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Terran Empire Vermillion Bird Class Colony Ship
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 May 21, 2016 - 1:59pm | Interesting. Do you have any more details? -iggy |
 May 22, 2016 - 8:10am | Interesting. Do you have any more details? My concept for this type of vessel is it is no longer found on the Frontier. Under Projects, there isAlternity Frontiers. I've posted part of my own timeline project there: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/9159 I've never played Alternity and I don't own the rule books, but I liked some of the historical background of that TSR game as a way to explain why the Humans are in the Frontier and cut off from their home world. I am borrowing a bit of fan conjecture by OnceFarOff: "...the Tetrarchs used a technology called a Jump Nexus to travel vast distances quickly ala SG-1...." But, I decided I want to incorporate the 2001 and 2010 modules in my history. In those, aliens some 4 million years ago visited Earth and placed its black monoliths around, waiting for Humans to evolve into something greater. Granted, my players may never know or care about these details, but these black monolith aliens are the ones who, in my universe, would have created these Jump Nexuses. Earth makes its expansion Alternity-style but also makes contact with the ancient Vrusk in the Frontier. Humanity sends in colony ships of various rift-raff and unwanted to the far off Frontier Sector and the Vermillion Bird class is one of these types of high-tech ships with greater jump capabilities than what is found today in the UPF, such as the "gravitic drive." Any Lotus landers were long ago used up and chopped up as the Frontier colonies grew. To most Humans in the Frontier, Earth or Terra or the homeworld is a legend. Joe Cabadas |
May 22, 2016 - 9:03am | Addendum: The Vermillion Bird Class Colony Ship can carry up to five HS size "system ships" -- i.e. Lotus Landers or the like, which is why it is the equivalent of a HS 30 vessel. The anti-missile laser system is basically similar to the Knight Hawks anti-missile system, except it's laser based and doesn't run out of ammo. I can imagine the UPF Spacefleet might develop something like this during the Second Sathar War. But, when overtaxed, the anti-missile laser interceptors can start "running hot," greatly reducing their operating efficiency. And, the idea for that system comes from Babylon 5 with the station's laser "interceptors." A colony ship would have been escorted by at least a frigate-sized vessel and accompanied by a HS 18 equivalent frieghter carrying additional supplies for a colony. Joe Cabadas |
 May 23, 2016 - 4:37am | Nice ship. I found after a lot of hunting Alternity Star*Drive Timeline for before the modules start, I have started incorporating it, I think I can make it work as most of it is ancient history the way I have the rough draft timeline set up. I am thinking of using Nexus too, though my idea of a Nexus is based on SE. I have none of Alternity's stuff either. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
May 23, 2016 - 6:11am | Nice ship. I found after a lot of hunting Alternity Star*Drive Timeline for before the modules start, I have started incorporating it, I think I can make it work as most of it is ancient history the way I have the rough draft timeline set up. I am thinking of using Nexus too, though my idea of a Nexus is based on SE. I have none of Alternity's stuff either. Gotcha. Joe Cabadas |
May 27, 2016 - 9:02am | A few other thoughts about the capabilities of the Vermillion Bird ship. While a size class 30 vessel should have 150 hull points (5 points x size class), this ancient craft only has 90 hull points. It's basically a big tug/carrier for the landing craft. If it is fired on and is loaded with landers, the landers probably get hit 40 percent of the time. And, someone could target the landers separately from the Vermillion Bird. When it is not carrying landers, the ship's performance really doesn't improve very much. Probably a +1 ADF rating while the MR remais the same. It's just a big vessel that can't get out of its own way, so to speak. It's not a warship even if it has defensive weapons. So, what are my Terran "Heavy Bolt Lasers" -- large, short range laser cannons designed to scare off any potential attackers. So, instead of the traditional KH firing arcs -- i.e. FF for forward firing only, while lasers usually have a 360 degree firing arc -- I'd say that the heavy bolt lasers have Star Fleet Battles type firing arcs. One will shoot to the front-right and right, one shoots front-left and left, and one laser covers the rear arc. If needed, I can find a SFB firing arc diagram and post it. These lasers use power from the gravitic drive (which would be much larger and more advanced than the Frontier's atomic engines, hence why the Vermillion Bird only needs three engines). When it powers these weapons up, the ship cannot accelerate, decelerate or turn... a bit of a drawback, but it's not a warship. So, the damage would be 3d10, maximum range of 10 and yes it suffers from range diffusion like other KH lasers. And, no, the Frontier can't replicate it at this time... though maybe by 111 FY. Joe Cabadas |
May 28, 2016 - 10:39am | The maximum jump range of a Vermillion Bird is 50 light years. Joe Cabadas |
