CT Only: The Spinward Marches Campaign

[aramis]

And, if you could see the starboard side of the starboard tail fin, then you'd see the crest for the 154th, designating a 154th gunboat carrying Huscarles Marines!

Doubtful - double unit heraldry is historically VERY limited for marking vessels.

It's more common on ground units - US, it's Division or independent brigade as a patch, and Regiment or Bn on the dress uniform shoulder strap. (Sometimes Corps-level buttons associated with specific regiments.)

Aircraft, I've neer seen doubles... port & SB always match. (National rondels on the wings)

 

[Supplement Four]

The only solution, S4, is a meta-game one. The artist was asked to produce an illustration of a ship near a gas giant with a damaged ship nearby. The artist was not given detailed instructions to produce a depiction of the type of gunboat the 154th carries near a gas giant with a damaged ship nearby.

Which is, of course, most likely what happened.

The ship reminds me of the Fiery class. We didn't see those until MT, I think. They're DGP creations, I think.

Who knows, maybe this ship was the inspiration for the Fiery.

 

[Spartan159]

On a tangent here, the introduction page lists Steve Venters as the artist. Does anyone know if he has a presence on the internet? I believe he did some work for BattleTech.

 

[Supplement Four]

If that is a doorway/hatch, then the ship is about 114 meters long. Which makes it about twice as long as most SDBs.

Maybe my eye-balling, is off, though. Could be shorter.

That ups my estimate a bit...the ship could easily be the length of a 400 ton patrol cruiser, give or take a few meters.

 

[Spartan159]

Seems kinda flat, though.

 

[Supplement Four]

Seems kinda flat, though.

Yeah, I'd say, like the patrol cruiser, it's not deep in decks.

Here's a better, more clean, image.

I'd bet it's a single deck, with fuel taking up the slight extra thickness--and those two superstructures on the mid-dorsal region. Could be a second deck conning tower bridge. Or maybe the aft, larger one is the vehicle bay. Those look like aft doors. Maybe those doors drop down (or raise, for overhead protection), allowing the ship to disgorge Marines. Or an Air/Raft or speeder bay.

If the ship is larger than I think, it seems very strange to me that a turret that size was drawn on the vessel, but no other turrets appear topside.

 

[whulorigan]

Which is, of course, most likely what happened.

The ship reminds me of the Fiery class. We didn't see those until MT, I think. They're DGP creations, I think.

Who knows, maybe this ship was the inspiration for the Fiery.

The Fiery Class is first mentioned in CT:Sup7 - Traders & Gunboats as a variant of the Gazelle:

p.30-31
Variants: The only major variant of the close escort is the gunned escort, a streamlined version with no other noticeable changes. This ship looks similar to the scout/courier, with only portions of the basic hull outline bulging above the plane surfaces. The gig nestles neatly beneath the ship. Finally, the L-Hyd tanks are not droppable, and the ship is restricted to ordinary performance.
.
.
.
Ships of the major variant type, the gunned escort, are of the Fiery class, named for energetic adjectives. Names include Fiery, Explosive, Active, and Bright.

 

[Spartan159]

I just did a fast scan and edit of the front and back cover combined, would it violate anything to post it to the art gallery?

 

[Whipsnade]

Wil's the man to ask, though I do think front cover is hosted on the Wiki.

 

[Whipsnade]

If that is a doorway/hatch, then the ship is about 114 meters long. Which makes it about twice as long as most SDBs.

While I don't remember the numbers the various deck plan boffins on the TML came up with, I do remember that they assumed the opened overhead airlock was equivalent to the classic 1.5mx1.5m square. One poster was then able to "rotate"(?) the image and use perspective mathematics to work out an estimated length.

I do remember that the process was fascinating to "watch" unfold post after post on the TML, much like when I "watched" EDG work out how to have a shirtsleeve world in Antares on the JTAS boards or like when Wil and others rapidly perform their statistical analyses here.

Like you, I've always found the dorsal structures interesting. The four vaguely "home plate" shaped hatches(?) are interesting too. I remember some talk about their maybe being missile bays, but that would push the size to 4K dTons at least, something many of us thought was too big.

Here's another puzzle to ponder: forward of the open hatch perhaps a third of the way to the bow are what looks like two beam weapon strikes.

Curiouser and curiouser, no?

 

[kilemall]

I'm judging her to be a 600/800-tonner.

Basing that on the bridge, the forward superstructure amidships with the windows. Assuming that is 20 tons, looks to my eye like the big turret back is a 50-ton PA/Meson bay, and there are other little bumps around for turrets, probably most on the underside for ortillery support and defensive lasers/sand.

The bay then works out to be about a 10-ton opening, and can open three separate bays for more fighters/Gcarriers most likely, or all open up to admit a 30-ton craft.

fuel scoops on other side, don't know if that is a weapon or sensor array on the nose.

 

[Whipsnade]

... 600/800-tonner... ... 50-ton PA/Meson bay...

We need to remember when she was drawn: 1985.

While the newer rules allow bays in ships under 1K dTons, HG2 does not.

Whatever she is, she sure is interesting!

 

[aramis]

Yeah, I'd say, like the patrol cruiser, it's not deep in decks.

Here's a better, more clean, image.

I'd bet it's a single deck, with fuel taking up the slight extra thickness--and those two superstructures on the mid-dorsal region. Could be a second deck conning tower bridge. Or maybe the aft, larger one is the vehicle bay. Those look like aft doors. Maybe those doors drop down (or raise, for overhead protection), allowing the ship to disgorge Marines. Or an Air/Raft or speeder bay.

If the ship is larger than I think, it seems very strange to me that a turret that size was drawn on the vessel, but no other turrets appear topside.

Max 1 bay per 1000Td... those smaller turret-like rectangular blobs dorsal-fore might be defensive turrets - Sand battery? - And then the big "Turret" being a bay mount fusion or plasma

 

[kilemall]

We need to remember when she was drawn: 1985.

While the newer rules allow bays in ships under 1K dTons, HG2 does not.

Whatever she is, she sure is interesting!

Hmm, my rememory was that it was kind of a max 10% of hull thing and the 50-ton weapon plus 1-3 turrets would be legal, but the rule IS quite clear and must have been an interpretation I was misremembering.

If one took the level above the bridge windows to be another deck, it could be a 1000-1200 tonner and the bay weapon still makes sense. A meson gun in such a light ship would be a valuable edge.

Alternatively, you could interpret the turret to be a PA barbette, the bridge area to be just 10+ tons and the rest behind or below and the bays sized for air/rafts. In that case we are talking a 200-300 tonner, sort of the trooper equivalent of the Gazelle class or a converted Super S sort of ship.

 

[kilemall]

Max 1 bay per 1000Td... those smaller turret-like rectangular blobs dorsal-fore might be defensive turrets - Sand battery? - And then the big "Turret" being a bay mount fusion or plasma

I'm thinking meson or PA, sizing fits 50-ton bay agreed and fusion/plasma definitely gives upper end hit values, but if it is a light trooper ship I think I'd want something a little more useful for bombardment.

If this is sort of a do everything Kininur-light patrol ship, a fusion bay may do just fine, if it has speed to keep in short range.

 

[aramis]

I'm thinking meson or PA, sizing fits 50-ton bay agreed and fusion/plasma definitely gives upper end hit values, but if it is a light trooper ship I think I'd want something a little more useful for bombardment.

If this is sort of a do everything Kininur-light patrol ship, a fusion bay may do just fine, if it has speed to keep in short range.

Regina's only TL12....
PA, plasma, or fusion.

 

[agorski]

Hmm, my rememory was that it was kind of a max 10% of hull thing and the 50-ton weapon plus 1-3 turrets would be legal, but the rule IS quite clear and must have been an interpretation I was misremembering.

HG 2e allows one bay (of any tonnage) per 1000 tons of ship, so you can have a 1000 ton ship with a single bay and nothing else.

 

[kilemall]

HG 2e allows one bay (of any tonnage) per 1000 tons of ship, so you can have a 1000 ton ship with a single bay and nothing else.

Yes, I reread the rule and agree that's the proper interpretation, but I would still choose to work it my way, else those 50-ton bays aren't worth very much.

 

[jec10]

I was waiting for the howls of outrage from the no-Imperial Army crowd that the SMC on page 4 has a plot device referring to a cache of "Imperial Army" equipment! ;-)

Anyway, for me the illustration has always been of one of the 4518th's SDBs.

 

[whulorigan]

Hmm, my rememory was that it was kind of a max 10% of hull thing and the 50-ton weapon plus 1-3 turrets would be legal, but the rule IS quite clear and must have been an interpretation I was misremembering.

That particular "misinterpretation" exists in several CT-era published 3rd party sources, such as at least one ship from FASA's Adventure Class Ships (the "Chameleon" Class Commerce Raider, IIRC, that was 800 tons, but had a 50 ton bay weapon and several turrets).