Freelance Traveller

Strasser-class TL5 Rigid Airship

by Chris Cox and Stewart Wochen

This article originally appeared in the April 2013 issue.

The Strasser is representative of the airships once used in war on Terra. They initially had several advantages over aircraft of the period: Their range, their payload capacity, and most importantly they were able to operate at altitudes that keep them safe from ground fire and enemy aircraft. However, with time, aircraft were designed that were able to reach to higher altitudes faster, allowing them to exploit the airships’ biggest weakness, the inflammable hydrogen use to lift the airships.

A cargo version useful in remote operations such as mining and transport of lightweight, high value cargo and medical equipment is available at no extra cost. Bomb bays are replaced with same-size cargo bays with electric cargo doors. Additional drop-down jump seats come stock/standard with the cargo bays to allow transportation of personnel if required, but only at the weight-for-weight expense of less cargo.

The class is named after Peter Strasser, who commanded the German navy’s airship program during the First World War. In August 1918 Strasser was killed along with the crew of L-70 in what would be the last raid against England of the war.

This vehicle was designed using the Playtest version of Fire, Fusion, and Steel for Marc Miller’s Traveller (T4).