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Question about Broadsword

M

MacTrom

SOC-14 1K
It's been around since early LBB. I have a minor question and wonder how other GM's have dealt with it.

The decks are stacked top to bottm, and the cutter(s) stand on end on each side with a rack holding various modules to be utilized. I remember seeing one that has a APC sitting on end in this holding area. Also, there is a mustering area for assembling troops.

So is the grav in the module bay and muster area set 90 degrees to the axial of the ship? Is there any considerations for how the troops move from the crew deck to the muster area if traveling between two orientations of gravity? or is the gravity turned off in those areas?

(I would post an image, but copyright issues may cause problems.)
 
Here's one you can refer to free of copyright issues:

Brook's Longsword Mercenary Cruiser

It's the classic Broadsword by another name and dimensioned for correct tonnage (not that I've nitpicked it to death or used micrometers to measure it ;) )

To answer your question, I've always figured the cutters maintained their own gravity orientation in flight and went to zero-g prior to and while docked. So you float out through the airlock and reorient before entering the cruiser's g-field. The racked modules would be in zero-g. Ooh what fun, Gro-Pos in zero-g :smirk:
 
MacTrom said:
It's been around since early LBB. I have a minor question and wonder how other GM's have dealt with it.

The decks are stacked top to bottm, and the cutter(s) stand on end on each side with a rack holding various modules to be utilized. I remember seeing one that has a APC sitting on end in this holding area. Also, there is a mustering area for assembling troops.

So is the grav in the module bay and muster area set 90 degrees to the axial of the ship? Is there any considerations for how the troops move from the crew deck to the muster area if traveling between two orientations of gravity? or is the gravity turned off in those areas?

(I would post an image, but copyright issues may cause problems.)
Click to expand...

The Honor Harrington books dealt (too much perhaps) with a trapeze-like maneuver that involved swinging from one gravity zone to another gravity orientation. The same concept should work in this case - enter the cutter through the top.
 
far-trader said:
Here's one you can refer to free of copyright issues:

Brook's Longsword Mercenary Cruiser

It's the classic Broadsword by another name and dimensioned for correct tonnage (not that I've nitpicked it to death or used micrometers to measure it ;) )
racked modules would be in zero-g. Ooh what fun, Gro-Pos in zero-g :smirk:
Click to expand...

yeah, that was the one I planned on using, but didn't want to post and have any "gripes" about using it. :p
 
airlock

Sounds great if your a trooper but what of the normal joe... or older person. This could actually be pretty common among ships.

Wouldn't a airlock that re-orients itself, a smaller version of the 2001: ASO solution work for everyone.
 
savage said:
Sounds great if your a trooper but what of the normal joe... or older person. This could actually be pretty common among ships.

Wouldn't a airlock that re-orients itself, a smaller version of the 2001: ASO solution work for everyone.
Click to expand...

Kinda slow though. How long to cycle? How many per cycle? That Cutter could have dozens of people to transfer. Not the way I'd want to do it in an emergency.

Besides travellers are generally quite healthy and athletic and we're not talking pampered pax here but combat effective troops, probably with some zero-g experience.

The civilian passenger ships all seem to have the boats oriented to the same plane as the ship so there's no problem there for older and less experienced space travellers.
 
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airlocks/ hatches/ ramps (the gangway)

Hello Far trader,
I'd suspect it would not be completely uncommon. No reason it wouldn't work. I'd even go so far as to say specific gravitic manuevers requires the 0G skill set.

Perhaps I should add more detail:
The boat deck is going to have a hatch or airlock of some sort. No reason for it to cycle if the boat is docked. One would just walk along a brief winding ramp into the vessel. In several SF shows they've had the circular walkways to move from one section to another. Since, this is the low tech method no reason a higher tech alternative would not exist. Gravitic plating is a wonderful thing.
 
:)

savage said:
Gravitic plating is a wonderful thing.
Click to expand...

Gravitic plating in that sense is a headache, literally, as it'll play merry hell with your inner ear and balance. In MTU AG is very limited in how funky you can get with it to avoid such issues and others. No Escher rooms with people walking on the ceiling, walls, and floor in comfort and ease with ramps going smoothly between. It's simply impossible.

You show me how you can overcome 1G in multiple planes acting on the same body with no ill effects and I'll look at it.

Until then zero-g IS the way to go imo. Give them little grippy boots and I have no problems with them learning to roll walk around tubes to get to the other "floors" if they can't handle zero-g floating.

EDIT: Oh, the cycling I was speaking of wasn't air-cycling but personnel clearing. It sounds downright awkward and slow.
 
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Good question Far Trader.
Worth some thought. Should G plates be allowed to work in sloping ramps. I'm not suggesting having two in the opposite direction. But what would work? If Sci Fi has 0 G where mag boots allow walking around a circular hall it should be doable with grav plates for an alternative.

But at what angles do Grav plates have "effects" that are not comfortable assuming a reasonable square footage is at the same angle.

Perhaps a popular kids game would be skipping between angled grav plates in 0G:rofl:
 
options

Does any one recall if the size of a grav plate and the area of effect is mentioned. Seems like they'd set it up as an area effect. one plate pulls or pushes at 1 G for 7-10 ft.
 
kind of like those tumbling tunnels at the amusement park.. you step in from the cutter, rotate 90 degrees and step through to the deck. so the tumbler has grav plates pulling outward, but in a cylindrical direction. I wouldn't use full g, tho. maybe just enough to make walking easier. 1/4 G?
 
Grav Tunnel

Good idea... 1/4 G would be nice just a bit of something to feel the weight on the bones...

Toy applications are amazing... Grav this and that...
 
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