This section contains short essays (circulars) on various topics of the 2300AD universe.
One of the most re-occurring topics on the various 2300AD Lists is that of canon. There is a dictionary definition of canon, but in roleplaying games (RPGs) it has a specific meaning relating to information developed (published or otherwise) in support of a game. I have classed everything written about 2300AD into one of three categories: canon, new-canon (sometimes referred to as canon-compatible), and variant.
Canon includes those articles and materials by GDW or other licensed publishers. It also includes Challenge magazine articles. There are contradictions in this material, some acknowledged, and some not. Where that becomes a problem for me, I choose what works best for my players and I. Canon doesn't always hold true to real life science, etc. but it is a game and it is easy for the players to follow because that is how it is written. I have found that a large number of players will accept things as they are, not because they agree or disagree with them, but because that IS the rules set; a common denominator usable by everyone without the need to know other alternatives. Over time, canon invariably becomes modified, but more on that later.
New-canon is material created very recently (on-line, as that is the only forum now available). In this classification, I include such works as the Tirane Sourcebook and others that build on previous canon material. These works take material that had a brief mention in published canon and attempt to flesh them out with detail. This can be as simple as creating a borough of a city to a detailed description of a whole planet, to deck plans of a starship. New-canon comes in various levels of accomplishment, and is NOT canon! The choice to use it is entirely up to you as GM. I have found that new-canon can generally enhance my 'universe' in a positive, rich manner. [Note that I am now talking about MY 'universe', not THE 'universe' as the inclusion of any non-canon material effectively cause the deviation from the generic one provided by GDW to one of my own modification.] Again, as with canon, if there are conflicts between new-canon and canon or my own ideals, I modify and use what works best for my group.
The last classification is variants. Variants (some would also include new-canon in this category, but I do not... read on) are a collection of everything not canon or new-canon. Included here are the multitude of house rules every group comes up with. Also, new organizations, designs and technologies; my own Foxx Industries megacorporation and all its components is a variant . Lastly, any radical shifts from canon are variants, including changes to history, and of course... the balance of power between nations. I do not consider works of new-canon to be variants because of this last statement; new-canon is NOT radical shifts, as the works build upon canon. Making Italy a starfaring power upsets the balance of power between nations; so does Russia having a vast fleet of battleships and super-cruisers -- both of these are variants.
Now, are variants heresy? To the ultra-canonists, probably yes. To the moderates, maybe. To the ones that created them, absolutely not. The thing to remember is that the use of variants in my 'universe' is okay for me (and hopefully my players). I enjoy the variant and use it to further the enjoyment of the game for my group and I. I do not expect that anyone else will use… its my variant; perhaps they will use it in another manner or may gleam an idea from it, that's up to them. If a variant has been shared with the 2300AD on-line community by its creator, it is to say 'this is how I do it' and/or 'I'm proud of this creation of mine'. It is not shared to say 'no, you're all wrong, this is how the game should be'.
I welcome the discussions that occur when new ideas are brought up on the List(s). The 2300AD game is DEAD in terms of the likelihood of it ever entering publication again. If we, the on-line community, do not keep it alive by sharing and discussing our ideas, it will fade into distant memory permanently. Because it will not be published again, it opens up an incredible opportunity to modify the 'universe' in whatever way we see fit (in our own campaigns or otherwise) without the fear of some later canon crushing it (Traveller has done this to me more than once). Share your creations with us so that we may all be richer from the experience!
As with any grouping of individuals, once you table your creation, the critiquing will begin. Constructive criticism is good, and I have benefited from it myself, several times, about my views and creations. I don't always agree with the comments of others, but I try to keep an open mind. It is important to know people's views on subjects before you overreact.
What am I babbling about? I'm trying to say that there are three forms of 2300AD material: canon, new-canon, and variant. Each has its place in my 'universe', but not all have a place in the 'universe'. Each person has their own stance on these three forms and not everyone agrees with those stances.
In October 2005, I decided to plot out all of the systems listed in the Near Star List (NSL). I was unable to find any computer design software that would generate a result that I liked, so I resorted to my standby medium – drawing on an Excel spreadsheet. I began by creating a grid in Excel that ran from +60 light years to -60 light years on both the x- and y-axes. Z-axis sizing would be approximated by graduated circles from -50 light years to +50 light years. Primary star classification for each system would follow the color coding of the NSL. The x-y grid was incremented by 0.5 light years to allow for sufficient separation between close systems. I then proceeded to manually plot the stars of the NSL. During the building of the map, I corrected several placement errors that I found on the Game Designers’ Workshop (GDW) map. In some cases, it was obvious that system positions had been altered to allow for the test of the names to be added to the maps. I also plotted the stars of the Kafer Source Book on the map, as this was the only other published source of stars for the game.
For a previous project, I had entered the star data from the NSL and Kafer Source Book into an Access database. Using this data, I set up a simple query to generate a table that contained distances between stars within the range of 0.05 light years to 7.710 light years. Any distances less than 0.05 light years would be those between systems containing multiple stars. I had originally set the maximum distance range to 7.705 light years, but had to up it to 7.710 light years to pick up the 7.706 light year distance between Vega and DM+43 27 that is referenced in several Challenge magazine articles about the American Arm.
This generated approximately 1600 possible travel connections, including both those that were accessible from routes originating from Sol and those that were not. Next, I added the travel routes to the map and color-coded them to show if they were part of the French Arm, Chinese Arm, American Arm, Kafer Sphere, or Ylii Cluster. Routes that connected systems containing colonies, outposts, enclaves, or homeworlds were given a greater line weight to make them stand out.At this point, I had a great map, but could only look at a small portion of it at a time on my computer monitor. To see the “big picture”, I printed the map off in into 25 letter-sized pages (5 pages across by 5 pages down), trimmed the pages, and mounted them with double sided tape on a 4 ft x 4 ft piece of plywood. At last, I had a map that showed the entire NSL with correct spatial layout and routes!
Looking at the total map, it was easy to see the diminutive size of the American Arm; the Latin and Canadian Fingers of the Chinese Arm; and the massive size of the French Arm, especially when the Pentapod Space, DM +17 2611 Cluster, and Kafer Sphere were included. One could see the roughly circular extent of the map out to approximately 50 light years in both the x- and y-axes. The French Arm extended to the edge of the map, while the Kafer Sphere was evident as a “bulge” that extended beyond the 50 light year edge. There was a band approximately 20 light years in width from the American and Chinese Arms to the edge of the map, looking like a buffer that was preventing expansion outward.
With all of the travel routes plotted, I could see that the American Arm was indeed very small and that there was no possibility of expansion without breaking the 7.7 light year limitation of stutterwarp drives. Similarly, the Chinese Arm looked to be un-expandable, despite the numerous star systems in the buffer area. Looking at the NSL Map, I began to ponder as to whether the stellar density along the edges of the map was accurate and how many, if any, stars had been omitted.
Knowing that the NSL was based on data primarily from the Gliese Catalog of Stars, 1969 Edition, I went on-line and found a data file containing what was called the Gliese Catalog version 2. I was able to determine that this contained the star data from which the NSL had been derived. I also found a data file containing Gliese Catalog version 3, but after review, decided to not use it as it was based on a different epoch and as such, I was not able to match up coordinates of existing stars in the NSL. I imported the Gliese v2 data file into Excel and converted the information into the NSL format. This resulted in a total of 1888 stars, as compared to the 684 listed in the NSL. I broke the stars of Gliese v2 into several categories: in NSL with same name; in NSL with different (game) name; within 50 light years of Sol but not in NSL; and beyond 50 light years of Sol and not in NSL. For those stars that had the same or different name in the NSL, I did nothing. Similarly, I ignored those stars beyond 50 light years. This left approximately 385 stars within 50 light years of Sol to add to the NSL.
Using my first NSL Map as a starting point, I added the 385 additional stars. This did increase the stellar density along the edges of the map and left me wondering what new travel routes might have been created.
I added the additional star data to my Access database and re-ran my travel distance query. The number of additional travel routes increased to just over 2000, which represented a 25% increase in possible routes. Using this information, I added the new routes to the NSL II Map. I used the same color coding of routes for those that were not accessible from Sol, but for those that did, I initially used heavy black lines, as these could represent significant changes to the game universe.
The NSL II Map shows has resulted in some significant changes to the space that is accessible from Sol. I will break this down by common area.
The American Arm remained unchanged, proving that further growth could only take place with technology that would break the 7.7 light year barrier or by introducing brown dwarfs. Both of these methods are mentioned in various published sources, and used in articles in Challenge magazine.
The Chinese Arm also remains unchanged, although there are numerous systems that could be potential areas for exploration off of the Latin Finger, Canadian Finger, or an un-named finger originating from the DM-46 11540 system next to D’Artagon and Davout. There is also a very large cluster of worlds of approximately 30 worlds that have been identified as the 61 Cygni cluster that are in the vicinity of the Chinese Arm and could be accessible via stutterwarp tugs.
The French Arm connects to Pentapod Space, the DM+17 2611 Cluster, Kafer Sphere, and the Ylii Cluster, but I will discuss each of these areas separately. The French Arm is radically changed by the addition of a route from Augereau to DM+20 2465 that introduces 15 new systems. This is a fairly significant change as Augereau is only four jumps from Sol, lying between Neubayern and Queen Alice’s Star. As such, usage of this new ‘finger’ would require extensive modification to canon.
Pentapod Space begin at Ross 627, which in turn connects back into the French Arm via the DM+27 28217 system. There are several new routes that expand this area, adding seven additional systems. Of these, the most interesting one originates from the DM+36 1970 system (itself only one jump from the Pentapod homeworld of DM+43 1953) and goes to DM+33 1814. This finger continues towards the edge of the map for an additional three systems, including the G class system of DM+27 1755. This route may continue farther, but additional stars would need to be plotted. Regardless, this looks like a potential route for the Bayern on her voyage to the Pleiades.
The stars of the Kafer Sphere appear to be completely fictional, as they are not contained in the Gliese data nor do they have real Gliese numbers – every system falls in the 96xx range of identification numbers. As such, the addition of stars in this part of space has created numerous additional routes and has broken the feel of the Kafer Sphere completely. Some of the new routes are as follows: Gamma Serpenti, the Kafer homeworld, has a new route to DM+21 2902, which then connects to L1346-53; DM-7 4242 provides new routes to six existing Kafer worlds; and DM-7 4156 links four Kafer worlds. Additionally, Chien 112 can now connect to Ross 845 in the DM+17 2611 cluster via three intermediate systems, which has a critical military impact.
The DM+17 2611 Cluster has one new route, but it has a potential of being extremely important in the war against the Kafers. Originating from the Ross 845, this route passes through three systems before arriving at the Kafer world of Chien 112. This route provides an alternative route into the French Arm that bypasses Arcturus.
The Ylii Cluster of three worlds has not been affected and remains tied to the Kafer Sphere through the established routes.
While working on the NSL II, I decided to expand the range from 50 light years to 60 light years. My goal was to determine if there were any additional stars not yet plotted on the map that would increase the volume of accessible space by introducing new stutterwarp routes. I chose 60 light years as the new limit for a couple of reasons: first, this was a 10 light year increase, so if no additional routes came about, then that part of space was definitely closed. Second, my map was already sized on the x and y-axes for 60 light years, which meant that it was simple to add these stars by increases to the z-axis categories from 50 to 60 light years (and -50 to -60 light years). As an added benefit, the area of the map around the edge also became filled in, resulting in less blank areas and yielding a nicer layout.
I returned to the Gliese v2 data set and extracted stars having at least one coordinate between 50 and 60 light years (or, -50 to -60 light years at the other end of the axes). I then scrubbed the data subset and imported it into my access database, resulting in 458 additional stars being added. After this import, the database then contained a total of 1621 stars and 2552 stutterwarp routes; as compared to the 700 stars and 1600 travel routes of the original Near Star List – an increase of 130% in stars and 55% increase in travel routes! Using the NSL II Base Map as a starting point, I plotted the new stars and routes to see how things changed.
The Chinese and American Arms did not increase in size, confirming completely that they are of finite size in terms of 7.7 light year travel routes. The French Arm, DM+17 2611 Cluster, and Pentapod Space also did not change beyond what the addition of the NSL II stars caused. Within the Kafer Sphere, the mess caused by the fictional stars of the Kafer Source Book became more extensive.
The NSL II provided travel access from the HC+11 9580 system to a cluster of three stars, which I’ll call the Tau Bootis Cluster after the F-class star of the group. The NSL III added five more stars, including another F-class star named 44 Alpha Comae Berencies and the G-class star DM+14 2621. This is a potentially huge expansion opportunity for the Kafer Suzerian known as Wiley Cunning, in addition to the back door route from it’s capital of Chien 112 into the DM+17 2611 Cluster that the NSL II opened up. The HC-30 0340 system, controlled by Rrrah now has access to the Alpha Serpentis cluster of 5 worlds, which is also significant.
The three Ylii worlds were previously only accessible from three Kafer controlled systems and travel to the homeworld of SS-27 6854 was only possible through DK-33 1023, providing some security. The NSL III adds DM-13 4528, which provides a second travel route to the homeworld as well as connections to two Kafer worlds and DK-33 1023. In order not to completely destroy the game universe, several stars in this part of space will need to be removed in the variant setting. Three stars accessible from Xi Ophiuchi are added, including two F-class stars.
Was the end result worth the time effort? For me, the six months of infrequent evenings and weekends that I spent on this project was time well spent. I have a final product that accurately shows all of the stars within 60 light years of Sol and the travel routes that are currently accessible as well as those that aren’t but could be. At the end of this, I feel that the opportunities allowed by the original Near Star List was like living your whole life on the same street and never knowing what was around the corner. The Near Star List III lets you know what is around that corner, and the one after that.
Here is a listing (89 KB PDF) of all stars found in the Near Star List III Base Map
Here is a listing (89 KB PDF) of all 7.7 light year travel routes found on the Near Star List III Base Map
Using the Near Star List III (NSL III) and its accompanying map as a basis, I looked at how to incorporate these new stars and routes into the existing 2300AD game universe without causing major upheaval. In this article, I will describe what I kept, what I removed, and why.
The NSL III created a new finger originating from the Augereau system, only four jumps from Sol. This new finger starts with the DM+20 2465 system, which lies 7.52 light years from Augereau. It continues through the AC+23 468-46, Wolf 358, and DM+1 2447 systems before branching out to the L896-16, L968-22, and DM-3 2870 systems. Those last two systems connect to the DM-12 2918 system, from which the routes moves through the L678-39, L675-81, DM-32 5613, DM-38 4789, and DM-40 5405 before splitting again to end at with a loop that connects to DM -42 5678 and DM-45 5378 systems. The finger contains one A, two K, and thirteen M-class systems, with several potential opportunities to place new colonies and outposts.
The exploration and colonization of the French Arm began in 2141 when the ESA ship PathFinder visited Wolf 359, which was renamed Nyotekundu by the Anzanians, and established an outpost. An outpost was established on Bessieres in 2145 by the French, who also established an outpost on Augereau seven years latter in 2152. The first colony in the French Arm was established in 2169 by the Germans in the Neubayern system. This was followed by a British colony at Queen Alice’s Star in 2178. Germany placed an outpost at Augereau in 2268, almost one hundred years after their colony in neighboring Neubayern and 27 years after their last colonization effort at 61 Ursae Majoris.
Why did Germany place an outpost at Augereau in 2268? In my variant, this outpost was placed to support exploration activities into the new finger. The primary question to be satisfied is why did this finger not get developed at the same time as the rest of the French Arm? There were two reasons. First, Queen Alice’s Star has a habitable planet, Beowulf, which is very Earth-like, and was thus a great candidate for colonization activities. Second, the first three systems of the finger – DM+20 2465, AC+23 486-46, and Wolf 358 were found to have no worlds suitable for “easy” colonization. This was not to say that the finger had no potential, but with breadbasket worlds such as Beta Canum Venaticorum-4 and Kimanjano only a few jumps further down the main branch of the Arm, that was the direction that exploration followed. By the middle of the twenty-third century, colonization had spread to the fringes of the Arm, with 61 Ursae Majoris colonized in 2241 and Eta Bootis in 2246. While exploration continued along the frontiers, led by the French, Bavaria looked back at the finger as a potential ‘new frontier’ that she could quietly exploit without competition from the other colonizing powers of Earth.
By the time of the War of German Reunification in 2292, Bavaria had established a series of outposts in the finger on DM+20 2465, AC+23 486-46, Wolf 358, and DM+1 2447. Following reunification, the exploration activities and outposts were taken over by Germany. Exploration activities all but ceased and the outposts closed down while German focused its energies on protecting itself and its holdings from French interference. There were plans to resume exploration activities, but the Kafer attacks of 2298 and 2301 have again resulted in delays.
Others are also interested in the finger and have conducted exploration activities to varying degrees. These include Japan, Russia, The Scandanavian Union, Ukraine, and Nigeria. Various corporations have also sent ships into the finger, though it is likely that these are looking for mineral finds rather than potential colonization sites.
Little is known about the region called Pentapod Space. Beginning at the Ross 627 system, this part of space sees little human activities to date and the gateway system DM+27 27817 is home to a strong French squadron whose sole purpose is to prevent access to anyone without the necessary paperwork – paperwork that is issued only by the French. It is likely that only the armed might of another colonial power such as the Germans or British would be able to counter the French warships and force passage into Pentapod Space, but to date, no one has seen need to challenge the French. Pentapod vessels, of course, are allowed free passage with no interference. The NSL II has added several systems to the region, which are listed here.
There is a short finger extending from the DM+41 2147 system leading to the M-class system AC+44 472-15 and the F-class system AC+43 447-29, while the M-class system G195-36 is accessible from DM+48 1829 and G195-19. DM+36 1970 provides access to five systems, including four systems on a route that leads to the edge of the map and has great potential for being the route of the Bayern on her voyage to the Pleiades. The G-class system DM+32 1964 is accessible on one branch from the DM+36 1970 system while the other branch moves through DM +33 1814, DM+29 1883, DM+27 1775, ending at AC+27 24424. Of the systems of this finger, DM+27 1775 is a G-class star, which might prove to be a potential colonization site.
The DM+17 2611 cluster is a region of space lying at the edge of the French Arm that contains several systems having a high colonization potential. Current exploration efforts have been halted due to the close proximity of the Kafers and their attacks at Arcturus in 2295, Eta Bootis in 2298, and Hochbaden in 2301.
There is a finger of systems originating from the Ross 486 system that wind their way towards the Kafer Sphere. Reaching out from Ross 845 on this finger, the NSL II added several systems that provide a back door route into the Kafer Sphere. While this has the potential to be a large change to the game landscape, I think its addition is very worthwhile for two main reasons. First, any expeditions trying to reach the French Arm using this route end up at DM+18 2776, which is still the frontier and thus have minimal impact on any campaigns. Second, this is just the kind of opportunity that a band of adventurers are looking for in a campaign set against the backdrop of the Kafer War!
There are numerous changes possible within the region of space known as the Kafer Sphere due to the mix of factual stars added to the NSL II and the fictional ones created by the Game Designers’ Workshop. Not all stars added by the NSL II were kept as some produced routes that caused too much disruption and would have required major modifications and re-writing.
Stretching out from Chien 112, are three accessible systems that provide a backdoor route to the French Arm via Ross 845 in the DM+17 2611 cluster. Beginning at Chien 112, the systems are DM+1 2920, DM-6 3964, and DM-7 3856. Chien 112 is the regional capital for the Kafer Suzerain known as Wiley Cunning. Wiley Cunning does not support Triumphant Destiny’s war with humanity, nor does it support the Over-Suzerain. Instead, it is interested in creating its own Kafer empire apart from the rest of the Associative. As such, it may begin to slowly explore up this new finger.
There is another finger in the territory belonging to Wiley Cunning that originates at HC+11 9580. The Tau Bootis Cluster runs first to DM+11 2625 and then branches to DM+13 2721 and Tau Bootis. Both of these stars connect to AC+18 1204-9, which then connects to L1194-26; which also connects back to DM+13 2721. L1194-26 leads to DM+14 2621, which in turn leads to the F-class 42 Alpha Comae Berenices, before finally ending at DM+21 2486. In total, the Tau Bootis Cluster contains eight new sytems, including two of the F-class systems favored by the Kafers.
The main reason that Wiley Cunning has not explored into these areas is related to Kafer physiology – the desire to explore is simply not shared among the Kafer race to the same extent that it is in humans. While exploration can be fraught with danger, it is more often tedious and boring to the average sentient; thus Kafer prefer other activities that makes them ‘smart’ more frequently, such as combat.DM+0 2944 provides an alternative route between BK+7 5675 and Chien 414; in my variant it has been removed.
AC+12 2322-2 and DM-10 4011 provide an alternative route between the territory of Wiley Cunning and Rrrah; in my variant they have been removed.
The system of DM+17 2785 provided a side route between HC +11 9580 and BK+10 1245 and would undoubtedly been explored and colonized; in my variant, it has been removed from the NSL III and Map.
DM-4 3843 provides an alternative route between HC+13 232 and BK+15 3434; however, it also provides access to DM-8 3981 and SS-19 2424, which is named Raj Chu'ah. As this last system is named, I think it would be acceptable to allow DM-4 3843 to remain. DM-8 3981 will be removed in my variant so as to not increase the territory of Rrrah further in this direction.
DM+11 2874 provides an alternative route between Chien 820, HC+18 9881, and HC-30 0340; and would have been explored and colonized early on; in my variant, it has been removed.
There is a cluster of six worlds accessible from HC-30 0340. As the Alpha Serpentis cluster does not tie back into any other Kafers worlds, they will remain. This provides some expansion opportunity for Rrrah, although the absence of any F-class stars will mean that exploration is a low priority.
DM-7 4156 and DM-7 4242 provide multiple new routes in the heart of the Kafer Sphere, thus making them extremely disruptive and requiring their removal.
DM-20 4399 provides an alternative route between three Kafer systems and does not add anything useful; it has been removed.
There is a finger originating from DK-26 2485 that allows access to Xi Ophiuchi and DM-21 4712 before ending at L774-22. As Xi Ophiuchi and DM-21 4712 are F-class systems, these are prime exploration targets for the Kafers, and mostly likely would have been already colonized if the Kafers under the Suzerian Great One were not already fully engaged in attacking the Ylii.
DM+21 2902 is on a route off of the Kafer homeworld of Gamma Serpenti. As such, it is unlikely that it would have missed during their beginning exploration and colonization activities; it will be removed.
Several stars have been added in this region of space, some of which can stay and some of which must be removed to prevent severe disagreement with canon. The NSL III provides another route to the Ylii homeworld of SS-27 6854 through DM-13 4528, which causes major damage to any campaign involving the Ylii; as such, it is removed. DM-20 4572 also needs to be removed as it allows a side route between HC-24 1124 and DK-26 2485. DM+0 3593 has been added on a dead end route off of DK+32 2390. It will be necessary to explain why Ylii did not colonize this world, which is difficult because there is little written about the ancient Ylii activities other than four paragraphs in the Kafer Source Book. In my variant, DK+32 2390 has ruins present, which indicates that it had been settled by the ancient Ylii. Modern Ylii did not re-colonize due to the presence of a deadly biological agent that remains from the ancient period.
DK-33 1023 leads to an M-class system, DM-10 4471, which was explored by modern Ylii but not colonized as there are no other travel routes leading from it.
Here is a listing (89 KB PDF) of all stars found in the Near Star List III Variant Map
Here is a listing (154 KB PDF) of all 7.7 light year travel routes found on the Near Star List III VariantMap
The 2300AD supplement, Star Cruiser, allows both large and small starships to be created using the design sequence presented in the Naval Architect's Manual. Step 6A of the design process focuses on crew job descriptions and the required number of workstations for large starships, which is the focus of this paper.
Although several different crew sections are described, some designs would logically require additional section types that are not mentioned. Consider as an example, the design of a military starship that will act as a flagship for a squadron. In addition to the crew sections needed to operate the starship, other sections will be needed for command and control of the other starships in the squadron so that the squadron functions as a single unit in combat. Presented hereafter are some additional crew sections that can be used to enhance the design of large starships, as well as comments on the function of the existing crew sections as presented in the Naval Architect's Manual.
It is of benefit to first describe the various crew positions before proceeding into the crew sections, as some positions can be found in multiple crew sections, depending on the size of the starship and its intended functions.
Command: This crew is the officers of the starship whose function is to provide leadership and coordinate the actions of others.
Communications: This crew is tasked with communications between the starship and other vessels or planets. Each workstation has a tight beam transmitter/receiver directional antenna that must be aimed at the location of the other party in order to communicate. Each station may communicate with one recipient at a time.
Computer: The computer workstation is essentially a spare workstation, used as a backup or replacement of others in its crew section, typically in the case of battle damage. It may be re-configured to function as another type of workstation found in the same crew section, but it may not be used to replace a workstation in another crew section. The successfulness of replacing a damaged workstation is dependent on the skills of the crew manning it.
Engineering (Drive): This crew is responsible for the maintenance of the starship, specifically those areas requiring aptitude in the field of stutterwarp drive systems. During battle stations, half of this crew remains on duty in the engineering area while the other half form damage control parties along with the electrical and mechanical engineers.
Engineering (Electrical): This crew is responsible for the maintenance of the starship, specifically those areas requiring electrical aptitude. During battle stations, half of this crew remains on duty in the engineering area while the other half form damage control parties along with the mechanical and drive engineers.
Engineering (Helm): Helm is a bridge(ship) workstation manned by a qualified pilot, who is tasked with operating the drive, main thrusters, and maneuvering thrusters of the starship. The primary responsibility of the helm is to move the starship along the course plotted by navigation. On starship without Engineering (Monitoring) crew, the helm station is also responsible for control of the output of the power plant.
Engineering (Mechanical): This crew is responsible for the maintenance of the starship, specifically those areas requiring mechanical aptitude. During battle stations, half of this crew remains on duty in the engineering area while the other half form damage control parties along with the electrical and drive engineers.
Engineering (Monitoring): Starships with high output power plants also require monitoring stations. This crew is responsible for monitoring and controlling the output of the power plant(s) of the starship. This crew works in close coordination with the other Engineering crew to ensure proper function of the power plant(s) of the starship.
Fire Control: This crew operates weapons workstation. Each of these workstations can control any number of beam turrets (lasers and particle accelerators) and submunition dispensers, but may only engage a single target. Any weapons controlled by the workstation must be able to bear on the target in order to fire. If the starship has a targeting system installed, each workstation includes a targeting computer.
Flight Controller: This crew is responsible for maintaining communication between a single small craft and the starship through a tight beam communicator. This position is required if any craft is to dock with the starship.
Medical: This crew is responsible for maintaining the health and well being of the other crew and passengers and all starships have a "Ship's Doctor" who performs this function. On smaller starship, this is typically a medic, while large starships, especially those carrying passengers, will have a doctor and possibly some nurses or medics to assist.
Navigation: This crew is responsible for the operation and interpretation of data gathered by the navigational sensor arrays (navigational radar, deep system scanner, and gravitational scanner). Navigation plots the course of the starship for the helm.
Remote Pilot Station: This crew control unmanned small craft such as missiles or drones through a communicator on the hull.
Sensors (TAC): This crew operates the military sensor arrays, either passive or active, of the starship. Each crew can operate only one type of array.
Shipboard Vessels (Crew): This is the crew of any carried small craft, including pilot and other positions on the small craft.
Shipboard Vessels (Maintenance): This crew is responsible for all maintenance of the small craft carried by the starship. One crew is required per small craft carried.
Ship's Security: This crew is responsible for security within the starship. They do not typically conduct offensive operations outside of the ship.
Ship's Troops: This crew is comprised of military personnel who have a primary mission of conducting offensive operations outside of the ship.
Steward: This crew is responsible for providing service to others on the starship. These duties include cooking, housekeeping, and other services of a domestic nature. On smaller starships, these duties will be an added responsibility for other crew.
Scientist: This crew performs various scientific endeavors.
An overview of the crew sections along with their function is present first, followed by detail of the crew positions within them.
Bridge (Air): This crew section is found on starships that carry numerous small craft. Its function is to centrally command and control all small craft. Hours of work are variable. This crew section may not be present.
Bridge (Flag): This crew section is found on a starship that is a squadron flagship. Its function is to provide tactical command and control of all starships in the squadron so that they act with a unified purpose. It does not control any ship directly, except to relay orders to the Bridge(Ship) and TAC crew sections of the vessels of the squadron. Hours of work are variable. This crew section may not be present.
Bridge (Ship): This crew section includes the personnel required for operation of the starship. These workstations must normally be manned 24 hours a day, typically in two 12 hour shifts, 'A' Watch and 'B' Watch.
Engineering: This crew section includes all non-bridge engineering personnel that maintain the many systems of the starship. These workstations must normally be manned 24 hours a day, typically in two 12 hour shifts, 'A' Watch and 'B' Watch.
Medical Section: This crew section is comprised of medically trained personnel. Hours of work are variable.
Scientific Section: This crew section is comprised of scientists. Hours of work are variable. This crew section may not be present.
Security Section: This crew section includes the personnel responsible for the security of the starship. These workstations must normally be manned 24 hours a day, typically in two 12 hour shifts, 'A' Watch and 'B' Watch. This crew section may not be present.
Steward Section: This crew section is comprised of stewards. Hours of work are variable. This crew section may not be present.
Shipboard Vessels: This crew section includes the personnel that operate and maintain carried small craft. This section may not be present if there are no small craft carried. Hours of work are variable. On smaller starships that have a single small craft, these duties may be a responsibility added to other crew sections.
Troops: This crew section contains any military personnel on board the starship that are not tasked with security duty. Hours of work are variable. This crew section may not be present.
Tactical Action Center: Known as the TAC and found only on military starship, this crew section includes the personnel tasked with offensive operations against other vessels and defensive operations in protection of the starship. It is typically manned only when the starship is at battle stations. . This crew section may not be present.
This section provides more detail on the exact functions of crew positions within the crew sections.
Bridge (Air): This section includes the following crew: command, flight controller, computer. Air Command Staff fills the command positions, with one required for every five flight controllers, or fraction thereof. One flight controller is required per small craft controlled, and small craft launched by other vessels may be controlled. One computer workstation and crew is required per ten command and flight controller crew, rounded down.
Bridge (Flag): This section includes the following crew: command, communications, computer. Senior Command Staff fills the command positions, with the highest ranking officer being the squadron commander. One communications crew should be provided for each vessel in the squadron to allow for continuous communication with all vessels. One computer workstation and crew is required per five command and communications crew, rounded down.
Bridge (Ship): This section includes the following crew: command, navigation, communications, engineering, and computer. The command position is filled by the Captain on 'A' Watch and the First Officer on 'B' Watch; both of whom are qualified pilots. On some private starships, an Owner may be present. In such cases, treat the owner as a passenger outside of the ship command hierarchy unless he or she is a qualified pilot and has the position of Captain. Several communications crew and workstations may be present to allow communications with multiple parties simultaneously. Engineering (Helm) crew will always be present and Engineering (Monitoring) crew may also be present if required by the power output of the starship. A minimum of one computer workstation with crew will be present, with a maximum number of such workstations not exceeding one half of all the other workstations in the crew section. On smaller starships, the crew positions of the TAC may also be present within this crew section.
Engineering: This section includes the following crew: engineering(mechanical), engineering(electrical), and engineering(drive). One half of this crew section, rounding down, is available for damage control parties during battle. The number of required engineering crew is determined by the size and number of power plants on the starship.
Medical Section: This section includes the following crew: medic. One medic is required for every thirty personnel, or fraction thereof, aboard the starship.
Scientific Section: This section includes the following crew: scientists. Each scientist requires computer access in the form of a workstation. Laboratory space for experiments may also be required.
Security Section: This section includes the following crew: command, ship's security. Every twenty ship's security, or fraction thereof require one command crew. On some starship, the senior member of the ship's security crew performs the duties of security commander.
Shipboard Vessels: This section includes the following crew: shipboard vessels(crew), and shipboard vessels(maintenance). Each carried craft requires one small craft crew and a single maintenance crew.
Steward Section: This section includes the following crew: steward. One steward is required for every ten passengers, rounded up and every four command staff, rounded down. A lack of stewards may result in a negative modifier to crew and passenger comfort levels.
TAC: This section includes the following crew: command, sensors, flight controller, fire control, remote pilot, and computer. One sensor operator is required per military sensor array, either passive or active, and multiple arrays of a type (along with crew) may be present on the starship. The number of controllable, manned small craft is limited to the number of flight controllers available. The number of controllable, unmanned small craft is limited to the number of remote pilots available. One command crew is required per 10 other crew, or fraction thereof. On smaller starship, the duties of TAC commander may be performed by the senior most TAC crew. One computer workstation and crew may be added per 10 sensor, flight controller, fire control, and remote pilot crew. Computer workstations must be provided with a remote communicator to function as a replacement remote pilot station. Computer workstations can function as a fire control station but do not receive any targeting computer bonus.
Troops: This section includes the following crew: command, ship's troops. Every twenty ship's troops, or fraction thereof require one command crew. On some starship, the senior ship's security crew performs the duties of troop commander.
The 2300AD supplement, Star Cruiser, allows both large and small starships to be created using the design sequence presented in the Naval Architect's Manual. Step 10 of the Evaluation section provides a method for determining the radial and lateral target profiles of a design.
The information provided in this step may also be used to determine the maximum dimensions of an existing design and thus provide useful information in the process of reverse engineering. In the case of carried craft, the ability to determine maximum dimensions is of particular interest as it allows new designs to be constructed with hanger decks of sufficient size to house craft of existing designs. For original designs, it provides the maximum volume of a craft of specified target profile values.
The Naval Architect's Manual provides a table that correlates target profile values to the viewed area, in square meters. From this information, it is possible to mathematically derive the maximum dimensions associated with radial and lateral target profile values.
Within a give volume of space, the shape that maximizes the utilization of that space is a rectangular box. The shape has both width and height, as well as depth. It has a plane of radial area as well as two planes that define lateral areas.
The determination of the maximum volume of the shape and the corresponding dimensions is shown in the following derivation.
Variable Declarations
The radial area may be calculated from equation 1.
(1) 
The lateral area may be calculated from equations 2 and 3.
(2) 
(3) 
As the maximum dimensions are desired, the =< may be replaced with =.
Solve equation (2) for x.
(4) 
Solve equation (3) for y.
(5) 
Note that the right side of equations (4) and (5) are the same. This leads to equation (6)
(6) 
Substituting equations (5) and (6) into equation (1) yields equation (7).
(7) 
Equation (7) simplifies to equation (8).
(8) 
Expressing equation (8) in terms of z yields equations (9) and (10).
(9) 
(10) 
Therefore, the first lateral dimension, z can be determined from the lateral and radial areas.
The first radial dimension, x, can be determined by substituting equation (10) into equation (4) to yield equation (11), which may be simplified into equation (12).
(11) 
(12) 
The second radial dimension, y, can be determined by substituting equation (12) into equation (6) to yield equation (13).
(13) 
The maximum volume may be expressed as equation (14).
(14) 
Substituting equations (12), (13), and (10) into equation (14) yields equation (15).
(15) 
Equation (15) may be simplified to yield equation (16).
(16) 
The maximum volume can be seen to be dependent on the viewed areas.
The derivation presented above assumes that a symmetrical, rectangular shape is utilized for the hull of a craft. It further assumes that the lateral profile value for both planes is equal. In many cases, this is not true and only the greater of the two lateral planes is used in the determination of the lateral target profile value. However, the derivation holds true for a shape that uses the maximum volume for the target profile values given.
From Star Cruiser, we know that the radial profile value is -1 and the lateral profile value is +2. Additionally, the silouette on the Ship Status Sheet indicates a rectangular or cylindrical layout.
From Naval Architect's Manual, we determine the radial viewed area to be 315 and the lateral viewed area to be 2500, based on the profile values.
From the formulas above, we determine that the maximum radial dimensions are 17.75 m and the maximum lateral dimension is 141 m.
The minimum dimensions can be determined by using target profile values one size smaller. Doing so yields radial dimensions of 10.72 m and a lateral dimension of 131 m.
Given the standard cylindrical hull sections in Naval Architect's Manual, the Necessite is most likely a cylinder 12 or 15m in diameter and 140 meters in length (14 sections).
From Star Cruiser, we know that both profile values are -2. Additionally, a picture in the Rules Book indicates that the ship is somewhat cylindrical when viewed bow on, due to the extended beam and submunition weaponry.
From Naval Architect's Manual, we determine the viewed areas to be 115 each.
From the formulas above, we determine that the maximum dimensions are 10.72 m.
In terms of hanger deck space requirements, the Martel-class fighter can be treated as having dimensions of 11m wide × 11m heigh × 11m deep.
From Star Cruiser, we know that both profile values are +2. A picture in the Rules Book indicates that the ship has a non-standard shape, which means that volume estimates will have a high degree of error.
From Naval Architect's Manual, we determine the viewed areas to be 2500 each.
The maximum volume is 125,000 m³.
Due to the non-standard shape of the hull, the volume of the Bismarck is likely to be less than this estimate.
From Star Cruiser, we know that the radial profile value is -3 and the lateral profile value is -2.
From Naval Architect's Manual, we determine the radial viewed area to be 30 and the lateral viewed area to be 115, based on the profile values.
From the formulas above, we determine that the maximum volume is 630m³. (Compare this to a value for the Martel of 1233 m³!)
Thanks to Rob Montgomery, whom indirectly led to the creation of this circular. I was checking some hull values for one of Rob's designs and I had to develop the mathematical derivation to perform the check.
The 2300AD supplement, Star Cruiser, provides a rules set to conduct space combat. Included within the boxed set are several Ship Status Sheets for various published vessels, as well as blanks for use with ships designed with the Naval Architect’s Manual. In order for these sheets to be usable for multiple designs, they are somewhat generic in format and provide equal number of damage boxes for many components regardless of differences in sizes of those components between designs. By looking at the various volumes and surface area of components, it is possible to formulate alternative hit values that enhance the individuality of designs and provide an interesting variation to the standard space combat process. As the alternative component hit values are discussed in this circular, relevant changes to the Star Cruiser Rules set will also be noted.
Any discussion of component hit values needs to consider repairs. While any component can be repaired or replaced at an appropriate facility with trained technicians, repairs during battle must be made by shipboard personnel and able to bring the component back on-line quickly. The existing damage control rules have several shortcomings that affect the ability to repair damage components during battle.
The rules allow for each ship to attempt to conduct repairs during a turn using damage control teams. Each repair requires a 1D10 roll of 11+, modified by the crew quality. A further modifier of +4 is provided if working on the power plant. Crew quality normally ranges from -2 to +3, with typical values being 0 for civilian vessels and +1 for military vessels. This makes any repair attempt, except that made against a damaged power plant unlikely to succeed; indeed, any crew quality less than +1 results in an automatic failure. With a crew quality of +1, the repair chance is 10%, at +2, it is 20%, and at +3, it is 30%.
Many components listed on the Ship Status Sheet have multiple hit boxes, indicating that they can sustain more than one point of damage. In almost all cases, though, the component is inoperable after just a single point of damage. The ability to sustain multiple points of damage further reduces the likelihood of successfully repairing the component and returning it to service before the battle is over. The only real benefit that multiple hit boxes provide is to slow the build-up of hull damage; the rules state that if a destroyed target location is rolled, a hull hit occurs instead.
As a further roadblock to damage control, if the life support is hit, crew quality suffers a -2 modifier. This means that only ships having an initial crew quality of +3 will be able to conduct repairs on components other than the power plant. Even power plant repairs are affected, with the minimum crew quality necessary increasing to a level of 0.
Another issue is that short damage control teams cannot conduct any repairs. A short team is one that has only one or two members. Now, this may be fine on a large ship that has multiple, full teams, but on many ships that have MHD power plants and on all ships with Fuel Cells, there are no full teams. This affects any MHD-powered ship that has a plant of less than 50MW size. It is interesting to note that many of the ship sheets provided have incorrect damage control team sizes. The Aconit-class frigate, the main French escort, has a 7MW MHD plant; this should result in a damage control party size of 1 member, yet it is listed with 4. Similarly, the Chien Lung-class destroyer has a 15MW MHD plant and has a listed damage control party size of 8, instead of 1 as calculated in the design process.
There are a few possible fixes that would make damage control attempts more likely to succeed. One would be to bolster the size of the damage control party with off-duty personnel from other departments. This practice was commonly used on many warships of the Twilight War Era. It is not workable fix here, however for several reasons. First, personnel outside of the Engineering department typically lack the necessary skills and training to effect repairs during battle. Second, and directly relevant to the crew quality issue, this would not increase the repair ability of a ship with a low crew quality. Instead, consider an approach that does not alter the size of the damage control party.
Let’s allow every repair team, regardless of the number of members, to attempt repairs. This solves the issue for ships who power plant size provides short teams. Obviously a short team should not have the same repair ability as a full team, so a modifier of +1 will be assigned per member of the damage control team. This gives a full team a total modifier of +3. To compensate, the modifier for power plant repairs will be reduced to +1. The end result is that all ships with damage control parties will now be able to attempt repairs and ships with lower crew quality levels will now be able to repair damage. The table below summarizes the impact of these changes for four common crew qualities trying to repair a standard component; results are given in percentage chance of rolling a successful result.
|
Team Size |
CQ of -2 |
CQ of -1 |
CQ of 0 |
CQ of +1 |
||||
|
Rules |
Variant |
Rules |
Variant |
Rules |
Variant |
Rules |
Variant |
|
|
3 |
0% |
10% |
0% |
20% |
0% |
30% |
10% |
40% |
|
2 |
0% |
0% |
0% |
10% |
0% |
20% |
0% |
30% |
|
1 |
0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
10% |
0% |
20% |
Damage control personnel are organized into teams of three engineers, with any remaining engineers forming a short team. All teams, including the short team may attempt to repair damage each turn. Each engineer in a team gives a die roll modifier of +1 (+3 maximum modifier for full team) towards any repair attempt. Power plant repair attempts receive an additional +1 die roll modifier.
Active and passive sensors consist of antenna arrays and internal processing units. As a surface fixture, the array is the component most susceptible to battle damage. Some ships mount a second, redundant array to allow the sensor to continue to operate even if the first array is damaged. The rules allow for only one point of damage before the array is inoperable, yet provide six damage boxes. This results in only two modes of sensor operations, full and none.
As an alternative, consider tying the effectiveness of the sensor to the amount of damage sustained. This provides a graduated loss of effectiveness as the amount of damage increases. Sensor suites have listed ranges from 0 to 16 hexes, with a higher range providing greater sensing ability. As the component takes damage, the range of the sensor should decrease.
Active sensors consist of antenna arrays (surface fixture hit) and a processing unit (critical hit). A sensor always has a primary array and may also have a redundant array. Only one array may be used at a time, and the ship may switch arrays during the Active Sensor Illumination Phase.
Each array has a hit value equal to its range. Each point of damage reduces the range of the sensor by one. When all hit boxes are filled, the array is destroyed and no active sensor detection attempts may be made. The processing unit may be destroyed by a single critical hit; if this occurs, it may not be repaired and no active sensor detection attempts may be made.
Passive sensors consist of antenna arrays (surface fixture hit) and a processing unit (critical hit). A sensor always has a primary array and may also have a redundant array. Only one array may be used at a time, and the ship may switch arrays during the Detection Phase.
Each array has a hit value equal to its range. Each point of damage reduces the range of the sensor by one. When all hit boxes are filled, the array is destroyed. Passive sensors will continue to function at a range of 0 until the processing unit is destroyed. The processing unit may be destroyed by a single critical hit; if this occurs, it may not be repaired and no passive sensor detection attempts may be made.
Ships carry other sensors that are not used in combat. Though they have no impact on the battle at hand, their operation status may be important in other aspects of a campaign. There are five such sensors: navigational radar, deep system scanner, gravitation scanner, cartographic sensor, and life sensor. All of these sensors have antennae arrays and processing units. The hit value for the arrays will be fixed at one point per 10m².
The navigational radar consists of an antenna array (surface fixture hit) having 2 hit points and a processor unit (critical hit) having 1 hit point.
The deep space scanner consists of an antenna array (surface fixture hit) having 3 hit points and a processor unit (critical hit) having 1 hit point.
The gravitational scanner consists of an antenna array (surface fixture hit) having 5 hit points and a processor unit (critical hit) having 1 hit point.
The cartographic sensor consists of an antenna array (surface fixture hit) having 1 hit points and a processor unit (critical hit) having 1 hit point.
The life sensor consists of an antenna array (surface fixture hit) having 1 hit points and a processor unit (critical hit) having 1 hit point.
If either the array or processor unit of a sensor is destroyed, the sensor cannot be used. The impact of a damaged (not destroyed) sensor will be determined by the referee.
Life support is a critical hit location that has a direct, negative impact on crew quality once damaged. Instead of assigning a blanket hit value of 7, consider basing the quantity of hit points possible on the volume of the life support equipment installed on the ship for large ships and the number of personnel for small ships.
For large ships, this volume can be determined from the design calculations. Where this volume is not known, calculate it from the following formula:
Life support volume = Total people * Duration* 0.005
Where:
Total people = sum of all crew and passengers carried
Duration = 7 * weeks of fuel for MHD plants
Duration = 180 days for Fuel Cell plants
Duration = 365 days for fission and fusion plants
For large ships, life support has a number of damage boxes equal to the life support volume divided by 10, to a maximum of 10 boxes.
For small ships, life support has a number of damage boxes equal to one plus the number of crew. If passengers are carried, there is an additional damage box per 10 passengers or fraction thereof. Life support has a maximum of 10 damage boxes.
The first point of damage to life support reduces the crew quality by -1. When a second point of damage is taken, the crew quality is reduced further by -1, for a total reduction of -2. Additional damage does not cause further reduction in crew quality.
The targeting computer is not a damageable component within the rules, but it stands to reason that it should. Targeting computers can provide variable die modifiers, based on their rating; this will be the basis for determining hit points.
A targeting computer has a number of damage boxes equal to one plus its rating. Each point of damage reduces it rating by one. When all damage boxes have been filled, the targeting computer has been destroyed.
The computer component does not represent a single computer on the ship, but rather the entire data processing network; it is both the heart of the ship. The rules state that a single hit to the computer results in the ship not being able to move, fire, detect, or control remote objects. The additional 6 damage boxes simply all additional damage and extend the repair effort.
As an alternative, assume that each turn, one major data system is affected per point of damage, and that these change at random each turn. The major data systems on a ship are: power, movement, detection, offense, and defense.
The computer has five damage boxes. For each point of damage received, one randomly chosen system shuts down for the next turn. This continues each turn until repaired. The major systems and impacts are:
The drive has seven damage boxes, regardless of capability. Instead, assume that the performance of the drive decreases as it takes damage.
The drive has a number of damage boxes equal to the movement rating of the ship. Each point of damage reduces the movement rating by one. When all boxes have been filled, the drive has been destroyed and the ship cannot move.
As with the other critical hits, a single hit causes the hanger deck to be inoperable. Again, a graduated penalty seems more reasonable, based on the quantity of small craft carried and the launch rate. If a hanger deck contains small craft and it is hit, the small craft will also take damage. This may be more than the damage taken by the hanger deck due to the close confirms of the hanger deck environment.
Each hanger deck has a number of damage boxes equal to the quantity of small craft launched from the hanger. Each point of damage increases the launch rate by one and causes 1D6 points of damage to a small craft if present. When all damage boxes are filled, the hanger deck has been destroyed and cannot launch or land small craft.
If the launch rate is not know, assume that the hanger is spacious, providing an initial launch rate of one small craft per turn.
As with the other critical hits, a single hit causes a missile bay to be inoperable. Again, a graduated penalty seems more reasonable, based on the quantity of missiles carried in the bay. If a missile bay contains missiles and it is hit, a missile may also be lost.
Each missile bay has a number of damage boxes equal to the quantity of missiles carried in the bay. For each point of damage inflicted, a missile will be hit and destroyed unless it has already been launched. Once all damage boxes are filled, the missile bay has been destroyed and cannot launch any missiles.
As with the other critical hits, a single hit causes a drone bay to be inoperable. Again, a graduated penalty seems more reasonable, based on the quantity of drones carried in the bay. If a drone bay contains drone and it is hit, a drone may also be lost.
Each drone bay has a number of damage boxes equal to the quantity of drones carried in the bay. For each point of damage inflicted, a drone will be hit and destroyed unless it has already been launched. Once all damage boxes are filled, the drone bay has been destroyed and cannot launch any drones.
Continuous damage is the most critical hit of all. Each point of continuing damage causes another point of damage during each Friendly Damage Control Phase. As such, it is extremely important that this “component” be repaired as soon as possible, lest the ship succumb to a slow death.
As with all critical hits, this component has seven damage boxes, regardless of the size of the ship. The rules do not indicate any features that this could be tied to, but mass seems to be a favorable attribute. If the quantity of continuous damage that a ship can receive is made proportional to its mass, smaller ships will have less continuous damage while larger ships will have more. This works to equalize the impact of this damage as smaller ships generally have smaller damage control parties and thus cannot devote the same amount of resources to repairing this damage as a larger ship.
Each ship has one damage box of continuous damage per 1,000 tons of mass or fraction thereof, to a maximum of 10 boxes. When all boxes are filled in, no further damage can occur to the “component”; it cannot be destroyed.
The rules provide three tables of hit locations. Usage of the damage variant rules requires that these tables be expanded.
Primary Location (1D10)
Secondary Location (1D10)
These web pages developed and maintained by Terry A. Kuchta