Freelance
Traveller
In My Traveller Universe (IMTU) I primarily use GURPS as the ruleset. I have a few modifications to the standard GT rules, but GURPS is a very flexible system and most times the system itself or one of its varients already includes rules for what I want to use. As I said in the intro, the information in the Starship Technical Manual is not rule set specific. It does follow my view of the TU, so does not include HEPlaR, or go very deeply into the use of drop tanks, or dwell on the use of the semi-intellegent transponder.
Its purpose is to give GMs, especially GMs who are not especially technically trained, a consistant technical framework for use in their games.
Want to prod the PC's into accepting a job while on planet? Have the engineer find they need a valve for the Funsion Generator Deuterium Warm Start Reservoir. It sounds much better than "The power plant is broke."
The area of gravity control gives good reason why the "grav pong" defense is generally not effective, how to counteract it, and the long term residual effect you can inflict on your players to discourage it.
The sensor section gives a background on sensors systems and is based on a combination of information in the Starship Operators' Manual, GURPS Traveller (and the GURPS Ultra Tech I & II books) and Bruce Alan Macintosh's Definative Sensor Rules. I generally use the GURPS philosophy on stealth masking and emmission control, that being that as TL's progress both of these technologies will generally keep up with sensor technology. I have very short shift with those who expect future improvements in detection technology not to offset by equivalent improvements in detection evasion methods.
This manual is slanted toward the systems most likely to be seen on small ships. I mention some characteristics of big ship systems, but expect that most PCs either use a small ship, or will be in such positions of authority on a large ship that the details of the differences of engineering design will not be important to them.