USQ - Universal Squadron Profile

[robject]

An earlier topic, dealing with extremely abstract squadron build rules, had several comments to the effect that the combination of TL, build purpose, sensor ranges, maneuver, weaponry, etc, is an important factor of Traveller ship squadrons. In other words, Tactical aspects are popular for Traveller.

This made me think that what some folks may want is a squadron-level Universal Profile -- a way to summarize the capabilities of an entire squadron into a line of data.

The USP isn't really my cup of tea, but I know of several people here who use it, so perhaps they have ideas on how to extend it to squadrons.

 

[Border Reiver]

T4 had this in Imperial Squadrons though its combat was based on the FFW abstract.

It also included instructions on converting ships designed under FF&S2 into the ratings for such squadrons.

 

[robject]

I'd like to know more. If it's similar to the notation found in Pocket Empires, then it's nowhere near the USP, but rather more or less exactly what Fifth Frontier War had.

...which is what I was ruminating about on a related thread ("Highly Abstract Fleet Design & Combat").

 

[robject]

Squadrons are built for various purposes; so, a Squadron Profile will need to be flexible enough to capture that.

Some squadrons are ship-of-the-line heavy. Others are battle rider-based. Some are more defensive, while others are heavily aggressive.

For self-defense, squadrons use escorts, destroyers, and fighters in the same way that battleships use screens. For offense (and for defending locations), squadrons need cruisers, battle riders, and ships of the line... but actually, what they "need" is the most and best spinal guns possible.

Maybe, as Oz suggested, fighters, destroyer/escorts, and cruisers/dreadnoughts are in a rock-paper-scissors relationship. Maybe, also, these ships form a pyramid of dependency: fighters take out destroyer/escorts, which in turn can take out cruisers, which in turn can take out dreadnoughts; if you want to keep your investments, diversify.

So a Squadron Profile needs ratings for different classes of batteries, and their quantities, as if a squadron were just a huge ship, and combat involves scrubbing off the other huge ship's weaponry.

 

[The Oz]

It also depends on just what you intend to do with the squadrons, in a gaming sense. If you want to use a USP for squadrons just as a compact way to record the capabilities/limitations of a squadron, you'll design the USP differently than if you intend to use it as a "Squadron Record Sheet" for tracking the squadron in combat.

Think about what the players who'll be using that USP will really need to know; make sure that stuff is in there and easy to read. The rest is just dressing and be left to the fine print.