 December 29, 2016 - 11:37am | So, you are ready to build your own starship? Great! Where will you build it? As everyone knows, the choice of Ship Construction Center is an important one for both controlling costs and avoiding delays. Everyone also knows that Class I is more cost effective than Class II is more cost effective than Class III. And everyone knows that Class III can only build system ships. But before you choose the SCC you will award the contract to build your next ship, maybe there's a little more to look into. After many minutes of research into the existing SCCs on the Frontier, Quekblortz Guide has created the following ranked profile for SCCs from most to least capacity, and reviewed them to find the most desirable place to build your next ship. #1 SCC Gran Quivera (Prenglar) Class: I Type VI Hulls: 8 Military Hull Sizes: 1-20 Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-20 Capacity: 140 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: Yes Specialization: Servicing Task Force Prenglar and Strike Force Nova Naturally this monster shipyard heads the list for capacity. Built up from eight Type VI station hulls, this shipyard can handle anything, along with the most space for support facilties. The central location at the hub of the Frontier also has most charted routes out to the Frontier to improve deliveries. The downside of building at SCC Gran Quivera is simply the constant backlog caused by servicing the UPF fleets. Both Task Force Prenglar and Strike Force Nova are based here creating a constant workload for the construction bays. If you ever wondered why SCC Gran Quivera needed those extra Type VI station hulls, billeting all that bureaucracy and ship crews along with the inevitable business that spring up around them would be why. #2 SCC Triad (Cassidine) - Class I Class: I Type VI Hulls: 6 Military Hull Sizes: 1-20 Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-20 Capacity: 140 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: Yes Specialization: Custom naval architecture and builds SCC Triad is the second largest SCC in the Frontier, and is the only other Class I which easily lands it at number two on our list for capacity. #3 SCC Terledrom (Fromeltar) Class: II Type VI Hulls: 4 Military Hull Sizes: 1-6 Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-14 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: Yes Specialization: Specializes in resource miners As the largest of the Class II, SCC Fromeltar is the top of the heap for the second tier SCC's. The Vrusk and Dralasite Council regulations here can be a bit tricky for the newcomer to navigate and any attempt to bend a "rule" of shipbuilding should be avoided here. This SCC does things by the book (by a great number of very large books in reality). #4 SCC Minotaur (Theseus) Class: II Type VI Hulls: 3 Military Hull Sizes: 1-6 Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-14 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: Yes Specialization: Specializing in exploration and probe builds SCC Minotaur scored a little higher than similar sized Class IIs mostly due to a more convenient location. This SCC has been the focus for builds supporting the Frontier's exploration into the space near and around the Frontier. This SCC also finishes military and starship work for its partner SCC Clarion. #5 SCC Hentz (Araks) Class: II Type VI Hulls: 3 Military Hull Sizes: 1-6 Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-14 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: Yes Specialization: Specializing in long jumpers with advanced astrogation gear and Yazirian comforts Far out on edge, SCC Hentz provides most of the shipwork for the Yazirian-dominated end of the Frontier. "By Yazirians, For Yazirians" seems to be the unofficial motto, but this SCC has a great reputation for quality work regardless of client. SCC Hentz is second to none in long range astrogation gear. If you are looking for the crew and gear to build a long jumper, SCC Hentz is the place to start. #6 SCC Rupert's Hole (Cassidine) Class: III Type VI Hulls: 1 Military Hull Sizes: None Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-20 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: No Specialization: Specializing in system ships While frequently overshadowed by its larger neighbor, SCC Triad, this SCC has quietly built itself an impressive reputation as the foremost place in space for system ship builds. The quality of SCC Rupert's Hole work benefits greatly from the proximity to the community of builders and architects on SCC Triad. Many of the Frontier's best naval architects did their apprenticeships on SCC Rupert's Hole's docks, before graduating to the advanced naval architecture programs on SCC Triad. #7 SCC Clarion (White Light) Class: III Type VI Hulls: 1 Military Hull Sizes: None Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-20 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: No Specialization: Specializing in luxury and initial builds of militia ships for engine finish elsewhere. SCC Clarion began as a bit of a royal boondoggle, originally commissioned to build royal yachts and other luxury facilities. However, the wealthy of the Frontier took notice and SCC Clarion soon gained a reputation as the place for the elite to get their custom luxury ship fittings done. Despite the central location with four jump routes, development of this SCC has lagged due to bureaucratic interference. However, with the rise in pirate activity in the belt, and the creation of the Frontier Expeditionary Force, the focus from casual luxury builds to speedy military builds has sparked a program to upgrade this Class III to a Class II where it can really shine. #8 SCC Pale (Truane's Star) Class: III Type VI Hulls: 1 Military Hull Sizes: None Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-20 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: No Specialization: Specializing in exploration builds After the savaging of the Pale worlds in the first Sathar War, it was only sensible for the UPF to build up the space construction capability here. However, the development of SCC Pale has been delayed by the necessity of diverting so much industrial capacity to the rebuilding of Pale and New Pale themselves. As these worlds recover, more and more capacity is freeing up and UPF economic planners expect to increase construction of additional Type VI wheels to upgrade Pale to Class II in the near future. Despite, or because of, the recovery work, SCC Pale has built itself a reputation as a quality exploration support supplier. #9 SCC Outer Reach (Dramune) Class: III Type VI Hulls: 1 Military Hull Sizes: None Civilian Hull Sizes: 1-20 Capacity: 50 HS System Ships: Yes Starships: No Specialization: Specializing in piracy and we don't just mean the docking fees. Only the most desperate or foolhardy would consider SCC Outer Reach as their choice for new builds. Strikes, graft, thefts, and the general corruption can significantly delay any ship build. Despite these problems, this SCC is one of the best for returning damaged ships to spaceworthiness. There are also numerous rumors floating around that this SCC is a virtuoso artist for hidden compartments and design customizations so necessary to the smuggling trade. And now the moment you've been waiting for. The Quekblortz Guide recommendation for the single best SCC in the Frontier to award your ship build contract goes to: *** SCC Triad (Cassidine) *** While not the largest, SCC Triad edged out SCC Gran Quivera as the single best shipyard. During the review and scoring, the complications of Task Force Prenglar and Strike Force Nova on SCC Gran Quivera scheduling created far more delay and variability than expected, despite the additional 2 wheels of capacity and more numerous jump routes. Also scoring in SCC Triad's favor was the proximity of SCC Rupert's Hole, giving SCC Triad an unparalleled scheduling flexibility by being able to offload or onboard work in tandem with SCC Rupert's Hole as needed. SCC Rupert's Hole was also able to fit in auxiliary builds for SCC Triad on an opportunistic basis, supplying work pods, lifeboats and shuttles quickly, ready to drop in to the longer running Triad build as needed. The architects of SCC Triad and Rupert's Hole dovetail their work nicely, making SCC Rupert's Hole almost the 7th wheel of SCC Triad. While Cassidine may be a little further to jump to reach, the savings in money and time for getting Class I work done more than makes up for it. |
 December 29, 2016 - 9:57pm | Which begs the question: how do system ships get to systems that do not have an SCC? |
December 29, 2016 - 11:09pm | @Shadow Shack as cargo. Something like this, but IN SPAAACE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2158305/Thats-load-ships-The-carrier-boat-hold-22-barges--oil-rig--back.html Star Frontiersman #9 has an article about an interstellar Jump Tug which is also here on the site: Jump Tugs http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/3256 That pretty much fills the bill. I'd bet SCC Prenglar and SCC Triad each have these for dealing with towing back disabled military vessels after Sathar encounters. Any system with orbital support capability could have one for salvage operations. And any Class III SCC probably has one of these. |
December 30, 2016 - 7:53am | Believe me I have plenty of house rules to explain that, but the canon rulebooks completely disregarded that concept. ;) |
 December 30, 2016 - 8:45am | Critique: #1 Grand Quivera- great write up. add some random dice roll to increase hours before back log clears and you can get a construction bay. Both worlds in this system have industry economies and one moon at Morgaine's world has resourse mining. With all that I would suggest giving a small savings to building a ship here alhough we can say that all of that is needed to support the already large volume of ship building going on here. or make it 1d5 result equall's the % savings due to robust economy. This offsets the delay and makes it valuable to try to get a building slip here anyway. #2 Triad. good no changes. especially like the tie in with ruperts hole SCC #3 Fromeltar I like this write up. However since this system is THE place for mining ship technology +15% savings if you buy a standard model mining ship. Its what they do and their SCC is already tooled up for mining ship construction. still a +5% savings if the mining ship is not one of their std designs. note: this is the headquarters of TransTravel mega corp and we could assume that the large and small freighters from the box set are also built here. they look like std. models to me no reason why the ships shouldn't be available without a saving maybe +10% savings? custom designs could run you 1d10% more due to the aforementioned beuracracy. I like the rest of the write up. In another vein it makes sens that before there ever was a SCC in space star ships were built on the ground. I'd like to explore the possibility of a optional rule to build ships on the ground. Obviously the largest size possible is HS5 as this is the largest size that can lift off from a planet. Planets with industry Tech and resource economies would be able to support this activity to one degree or another. these planet based SCCs would be called class IV and be more expensive than building in space. Industry economy or tech allows for planet to be treated as class IV shipyard resource economy reduces time till you can get a construction slip. (if a moon has a use it is figured into the economy of the planet for this purpose) and planets can build atomic engines if necessary. I would also amend the rules to allow class 3 SCC to equip ships with ion engines its not all that big of a deal to add to them. Otherwise there are only 4 SCC's that can build all the freighters that are the backbone of the local interstellar trade. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 30, 2016 - 9:32am | @jedion357 thanks for the critiques! I had just listed the SCCs from largest to smallest just to see that list - but when it came to figuring out how to order Class II and Class III, I started having to drag in factors not on the table, like number of jump routes and such which is what led to the write up. I had considered some sort of bonus/penalty to costs, construction times, or availability of systems based on each SCC - but ultimately didn't because the rules as written treat all SCCs the same. Adding tons more on top of it, other than flavor text, starts getting pretty simulationist. I view the rules as written as "averaged across the entire Frontier, across changing economics trends, these are the aggregate times and prices to budget around regardless" However, I like your ideas and would probably use something like that personally if shipbuilding comes up in my game. It might also be fun to sit down and go through the entire ship building system in KH, and create modifiers based on SCC by component - who does the best chemical drives? best ion drives? Using something like the megacorp names from rpginspiration.com you could even list things by suppliers like you see in other sci-fi games. Then the ship build could be picking an SCC, pulling together components by supplier, moving the assembly from SCC to SCC for certain finishing steps. I'd love to do that, but I think that's far more simulation than my vacation has time for, especially when prior experience detailing a Type-S Suleiman-class Scout/Courier from Traveller turned into a full 3D build with choice of wall paper, carpet, and lighting fixtures and other insanity. I have to beware throwing myself down holes like that. |
 January 4, 2017 - 4:58am | The idea of "jump tugs" begs a question: how does the tug avoid frying the hull it's towing with it's own exhaust? At the very least it's going to fry the tow cable, or are you invoking the rarely seen but there beam manipulators. |
 January 4, 2017 - 5:41am | Read the article more closely. It doesn't pull hulls; it's got a boom that extends forward from the front of the ship; the hulls are attached to this boom. It pushes hulls. See the pictures at the end of the article. |
January 4, 2017 - 7:01am | Ah, been awhile since I read it. Thanks for clarifying. |
January 4, 2017 - 8:54am | Does KHs prohibit a ship with grapples from making a void jump? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
January 4, 2017 - 10:11am | The closest it comes to saying so is on page 66 of the campaign book: "As long as the two ships are attached by grapples, they will cancel out each other's drive and maneuver abilities. Thus, the grappled ships will drive as if neither had power." |
January 4, 2017 - 5:30pm | The closest it comes to saying so is on page 66 of the campaign book: "As long as the two ships are attached by grapples, they will cancel out each other's drive and maneuver abilities. Thus, the grappled ships will drive as if neither had power." Thats interesting. i guess grapples were intended for straight boarding actions. However, if one ship shut down its drives then then the other could boost to void speed. I suspect that ships with grapples were the first jump tugs. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
January 4, 2017 - 10:40pm | The closest it comes to saying so is on page 66 of the campaign book: "As long as the two ships are attached by grapples, they will cancel out each other's drive and maneuver abilities. Thus, the grappled ships will drive as if neither had power."
I have an issue with this rule. Let's say a battleship with its octet of atomic C drives grapples a shuttle with it's single chemical A thruster. I'm sorry but that shuttle is not going to nullify the battleship's power or maneuverability one bit, it would be like a Smart car and a Mack truck --- the big torquey diesel would have no problem powering away with the load of the compact car attached to it. |
January 10, 2017 - 5:32pm | I think what that means is that any bonuses or penalties for drive and maneuver are cancelled, making them locked into place relative to each other. If one ship adds or drops thrust or turns the other does the same. The two maneuver as if one ship. |
January 12, 2017 - 6:03am | Looking at the system brief in WoWL module is indicates that there are 3 major space stations in White Light: Clarion station (a commerce station) and Space Fortress Redoubt (the largest) and the SCC and a half dozen small research and observation stations. Zebs left out the SCC's so I always figured that the SCC was part of Clarion station. This statement in the module indicates yet another error in Zebs that requires correcting. It's also interesting that in an off hand manner it mentions 1/2 dozen research stations. I think we can assume most other systems have 1d10 small stations. I think in an environment where private individuals can own a space ship it should be all that surprising if companies, private individuals , and etc are building private space stations for various activities. 1d10 seems like a good number for hvy population worlds. Maybe scale it down for other population levels: 1d8 for medium, 1d6 for light, 1d4 for outpost or referee choice if an outpost will have a small station. Clearly, the small research & observation stations were there as potential energy for adventure locations. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 12, 2017 - 1:38pm | Assuming that the Knight Hawks fold out map space station isin White Light, which station is it? I'm guessing it is the commerce station, Clarion Station. I also like that you noticed the half dozen smaller stations. With the knowledge we are gaining in real life that living long periods in zero g is unhealthy, I expect that the smallest of these stations are rotating and at least one deck, full circumference. -iggy |
January 12, 2017 - 2:23pm | I was thinking that these small stations would be on par with Skylab or the International Space Station. If they are research and observation stations then staff could rotate in and out and back to the planet surface and observation stations could be highly automated. What do they need observation stations in White Light for? Just how did the Royal Marines intercept and inspect freighters, pirates and sathar incursions? Observation stations run by robotic brains and occasionally they are a Royal Marine destination to service, and repair. But then again nothing to say one of these research stations couldn't be a HS1 space station. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 12, 2017 - 4:15pm | What do you need observation stations for in White Light? Asteriod migration Solar Flare activity Uninhabited planet study (and to make shure no one is suddenly inhabiting them illegally) Comet watching Intrusion of natural and aritificial bodies into White Light space Study of distant planets and other cosmic bodies Monitoring of the Electromagnetic spectrum for both natural and artificial signals and what they mean Space traffic control and emergency services and "Life boat stations" There are many other reasons but you get the gist.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
January 12, 2017 - 5:08pm | With the unusually small number of hulls in a militia I can see the need for extra platforms observing and reporting ship movements. And the limited range of KH detection equipment as well. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
