Difference between revisions of "Smallcraft"
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== Description ([[Specifications]]) == | == Description ([[Specifications]]) == | ||
| − | + | Small craft designs are intended to be as useful as possible. As a result, [[smallcraft]] descriptions cover the basic performance of the craft, crew, and other details such as the specific utilisation of its excess interior space for its specified funcion. Any fitting or combination of fittings available may be specified for a standard design small craft. | |
Shuttling between [[planet]]s, small [[non-starship]]s run errands, make deliveries. and generally do much of the dirty work that [[larger craft]] can't or won't do. Small craft displace less than 100 [[dton]]s and are thus incapable of interstellar flight. | Shuttling between [[planet]]s, small [[non-starship]]s run errands, make deliveries. and generally do much of the dirty work that [[larger craft]] can't or won't do. Small craft displace less than 100 [[dton]]s and are thus incapable of interstellar flight. | ||
Revision as of 23:33, 26 November 2025
Small Craft: Vessels under a hundred tons are considered to be small craft. [1]
- Smallcraft are non-jump spacecraft under a 100 dTons in displacement.
- There are two primary types of smallcraft:
- Combatant Smallcraft usually known as Fighters
- Noncombatant Smallcraft usually known as Utility Craft
- Smallcraft meant to be carried internally in other, larger ships are often called subcraft.
- Various standard types of small craft exist.
Description (Specifications)
Small craft designs are intended to be as useful as possible. As a result, smallcraft descriptions cover the basic performance of the craft, crew, and other details such as the specific utilisation of its excess interior space for its specified funcion. Any fitting or combination of fittings available may be specified for a standard design small craft.
Shuttling between planets, small non-starships run errands, make deliveries. and generally do much of the dirty work that larger craft can't or won't do. Small craft displace less than 100 dtons and are thus incapable of interstellar flight.
Standard Smallcraft Designs & Variants
Some of the common variants based on the sandard plans available for small craft include:
Smallcraft (Generic "Type-Q-"):
- Type-QP Pod (5-ton)
- Lifepod (5-ton) - Emergency escape and survival craft.
- Type-QA Light Launch (10-ton)
- Lifeboat (10-ton) - Emergency escape and survival craft.
- Cockboat (10-ton)
- Lightboat (15-ton)
- Runabout (15-ton) - (Fast Lightboat/Launch)
- Type-QF Fighter - Armed (and possibly armored) combat craft.
- Type-QL Launch (20-ton) - Small multi-purpose craft capable of world-landings.
- Fast Launch (20-ton)
- Type-QG Gig (20-ton) - Utility craft for passenger and freight transfer between ships.
- Type-QB Boat (30-ton)
- Slow Boat (30-ton)
- (Standard) Spaceboat (30-ton)
- Fastboat (30-ton)
- Shipsboat (30-ton) - Mid-sized utility craft assigned to a specific ship.
- Strikeboat (40-ton)
- Type-QN Pinnace (40-ton)
- Slow Pinnace (40-ton)
- (Standard) Pinnace (40-ton)
- Interface/Landing Pinnace (40-ton) - Mid-sized utility craft capable of landing on worlds.
- Fuel Skimmer (40-ton)
- Fast Pinnace (40-ton) - Interplanetary Pinnace
- Type-QC Cutter (50-ton) - Mid-sized multi-purpose small craft.
- Type-QR Lander (60-ton)
- Type-QS Shuttle (70-ton) - Large passenger and freight transporter capable of landing on worlds. Built to travel between two points (worlds; locations).
- Type-QK Picket Boat (80-ton)
- Type-QT Fuel Lighter/Tanker (90-ton)
Smallcraft as Military & Paramilitary Auxiliaries
Just as Smallcraft are employed in the civilian commercial and non-commercial arenas, they also find specialized roles within military and paramilitary vessel hierarchies. A number of smallcraft and ACS combatants exist in the Lightcraft Combatant category.
Escort Combatants (Secondary) - The Lightcraft Hierarchy
Smallcraft (F or U) (0 - 99 tons) (* System craft / non-Jump *)
- Fighter: Interceptor / Picket (FD / FE / FP / FR) (10 - 50 tons)
- Gunboat / Torpedo Boat (GB / MB / DB / EB) (40 - 99 tons)
- Cutter (sC/qC) (45+ tons)
- Light Sloop (ESL) (50 - 99 tons)
Bigcraft (W or Other) (100 tons or larger) (* System vessel / non-Jump *)
- Escort Vessel (ES/ESV):
- Sloop-of-War (ESB/ESG) (100 - 600 tons)
- Gun-Brig (EB/EBG) (400 - 1000 tons)
- Defense Boat (DB/SDB) (100 - 1,000 tons)
- System Defense Vessel (DV/SDV) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Defense Frigate (DG) (800 - 1,200 tons)
- Escort Defense Cruiser (EDC) (1,000 - 2,000 tons)
Largecraft (100 tons or larger) (* Jump-capable *)
- Escort (E):
- Jump-Sloop (ESJ) (100 - 600 tons)
- Close Escort (EC/CE) (300 - 600 tons)
- Corvette (E/EG) (300 - 800 tons)
- Frigate (G):
- Destroyer Escort (DE) (400 - 1,000 tons)
- Escort Frigate (EG) (500 - 1,200 tons)
- Gunned Frigate (G) (500 - 1,200 tons)
- Destroyer (D):
- Escort Destroyer (ED) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Escort Cruiser (EC):
- Detached Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Colonial Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Provincial Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Destroyer Leader (DGL/DGC/DLC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Heavy Gun-Frigate (EGC/GFC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons)
- Detached Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Traditionally, the historical vessels from which the names of the modern examples above are taken increased in size along the progression below.
- »» For more detailed background information, please see: Origins of Vessel Naming Nomenclature.
- Gunboat »» Sloop (Single-mast) »» Sloop-of-War (Brig-Sloop (2-mast) »» Ship-Sloop (3-mast)) »» Corvette »» Escort/Patrol Frigate (Destroyer Escort) »» Destroyer (Escort Destroyer / Fleet Destroyer) »» (Destroyer Leader <> Heavy Gun Frigate) »» Cruiser »» (Heavy) Gun Cruiser
Paramilitary & Military Vessels by Size-Role
Smallcraft and Lightcraft Combat Vessels form a part of the larger spectrum of paramilitary and military combatants. These vary in tonnage and in their intended function or role in fleet maneuvers and tactics.
| Ship Classification by Size | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Type | Tonnage | Examples | Remarks | |
| 1. | Smallcraft | 0 - 99 tons | Smallcraft are typically Subcraft, designed to be carried by carrier craft.
| ||
| 2. | Spacecraft | 100 tons or larger |
Spacecraft are in-system vessels, lacking interstellar drives. (Occasionally known as "Bigcraft" or "Spaceships" or "System Ships")
| ||
| 3. | Starships | 100 tons or larger |
Starships are vessels with interstellar drives. (Occasionally known as "Largecraft") | ||
| 4. | Adventure Class Ships (ACS) | 10 tons - 2,400 tons |
Adventure Class Ships are usually jump-capable.
| ||
| 5. | Battle Class Ships (BCS) Capital Class Ships (CCS) |
2,500 tons - 250 ktons |
Battle Class Ships are warships and comprise both smaller Capital Primary Warships as well as Subcapital Secondary Warships that include Cruisers & Fleet Escorts. They are usually jump-capable.
| ||
| * | Capital Class Ships (CCS) | 100 ktons - 250 ktons |
The Higher End of Battle Class Ships and the Lower End of Fleet Class Ships (100,000 - 250,000 tons) have had varying categorizations to various commentators. The category is generally seen to overlap both, depending upon one's chosen definition of Battle Class and Fleet Class. [2] | ||
| 6. | Capital Class Ships (CCS) Fleet Class Ships (FCS) |
100 ktons - 1 Mton |
Fleet Class Ships are Capital Primary Warships. They are usually jump-capable.
| ||
| 7. | World Class Ships (WCS) | > 1 Mton | Loeskalth planetoid generation ship. | World Class Ships are beyond expensive and represent suprapolity-level investment.
| |
History & Background (Dossier)
Each small craft design is intended to be as useful as possible. As a result, smallcraft descriptions cover the basic performance of the craft, and indicates price, crew, and other details. Each craft also has a feature called excess space: this interior tonnage may be used by the purchaser for a wide variety of purposes. In effect, when the craft is procured, it is customized by the purchaser for some specific use. Any fitting or combination of fittings available may be specified for a standard design small craft. The prices, however, are ignored, and are considered to be included in the standard design price. [1]
There are eight standard designs available; each design plan is available for Cr100. All take approximately twelve months to build. All are streamlined, and can enter atmospheres. All can operate with unrefined fuel; they have fuel scoops which allow them to skim fuel from a gas giant. [1]
Standard plans are available for the following small craft:
Smallcraft (Generic "Type-Q-"):
- Type-QP Pod (5-ton)
- Type-QA Light Launch (10-ton)
- Type-QF Fighter (10-ton)
- Type-QL Launch (20-ton)
- Type-QB Boat (30-ton)
- Type-QN Pinnace (40-ton)
- Type-QC Cutter (50-ton)
- Type-QS Shuttle
Library Data Referral Tree
- 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
- NAFAL (STL) - (Not As Fast As Light) / (Slower Than Light)
- Light Speed (c)
- FTL - (Faster Than Light) - "Superluminal"
References & Contributors (Sources)
| This article has metadata. |
- Marc Miller. Starships (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), —.
- Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), —.
- Mike Jackson. "Traveller Craft." Third Imperium 10 (1988): —.
- Mike Jackson. "Traveller Craft." Third Imperium 11 (1988): —.
- S.R. Greene. SGS: Imperial Small Craft (Seeker Gaming Systems, 1992), —.
- S.R. Greene. SGS: Imperial Small Craft Vol. 2 (Seeker Gaming Systems, 1992), —.
- Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Traveller: The New Era (Game Designers Workshop, 1993), 378.
- Dave Nilsen. Reformation Coalition Equipment Guide (Game Designers Workshop, 1994), —.
- Jason Kemp. Stellar Reaches 04 (FLTGames Gaming Group, 2006), —.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Marc Miller. Starships (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), 17.
- ↑ T5.10 Book 2, p.31 defines the BCS range as 2,500 tons - 100 ktons and the FCS range as > 100 ktons, whereas the MgT2 Starship Operators Manual, p.6 defines the BCS range as 2,500 tons - 250 ktons and the FCS range as 250 ktons - 1 Mton. The Capital Class (CCS) range is introduced here to define the overlap (100 ktons - 250 ktons). - WHULorigan
