Miniatures Monday – Battledress

I am not a Warhammer 40K player but I do like their miniatures. Here is my first attempt at painting miniatures in many years. Not a great job by any means but fun nonetheless. I need some better brushes and paints!

Early Paint Effort

RPG Thursday – Traveller Vehicle Handbook Review

A squadron of Imperial Marine Trepida grav tanks on patrol (by A. Boulton at www.traveller3d.com)

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – QUALIFIED FAILURE

The new Supplement 5-6: The Vehicle Handbook from Mongoose Publishing (MGP 3868, published 2012) has three major sections. In order they are New Vehicle Rules, the Vehicle Design System, and Vehicle Examples. My review will address each in a slightly different order.

The Vehicle Design System is more streamlined than the older Supplement 5 Civilian Vehicles (MGP 3821/2009) and Supplement 6 Military Vehicles (MGP 3822/2009) which generally makes it faster and more useful. As noted in the Introduction, the authors bought into the “design for effect” school and dropped much of the “gearhead” details. I like this – as a GM one needs to be able to quickly design vehicles to support the story. Unfortunately, the text is often hard to follow and the design process can be difficult to understand. Somebody needs to introduce Mongoose to bullet lists! The (sadly) traditional Mongoose editing/proofreading/format errors are here which means it is that much more challenging to make sense out of rules.  Even given all that I rate this section 4 out of 5.

The Vehicle Examples are a mess. Most examples have errors. Cargo and armor and weapons ranges and stacked modifiers for price are often done incorrectly. So much so that I cannot trust any example. I will admit I haven’t checked every entry, but I have looked at 20 and found only one correct.

I was happy to see Hammer’s Slammers vehicles in this book. I was hoping that Mongoose would finally live up to the back cover of Hammer’s Slammers (MGP 3817/2009) where they stated “With all vehicles created using the Traveller Vehicle Creation System, this book is guaranteed to be fully compatible with every other Traveller book, allowing you to mix and match supplements as you desire!” Alas, Mongoose has failed yet again to live up to that “guarantee” since it is still impossible to recreate the Hammer’s Slammers vehicle designs since many weapons are missing or details are poorly translated/updated between products. I am not sure the designer of the Hammer’s Slammers vehicles actually understands the source material since many design decisions are at odds with the source literature (like no Fusion powerplants and Explosive Reactive Armour vice Explosive Belt). Indeed, it looks like many vehicles don’t add the cost of the weapons, a bit understandable since none of the weapons are described in any Traveller product beyond Hammer’s Slammers which didn’t give cost.

I also tried to recreate the Sword Worlds vehicles but that too proved impossible since several weapons are not to be found in the new Vehicle Handbook, the Sword Worlds guide (MGP 3865/2011), the Central Supply Catalogue (CSC, MGP 3819/2009), and even Mercenary (MGP 3801/2008).

Given all the errors in the vehicle examples and the inability to recreate iconic vehicles, I rate the Vehicle Example section 1 out of 5.

Lastly, there are the New Vehicle Rules. The most significant new rules in my mind are vehicle movement, extended ranges for vehicle weapons, and interactions between Tech Levels. The vehicle movement rules are simplistic yet not very clear with some rules found in the construction section rather than with the new rules. Weapon ranges are messed up with many at odds with CSC or other previous publications. In contrast, the new Tech Level interactions rules are nice but there are many skill check or hit modifiers spread out through the book they are never brought  together in an easy to understand way.

Mongoose had previously published an expanded set of vehicle combat rules in Hammer’s Slammers, but it appears the new Vehicle Handbook was written without referencing that work at all. Indeed, the vehicle movement rules and expanded ranges are at odds with Hammer’s Slammers (comparing ranges in CSC and the new Vehicle Handbook is also difficult to follow – and mostly wrong as noted above). Mongoose missed the chance to bring in useful items from Hammer’s Slammers like Crew Roles, new Actions, as well as Special Considerations like Air Defense, Booster AI to explain the usefulness of computers, and Expanded Damage Rules. The net result is a further weakening of the “Hammer’s Slammers guarantee” and (IMHO) a missed chance to make vehicle combat better. It seems quite clear that Mongoose has abandoned the Hammer’s Slammers product so why bother to put the vehicle examples in?

I fully believe Mongoose could have incorporated expanded vehicle combat rules in this product. Within the Vehicle Design section there is much repetition and it is possible more space could have been used for new rules. This book also screams for an index which is not to be found.

I rate the new rules 2 out of 5. Too many missed opportunities!

At the end of the day I am torn on what to recommend my fellow Traveller players and GMs. The Design System is useful, but the actual vehicle designs are riddled with errors and the new rules are a mixed bag. Don’t buy the hardcover! At $40 it is not worth it. Wait for the softcover? Maybe. Buy the .pdf? Probably your best bet but be ready to do a lot of (re)work on your own.

Oh, I know that if the Mongoose forums see this I will get crucified by the Mongoose Traveller Fanboys for being too nit-picky. After all, I bought the product, eh? Actually, I took advantage of the forum offer where buying the new book gets two free books to replace the older vehicle supplements. Well, shame on me for being greedy. It doesn’t change the fact that Mongoose has quality control issues. Burying one’s head in the sand doesn’t help fix the Mongoose’s problems.

 

I am (cautiously) looking forward to Prime Directive: Traveller but have to admit that after this disaster with the new Vehicle Handbook I am not optimistic.

IMTU* – Federation of Arden

*IMTU – In My Traveller Universe. Take a part of the Traveller RPG universe and make it your own!

Spinward Marches (Courtesy RPGeek)

AS I READ through the Mongoose Traveller (MgT) supplement The Spinward Marches, my interest was piqued when I read about Arden in the Vilis Subsector. Arden is a high-population world (1.03 billion) with a “solid TL8 economy.” A major political player is the Arden Society, dedicated to creating the Federation of Arden.

So I got to thinking; how could the Federation of Arden come about IMTU? In doing so I have looked at several problems including the stellar system, technology, and military forces.

The Arden Star System is only loosely defined. In MgT terms the planet is C5549CB-8. This is actually a bit off from what some sources say (several credit Arden with TL9 by c.1105) so I guess they are on the cusp of the TL changeover (more on that later). The Arden system is credited with one planetoid belt and no gas giants. Using the Star System Generation format found in Traveller 5 (beta), I went ahead and created the entire system. The results will be the subject of a separate post.

The results of the Star System generation led to thoughts on technology. In terms of space travel, at TL8 Arden has “Space Shuttle, Space Stations, and non-Grav maneuver 3-5 capability” (Technology Transportation, Comparative Technology Levels, LBB9, p. 65). Spinward Marches states the government of Arden has “a handful of small jump-capable ships,” obviously bought elsewhere since Arden cannot produce starships themselves (a combination of TL and a C-class starport).

NASA Antimatter Concept (Really!)

IMTU, the Arden system has 12 planets spread out over two stars. The companion star (M5V stellar class) is in the Remote System of Arden in Orbit 16. The companion system has five worlds with 10 satellites. So how do the Ardens reach this major portion of their system? The answer came in the form of Paul Elliott’s Slower-Than-Light (STL) ruleset. STL covers the creation and operation of reaction drive ships using NERVA-style nuclear thermal rockets or a Fusion Rocket. Several STL designs for Arden as well as some travel commentary will be the subject of yet another separate post.

The last area I have looked at is military forces. In doing so I have drawn heavily on Trillion Credit Squadron (TCS), Power Projection: Fleet (PPF) as well as The Spinward Marches and Spica’s new The Outer Veil. Though many Traveller fans will argue over the validity TCS (and PPF which reimplemented the same system) in terms of a realistic budget, the exercise is nonetheless enlightening. Again, this will be the subject of a later post.

So let me conclude by making the following observations:

• Traveller can make you think
• Not all thinking is fun, but thinking about Traveller is fun!

Traveller Tech – Manned X-37B?

According to sUAS News, Boeing engineers have suggested a 165% scaled-up version of the X-37B space drone for manned spaceflight. The cool graphic below  shows two configurations each with five or more astronauts.

My original Traveller X-37B design was only five dtons. Scaled up at 165% makes it roughly 8.25 tons. In both designs it looks like the all “cargo” is replaced by “crew.”

(EDIT) Here is the ship card from High Guard Shipyard (HGS 1.20.17) using Book 2 design rules. A few obvious problems are the automatic fuel scoops and the 1 dton of fuel.

Ship: X-37M
Class: X-37B+
Type: Shuttle
Architect: Boeing
Tech Level: 8
USP
         XM-0101101-000000-00000-0 MCr 7.640 8.25 Tons
Bat Bear                           Crew: 6
Bat                                TL: 8
Cargo: 1.250 Fuel: 1 EP: 0.083 Agility: 1
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.076   Cost in Quantity: MCr 6.112

Boeing Manned X-37B Concepts (Courtesy sUAS News)

Traveller Tech: X-37B

X-37B On Orbit (NASA)

Mission

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, or OTV, is designed to be a reliable, reusable, unmanned space platform for a TL8 Aerospace Force. The OTV is designed for vertical launch to low earth orbit (LEO) altitudes where it can perform long duration missions. Upon command from the ground, the OTV autonomously re-enters the atmosphere, descends and lands horizontally on a runway. While it does have some capability for orbital inspection, repair, and retrieval, it is limited by its payload bay and altitude range. There are some who claim the OTV is actually an orbital weapons system for attacking targets on the ground. (Design Note: Although one could theoretically build a spaceplane at Tech Level 7, the choice to make this a TL8 platform is driven by the advanced remote control and solar cells.)

The following employment concepts draw heavily on the X-37B Fact Sheet available from the Secure World Foundation (see sources).

Concept – X-37B as an on-orbit sensor platform and test bed

• X-37B payload bay can carry various sensors used for intelligence collection from space, potentially including radar, optical, infrared, and signals/electronic intelligence (SIGINT/ELINT) suites

Advantages

• Ability to flight test and return experimental sensors and satellite hardware would be of significant benefit to military
• Ability to re-configure the payload bay contents for various sensor packages makes it much more flexible than having to procure multiple satellites
• X-37B is more maneuverable once in orbit than many satellites, allowing for more flexible ground coverage

Drawbacks

• Prompt response is questionable given that it is tied to a launch vehicle and associated processing timelines and launch pad availability requirements

Concept – X-37B as a deployment platform for satellites

• X-37B can be launched into orbit and deploy multiple small satellites on a very timely basis to support time sensitive warfighter needs

Advantages

• Flexibility in payload configuration, you don’t need to integrate each new satellite to the booster (the satellites get integrated to the X-37B, which then gets integrated to the booster)
• Deployment could be done in a semi-stealthy manner, potentially avoiding tracking by amateurs

Drawbacks

• Not very timely as you still are dependent on a launch vehicle time requirements for launch
• The costs for a single launch vehicle can be expensive
• The payload bay for the X-37B can only carry a couple of very small satellites, giving very little “bang for the buck”
• It may be much more efficient to just launch several payloads on their own smaller booster
• Deployment could be done out of sight of amateur community, but very unlikely to be able to conceal from military space situational awareness capabilities

Concept – X-37B as an on-orbit repair vehicle

• X-37 can be used to rendezvous with malfunctioning satellites and repair or refuel them, or in some cases capture and return them to planet for a post-mortem analysis

Advantages

• Can help the military solve the problem of figuring out what went wrong when a satellites dies
• Return of hardware from space could help with research into effects of space weather, debris, and micrometeoroids

Drawbacks

• X-37B is limited in altitude—it has a maximum altitude range of 700 or 800 km (for a Size 8 world), potentially high enough to access most Sun-synchronous satellites
• Not many operational military satellite components will fit in the X-37B cargo bay
• Needs human remote control link for on-orbit repairs and activities

Concept – X-37B as an on-orbit inspection or ASAT platform

• X-37 can be used to rendezvous and inspect satellites, either friendly or adversary, and potentially grab and de-orbit satellites

Advantages

• Usual on-orbit inspection satellites have a fixed set of sensors; X-37 sensor package could be upgraded or modified as needed on a per-mission basis
• Usually satellites can only access satellites close to their existing inclination and do not have the potential to capture and return
• Provides the capability to disable adversary satellites on-orbit without creating a large amount of debris

Drawbacks

• Other platforms may already have this capability and can stay on orbit for much longer
• X-37B is much larger which increases the chances that an adversary could detect an unauthorized rendezvous
• The X-37B cargo bay is much smaller than many operational satellites, and most of that space is likely to be filled by the required robotic arm and other gear (a Grappling Arm is 2 tons-filling the entire cargo bay)

Concept – X-37B as a weapon or delivery system

• X-37B could be launched in response to a pending crisis and remain on orbit for a length of time to respond to high value/very time sensitive targets
• X-37B could either drop “rods from god” out of its payload bay or re-enter and become a weapon itself

Advantages

• Can avoid political issues over using ballistic missiles launched from the ground

Drawbacks

• Hyperkinetic weapons dropped from bay would need to be equipped with thrusters capable of performing a huge de-orbit burn, very difficult given small bay size
• X-37B itself re-enters like the space shuttle landing at an estimated 321 kph, which means it travels in the atmosphere much slower than an RV on a ballistic arc or a hyperkinetic weapon. Thus it would need to carry conventional explosives to do any significant damage
• X-37B after re-entry would be a slow moving, not-very-maneuverable glide bomb, easy prey for any air defense system along its path to the target
• Having only a few X-37Bs would not provide very timely coverage of potential ground targets

Traveller Design Sequence

X-37B Technical Readout

This design was created using the Core Rules, the Small Craft Design Sequence from Book 2 – High Guard and the additional Small Craft Design Sequence items in Golden Age Starships 5: Archaic Small Craft and Space Stations; in Golden Age Starships Compilation 1-5.

X-37B			Tons	Price (MCr)
Hull s.5	5 tons	Hull 1		0.8
	Streamlined	Structure 1		0.01
Armor	Heat Shielding			0.5
M-Drive sA	1-G	Reaction	0.13	0.25
Power Plant sA-	Rating 1	Chemical Batts (100 hours)	0.12	1.2
		Solar Panels	0.5	0.05
Fuel	6 Thrust Hours		0.75
Bridge	Remote Operation	Non-Combat	1.5	0.5
Computer	Model/1			0.03
Electronics	Standard	DM-4
Weapons	None
Cargo	2 tons		2
Extras	None
Software	Maneuver/0
Total Tonnage/Cost			5	3.34 MCr

Design Sequence Notes

Hull from GAS-5. Power Plant is Chemical Batteries but scaled for 100 hours vice 1000 in design sequence.

Launch Vehicle

The Medium Launch Vehicle from GAS-5 is an ideal candidate for a launch vehicle carrying the X-37B.  (If you look at the cost of the MLV (10.5 MCr) you see that the single-use SLV costs three (3) times that of the X-37B.  This helps to explain the cost issues brought out in the employment concepts above).

Sources

X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle; US Air Force Fact Sheet; http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=16639 (accessed 26 Sep 2010)

Marshall Space Flight Center X-37B Page; http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/x37news/index.html (accessed 26 Sep 2010)

Secret X-37B space plane has changed orbit; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38831416/ (accessed 26 Sep 10)

X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Fact Sheet; http://secureworldfoundation.org/images/X-37BOTVFactsheet.pdf (accessed 26 Sep 2010)

Traveller Pocket Rulebook (Mongoose 2008 Edition)

Traveller Book 2: High Guard (Mongoose 2008 Edition)

Golden Age Starships 5: Archaic Small Craft and Space Stations; in Golden Age Starships Compilation 1-5 (Avenger Enterprises 2009) referred to as GAS-5