Would an X-Boat Booster be cost effective?

[Spinward Scout]

Would an X-Boat Booster be cost effective?

X-Boat Booster

When an X-Boat arrives in system, it sends a signal to be picked up by an X-Boat Tender. If the X-Boat and Pilot aren't needed elsewhere, the Tender Commander has the discretion to send an X-Boat Booster.

This booster consists of a Maneuver Drive and Fuel tankage and a remote operations uplink to allow the Pilot to remotely fly the Booster to their location, dock with it, and to use the Booster to move throughout the system. Undocking from it when the X-Boat is ready to leave the system.

An X-Boat Booster was created to allow X-Boat Pilots to do their own Tendering and also give the Pilot a chance for R&R in the system they just jumped into.

Would you use this in your game?

 

[coliver988]

Like a maneuver-only jump shuttle for the system defense boats? Possibly even automated a bit to launch from the tender to auto-pilot to the X-Boat?

It could also be an emergency device should there be too many X-Boats and not enough tenders to go around.

It does change the calculus a bit for the X-Boats. You could put in extra life-support and supplies. Make it large enough for refueling and you can recreate the ponii express...X-Boat jumps in, the fuel/booster jets on over, refuels and resupplies, the bleary-eyed pilot jumps back out.

 

[Selandia]

actually it would be the equivalent to a maneuver tug, a tug like spaceship hauling barges/pods. It should be quite mundane in system justifying a Xboat station. If grapples configurated to hook a Xboat it would be a charm.

Any S scout could be fitted with the relevant frame (boat chock), providing we believe the Scout service did see its usefulness and designed such a frame

have fun

Selandia

 

[Reban]

I've seen a CT style little black book pdf made by someone that had a surplus Xboat married to a ring shaped manoeuvre section. Made a nicely detailed little PC ship.

It's in my files somewhere but I don't have access at the moment.

Perhaps someone has a link?

 

[Reban]

I've seen a CT style little black book pdf made by someone that had a surplus Xboat married to a ring shaped manoeuvre section. Made a nicely detailed little PC ship.

It's in my files somewhere but I don't have access at the moment.

Perhaps someone has a link?

Aha!

Found it on the front of good stuff that is Freelance Traveller.

Not exactly what the OP proposes, but useful for comparison.

https://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/shipyard/vagrant.html

 

[Spinward Scout]

All of these great suggestions are similar to what I'm thinking.

Here's some more of what I was thinking:

A 50 ton hull
- at most
A circular docking ring
- to accommodate the cone shape of the X-Boat
A Maneuver Drive
- 1 or 2G would be fine
Fuel tankage
- enough to get around in-system
- fuel scoops would extend the idea, too (and fuel up the X-Boat for Jump)
A remote operations computer linkup
- so the X-Boat Pilot can fly the Booster
Landing gear
- so the Boosted X-Boat can land

I don't think it has to be more elaborate than that. The Boosted X-Boat can fly around, do whatever it needs to do, refuel, fly out to the Jump point, disconnect from the Booster, then Jump on the to next world on the X-Boat route.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Perhaps something like this:

I believe it is a valid LBB2'77 design (the only design system in which the X-Boat makes sense or is even a valid design).

Standard 100 Dt hull, streamlined so can skim.
M-drive and PP model A gives 2 G alone or 1 G with X-Boat.
Carries extra 40 Dt fuel so can refuel an X-Boat from internal tankage.
No cargo space but there is 10 Dt unused in the Engineering section...
Is crewed so can skim before the X-Boat arrives, saving considerable time.
Can be automated with a robot or three.

TB-1202211-000000-00000-0       MCr 16,3         100 Dton
bearing                                            Crew=1
batteries                                           TL=12
                           Cargo=0 Fuel=60 EP=2 Agility=2

Single Occupancy                                             18,1
                                     USP    #      Dton      Cost
Hull                   100 Dt          1            100          
Configuration       Cone               2                        3
Scoops              Streamlined                               0,1
Armour                                 0                         
                                                                 
Manoeuvre D         A                  2    1         1         4
Power Plant         A                  2    1         4         8
Fuel, #J, #weeks    J-4, 4 weeks            4        60          
                                                                 
Bridge                                      1        20       0,5
Computer            m/1                1    1         1         2
                                                                 
Staterooms                                  1         4       0,5
                                                                 
Cargo                                                            
                                                                 
                                                                 
Nominal Cost        MCr 18,1             Sum:                18,1
Class Cost          MCr  3,8            Valid        ≥0        ≥0
Standard Cost       MCr 16,29                                    
                                                                 
                                                                 
Crew &               High     0        Crew          Bridge     1
Passengers            Mid     0           1       Engineers     0
                      Low     0                     Gunners     0
                 Extra SR     0      Frozen         Service     0
               # Frozen W     0           0          Flight     0
                  Marines     0                     Marines     0
                                                                 
                                                                 
Estimated Economy of Ship     Standard                                     
       Ship price     Down Payment         Mortgage       Avg Filled
        MCr 16,29        kCr 3 258           kCr 68              80%
                                                                 
Expenses per jump                       Revenue                  
Bank                 Cr 32 580          High                 Cr 0
Fuel                 Cr 30 000          Middle               Cr 0
Life Support         Cr  2 000          Low                  Cr 0
Salaries             Cr  2 400          Cargo                Cr 0
Maintenance          Cr    652                                   
Berthing             Cr    100                                   
                                                                 
Summa               kCr     68                              kCr 0
                                                                 
     Income potential per jump     kCr -68                    
  Yearly yield on down payment     -52,0%

 

[Gray Lensman]

I've seen a CT style little black book pdf made by someone that had a surplus Xboat married to a ring shaped manoeuvre section. Made a nicely detailed little PC ship.

It's in my files somewhere but I don't have access at the moment.

Perhaps someone has a link?

How about a decade old concept done right here on COTI?
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=23105

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=23289

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=23536

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=24049

 

[Grav_Moped]

And as a reminder, High Guard construction rules allow building XBoats with maneuver drives if you want that as a feature.

 

[Condottiere]

The ecks boat might exit further away than anticipated.

Instead of the solar sail, you could equip it with a mini manoeuvre drive, well, more of an orbital stabilizer, with a ten percent of a gee rating.