Vehicle
Vehicles are technological devices intended to convey sophonts or their Goods from one location to another.
- A vehicle (...from Latin: vehiculum) is a machine or device that transports passengers or cargo.
- In essence, they are tools constructed using other tools, of varying complexity and sophistication.
Description (Specifications)
Vehicles are a technological item that allows movement of Sophont or Goods from one place to another. Some Vehicles may provide a sealed environment with or without life-support, others may require the occupants and/or crew to provide their own life-support and environmental protection as required.
Vehicles by Environment
Transportation is developed separately for three key separate environments:
- Aerospace - Aerospace Vessels
- Atmosphere - Aircraft, Airships, most Gravcraft and Spaceplanes
- Vacuum - Some Gravcraft, Spaceplanes, Spaceships and Starships[a]
- Land - Land Vehicles
- Surface - Ground Vehicles
- Sub-Surface - Tunnelling Vehicles
- Water/Liquid - Watercraft
- Surface - Surface Vessels
- Sub-Surface - Submersibles and then Submarines
- [a]: Starships are a separate category in this wiki, with its own subdivisions
Some vehicles are able to operate across categories: Multi-Environment Vehicles
Additionally, some methods of transport exist that defy the above classifications: Exotic Craft
Vehicles by method of lift
Aerospace Vessels and Watercraft may achieve lift (movement in the up-down dimension) through Wings, Thrust, Air-Cushion, Magnetic Levitation, Anti-Gravity Lifter and Natural Buoyancy.
Transportation by class of User
Vehicles may be used by Civil, Paramilitary or Military users. Some vehicles will be specific to roles within one of these realms, but often there is cross-over between realms.
n.b. Equivalent divisions exist for Starships
Vehicle Types by Role
- Personal Vehicle (Low Volume Sophont Transport)
- Consumer Vehicle (Medium Volume Sophont Transport)
- Mass Transit Vehicle (High Volume [Public] Sophont Transport)
- Industrial Vehicle (Vehicles for undertaking Industrial processes, e.g. Mining)
- Commercial Vehicle (Vehicles for Transport of Goods)
- Combat Vehicle
- Combat Support Vehicle
History & Background (Dossier)
Expected Technological Progression of Vehicles
See Transportation Technologies of Charted Space
See also
Vehicles
- Vehicle
- Primitive Craft - Craft of all types TL–1 to TL–3 powered by Wind or Animal power
- Aerospace Vessel
- Watercraft
- Land Vehicle
- Exotic Craft
- Multi-Environment Vehicle
- Vehicle Usage
- Vehicle Roles
- Personal Vehicle
- Consumer Vehicle
- Ground Car
- Air/Raft (Passenger, Small)
- G-Carrier (Small)
- Mass Transit Vehicle
- Rail Vehicle (Passenger)
- Bus
- G-Carrier
- Industrial Vehicle
- Commercial Vehicle
- Combat Vehicle
- Combat Support Vehicle
- Security Vehicle
Related:
The line between Spaceplane and Spaceship is blurred.If the design is described as a Vehicle then its a Spaceplane;
if it is described as a Ship its a Spaceship.
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Marc Miller. Characters and Combat (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), .Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Characters and Combat (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), .
- Marc Miller. Starships (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), .
- Marc Miller. Worlds and Adventures (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), .Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Worlds and Adventures (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), .
- Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), .
- Rob Caswell, Joe Fugate, Bryan Gibson. 101 Vehicles (Digest Group Publications, 1988), .
- Michael Taylor, Ron Vutpakdi. Archaic Small Craft (ComStar Games, 2008), .
- Colin Dunn, Matthew Sprange, Nick Robinson. Vehicle Handbook (Mongoose Publishing, 2012), .
- Colin Dunn. Vehicle Upgrade Manual (Mongoose Publishing, 2013), .
- Citation Missing - Vehicle Handbook
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science
- Collator: BackworldTraveller