Freelance Traveller
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Scope
- Definitions
- Turret and Bay Missiles Compared
- Large Bay Missile Derivation
- Bay Battery Round Derivation
- Magazine Design
- Rules for Magazine Use
- Reloading
- Damage Results
- Resupply Issues
- Other Magazine and Missile Size Articles
- Sample Ships
- Acknowlegements
- References
Executive Summary
This article covers rules for High Guard second edition (published in 1980) missile magazines. Rules for adding missile magazines to ships were included in High Guard first edition (published in 1979), but are missing from High Guard second edition. Alternatives are given to cover universes where turret and bay missiles are the same and where they are different sizes. In my Traveller Universe bay missiles are larger than turret missiles, there are different numbers of launchers for different size bays and tech levels, and a separate 36 battery round magazine is required for planetary bombardment. In my Traveller universe missile magazines are MCr 5 and 5 tons for the initial installation. Missile space costs MCr 0.15 and (0.075 or 0.6) tons per missile in the magazine. Magazine connections to turrets cost MCr 0.25 and 0.25 tons per turret in additon to the initial installation.
| Bay size and TL | Tons Equation | Tons | MCr Equation | MCr | Base Tons | Base MCr | Total Tons | Total MCr | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t (TL 7,8,9) | 5 x 0.6 x 36 | 108 | 5 x 0.15 x 36 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 113 | 32 | 2 |
| 100-t (TL10,11,13) | 7 x 0.6 x 36 | 151.2 | 7 x 0.15 x 36 | 37.8 | 5 | 5 | 156.2 | 42.8 | 2 |
| 100-t (TL12) | 9 x 0.6 x 36 | 194.9 | 9 x 0.15 x 36 | 48.6 | 5 | 5 | 199.9 | 53.6 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 10,11,13) | 5 x 0.6 x 36 | 108 | 5 x 0.15 x 36 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 113 | 32 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 12,14,15) | 7 x 0.6 x 36 | 151.2 | 7 x 0.15 x 36 | 37.8 | 5 | 5 | 156.2 | 42.8 | 2 |
Introduction
In the High Guard first edition, rules for adding missile magazines were included. They were not very detailed on what magazines represented, how they affected the rules, or how many missiles were included. This article expands and details a concept for missile magazines for the second edition of High Guard (in which the magazine rules were removed).
Depending on which Traveller design system you work with, turret and bay missiles may be defined as the same size or different sizes. One case is presented where they are the same size, and another where the bay missiles are several times as large. The number of launchers in a bay was never made clear in Classic Traveller, though MegaTraveller specified two and Mark Miller's Traveller gave different numbers of launchers for various tech levels and bay sizes. Also presented are two cases for the number of launchers in bays, one assuming turret and bay missiles are the same, and another assuming bay missiles are larger.
Scope
This article includes exploration of two missile sizes, two launcher number variations, and two magazine capacity options, all relating only to High Guard. This article excludes major changes to missile launch rates or turret missile sizes, does not deal with any of the "heresies" that have been proposed for High Guard, does not deal with the concept of high intensity missile fire from High Guard 1st edition, and does not consider sand caster magazines or the MegaTraveller concept of two launchers per bay.
Definitions
Definition: Missile magazines are automated storage for large numbers of missiles. Magazines can be added to support missile bays or turrets on a ship, or added to supply vessels to replenish missile armed ships. Magazines are designed in units of battery rounds.
Definition: A battery round contains the same number of missiles as there are launchers in the bay or turret battery.
Turret and Bay Missiles Compared
High Guard second edition turret weapons USPs are found by cross-referencing the number of weapons with a USP number (High Guard second edition p25). This contrasts with High Guard first edition in which a point value was assigned to each weapon (turret or bay), and the points totaled (turret missiles plus bay missiles), and the point total divided by the number of kilotons displacement of the ship, then the adjusted point total referenced to a USP table.
The use of a point system for the various weapons in High Guard first edition made the relationship between turret and bay missiles easy to grasp, as well as making the design of missile magazines straightforward. High Guard second edition is much less clear on the relationship between turret and bay weapons. To clarify the relationship, turret and bay missiles are shown on a single table comparing USP to tech level. The abbreviation "t.l." in the table stands for turret launcher.
| USP 1 | USP 2 | USP 3 | USP 4 | USP 5 | USP 6 | USP 7 | USP 8 | USP 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL 7 | 1 t.l. | 3 t.l. | 6 t.l. | 12 t.l. | 18 t.l. | 30 t.l. | 100t bay | ||
| TL 8 | 100t bay | ||||||||
| TL 9 | 100t bay | ||||||||
| TL 10 | 50t bay | 100t bay | |||||||
| TL 11 | 50t bay | 100t bay | |||||||
| TL 12 | 50t bay | 100t bay | |||||||
| TL 13 | 1 t.l. | 3 t.l. | 6 t.l. | 12 t.l. | 18 t.l. | 30 t.l. | 50t bay | 100t bay | |
| TL 14 | 50t bay | ||||||||
| TL 15 | 50t bay |
This table suggests we should be able to come up with the number of turret missile racks that would be equivalent to the various bay missile installations. Regression analysis yielded an equation that fits the turret data and extrapolates to cover bays in a satisfactory manner. An equation that gets quite close to the data. Using y as the number of weapons, and x as the USP, use the equation: y = 1.125 x^2 - 2.2659 x + 2.55 and then round to the nearest whole number divisible by 3. This will get the same numbers as are in the USP table for turret missiles. Extending the USP series beyond 6 gives 42 launchers required for USP 7, 57 for USP 8, and 72 for USP 9 (with TL13+ getting a 1 USP boost - essentially requiring fewer launchers per USP).
The canonical Book 2 triple missile turret can hold three missile racks, each having three missiles (one ready to fire and two reloads). A turret missile is 0.05 tons, so a launcher at twice that size is 0.1 tons, and a reload cradle is half again as large as a missile, which comes to 0.075 tons. Launchers and reload cradles include space for one missile each. When we group a missile launcher and two reload cradles, we come up with a weapon that is 0.25 tons. Three of these fit into a one-ton turret with 0.25 tons left over, which is space enough for a crew seat, some controls, sensors and transceivers, and traverse/elevation mechanisms.
Using assumptions of 0.05 tons per turret missile, 0.1 tons per turret launcher (includes space for 1 missile), 0.4 tons per bay launcher for bay support hardware (including connections to magazines and an autoloader), 0.5 tons for the bay crew of two, and 0.075 tons per missile per launcher for ready missile rack (includes space for 1 missile):
| Launchers | Hardware Tons | Ready Missiles | Ready Missile Tons | Waste Tons | Battery Rounds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t bay (TL 7,8,9) | 42 | 21.5 | 1008 | 75.6 | 2.9 | 25 |
| 100-t bay (TL 10,11,13) | 57 | 29 | 912 | 68.4 | 2.6 | 17 |
| 100-t bay (TL 12) | 72 | 36.5 | 792 | 59.4 | 4.1 | 12 |
| 50-t bay (TL 10,11,13) | 42 | 21.5 | 378 | 28.35 | 0.15 | 10 |
| 50-t bay (TL 12,14,15) | 57 | 29 | 228 | 17.1 | 3.9 | 5 |
Large Bay Missile Derivation
Of the four Classic Traveller sources on missiles, two (Striker and Special Supplement 3) indicate that bay missiles are larger than turret missiles. Book 2 only deals with turret missiles, and High Guard is silent on the question. All the later design rules have missiles that are much larger than those in Classic Traveller turrets. The first step in coming up with larger bay missiles is to decide how much bigger they are, and Striker gives some clear information on this. Striker indicates that turret missiles are 15 cm rounds, and that bay missiles are 25 cm rounds. Dividing the area of bay missiles by the area of turret missiles, the ratio is found to be 2.8. It seems reasonable that a missile with a larger area would have a greater length as well, and 2.8 times as long was chosen. Multiplying the original 0.05 ton volume of the turret missile by the 2.8 ratio of the area and the 2.8 ratio of the length, we get 0.39 tons which is rounded to 0.4 tons.
With the large-style bay missiles being 7.84 times the volume of turret missiles, it seems reasonable to have fewer of the large missile launchers in each bay. To get the number of large missile launchers divide the equivalent number of small missile launchers by 7.84. Rounding the resulting numbers to the nearest whole number gives 5, 7, or 9 large missile launchers per bay (depending on TL and size of bay).
Using assumptions of 0.4 tons per bay missile, 0.8 tons per bay launcher (includes space for 1 missile), 3.2 tons per bay launcher for bay support hardware (including connections to magazines and an autoloader), 0.5 tons for the bay crew of two, and 0.6 tons per missile per launcher for ready missile rack (includes space for 1 missile):
| Launchers | Hardware Tons | Ready Missiles | Ready Missile Tons | Waste Tons | Battery Rounds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t bay (TL 7,8,9) | 5 | 20.5 | 130 | 78 | 1.5 | 27 |
| 100-t bay (TL 10,11,13) | 7 | 28.5 | 119 | 71.4 | 0.1 | 18 |
| 100-t bay (TL 12) | 9 | 36.5 | 99 | 59.4 | 4.1 | 12 |
| 50-t bay (TL 10,11,13) | 5 | 20.5 | 45 | 27 | 2.5 | 10 |
| 50-t bay (TL 12,14,15) | 7 | 28.5 | 35 | 21 | 0.5 | 6 |
Bay Battery Round Derivation
Turret missile launchers are defined in Book 2 as having three rounds available before being reloaded. Since missile launchers only launch one missile per turn, turret missile launchers have three battery rounds.
Determining the number of battery rounds available in a missile bay starts with deciding which size of missiles to use, and how many launchers are in the bay. Each missile bay requires a crew of two, and they are each assigned the amount of space that a turret gunner gets (0.25 tons each, or 0.5 tons together). Since missile bays are highly automated, space equal to four times the launcher is assigned to represent the bay support hardware. In this bay launcher support hardware is included: an autoloader, switching mechanisms to change the order of missiles in the launching queue, connections to reloading equipment (magazines, hatches, elevators to the cargo bay, etc.), and equipment to route missiles to other launchers in the bay (for damage control).
Totalling these (crew, launchers, and support hardware), the amount of remaining space is calculated. The remaining space is divided by the size of the ready missile racks for the size of missile used, then that number divided by the number of launchers (dropping fractions). The resulting number is how many ready missile racks are available for each launcher in the bay. Multiply the number of battery rounds by the number of launchers and the size of the ready missile racks to find the amount of space taken by the ready missile racks. Add one the number of ready missile racks per launcher (to account for the missile in the launcher) to determine the number of battery rounds available in the bay. Most bays end up with a bit of extra space.
Example: A 100 ton TL12 missile bay using large bay missiles has 9 launchers. The crew use 0.5 tons. The launchers use 0.8 tons each, which comes to 7.2 tons. Launcher support hardware is 3.2 tons each, which comes to 28.8 tons. The crew, launchers, and hardware comes to a total of 36.5 tons. Subtracting 36.5 from 100 gives 63.5 tons available for ready missile racks. Dividing 63.5 by 0.6 gives 105.83. Dividing 105 by 9 gives 11 and two thirds. This allows 11 ready missile racks per launcher. Multiplying 11 by 9 by 0.6 gives 59.4 tons. Taking 36.5 and 59.4 tons from 100 tons gives 4.1 tons left over (waste space). Adding 1 to the 11 ready missile racks (to account for the missile space in the launcher) gives 12 battery rounds for this bay.
Magazine Design
To be considered capable of surface bombardment, a ship must have enough magazine capacity for a 12-hour shift of firing (which is 36 battery rounds). A missile magazine costs MCr 5 and 5 tons for the initial installation, plus MCr 0.15 and (0.075 or 0.6) tons per reload cradle (depending on which size missile you use). A ship design capable of surface bombardment must include one magazine per missile bay.
Magazines for turrets are possible, but cost MCr 0.25 and 0.5 tons per turret in addition to the cost for the initial installation while eliminating the possibility of local control in the turret (as well as precluding the use of loader crew members). Half the 0.5 tons per turret displaces the gunner position, so only 0.25 tons counts against the tonnage of the ship. This cost per turret is in addition to the cost of a missile magazine to service these turrets (at MCr 5 and 5 tons for initial installation plus MCr 0.15 and 0.075 tons per reload cradle).
To create non-standard magazine sizes (whether smaller or larger), multiply the size of the ready missile rack (0.075 or 0.6 tons) by the number of launchers (5, 42, etc.) and then multiply by the number of battery rounds desired.
When drawing deck plans, magazines can be drawn one to a battery or bay, or all together in one spot but the initial cost remains a "per battery" charge. If magazines are drawn separately, make sure to include cross connections between magazines so missiles can be swapped among magazines if needed.
To find the complete size of a magazine: multiply the number of launchers by the reload cradle size by the number of rounds which will give you the reload cradle tons.
Example: a 100-ton TL 7 missile bay magazine where turret and bay missiles are the same and containing 36 battery rounds would cost MCr 5 and 5 tons for the initial setup, plus MCr 226.8 and 113.4 tons for the reload cradles. The totals are: MCr 231.8 and 118.4 tons.
Example: a magazine for a battery of 10 triple turret missile racks containing 36 battery rounds would cost MCr 5 and 5 tons for the initial setup, plus MCr 2.5 and 2.5 tons (2.5 tons of the turret installations is contained within the turrets in place of the gunner), plus MCr 162 and 81 tons for the reload cradles. The totals are: MCr 167.5 and 88.5 tons.
Assuming a separate 36 battery round magazine is required for bombardment, and assuming bay missiles are the same as turret missiles:
| Bay size and TL | Tons Equation | Tons | MCr Equation | MCr | Base Tons | Base MCr | Total Tons | Total MCr | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t (TL 7,8,9) | 42 x 0.075 x 36 | 113.4 | 42 x 0.15 x 36 | 226.8 | 5 | 5 | 138.4 | 231.8 | 2 |
| 100-t (TL10,11,13) | 57 x 0.075 x 36 | 153.9 | 57 x 0.15 x 36 | 307.8 | 5 | 5 | 158.9 | 312.8 | 2 |
| 100-t (TL12) | 72 x 0.075 x 36 | 194.9 | 72 x 0.15 x 36 | 388.8 | 5 | 5 | 199.9 | 393.8 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 10,11,13) | 42 x 0.075 x 36 | 113.4 | 42 x 0.15 x 36 | 226.8 | 5 | 5 | 138.4 | 231.8 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 12,14,15) | 57 x 0.075 x 36 | 153.9 | 57 x 0.15 x 36 | 307.8 | 5 | 5 | 158.9 | 312.8 | 2 |
| Turret Battery (10 TT) | 30 x 0.075 x 36 | 81 | 30 x 0.15 x 36 | 162 | 5 + (10 x 0.25) | 5 + (10 x 0.25) | 88.5 | 167.5 | 2 |
Assuming a separate 36 battery round magazine is required for bombardment, and assuming bay missiles are larger than turret missiles:
| Bay size and TL | Tons Equation | Tons | MCr Equation | MCr | Base Tons | Base MCr | Total Tons | Total MCr | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t (TL 7,8,9) | 5 x 0.6 x 36 | 108 | 5 x 0.15 x 36 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 113 | 32 | 2 |
| 100-t (TL10,11,13) | 7 x 0.6 x 36 | 151.2 | 7 x 0.15 x 36 | 37.8 | 5 | 5 | 156.2 | 42.8 | 2 |
| 100-t (TL12) | 9 x 0.6 x 36 | 194.9 | 9 x 0.15 x 36 | 48.6 | 5 | 5 | 199.9 | 53.6 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 10,11,13) | 5 x 0.6 x 36 | 108 | 5 x 0.15 x 36 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 113 | 32 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 12,14,15) | 7 x 0.6 x 36 | 151.2 | 7 x 0.15 x 36 | 37.8 | 5 | 5 | 156.2 | 42.8 | 2 |
Assuming a total of 36 battery rounds for the magazine and bay combined is required for bombardment, and assuming bay missiles are the same as turret missiles:
| Bay size and TL | Tons Equation | Tons | MCr Equation | MCr | Base Tons | Base MCr | Total Tons | Total MCr | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t (TL 7,8,9) | needs 36 - 25 = 11; 42 x 0.075 x 11 | 34.65 | 42 x 0.15 x 11 | 69.3 | 5 | 5 | 39.65 | 74.3 | 1 |
| 100-t (TL10,11,13) | needs 36 - 17 = 19; 57 x 0.075 x 19 | 81.225 | 57 x 0.15 x 19 | 162.45 | 5 | 5 | 86.225 | 167.45 | 1 |
| 100-t (TL12) | needs 36 - 12 = 24; 72 x 0.075 x 24 | 129.6 | 72 x 0.15 x 24 | 259.2 | 5 | 5 | 134.6 | 264.2 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 10,11,13) | needs 36 - 10 = 26; 42 x 0.075 x 26 | 81.9 | 42 x 0.15 x 26 | 163.8 | 5 | 5 | 86.9 | 168.8 | 1 |
| 50-t (TL 12,14,15) | needs 36 - 5 = 31; 57 x 0.075 x 31 | 132.525 | 57 x 0.15 x 31 | 265.05 | 5 | 5 | 137.525 | 270.05 | 2 |
| Turret Battery (10 TT) | needs 36 - 3 = 33; 30 x 0.075 x 33 | 74.25 | 30 x 0.15 x 33 | 148.5 | 5 + (10 x 0.25) | 5 + (10 x 0.25) | 81.75 | 156 | 1 |
Assuming a total of 36 battery rounds for the magazine and bay combined is required for bombardment, and assuming bay missiles are larger than turret missiles:
| Bay size and TL | Tons Equation | Tons | MCr Equation | MCr | Base Tons | Base MCr | Total Tons | Total MCr | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-t (TL 7,8,9) | needs 36 - 27 = 9; 5 x 0.6 x 9 | 27 | 5 x 0.15 x 9 | 6.75 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 11.75 | 1 |
| 100-t (TL10,11,13) | needs 36 - 18 = 18; 7 x 0.6 x 18 | 75.6 | 7 x 0.15 x 18 | 18.9 | 5 | 5 | 80.6 | 23.9 | 1 |
| 100-t (TL12) | needs 36 - 12 = 24; 9 x 0.6 x 24 | 129.6 | 9 x 0.15 x 24 | 45.9 | 5 | 5 | 134.6 | 50.9 | 2 |
| 50-t (TL 10,11,13) | needs 36 - 10 = 26; 5 x 0.6 x 26 | 78 | 5 x 0.15 x 26 | 19.5 | 5 | 5 | 83 | 24.5 | 1 |
| 50-t (TL 12,14,15) | needs 36 - 6 = 30; 7 x 0.6 x 30 | 126 | 7 x 0.15 x 30 | 31.5 | 5 | 5 | 131 | 36.5 | 2 |
Rules for Magazine Use
Missiles can be made in a variety of sizes, but for spacecraft use the Imperial Navy has standardized on two different sizes. One size is intended for use in turrets and is 0.05 tons. The other size is for use in missile bays and is 0.4 tons. Having more than one size of missile increases the logistical requirements, but limiting it to two minimizes that increase.
Missile magazines holding at least 36 battery rounds for each launcher are required for ships conducting orbital bombardment. Orbital bombardment is defined as using missiles against planetary surface installations or features, including starports and cities. Use the missile attack table, and check for penetration of defenses (assume an automatic hit). The scenario or referee will determine the defenses the site may have, as well as the damage required for capitulation or destruction.
Empty bays may be filled with deadfall ordnance for planetary bombardment. This is equivalent to a single attack by a missile bay of the same size and tech level. Empty bays used as cargo space for additional missiles will only support a reload rate that is half what a regular cargo bay will support.
Missiles must be chosen as either conventional or nuclear when they are loaded in the ship, and are not interchangable. Some ships will carry a mix, in which case the gunner can choose the order in which missiles are used from the ready racks and magazines. Nuclear missiles (typically using a fusion warhead), are not legally available to civilians in the Imperium. Imperial Navy ships will generally carry conventional missiles except when defending major installations or when based within 12 parsecs of the Imperial border. Imperial Navy ships that use nuclear missiles will normally have an Imperial Marine group on board to safeguard the missiles during loading operations at starports and bases.
Reloading
Book 2 crew requirements include one gunner per turret. This gunner is the primary reloader for turret launchers, though the rules mention having helpers for the gunners (to transfer munitions from cargo). HG crew requirements include a gunner per battery. A battery can contain up to ten turrets. There are no munitions reloading rules in HG. A ship using HG crew rules that does not have a turret magazine can fire for three turns from each launcher before the launchers require reloading. The three turns of firing need not be consecutive. Reloading occurs at the same rate as in Book 2, with the gunner responsible for reloading all launchers in all his turrets. If sustained firing is desired from HG turret launchers, a magazine should be installed or an additional crewmember should be added for each unit of three launchers (or portion thereof). These additional crewmembers are considered gunners for purposes of Book 2 compensation. The additional crewmembers are not normally firing the launchers, so they are able to reload at the faster Book 2 rate (keeping up with normal firing rates). In partial compensation for the additional crew required, ships crewed at this higher level will treat weapon -n damage results where n is greater than 1 as weapon -n+1 for those batteries (so weapon -4 becomes weapon -3, etc., while weapon -1 remains the same). This represents the additional damage control available, as well as the ability to fire turrets individually in local mode if fire control to the battery is disrupted.
Bay weapons can benefit from additional crewmembers as well when magazines are not installed. If bay missiles are the same as turret missiles, assign one crewmember per three launchers. If bay missiles are larger, assign two crewmembers per launcher. Assigning these additional crewmembers will allow reloading to keep up with normal launch rates and confer the benefit against weapon -n damage results.
Magazines are heavily automated; they only require one crewmember per 100 tons (or fraction thereof). Ship designers will normally choose either extra crewmembers or magazines (when they deal with reloading issues at all), but designers who choose both will have ships where the magazines can be restocked from cargo at the rate of firing, and which receive the benefit against weapon -n damage results.
Damage Results
A ship which receives a weapon -n hit which will affect its missile weapons and which has missile magazine(s), then rolls 1D6 and if the result is a 1 then one of the missile magazines is damaged and unusable until repaired. A ship having missile magazines which receives a critical hit of "hangars/boat deck destroyed" then rolls 1D6 and if the result is a 1 then one missile magazine on the ship is destroyed and an additional roll on the interior Explosion damage table is made (with an additional roll on the Radiation damage table if the ship carried nuclear missiles). If the magazine is empty when such a critical hit is received, then the magazine is destroyed but no additional rolls on damage tables take place.
Example 1: A 5000 ton ship having two missile bays and two missile magazines receives a weapon -1 hit. Since this ship carries both missile bays and missile magazines, one six sided die is rolled and if the result is a one then one of the missile magazines is damaged and cannot supply missiles until repaired.
Example 2: A 5000 ton ship having two missile bays and two missile magazines which are filled with nuclear missiles receives a critical hit of "hangars/boat deck destroyed." One six sided die is rolled and if the result is a one then one of the missile magazines is destroyed (and must be replaced at a starport) and one additional roll is made on the internal explosion damage table and one additional roll is made on the radiation damage table (making two additional rolls for damage).
Resupply Issues
Resupply is a serious issue when using expendable munitions (missiles and sand canisters). Once the munitions run out, those launching facilities are useless. Vessels that are likely to be away from supply sources for an extended period often minimize the number of launchers installed for this reason (this is especially true of exploration vessels). The three main ways to get around the problem of expendable munitions are; 1. not using them, 2. magazines, and 3. resupply vessels. Magazines increase the internal storage volume for munitions, and supply vessels ferry munitions from bases.
Resupply vessels can come in many sizes, from the common free trader to large special purpose military vessels. Regular cargo vessels will carry munitions in their cargo holds (sometimes as individual munitions, but more often in standard cargo containers). The standard four ton cargo container, with dimensions 3 x 3 x 6 meters (as shown in the Traveller Adventure p.133) can carry 2400 turret missiles, or 288 bay missiles. Special purpose military vessels might carry munitions as cargo, but more often they carry them in magazines. Normally magazines are designed with an armored reloading hatch, which can mate with similar hatches on resupply vessels or at bases. Connecting the hatches in this way allows very rapid and secure transfer of munitions from one ship to another. This is normally done between battles, but could conceivably be done while both ships are in the reserve during a battle, or during orbital bombardment.
Referees who make use of these magazine rules are encouraged to keep track of munitions use to keep the players from firing more than their ship carries.
GMs can adjust the severity of resupply problems in their universe by choosing among several options:
- Are bay missiles the same as turret missiles? If not, then two different sizes of missiles will need to be transported, and magazines will only work with one size of missile.
- Are sand canisters the same dimensions as turret missiles? If they are the same, magazines may be able to be used interchangeably for missiles or sand.
- Are sand canisters able to be fired by missile racks? If so, why are there separately listed missile racks and sand casters?
- What is required for resupply of space vessels beyond missiles and sand canisters?
Other Magazine and Missile Size Articles
Another way of looking at missile bays (and turrets) is to view them more like Multiple Rocket Launchers in modern day (TL7/8) Earth in which there are a number of missiles each in a tube, and they can be fired singly or in any combination, but when expended they need to be reloaded one by one. This appears to be the approach taken by Derek (aka Tyranian on the CT-Starships list) [Derek's approach] and [equations fix], as well as the Traveller: the New Era turrets (and possibly Traveller: the New Era bays).
Capital missiles have been proposed in Beyond Book 2: Expanding the Basic Classic Traveller Starship Design System that would be one ton each (two and a half times as large as the bay missiles in this article, twice as large as Marc Miller's Traveller missiles, and 20 times as large as Classic Traveller turret missiles). These would be much more powerful. This option is not pursued in this article since there are no canon references suggesting this case.
Sample Ships
Orbit class Missile Destroyer.
Box class Missile Resupply Ship.
Acknowlegements
Thanks go to Edward Kimball for editorial assistance, and to John Scott Clegg for encouragement and critiques. Thanks to the whole CT-Starships group, who endured many rounds of updates and requests for comment - and made many helpful critiques and suggestions.
References
- Book 2
- Special Supplement 3: MIssiles in Traveller
- High Guard 1st Edition (1979)
- High Guard 2nd Edition (1980)
- Striker: Rule Book 2 -- Advanced Rules
- MegaTraveller Referee's Manual
- Traveller the New Era: Brilliant Lances
- Traveller the New Era: Fire, Fusion, and Steel
- Marc Miller's Traveller: Starships
- GURPS: Traveller