I don't know if this subject has been disgussed here, if so I apology
for wasting bandwith. But there has been a few things that nag me, and
that is the travel from jump point to the mainworld. What if the 100
diameter from the central star exceeds the habital zone?
100-Diameter table for stars in AU
Spectral
class Ia Ib II II IV V VI
- --------------------------------------------------------------
B0 46.40 27.84 20.42 14.85 12.06 9.28 _
B5 69.60 32.48 18.56 9.28 4.92 4.08 _
A0 125.28 46.40 16.70 5.75 4.18 2.97 _
A5 138.27 51.04 12.99 4.27 2.50 1.67 _
F0 161.47 54.75 14.85 4.36 2.50 1.58 _
F5 189.31 55.68 16.70 4.83 2.41 1.30 1.06
G0 276.54 77.95 23.20 6.59 2.32 0.96 0.95
G5 421.31 118.78 34.34 10.21 2.60 0.84 0.47
K0 606.91 200.44 50.00 14.85 3.06 0.84 0.37
K5 937.28 363.78 115.07 38.98 _ 0.53 0.28
M0 1,361.38 795.30 660.74 211.58 _ 0.51 0.24
M5 2,802.56 1,923.74 660.74 211.58 _ 0.33 0.10
M9 3,247.07 2,668.93 863.97 334.08 _ 0.19 0.05
The table above is calculated from book 6 Scouts, based on the stellar
sizes given there.
Habitable distance in AU
Spectral
Class Ia Ib II III IV V VI
- ------------------------------------------------------------
B0 614.80 614.80 307.60 307.60 307.60 307.60 _
B5 307.60 154.00 154.00 77.20 38.80 38.80 _
A0 307.60 154.00 38.80 19.60 10.00 10.00 _
A5 307.60 77.20 19.60 10.00 5.20 5.20 _
F0 307.60 77.20 19.60 5.20 5.20 2.80 _
F5 154.00 77.20 19.60 5.20 2.80 1.60 1.00
G0 307.60 77.20 19.60 5.20 2.80 1.00 0.70
G5 307.60 77.20 19.60 10.00 2.80 0.70 0.40
K0 307.60 77.20 38.80 10.00 1.60 0.70 0.40
K5 307.60 154.00 38.80 19.60 _ 0.20 0.00
M0 307.60 154.00 77.20 19.60 _ 0.20 0.00
M5 307.60 307.60 154.00 38.80 _ 0.00 0.00
M9 307.60 307.60 154.00 38.80 _ 0.00 0.00
The numbers above give the distance to the habital zone in AU. This data
can be found on page 193 of TNE rulebook. Those places that has been
anotated with "0.00" there is no habitable zone.
Travel distance from 100 diameter of sentral star to habital zone in
lightseconds
Spectral
Class Ia Ib II III IV V VI
- ---------------------------------------------------------------
B0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
B5 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
A0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
A5 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
F0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
F5 17,655 0 0 0 0 0 30
G0 0 375 1,800 695 0 0 125
G5 56,855 20,790 7,370 105 0 70 35
K0 149,655 61,620 5,600 2,425 730 70 0
K5 314,840 104,890 38,135 9,690 - 165 0
M0 526,890 320,650 291,770 95,990 - 155 0
M5 1,247,480 808,070 253,370 86,390 - 0 0
M9 1,469,735 1,180,665 354,985 147,640 - 0 0
The numbers calculated here has been found with the following formula.
LS = ((SD-HO)*150,000,000)/300,000
LS = Distance in Lightseconds.
SD = Outer limit of Central star's 100 diameter in AU
HO = Habital zone Orbit in AU
The TNE rules mention that a starship must exit jumpspace at least
100 diameters out from a body, but it fails to mention that exiting
jumpspace in many system will put the starship several AU from its
target world due to that the 100 diameter of the central star is
stretching further out than the habital zone.
Thus in extreme cases there will take several years travel in normal
space before the mainworld will be reached. Taking the most extreme
example, a M9 Ia star. Travel from jump point to the mainworld will
take little more than 5 years if 100 gee hours of thrust is spent.
This will be reduced if the craft is refueling at gas giants on the
way.
This type of influence from the sentral star will have to be dealt with
in some way. There is two way to deal with it.
1. The problem doesn't exist. Only the size of the mainworld matter.
Thus ending this discusion once and for all.
2. Let the matter stand and find a way to explain how the history could
evolve as it did, even for several days, or weeks of travel had to be
commited. Even years in the extreme.
I will go for option 2. Because it is an interesting discusion. And I
have taken the reservation that the mainworld always are in the
habitable zone.
Taking the example above, but with MT rules, a ship under constant 1 gee
acceleration would make the same trip in 153 days. Here we get into a
trouble with the fuel duration.
The TNE gee hour system makes the game more fun, but then again it makes
high gee traders unnecessary. High gee are only usable in combat. If you
got a 1 gee ship or a 5 gee ship does not matter when you only can spend
20 gee hours of fuel. Most of the ships in the TNE book only got about
20 to 30 gee hours to spend. That might depend on their low tech, where
their powerplant and crew accommodations takes up a lot of space.
The effect of limited gee hours, will make the end of wilderness
refueling at gas giants in most cases. Unless you'll be too far outside
the habitable zone, and spend several days worth of travelling. If the
system configuration allows it, it would be wise to fuelscoop at a gas
ggiant.^M
If the distance is so long that the travel will take several weeks or
months, it would be more adviseable to put up a trading post on a planet
outside the 100 diameter limit of the central star, and let merchants
trade there, and then use ships built specially for in-system travel.
When they don't have to lugg around a jumpdrive, the space can be taken
up by reactionmass, increasing the gee hours.
If the travel time is truly long, the crafts would probably be manned by
robots, for plain cargo runs. Passenger should be placed in lowberth
for the duration of the travel. Any sophont crew should be of the type
with strong willpower and a steady psyke. Which are necessary to stand
the condition of prolonged confinement to enclosed spaces, and dull
rroutines. ^M
This will also change the strategic, and tactical fighting for a system,
compared to how it was considered in MT. The gas giants are suddenly
the single most important part in a system to ensure victory. In case
warships has to spend several weeks or months to get to their targets,
they will be commited soon as they cross the 100 diameter boundary of
the central star. If the battle for the gas giant is lost, only fleet
tankers may help them out again. If the captains are desperate enough
they might risk a jump out of the system. In many ways fighting ship can
have far less gee hours to spend for travelling than merchants, when
they need fuel for combat maneuvers. A good estimate is to use about
half the reaction mass to the travel and the rest for the battle for the
gas giant. Over-confident, or desperate commanders may order the use of
jumpfuel for combat maneuvers or for travelling. Either way fighting
ships should refuel their jump fuel before they start the travel inwards
in the system. Systems where it will take more than a month or two of
travel will be quite safe from invasion, when a fighting ship will get
problems with morale, and the tactical initiative will be lost. Two
months gives a lot of time to prepare to meet an enemy.
The real fun of the calculus start when there is a binary or trinary
star system, and the companion stars overlap the central stars 100
diameter limit. Some may even at times have their 100 diameter limit
overlap the main world. But I will leave this kind of calculus to the
reader when my own maths skills ends long before this level are
reached.
I would like to get comments on this, either here or mail me personally.
Roger "StarWolf" Myhre