Silly question, perhaps...

[Johnny_Pharaoh]

I'm sure there's a very obvious answer to this, so be gentle.

If a ship has jump-1, that means it can jump one hex (parsec), correct? Does it need to refuel after each jump? If so, it would seem jump-1 ships just couldn't go some places. For example, if I'm in the Regina subsector of the Spinward Marches on Wochiers, with jump-1 I could get to Algine, Rethe or Yurst, but nowhere else? Do I just jump into a blank hex and pray for some random gas giant?

I'm certain that can't be the case but I'm having trouble finding why not. Probably it's in a discussion about fuel capacity somewhere but I hope you good people will save me some research so I can use my limited prep time to focus on story.

 

[aramis]

Most ships are designed with only enough fuel for 1 jump of as many parsecs as the ship's Jump drive rating.

It is possible to design a ship with 2 jump 1's, but such a ship, as a merchanter, is less financially viable (and odds are, won't make the payments), so it's not a common thing to see.

 

[far-trader]

Welcome aboard Johnny Pharaoh

Good question, and not so obvious an answer as you might think. It's caused a few "discussions" over the years.

The simple answer is you've got it right. Most ships with jump-1 will have to refuel after each jump and are therefore limited to trips that start and end with a star system.

Some ships get around this by carrying extra fuel, for example the Yacht in Classic Traveller is a jump-1 ship but it has enough fuel for 2 jumps. So it can jump to an empty hex and then jump out again. In your example it might jump from Wochiers to the empty hex between Wochiers, Roup, and Pscias in the first jump and then it could continue on to Roup or Pscias. Such a jump takes 2 weeks of course, 1 week for each jump-1 so extra life support may be needed.

I should also mention that in your example Wochiers is connected to the jump-1 main (a long string of worlds all within jump-1 of each other) through an adjoining subsector via Algine and Rethe which will eventually bring you back to Regina (the system).

And there may be a source of fuel in an empty hex but it won't be easy to find. It would likely be a rogue ice body which you could mine for unrefined fuel. A bit of a needle in a haystack situation but very remotely possible. And exceedingly valuable if it were found.

Hope that covered it. If not just keep asking, and have fun with the rest of the game prep

(...I figured somebody would be typing faster than I was )

Oh, as a P.S. to aramis' post, a merchant may sometimes use cargo space for extra fuel tankage to make an empty hex jump to get through such a gap. The handy thing is they don't lose the revenue space except when making that double jump, though they do lose time in the process and the tanks cost a nominal fee to purchase/rent/install.

 

[splicer]

If so, it would seem jump-1 ships just couldn't go some places.

Yes, that is one of the downsides to Jump-1 ships. But it is also a useful tool in the hands of the GM. It forces characters to stop at every little backwater system along the way, increasing the chances for all kinds of interesting encounters. This might motivate the characters to aquire a Jump-2 ship which also makes your job easier. Motivated players/characters tend to get themselves into interesting adventures all by themselves (giving you free ideas and situations to play off of). Maybe the motivation isn't a Jump-2 ship, but just a need to get to a world that's just out of reach. Now the PC has to charter a ship, or sign on to one as a "working passage", or any number of other adventure seeds. I'm toying with the idea of getting a crew stuck on a backwater Jump-2 route. If this is done wrong, the players will feel railroaded. Handled correctly, they'll never know it wasn't their idea/fate.

Finally, to help with your astrography, might I suggest http://www.travellermap.com/

Hope this helps!

P.S. There was more to my post, but it seems that others already covered those points so I trimmed a little.

 

[ShapeShifter]

Although the grumpy, rules-lawyers/grognards here will tell you otherwise, you can do what you want in your Traveller universe.

I made a few big changes in my campaign:

1) Max. jump ranges in the kiloparsecs. They get from point A to point B instantly but, like batteries, the jump drive must spend a LONG time recharging, like days, weeks or even months. To jump is a disruptive experience: people with average or lower END and unaccustomed to jumps are nauseated for a certain time after the jump, suffering vomiting, dizziness, disorientation, weakness, etc.

2) 3D space. I imported some ideas from the old TSR game Star Probe.
A star can be on the plane of the map (labelled 0), above the plane (a number between 1 and, say, 15), or below the plane (1 through 15 underlined). Simple.

 

[Johnny_Pharaoh]

Sounds like I better make sure they've got a jump-2 ship.

Thanks, fellas.

 

[robject]

Sounds like I better make sure they've got a jump-2 ship.

Thanks, fellas.

A safe bet.

 

[leo knight]

Boy, this thread brings back memories of 1977! I remember trying to answer these questions for myself and my players. I came up with collapsible fuel bladders (which later becme official), and giant 2-5000 ton, jump 2-3 Heighliners (stolen from "Dune"), which ferried smaller Jump 1 vessels in their holds. I even went to the length of plotting out where the collapsible bladders went in my Free Traders.

 

[mike wightman]

There are a few examples of jump1 ships using extra fuel tanks to cross empty hexes.

The first is in Twilight's Peak - the ships in the convoy had to make empty hex jumps.

They may have used fuel from the other ships in the convoy or they may have had extra fuel tanks fitted - I'll have to read it again to be certain.

The classic example is in the Traveller Adventure wher the players get fuel tanks as part of the plot so they can make the empty hex jumps.

 

[boomslang]

I even went to the length of plotting out where the collapsible bladders went in my Free Traders.

For the edification of the neophyte, and for the sake of completeness, we should perhaps explicitly point out the advantage of a collapsing tank assembly in the hold: when not filled with extra fuel to support a second Jump, the unused bladder folds away into about 1% of its full displacement and thereby frees up a significant amount of space in the hold for additional paying cargo and the associated additional revenue.

 

[sabredog]

Drop tanks are also available (at least IMTU) for rent at any Type A or B starport (and some Type C).

With drop tanks you just fill the ship's onboard tanks, then attach filled drop tanks and jump. The tanks are emptied into the jump drive to power it for that one jump and the tanks are left behind. When the ship comes out of jump it still has enough fuel for the second jump.

The tanks are picked up by either the original owner who rented them to the players, or by another business that acts as a gofer. They carry beacons to warn others if they are a navigational hazard, but space is large.

I do require, though, that the ship using them loses 1 hardpoint when the tanks are attached, unless the ship was originally designed to use them. Typically, only military and courier type vessels are designed with drop tanks in mind. For example, my mail packets have a jump 6 drive, but only have onboard fuel for jump 3. It is designed to carry drop tanks to enable it to make a jump-6 if time is of the essence. But then those ships get to use the tanks available at all the Scout way stations and bases, plus any Naval base.

Ships that need to make long jumps and don't have either the tankage or the capability for drop tanks can sometimes rent space on jump shuttles. These are similar to the CT X-boat tender and can carry up to 600 tons of ship (aggregate tonnage - they are a dispersed structure) up to 3 parsecs using a jump-1 drive.

 

[boomslang]

The tanks are picked up by either the original owner who rented them to the players, or by another business that acts as a gofer. They carry beacons to warn others if they are a navigational hazard, but space is large.

It might be a good idea to also tag this depends-on-which-official-rules-you-are-reading-from operational feature with the "IMTU caveat" from above in order to avoid future confusion, as there is historically some significant debate amongst the player base about the reusability of drop tanks in TUs that accommodate them in the first place.

Your scheme has always seemed, however, a reasonable business model to me despite the potential headaches it may pose for architects and engineers. (IMTU, whenever possible, I design starship specs with pre-figured drop tank allowances in the relevant increased-hull-displacement-dependent requirements -- bridge size, computer factor, crew -- for precisely this reason.)

 

[leo knight]

For the edification of the neophyte, and for the sake of completeness, we should perhaps explicitly point out the advantage of a collapsing tank assembly in the hold: when not filled with extra fuel to support a second Jump, the unused bladder folds away into about 1% of its full displacement and thereby frees up a significant amount of space in the hold for additional paying cargo and the associated additional revenue.

Thanks for pointing that out. Nostalgia turned off the rule-remembering center in my brain.

 

[Johnny_Pharaoh]

After doing some more thorough reading and looking at routes like the Spinward Main, the idea of a jump-1 ship doesn't seem as limiting as it did at first. I appreciate all the feedback.

 

[rancke]

Drop tanks are also available (at least IMTU) for rent at any Type A or B starport (and some Type C).

Whereas they're not availble (for rent, that is) in the OTU. Canonical drop tanks are one-use.


Hans

 

[sabredog]

Whereas they're not availble (for rent, that is) in the OTU. Canonical drop tanks are one-use.


Hans

Yes, that is implied to an extent, but I read that to mean One-use in that they have to be dropped before jump, not that they cannot be reused after servicing.

Even as early as WW2 drop tanks (except the US paper drop tanks) were reusable. Japanese tanks were painted bright yellow to help recover them, German ones had "This is not a bomb. Return to nearest airbase or police station for reward." painted on them. in photos a lot of these are dented and show that they were recovered and reused. And these were dropped from 20,000ft and not carrying beacons to aid recovery.

In Traveller there isn't any reason why tanks can't be equipped with navigation beacons, and given that regular navigation routes would be marked out for routine traffic control, the tanks would be relatively easy to recover and reuse.

And since canon doesn't explicitly say they cannot be reused, only that they are used once before jumping, then dropped (which is how any "drop"-tank works) I follow the logic that in an RPG if it isn't explicitly said you can't do something then you can. After all, Marc Miller points out in the game in several places that the rules are only a guideline and you can take, leave, or expand on them as you wish.

I would argue that for something to be non-canon it would be something that is done either completely and explicitly in opposition to something laid out completely and explicitly in the rules, or something along the lines of dropping out of the OTU altogether and making up your own universe, but even then: is that non-canon given that the original CT universe had no canon OTU other than a basic framework of rules to hang whatever you want on them?

Does non-canon mean you can only use the ships already provided in the rules or supplements, so we have to accept that the Gazelle cheat is reasonable and we can do it with any self-designed ship? Or do we follow the rules as laid out and just ignore the GAzelle (not to mention all the other little kinks in the rules found all over canon)?

I'm not looking to start some flame war here, but I think the whole canon v. non-canon thing gets a wee nebulous given that the canon itself could be far better defined itself. Or at least with a little more application of common sense and the imagination required to play and especially run an RPG on the scale of Traveller. i think if you want more rigid rules you shouldn't be using CT but instead something like MT or TNE - both of which seem more tightly linked to the oTU and have less wiggle room for imagination IMHO.

 

[far-trader]

Well as far as canon goes I seem to recall a detailed write up about the Gazelle class with artwork, showing and explaining that the ship was carrying drop tanks from a different ship, as seen by the different tail numbers on the drop tanks and the ship. Strongly implying the reuse, and even swapping between ships, of drop tanks. Can't recall just where or how official it was though.

 

[sabredog]

As for disposable drop tanks I do have IMU inflatable one-use only drop tanks that ships can carry and use when needed. The tanks are treated as collapsible fuel bladders for cost and storage, but attach to the drop tank fittings if the ship is so equipped.

The tanks are safe to use only once, after which they start to fall apart so as to not create a hazard to navigation. They cost 20% less than regular drop tanks but have the advantage of extending range like collapsibles without using up internal cargo space or adding to volume when retained like external demountables. Rescue ships, military, and exploration ships often carry them for emergency use. Like for jury-rigging a jump if fuel tanks are shattered, or helping someone else make a short jump to safety if they ran out of gas or had a malfunction.

IMTU

 

[sabredog]

Well as far as canon goes I seem to recall a detailed write up about the Gazelle class with artwork, showing and explaining that the ship was carrying drop tanks from a different ship, as seen by the different tail numbers on the drop tanks and the ship. Strongly implying the reuse, and even swapping between ships, of drop tanks. Can't recall just where or how official it was though.

Which is exactly why I agree that ships should either be pre-designed to use drop tanks or that if they use some sort of one-size-fits-all rental they should be penalized by the loss of a hardpoint (or two), or loss of access to the hold doors or something until the drop before jump.

Military craft of at least the smaller patrol or fast response type ought to be designed to carry them and I wouldn't be surprised that depots and way stations for both the scouts and navy would be well stocked.

 

[robject]

Welcome

Welcome aboard, by the way. There are no silly questions.

After doing some more thorough reading and looking at routes like the Spinward Main, the idea of a jump-1 ship doesn't seem as limiting as it did at first. I appreciate all the feedback.

I agree. The Spinward Main is a treasure trove for the referee and players alike, and one good experience to have early is to navigate through it with a Jump-1 ship. Sort of like the "Route 66" effect.