Re: [GZG] A new vector movement system

[Hugh Fisher <laranzu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Bryett wrote:
>We house-rule "thruster-pushes" out of the existing FT vector system, 
>and only allow thrusters to pivot the ship. All changes to the 
>overall trajectory of the ship require the use of the main engines. 
>This house-rule reflects the fact that extremely large, powerful and 
>heavy engines would be required to achieve significant accelerations 
>to spaceships massing hundreds or thousands of tonnes with any 
>reasonably foreseeable technology. The standard FT vector rules have 
>the ships' manoeuvring thrusters deliver half the acceleration as the 
>main engines, which seems improbable.

A good point, and one made by other people as well. I'm
going to drop the thrusters from the next version.

>The proposed rules at least restricts the thruster-push to operating 
>as "retro-rockets". This is good. However, it still implies a pretty 
>huge engine in the nose of the ship, capable of delivering half the 
>thrust of the main engine. A T6 frigate for example would have a T3 
>retro-engine for example. That sounds as if we should apply the 
>"blind-sector" rule (assuming we're playing it) to the nose of the 
>ship as well as the tail.

A lot of ships, both in GZG and elsewhere, have two
engines on either side of the hull. So I was thinking
one fusion class powerplant and fuel supply, very large
(and weapon-obscuring) thrusters out the back, smaller
ones to the front.

>A second, half-size, retro-engine would be wasted mass for some 
>ships. A fast courier for example would probably be better off 
>ditching it to achieve better acceleration from its main engine. 
>IMHO, it's a bit dubious to just handwave it with no mass allowance 
>in the design system. By the way, given that the retro-engine thrust 
>is half main-engine thrust rounded down, how would you handle a T1 
>battle-station?

They can't. Anything thrust-1 is assumed to be either
civilian or incredibly clumsy (eg Death Star), so can
only use the main drive for any significant move.

Thanks for responding.

	cheers,
	Hugh

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