Battle Rider
A Battle Rider is a non-jump capable ship intended to stand in the line of battle in space combat and carried interstellar by a battle tender.
- They are considered bigcraft and boats displacing more than a hundred tons without a jump drive.
- There is some overlap between oversize fighters, System Defense Boats, and combatant barges.
- While most riders are in the BCS size range, ACS (Adventure) and FCS (Fleet) riders are feasible.
- The Supraclass designation is also known as Ship Mission, Ship Mission Code, Mission, or Ship Hull Designation.
- It is a starship supraclass.
Library Data Referral Tree[edit]
Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
Starship:
- Advanced Ship Classifications
- Ship Mission Code / Supraclass
- Ship Type Code / Superclass
- Ship Class Code / Class
- Model (TL)
- Bloc (Lot)
- Basic Ship Classifications
- Adventure Class Ship (Auxiliary Class Ship)
- Battle Class Ship (Bulk / Subcapital Class Ship)
- Capital Ship (Capital Class Ship)
- Fleet Class Ship (Capital Class Ship)
- Size-Role Classification
- Subcapital Ship (Small & Large Battle Class Ships)
- QSP
- USP
- World Class Ship
- Astronomical Unit (AU)
- FTL
- Light Speed (c)
- Light-week (lw)
- Light-year (ly)
- NAFAL (STL)
- Parsec (pc)
Description (Specifications)[edit]
Battle Rider: A battle rider is a nonjump-capable vessel which is otherwise armed and armored like a battleship. By eliminating the jump drives and their associated controls and power plant support, the internal space they would occupy may be allocated to additional armor, weaponry, or agility. of any two vessels of equal tonnage, a battle rider (...which is not burdened with jump drives and required jump drive support) would logically be superior to a jump-capable battleship. [1]
Image Repository[edit]
- A Gallant class Battle Rider flanked by two Type S'es on patrol..
- A side view schematic of a Nolikian class Battle Rider with a Beowulf class Free Trader for size comparison.
- A World class Battle Tender laden down with five Nolikian class Battle Riders.
Type BRS Superheavy Battle Rider:
Type BRV Very Light Battle Rider / Battle Rider Fighter:
Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)[edit]
Battle Riders: Non-jump-capable capital ship intended to stand in the line-of-battle in space combat, and carried interstellar by a battle tender.
Two opposite views in naval architecture have dominated the design of the major battleships of space navies.
- The battle rider concept involves a large jump-capable tender carrying a complete Battle Squadron (BatRon) of two to ten heavily armed and armoured battle riders.
- The opposite concept is the battleship, a large jump-capable ship which carries the jump drives and fuel tanks internally.
The battle tender, so integral to the concept of the battle rider, is little more than a large dispersed structure (up to a million tons) with jump drives, fuel tanks and basic controls. By dispensing with the need for jump drives and jump fuel tanks on each of the riders, each becomes ton for ton more heavily armed and armoured. The concept does not allow for the possibility of a superior force; no matter how good a rider is, if it meets a superior adversary, it is placed in a position of winning or dying. Retreat is nearly impossible without losses.
It is generally held that, in any meeting between a battleship and a battle rider of equal tonnage, the battle rider will triumph.
Supraclass Roles[edit]
Battle Riders typically serve the following roles:
- Attack Battle Rider (BR)
- Battle Rider (BR) (Namesake)
- Battle Rider Fighter (BRV)
- Bigcraft Fighter (BRV)
- Escort Battle Rider (BRV)
- Heavy Battle Rider (BRH)
- Jump Rider (BR)
- Light Battle Rider (BRL)
- Medium Battle Rider (BRM)
- Superheavy Battle Rider (BRS)
- Very Light Battle Rider (BRV)
Size-Class Roles for Transport Vessels[edit]
- Fighter (F) (1 to 99 tons)
- Very Light Battle Rider (BRV) (100 to 2,499 tons)
- Light Battle Rider (BRL) (2,500 to 24,999 tons)
- Medium Battle Rider (BRM) (25,000 to 49,999 tons)
- Heavy Battle Rider (BRH) (50,000 to 99,999 tons)
- Superheavy Battle Rider (BRS) (100,000 or larger tons)
Military Subcraft[edit]
Military subcraft (...both smallcraft and bigcraft) are carried by some of these vessels:
- Combat Barge (WBG)
- Combat Transport Smallcraft (UI)
- Fighters (F)
- Militarized Utility Craft (UQ)
Supraclass Archetypal Roles[edit]
These vessels typically serve the following archetypal roles:
BR-class Battle Rider Supraclass Archetypes | |||
---|---|---|---|
Archetype | Type Code | Exemplar | Remarks |
Battle Rider | BR | Nolikian class Battle Rider | Battle Rider are large subcraft designed to be carried by tenders. They are rarely built larger than a typical cruiser and many weigh in at the average destroyer and escort displacement levels. Since they carry no jump drives, this space can be used for weapons and armor giving them combat advantages over FTL starships.
|
Heavy Battle Rider | BRH | Gallant class Battle Rider | A Heavy Battle Rider is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 50,000 to 99,999 tons.
|
Light Battle Rider | BRL | Nolikian class Battle Rider | A Light Battle Rider is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 2,500 to 24,999 tons.
|
Medium Battle Rider | BRM | Anzha class Battle Rider | A Medium Battle Rider is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 25,000 to 49,999 tons.
|
Superheavy Battle Rider | BRS | Jdimer'Tsie class Battle Rider | A Superheavy Battle Rider is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 100,000 or larger tons.
|
Very Light Battle Rider | BRV | Staban class Battle Rider | A Very Light Battle Rider is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 100 to 2,499 tons.
|
NOTES: There is semantic overlap between many of the classes and codes. Some codes organize by mission or capability, others by size and tonnage, and yet others by other characteristics. |
History & Background (Dossier)[edit]
In set piece warfare, a force of Riders can be difficult to defeat. But in the fluid warfare that has typified operations against the Zhodani and Virus, Riders have been a serious washout. Under current naval doctrine, Riders are always used in the strategic defensive role, fortifying refueling sources within the Regency Frontier and interface worlds in a band 3 parsecs into the safe. Some Rider squadrons are deployed into regions Wildside adjacent to the Regency, along with a handful of Scapegoats, laying in ambush of Vampireships. Pound per pound versus jump drive-equipped ships, a rider will ordinarily triumph.
Selected Variant Types & Classes[edit]
Warship - Non-starship - Boat - Heavy Battle Rider:
Warship - Non-starship - Boat - Light Battle Rider:
- Type BRL class Light Battle Rider
- Ardi class Battle Rider
- Aulinu class Battle Rider
- Cleon class Battle Rider
- Dungfumbler class Heavy Battle Rider
- Houdini class Battle Rider
- Iingar class Light Battle Rider
- Joao class Battle Rider
- Joneslow class Battle Rider
- Lithos Mailed class Heavy Battle Rider
- Narsil class Battle Rider
- Nolikian class Battle Rider
- Nosea class Battle Rider
- Omega Supreme class Battle Rider
- Parasite class Battle Rider
- Perseus class Battle Rider
- Quiquilat class Battle Rider
- Reverent Prayer class Battle Rider
- Sacnoth class Battle Rider
- Trindel class Battle Rider
- Valhalla class Battle Rider
- Zero Karma class Heavy Battle Rider
Warship - Non-starship - Boat - Medium Battle Rider:
Warship - Non-starship - Boat - Superheavy Battle Rider:
Warship - Non-starship - Boat - Very Light Battle Rider:
Ship Summary List[edit]
Some of the most commonly used vessels in this role or these roles include:
7 Representative Battle Riders (BR) Classes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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0 Representative Heavy Battle Riders (BRH) Classes | |
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No results |
4 Representative Light Battle Riders (BRL) Classes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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0 Representative Medium Battle Riders (BRM) Classes | |
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No results |
0 Representative Superheavy Battle Riders (BRS) Classes | |
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No results |
3 Representative Very Light / Escort Battle Riders (BRV) Classes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12 Representative Battle Tenders (VT) Classes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]
This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it. |
- Supplement 8 Library Data (A-M)
- EXTERNAL LINK: Grey Matter by Peter Gray
- Data Wrangling: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science, Emeritus