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--- traveller:spacecombat [2009/09/13 15:56] – external edit 127.0.0.1
+++ traveller:spacecombat [2020/10/06 10:35] (current) – removed sam
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-====== Space Combat ======
-Whilst deciding how to model **//Traveller//** starships in
-**Yags**, the issue of what scales to use for both time and
-distance came up. Traditionally, the **//Traveller//** combat
-rules used 1000 second turns (a little under 17 minutes) and
-,000km as the base distant unit.
-This gives a nice grand scale for space combat, and avoids the
-big complaints about Hollywood SciFi of space ship weapons
-seemingly having shorter range than modern personal fire arms.
-However, it has a couple of downsides.
-What follows is a look at various possible scales that could
-be used in Starship combat, from the point of view of an RPG.
-For these purposes, I don't particularly care about realism,
-I'm just looking at the story telling consequences.
-I do assume a few **//Traveller//** 'facts' throughout.
-Notably, a ship must be 100 diameters from a planet to be
-able to Jump (assume 1,000,000km). A fast ship can accelerate
-at 6g. A fast ship can move out of effective range of small
-spaceship scale weapons in a few turns.
-===== Traveller =====
-In **//Traveller//**, a turn of combat lasts over 15
-minutes. This is fine for grand fleet battles, where
-giant behemoths manouevre slowly to get the best
-tactical position. However, in most RPG campaigns, PCs
-aren't commanding huge fleets, but are flying small
-trade ships or fighters, smuggling goods between worlds
-or avoiding pirates.
-Take the stereotypical SF situation - a group of PCs
-shoot their way past guards at the spaceport, and quickly
-take off, accelerating away from the planet in order to
-reach a safe distance to Jump. Whether they can escape
-depends on how long it takes local defences to mobilise,
-and how quickly the PCs can run.
-With 15 minute turns, the local space port can easily
-man its defence turrets, launch interceptors and
-generally call out for help before the PCs have gone
-anywhere. The PCs are probably dead.
-If we assume that the PCs first disabled the space port's
-defences before attempting their getaway, and blocked
-off the launch pads for the local police ships, then
-all they need to worry about is the patrol cruiser in
-orbit. If they can avoid that, then they're home free.
-If we assume the patrol cruiser only has a range of 10"
-(100,000km at this scale), then it can hit anything in
-orbit around the planet. An Earth sized planet is only
-about 1" across at this scale, the PCs with 6g acceleration
-can move 6" from the planet in the first turn, a turn in
-which the cruiser has ample time to notice what is going
-on and shoot at them. Even if the PC's try to keep the
-planet between them and the cruiser, the cruiser only
-needs a 2g acceleration to be able to get clear and fire
-a shot.
-Realistically, a decent cruiser will have weapon ranges
-possibly of 30"+, and get multiple chances to destroy the
-PCs before they reach the 100" Jump distance. Again, they
-don't stand much of a chance unless they have a warship
-themselves.
-What does this mean? Firstly, there is not much opportunity
-to sneak between patrol cruisers during smuggling runs, and
-likewise little opportunity to pirate. Except for gas giants,
-planets have little effect on combat.
-There are no hotshot pilots - decisions take 17 minutes to
-play out, ships cannot see each other, and even fighter
-combat is going to be between points of light dancing in
-the dark. In fact, it's hard to fathom how fighters could
-be useful at this scale.
-===== Full Thrust =====
-When playing //Full Thrust//, I generally assume that
-" = 1000km. This means planets on the wargaming table can
-be represented as globes 10"-15" across - small enough to
-fit on the table, large enough to have a noticeable effect.
-Using 1g as the base unit of acceleration, gives a turn
-just over 5 minutes in length (the actual number is not
-very pretty, about 316.2s).
-We still have the issue that 5 minutes is a long time, and
-probably long enough for people to activate defences, though
-a backwater space port may take a couple of turns before
-they are operational. Planet side weapons can reach well
-beyond the atmosphere, maybe 30,000km into space, but only
-a small fraction of the 1,000,000km to the Jump limit.