Part 6: Ship Construction

--- Work In Progress ---

At some point the refereader or characters will desire a unique ship in their campaign. This section will detail all the variations and modifications available, as applicable to civilian ships.

Ship Construction
The first step to creating a specific or custom ship is to decide what size of hull it will have. The hull is a framework of bulkheads and plating, with limitations on performance and access depending on size. Consult the following table:

Hull Size	Leng/Diam	# Hatches	ADF*/MR
1	10/2	1	5/5
2	30/5	1	4/4
3	50/8	1	4/4
4	75/12	2	4/4
5	100/15	2	3/3
6	130/20	2	3/3
7	150/25	2	3/3
8	180/30	3	3/3
9	210/35	3	3/3
10	240/40	3	3/3
11	275/45	3	3/3
12	300/50	4	3/3
13	340/55	4	3/3
14	380/60	5	3/3
15	420/70	5	2/2
16	450/75	5	2/2
17	475/80	6	2/2
18	500/85	6	2/2
19	540/90	6	2/2
20	600/100	8	2/2

* assumes Star Drive for propulsion, otherwise ADF is always 1

For civilian ships, hull cost will be 50,000Cr per hull size and hull points will be 5 per size rating. Thus a size 6 hull would cost 300,000Cr and would have 30 Hull Points. The DCR rating is also factored by the hull size, via the following formula: DCR = ( HS x 3 ) +20

Thus the size 6 hull above would have a DCR of ( 6 x 3 ) + 20 or 38.

Military/warships do not adhere to these rules, their hulls are much stronger and able to withstand more damage while their electronics are more advanced to permit greater performance with their heavy payloads. As such their damage control ratings are higher as well.

Equipping the Ship
Assume the basic design comes with only the hull for the listed price of the design. To that end, a custom application will require a computer, propulsion system, life support equipment, navigational equipment, along with communications and detection equipment. Emergency equipment, weapons, and defenses will round it out, and finally specific miscellaneous equipment will define it.

Computers
Computers are detailed in the Basic Rules Revisited section. Typical programs for a ship will include Analysis (to asist in navigation and damage control), Industry (for hydroponics and machine shops), Life Support, and Maintenance (for equipment upkeep). Other programs required to operate a ship include Alarm, Damage Control, and Navigation.

Program	Drive Space	Cost
Alarm	1	1000Cr
Damage Control	2	2000Cr
Navigation	2	2000Cr

Optional programs could include Commerce (for temporary record keeping during voyages, such as a passenger or cargo manifest), Communication (for an intercom network), Information Storage (for permanent storage, like a ships log, travel routes, or details on encountered vessels), Security programs (for the computer or installation itself), and Transportation (for lift shafts). Additional programs not covered in Basic which may be needed for other equipment are included with each system description that follows.

Propulsion
The propulsion system includes the main drives along with the arrays of maneuver jet nozzles. There are two types of drive systems, Space Drive and Star Drive. Space Drive is utilized for system ships such as shuttles or interplanetary transports, and as such their range is limited to the planets in a system. The Star Drive is a much more powerful system which enables a craft to travel to distant stars.

To determine the cost of a drive system, hull size is taken into consideration. For a Star Drive, the formula is ( HS x ___ ) and full performance is permitted with such a system. For a Space Drive, the formula is ( HS x ___ ) and ADF is limited to 1 while full MR is permitted. The software required to opeate either system is detailed below:

Program	Drive Space	Cost
Space Drive	3	3000Cr
Star Drive	4	4000Cr

Life Support
Life Support equipment covers water tankage and a purification plant, food storage, hydroponics, oxygen & atmospheric controls, and waste disposal. The cost of equipment varies according to the number of persons supported, but the same program can manage any system. Equipment pricing is as follows:

# Supported	Equipment Cost
1-2	300Cr
3-20	1,000Cr
21-100	5,500Cr
101-200	18,000Cr
201-500	30,000Cr
501-1000	60,000Cr

Navigational Equipment
Three types of navigational systems are available depending on type of craft. Small craft (shuttles, launches, etc) only require a basic package for ship to ship, ship to orbital station, or orbital station to ground operations. System ships (non-starships, such as fighters or interplanetary trasnports) require a more advanced set of items to navigate a solar system, while star ships require the most complex equipment for plotting interstellar jumps. Pricing is as follows:

Ship Type	Equipment Cost
Small Craft	1,000Cr
System Ship	5,000Cr
Star Ship	15,000Cr

The Navigation program will work with any equipment package.

Communications & Detection
Long range detectors, communicators, and interferenace equipment is broken down into five systems.
SubSpace Radios are used for sending messages across vast distances, up to and including other star systems. Utilizing encoded tachyon beams that are broadcast from dish antennae, a subspace transmission can cross one light year in one hour. As such, inner system communiques will take no longer than ten minutes to reach their destination. A SubSpace Radio costs 20,000Cr
A Radar Unit sends out radio beams which travel at the speed of light. They reflect off of solid objects and return to the source where limited graphic images are displayed on a screen for interpretation. The effective range is 300,000Km and teh unit costs 10,000Cr
An Intercom Network is used to commincate inside a ship. Utilizing a master panel (typically located on the bridge level) and numerous combination speaker/microphones (typically at least one on each deck), crew members may communicate freely within the ship much in the same manner as if using a chronocom. A master panel costs 50Cr and each speaker/mike is 10Cr. Unless the characters have a specific deckplan, assume a ship has one deck for every ten hull points to determine price. A Communication program is needed to operate teh system.
Transmission Jammers broadcast a blanket of white noise that serves to interfere with other subspace radio transmissions, thereby blocking the signal at the source. The strength of the jammer decreases with the range between the jamming ship and the broadcasting ship. If the two craft are in the same 10,000km hex there is no chance of broadcasting the signal. The chance to break through increases at 10% per 10,000km hex distance between the craft, hence a jammed craft that is 40,000km away has a 40% chance of breaking through and successfully transmitting. The usual automatic success/failure rolls still apply. The jammer normally costs 80,000Cr but is only available to military contractors, as such if cahracters wish to acquire one it will have to be through unconventional means (such as an inflated black market buy, etc)
Radar Jammers difuse and redirect radar waves in order to confuse enemy detection equipment. They work in a similar manner as a transmission jammer. If a jamming ship is at least 100,000km away fromthe detecting vessel, there is a zero percent chance of being detected. As the jammed vessel gets closer to the detecting ship, the detecting ship has a chance of detecting the jammed craft. The chance of remaining undetected is 10% per 10,000km hex between the ships, thus if there is a 40,000km distance the protected craft has a 40% chance of remaining hidden from radar view. The radar jammer costs 250,000Cr but like the transmission jammer, it is only available to military contractors.

Offensive & Defensive Systems
Weapons and defenses are often desirable in warding off would be assailants, particularly Sathar and Pirate vessels. When outfitting civilian ships with weaponry and/or defenses, hull size is taken into consideration. Each system is assigned a point value, and a ship may contain a number of points equal to its hull size minus two, divided by three (and rounding up).

Point Value = ( HS-2 ) / 3

Hence a size three ship could contain one point worth of weaponry, while a size six craft could utilize two points worth of weaponry, but a size one or two ship could not contain any weaponry. If the weapon points exceed the ship's allocated value, then performance (and passenger/cargo capacity) are reduced. For each point over capacity, a ship will lose one ADF or MR point (owner's choice) along with one cargo unit space (or 25 passengers for liners) worth of space.
A Minimum Hull Size (MHS) rating is also listed with weapons and defenses, this illustrates the minimum size craft that the weapon may be fitted to. A computer program is required for each weapon system, although a single assault rocket or torpedo program may operate multiple launchers as only one may operate at a time.
The following table illustrates the various weapon systems available along with their point value for hull accomodation as well as computer program information:

Weapon	Point Value	Cost	MHS	Program Space/Cost
Laser Cannon	2	15,000Cr	5	3/3,000Cr
Laser Battery	1	10,000Cr	3	4/4,000Cr
Pod Laser	1	7,500Cr	1	3/3,000Cr
Torpedo Launcher	3	40,000Cr	5	3/3,000Cr
Assault Rocket Launcher	½*	20,000Cr	1	4/4,000Cr
Rocket Battery	2	40,000Cr	5	3/3,000Cr

* Two AR launchers are permitted per point. A ship must have a minimum MR of 4 to use assault rockets

Torpedoes cost 20,000Cr each, assault rockets are 10,000Cr each, and a rocket battery salvo is 5,000Cr. Only one rocket weapon may be loaded per launcher, but additional reloads may be carried for resupply and may be rearmed during the repair phase.

Defenses are figured in along with weapon systems, with total points between weapons and defenses considered for civilian craft. For example, if a size 6 civilian ship may contain two points worth of weapons and defenses, it may utilize those points on all weapons, all defenses, or one point towards each.

Defense	Point Value	Cost	MHS	Program Space/Cost
Reflective Hull	n/a	HSx500Cr	any	n/a
Masking Screen	1	10,000Cr	4	n/a
ICM Launcher	1	20,000Cr	5	3/3,000Cr

A Masking Screen or Interceptor Missile launcher can hold only one charge or missile each. Interceptor Missiles cost 2,000Cr each. A Masking Screen charge is primarily comprised of water, whose price may vary according to the source world...naturally it would be very pricy on a station supported by a desert planet and quite cheap on a water world. Figure HS x 100Cr as an average replenishment cost.

Miscellaneous Equipment

Freight Hauling

Passenger Liners

Mining Vessels

Exploration Craft

Search

Part 6: Ship Construction