the player’s assistance and make life easier on the world for a while, along with a cash reward), or the OSB is owned by a scientific research company, which will not only reward the players by become a contact/source for other adventure ideas in the future. (“Since you all did such a good job driving off those dissidents, maybe you’d be interested in checking out these strange readings for us…”)
2- Fight the System: The players are hired by a local group of rebels/dissidents/underground who are trying to bring down the government. An OSB in orbit over a major city has been able to track their movements and coordinate police response. The players are to either destroy the OSB (very unlikely; the OSB will have police and navy ships backing it up) or board and sabotage the OSB. (Possible, if the players can find a reason to be invited on board first…)
3- Ghost Town: The players encounter an OSB in a slowly decaying orbit over a remote world in the system. There doesn’t seem to be anyone on board, nor any sign of damage. Breaking into the ship’s computer will show increasingly erratic crew behavior recorded in logs, and the flight plan of the missing Ship’s Boat, leading down to the surface…
4- To the Battlements: While their ship is in dock for a long refit, the players are hired by the understaffed local colony militia to fill in for a couple of weeks on the colony’s main defense, an OSB. (Maybe an outbreak of Wulfram Star Fever has put most of the trained personnel in the hospital.) The colony’s main enemy (a rival colony, pirates, hostile species, etc.) has been launching sorties on the colony lately and the OSB must be staffed! Here comes the first wave!
5- Mad Scientist: The players are hired by an eccentric academic who has managed to procure an OSB and has it in orbit around a world of interest, using it to methodically map and study the surface. The problem is that for some reason his hires keep quitting on him, and he needs crew. The academic is rather vague about what he is looking for, is demanding, abrasive, and unpleasant. The OSB is undersupplied, squalid, and in need of an overhaul. But work is work… (Little do the players know the academic has enemies tracking him who want what he’s looking for… )
6- Bug Hunt: A research team based on an OSB is taking fauna samples from a world calls for help. It seems that one of their samples has escaped and is now causing havoc in the ship, hiding and attacking crew. And it’s also growing. And perhaps even multiplying…

 

[aramis]

Plans look pretty nicely done. CC3 makes for good looking plans. The reasons I use sketchup instead are (1) that I want the 3D walkthroughs and (2) sketchup is mac native, while CC3 I have to run in WINE...

 

[Dragoner]

Very cool ship, nice adventure ideas as well.

 

[whartung]

Don't mean to nit, it looks wonderful. But there's something about the drives being that far off the center line of the ship that doesn't sit right with me. IANANE (I am not a naval engineer) but even in space I don't think you want something this lopsided.

 

[Icosahedron]

Nice picture, nice design. I'd agree with Whartung, though, offcentre drives may cause some spin, and if they work via Newton's third law, they'll probably make a mess of the adjacent hull when they're fired up. I'd be inclined to swap the Engineering section and the Galley/docking area around - have the docks pointing 'north'.

 

[LiminalMask]

I thought about the placement of the engines as I designed it, and these criticisms did occur to me. Is spin still a problem in zero-gravity? Do gravitic drives (which I understand are what M-Drives are), cause problems for nearby hull (like chemical drives might, heat/scorching, etc.)?

Still, it may be more prudent to switch the galley and engineering anyway. Thank you for the observations.

 

[aramis]

I thought about the placement of the engines as I designed it, and these criticisms did occur to me. Is spin still a problem in zero-gravity? Do gravitic drives (which I understand are what M-Drives are), cause problems for nearby hull (like chemical drives might, heat/scorching, etc.)?

Still, it may be more prudent to switch the galley and engineering anyway. Thank you for the observations.

spin is far MORE a problem in 0G. No friction to convert rotation to linear.

Gravitic drives agency is not well defined. Some people (like me, sometimes) tend to consider them some form of field effect variation on Foster's drive from the Flinx of the Commonwealth series; in such a system, the drive generates little stress, as the ship freefalls at the indicated G's. Others see them (like me, the rest of the time) as being a thrust generator, and aside from exact form, having all the stress issues of a normal reaction thruster, but not the exhaust issues. And a few consider them to be only a disconnector from local gravity; we call them TNE players...

 

[Ran Targas]

You could keep them where they are but the drive will have to be constantly pushing at an odd angle to prevent the whole structure from spinning. I can't remember how thrust plates are supposed to work but it's something like 1/2 efficiency when thrusting off angle to the plane of the drive; please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[LiminalMask]

Forgot to add: I also considered that the OSB would most likely be found in orbit. As such, the engineering section would be "lower" to the planetary mass and the wing pointing away from the planet (to improve the AOF of the turrets. In the deckplan above, the planet would be to the "north".

Not sure if that would make the design as is more workable, but the more I think about it, that's a lot of extra bits that any self-respecting architect would fix by putting the drives aft, thus a) making the design simpler and b) making the boat more versatile.

Hrm. *ponders*

 

[Rigel Stardin]

Forgot to add: I also considered that the OSB would most likely be found in orbit. As such, the engineering section would be "lower" to the planetary mass and the wing pointing away from the planet (to improve the AOF of the turrets. In the deckplan above, the planet would be to the "north".

Not sure if that would make the design as is more workable, but the more I think about it, that's a lot of extra bits that any self-respecting architect would fix by putting the drives aft, thus a) making the design simpler and b) making the boat more versatile.

Hrm. *ponders*

I will post my alternate Version of the 0SB-11 to give you a different perspective on the design. It is not my intent to ursurp you plan which I found very interesting, thus the creation of my veiw of your design.

For those who are wondering, I sat down at 730 this evening and finished the drawing at 915. ...

 

[LiminalMask]

I saw the alternate version you posted in the image files. Nice work. Your design is much "sleeker," and could be a streamlined hull. I originally was calling the OSB an "OSP - Orbital Security Platform" and thus its distributed configuration... more like a small station than a true ship. It's nice, but some of the limitations of a distributed configuration are actually nice RP hooks: the OSB must be refueled from time to time, it can burn up if orbit decays, etc. etc. Is your floorplan still 200 tons?

Also, what program and technique are you using for your deckplan?

Glad my design was inspirational for you.

 

[Rigel Stardin]

No I did do a write up on it or figure out the tonnage.

I use Neopaint from Neosoft. I created using bits and peices of other ships, "Stamps" which are basically little pictures I use repeated.

I just got off work, so I'm a little fuzzy.... :$

Whartung suggested the engines be centerline as to not cause spin. from there it was a matter of balancing out the ship. If the fuel is stored below the decks you posted, then you could consider my verison a Kite .

There is one flaw in my design. There is no entrance to the cargo holds. The large room towards the rear of the vessel is open (Across from the medlab and galley/lounge.) I couldn't see making a ship's locker that big, especially after putting in the second cargo hold.

That's it. Just whipped stitched together to express some of the views made by other posters in the thread. Hope it gives you some more ideas to play around with...

 

[FreeTrav]

LiminalMask, please drop me a line at editor@freelancetraveller.com with permission to use this in Freelance Traveller, and include your real name for proper credit. If you decide you want to do different plans, say so and I'll hold until those are ready; or, if not, I can go with these.

 

[altasilvapuer]

What about putting some of the drives tacked on the South end, to balance out the stresses?

While unequal drive spacings may make for potential problems of physics, if you can find ways around those, asymmetrical ships can be really, really fun to play around with. I actually quite enjoy designs like this. Nice job!

-asp

 

[LiminalMask]

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on the OSB. I've posted a new deckplan based on the suggestions and dropped the price for a "basic" OSB, with the option of getting advanced models for certain missions.

If you use the OSB in your campaigns, drop me a note and let me know how it went!