Ships and Dimensions. Relearning Blender and some basic flight science.

I was really distracted wanting to know what the layout would be if the ship was blended wing and if it was a hex tube. I got influenced by "The Wind Rises" by Studio Ghibli and the Space X landings so I had to see if I can fit in Fins and Wings for atmospheric Travel. 

Lessons are as follows

1. Hex Tube or Cylinders are a great shape even for atmospheric flight. Just stick some fins and wings. Handwave the lift assuming high tech composites that can reshape the fins to create lift. 
1. You can have the wings open up like X-wings as landing struts. 
2. I wonder how to make rules for 250dtons, adding another Teal Module? Or adding 25dtons?
3. A 300dton would be relatively easy to build with a Hex Tube but with wing body it would be really hard. I need to learn to break it down to a Ratio Its easy to scale its hard to check the volume with the 3d-printer tool. 
2. These are made with a 2800 cubic meter budget or a 200Dton ship. So many ways to create varieties - the swept-back wing, smoother rounded lines, armoring in various points. I can lose days just fiddling with the design. 
1. Its not hard to imagine the various Hex Tube and Wing Body designs. from 100 to 800dtons would look pretty much the same. the 400 and up would be much bigger and bulkier in dimensions - basically more complicated designs - unlike the 100-400 which are scaled up or down designs. 
1. Wing or Wedge designs - like the supremacy is an interesting design choice even with the thrust as gravity and no inertia hand wave. The profile allows for more "broadside" weapons for both Tail and Front engagements but presents a much LARGER target. Such a large profile hurtling through space would probably blasting point defense lazers constantly to knock off micrometers Still it would not be odd that such ships would still serve a specialized role. Some Destroyers with this profile would be interesting scenery. 
2. Some frigate and corvette capital Ships with the ability to land (Vertical Landing) comes to mind, the design begins to get a little more complicated. 
3. Capital Ships at 1000dtons 15-20k cubic meters and up will probably mostly various styles of Tubes - a difference of Length to Diameter Ratio and a preference for types of tubes: hex, octagonal, pentagonal, cylinder etc... with maybe Hammer-head ends (remembering honorverse) or barbetes. But these are things I probably just need to model and create extrapolations and never go into details.  
3. A stateroom is BIG, and assuming a 14 cubic meters x 4 = 2.5m elevation and about 50sqm of space (See the life support in orange). A cabin of 2.5m elevation and 5.6 sqm is not that bad if its just a Head, Bed, and belongings.  http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/habmod.php
1. The world-building - the life support systems - reminds me of plumbing and the discipline we dont have in our interior construction company (we are not structural). I need a ratio how much this occupies per Capacity it is designed for. 
4. The spheres don't need to be 2m diameter I forgot sitting we have a smaller profile. 
5. Next action would be how to make layout of this?  Or figure out how to keep it abstract. 

Link to Blender File

Link to Spreadsheet 

Category	SUM of IFDTONS
Controls	12.00 DT
Defenses	2 DT
Engineering	24.00 DT
Hull	10.00 DT
Lifesupport	54.00 DT
Load	97.40 DT
Grand Total	199.40 DT

Category	SUM of IFCOST
Controls	$2,200,000
Defenses	$4,700,000
Engineering	$30,000,000
Hull	$8,133,334
Lifesupport	$11,450,000
Load	$40,000
Grand Total	$56,523,334

I'm remembering the Nausica Comics and Movie air ships. 

Tinkering around with CE SRD Spreadsheets

Having a chance to Sleep on it, it being the Spreadsheet for CE ship building. The great thing about SRDs is that fixing loose ends are easier without the distraction of the legal implications. 

Category	SUM of IFDTONS
Controls	12.00 DT
Defenses	2 DT
Engineering	24.00 DT
Hull	10.00 DT
Lifesupport	54.00 DT
Load	97.40 DT
Grand Total	199.40 DT

Category	SUM of IFCOST
Controls	$2,200,000
Defenses	$4,700,000
Engineering	$30,000,000
Hull	$8,133,334
Lifesupport	$11,450,000
Load	$40,000
Grand Total	$56,523,334

“Cepheus Engine and Samardan Press are the trademarks of Jason "Flynn" Kemp,” and that you are not affiliated with Jason "Flynn" Kemp or Samardan Press™.

1. Any Benefits in "Engineering" should be reflected in Engineering man-Days or manpower. Example Repair Droids, Repair Bots, Self-Sealing etc.. Auto-Repair Program (which should be bundled with the Repair Drone IMO) in Engineering Crew Actions. Like a Repair Drone equals X number of EVA manhours lolz. 
2.  I learned that the "Basic" Merchant has only 2 weeks of fuel. This assumes distances of 1-3 of System Transit PLUS the 1 Week Jump In CE and MgT1! Thats a tight deadline with no misjump problem or engineering hang-ups. 
3. Mining Drones = Salvage Drones  and mining itself would mean a very different set of overhead and specialized tools. 
4. what if sandcasters actually a railgun that accelerated iron infused sand at speeds enough to make thrust lolz. NA - its better to use Chaffe Filled Missiles than Sand casters. 
5. At High Relative velocities and 1-6Gs of Accel - Missiles are great Chase Armaments than actually any offensive armaments. If distances are really far bomb-pumped torpedoes make more sense and missiles trying to intercept these as well. 
6. Ranges and Schelling points are parts of Light Seconds to Light Miliseconds.  I have to fix all the Range Related mechanics from Sensors, Weapons, and Equipment (Drones). Maybe the Pricing of Probes need to go up.  Will try to Model this in Blender to get the 2.8 cu.m of Probes (assuming 95% propellant), 1.16 cu.m of missiles, 4.6 cu.m of Torpedoes. 
7. The Vehicle Bay mechanics are interesting because it affects the doctrine of using Drones to as Platforms to employ difficult to defend attacks. A ship deploys a drone, that deploys a torpedo, that deploys a beam/directional explosion at a target or decoys to attack the sensors.  
8. ll using the Schelling Point Space Combat Mechanics where the GM just works back from the Schelling Point in a measure of PC actions - the GM doesn't have to give exact distances or calculations. The GM just need to determine the strategies before hand, and for the Random Encounter Table - the GM has to have a Play Book. 

The shelling Point Space combat can be used to structure all Transit or Space encounters - Have an Event/Event Horizon - then work back the actions to the Event/Event Horizon. From Approaching a Port, Approaching Jump. What it takes to Survive or Win or Turn the tables are guidelines that have to be in such playbook. 

Schelling Points - Space combat - Same as a real life project at work or a bid, except for the lethality

In COADE or some of these space combat mechanics (Non-Dog-Fight Mechanics) can be simplified as ONE shelling point.  The GM works back from that shelling point. There are limited kinds of Schelling Point - most often its Range of Intercept (the GM prepares the problem statement and Iterates the most important point and assumptions and uncertainties).

The GM says the Schelling point/Event Horizon is 30 hours away. This Schelling Point can thousands of KM away or Millions or Hundreds, it all works out as the GM working back from the Schelling point and detailing it. the GM explains the problem and the options based on initial rolls. You can say or make Initiative, not an Initiative Roll but an Information Roll - Who has the better Awareness and Grasp of the Situations to SETS THE PACE. Who acts and will react.  

 

The SCALE of time is interesting. It begins with the largest Unit, where everyone takes a turn, then scales down. The GM can set it at 1 man day, everyone gets a Manday turn. Then he proceeds to resolve what has happened in that Manday - sometimes the PCs Live or Die in what happens in that Manday and may not feel it until the schelling point. 

The GM asks them their Actions - what Posture/Preparation or Actions they will take - and then asks them to roll. The Adversary adapts or implements their plan. NO PLAN survives initial contact.

The GM resolves the consequences of the actions, failures, success, and successes of the adversary. He can simplify BUILDING into the PC's difficulty roll or making a Contested Roll. He shows and doesnt tell. He resolves everyone's concerns on a time budget and then proceeds to summarize the total effect with drama and tension (meaning he raises more uncertainties; take the players question and answer it by referencing what remains to be known or is this enough). 

Now 6 hours remain, and the GM asks them their actions for those 6 hours. The Players/Crew then adjust and adapt to the situation. They plan their actions for these 6 hours. The GM repeats the same process and updates the crew the consequences and results of their actions, building the tension with Key Questions. Were you fast enough to escape, can you maneuver, who survived, who is crippled, etc... 

Reviewing relative Velocity and realize I'll simplify Angular Relative Velocity by checking if they are Perpendicular or Parallel vs Same or Opposite directions. 

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/in-in-class11th-physics/in-in-class11th-physics-motion-in-a-straight-line/in-in-relative/v/calculating-relative-velocity-class-11-india-physics-khan-academy 

Dog fights is the Space Combat we know - but this reminds me of the Tension filled Week of a BID or a Project - where we perform a lot of long actions to get to a Schelling point which determines if we make or lose money. 

Taxes and Margins - Ways the GM can simplify his Job

I realize that not everyone enjoys the Books keeping, but the problem with not doing the books is CONSISTENCY that bites us in the ass. Novels and Stories are more demanding about Risks or "If a gun is placed on the mantle in the first act, it must be fired in the third."- (see Chekov's Gun). There is this storytelling problem where the Players note a detail, and if there is no way it fits the world it breaks immersion. 

1. KEEP it very simple - and push the detail work to the Players. If the players want details they dress the scene - they describe the approach. Make the players do the work of the details.
1. ask what are the risk? its always what the Players think + what the GM doesn't tell them.
2. what are the trade-offs? its always what the Players think + what the GM doesn't tell them. 
3. Reward Immersive and helpful Detail using  -Reward the Pessimistic Analysis. Particularly one that explains why OTHER people don't normally get these deals. 
1. Example. I typically do Cost-Benefit Analysis and know my walk-away price. Every problem is usually 20% beyond my Walk Away price (after 1d6 man-days of due diligence). I am always faced with the REWORK and Technical Debt dilemma or Taking on something greater than my Walk away price. 
2. Everything is plus 50-200% of the Book's Price without DUE DILIGENCE. If due diligence was easy then everyone would do it. Make Due diligence not easy - make it 1d6 days or weeks.  
3. NPC Ship Owner or Patron or Representative. Everything is Behind a Veil. Players only need to their Roles and their Budget.  
1. Use this to develop models of the Game World. Allows the GM and Players to just jump in. 
4. If there is Financing the Purchase Price is through the Financing institution. Their margin is built into the price the Players see. 
1. Players can go directly to the Seller and the GM bases everything from the selling Price. If the Players want to skirt legalities - the GM just notes the RISKS or Technical Debt the players take. 
2. Make this MORE trouble than its worth AKA Make this itself an ADVENTURE if that's what the players want. 
5. All the Prices have Tax and Duties built-in. This means players can SKIM if they want, making it Extra Effort if the Players want to Skim off the top -if that's how they want to play the game.  
6. Build in the Fees. Berthing, Material Handling, and Administration is % of the Passenger Fee and Free Fee already. The cost has been PASSED into the Passenger and the Client of Freight. 
1. Reduce the Passenger Fares or Freight Costs by 2d6-2 % 
7. Obligations instead of Costs. The GM can run a game where the PCs are part of something like a Greek Democracy. Administrative Fees and Margin is Waived, they get only the cost of what they consume IF the players can be suborned for defense or Civic Building operations. (been listening to The New Achillies ). Of course, consumables are still under the PCs. 

Take Away. 

I want to run a game, but I don't want TOO much prep because its distracting in this day and age. I need to prevent it from having SCOPE CREEP. I prefer Gdocs where comments can be their own THREAD. Key topics and decisions are not cluttered with discussion in a chat/messenger/channel. I SEE what we are talking about and can Peel back the comments. 

All the Above, pales in to comparison to HOW we organize our game discussions and notes. If the GM and players can schedule like 30mins to 1 hour in the WEEK (or budget it, promise that it will be only X hours) to get their game-related decisions and actions done then EVERYONE in the game will be better off. 

Lesson Learned was 

1. Statement Sized Gdoc for Players or GM who access with just their Phone. 
2. Using Commenting system. 
3. Hyperlink Ranges and Tables if we can't fit them in the Statement sized doc.
4. Backup Often. Then back up and hyperlink the back up when it exceeds 20 pages (what would be a 3GB ram phone or device's capability).