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FT: my campaign's fuel rules

From: Glen Bailey <Glen.Bailey@s...>
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999 07:22:48 -0400
Subject: FT: my campaign's fuel rules

My ideas are based on Traveller's fuel requirements, although I 
reduced it down somewhat (5% instead of 10% per Jump x mass).
Maneuver fuel isn't considered, I considered it to be part of the
mass of the thrust drives. Besides, it would slow down the tactical
combat and I wanted fuel rules for strategic purposes.
I also reduced the FTL drive mass to 5% x mass so that a FTL-1 
drive with my fuel rules would take up the same amount of space 
as the regular FTFB FTL drive (5% + 5%).
The FTL drive is more expensive, this gives more incentive to save
ships from destruction and build battle riders.
I reduced the space for streamlining by half, partial = 5% of mass
and fully = 10% of mass.
FYI, each "hex" is a parsec in length, so star systems tend to be
from 1 to 3 hexes apart.  Depending on the density of stars there
is probably a star in each hex but many will not have planets.
Each star hex has one main planet and possibly a symbol representing 
one or more gas giants that are in the hex.
FYI, a "faction" is each player controlling part of an empire that
just went into civil war.  He who controls 50% or more of the planets
gets to be crowned as the new emperor (and the winner of the
campaign).

You asked for them, you got them.  My fuel rules lifted verbatim from
my campaign document:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement option 2 
Movement between star systems is conducted with one-week long jumps,
no matter the distance of the jump.  A ship can jump to any hex within
its FTL drive range.  The fuel required is 5% of the mass of the ship
times the distance jumped.  Thus a ship with an FTL drive distance of
4 (FTL-4) would require 20% of the mass of the ship in fuel.  The mass
of the FTL drive is 5% of the mass of the ship (minimum of 1) and the
cost is equal to the drive mass times 2 times the maximum distance
that can be traveled.  The cost for the space for fuel is 0.

Example 1: a 100-mass ship has a FTL drive that can jump four hexes,
the mass is 5 and the cost is 40 (5 x 2 x 4).  The fuel space required
is 20 (100 x 5% x 4).

Example 2: a 60-mass ship has a FTL drive that can jump six hexes, the
mass is 3 and the cost is 36 (3 x 2 x 6).  The fuel space required is
18 (60 x 5% x 6).

The FTL drive box on the ship diagram will have a number in it
representing the maximum distance that can be jumped.  Underneath the
FTL drive box write down an "f" for each hex of FTL travel the ship
can jump, this represents fuel space and they suffer threshold
checks.  These cannot be repaired using the normal damage control but
are repaired when the ship is refueled.  When a ship jumps also mark
off the number of "f"s equal to the distance jumped.

Example 3: a ship with FTL-4 jumps two hexes into a star system.  The
player marks off two out of the four "f"s before combat begins.  Thus
the ship can only make a jump of one or two hexes if it flees the
combat and has not taken any more hits on its fuel spaces.

Fueling (optional)
Fueling adds a little logistics to movement strategy.  If Fueling
rules are not used then consider all ships to refuel after any combat.

Spacecraft need lots of fuel to travel FTL.  Fuel consists of hydrogen
that can be found in gas giants and water on planets.  After making a
jump a ship may need to refuel to jump again.  A streamlined ship can
refuel in no time at a gas giant or a planet with water, a partially
streamlined ship can refuel in no time at a gas giant, any ship can
refuel from another ship in no time, some ships can refuel from
spaceports or bases in no time, otherwise the ship requires a full
movement phase to refuel.

Spaceports can refuel a limited number of ships in no time:
1. Class A - 8 ships
2. Class B - 4 ships
3. Class C - 2 ships
4. Class D - 1 ship
5. All others - 0 ships.

A base refuels all ships in no time.

The faction must either control the planet or get the planet's owner's
permission to refuel from the planet, base, or spaceport.

Some star systems have neither planets with water nor gas giants. 
Ships will need extra fuel space or get refueled from other ships.


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