[GZG] [FT] Auxiliary craft for starships

["John Brewer" <jbrewer@xxxxxxxxx>]

Merry Christmas! 

Here's a present for everyone on the List - AUXILIARY CRAFT FOR STARSHIPS! 

I only recently got a pdf copy of More Thrust, and I came across this in Section 6, pg. 18... 

"The Drop capability to land the Marines on-planet is assumed to be provided by the ship's own standard auxiliary craft (all ships that are not themselves atmosphere-capable are automatically outfited with one or more small shuttles, launches or ship's boats with interface capability, for general landing and resupply missions - though these small craft are not armoured or equipped like a Military Dropship, they may be used to shuttle the Marines into action)." 

More Thrust doesn't really say how many smallcraft a starship would have, how big the smallcraft are, how many passengers it can transport at one time, or how much cargo capacity it can take. 

A good rule of thumb for smallcraft allocation is that a starship should have enough smallcraft to rotate the ship's crew using their own auxiliaries in round trips of 4 or fewer.  Designs for smallcraft usually have passenger seating for 6-12 with 2 crew to operate.  I would suggest using the smallcraft designs from the sci-fi rpg Traveller.  There are 4 common designs; and I add one more...

Standard to all starships - from the smallest scoutship up - is a craft called the Boatswain's Bee.  It's the 22nd Century's equivalent to the wet navy's Boatswain's Chair, and is similar to the "Work Bee" seen in a early scene from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", but considerably smaller, with standing room for just 2 people.  It attaches to its mothership with a lamprey-like docking cradle, that is gimbled so that an empty Bee can be undocked & moved to the side so that a Bee from another ship can dock. 

It is unstreamlined, with only maneuvering thrusters, so that it cannot make a orbit/dirtside interface.  It can transport people between ships underway as long as the ships have identical facing, velocity, & are no more than 6mu apart [3mu vector]. 

Boatswain's Bees are the only smallcraft carried on scoutships & corvettes, since their duties are patrol & escort, which don't entail the need for orbit/planet transport.  Military starships of frigate-size and larger do have use for smallcraft with orbit/dirtside interface.  I've translated the stats from the GDW Traveller smallcraft to FT/DSll Cargo Space...

Boatswain's Bee 
Allocation Cost: Free/standard-all ships 
Unstreamlined 
Cargo Capacity: 2cs 

"20-Ton" Launch 
Used by ships of frigate-sized & larger 
Allocation Cost: 1 
Partially Streamlined 
Cargo Capacity: 26cs 

"30-Ton" Ship's Boat 
Used by ships of "Cruiser"-size & larger 
Allocation Cost: 1&1/2 
Partially Streamlined 
Cargo Capacity: 28cs 

"40-Ton" Pinnace 
Allowed ONLY on "Capital" ships w/hangerbays 
Allocation Cost: 2 
Fully Streamlined 
Cargo Capacity: 45cs 

"50-Ton" Cutter 
Allowed ONLY on "Capital" ships w/hangerbays 
Allocation Cost: 2 
Partially Streamlined 
Cargo Capacity: 60cs 

The notation "allocation cost" is based on the space allocated to smallcraft for the TMF of each ship...

Frigates & Destroyers w/TMF 40 & under:  1 allotment 

FTL ships w/TMF 41 - 80: 2 allotments 

FTL ships w/TMF 81 - 120: 3 allotments 

FTL ships w/TMF 121 - 160: 4 allotments 

FTL ships w/TMF 161 - 200: 5 allotments 

FTL  ships w/TMF 201 - 240: 6 allotments 

FTL ships w/TMF 241 - 280: 7 allotments 

ect.ect.ect. 

EXAMPLE:  The Jeanne D'Arc class fleet carrier has a TMF of 280, so it has 7 allotments for smallcraft.  It also has hangerbays, so it can be outfitted with pinnaces & cutters.  So the ship can be outfitted the following ways...

7 launches

or 

3 ship's boats & 4 launches 

or 

3 ship's boats & 2 cutters 

or 

3 ship's boats, a cutter & a pinnace 

or 

3 cutters & a launch 

or 

2 cutters, a pinnace & a launch 

or 

you get the picture. 

As always, I invite your comments. 

JBrewer@xxxxxxxxx  

"Always strive to be a good person.  If you can't do that, at least strive to be someone other than an asshole."

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