Re: Fuel Thrust

On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 22:52:00 -0700 "Phillip Pournelle"
<emisle@earthlink.net> writes:
>    Main Engine:  For each 5% of mass devoted to a main engine the 
>vessel may accelerate by two MUs in the direction opposite the engines 
>exhaust direction.  That is it may thrust along the engine axis.  
>Again it is 2 thrust points per 5% devoted to engine mass.

Thrust 4 for 10% mass?	Sounds reasonable.

>    Maneuvering Engine:  For each 5% of mass devoted to a Maneuvering 
>engine the vessel may accelerate in any direction by one MU or change 
>the vessel's facing by one point (30 degrees).  This represents the 
>mass devoted to making the engine on a mobile mount or using multiple 
>exhaust points.

Possibly put these maneuvering engines on the SSD as well.  Would seem
reasonable.  That way a nasty threshold roll could leave you unable to
maneuver.  Perhaps the main engine could be used as a maneuvering engine
as well, but not at the same time it is used for
acceleration/deceleration.  How bout this as well, instead of just a
generic maneuvering engine.  

i)  Station Keeping Thrusters:	These are quads of smaller thrusters,
each 2% (?) devoted to these allows the ship to turn one point, but does
not provide enough thrust to accelerate the ship.

>    Engines do not operate unless there is fuel available...

duh  *weg*

>    Fuel tanks:  For each 5% of mass devoted to fuel a ship has 6 
>thrust points that may be expended by an engine.  A thrust point is 
>expended for each engine thrust used in a round of maneuvering.  If a 
>ship has a main engine with a rating of 6 thrust and accelerates at 
>maximum burn, 6 thrust points will be expended.  If a ship turns two 
>points (60 degrees), two thrust points are expended.

Hmmm, seems reasonable, faster turn = burn more fuel.  I wonder if 10
points of fuel per 5% might be better, I guess the campaign will help
determine that.

>    Jump Engines consume 60 Thrust Points for a ship to jump to FTL.  
>Better Gas up on the other end...

YEOUCH!!!!!!  50% of your mass for one jump!!!	And thats not including
anything else!	Well, we'll just have to game this out and
see............Can you say disposable tankers?	I knew you could.  Also,
what are everyone elses thoughts on refueling?	Gas giant skimming? 
Dunk
the tanker in an ocean somewhere?  How about small STL fuel tenders and
really big FTL tankers?  Cometary fueling?  Think about it.  If you use
half the mass of your tanker just to FTL it to the contact point, it had
better be one really big tanker if you want to refuel a fleet (or have a
fleet of smaller tankers).  And then, what about refueling the tanker
for
another jump of its own?  Using SO much mass for jumps looks like a
serious zero sum game.	And what about misjumps?  One navigational screw
up and you're in DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP trouble.

>    Fighters:	Fighters maneuver like ships with maneuvering thrusters 
>rated at 10 and carrying 60 thrust points.  That is they may expend up 
>to 10 thrust points in any direction in a single turn.
>    Standard Missiles:  Standard Missiles operate just like fighters 
>but then detonate like More Thrust Missiles and cause 2D6 damage when 
>within 6 inches of an enemy contact.

These seem good.  Perhaps fleet tenders could carry extra missiles and
fighters at a lesser mass rate, but they can't launch them, only
re-supply actual combat ships.	ie. operational squadrons take 6 mass,
stored squadrons take only 4 or 5 mass.  MT missiles on launchers take 2
mass, in storage they only take  1 mass.  How bout crews, tenders could
carry passenger space for additional crew to replenish combat losses.

>    Tankers may transfer fuel to replenish supplies aboard ships.  The 
>amount of thrust points restored will be proportional to the mass 
>delivered by the Tanker.

Clearly so.  How are you going to calculate the mass requirements for
refueling fighters?  Perhaps their carriers could carry additional fuel
for them.  Maybe one mass of fuel per full squadron??

>    Fuel Thrust is meant for folks who have already mastered Real 
>(Newtonian) Thrust and want to introduce the challenges that fleet 
>commanders face in planning a campaign.
>    Happy Thrusting.

This looks good.  

Jim Clem
voted by his high school Most Likely to Secede
8^)
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