Difference between revisions of "Solostar class Far Trader"

Revision as of 18:47, 1 June 2022

Solostar class Far Trader
Almost no crew, lots of cargo.
Type: AF Far Trader
Category	ACS
Size	300 Tons
Hull Configuration	Wedge Hull
Streamlining	Streamlined Hull
Tech Level	TL–12
Engineering
Computer	Model/2
Jump	J-2
Maneuver	3 G
Armaments
Hardpoints	3
Accommodations
Staterooms	1
Personnel
Crew	1
High/Mid Passengers	0
Payload
Cargo	161.3 Tons
Fuel tank	0 Tons
Construction
Origin	Rule of Man
Manufacturer	various
Year Operational	-1823
End of Service	Examples still operate post-Collapse
Price
Cost	MCr98.985. MCr89.0865 in quantity.
Statistics
Quick Ship Profile	A2-CS32
Images
Blueprint	Yes
Illustration	No
Source
Also see	Far Trader
Canon	Unpublished, fan design
Designer	Adrian Tymes
Era	Second Imperium
Designed with Mongoose Traveller High Guard rules, but portable to other versions.

The Solostar class Far Trader is a civilian trader.

Description (Specifications)

The Solostar class Far Trader is essentially a stripped-down Star Butler class Yacht. It is one of the rare 300 ton starships that only requires a single crew, specifically an astrogator.

Visually it is not that distinct: a 2-deck 300 ton Wedge Hull, tapering in front. Aside from its self-repair drones and cargo crane (both of which are there to make operations more efficient), as well as its biosphere (the reduction in life support costs outweighing the increased finance costs), it has a minimum of systems, in order to minimize costs, maximize cargo space, and be as profitable as possible.

Supposedly, occasional pirates have even called this ship class "boring", though not too boring to rob. The Solostar class is noted for, according to one study, having a statistically lower than average number of incidents with starport traffic control, though the study's methodology has been called into question. There are no publicly known official reports on whether Solostar boringness actually reaches psionic levels, though there has been speculation, mostly by those not in a position to check.

Image Repository

Not available at this time.

General Description & Deck Plans

Deck Plans for this vessel.

Basic Ship Characteristics

Following the Imperial Navy and IISS Universal Ship Profile and data, additional information is presented in the format shown here. ^[1]

Basic Ship Characteristics ^[2]
No.	Category	Remarks
1.	Tonnage / Hull	Tonnage: 300 tons (standard). 4050 cubic meters. Streamlined Wedge Hull. Dimensions: Maximum: 38 meters long by 18 meters wide by 6 meters tall
2.	Crew	Crew: 1 Astrogator. 1 virtual Pilot provided via software.
3.	Performance	Acceleration: 3-G maneuver drive installed. Jump: 2.
4.	Electronics	Model/2 ship computer.
5.	Hardpoints	3 hardpoints, all unused.
6.	Armament	None.
7.	Defenses	None.
8.	Craft	None. Vacc suits required for EVA (extra-vehicle activity). Rescue Balls for crew escape normally carried.
9.	Fuel Treatment	It is typically equipped with a fuel purification plant and fuel scoops.
10.	Cost	MCr98.985 (no architect's fees, those having long since been paid). MCr89.0865 in quantity.
11.	Construction Time	3.5 months standard, 2.5 in quantity.
12.	Remarks	A far trader that only needs a single crew.

History & Background (Dossier)

Designed alongside and as a consequence of the Star Butler class Yacht (see that article for the full story), the Solostar class Far Trader has been remarkably unremarkable. All records suggest the class fared well at first, then fell into disuse during Twilight as interstellar trade dried up, being mothballed or scrapped by the time the Long Night set in. A few Solostars survived the Long Night by simply being forgotten about, only to be rediscovered a few centuries after the Third Imperium restored their purpose.

As with the Star Butler class Yacht, reverse-engineered and tuned-up Solostar blueprints are technically freely available to those who know to look for them. Although the concept should be more popular than it is - the design can pull solid profits for a solo operator with a decent trade route - naval architects who would otherwise look for it seem to keep winding up regarding the concept as "too obvious", "too basic", or otherwise not worth looking for.

Class Naming Practice/s & Peculiarities

Ship Interior Details: Most of the ship is a two-deck-high cargo bay, with fuel, drives, and power plant to the sides. The airlocks and repair drone hangars lie to the front of this space, while a large (6 meter by 6 meter) cargo hatch is at the rear, and cargo crane machinery lines the top. The front of the ship tapers to a one-deck-high "mid deck" containing the stateroom, commons, biosphere, fuel processor, bridge, and avionics.

During flight, the crew is expected to stay in this forward section, though stairs lead down to the cargo bay should the cargo need inspecting. "Inspecting the cargo" is generally used as an excuse to wander the cargo bay, since with a minimum of amenities, jumps can be boring indeed. There is provision (life support, sleeping quarters, et cetera) for up to two sophonts, but most Solostars only ever have one person aboard during flight.

For this quality, the Solostar class has been called a Trader Vessel version of the Xavier class Express Boat. As with that class, more than one Solostar crew takes week-long fast drug as a matter of course upon entering jumpspace (sometimes before, having calculated the jump and leaving it to the computer to actually enter, though this is seen as a dangerous practice). The repair drones are designed to mostly work outside the hull to maintain the ship, but can enter the cargo bay via the airlocks, and in more than one case have been reprogrammed to provide desperately-needed entertainment, either instead of or in addition to their original duties.

Most Solostars are corporately owned and just given registration numbers, not names. Even when they have names, few Solostars display as much flair - in their name or their hull painting - as typical far traders.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Civilian Ship - Merchant Vessel - Far Trader:

Type A2 class Far Trader

References & Contributors (Sources)

This article has metadata.

This ship was designed using Mongoose 2nd ship design rules.

Matthew Sprange. High Guard (Mongoose Publishing, 2016), 8-22.

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Matthew Sprange. High Guard (Mongoose Publishing, 2016), 8-22. (Design Sequence Used)
Author & Contributor: Adrian Tymes

↑ Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.
↑ Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.

[1] Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.

[2] Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 117: / Line 117: @@
 == History & Background ([[Dossier]]) ==
-Designed alongside and as a consequence of the [[Star Butler class Yacht]] (see that article for the full story), the [[Solostar class Far Trader]] has been remarkably unremarkable. All records suggest the class fared well at first, then fell into disuse during [[Twilight]] as interstellar trade dried up, being mothballed or scrapped by the time the [[Long Night]] set in. A few Solostars apparently survived the [[Long Night]] by simply being forgotten about, only to be rediscovered a few centuries after the [[Third Imperium]] restored their purpose.
+Designed alongside and as a consequence of the [[Star Butler class Yacht]] (see that article for the full story), the [[Solostar class Far Trader]] has been remarkably unremarkable. All records suggest the class fared well at first, then fell into disuse during [[Twilight]] as interstellar trade dried up, being mothballed or scrapped by the time the [[Long Night]] set in. A few Solostars survived the [[Long Night]] by simply being forgotten about, only to be rediscovered a few centuries after the [[Third Imperium]] restored their purpose.
 As with the [[Star Butler class Yacht]], reverse-engineered and tuned-up Solostar blueprints are technically freely available to those who know to look for them. Although the concept should be more popular than it is - the design can pull solid profits for a solo operator with a decent trade route - [[naval architect]]s who would otherwise look for it seem to keep winding up regarding the concept as "too obvious", "too basic", or otherwise not worth looking for.