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5. Electro/Neutrino systems
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5.1 Select Communication Equipment
Communications systems can only be used while a starship is
in realspace; none of them operate while the starship is in
hyperspace.
* Coms
Coms are standard speed-of-light radios used for ship-to-ship
or ship-to-planet communications. All starships have this type
of radio. Coms have no discernable weight.
* Subspace Transceiver
Subspace Transceivers are the standard faster-than-light trans-
mission and reception units available to starships for realtime
broadcasts.
The Mk.# chosen equals range in light years. (Max 30 LY)
It is also possible to increase the range of the transmission
up to four times by using a Subspace Transceiver Booster.
* Subspace Transceiver
Mass: Mk.# / 50
Power: Mk.# x 100
Cost: Mk.# x 500
* Subspace Transceiver Booster
Mass: Boosting Multiplier x 1
Power: Boosting Multiplier x 1000
Cost: Boosting Multiplier x 5000
* Tight Beam Communications Rig
Tight Beam Rigs (TBR) uses a laser to transmit information
with a very high level of security. The main drawback is its
limited range. TBR's are also capable of receiving similar
transmissions. A TBR cannot be jammed but is useless if there
is something in its line-of-sight such as planets, asteroids,
ships and gas clouds which hides the receiver from getting the
signal. The Mk.# chosen equals the range in space units.
Mass: Mk.# x 1
Power: Mk.# x 10
Cost: Mk.# x 200
* Hypertransceiver
The Hypertransceiver is an instantaneous interstellar communi-
cations system with almost unlimited range. Another name for
this system is HoloNet.
* Hypertransceiver Transmitter
Mass: 500 Tons
Power: 20000
Cost: 400000
* Hypertransceiver Receiver
Mass: 250 Tons
Power: 5000
Cost: 200000
5.2 Select Sensors
Sensors are the ears and eyes of a starship. Without them a
ship is blind. Large ships, especially warships, have multiple
sensor arrays of the same kind in order to provide full sensor
coverage.
All sensors have two numbers, such as 75/2D. The first number
is the range of the sensor in units, the second is the number
of dice added to the Sensor skill of the sensor operator.
* Passive Mode
Sensors in Passive Mode is a silent (non-transmitting) method
for gathering information about the immediate vicinity of the
ship.
Mass: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 1 ) / 100
Power: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 1 )
Cost: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 1 ) x 100
* Scan Mode
Sensors in Scan Mode are sending out pulses in all directions
at once.
Mass: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 ) / 1000
Power: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 )
Cost: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 ) x 10
* Search Mode
Sensors in Search Mode are searching for information in a
specific direction. In Search Mode the sensor operator is
looking in one specific fire arc (front, left, right or rear).
Mass: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 ) / 1000
Power: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 )
Cost: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 ) x 10
* Focus Mode
Sensors in Focus Mode are focusing upon a very small portion
of a specific area. The number is the radius of the focus area;
their range is limited to that of Search Mode.
Mass: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 1 ) / 100
Power: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 1 ) x 10
Cost: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 1 ) x 100
* Crystal Gravfield Traps (CGTs)
CGTs utilizes a syntetic crystal grid to detect and identify
any fluctuation in the gravitic field. This is the only known
type of detection method against fully cloaked vessels.
Mass: 100 Ton
Power: 1000
Cost: 1000000
Note: The CGT grid is connected to the original sensor array
and has the same range as the specific sensor mode used.
* Hyperwave Signal Interceptors (HSIs)
HSIs detect fluctuations in hyperspace caused whenever a ship
enters or exits hyperspace. The most sensitive of the HSIs also
makes it possible to calculate other vessel's destinations.
Mass: 50 Ton
Power: 500
Cost: 50000
Note: The HSI is connected to the original sensor array and has
the same range as the specific sensor mode used.
* Targeting Designator
A Targeting Designator uses the Search mode of a specialized
sensor array. It cannot be used as a normal sensor since it is
specifically designed as a target designator but unlike normal
sensors it may be dodged as if it were enemy fire.
The Targeting Designator improves the fire control of another
starfighter gunner with a bonus, or a capital ship gunner with
twice of the bonus given to the starfighter gunner. This is
due to the better sensor and computing facilities available on
capital ships.
Example: A starfighter gunner receives a +1D bonus to Fire
control, but a capital ship gunner gets +2D.
Mass: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 ) / 1000
Power: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 )
Cost: Range x ( Sensor Dice, in pips + 3 ) x 10
* Towed Sensor Array (TSA)
The TSA improves the passive reception by the use of a trailing
antenna deployed after the ship. It is vulnerable to violent
maneuvering and high speed which tends to snap the antenna.
This limits its use to a max safe space speed of 4 and no heavy
maneuvers.
Mass: Passive Range Multiplier x 5
Cost: Passive Range Multiplier x 5000
Example: A ship with passive sensor range of 20, deploys a TSA
with a Passive Range Multiplier of 2. The new passive range
becomes 2 x 20 = 40.
5.3 Select Electronic Warfare Capability
* Communications Jammer
A Communications Jammer increases the difficulty of finding
specific frequencies and makes it harder to communicate with
ships in the jammed area. This applies to both friendly and
hostile forces. Tight Beam Communications Rigs (TBR's) cannot
be jammed by a Communications Jammer.
Mass: Number of pips / 5
Power: Number of pips x 2000
Cost: Number of pips x 500
Example: A 2D (6 pips) Communications Jammer has a mass of
6 / 5 = 1.2 ton
* Enemy Targeting Jammer
This type of jammer is used to reduce the fire control on all
enemy vessels within range. It also makes the jammer very easy
to detect.
Mass: Number of pips x (Max Range / 15) / 5
Power: Number of pips x (Max Range / 15) x 1000
Cost: Number of pips x 500
Note: Range for a standard jammer (A-Wing) is 1-3/7/15 in space.
Skill used is Sensors.
* Sensor Jammer
This type of jammer flood an area with static which blinds all
sensors, but broadcasts the general location of the ship doing
the jamming. A Sensor Jammer normally adds to the difficulty to
identify a ship, but makes it easier to detect (see the sensor
rules on page 81 of 2nd edition, or page 51 in 2nd R&E)
Mass: Number of pips to Identify / 2
Power: Number of pips to Identify x 1000
Damage: + Number of pips to Identify,
but - 2 x Number of pips to Identify = to Detect
Example 1: +1 to identify, but -2 to detect
Example 2: +2D to identify, but -4D to detect
Cost: Number of pips to Identify x 1600
Maximum Space Range: 50 units
* Sensor Mask
Sensor Masks baffles a ship's energy emissions, so that the
ship might be misrecognised as something else. In game terms,
sensor masks, when activated, add a certain number of pips or
dice to the difficulty to detect the ship greater than 50 units
away. The effectivness of the sensor mask is lowered by one pip
for every fifth unit the Minimum Space Range is decreased.
Mass: Number of pips x ML x Power Rating of Reactor / 100000
Cost: Number of pips x ML^0.5 x Power Rating of Reactor / 5
Minimum Space Range: 50 units
Note: See chapter 6.1 to determine the Power Rating of the
Reactor.
* Optical Shield
An optical shield distorts the visual image of the starship
when traveling through atmosphere. The ship appears as a dis-
coloration or shimmering patch in the sky, which makes it
easily confused with natural phenomen.
This type of shield do not protect against weapons or sensors,
only against the naked eye.
Mass: ML x (Number of pips^2) / 1000
Power: ML x (Number of pips^2) / 10
Cost: ML^0.5 x (Number of pips^2) x 100
* Cloaking Device
The ultimate sensor countermeasure is the cloaking device. It
is an experimental shield which creates a subtle warp in the
fabric of space surrounding the vessel, causing all forms of
energy to slip around the ship as if it weren't there, merely
a patch of empty space. The main tactical drawback is that a
cloaked ship is electronically blind since no sensor or
communication systems can work inside a cloaking field, only
visual systems can function properly. A cloaking device must
be custom-built for each ship and are also hideously expensive
to build and maintain. Possession of a cloaking device is a
Class One infraction under Imperial Law, punishable by death.
Mass: 50 + ML / 10
Power: 5000 + ML^2
Cost: Minimum 1 Billion credits regardless of size, upper
limit is up to the Gamemaster...
5.4 Select Countermeasures
The addition of countermeasures to a starship increases its
odds of surviving in a high-threat enviroment.
* Chaff
Chaff are thin strips made of metal which are dropped in order
to make missiles and torpedoes using Command or Active Guidance
lose target lock on the ship.
Gives +1D to the dodge roll. The chaff is bought in bundles of
ten.
Mass: For each bundle x SM / 10
Cost: For each bundle x SM x 100
* Flares
Flares are torches emitting streams of ion particles and
radiating heat, which are dropped to make Ion Radiation (IR)
and Heat-Seeking (HS) missiles lose target lock on the ship.
Gives +1D to the dodge roll. The flares are bought in bundles
of ten.
Mass: For each bundle x SM / 10
Cost: For each bundle x SM x 100
* Decoys
Decoys try to fool others to believe that the decoy is the real
vessel while the launching ship slips away.
* Sensor Decoy
The sensor decoy is ejected from its mother vessel and
mimicks the performance and electronic signature of the
launch vessel.
It functions for one hour if space speed is below 5,
but range decreases with 10 minutes for each increase
of speed above space 5.
Sensor Decoys are easily detectable but they add a die
modifier to the difficulty when trying to determine if
the decoy is a real ship or not.
Scale: Starfighter
Skill: Sensors
Space: Variable, se above
Damage: + Number of pips to Identify
Mass: Number of pips to Identify / 3
Cost: Number of pips to Identify x 1000 / 3
* Anti-Mine Emitter System
Projects a weak grav-field around a Mine Disposal Vehicle
(MDV) which fools many types of mines to believe that the MDV
is a real ship, thereby causing the mine to detonate.
The grav-field has a range of 10 units in space. You can have
up to three MDV's per Anti-Mine Emitter System.
Mass: 30 Tons
Power: 2000
Cost: 60000
* Mine Disposal Vehicle (MDV)
Part of the Anti-Mine Emitter System (See above). An
MDV is remotely controlled and basically serves as a
conduit for a special energy beam transmitted from the
mothership. Due to power loss, the max range in space
is 10 units.
Mass: 2 Tons
Cost: 2000
* Sensor Buoy
Sensor Buoy's are small remotely controlled devices that contain
nothing but a small power source, and a passive and/or active
sensor package.
They are meant to be dropped in overlapping patterns to make a
checkpoint or provide security for ships under anchor.
Mass: ( Passive Range + Scan Range x 1.1 ) / 200
Cost: ( Passive Range + Scan Range x 1.1 ) x 10
5.5 Select Shields
There are two types of shields; particle shields and ray/energy
shields. Both are needed for complete protection, but many
civilian starships do not have any ray/energy shielding.
* Particle Shields
Particle shields protects against missiles and space debris.
All starships therefore have integral particle shields, which
already have been calculated in chapter 3.1: Hull.
However, it is possible to increase the particle shield rating
in a separate fire arc by installing more shield generators.
Mass: Particle Shield Rating, in pips x SM x ML / 150
Power: SM x ML x (Particle Shield Rating, in pips)^2
Cost: Particle Shield Rating, in pips x SM x ML^0.5 x 200
Note: You must declare which fire arc that has been improved,
front, left etc, and the Rating of the particle shield
is added to the hull code of the relevant fire arc.
* Ray/Energy Shields
This type of shielding protects strictly against lasers or
other energy beams. It does not stop matter or attacks made by
ion cannons.
Mass: Shield Rating, in pips x SM x ML / 125
Power: SM x ML x (Shield Rating, in pips)^2
Cost: Shield Rating, in pips x SM x ML^0.5 x 100
* Select Extra Radiation Shielding
A starships normal radiation shielding equals its hull rating.
However, it is possible to increase the tolerance against
radiation and ion damage by shielding the outer hull and vital
electrical and computer systems.
Mass: Each pip above Hull rating x SM x ML / 150
Cost: Each pip above Hull rating x SM x ML^0.5 x 200
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