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Spacecraft
Classifications Spacecraft and other vehicles are classified by their function and their mass. This RPG uses the Full Thrust rules by Ground Zero Games for spacecraft combat.
Explanation of General Classes Spacecraft are classified primarily according to their function, with their mass a secondary consideration. Gunship – The Gunship serves as a close orbital and interface fire support platform. Gunships tend to be slower than other low mass rating vessels as more of their displacement is taken up by combat systems, weapons, and armor. While their combat potential is higher, they are essentially annoying insects to capital ships, and a single good hit from a beam battery or antiship missile can destroy them. Gunships do not have a stardrive. Cutter – Cutters are short ranged ships that serve as Customs ships, Rescue Service vessels, and act as part of a planetary Orbital Guard. Cutters do not possess stardrives. Cigarette Boat - High-performance spacecraft used by the wealthy for day-cruising and for racing. They differ from sloops and yachts in that they are built for speed above all else. Some have been fitted out for piracy and smuggling. Cigarette boats do not carry stardrives, and are usually carried aboard a starship as a “ship’s boat.” Scout – The Scout serves as a reconnaissance and surveillance platform. Combat is geared towards defensive armament that will allow the ship to survive long enough to make its escape. Scouts are very often stealthy and fast to enhance their survivability. This is due to the fact that faster than light communication can only take place via starship or stargate, and if the Scout does not survive, the information it has collected is lost. Sloop/Yacht – Sloops are primarily pleasure vessels of the wealthy, although some have been fitted out as smuggling ships or blockade runners. These ships rely on their harmless outward appearance for the most part to slip past the authorities, but are usually capable of high thrust maneuvers to evade pursuit. Sloops and yachts will typically have a Short Jump stardrive to make quick hops to nearby star systems. Light Merchant – Civilian spacecraft with a deadweight mass of 4,000 to 6,000 tons with a primary function of commerce. Merchants are typically cargo freighters, others carry passengers, while still others can do both. Light Merchants are typically found on short, reliable trade routes between nearby systems. Many are subsidized by a sponsoring government to act as mail ships or couriers, a practice carried out extensively by the SDC in Sagittarius. The famous Free Traders typically operate a light merchant, as this is typically the only class of commerce vessel within their means. Medium Merchant – Civilian spacecraft with a deadweight mass of 6,000 to 10,000 tons with a primary function of commerce. Merchants are typically cargo freighters, others carry passengers, while still others can do both. Medium Merchants are typically found on longer trade routes, and in support of small colonial ventures. Many are subsidized by a sponsoring government to act as mail ships or couriers, a practice carried out extensively by the SDC in Sagittarius. Medium Merchants are typically operated by a corporation, and may be further subsidized by a government who may co-opt the vessel's itinerary in order to support military operations. Large Merchant – Civilian spacecraft with a deadweight mass of 10,000 to 16,000 tons with a primary function of commerce. Merchants are typically cargo freighters, others carry passengers, while still others can do both. Large Merchants are typically found on longer trade routes, and in support of colonial ventures. Most are subsidized by a sponsoring government to act as mail ships or couriers, a practice carried out extensively by the SDC in Sagittarius. Large Merchants are almost exclusively operated by a corporation, and are often further subsidized by a government who may co-opt the vessel's itinerary in order to support military operations as a reserve Merchant Marine fleet. Very Large and Ultra Large Merchants – Civilian spacecraft with a deadweight mass of 16,000 to 25,000 tons (Very Large) or 25,000 to 30,000 tons (Ultra Large) with a primary function of commerce. Merchants are typically cargo freighters, others carry passengers, while still others can do both. Very Large and Ultra Large Merchants are typically found on primary trade routes between well established worlds, and are essential in support of colonial ventures. Most are subsidized by a sponsoring government to act as mail ships or couriers, a practice carried out extensively by the SDC in Sagittarius. Very Large and Ultra Large Merchants are exclusively operated by corporations due to their enormous construction and operating costs, and are often further subsidized by a government who may co-opt the vessel's itinerary in order to support military operations as a reserve Merchant Marine fleet. Corvette – The Corvette is a small, fast warship tasked with convoy protection against pirates and hostile frigates, and as a screening vessel for larger warships. Corvettes are frequently armed with expendable munitions such as anti-ship missiles and submunitions to give them offensive punch well above their mass rating, and their secondary beam armament is suitable only for defensive purposes. Corvettes have stardrives. Corvettes are also commonly outfitted as pirates or privateers. System Defense Boat – The System Defense Boat, or SDB is essentially a corvette that lacks stardrive capability. The functions are nearly the same, though SDBs can only escort merchant vessels as far as a Jump Point. SDBs are often used as outer system patrol vessels in addition to convoy escorts, and will often carry a small boat for rescues and wreck investigations. Frigate – The Frigate is the smallest ship of the line in a nation’s space force and a third rank capital ship. The frigate is large enough to handle a variety of missions, from corvette leader to carrier escort to interdiction raider to pirate killer. Frigates are often used to “show the flag” as they are powerful enough to be respected, yet cheap enough to be deployed in large numbers to cover a vast volume of space. Some frigates are specialized, such as the Patrol Frigate, which emphasizes speed, endurance, and a small Marine or fighter detachment at the expense of antiship armament. Destroyer – The Destroyer’s role in a space force is as a point defense platform against hostile fighters and missiles. Destroyers are the same size as frigates, but trade offensive firepower for clusters of PD guns and area defense fire control systems to protect their charges. Destroyers are always near an important fleet asset such as a carrier or assault ship. Cruiser Types – Cruisers are second rank capital ships in a nations space force. There are a multitude of cruiser types, but the one thing that separates a cruiser from a frigate is that it is large enough to support extended solo operations and Long Jump stardrives. Light Cruisers serve as frigate squadron leaders and as a fast strike ship in independent raids. Cruisers form the core of the battle line, and have a balanced mix of offensive and defensive systems, speed, and armor. Heavy Cruisers are larger cruisers that sacrifice maneuverability for heavy armor and firepower that make them effectively pocket battleships. The Battle Cruiser is a controversial cruiser type that has the speed of a regular cruiser and the firepower of a heavy cruiser or even a battleship. The downside to the battle cruiser is that it must sacrifice armor and hull strength to accommodate its drives and weapons, meaning that it can dish out heavy firepower but cannot take it in return. The Missile Cruiser is a cruiser that relies upon salvo and/or antiship missiles for its offensive firepower, and may only carry a handful of secondary and tertiary beam weapons for defense. Research Cruisers, also called Explorers, are typically older cruisers that have been refitted for science and exploration work, and are often then sold to private concerns if they have been completely demilitarized, or transferred to another department of government if they are still (somewhat) armed. Monitor – A Monitor is a cruiser displacement System Defense Boat. Monitors are located in valuable star systems that must be protected against bigger threats than well-armed pirates. Because the monitor has no stardrive and generally a lower thrust rating than most cruisers due to the defensive nature of its mission, it can accept heavy armament and protection for combat, making a typical monitor more than a match for a cruiser of similar mass rating. Assault Ships – Assault Ships are troop transports for surface attacks and invasions. They carry a handful of weapons and have minimal hull strength and armor in order to maximize the amount of men, mecha, and materiel they can carry. As such they require a strong escort for protection. Some assault ships are fitted out for orbital drops, though most carry landers. Some assault ships are capable of landing on worlds, and others have a powerful battery of orbital fire support artillery weapons to soften up ground targets for the troops. Carriers – Carriers come in several types based on their size, but they all carry fighter squadrons as their primary offensive power. Escort Carriers are cruiser sized ships that can carry between three to five 6-craft squadrons. Escort Carriers will usually support a large merchant convoy or a small landing action. Line Carriers are Battleship sized ships that can carry six to eight squadrons. They typically support task forces and large landing efforts. Fleet Carriers are dreadnaught sized ships that can carry eight to twelve squadrons. Fleet Carriers are rare in service, and serve as the backbone for entire fleet operations and planetary invasions. Most carriers concentrate their allocated mass towards their fighters, though some designs have sacrificed some fighter capacity to carry a decent antiship battery for multirole capability. Unlike modern wet navy supercarriers, the space borne fighter carrier is a supporting element to a task force, not the core around which the task force is built. Battleship – Battleships are first rank capital ships and the premier ships of the line. Battleships carry heavy armament and sufficient armor and hull integrity to take a pounding in return. Most battleships use beam weapons as their primary armament, although “arsenal ships” sporting large numbers of salvo and/or antiship missiles have made appearances in various fleets. The purpose of the battleship is power projection, and entire task forces are formed around a single battleship. When multiple battleships and their consorts come together to form a task force, it represents a major fleet action. Dreadnaught – The original H.M.S. Dreadnaught was a revolution in the design of the sea-going battleship. Like its ancient namesake, the modern space-going dreadnaught is larger than the battleships of its day, and carries a powerful offensive array of all heavy batteries with few if any guns smaller than Class-3. The purpose of the dreadnaught is to engage with and destroy the battleships and battlefortresses of a hostile power, thus breaking their military strength, and they have both the firepower and the armor protection to do so. Warships smaller than battleships are swept aside like so much rubbish by a dreadnaught, even though they lack smaller weapon systems to deal with them. Dreadnaughts are expensive to build and maintain, and so only a handful of dreadnaughts are in the possession of even the superpower nations. Leviathan – The Leviathan is a spacecraft concept that has seen much criticism in military and political circles. It is a super-dreadnaught warship, the most massive stardrive capable warship class ever built. The Leviathan can theoretically stand in the place of an entire task force, as the existing designs all carry a complement of fighters as well as troops and their landers. Leviathans are also natural candidates for heavy spinal mount weapons. The most valid criticism of the Leviathan, other than its massive price tag, is that for the same money you can build an entire task force of smaller vessels with a more flexible deployment ability. The Leviathans that have been built are as much symbols of national power and prestige as they are effective warships, and this has prompted every nation with the means to construct a Leviathan to build one just to prove they can. Battlefortress – The battlefortress is a leviathan sized military space station. Battlefortresses are typically located in orbit around a valuable asset such as a colony or a strategic star system, where they can control a large volume of system space with their mere presence. Battlefortresses typically carry several fighter squadrons and act as a base for SDBs and Monitors. Many battlefortresses are constructed from hollowed out asteroids, giving them exceptional resistance to all but the biggest weapons an enemy can throw at them. The Armada of the Mercer Compact The Armada of the Mercer Compact is an ad hoc defense organization cobbled together from the ships present in the Sagittarius Arm following the collapse of the Stargate and the subsequent raids of pirates, nihilsts, the even possible alien attacks. By edict of the Sagittarius Development Corporation through board member Frederick Mercer, all starships in human space are required to register with the A.M.C., and are subject to call-up for military service in the defense of the Sagittarius Arm. Ships which fail to register are considered to be outlaws and attacked on sight. Civilian spacecraft use one of several designators. 'SS' serves as a generic designator for a privately owned spaceship, while 'MV' stands for Merchant Vessel, and 'CTV' stands for Commerical Towing Vessel - those interplanetary tugs hauling cargo containers between worlds in a star system. Human spacecraft of MASS 10 and larger, both military and civilian, have an A.M.C. registry number that is unique to that ship, and is used to denote ownership and identification throughout human space. One of the reasons why spacecraft are registered in this manner is that all human spacecraft regardless of their function or armament are subject to mandatory call up for the defense of human words under the Mercer Compact charter signed in 2361. Examples of A.M.C. registry numbers are AMC-001 for the light cruiser Callisto, the flagship of the Armada of the Mercer Compact at its founding, all the way to the system tug CTV Allegheny (AMC-253). New vessels receive their own unique registry number upon the laying of the vessel's keel. Small craft associated with a particular mothership use the parent vessel's registry number with an appropriate appendix number such as AMC-240-1 for the first shuttle of the mining vessel MV Zhong Feng (AMC-240). GO BACK TO THE TOP |
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