X-Boat Stations

[Garyius2003]

X-boat tenders are supposed to chase down and collect X-boats that arrive in their system. How many you need depends on how long it takes to chase down an X-boat (maximum time, not average, to prevent random chance from creating a situation where an X-boat is allowed to sail off into deep space) and on how many arrive in a system for that period of time. Oh, and they have to accelerate departing X-boats to the appropriate departure vector too. Frankly, I'm at a loss as to how to figure out how many you'd need.

Personally I think it would become a lot easier if some genius were to think of building some X-tugs to do the fetching and dispatching. But so far it's been 500 years and apparently no one has thought of that. Go figure.

Anybody else think that the X-boat canon could do with a drastic rewrite?


Hans

Mongoose has the 12G tug which, common sense says, are likely used for x-boat tenders, and for low energy transfer orbits. Two tugs wouldn't take much room in the tender, and would do the job.

I sketched out a MgT fueling station operation using a surplus tender, fueling shells, a skimmer, and several tugs, skimming the gas giant based from the tender, with tugs pushing the shells in transfer orbits back to the high port, and tugs there catching them and sending them back. Ended up not using it, but the tender is great for that sort of thing.

 

[Chuck Anumia]

J 6

Is there any possibility someone will update the X-boat system to J6 and correct/straighten/adjust the routes for high population and system capital worlds rather than having the system meander around back waters?

 

[Limburger59]

Is there any possibility someone will update the X-boat system to J6 and correct/straighten/adjust the routes for high population and system capital worlds rather than having the system meander around back waters?

J6 technology is jealously guarded so the Navy, Scouts, and Secret Service so they can get information out to commanders before the public receives the news from the X-boats. That beat up old free trader that came through a month ago was actually a J6 scout flying a straighter route with news that today's X-boat would be broadcasting news of the emperor's assassination.

Now when the Navy makes a breakthrough into jump 8 they'll allow J6 X-boats.

 

[tjoneslo]

Is there any possibility someone will update the X-boat system to J6 and correct/straighten/adjust the routes for high population and system capital worlds rather than having the system meander around back waters?

I'm working on a process to do the latter but not the former to the existing comm routes. I have a set of rules for doing this, and a program to generate them.

Unfortunately, the current set of generations leaves some big holes where there are no high-pop worlds or other interesting features. So the question becomes do you bypass these backwater areas or insert a few routes to make sure they're not left out.

 

[Condottiere]

The Scouts could just take one of the Alphabet drives and the correct jump programme, and they have access to the complete range of jump capability for their Adventure Class hulls.

 

[robject]

Is there any possibility someone will update the X-boat system to J6 and correct/straighten/adjust the routes for high population and system capital worlds rather than having the system meander around back waters?

I'm sure the Xboat system is not under a single jurisdiction; however, I'm also sure that there is regional pressure to adjust routes. I am just as sure that said pressure is applied unevenly and across competing interests.

In other words, it's yet another resource for adventure hooks.

 

[Patron Zero]

I would tend to see the express boat network operating much like the U.S.Postal Service, perhaps that explains some of it's peculiarities.

That said, there should be 'main' routes of dispersal to the heavier populated systems and secondary routes that finger-off such to lesser inhabited-more remote areas.

And as it would in the contemporary world, the more secluded and less-accessible patrons would have 'reasonable' delays in receiving news and high-priority parcels-dispatches.

Mind other than the advent of some development of 'sub-space' radio or tachyon-based communication network, the 'mail' is going to move at the pace such large distances involved set, but at least the stamps involved are exotic.

 

[rancke]

J6 technology is jealously guarded so the Navy, Scouts, and Secret Service so they can get information out to commanders before the public receives the news from the X-boats.

That's the story MT told us, but it does not hold water. Even if civilians were restricted to jump-4 it would not hold water, and this is not the case anyway.

There is no evidence that civilians are not allowed to build jump-6 ships and the shipbuilding rules allow PCs to have a jump-6 ship built if only they have the money to pay for it. That's not conclusive, since setting trumps rules, but there is CT evidence that civilians are allowed jump-5 ships at the very least and a recent Mongoose adventure features a jump-6 drop tank liner owned by Tukera.

There's also a TNS newsbrief that mentions plans for upgrading the X-boats to jump-6.


Hans

 

[rancke]

I'm sure the Xboat system is not under a single jurisdiction; however, I'm also sure that there is regional pressure to adjust routes. I am just as sure that said pressure is applied unevenly and across competing interests.

The thing is, with the IN having jump-6 couriers, the X-boats are entirely redundant insofar as their primary purpose is concerned. They may still occasionally have their uses locally, but by and large there can't be any great political pressure on them. But the X-boat Division wants to preserve (or preferrably increase) its budget, so you get all these odd doglegs and detours because in the end all an X-boat route is good for is a bit of prestige.


Hans

 

[Carlobrand]

They don't make much sense in a GURPS universe either. Between the scale of trade and all the jump-3 and jump-4 routes, any communication that needs to go anywhere can just radiate out from freighter to freighter. Does GURPS use X-boats?

 

[tjoneslo]

They don't make much sense in a GURPS universe either. Between the scale of trade and all the jump-3 and jump-4 routes, any communication that needs to go anywhere can just radiate out from freighter to freighter. Does GURPS use X-boats?

Yes. But the GT universe doesn't spend any time either justifying or trying to fix the system. I think the assumption has been there were three types communication routes. The J-6/5 comm network maintained by the nobles/navy, the J-4 x-boat network run by the Scouts and a J-2/3 network run as a commercial mail system.

 

[mike wightman]

The x-boat network was originally built to follow the already existing trade routes. One of the reasons it isn't a true jump 4 network is some worlds on the trade routes would have resisted becoming 2nd class communication routes.

There doesn't appear to be anything in canon I can find about attempts to upgrade the network to jump 5 when that became available.

The upgrade to a jump 6 network, while it has been mooted as Hans mentions, will face a lot of resistance to from those same trade hubs that resisted not being on the jump 4 network.

Imagine if the Imperium overruled local world/subsector economics. Powerful worlds within sub sectors may well set up their own communication networks and resist Imperial control of them. Before long the rumblings for greater autonomy and less taxes would follow.

The Imperium's success has been maintaing the status-quo and fostering member world trade, they aren't going to put that at risk.

They can get away with building a secret network (why is it secret) and rely on jump 6 naval couriers for fleet communications. Similarly megacorporations can have their own jump 6 couriers.

 

[Vladika]

...Before long the rumblings for greater autonomy and less taxes would follow...

:CoW: 1776 :devil:

(posted per the pre WW2 rule)

 

[mike wightman]

Pretty much what I was thinking of.

Dukes make their money from the taxes their sub sector worlds provide, plus dividends from megacorporation profits, plus whatever private income they have.

If major trading worlds within a duchy are cut off from the x-boat network due to an 'upgrade' their trade will suffer. Their taxes will have to be reduced - if not the worlds will quickly be asking why do we need the Imperium and their taxes at all if we are having to fund our own communication network. Everything that follows is human nature.

 

[Chuck Anumia]

X-Boat upgrade

Is there any possibility someone will update the X-boat system to J6 and correct/straighten/adjust the routes for high population and system capital worlds rather than having the system meander around back waters?

I'm sure the Xboat system is not under a single jurisdiction; however, I'm also sure that there is regional pressure to adjust routes. I am just as sure that said pressure is applied unevenly and across competing interests.

In other words, it's yet another resource for adventure hooks.

OK. I get the idea of Regional Pressure from those who do not want to be left out.
BUT
That does not apply so much (I would think) when dealing with imperial Bureaucracy.
The X-Boat system is run by the Imperial Scout Service (correct?). The head honcho says "make it so!" and the underlings all salute and start immediately working towards that goal.
It simply makes sense to me to have the most efficient system for disseminating data put into place with the J6 hubs being located where the most political power or highest population density occurs in each system.
J4 routes can and most likely should emanate like spokes from a wheel to reach the backwater systems which do not require a J6 delivery vehicle.

 

[Vladika]

The J4 XBoat route doesn't need to be replaced. A J5-6 route just needs to be added and have the slower J4 routes feed into, and from, it.

Keeps traditional lines of communication, no one is rerouted or left out, and at the same time 3I communications are improved.

 

[JimMarn]

OK. I get the idea of Regional Pressure from those who do not want to be left out.
BUT
That does not apply so much (I would think) when dealing with imperial Bureaucracy.
The X-Boat system is run by the Imperial Scout Service (correct?). The head honcho says "make it so!" and the underlings all salute and start immediately working towards that goal.
It simply makes sense to me to have the most efficient system for disseminating data put into place with the J6 hubs being located where the most political power or highest population density occurs in each system.
J4 routes can and most likely should emanate like spokes from a wheel to reach the backwater systems which do not require a J6 delivery vehicle.

On my maps, I have basically done it this way. Feeder routes to a 'main route' solar system or the sub-sector capital. From there to another, or several other, sub-sector.

 

[robject]

It simply makes sense to me to have the most efficient system for disseminating data put into place with the J6 hubs being located where the most political power or highest population density occurs in each system.

I think this is the crux of the issue. J4 is not as efficient as J6, AND even with J4 the Xboat route is not as efficient as it could be. The subtext is that the Xboat route doesn't appear to "all pull together", if you know what I mean.

This seems to me to be a typical state of affairs.

 

[tjoneslo]

I think this is the crux of the issue. J4 is not as efficient as J6, AND even with J4 the Xboat route is not as efficient as it could be. The subtext is that the Xboat route doesn't appear to "all pull together", if you know what I mean.

It depends on what you mean by "efficient". For getting a message from Capital to Regina, J6 is the most efficient. But ensuring a message reaches every world in between? Based upon some of the generated maps, the high-population worlds are not evenly spread throughout the Imperium making route finding an interesting challenge.

You end up with either large holes (areas where no routes go anywhere near) because all the worlds are low-population back water planets. Or you have the routes going through the low population worlds in an attempt to make the network evenly spread.

The current x-boat routes, as bad as they are, look to be an attempt to achieve the latter. With the ongoing T5SS project I'll ask if I can post a few of the auto-generated communication routes suggestions.

 

[Chuck Anumia]

Interesting

The J4 XBoat route doesn't need to be replaced. A J5-6 route just needs to be added and have the slower J4 routes feed into, and from, it.

Keeps traditional lines of communication, no one is rerouted or left out, and at the same time 3I communications are improved.

And that seems like a possible solution that would not drastically alter anything, subtract significantly financial and yet make a marked improvement.
Hmmmm...