CommCaster

Commcaster
Type	Communication Device
Tech Level	TL–8
Cost	Various
Size	Various
Weight	Various
Manufacturer	Various
Also see	Ship Equipment
Reference	T5 Core Rules 388.
TBD

A CommCaster is a shipboard or station-installed device that shares data with multiple other vessels and their ship computers.

• CommCasters and DataCasters use Data Broadcasts or Beamcasts to send data at the target.
• It is a kind of Ship Equipment that functions as a Transmitter and a Communications Coordinator.

Description (Specifications)

A CommCaster can be thought of as a robust communicator that transmits multiple signals through whatever type of tight beam communication system the individual ships are using. They are typically turret-mounted. It allows coordination of attack and defense among a squadron or task force of warships, the sharing of sensor data, and the enabling of multiple warships to attack the same target simultaneously in a coordinated manner.

Image Repository

Functional Explication

CommCasters are dedicated information and communications links between the ships:

1. Sensor Data: Two ships, each with commCasters can share sensor data, and each may attack targets sensed by the other.
2. Virtual Battery Fire: Ships (...each equipped with CommCaster) can attack the same target with weapons of the same type (...but not necessarily the same TL or mount). The hits inflicted by the weapons can complement each other, possibly causing more destructive effects.

History & Background (Dossier)

CommCasters are part of a ship's electronic warfare suite. They become available around the TL:7-9 tech epoch, and as tech levels increase they become more sophisticated in response to more advanced adversarial countermeasures.

Vilani CommCasters During the Interstellar Wars

Vilani battle fleets extensively relied on CommCasters during the Interstellar Wars, as they aided in the general Vilani operational tactic of employing overwhelming firepower directed by a single commander. They were surprised when Terran countermeasures such as broad-spectrum jamming (...typically with rock music) and other types of active ECM rendered them ineffective. The Vilani had not encountered electronic warfare before, and did not even have a word for it in their language at the time.

References

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 342, 386, 388, 390-391, 408, 413, 415, 508.
• Author & Contributor: Lord Matthew Kerwin Baron Thon
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science