Re: Traveller Ships

Dear All,

Traveller is one of my old "loves" in the hobby. The role play side of
it 
was great but I got pissed off when I found that the combat systems left
so 
much to be desired and it was FT that rekindled my enthusiasm. Great 
background, shame about the rules!

Anyway, heres some stuff I have done on "classic" Traveller for FT.

"Traveller" Ship Statistics for "FULL THRUST" by Mike Elliott

° This article was written for "Ragnarok" the journal of the SFSFW. It
has 
not been published yet (don't ask me why???).
The classic science fiction RPG "Traveller" includes a number of
spaceship 
designs for various purposes. Statistics are provided for "Traveller"'s
own 
rules systems for ship to ship combat. The following allows these ships
to 
be used in the "FULL THRUST" game system. Even if you are not
particularly 
interested in "Traveller" you may find some interesting ideas for your 
"FULL THRUST" games. I have made use of information contained in both
"FULL 
THRUST" and the supplement "MORE THRUST", as well as "DIRTSIDE II". 
In particular, it should be noted that I have used the rule of thumb of
1 
MASS unit in "FULL THRUST" is equivalent to 50 tons (as described in
"MORE 
THRUST"). Also note that the MASS of both FTL and non-FTL drives are 
included in the MASS of the hull.

1.	Scout/Courier
The Scout/Courier is the smallest "standard" ship and is often used by 
characters because it is easily obtainable. It has a mass of 100 tons
which 
corresponds to a MASS of 2. It is therefore (very conveniently)
equivalent 
to the "FULL THRUST" standard Courier ship. The hull is streamlined, so 
there is an additional cost of 2 points for a total of 17 points.

2.	Far Trader
A "workhorse" small trading ship, a sort of space-age tramp steamer
(maybe 
the "Millennium Falcon"?). It has a mass of 200 tons or 4 MASS units.
Since 
it is a Merchant class vessel, it has only 1 Damage point.

			MASS		Points
Hull (streamlined)	)		9
FTL Drive		)2		4
Thrust-8		)		8
1 * C beam (3 arc)	1		5
Cargo			1 (50 tons)	0

TOTAL			4		26

3.	Close Escort
A small starship designed for escort and anti-pirate duties with a mass
of 
300 tons (6 MASS units). It is equivalent to (again, very conveniently)
the 
standard "FULL THRUST" design for a Corvette. It is partially
streamlined. 
so there is an additional cost of 3 points for a total of 46 points.

4.	System Defence Boat
This is a non-FTL capable ship specifically designed for in-system
defence 
purposes. Because it does not have an FTL drive, it has a very good
weapons 
fit for a ship of its size - outgunning a Frigate and almost as good as 
(but more manoeuvrable than) a Destroyer. It has 4 Damage points.

			MASS		Points
Hull (streamlined)	)		24
FTL Drive		)2		(None)
Thrust-8		)		16
2 * B beam (3 arc)	4		18
1 * C beam (3 arc)	1		 5
1 * PDAF		1		 3

TOTAL			8		66

Note: The MASS of the System Defence Boat's hull is only 2 because 75%
of 
the total MASS is available for weapons and systems in a ship with no
FTL 
drive.

4a.	Jump Shuttle
The Jump Shuttle provides a way of moving a System Defence Boat from one

system to another. These vessels are usually in very short supply
though! 
The shuttle has a mass of 200 tons (4 MASS units) and 2 Damage points.	

			MASS		Points
Hull			)		 8
Thrust-6		)4		 6
FTL Drive		)		12

TOTAL			4		26

Notes:	The high cost of the FTL drive is because it has to move the 
combined MASS of both the Jump Shuttle and the System Defence Boat (i.e.
12 
MASS units).
	The drive produces Thrust-6 when the shuttle is manoeuvring 
independently, but only Thrust-2 when the shuttle is mated with a System

Defence Boat.

5.	Subsidised Merchant
A typical small freighter operated by the smaller interstellar freight 
lines. It is a Merchant class vessel having a mass of 400 tons (8 MASS 
units) and 2 Damage points.

			MASS		Points
Hull (streamlined)	)		18
FTL Drive		)4		 8
Thrust-6		)		12
1 * C beam (3 arc)	1		 5
Cargo			3 (150 tons)	 0

TOTAL			8		43

6.	X Boat
The X Boat is a tiny 100 ton Merchant class ship (MASS 2) with only an
FTL 
drive. It has only 1 Damage point.

			MASS		Points
Hull			)1		3
FTL Drive		)		4
Cargo			1 (50 tons)	0

TOTAL			2		7

Note that extra points have been paid for the FTL drive to make it
capable 
of Jump-4 (as described in my article on the integration of "Traveller"
and 
"FULL THRUST").

7.	X Boat Tender
The X Boat Tender services and maintains X Boats, providing replacement 
pilots and so on. It is a Merchant class ship of 1000 tons (MASS 20) and
5 
Damage points.

			MASS		Points
Hull			)		30
FTL Drive		)10		20
Thrust-2		)		20
2 * C beam (3 arc)	2		10
1 * Size 8 Hanger Bay	8		16

TOTAL			20		96

Note that the Hanger Bay is capable of holding up to 4 X Boats. 

8.	Mercenary Cruiser
Finally, something a little more complicated. The following describes a 
mercenary cruiser capable of lifting a platoon sized unit and providing 
backup to it during operations dirtside. The cruiser itself is an 800
ton 
(MASS 16) Merchant class ship with 4 Damage points.

			MASS		Points
Hull			)		24
FTL Drive		)8		16
Thrust-4		)		32
1 * C beam (3 arc)	1		 5
1 * Size 3 Hanger Bay	3		 6
Accommodation		4 (200 CS)	 0

TOTAL			16		83

Note that we have fitted a Size 3 Hanger Bay, even though "MORE THRUST" 
(p.16) says the minimum size is 6. If we had to put a size 6 bay on this

ship, there'd be no room for any troops - hence the need to bend the
rules 
slightly. So what?
 
The Hanger Bay contains two drop ships (or cutters) each with a Cargo
Space 
of 15. The rule of thumb is that 1 Cargo Space point is equivalent to 2 
vehicle Capacity points, so in "DIRTSIDE II" terms, each cutter is a
Size 6 
(oversized) vehicle:

			Capacity	Points
Size 6 hull		-		 30
Armour 3		-		 18
Basic Vehicle Points	-		 48
FGP Power Plant 	-		 29
Aerospace Mobility	-		480
1 * APSW		-		(free)
1 * GMS/L (Enhanced)	 2		 30
Cargo capacity		28		  0

TOTAL			30		587

You will observe that 1 Cargo Space point is in fact taken up by the
GMS/L 
system (you pays yer money...). 

Note also that an infantryman (whether in Power Armour or not) occupies
1 
Cargo Space unit (2 Capacity points) in a drop ship (as described in
"MORE 
THRUST"). The additional space is required for all the extra equipment a

"leg" infantry unit needs such as ammunition, supplies, tents etc. If
this 
bothers you, bear in mind that movement from orbit to planetary surface
is 
strategic movement and so includes the logistic tail of a unit, rather
than 
the tactical movement in which a squad of infantry are lifted a few
klicks 
in an aerospace craft.

Each cutter is therefore able to carry one of the following modular 
payloads:
1.	Vehicle Module. Up to a Size 3 vehicle (takes up 8 * 3 = 24 
Capacity points) plus its crew (who ride mounted up).
2.	Infantry Module. Up to 14 infantry (e.g. 3 4-man teams).
3.	Assault Module. A General Engineering Package (8 Capacity
points, 
equipped with digging charges, mainly used for creating hasty defences) 
plus up to 10 infantry.
4.	Cargo Module. Up to 28 points of cargo.
5.	Fuel Skimmer Module. For skimming fuel from a body of water or a

gas giant.
6.	Building Module. Up to a size 3 modular building (e.g. command 
post, medical centre, barracks unit).

The mercenary cruiser is designed to carry four cutter modules, one 
pre-loaded in each cutter and one in each cutter bay.

The mercenary platoon carried aboard consists of 3 squads each of 2
rifle 
teams plus a 3 man command team (a total of 27 men). So the cruiser's
cargo 
space is used like this:

				No.	Size	Cargo Space
3 * Squads (of 2 Rifle Teams)	24	 4	96
1 * 3-man command team		 3	 4	12
2 * Size 3 vehicles		 2	12	24
Additional stores				68

TOTAL						200

The platoon vehicles are designed as follows:

			Capacity	Points
Size 3 hull		-		15
Armour 3		-		 9
Basic Vehicle Points	-		24
HMT Power Plant 	-		10
High-Mobility Wheeled	-		 7
1 * APSW		-		(free)
1 * MDC/1 (in turret)	 3		10
Cargo capacity		12		 0

TOTAL			15		51

There are several possibilities for modifications to this basic design. 
I'll leave you to work them out!

Conclusion. The above designs will hopefully serve to illustrate how
"FULL 
THRUST" (and "DIRTSIDE II") can easily be integrated with other game 
systems, in particular "Traveller". An interesting point to note is that

the smaller ships are pretty vulnerable against anything much larger - 
which is as it should be. It will certainly make your characters in
their 
trusty Scoutship think twice about attempting to dodge past that
Destroyer!

Postscript: The Mercenary Platoon for "STARGRUNT II"

Since this article was first drafted, "STARGRUNT II" has finally hit the

streets (well it was on sale at "Salute" anyway). I thought it would be
a 
good idea to show the platoon in SGII terms as well:

The Command Team
	Platoon Commander, Gauss Rifle with GL
	Leading Sergeant, Gauss Rifle with GL
	Runner, Gauss Rifle with GL

Three Squads each of:
	Squad Leader, Gauss Rifle with GL
	Squad Medic , Gauss Rifle with GL
	Squad Support Weapon, Infantry Plasma Gun
	4 Troopers, Gauss Rifle with GL
	Vehicle driver (trooper in "leg" squad), Gauss Rifle with GL

All are wearing Full Suit Light Armour (D8). Other weapons and systems
can 
be allocated if desired to your choice.

As regards the really BIG ships in Traveller, I suggest using the 
Superships rules from MT (p.22) and if necessary, dividing numbers by 10

(as others have suggested) to bring them to manageable proportions. Bear
in 
mind that with such "mega" ships in action, the normal size ships become

"minnows" in comparison!!! 8-)

Mike Elliott, GZG

PS None of this is "official" - just my personal ideas.
PPS There's more where this cam from....