Starship "types"

[GypsyComet]

The modern use of Types likely grew out of the relatively small number of ship designs the Vilani used, and continue to use. To the old Vilani prior to the Ziru Sirka, a Type A was solely the trade ship we now refer to as the Beowulf/Hero/Sandwich etc. That was their name for it. Same with the Type R, early versions (only J1) of the Type C, etc. To them it may well have been a class name.

Then the Geonee popped up in something similar but different, followed by the Suerrat, and other early mercantile powers sold the technology. They heard the Vilani explanation and took it as a performance spec, then built ships that suited their own aesthetics. When these ships were first shown to Vilani traders and described as "That's my Type A!" it was already too late. Cultural damage control is nearly impossible when the trade empire of the Vilani is two years travel time across.

By the time the Terrans were encountered, thousands of years later, the Vilani Type A would have been the most common (just as it is in the Third Imperium), but hardly the only Type A flying. That is why it has a class name that, according to GT:IW, was cheerfully mistranslated in a way that eventually led to an unassuming little trade ship being named for a slayer of monsters.

More variation would have sprung up during the Rule of Man, because we Earthers practice art and architecture as competitive sports, and some of the cultures suppressed under the Ziru Sirka would have wanted to express their aesthetics again as well. That trend would have carried into the Long Night, though relatively few worlds were building ships. The resulting Cultural regions we see in the Third Imperium are going to have their own local variants of all the Types as a minority population next to the old Vilani standards. Regions with strongly expressed artistic ideals will probably have multiples.

 

[Patron Zero]

My interest, sometimes confusion, is the proper usage of compound designations.

For example I am currently developing a 95Ton non-starship, the Gravas Class Support Tractor, a tug for ferrying about express boats to-from jump-points.

So uncertain which letter designation, also referred to as ship type codes in Book 5-HG, to apply to the tug itself or when such operates joined to an X-boat as a 'hybrid' 195Ton starship for jump maneuvers.

Also have the 'blank designation letters (Bk5-HG page 26), Primaries H,N,U,V and Z, Qualifiers I,J,KW and X been assigned in any later published canon Traveller materials ?

 

[esampson]

It's probably something every polity came to the realization, a set of standards that allow ships to be repaired anywhere from TL9 to TL15 ports and commonality of parts and design, an ISO standard that facilitates interstellar commerce.

Which of course is what our Imperiums or IMTUs are very interested in doing.

As I understand it the "type" codes are the codes used at the beginning of a ships identification code. All 'A2' traders have ID codes that start with 'A2' and then have further numbers to help identify the specific ship. In that aspect they are somewhat similar to the civilian identification codes used for aircraft when the first letter or pair of letters identifies the issuing agency (N means that the aircraft is of American origin and registered by the FAA while XB would identify an aircraft as being of Mexican origin and registered by the DGAC).

Unlike civilian identification codes, however, a ship's identification code passes along additional information as well. According to T5 after the 'mission' code the next four digits refer to tonnage, configuration, maneuver capabilities and jump capabilities.

Given the nature of the Imperium this actually makes a lot of sense. When a vehicle with the ID code of A2-2S218531212 ground control immediately knows that it is a Trader (which helps them to know not to route it to where military ships or commercial lines should be) and not to be freaked out if it has weaponry or if it doesn't look like the Traders people are use to (A2 is the mission code of A for a trader with the modifier code of A for Alternate, Improved, Armored or Attack). The code also makes it apparent to ground control that it is a ship in the 200 ton range, so they can direct it to a landing pad that isn't too small or too large, it is streamlined so it can land on the planet, and it is capable of 2 Gs of acceleration which helps them plan its flight path.

This is of course very important since it is quite conceivable for a ship to reach a planet and the planet has no record of the ship or data may be out of date. It wouldn't really help with repair, but that's ok. You're going to want your mechanic to look at the ship rather than just ordering parts based off of an identifier, especially since there may be post construction modifications.

While the extended information of the ship is that it is an A2-2S21 often people will say that they are the pilot, captain, or engineer for an A2, both because it is faster and because in a lot of ways they feel that it does the best job of conveying their identity in a concise manner (they're tough, independent people who make their living off grit and intelligence. They're no namby-pamby corporate workers chauffeuring around rich fat cats)

 

[esampson]

My interest, sometimes confusion, is the proper usage of compound designations.

For example I am currently developing a 95Ton non-starship, the Gravas Class Support Tractor, a tug for ferrying about express boats to-from jump-points.

So uncertain which letter designation, also referred to as ship type codes in Book 5-HG, to apply to the tug itself or when such operates joined to an X-boat as a 'hybrid' 195Ton starship for jump maneuvers.

Also have the 'blank designation letters (Bk5-HG page 26), Primaries H,N,U,V and Z, Qualifiers I,J,KW and X been assigned in any later published canon Traveller materials ?

As a 95 ton ship that can't jump it wouldn't actually use the same code as a starship. At a guess the best code for it (according to T5) would be SM. S stands for 'shuttle' and while technically the vehicle is probably closer to a ship's boat you probably don't want BM. M stands for 'motivator' (although it can also stand for militia or military. Other possible modifiers would be T (tender), E (essential), C (communications, since the x-boats are part of the communications network) or X (for special).

I can't imagine the designation would change when it is docked to an X-boat since the designation is part of the vehicle identifier. While a vehicle may occasionally change identifiers to undertake new missions (such as when a scout ship becomes a prospector) it would be confusing for that to be happening while the vehicle is in flight. Yes, some of the information contained in the identifier would now be wrong (tonnage, acceleration, configuration) but the SM designator would alert ground control to the fact that this can happen and to pay particular attention.

As per T5:

H - Ortillery (orbital bombardment)
N - Survey or Medical (not Lab)
U - Packet (unscheduled passengers, so similar to a type A but with emphasis on passengers)
V - Nothing
Z - Unclassified (yes, it is a classification of 'Unclassified'. Thank the bwaps).

I - Unused, most likely to avoid confusion with 1.
J - Survey, Prospector or Interceptor.
K - Subsidized, Fast or Diplomatic.
W - Unpowered
X - Experimental, Special or Express

 

[Patron Zero]

Thanks esampson, that does clear up a few things for me, not terribly 'fluent' in T5 as yet.

 

[Hyphen]

That is why it has a class name that, according to GT:IW, was cheerfully mistranslated in a way that eventually led to an unassuming little trade ship being named for a slayer of monsters.

ROFL! Thanks, Jim, for that little gem.

 

[Adam Dray]

Everyone, thank you. This is very helpful.

Am I to understand that CT and possibly T5 have hex-classifications like UWPs but for ships? Which books should I look at to grok this?

I'm building an adventure that explores different makes and models of used starships and I'm looking to see how they might be described and classified. I've been using automobile "trim" codes as color, so the Kuiper A2-1 LX model might have extra luxury fittings, and so on.

 

[whulorigan]

Am I to understand that CT and possibly T5 have hex-classifications like UWPs but for ships? Which books should I look at to grok this?

Yes & Yes.

For CT, the USP (Universal Ship Profile) is a eHex-string, and is detailed in Book 5: High Guard.

For T5 (and T5.09), it is detailed in the Starships section of the Core Rulebook (and is substantially different from the CT USP).

 

[Adam Dray]

Thanks! I'm actually in the MGT world. I should have asked if the same thing is detailed in one of those books, but I can poke through MGT High Guard and see myself. No matter, I have access to the CT and T5 books, too.

 

[aramis]

Everyone, thank you. This is very helpful.

Am I to understand that CT and possibly T5 have hex-classifications like UWPs but for ships? Which books should I look at to grok this?

So also do MT, T20, and T4, as well.

The format for each varies.
CT Bk5, MT, and T20 all use exactly the same ratings as each other, tho' the underlying tonnages vary slightly.

Tt-TCJMPCC-ASMNFR-LEPMW-S
Batts
Bear

Tt Type
TCJMPCW Tonnage Config Jump Maneuver Power Computer Crew
ASMNFR defenses: Armor Sand Meson Nuke Forcefield Repulsor
LEPMM offenses: Lasers Energy Particle Meson Missile
S fighter squadrons.

Batts: number of batteries of that type and rating (lined up under offense type)
Bear: Number of the batteries that bear on any single target. (also lined up)

MT and T20 use a different, more human readable format, and 3 places for each weapon type.

Thanks! I'm actually in the MGT world. I should have asked if the same thing is detailed in one of those books, but I can poke through MGT High Guard and see myself. No matter, I have access to the CT and T5 books, too.

Nope. MGT doesn't use UWP values in any consistent way. There are hints, vestiges, really.