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The Lowly Sandcaster- Unleashed!

kilemall

kilemall

SOC-14 5K
If there is any iconic bit of hardware that says Traveller, a prime argument can be made that it is the sandcaster.

Rather then SHATTERING BEAMS smashing into ENERGY SCREENS OF UNIMAGINABLE POWER, our lasers get diffracted and ablated by a pack of specialized sand. I'd say that sets the tone for a lot of workaday military and civilian hardware.

One might even say our Sand makes for......... gritty science fiction. :p:eek::devil:

Joking aside, it's on the low end of the totem pole for most ships- important to have to deal with surviving more powerful opponents, but dreams of highly advanced missiles and PA barbettes dance in our captain's skulls.
 
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However, in looking through SS4's excellent Sensors thread < http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=11103 > I got to thinking about EW and how the sandcaster is really more like a chaffroc system for modern warships or chaff and flare dispensers for aircraft.

So, why can't the sandcaster get a wider array of rounds to execute different defenses for different weapons and EM spectra?

The answer is, it can of course.

So herewith I am posting several sandcaster round types.

I am not specifying cost or TL, I would like your input, especially since you may see different applications or effects to put in which would obviously affect the price.

And of course post your own fave caster canisters.

Effects are with LBB2, the missile supplement and highly detailed sensor play in mind. Feel free to post what you think the values should be for differing systems.
 
AMC- the anti-missile cloud is a canister loaded with a low charge and mostly steel balls and mesh wiring. The concept is that missiles will hit the cloud and detonate/destroy themselves.

The cloud only covers 1/6th of the launching ship bearing, and due to imparted velocity inherent in spreading the cloud, it will only last three turns.

Clouds should be tracked as separate objects, and missiles incoming that do not cross the cloud are not subject to it's effects, including if the ship has maneuvered/accelerated past the cloud's cover.

Missiles must roll a 4+ to get past each deployed cloud, enhanced agility as per the missile supplement will help, and the roll increases by 1+ for each combined 3G closure rate for the missile and the cloud.



BH- the beehive round is less a defensive cloud and more an active countermeasure. It is fired during the antimissile phase requiring the antimissle program to be running, and engages and destroys missiles incoming as a group from the same enemy ship, especially missile bays.

It destroys missiles on an 8+, continuing to roll until it fails to hit, all other missiles then can proceed to impact.

BH canisters can also be used against incoming artillery and missile strikes on the ground, and as anti-personnel weapons in both space transit boarding attacks and ground actions. It is a very popular round due to this multi-function capability.



HBR- the hull breach round is a favorite of boarding assault shuttles, giving the otherwise defensively equipped small boats the ability to fire the round within 10km in space, impact the hull and create a man-sized breach for a team to enter. Normally the target ship must be immobilized for this to work.

HBRs can be treated as a missile if a target ship still has anti-missile capability.
 
SQ- the squid round fires a cohesive cloud of particles that blocks visible light, rendering any visual detection and targeting devices impotent. Visually based Select program targeting is not possible.

Note this is not a cloak, the cloud itself can be read, it will occlude stars behind it so optronics will likely detect it's presence and that there is likely a ship behind it, but visual inspection and ranging will not be possible.

The cloud only covers 1/6 of the bearing of the ship and dissipates after 1-6 turns. Larger ships will require more then one round to mask properly.



IR- the flare round interferes with incoming IR-based missiles, allowing as per an ECM roll against them (if the ECM program is running, the program will be managing onboard IR sources for best results, mostly negligible except in stealth situations).


AR- the anti-radar or chaff round interferes with radar-fused missiles.

By itself the AR canisters can do an ECM roll of 10+, with the ECM program running the missiles will be jammed off on 6+.
 
Over at the mongoose board a similar idea popped up :D, glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks sand casters can be put to better use.

And how about this for your Squid round..One barrel per 250 tons /per facing tons of a vessel. makes it really useful for small ships, and less favorable to hide that flying skyscraper someone calls a ship.

If you added supercooled, and superheated particles it would also play merry hob with a thermal system by causing blotches of high/low temp gases to obscure the outline of the vessel behind it.

The bad guys would know something was there but getting a clean shot/clear identification, through that mess would be tricky. It would eve make a good offensive weapon fired in close to a hostile it would fou thier targeting and detection sensors..so a flight of fighters could really mess up someones day...even if they couldn't hurt it.
 
How about a sabot launched missile?

I know the T72 can launch a anti tank missile from its main gun, so I can imagine a sandcaster charge that launches a ship missile, or maybe even a light torpedo.

May be too weaponized for our well loved defense screen.
 
GJ- the gravimetric jamming round consists of an antigrav/repulsor module, a power source, and radio control. When in control by the ECM program, the GJ canister emits antigravitic waves, which disrupts mass sensor readings and can cause tracking failure.

The launching ship's mass cannot be masked entirely from detection, but it can be rendered unusable for purposes of interception and detonation.

GJ canisters have a two hour fuel supply for active operations, one canister is required for each 100 tons of ship to work, and cost more then the usual sub-1000 Cr caster rounds.



RFC- the return fire countermeasures round is another expensive remote controlled canister. It is an IR/laser-based decoy, a detonation laser coordinated to create a bright powerful source when direct fire is conducted. The targeted ship fires back with return fire, registers the laser decoy and fires on them, missing the ship.

For every RFC canister detonated, return fire lasers suffer a -1 to hit. The RFC round is expended and not reusable.



DCY- the decoy round deploys a fast expanding miniature version of the ship, using a highly reflective LIDAR/RADAR expandable sheathing with foam to provide temporary rigidity. Other versions use holograms that provide a full-sized optical image, but are not capable of the active reflection component.

It is intended to throw off either optical sensor missiles or radar missiles, especially if the missile has no visual cues to compare the decoy with, or long range detection with too few sensors to correlate results and spot the fake.

The larger the ship, the less likely this expensive countermeasure will work. Larger versions may be possible with missile bay sized missiles.



SND- the classic sand round. Just noted for completeness of the list, and that it can interfere with LIDAR-based Select programs.
 
Meeko100 said:
How about a sabot launched missile?

I know the T72 can launch a anti tank missile from its main gun, so I can imagine a sandcaster charge that launches a ship missile, or maybe even a light torpedo.

May be too weaponized for our well loved defense screen.
Click to expand...

The only advantage I could see to such a development would be as a 'no really sir I'm just an unarmed defensive Type A trader' for the officials, and the truth is different. Or a boarding surprise, which the BH round already handles.

The sandcaster is a cheap thrower and not a targeting data bus feed/targeting array sort of thing, might as well mount a missile rack if you want to fire a missile.

And as a referee you don't want to deploy something like that on an industrial scale to give your players destroyer power at grav tank prices.

It should be very custom and prone to failure as any one-off system can be.
 
kilemall said:
The only advantage I could see to such a development would be as a 'no really sir I'm just an unarmed defensive Type A trader' for the officials, and the truth is different. Or a boarding surprise, which the BH round already handles.

The sandcaster is a cheap thrower and not a targeting data bus feed/targeting array sort of thing, might as well mount a missile rack if you want to fire a missile.

And as a referee you don't want to deploy something like that on an industrial scale to give your players destroyer power at grav tank prices.

It should be very custom and prone to failure as any one-off system can be.
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Perhaps. I don't think it would be too bad an idea if it was just the basic missile (likely no nukes here, its a civil self defense weapon after all). The missile rack can launch missiles more precisely then this would be able to, but it would be a idea for the trader crews with a load of sandcaster fitted to grab to be able to hopefully shoot back against any roving corsair or raider.

I would see a -1 or -2 to hit with these because they aren't hooked to the targeting array that regular missiles are.

They'd basically function by auto-targeting the hottest thing (a spaceship with a fusion reacter, life support, and possible heat radiators running) that's at the center of its sensor. It likely would be easily fooled by basic countermeasures, like the IR flare round, instead of having a chance to fool it, it would automatically beat it.

Not a replacement for actual weapons (lasers, legit missiles), but something so I don't feel bad fitting a ship with a load of sandcasters. Larger merchant ships have no real need to fit lasers, its unlikely they'd ever need them. But the option to have something to throw at a attacker in the first volley, and then switch to sand or other countermeasures sounds smart.


I regret the idea of giving torpedoes to free traders. But I bet some Vargr has done that in the hopes of making it big as a corsair. Crazy dogs.
 
I always thought that it needed to be the other way around ... we need a 'sand' warhead that will fit in a Missile Launcher allowing missile tubes to be an offense or defense weapon.
 
Pyrotechnic smoke

I had Sandcasters firing a load of pyrotechnic pellets that burned, releasing a chemical smoke with properties similar to the anti-laser aerosol. This would work by diffraction effects, spreading the laser enough that its power was too dispersed to do much harm. As you had particulate smoke being pushed outwards by the gases released from the combustion the smoke would disperse and you would have to continually fire to maintain the cloud. This was the strength of large sandcaster batteries - ability to maintain a sustained screen.

You could also have rounds that fire anti-radar chaff or IR decoys. The chaff would also disperse but would remain travelling roughly on the path in between your ship and the opposition unless you manoeuvred in such a way as to move out from behind its protection. It could also affect the enemy's fire control as well as missiles. IR decoys would do likewise but are pyrotechnic flares that burn for a limited amount of time.

Finally, you could have an anti-missile round that fires tungsten or depleted uranium shot into the path of incoming missiles - an anti-missile point defence weapon. A missile hitting even a single pellet at 10s of kilometres per second would probably be destroyed. A 10g pellet at a 50km/sec relative velocity would hit with something like 12 million joules of energy - roughly equivalent to the explosive force of 3kg of TNT.

Striker has a section with stats for sandcasters in its Integrating With Traveller chapter. It reminded me of a description of a beehive round (maybe from Vietnam Tracks) fired by a tank crew where they couldn't find anything left of the VC ambush but somebody's shoes.
 
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I've often found the LOWLY® Sandcaster to be the deciding factor between A) dead in space or B) ignominious but successful jump out of system.
 
nobby-w said:
I had Sandcasters firing a load of pyrotechnic pellets that burned, releasing a chemical smoke with properties similar to the anti-laser aerosol. This would work by diffraction effects, spreading the laser enough that its power was too dispersed to do much harm. As you had particulate smoke being pushed outwards by the gases released from the combustion the smoke would disperse and you would have to continually fire to maintain the cloud. This was the strength of large sandcaster batteries - ability to maintain a sustained screen.

You could also have rounds that fire anti-radar chaff or IR decoys. The chaff would also disperse but would remain travelling roughly on the path in between your ship and the opposition unless you manoeuvred in such a way as to move out from behind its protection. It could also affect the enemy's fire control as well as missiles. IR decoys would do likewise but are pyrotechnic flares that burn for a limited amount of time.

Finally, you could have an anti-missile round that fires tungsten or depleted uranium shot into the path of incoming missiles - an anti-missile point defence weapon. A missile hitting even a single pellet at 10s of kilometres per second would probably be destroyed. A 10g pellet at a 50km/sec relative velocity would hit with something like 12 million joules of energy - roughly equivalent to the explosive force of 3kg of TNT.

Striker has a section with stats for sandcasters in its Integrating With Traveller chapter. It reminded me of a description of a beehive round (maybe from Vietnam Tracks) fired by a tank crew where they couldn't find anything left of the VC ambush but somebody's shoes.
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Pretty much covered all that.
 
Two additional canister types-

SAT- the satcaster round is a satellite delivery system, allowing non-specialized gunnery crew to deploy satellites and sensors using standard sandcaster racks and canister form factors.

The satcaster has only a slight charge to nudge the satellite into position, the deploying ship largely has to be at the correct location, speed and orbit for the intended final position of the satellite.

This type is in heavy use by the Scouts, deploying survey satellites as per standard exploration protocol, and by navies to provide adhoc detection grids and communication relays.



ML- the minelayer round carries a smaller missile (typically 30 kg) and a sensor/targeting fit to allow automated missile launch when the triggering sensor event occurs.

Due to the small size of the missile and the targeting subsystem and the specialized stealthing to deter detection until it is too late, there is often only room for one sensor type on the missile and the mine portion. They are also more easily spoofed then a full conventional missile/ship combo.

Most navies set their mines to run their course with provided fuel then detonate, self-clearing after a set time. Other navies deploy mines with solar power and therefore they can be active years after a conflict ends.

These will likely be the most expensive caster round types available.
 
wbyrd said:
Over at the mongoose board a similar idea popped up :D, glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks sand casters can be put to better use.

And how about this for your Squid round..One barrel per 250 tons /per facing tons of a vessel. makes it really useful for small ships, and less favorable to hide that flying skyscraper someone calls a ship.

If you added supercooled, and superheated particles it would also play merry hob with a thermal system by causing blotches of high/low temp gases to obscure the outline of the vessel behind it.

The bad guys would know something was there but getting a clean shot/clear identification, through that mess would be tricky. It would eve make a good offensive weapon fired in close to a hostile it would fou thier targeting and detection sensors..so a flight of fighters could really mess up someones day...even if they couldn't hurt it.
Click to expand...

One of the basic rules you really have to follow with sand and therefore with any other caster round is that if it affects them, it affects you.

Which may be fine for Beowulf trying to survive, but engaging warships may not want to hobble their own weapons.
 
Canisters as mines

The questions would be, mines against what? You have to add in sensors, and propulsion, otherwise they're either drift mines, or more or less anchored, which means you're expecting a ship to drive into it.

Now, if you can set them up to swarm a single target once the sensors are triggered.
 
Sand Rounds IMTU

Sand - normal round
Gravel - heavier material (anti-missile)
Shot - heavier than gravel (anti-missile / anti-boarding party)
ECM - sensor jamming
HE - gives the caster a useful purpose when landed (can you say artillery support)
Flare - distract those heat seekers
Chaff - makes a huge radar return but that active tracker may detonate away from your actual hull
 
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