Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Archive through February 26, 2018	35		07/09 07:43pm
	Multi-Role War Cruisers	25		07/18 05:31pm

I have to say, the failure of the modular system might be just like the failure of the offensive logistics systems in the 4 powers war.

And it could have been fixed by late in the GW. By for instance getting the "only at a starbase" problem fixed so Base stations could do it too. Or even mobile bases/ FRD/ repair ships.

As for the complaints about Sparrowhaks being too much ship for some missions, I say that being the only self escorting minesweeper might make a counter arguemenet.

By Jon Murdock (Xenocide) on Monday, February 26, 2018 - 10:00 am: Edit

If something like a conversion or module swap needs a Starbase I assume it requires or is at least MUCH easier if done while the ship is internally docked. Base and battle stations can't do that. An FRD might be able to in a pinch but it is not built for doing it.

Self-escorting ships are great at the SFB level because virtually every scenario is a combat situation and more weapons is always a plus. At the macro level if your commando ship is bringing in troops to fight a revolt or reinforce a garrison on an occupied world all you need is a warship built to carry troops. The Sparrowhawk costs more than a specialized commando ship, carries fewer troops, and is probably more expensive.

Similar situation with a minesweeper or scout. Great to have and the captain and crew probably like the extra firepower but is it worth the increased cost?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 09, 2019 - 07:43 pm: Edit

I can see these MCWs existing to supplement a successful HDW series. They would NOT gain mass, but you'd just change some of the CW's boxes to OPT and NWO so they could fill exactly the same role as an HDW. I would prefer NOT to include fighters (which I should not have included in HDWs anyway).

It's possible this would find a home in R13.
It's possible this might find a home in some other R module.
It's possible that Petrick will take me behind the woodshed and explain why this is a dumb idea.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 01:31 pm: Edit

With respect, may I suggest that it be considered to base these off LTTs rather than vanilla CWs?

By Jeffrey George Anderson (Jeff) on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 04:23 pm: Edit

How might this be done for each of the races, and does it always need to be the same? Could each race do things differently?

This is just a knee-jerk thought (and as such is most likely VERRY bad), but I had instant thoughts of the Federation and Gorn having modular ships based on CW to NCA conversions.

For the Gorn, it's their new rear bubbles. The main ship is basically an HDD that has somewhat enlarged engines, but was also built to "Need" to have a rear bubble attached to it (kind of like how the Sparrowhawk can't operate without its modules).

The Federation followed suit with the same sort of conversion of an NCL; it has a rear hull section (NCA) that can be outfitted with any one of a good number of modules.

The next thought was for a Kzinti having some sort of bay-in-the-middle-of-the-ship that resembed a cross between the Iridani optional modules and an internal repair bay for a gunboat (in terms of the images in my alleged mind).

For the Lyrans, I've had an instant image of a sort of siamese module for the center hull that could take any one of a number of options.

Hydrans MIGHT have something similar as a ridgeback structure, but that might be pushing it.

Also would it be possible for Klingons to have collars that include new warp modules and can be also used to make the "Emergency Escape Boom" marginally warp capable as well?

Orions ought to be able to use the same sort of bay as the one from the Kzinti hallucinatio... err, "Imagining" that I had above.

Tholians, due to their close-in/defensive mindset could have packs attached to otherwise pretty standard CWs, again, like their NCAs. ISC Cantons might also make use of something kind of like that (again, like their NCAs).

Anyway, as I re-read this, perhaps I oughtta get back on my meds...

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 04:38 pm: Edit

Based on LTT: No, don't need to pay for cargo hauling ability for what isn't a cargo hauler.

Every empire doing it different: Sure, but will your empire accept the worst one?

And to be clear: NO ADDED MASS. The modular NCL will NOT have an NCA rear hull. These will be the same size as CWs and HDWs.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 05:23 pm: Edit

" that has somewhat enlarged engines"

NO, no enlarged engines. Standard CW engines.

By A. David Merritt (Adm) on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 05:53 pm: Edit

Just a thought, but if you want to reflect simple modularization, why not use SSDs for CWs and DWs like the variant DW ones in P6? Maybe grab fourish random hull/batt/lab/trans/apr/trac boxes to act like the APR Opt boxes on the HDWs, which you grab depends on the Empire's ship aesthetics.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 10:49 pm: Edit

OK, now I'm home and have access to my books. Per SVC's injunction not to just guess; the Tholian HDWX is described in R7.212 in Module X1R and was a real ship. It was built in Y188 and destroyed in Y195 and the Tholians produced a replacement the next year. So it seems they did build two but only ever had one in operation at any given time.

The "standard tech" HDW is described in R7.86 in Module R12. It was a design study that was never actually built.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, October 07, 2019 - 03:25 pm: Edit

PETRICK ANALYSIS
Modular War Cruiser Variants: Within the confines of not adding any mass to a war cruiser, this largely does not seem doable for most empires. By and large the Federation NCL is pretty tight on what it has and does not seem, to me, to really have any boxes that it could give up to be “modular” without effectively making it a much weaker combat ship. (Ship has 10 hull, 34 power including batteries, 14 weapons including the probe, five command, and 12 systems, 75 boxes, what does it give up?) Similar thing for the Klingon D5 (nine hull, 34 power including batteries, 17 weapons including the probe, seven command, and 10 systems, 77 boxes). The Romulan SparrowHawk was the biggest war cruiser around when it was introduced, and of course is already modular. The WYN Orca was just about the last war cruiser introduced, making it very big (last designed best designed), and has that four box cargo bay that it could easily give up for “modularity.” (It has 10 hull, four cargo, 34 power including batteries, 17 weapons including probe and option mounts, five command, and eight systems for 78 boxes.) And, to be honest, I have never liked the HDW and much prefer separate SSDs for variants, but that it my own personal bias.

COLE ANALYSIS
I think something could be done but that modular ships should remain rare and not become the standard ship of every fleet.

FINAL ANALYSIS
We will not proceed with this proposal.