Basic Rules:
The first level of abstraction, the most basic method,adds required
cargo space to High Guard starship design sequences.
Range: for every 1% of hull space dedicated to cargo, a warship can operate away from a friendly starport for one month. A starship with less than this amount (or that has exceeded it's cruising time) will start to suffer a degradation in capabilities. The exact effects should vary by TU, but some suggestions:
Reduced weapon factor rating: (poor maintenance on targeting arrays, burnt out weapon tubes, missile shortages.) For each month out of supply, every weapon type either suffers a loss of one factor or a loss of 10% (rounded up) of total weapon batteries for that type (owner's choice, but single-battery weapons must take the factor loss).
Reduced effective computer rating: (computer rating includes sensors, scanners, even some fire control. Any of these could be harmed by lack of spares.) Reduce computer effectiveness for combat _only_ by one for every two months out of supply. Ship can still jump with original computer rating.
Reduced damage control effectiveness: (equipment used up already. Attempted damage control on systems that have been field-repaired at least once, now harder to get working again.) For every second month out of supply, apply a -1 penalty to damage control rolls.
Reduced combat-readiness of fighters and other carried craft: for every month out of supply, 10% (rounded up) of the current fighter compliment is unavailable for action.
Resupply: access to friendly starport for one week will reverse all these effects, as will access to a full month's worth of supplies for every two months out of supply.
Optional rule: Any system reduced to Zero rating due to being out of supply must be repaired in a starport as if it were destroyed in battle.
Combat support vessels:
If you can't take it with you, bring someone who can.
Combat support vessels can be tenders, ammunition ships, fleet supply cargo ships, whatever level of detail you wish to include. A combat support vessel must provide the required 1% per month cargo space for supported ships. For example, a Free Trader acting as a fleet supply auxiliary could use it's 161tn cargo bay to support itself (2tns) and another 15900tns of warships for a month. It's even possible that it will only need 1tn (or less) of space for itself, as it isn't taking part in high-intensity combat operations.
If the combat support ship can shuttle back and forth between a friendly
star port and the fleet, even 1% tonnage could supply that fleet indefinitely.
The longer the shuttle route, the more tonnage must
be allocated. One or two jumps, 1% of tonnage is OK. Four jumps would
require 2% of tonnage. Figure 1% of tonnage required for every two jumps...and
note that this is jumps _by the support ship_. If your fleet is Jump-4,
on picket duty four parsecs from your starport, a Free Trader supplying
you will take four jumps to get there instead of one and need 2% tonnage
instead of 1%.
If a fleet loses it's combat support vessels, or needs to move away from a location combat support was shuttling supplies to, it must immediately rate it's supply condition based on it's own cargo hull percentage and that of combat support that came with it. If it has less than 1% hull tonnage available, it will start to suffer from lack of supply within two weeks.
Differing Supply Needs:
We might run out of missiles, but we got plenty o' laser bolts.
Some ships require more supplies than others. The 1% figure is considered as an average.
Ships requiring more supplies:
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Missile armed vessels
Sandcaster-equipped vessels
Vessels with large fighter compliments
Vessels with large marine/assault landing contingents
The following detail rules cover these differing supply needs.
a. All warships require a base 0.5% hull volume in cargo stores per
month of operations.
b. To this is added 10% of total hull volume dedicated to missiles,
missile bays, or sandcasters.
c. To this is added 10% of total hull volume of carried fightercraft,
and 1% of total hull volume of carried combat non-fightercraft (such as
marine assault shuttles). Any of these craft can be stowed (using no supplies),
but would require some time (hours?) and expenditure of a month's supplies
to bring to combat readiness. As an optional rule, these craft can be stowed
using starport supplies before a sortie. These craft would then not begin
to use supplies until they were deployed in combat. This would allow replacement
fightercaft to be easily transported to forward bases.
d. Marines themselves are considered supplied by the 2tns crew quarters
provided for each marine.
Examples:
A 3000tn Frigate with all energy weapons requires 15tns of cargo for a month of independent operations.
A 3000tn Missile Frigate with two 100tn missile bays and ten laser turrets would require 35tns of cargo for a month of independent ops.
A 3000tn Escort Carrier with 80 15tn light fighters on board would require 135tns of cargo space per month of independent ops.
Copyright 1999 Walter G. Smith