Ship Design question

[mike wightman]

Something came up in another post (can't remember which one but if you recognise this then thank you

) with regards to swapping the masses for jump drives and maneuver drives in High Guard.

Now it has always been obvious that in OT 1st ed jump drives were heavier than maneuver drives, then came along HG1 with a percentage system that made the maneuver drive the heavier. HG2 then changed the percentages but the maneuver drive remained the heavier.

Why was this not fixed in OT 2nd ed, TTB and the Traveller Starter Edition, all of which post date HG2? The masses for the jump drive table and the maneuver drive table could easily have been swapped to make book2 consistent with High Guard.

Or...(now for the conspiracy theory)... the jump drive was always meant to be heavier but someone made a mistake with the High Guard tables and it is they that should be reversed .

I would like to know other peoples views.

 

[mike wightman]

Something came up in another post (can't remember which one but if you recognise this then thank you

) with regards to swapping the masses for jump drives and maneuver drives in High Guard.

Now it has always been obvious that in OT 1st ed jump drives were heavier than maneuver drives, then came along HG1 with a percentage system that made the maneuver drive the heavier. HG2 then changed the percentages but the maneuver drive remained the heavier.

Why was this not fixed in OT 2nd ed, TTB and the Traveller Starter Edition, all of which post date HG2? The masses for the jump drive table and the maneuver drive table could easily have been swapped to make book2 consistent with High Guard.

Or...(now for the conspiracy theory)... the jump drive was always meant to be heavier but someone made a mistake with the High Guard tables and it is they that should be reversed .

I would like to know other peoples views.

 

[The Oz]

As I've been given to understand, the handwaving used to explain the different drive sizes in LBB2 vs. HG2 is that the drives in LBB2 are "prepackaged" drives that can be dropped into any available hull, while HG2 drives are "custom-built" to fit a particular class of ship.

Just how this leads to the differing drive sizes is not clearly explained. I always liked to say that LBB2 jump drives included the jump drive powerplant (as is hinted at in several places) so that (in LBB2 designs)only the manever drive and powerplant sizes had to be matched: you could have an F jump drive in a ship with only D maneuver drive and power plant. Not an enormous change as the LBB2 M-Drives and P-Plants aren't that big anyway.

And it helped free up enough extra space to allow for my other house rule about LBB2 powerplants....

 

[The Oz]

As I've been given to understand, the handwaving used to explain the different drive sizes in LBB2 vs. HG2 is that the drives in LBB2 are "prepackaged" drives that can be dropped into any available hull, while HG2 drives are "custom-built" to fit a particular class of ship.

Just how this leads to the differing drive sizes is not clearly explained. I always liked to say that LBB2 jump drives included the jump drive powerplant (as is hinted at in several places) so that (in LBB2 designs)only the manever drive and powerplant sizes had to be matched: you could have an F jump drive in a ship with only D maneuver drive and power plant. Not an enormous change as the LBB2 M-Drives and P-Plants aren't that big anyway.

And it helped free up enough extra space to allow for my other house rule about LBB2 powerplants....

 

[DaveShayne]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Something came up in another post (can't remember which one but if you recognise this then thank you

You're Welcome.

Or...(now for the conspiracy theory)... the jump drive was always meant to be heavier but someone made a mistake with the High Guard tables and it is they that should be reversed .

That is certainly my view of the matter. If you could see my copy of HG you will notice the *very* heavy lines denoting the way the table should actually read.

It's those damn' Grays trying to confuse our scientists with the old drive size switcheroo ploy. Well it won't work I tell you. It won't.

 

[DaveShayne]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Something came up in another post (can't remember which one but if you recognise this then thank you

You're Welcome.

Or...(now for the conspiracy theory)... the jump drive was always meant to be heavier but someone made a mistake with the High Guard tables and it is they that should be reversed .

That is certainly my view of the matter. If you could see my copy of HG you will notice the *very* heavy lines denoting the way the table should actually read.

It's those damn' Grays trying to confuse our scientists with the old drive size switcheroo ploy. Well it won't work I tell you. It won't.

 

[mike wightman]

I've never liked the old "modular/standard fit(B2) vs custom design(HG)" handwave. Why aren't custom built powerplants and maneuver drives smaller but much more expensive .

I like The Oz's explanation of B2 jump drives including a powerplant better but considering the size of the powerplants in B2 it would be a more sensible rule if in HG the jump drive required a powerplant of twice the rating of the jump drive and the HG maneuver drive includes its' own powerplant (again a reversal of B2, David I think you're right to blame the aliens). The stand alone powerplant then becomes responsible for powering weapons, sensors and providing agility.

Did anyone follow any of that?

Thanks for the replies, you have given me plenty to think about .

 

[mike wightman]

I've never liked the old "modular/standard fit(B2) vs custom design(HG)" handwave. Why aren't custom built powerplants and maneuver drives smaller but much more expensive .

I like The Oz's explanation of B2 jump drives including a powerplant better but considering the size of the powerplants in B2 it would be a more sensible rule if in HG the jump drive required a powerplant of twice the rating of the jump drive and the HG maneuver drive includes its' own powerplant (again a reversal of B2, David I think you're right to blame the aliens). The stand alone powerplant then becomes responsible for powering weapons, sensors and providing agility.

Did anyone follow any of that?

Thanks for the replies, you have given me plenty to think about .