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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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 Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 12:42 am Post subject: Nebulon B as a Modular Support Ship |
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So I had a random brain moment yesterday regarding the Nebulon B Frigate. If you look at the design, with the long, thin spar in the middle of the ship, it seems like little more than a vulnerable design flaw. But what if the connecting spar is used as a mounting point for various modular pods, allowing the ship to be specially fitted for a variety of different missions (and maybe increasing the Nebulon's Hull strength a little, with the pods adding protection to the spar.
A while back, I worked up a list of possible modular mission pods that could be fitted to a ship like this. Here's most of them; let me know if you can think of any others?
Minelayer
Electronic Warfare
Light Carrier
Troop Transport
Fire Support Platform
Reconnaissance
Survey
Tactical Fleet Picket
Navigation
Comm/Scan Picket
Cargo Transport
Hospital
Rescue/Trauma
Passenger Carrier
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Fallon Kell
Commodore
Joined: 07 Mar 2011
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Location: Tacoma, WA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:39 am Post subject: |
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Planetary bombardment
Extra engines package?
Large craft docking/boarding?
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 7:58 am Post subject: |
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| Fallon Kell wrote: | | Planetary bombardment |
That was Fire Support Platform, since the ship isn't quite big enough for full planetary bombardments.
| Quote: | | Extra engines package? |
I considered it, but ultimately discarded it, as a bolt on engine system would have power consumption and frame stressing issues.
| Quote: | | Large craft docking/boarding? |
Which is kind of the stock version, with the docking collar that we see in the end of ESB docking the Falcon.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Fallon Kell
Commodore
Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1846
Location: Tacoma, WA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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| crmcneill wrote: | | Fallon Kell wrote: | | Planetary bombardment |
That was Fire Support Platform, since the ship isn't quite big enough for full planetary bombardments.
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Okay. I was thinking of a big box of assault concussion missiles and about four launchers, and Fire Support Platform seemed to me like a set of long range turbolasers.
| crmcneill wrote: |
| Quote: | | Extra engines package? |
I considered it, but ultimately discarded it, as a bolt on engine system would have power consumption and frame stressing issues.
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I was thinking of that too, but if you made it a full package with reactors, fuel, and extra engines, you wouldn't have power consumption issues. If you also made it attach directly to the hanging forward hull it would probably end up reducing the stresses by shortening the lever arm between the thrust vector and the center of mass.
| crmcneill wrote: |
| Quote: | | Large craft docking/boarding? |
Which is kind of the stock version, with the docking collar that we see in the end of ESB docking the Falcon. |
I was thinking larger. Corellian Corvette-sized, maybe. Kind of like a mobile dry dock, but maybe made for ships that don't want to be dry docked at the time...
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Fallon Kell wrote: | | Okay. I was thinking of a big box of assault concussion missiles and about four launchers, and Fire Support Platform seemed to me like a set of long range turbolasers. |
IMC, that's what Fire Support is; ordnance delivery. Turbolasers can be used for either, while ion cannons are primarily for space combat, and missiles and torpedoes are used for bombardment and fire support. I have an expanded view of missiles for artillery in my SWU, with SF and CS scale missiles also able to be launched from ground units for non-LOS bombard missions. The same missiles are then mounted aboard naval ships for orbital fire support missions.
| Quote: | | I was thinking of that too, but if you made it a full package with reactors, fuel, and extra engines, you wouldn't have power consumption issues. If you also made it attach directly to the hanging forward hull it would probably end up reducing the stresses by shortening the lever arm between the thrust vector and the center of mass. |
I can see your point, but I long ago decided that, IMU, engine upgrades for capital ships needed to be a lot more than a simple bolt-on attachment.
| Quote: | | crmcneill wrote: |
| Quote: | | Large craft docking/boarding? |
Which is kind of the stock version, with the docking collar that we see in the end of ESB docking the Falcon. |
I was thinking larger. Corellian Corvette-sized, maybe. Kind of like a mobile dry dock, but maybe made for ships that don't want to be dry docked at the time... |
I have something similar for custom built modular support ships, but something like a Nebulon B doesn't really seem to have the room available for anything but the smallest capital ships.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Bren
Vice Admiral
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Posts: 3868
Location: Maryland, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:11 am Post subject: |
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Corvette Tender
The idea comes from the fact that Imperial Picket fleets/forces use Corvettes as picket ships.* The Corvette Tender would provide refueling, resupply, and some repair capability. I would include Corellian Gunships as something the Corvette Tender can support. The CT could resupply the Gunships with capital scale missiles. Sort of like a cross between a submarine tender and a destroyer tender in the real world (though probably the real world of WWII).
* And from Fallon Kell's desire to have a Nebulon variant that could dock Corvette sizes ships. |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:23 am Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | Corvette Tender
The idea comes from the fact that Imperial Picket fleets/forces use Corvettes as picket ships.* The Corvette Tender would provide refueling, resupply, and some repair capability. I would include Corellian Gunships as something the Corvette Tender can support. The CT could resupply the Gunships with capital scale missiles. Sort of like a cross between a submarine tender and a destroyer tender in the real world (though probably the real world of WWII).
* And from Fallon Kell's desire to have a Nebulon variant that could dock Corvette sizes ships. |
A very good idea. IMO, an even better application would be a System Patrol Craft Tender. Per the Imperial Sourcebook, System Patrol Craft have no hyperdrives, and require transport of a larger vessel to get to their assigned patrol areas. It was implied that this transport craft is usually a star destroyer, with the SPC carried in an internal bay, but a Nebulon with reinforced docking tackle on its spar would be able to provide the same function.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Bren
Vice Admiral
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
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Location: Maryland, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:47 am Post subject: |
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| That could work if the primary purpose is transport rather than support. It seems like SPCs spend most of their time in a single system operating from a base or space platform. Parking a hyperdrive capable ship - especially something as expensive as a Nebulon - seems counter to the cost saving of having non-hyper capable patrol ships for defense. Just my .02 credits. If you see it differently, I'm not going to debate it. |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | That could work if the primary purpose is transport rather than support. It seems like SPCs spend most of their time in a single system operating from a base or space platform. Parking a hyperdrive capable ship - especially something as expensive as a Nebulon - seems counter to the cost saving of having non-hyper capable patrol ships for defense. |
Good point. Although, it could go either way. If a Nebulon B served as a Tender for both Corvettes and SPCs, the primary difference would be that the Corvettes would be able to make hyperspace jumps to rendezvous with the tender, while the SPC tender would have to jump from system to system to transfer supplies over to the SPC before moving on to the next system.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Bren
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Location: Maryland, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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That works. It just should not stand still in one system is all.
Edited to correct some of the "opposite to what I mean" posting that I have been typing lately.
Last edited by Bren on Mon Aug 15, 2011 4:35 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | That works. It just should stand still is all. |
Do you mean stand still as in stay in one system?
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Bren
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry crmcneil.  Though it didn't look like it, this time I was trying to agree with you. Your confusion here is all my fault. I seem to be having a bout of opposite-itis lately and am either inappropriately inserting or deleting the word "not" in my posts. I have gone back and fixed the post that triggered your confusion. Makes me wonder if I have been replaced by a clone of myself that is either stupider than I am or a far worse typist and I just don't know that I am the dumb-clone? So does the fact that I am wondering if I am the dumb-clone prove I am really the real me or is the fact that I haven't reached a definitive answer prove that I am the dumb-clone? Where is Rene Decartes when I need him?
Oh yeah, Google says he's buried on the Ile-de-France but his brain is in the Musée de l'Homme in Paris. OK, so now all I need is Dr. Frankenstein and a suitable body.... |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | Sorry crmcneil. Though it didn't look like it, this time I was trying to agree with you. |
It's all good. My confusion was pretty much just a request for clarification.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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I'm giving this a bump as it pertains to this.
I'm rethinking having the ship be a modular support ship, but most of these remain options for permanent conversion. At the moment, I'm thinking that, rather than modules locked onto the spar, the different modules would be mounted at the front of the engine pod. Locating it there makes it a lot easier to reroute power to the additional systems (as opposed to having to run additional lines through to the main hull). At the very least, its far easier to explain how a Nebulon could accommodate two squadrons of fighters despite not having a visible landing bay in the forward hull.
Also, several of the originally described modular functions could be combined into a broader role. Possibilities include...Escort Frigate (as per the WEG description, but with the fighter and landing bays mounted on the front of the engine pod)
Fire Support Platform (with mass drivers and/or concussion missile launchers used for planetary bombardment)
Trauma / Search & Rescue (combined launch bays for search & rescue craft with an onboard hospital facility, with the mission of recovering ejected pilots and crewmen during the battle, as the Alliance will almost never have the option of doing this post-battle)
Multi-Role Transport (cargo bays which can be used for a variety of different missions in addition to basic cargo hauling, including minelaying, underway replenishment, small craft tender, or passenger transport via containerized living quarters).
Scout/Recon (multi-role sensors augmenting the ship's primaries, possibly with some stealth equipment, as well, able to perform reconnaissance, survey, navigation support, comm/scan picket duty or electronic warfare, although electronic warfare might need to be a separate platform)
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 11:34 am Post subject: |
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A thought in connection to this...
Obviously, the Nebulon B's seen on screen don't present any visual evidence to support this, but one potential option is, rather than having the Nebulon B at the end of TESB be a Medical Frigate, it could be a Depot Ship (aka Small Craft Tender). During WWII, it was common practice to convert damaged destroyers into seaplane tenders, which could be forward deployed to various islands or atolls as a refueling station for seaplanes. Other types of depot ships existed, which could support minesweepers, torpedo boats, landing craft, etc.
What I'm picturing is that the Nebulon B in question is configured to provide support for large groups of small craft (light freighters, shuttles, etc) in the absence of a base at which they could land and resupply. Multiple hard-dock points along the central spar would allow smaller ships to dock, take on fuel and supplies, while also allowing their crews access to better facilities (recreational, medical, etc) than would be available aboard a light freighter. It's also possible that a Nebulon could even provide backup crews, giving crews a few days of respite from being locked in a box in deep space.
It would seem obvious on the face of things that Luke would need to have a bionic hand attached at a dedicated medical facility, but the EU seems to have made such things into a standard medical procedure that could be performed in the hospital suite of a support ship...
Just a thought.
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