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)[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- 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)[edit]
Expected Technological Progression of Vehicles[edit]
See Transportation Technologies of Charted Space
See also[edit]
Vehicles[edit]
- 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)[edit]
- 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), .
- Matthew Sprange. Vehicle Handbook (Mongoose Publishing, 2017), .
- Collator: BackworldTraveller