Starship Design Assistance

[Frewfrux]

Greetings,

I haven't tried to get into T5 for a while, but I'm trying again. I hit a snag while creating a starship, however. I am using the Battle Cruiser as my guide and came to the list of sensors. The results I get trying to create my own sensors doesn't match what's listed for the BC. Can someone look this over and tell me where I'm going wrong?

The first sensor listed (page 49 in the second PDF) is:

Adv DS Surf-Mt Communicator-13 Mod=+3. S=12, 7.0 MCr, TL-11

Looking up Starship Sensors (page 81) I see the base for the communicator is TL-8 costing 1 MCr.
- The tech level stage effects for the TL-11 version make the sensor an advanced one with a x2 mod to the cost (now at 2 MCr).
- Sensor mount is "surface" so there's no adjustments there.
- Space range effects for a deep space version result in x3 tons (0*3=0), and x5 cost (now at 10MCr).

So is the 7.0MCr listed in the BC design a typo, or am I missing a step somewhere?

(Also, what does the Deep Space TL mod of +2 on the space range effects table mean?)

 

[Frewfrux]

Actually, never mind. The more I look at the detailed BC, the more inconsistencies I see.

The second listed sensor is "Adv DS Surf-Mt Scope-14 Mod=+3. S=12. 5.5 MCr, TL-11"

- Scopes are listed as TL-9 with a base price of 1 MCr
- An Adv version of the sensor would be TL-12, not TL-11
- If the TL is wrong and it's actually TL-12, then the price should be 10 MCr
- If the TL is right and the stage effect is wrong, then it's a Mod version and the price should be 2.5 MCr

The third listed sensor is "Std DS Surf-Mt EMS-14 Mod=0. S=12. 4.0 MCr, TL-13"

- EMS is TL-12 with a base price of 1 MCr.
- A Std version would be TL-12, not TL-13
- If the TL is right, then this should be either an Imp or Gen version, not a Std one, making the price 5 Mcr or 2.5 MCr respectively.
- If the TL is wrong and it is a Std version, the price should be 5 MCr.

And so on.

I just looked at another example in the rules (the Patrol Frigate) and I see similar issues with the sensors there too. Either I'm missing something (more likely than not, maybe something to do with the TL mod on the Space Range Effects table?), the ships are all detailed out wrong, or the tables used to do these calculations are wrong.

Does anyone know? I didn't see anything in the errata thread. Maybe I'll look there again.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Adv DS Surf-Mt Communicator-13 Mod=+3. S=12, 7.0 MCr, TL-11

It is correct (but it's TL13 for Advanced as printed).

The sensor and the mount are treated separately and added together after modifications.
The Communicator is TL8, 0 Dt, and MCr 1.
The Mount is 0 Dt and MCr 1.
Stage Advanced is applied to the Sensor only: TL+3, Cost ×2, Mod+3, for a total of TL11, MCr 2, Mod+3.
Range Deep Space is applied to the Mount only: TL+2 Size×3, Cost×5, for a total of TL+2, MCr 5.
Add the Sensor and Mount for a total of TL13, MCr 7, Mod+3

See "The Sensor Creation Process" B2, p137.

Very simple and straight forward...

 

[Frewfrux]

I think I get it now. I knew the mount and sensor were treated separately and added together, but I thought the Space Range Effects would apply to the sensor, not the mount.

I guess this means the printed TL of 11 (in T5.10, anyway) must be wrong as it's really TL-13. And I agree that it's simple once you figure it out, but with the instructions on how to use the tables on page 137 and the tables themselves on page 81, I would not call it straight forward.

That said, I can now continue on. Thank you for the explanation.