Agreed. It doesn't look like an actual future spaceship (at least, not one designed with great respect for engineering or aerodynamic principles) -- it looks like a Science Fiction spaceship, and a cool one at that.
General Would you redesign the Patrol Cruiser?
- Thread starter Spinward Scout
- Start date
If you drew the Lexx on a fresher wall, would people think 'dragonfly' when they look at it?
Depends on how the drawing is oriented...
It's a mosquito, not a dragonfly.
I kind of want to do up a Collector-drive ship that looks kind of dragonfly-ish. The canopy would be all wrong (dragonfly wings don't fold like that) but hey.
Spinward Flow
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Then don't "fold" the collector wings using articulation.
Use roll out/roll up collector panels instead.
With enough of these roll out collectors arranged in arrays, you can approximate "dragonfly-ish" looking double wings on a hull configured as either a needle (code: 1, streamlined), close structure (code: 4, partially streamlined) or dispersed structure (code: 7, unstreamlined).
In most adventures Patrol Cruisers, SDBs, and Armed Merchant/ Pirates I would think would be about 90+% of all the ships you would meet up with. It's not very often a Destroyer or larger warship has anything to do with civilian or merchant ships. Unless you were in an active warzone.
Spinward Flow
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Some naval bases in star systems can have a "security perimeter" that civilians can't (or at least, shouldn't) cross without being challenged. I would expect to see an actual 1-2k ton destroyer patrolling such security perimeters in star systems around naval bases ... for that proper KEEP OUT signage feeling.
I don't think if you tried to enter a Naval Base in the US you would be stopped by even a Frigate. I do know for a "fact" that if you enter the security perimeter of a Nuclear Power Plant from the water side an armed helicopter shows up.
Enoki
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In the US, you'd likely get told to go in a different direction by guys in something like this:
Since 9/11 that's been pretty standard at US naval bases.
Needs stealth capability.Well, on Grav's design back on page 1. If I were designing it, it would be
I really don't have the time at the moment to draw what I'd do out unfortunately.
In other words,
US Coast Guard PSU.In the US, you'd likely get told to go in a different direction by guys in something like this:
Since 9/11 that's been pretty standard at US naval bases.
Port Security Unit - Wikipedia
Spinward Flow
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Then in that case, the Traveller equivalent would be ... a 50 ton Heavy Fighter instead?
I am not sure if it has Traveller applications or not, but I share it since it might. When you arrive at Key West via Cruise Ship, you dock at the Naval Yards near where some sort of “special forces” type unit deploys from and Submarines were once serviced (I have no clue if the submarine base is still active or long inactive … the entrance is under water).
The point is that the Cruise Ship is escorted in and out of port by those inflatable boats (ours typically have machine guns or something in the 20mm class mounted on them). The Commercial ships dock in an area reserved for them with a couple old military ships docked next to them as a floating museum. The passengers are transported through a military checkpoint with dogs and photo ID to get to Town and to return to the ships. There are military portions of the base visible as you drive through (mostly housing) and airfields in the far distance.
A Traveller Naval Base could also have a symbiotic relationship with a small colony.
The point is that the Cruise Ship is escorted in and out of port by those inflatable boats (ours typically have machine guns or something in the 20mm class mounted on them). The Commercial ships dock in an area reserved for them with a couple old military ships docked next to them as a floating museum. The passengers are transported through a military checkpoint with dogs and photo ID to get to Town and to return to the ships. There are military portions of the base visible as you drive through (mostly housing) and airfields in the far distance.
A Traveller Naval Base could also have a symbiotic relationship with a small colony.
Spinward Flow
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And then there's the "granddaddy of them all" ... The Five Sisters subsector in the Spinward Marches.
The OTU lore has it that IN payrolls are actually propping up a LOT of the world economies in the Five Sisters. Take away the naval bases and the subsector economy would presumably have to shrink (by a goodly margin).
So to your point, there's symbiotic ... but also dependent.
Kind of like how military bases can become the "economic bedrock" for the local towns around them and in their vicinity.
Enoki
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Ok, in my generally small ship universe it's the equivalent of a a destroyer, and tasked with the same sort of duties. Which means it is the smallest general purpose Navel vessel that is tasked with all sorts of missions, from just showing the flag at a distant outpost, to operating in squadron in heavy navel engagements.
Side-note, IMTU cruisers trend towards 1000 dTon range. "Battleships" 1600dTons. Merchants with more than 3 or 4 turrets are very rare in any size.
Enoki
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Navel? As in gazing...?
Condottiere
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Would have thought spotting.
