Sidetrack conversation about ships

[ffilz]

On a side note, HEPLAR is not a Classic Traveller thing... Maneuver Drives are Maneuver Drives, with whatever technology that is... I prefer not to get into too much tecnocal detail as to how the technology works, that too often leads to crazy interpolations of what the technology can do. Some of that is fun, right up to the point where someone decides that Traveller Maneuver Drive allows relativistic planet busters and the whole premise of the game setting is literally blown away...[/ooc]

I'm a TNE gearhead, at least for starship design. The rules get kinda odd for other things.

I think I had some TNE books at one time. I purged all but my Classic Traveller when I got married (maybe some of that even earlier)...

Frank

[lenusmars]

I don't have any strong opinion on it. Do what makes sense to you.

[Ramona]

TNE went all in with cascade skills. Weapons being the obvious example. If you had a 2 (easy math) in smg you had a 1 in all other slugthrowers. 1/2 skill. So sciences, medicine, piloting etc were all cascaded skills.

[Tiglath]

I don't have any strong opinion on it. Do what makes sense to you.

I agree as above.

FWIW I agree with Ship's Boat being a component of Pilot - maybe akin to the piston engine training phase of learning to fly a jet aircraft.

I like the idea that the Navy and Merchants have a (Edu 8+) theory exam but the Navy can end around it by sending you to Top Gun (Ship's Boat) school! Meanwhile Scouts and Pirates learn informally on the job and trusted pirate Lieutenants fly other people's (prize) ships. Nobles get trained by really expensive tutors ... who also sit the exam for them!

Pirates must favour traditional boarding methods (including gangplanks and swinging on ropes ) because they can't fly fighters, gigs or launches either - no Ship's Boat skill!!!

[ffilz]

More on the Pilot and Ship's Boat skills...

So traditional Ship's Boat covers small craft (< 100 tons), but I mentioned a distinction between maneuver and jump piloting.

Interpretations for each distinction:

Ship's Boat is small craft only - the Navy uses fighters, Belters who can't afford a Seeker use various small craft, Nobles maybe harder to justify why they sometimes just get Ship's Boat.

Ship's Boat is maneuver piloting only - the Navy also uses System Defense Boats, Belters may use various ships by in system only, this definition maybe makes more sense for a Noble - sometimes they just putter around in system with their Yacht.

I'm leaning hard towards the Ship's Boat is maneuver only piloting while Pilot covers both. And as mentioned earlier, if you get both skills, you add them together as your Pilot level.

[Ramona]

More on the Pilot and Ship's Boat skills...

So traditional Ship's Boat covers small craft (< 100 tons), but I mentioned a distinction between maneuver and jump piloting.

Interpretations for each distinction:

Ship's Boat is small craft only - the Navy uses fighters, Belters who can't afford a Seeker use various small craft, Nobles maybe harder to justify why they sometimes just get Ship's Boat.

Ship's Boat is maneuver piloting only - the Navy also uses System Defense Boats, Belters may use various ships by in system only, this definition maybe makes more sense for a Noble - sometimes they just putter around in system with their Yacht.

I'm leaning hard towards the Ship's Boat is maneuver only piloting while Pilot covers both. And as mentioned earlier, if you get both skills, you add them together as your Pilot level.

How about if, as you say “Pilot” is more to do with the Jump aspect. A pilot can pilot a ships boat and a starship, but a ships boat pilot can not do the jump insertion because it needs to calculate the residual velocity and the orbitsl mechanics of the destination system into account.

[joertexas]

How about if, as you say “Pilot” is more to do with the Jump aspect. A pilot can pilot a ships boat and a starship, but a ships boat pilot can not do the jump insertion because it needs to calculate the residual velocity and the orbitsl mechanics of the destination system into account.

That's the navigator's job. The pilot has to be able to fly the given vector, though.