Stutterwarp questions

[warstar]

1. When a stutterwarp engine is discharging in a gravity well, would the engine run at its rated power level? For example, a 100 MW drive requires 100 MW for the vessel's power plant?

2. Stutterwarp engines in 2300 are very difficult to restart from a complete shutdown. Is there a mode that a stutterwarp can be put into like putting a computer into sleep or hibernation, so a complete shutdown isn't necessary?

 

[McPerth]

Which version ot T2300 are you asking about?

I think they vary in some such details...

 

[warstar]

Which version ot T2300 are you asking about?

I think they vary in some such details...

How much trouble would it be for each version? I'm assuming the versions are the GDW version, Mongoose version, and 2320AD version.

I know the 2300AD rules for stutterwarp discharge are 40 hours and the 2320AD rules changed it 6 hours of discharge per light year travelled. Giving a total required discharge time stated in the 2320 rule book of 44.2 hours after a 7.7 lightyear trip. Actually should be 46.2 hours (7.7 light years * 6 hours).

 

[McPerth]

1. When a stutterwarp engine is discharging in a gravity well, would the engine run at its rated power level? For example, a 100 MW drive requires 100 MW for the vessel's power plant?

First of all, you don't discharge the engine in 2300AD, but the tantalum coils. That's an important detail, as the engine could even be shut down for that, as it's a passive process that does not affect it.

IIRC in GDW (original) 2300 AD the stutterwarp was not rated for a specific power, but power affected its efficiency. If so, as you don't intend to run it at maximum efficiency while discharging (in fact you only intend to use it for station keeping) I guess the power needed for it is for a minimal efficiency, so quite less than the maximum used.

About MgT2300, there the drives are rated as a specific power needs, but I guess the same principle could be used.

Nonetheless, the effect in game terms are minimal, if any, as fuel is consumed if you have the power plant engaged, no matter at what imput

 

[whartung]

Well the biggest question is will it discharge at all if the power plant is off line?

 

[McPerth]

Well the biggest question is will it discharge at all if the power plant is off line?

I don't remember having read otherways...

 

[McPerth]

More detailed an answer, after some research:

I didn't find anything about it in GDW 2300 AD. M yfeeling is it mostly handwaves it, just telling it works and has to discharge before reaching the 7.7 ly threeshold and that the process takes 40 hours (though I don' own al lteh mpodules, nor have I searched among all the Challenge articles, at least not yet), but in MgT2300AD Core Book, page 264 is said:

As the coils build up the charge, it starts to distort the crystal shape of the atoms in the drive coil.

(...)

Once a ship arrives in a gravity well of at least 0.1G, the ships can discharge the drive. The gravity well attracts the ‘gravistatic’ charge from the drive coils over the course of several hours, allowing the crystal structure of the coil to return to normal.

So, as it's a purely passive process, where the gravity of the stellar body attracts the charge from the coils, I'd say yes, it will discharge with the power plant off line

 

[McPerth]

2. Stutterwarp engines in 2300 are very difficult to restart from a complete shutdown. Is there a mode that a stutterwarp can be put into like putting a computer into sleep or hibernation, so a complete shutdown isn't necessary?

I'm curious, where did this come from? I didn't find it...

In any case, I guess setting them at idle is the usual way to stay in orbit, and sutting them down is only used when the ship has to interact with other mater (atmosphere, space stations, etc) that could overpower it (as it's said to have occurred to the Bayern).

 

[warstar]

I'm curious, where did this come from? I didn't find it...

In any case, I guess setting them at idle is the usual way to stay in orbit, and sutting them down is only used when the ship has to interact with other mater (atmosphere, space stations, etc) that could overpower it (as it's said to have occurred to the Bayern).

I know I read somewhere about the difficulty in bringing an off-line stutterwarp engine back on-line. I looked through the pdfs of several 2300 book that I have and could not locate it.

I'm thinking it was probably in reference to vessels bringing a stutterwarp back on-line in the middle of nowhere, away from any sort of external support/repair facility.

 

[whartung]

I'm thinking it was probably in reference to vessels bringing a stutterwarp back on-line in the middle of nowhere, away from any sort of external support/repair facility.

But even if that was the case, then it suggests being important in an adventure sense. Wanting to get out of dodge but having to wait for a space port crew and their utility vehicle to help get the ship started. I appreciate that starships weren't typically the personal tools in 2300 like they are in regular Traveller, but, still, its an important details with the clock is ticking.

 

[warstar]

But even if that was the case, then it suggests being important in an adventure sense. Wanting to get out of dodge but having to wait for a space port crew and their utility vehicle to help get the ship started. I appreciate that starships weren't typically the personal tools in 2300 like they are in regular Traveller, but, still, its an important details with the clock is ticking.

Another item I had overlooked were stutterwarp missiles. I wouldn't expect that the time required to prepare one for launch is going to take a long time. I would think it would probably take just several minutes to prepare a missle for launch.

 

[TheDark]

I'm curious, where did this come from? I didn't find it...

In any case, I guess setting them at idle is the usual way to stay in orbit, and sutting them down is only used when the ship has to interact with other mater (atmosphere, space stations, etc) that could overpower it (as it's said to have occurred to the Bayern).

The Director's Guide from the GDW 2300AD boxed set has a sidebar on page 67:
Task: To bring an inactive stutterwarp drive online (Hazardous): Difficult: Ship Drive Engineering. 30 minutes.
Referee: On a failed roll, a Major Mishap will result in a 1 EP explosion; a Total Mishap will result in a 3 EP explosion.

Task: To take an active stutterwarp drive offline (Hazardous): Formidable: Ship Drive Engineering. 1 hour.
Referee: On a failed roll, a Major Mishap will result in a 2 EP explosion; a Total Mishap will result in a 5 EP explosion. Also, a drive being taken offline must first be fully discharged...

I would say this clearly shows there is a stand-by mode, since a drive can't be completely shut down until it's finished discharging.

I would presume stutterwarp missiles use simpler "quick and dirty" drives since they're single-use items and it doesn't particularly matter if they catastrophically fail after a day or two because they won't last that long, so they can be brought online without as much difficulty as the more precise ship-based drive. Otherwise, bringing missiles online in a combat situation would be a very slow and dangerous process.

 

[McPerth]

I would presume stutterwarp missiles use simpler "quick and dirty" drives since they're single-use items and it doesn't particularly matter if they catastrophically fail after a day or two because they won't last that long, so they can be brought online without as much difficulty as the more precise ship-based drive. Otherwise, bringing missiles online in a combat situation would be a very slow and dangerous process.

Remember there are missiles that are non-detonation, but have a laser and act more as laser armed drones tha nas missiles, so this is not always true