Having done lots of juggling and tried different ways of squeezing a quart into a pint pot, here's the updated (and larger) version.
(Remember, the old school version of the rules I have means that the same amount of fuel is used to jump one parsec regardless of whether it's a short hop or part of a longer jump.) For the purposes of the campaign I'm currently running, these rules suffice - if there were more vast fleet battles, then I'd opt for something more complicated/better balanced.)
Cook-class explorer
TL-13 streamlined 800-ton hull (Hull is only streamlined to get the fuel scoops really...!)
Jump-drive E
Man-drive E
Powerplant E (giving 1G acceleration & Jump-1 range)
(D-class drives would be sufficient, but using E-class gives reserve capability in case of damage/malfunction)
580 ton fuel tank (7x Jump-1 and 8 weeks of standard operation)
Fuel scoops
7 staterooms (as noted previously, given the likely duration of the voyage, the "luxury" of having one room per person is well worth the displacement used)
4 low berths (always handy, and as was suggested, extra crew members could stay in cryo until needed then double up later)
Model 5 computer (much more than the minimum needed, but I see explorer ships requiring lots of processing power)
2 turrets (probably triples with two lasers and one sandcaster each; I'll use a fudged rule to slave the turrets or call them a battery so that they can be operated by a single gunner)
Mission lab/communications area (8 tons devoted to the mission speciality - to be centred on analysing/deciphering/decrypting signals and transmissions, since if contact is achieved there will be no common language)
30-ton ship's boat (the 6G acceleration is well worth the extra 10tons of displacement. Probably fitted with low/emergency low berths in one section, in case of life-boat use. Extra fuel. Rest of space with acceleration couches and sensors.)
70 tons of cargo space (as per the original criteria, a big stash of consumables is vital)
Crew of seven (pilot, navigator, two engineers, gunner, two mission specialists) (and in all likelihood the gunner is more likely to be a cross-trained third engineer or mission specialist)
28 months to construct, costs 342.9 MCr
Finding what appears to be the optimum size for this involved as much trial-and-error as working the design to fit the concept I had. Hull sizes over 1000t required a command crew of five, which means more staterooms. The less crew, the less supplies need to be carried. I could have gone to a 1000 or 2000 ton hull (or even 3000 if I was prepared to forego having any level of failsafe in the drives; not a good idea for such I mission I felt). The amount of fuel carried, as a percentage of displacement, wasn't any better for the larger ships, so there seemed no advantage in the larger hulls.
Additionally, I wanted to keep the hull as small as possible for reasons of signature detection. While I know such a factor isn't modelled in the CT rules, it makes sense to me that the crew of a small ship would most likely wait quietly, receiving as much wide-band broadcast as possible, recording and analysing it, while trying to remain undetected. Whether the crew returned with their data or made contact would be a matter of policy and circumstance. (Returning with the intel would be a more likely choice, given the option.)
I feel that's a better design than the 400 tonner. I'd have still preferred a longer jump range per jump, but the drive mass and fuel requirements prohibit the range needed at the current TL of MTU.
Comments invited...
(Remember, the old school version of the rules I have means that the same amount of fuel is used to jump one parsec regardless of whether it's a short hop or part of a longer jump.) For the purposes of the campaign I'm currently running, these rules suffice - if there were more vast fleet battles, then I'd opt for something more complicated/better balanced.)
Cook-class explorer
TL-13 streamlined 800-ton hull (Hull is only streamlined to get the fuel scoops really...!)
Jump-drive E
Man-drive E
Powerplant E (giving 1G acceleration & Jump-1 range)
(D-class drives would be sufficient, but using E-class gives reserve capability in case of damage/malfunction)
580 ton fuel tank (7x Jump-1 and 8 weeks of standard operation)
Fuel scoops
7 staterooms (as noted previously, given the likely duration of the voyage, the "luxury" of having one room per person is well worth the displacement used)
4 low berths (always handy, and as was suggested, extra crew members could stay in cryo until needed then double up later)
Model 5 computer (much more than the minimum needed, but I see explorer ships requiring lots of processing power)
2 turrets (probably triples with two lasers and one sandcaster each; I'll use a fudged rule to slave the turrets or call them a battery so that they can be operated by a single gunner)
Mission lab/communications area (8 tons devoted to the mission speciality - to be centred on analysing/deciphering/decrypting signals and transmissions, since if contact is achieved there will be no common language)
30-ton ship's boat (the 6G acceleration is well worth the extra 10tons of displacement. Probably fitted with low/emergency low berths in one section, in case of life-boat use. Extra fuel. Rest of space with acceleration couches and sensors.)
70 tons of cargo space (as per the original criteria, a big stash of consumables is vital)
Crew of seven (pilot, navigator, two engineers, gunner, two mission specialists) (and in all likelihood the gunner is more likely to be a cross-trained third engineer or mission specialist)
28 months to construct, costs 342.9 MCr
Finding what appears to be the optimum size for this involved as much trial-and-error as working the design to fit the concept I had. Hull sizes over 1000t required a command crew of five, which means more staterooms. The less crew, the less supplies need to be carried. I could have gone to a 1000 or 2000 ton hull (or even 3000 if I was prepared to forego having any level of failsafe in the drives; not a good idea for such I mission I felt). The amount of fuel carried, as a percentage of displacement, wasn't any better for the larger ships, so there seemed no advantage in the larger hulls.
Additionally, I wanted to keep the hull as small as possible for reasons of signature detection. While I know such a factor isn't modelled in the CT rules, it makes sense to me that the crew of a small ship would most likely wait quietly, receiving as much wide-band broadcast as possible, recording and analysing it, while trying to remain undetected. Whether the crew returned with their data or made contact would be a matter of policy and circumstance. (Returning with the intel would be a more likely choice, given the option.)
I feel that's a better design than the 400 tonner. I'd have still preferred a longer jump range per jump, but the drive mass and fuel requirements prohibit the range needed at the current TL of MTU.
Comments invited...
