classic.starship.weapons.txt

Sorry for the length everybody.  I want to post this to TML, and possibly put it
into a CT-TNE conversion guide.  Before I do that though,  I'd really like you
guys to flame it first.

ToryArms 3-Pack System:
 Early in [XXXX- Suggestions?], the Imperial Navy put out a request for 
Proposal for a new modular weapons system.  Several companies entered into final
bidding in late XXXX+1,  and the Navy accepted the ToryArms bid before years
end.  As the Navy expanded,  and the Scout service accepted the 3-Pack, ToryArms
had more and more trouble meeting Imperial orders.  In desperate need of more 
units,  and under extreme pressure from several megacorps,  the Imperial Navy 
releases the 3-Pack specifications to the public.  As more and more 
manufacturers started producing 4-Pack systems, they became cheaper and more 
common.  As the years passed,  the 3-Pack became the standard turret system 
built and installed on almost all ships.

 The basis for the system is the 3-Pack turret.  The turret combines three 
modular bays and an appropriate Tech Level of workstation.  The turret is then 
fitted with up to three modules.  Most modules are completely self contained, 
except for power input.  Self contained modules are available for lasers, 
missile launchers, and sandcasters.  Both fusion and Plasma guns are available, 
but require an additional Ammunition module.

 During the rebellion, as the Imperial Navy splintered and production centers 
were bombed,  the 3-Pack began to be replaced by a wide variety of weapons 
systems.  With the collapse of the Imperium,  the 3-Pack system has become even 
more rare.  Without the high level of Imperial standardization,  and Imperium 
wide mass production,  the 3-Pack has been replaced by other designs.  The 
3-Pack system can still be obtained at many spaceports in the Regency,  but 
availability outside of the Regency is unknown.

Commonly Available 3-Pack Weapons Modules
TL-9 3 Pack Missile Launcher
  8.11tn  Cr60960  .15MW  Magazine for 3 missiles. Includes 300,000km Laser 
   communicator for missile control.
  3-Pack missiles:  1.6m3  1.6tn  Cr4654  Rating: 16/10  Controlled missile
   TL-9 Warhead:  C:42  B:64  PV: 209
   TL-13 Warhead:  C:53  B:73 PV: 227

TL-9 3-Pack Sandcaster
  16tn  .21MCr  1MW  6 Canisters, each 1D6x5 at Cr400
TL-13 3-Pack Sandcaster
  16tn  .28MCr  1MW  11 Canisters,  each 2D5x5 at Cr800

TL-9 3-Pack Laser  26Mj
  22.51tn  1.1426MCr  .75MW  0:1/4 - 13 (as long range)
  If multiple laser packs are installed,  their beam pointers can be replaced: *
    +.15MCr,  0:1/4 - 13 (at normal difficulty)
TL-13 3-Pack Laser 31Mj X-Ray
  18.06tn  1.0977MCr  .86MW  Range: 4/8/16/32 : 1/4 - 14
  If multiple laser packs are installed, their beam pointers can be replaced: *
   Dual Lasers:  +.8MCr, Range: 8/16/32/64 : 1/4 - 14
   Triple Lasers: +1MCr, Range: 10/20/40/80 : 1/4 - 14

* Lasers of differing designs or Tech Level cannot share beam pointers.

TL-12 3-Pack Plasma Gun
  11.518tn  3.3MCr  0:10-109,  includes a Point Defense computer and an EMS RF.
  Ammo Pack: *
    400 rounds 90Mj CPC cartridges  86.4tn  .9MCr
TL-14 3-Pack Plasma Gun
  12.26tn  4.123MCr  0:11-115,  includes a Point Defense computer and an EMS RF.
  Ammo Pack: *
    360 rounds 100Mj PPC cartridges  86.4tn  .9MCr

* Ammo packs are specific to each weapon.  They cannot be shared between 
  different Tech Level or power of weapon.

TL-14 3-Pack Fusion Gun
  12.26tn  16.57MCr  0:35-140, includes a Point Defense computer and an EMS RF.
  Ammo Pack:
    360 rounds 150Mj PFC cartridges  86.4tn  .432MCr

3-Pack Turret Base:
  The turret base fits into a standard 3 ton turret socket.  The base includes a
  workstation for a gunner and support for 3 packages.  The TL of the socket and
  it's workstation must be specified at purchase time.
    .4tn  .006MCr  first available at TL-9.

 Fire control limits allow mixing of different weapons only on ships with ten 
or less turrets.  Fire control on larger installations of mixed turrets hampers 
effective weapons control.  All weapons tasks become 2 levels more difficult on 
ships with mixed weapons turrets and more than 10 turrets.

  What do you guys think?  It's also going to require impact missile rules. 
I've got an idea I'll throw out in a separate posting.  I'll probably post this
to TML in a few days,  after everyone here has had a chance to look at it.

Bob Piper

-----8<-----

The weapons system should probably predate the First Frontier War, and
quite possibly the production problems in that war should be the impetus for
making the specifications public.


Kinetic energy of impact is much more important than any explosive effects
at FF&S closing speeds.  One way to estimate the penetration of a kinetic
energy penetrator is to naively apply the FF&S rules for KEAP projectiles.

According to FF&S, for KEAP rounds with a muzzle energy of 12Mj or more, the
final penetration is:

	Pen = Mj * 4
where	Mj is the energy in megajoules

	Mj = (Kg * Vel ^ 2) / 2000000
where	Kg is the projectile mass in kilogramms
	Vel is the projectile velocity in meters per second

For a completely unreasonable (far too light) missile, closing on a starship
at 1 hex per turn (slowest possible BL speed), this works out to:

	Mj = (0.1 * 16667 ^ 2) / 2000000 = 13.89 Mj
	Pen = 13.89 * 4 = 55.56, which rounds to 56

Note that that's a 100-gram projectile at the slowest possible speed.

Assuming (based on attempting to
reverse-engineer your missile design) that you're using a 19.5cm HEAP
warhead on the missile, the warhead masses 107.5kg.  This results in a KEAP
penetration of Pen=59725 (yes, I typed that right).  Even taking
conservative guesstimates of it's suitability (say, a "Special Ammunition"
multiplier of 0.1 because it would be so poor at penetration), thiw works
out to a penetration of 5972.  Therefore, due to it's velocity, the warhead
has 26 times the energy that's stored in it's chemical composition.

It's actually quite reasonable to save a few credits, and lighten the
missile considerably, by dispensing with the warhead.  The average seeker
unit masses a kilogram, and would have an unadjusted penetration of 556
(adjusted using the same 0.1 modifier above, it would have a pen of 56).

The following table summarizes KEAP damage for a 1kg mass:

BL Speed	Energy Mj	Pen	Mod 1	Mod 2	

 1		  139		  556	  56	  56
 2		  556		 2222	 222	 222
 3		 1250		 5000	 500	 250
 4		 2222		 8889	 889	 445
 5		 3472		13889	1389	 695
 6		 5000		20001	2000	1000
 7		 6806		27223	2722	1361
 8		 8889		35556	3556	1778
 9		11250		45002	4500	2250
10		13889		55558	5556	2778

To compute the kinetic energy and penetration of a KEAP warhead, multiply
the mass (in Kg) by the numbers on the table.  The Energy column gives the
multiplier for total kinetic energy in Mj (millions of joules).  The Pen
column gives the penetration as figured for a 'normal' KEAP round, using the
rules from FF&S.  The "Mod 1" column gives the penetration figures for the
first suggested modification (multiplying the penetration by 0.1 to account
for the poor transfer of energy into armor penetration in collsions at these
speeds).  The "Mod 2" column gives the penetration figures for a second
modification, intended primarily to reduce the very high damage figures
produced even with "Mod 1" ("Mod 2" multiplies penetration by 0.05 for
speeds over 2 BL hexes/turn).  Using one of the options on the table above,
a penetration figure can be computed for the warhead.

Now that we know how to do damage to the target, how do we hit it?

One easy solution would be to assume that hitting the target (as opposed to
simply getting with X-ray detonation laser range of it) is some number of
difficulty levels harder.  In a (much) earlier article, which will be posted
following this one, Bertil and I suggested the following:

Levels	How Close

0	Approx 1/2 a hex - Detonation Laser range
1	"Far Proximity" - close enough for Fusion Rocket and Nuke radiation
2	"Near Proximity" - 'shotgun'-type impact weapons and Nuke X-ray blast
3	Impact - physical contact

Note that master fire directors can be used to negate some or all of these
increased difficulties, based on the sensor range to the target.

In addition to this, the missile has to track all of the target's course
changes.  Most of this is already handled by the BL movement system.  In
order to attempt an attack, the missile has to be in the same hex as it's
target. 

Furthermore, in order to hit it's target, the missile must match any evasion
the target attempts.  If the target spends any accelleration on evasion
during the last turn of the missile's flight, the missile must spend an
equal number of G-Turns on evasion (matching courses).  The ship's owning
player announces the number of G-Turns spent on evasion; if the missile
can't match it (because, for example, it would exceed it's drive's rating,
or exhaust the missile's fuel supply), the target has broken the missile's
target lock, and the missile continue's it's movement past the target.  If
the missile has fuel remaining, it may attempt to attack the same or a
different target in a later turn.


Guy "Wildstar" Garnett

-----8<-----


 I like these rules.  One note is that the speed should be closing speed.  If
 the missile is tail chasing at 5 G's a ship doing 3 G's,  it's closing speed
 would be 2 G's.  If the missile was coming in head on,  it would be 8 G's.


Bob Piper / rpiper@wri.com