[TML] Expanding the turret selection

[Jerry W Barrington]

On 7/14/08 12:07 AM, "Derek Wildstar" <wildstar at io.com> wrote:

> 2. Fixed and Flexible Mounts
> 
> 2.1 Eligibility
> 2.1.1 Up to 8 slots of fixed or flexible mount weapons may be
> installed on any vessel under 100 dtons.  These are the only weapons
> mounts allowed for small craft.
> 2.1.2 Up to 10 slots of fixed or flexible mount may be installed on
> any vessel of 100 dtons to less than 400 dtons.
> 2.1.3 Up to 12 slots of fixed or flexible mounts may bee installed on
> any vessel of 400 dtons or more.

Why such a flat slope?  A 400 dt ship has 2.52 times the surface area of the
same shape 100 dt ship, yet can only carry 20% more of these weapons?  And
much larger ships don't get *any* more?

> 2.2 Fixed Mounts: Fixed mounts align the weapon's line of fire to the
> vessel's primary axis.

There are also (real) fixed rear-firing weapons.  And lacking an atmosphere,
a fixed mount at *any* angle is feasible.

> 2.2.1 The pilot of the ship acts as a gunner and operates the fixed
> weapons with no penalty.  This is the only circumstance where one
> crewperson can perform two jobs simultaneously without penalty.
> 2.2.2 A gunner may be assigned to fixed-mount weapons instead of the
> pilot.
> 2.2.3 Only one fixed mount may be designated per vessel.  It may
> contain multiple weapons.

Why only one?  As stated above, there's more than one firing arc, and even
airplanes have been know to have various guns/rockets mounted far enough
apart that they aren't physically one mount.  Given that damage tends to
take out a whole mount, having multiple guns mounted many meters apart makes
sense.

> 2.2.4 Multiple weapons of the same type in a fixed mount must be
> grouped into a single battery.
>
> 2.2.4 Heterogenous fixed mounts need not fire all weapons, but all
> weapons that are fired must be fired at the same target, and must
> share a single to-hit roll.

Modern jets can have multiple missiles mounted that can be shot at different
targets and in flight at the same time.

I could see guns being fired by the pilot, straight ahead, while the REO
fires missiles to curve off to another target...

> 2.2 Flexible Mounts: A weapon on a flexible mount is installed in the
> ship's hull, with a limited arc of fire.
> 2.2.1 The flexible mount must be operated by a gunner.
> 2.2.3 Vessels under 10 dtons may not have a flexible mount.
> 2.2.4 Vessels of 10dtons to less than 100 dtons may have one flexible
> mount of up to 4 slots.
> 2.2.5 Vessels of 100 dtons or more may have two flexible mounts of up
> to 4 slots each.

Again with the very restrictive numbers allowed.  As long as there are
gunners and surface area to mount, why the limits?

> 2.3 Batteries Bearing
> 2.3.1 If a vessel has a fixed mount, the pilot can declare if the
> mount bears on a particular target.
> 2.3.2 If a vessel has multiple fixed and flexible mounts, if one mount
> bears on a particular target, at least one other mount does not bear
> on that target.

Can't have a fixed and a flexible that both point forward?

> 2.4 Legality
> 2.4.1 Fixed and flexible mounts are legal on all ships in the Solomani
> Confederation.
> 2.4.2 Fixed and flexible mounts on small craft (vessels under 100
> dtons) are standard practice, and legal everywhere that armed
> starships are legal.
> 2.4.3 Fixed or flexible mounts on starships are considered suspicious
> within the Imperium.  Depending on location, this may consist of extra
> scrutiny, prejudice, or outright suspicion of Solomani sympathies.

Why?  If I typically land my small starship without using small craft, then
obviously my ship needs the capabilities of a normal small craft.  And
surely, in a map as big as Traveller's, there are a lot of people besides
Solomani who use mounts.

> 3.3 Turret Contents: Any combination of weapons that fit into the
> slots provided by given turret may be purchased.
> 3.3.1 In a battery consisting of multiple turrets, all turrets must be
> identical.
> 3.3.2 All weapons of the same type in a given turret must belong to
> the same battery.
> 3.3.3 Each weapon in a heterogeneous turret must be its own battery.

How do these rules interact?  If I have 5 turrets, each with a laser and a
missile, can I list that as 1 battery of 5 lasers + 1 battery of 5 missiles?
Or do I have to list them as 5 batteries of 1 laser and 5 batteries of 1
missile?

If I have a turret of 1 laser and 2 missiles, 3.3.2 says the missiles belong
in the same battery and 3.3.3 says they must be 2 batteries.

> 3.3.4 Heterogenous turrets may not be installed on vessels with more
> than 10 turrets.

Why?  Just to save you bookkeeping?

Yes, I know those examples are kind of contrived.  But if it's in the rules,
surely there is a *point* to having mixed turrets...

> 3.4 Turret Legality
> 3.4.1 Standard turrets are not illegal anywhere in the Imperium,
> although individual worlds may restrict or prohibit armed vessels from
> some or part of their airspace.
> 3.4.2 Civilian ships mounting any turrets larger than 1 dton may be
> considered by Imperial and planetary authorities to be "looking for
> trouble", and may be assumed to be pirates, or subjected to extra
> scrutiny, fined, denied landing permits, or otherwise harassed.
> Licensed mercenary units are usually not considered "civilian".

In many parts of the Imperium, traders *need* to be well armed.  And if the
turrets are not outright illegal, why would they justify fines?

> 3.4.3 Particle beam weapons are considered one step below weapons of
> mass destruction in the Imperial Rules of War.  Use of these weapons
> outside of Imperial forces is frowned on: mercenary units may have
> their licenses suspended or revoked, and civilian ships may be denied
> landing permits or impounded.

Again, if merely "frowned on" without being illegal, these are outrageous
actions.

> Author's Note: before adopting these rules in your game, realize that
> they can be used to seriously over-gun ships, because of the way the
> hardpoint rules are constructed.  For example, a 400-ton ship can have
> 4 hardpoints, mount 5-ton barbettes on each one, and fill those
> barbettes with 15 beam lasers (each!), resulting in a 400-ton ship
> that has the firepower of a 2000-ton corvette.
> 
> For lasers and high-energy weapons, the results are likely to be self-
> limiting due to power needs, so these hugely powerful designs might be
> the province of TL-16+ worlds.  These rules also allow a relatively
> small ship to launch some impressive missile volleys, and small craft
> to mount more weapons that would otherwise be possible.  I thought
> this a useful trade-off for punching up the lethality of small
> fighters, but again, that hypothetical 400-dton ship could launch a
> 120-missile volley ... once.  So, use with care, and expect to have
> the Imperium to come down -hard- on designs that feature outrageous
> firepower.

Again, why?  If there aren't specific laws against it, and there are all
manner of non-Imperial military/paramilitary/mercenary groups out there,
this sounds like simple GM fiat.  Mostly it's going to be unnecessary
anyway, as power/space requirements and the ability to do *anything* else
with the ship will prevent the most egregious abuses.

The USS San Jacinto carries 122 missiles, plus a bunch of other weapons and
2 helicopters.  She's 9600 tons fully loaded, which according to FF&S1
should be around 960 dton.  That's large compared to most of what you've
been saying, but not outrageously gunned.  :)