I was posted to the Sig-Delt-885 for a couple of years. Good little pig boat, an old Sentry class that we called the Salli Dell. And a good crew of spacers, though we mostly pulled duty in the outer system. Caught a couple of smugglers, chased off a few pirates. Even got fired on once by a twitchy Aslan trader. But mostly just got really, really good at Dingir Hold’em.
In Traveller, most worlds with a Population Level of 6+ and a Technology Level of 7+ will have some sort of local naval force for the defense of the system, as well as a base to support such forces. At the lower end of the tech levels these forces will be capable of interplanetary but not interstellar flight.
Determining Local Defense Forces
The GDW designers of the Fifth Frontier War boardgame (1981) used a simple matrix of Population and TL to determine the number of system defense craft protecting different systems. This matrix was reverse-engineered by different Traveller fans and eventually published in the T4 supplement Imperial Squadrons (1997) as a table of “SDB Squadrons.”
Chris Thrash developed a handy analysis of “Military Forces and Spending in Classic Traveller,” in which he suggests that the median Imperial system defense craft is about 2,000 tons in size, but might range from as small as a 100-ton small system defense boat (SDB) all the way up to a 50,000-ton monitor.
Thrash’s analysis also suggests that we could introduce some variability to the Imperial Squadrons table. Instead of determining a number of system defense squadrons, we can generate a total tonnage for the local defense force, which can then be assigned as desired by the referee.
First, roll Flux (1D - 1D) and consult the following table to determine the base tonnage of system defense craft. Then multiply this base tonnage by the appropriate system defense factor to get a total tonnage of defense forces.
| Flux | Tonnage |
|---|---|
| -5 | 400 |
| -4 | 700 |
| -3 | 1,000 |
| -2 | 1,400 |
| -1 | 1,700 |
| 0 | 2,000 |
| 1 | 3,600 |
| 2 | 5,200 |
| 3 | 6,800 |
| 4 | 8,400 |
| 5 | 10,000 |
| TL | Population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | |
| 7 | 1/10 | 1 | 5 | 50 | 500 |
| 8 | 1/10 | 1 | 5 | 50 | 500 |
| 9 | 1/10 | 1 | 10 | 100 | 1,000 |
| A | 1/10 | 1 | 10 | 100 | 1,000 |
| B | 1/10 | 1 | 12 | 120 | 1,200 |
| C | 1/10 | 1 | 12 | 120 | 1,200 |
| D | 1/10 | 1 | 15 | 150 | 1,500 |
| E | 1/10 | 1 | 15 | 150 | 1,500 |
| F | 1/5 | 2 | 20 | 200 | 2,000 |
For example, Wicker (Magyar 2728 A541843-C) has a system defense factor of 12. Rolling a Flux of 3 generates a base tonnage of 6,800. Multiplied by 12 produces a total defense tonnage of 81,600. This might represent 200 400-ton Guardian-class SDBs, possibly divided into four wings. The leftover 1,600 tons might be spent on squadron of 32 50-ton heavy fighters. Or perhaps Wicker could use some portion of this tonnage on a couple of light monitors with spinal weapons.
In my campaign the Wicker system also has a notable secondary world, Marston (F4346AB-9), which has just enough of a population base to support its own local naval forces. Rolling a Flux of 5 generates a base tonnage of 10,000, which multiplied by a system defense factor of 1/10 produces a total tonnage of 1,000. This might represent a single squadron of twenty 50-ton heavy fighters.
Wicker is a subsector capital on the edge of Confederation space and therefore a priority target for the Solomani. The primary challenge for defense planners is that the Wicker system has too many places it needs to protect: in addition to the mainworld and Marston, there are four gas giants. Although GURPS Traveller: Starships suggests that “it usually takes fewer than 20–30 SDBs to fully cover a single gas giant” (109), that’s a lot of real estate for 82,600 tons of system defense craft, which suggests the Imperial Navy probably maintains a guardship if not a full squadron on station in the system. Given that Wicker is the subsector headquarters for the Unified Army of Fugue, an Imperial squadron would probably be an AssaultRon.
Bases
It’s important to note that the defense forces generated above are under the control of the local system and not the Imperial Navy (Imperial Encyclopedia 32). And as Thrash notes, “All worlds with local planetary and colonial naval forces have their own bases to support them (Supp. 3, p. 40). These are not depicted on the standard subsector maps.”
If an Imperial Naval Base is present, it will command its own defense forces. Based on GURPS Traveller: Starports (2000), we can also develop tonnage estimates for the Imperial Navy bases that do appear on subsector maps:
| Flux | Typical Base | Subsector Fleet HQ | Sector Fleet HQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| -5 | 4,000 | 20,000 | 200,000 |
| -4 | 4,000 | 22,000 | 220,000 |
| -3 | 4,500 | 24,000 | 240,000 |
| -2 | 5,000 | 26,000 | 260,000 |
| -1 | 5,500 | 28,000 | 280,000 |
| 0 | 6,000 | 30,000 | 300,000 |
| 1 | 6,500 | 32,000 | 320,000 |
| 2 | 7,000 | 34,000 | 340,000 |
| 3 | 7,500 | 36,000 | 360,000 |
| 4 | 8,000 | 38,000 | 380,000 |
| 5 | 8,000 | 40,000 | 400,000 |
The resulting tonnages may be a bit low for particularly important or strategic systems such as subsector capitals or depots. (A few monitors eat up a lot of tonnage!) I might consider multiplying the tonnage by up to the mainworld”s Importance rating. These system defense craft will generally be TL14 and 15 heavy vessels and will likely include multiple monitors with spinal weapon systems. An additional 1/8th of this tonnage will be available in fighter support.
For example, the naval base at Asorret (Magyar 2923 B403866-B ) is the headquarters of the Imperial 96th Fleet. Rolling a Flux of 4 indicates base defense forces of 36,000 tons. This might consist of five 6,000-ton light monitors, 30 200-ton Serpent-class SDBs, and 90 Rampart-class heavy fighters. And with an Importance rating of 2, these defenses might be as much as double these figures.
System Defense Boats
SDBs are one of the most common types of ships encountered by Travellers. In Classic Traveller, the iconic, TL12 400-ton Guardian-class SDB is detailed in Traders and Gunboats (1980) with additional information in Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society #9 (1981). As both sources note, “A wide variety of system defense boats exist, ranging in tonnage from 100 to 1,000 tons, and in tech level from 8 to 15 and above.” The MT Imperial Encyclopedia (1987) increases this range from 100 to 5,000 tons.
This variation is certainly borne out by a quick survey of Traveller editions. In general, there are two archetypes that recur again and again: a boxy, 400-ton SDB similar to the Guardian-class, and a torpedo-shaped 200-ton SDB exemplified in CT Fighting Ships (1981); this is designated the Viper-class by Power Projection: Fleet.
We have canonical examples of the 400-ton SDB at every tech level from 11 to 15. Different editions assign different class names to these vessels. And given that these boats are notable for being readily modified with different armaments and configurations, the situation is probably confusing to inhabitants of the Third Imperium: in addition to Guardian, we have Sentry (TNE) and Dragon (GURPS and Hero). TNE also has a Shugukan-class, which I think is supposed to be Vilani for “Dragon.”
The TL11 Sentry is presumably a predecessor of the TL12 Guardian, and the Dragon (which might be TL13) is described as a “slight improvement on the earlier Guardian” (GT:Deck Plans 6). Further, we know that as of 1116 or so that Dragons “are still found in the Imperial Navy, but they have largely been replaced by more modern craft” (GURPS Traveller, 2nd edition). This might be the TL15 SDB statted out in the MegaTraveller Imperial Encyclopedia, which the MT Starship Operator’s Manual names Dragon (sigh) in the “Relative Size Chart” (58).
In any case, Mongoose Traveller 2e High Guard (2017) has designs for the two SDB archetypes: a TL15, 200-ton and a TL13, 400-ton boat. Because Magyar sector has a generally depressed tech level (no world exceeds TL14) and was once part of the Solomani Confederation, it seems more likely to harbor more examples of older, Solomani-influenced SDB designs.
Three canonical designs seem likely candidates: (1) the Solomani 300-ton “standard” SDB from Fighting Ships of the Solomani (2009), (2) the 400-ton Sentry-class from Assignment: Vigilante (1992), and (3) the 800-ton Farnez-class from T20 Fighting Ships (2003). All three are likely to be found on both sides of the Imperial/Confederation border in Magyar.
Standard Solomani SDB (SD-CS60). 300 tons (streamlined hull), 6g, no jump capability, TL-13, Model 7/fib. 9 tons fuel. 13 crew. 3 hardpoints. 0 tons cargo. MCr196.
Sentry-class SDB (SD-DS50). 400 tons (streamlined hull), 5g, no jump capability, TL-11, Model 5/fib. 16 tons fuel. 17 crew. 4 hardpoints. 74 tons cargo. MCr199.
Farnez-class SDB (SD-HS40). 800 tons (streamlined hull), 4g, no jump capability, TL-11, Model 5/fib. 24 tons fuel. 28 crew. 8 hardpoints. 57 tons cargo. MCr341.
Mongoose Traveller Designs
Since I have been playing with 2e High Guard, I wanted to try my hand at converting these three SDBs. Probably the most notable thing I discovered was that, without having to include a Jump drive and the attendant fuel tanks, you can end up with a lot of dead space—even after maxing out the armor and maneuver drives. (Most of the canonical examples had relatively low accelerations compared to what I ended up with in MgT.) Further, the number of hard points limits the number of weapons you can add: in many cases, I used small bays or barbettes instead of turrets in order to use up excess tonnage.
Standard Solomani System Defense Boat
The standard Solomani system defense boat is the 300-ton “standard” boat, a design that reaches back to before the Solomani Rim War. The standard boat is still built throughout the Confederation, with many examples in Magyar on both sides of the border.
Hull Points 132
Crew Captain, Pilot x3, Engineer, Maintenance, Medic, Gunner x6
Maintenance Cost MCr0.0163 per month
Purchase Cost MCr196
| TL13 | Tons | Costs (MCr) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 300 tons, Streamlined | - | 18 |
| Reinforced | - | 9 | |
| Armor | Crystaliron, Armor:13 | 49 | 18 |
| Radiation Shielding | - | 7.5 | |
| M-Drive | Thrust 6 | 18 | 36 |
| Power Plant | Fusion (TL12), Power 360 | 24 | 24 |
| Fuel Tanks | 12 weeks operation | 9 | - |
| Bridge | 20 | 1.5 | |
| Computer | Core 25/fib | - | 15 |
| Sensors | Improved (Extended Arrays) | 9 | 12.9 |
| Countermeasures Suite | 2 | 4 | |
| Enhanced Signal Processing | 2 | 8 | |
| Weapons | Small Bays (fusion) x2 | 100 | 16 |
| Barbette (missile) x1 | 5 | 4 | |
| Ammunition | Missile Storage (60 missiles) | 5 | - |
| Armored Bulkheads | Power Plant | 2.4 | 0.48 |
| Maneuver Drive | 1.8 | 0.36 | |
| Fuel | 0.9 | 0.18 | |
| Bridge | 2 | 0.4 | |
| Systems | Fuel Processor (10 tons/day) | 1 | 0.05 |
| Medical Bay x1 | 4 | 2 | |
| Staterooms | Standard x9 | 36 | 4.5 |
| Software | Maneuver/0 | - | - |
| Intellect | - | 1 | |
| Evade/3 | - | 3 | |
| Fire Control/5 | - | 10 | |
| Library | - | - | |
| Common Areas | 8 | 1 | |
| Cargo | 0 | - |
Sentry-class System Defense Boat
The Sentry-class SDBs were first built by a technical consortium on Dingir, prior to its reabsorption into the Third Imperium. The particle beam weapons package reflects an emphasis on reduced logistical requirements; missile resupply problems cannot affect the Sentry’s offensive punch. An official IDP (Imperial data package) design since 434, vessels of this class may be found in planetary navies of this tech level throughout the Imperium and beyond.
Hull Points 176
Crew Captain, Officer, Pilot x3, Engineer x2, Maintenance, Medic, Gunner x8
Maintenance Cost MCr.0166 per month
Purchase Cost MCr199
| TL11 | Tons | Costs (MCr) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 400 tons, Streamlined | - | 24 |
| Reinforced | - | 12 | |
| Armor | Crystaliron, Armor:11 | 55 | 20 |
| Radiation Shielding | - | 10 | |
| M-Drive | Thrust 5 | 20 | 40 |
| Power Plant | Fusion (TL8), Power 350 | 35 | 18 |
| Fuel Tanks | 16 weeks operation | 16 | - |
| Bridge | 20 | 2 | |
| Computer | Core 15/fib | - | 3 |
| Sensors | Military Grade | 2 | 4.1 |
| Improved Signal Processing | 1 | 4 | |
| Weapons | Small Bays (particle beam) x2 | 100 | 40 |
| Triple Turret (sandcaster) x2 | 2 | 3.5 | |
| Ammunition | Sandcaster Barrels (120 barrels) | 6 | - |
| Armored Bulkheads | Power Plant | 3.5 | 0.72 |
| Maneuver Drive | 2 | 0.4 | |
| Fuel | 1.6 | 0.32 | |
| Bridge | 2 | 0.4 | |
| Systems | Fuel Processor (20 tons/day) | 1 | 0.05 |
| Medical Bay | 4 | 2 | |
| Staterooms | Standard x11 | 44 | 5.5 |
| Software | Maneuver/0 | - | - |
| Intellect | - | 1 | |
| Evade/2 | - | 2 | |
| Fire Control/3 | - | 6 | |
| Library | - | - | |
| Common Areas | 11 | 1.1 | |
| Cargo | 74 | - |
Farnez-class System Defense Boat
The Farnez class of SDB is typical of the lower technology end of system defense. The design predates the Solomani Rim War, when it was still being produced by the Imperial Navy and many lower tech worlds throughout the Imperium. At 800 displacement tons the Farnez is larger than many standard SDBs yet is still effective at system defense, and continues to see use in the planetary navies of Magyar sector.
Hull Points 352
Crew Captain, Officer x2, Pilot x3, Engineer x2, Maintenance x2, Medic, Gunner x16, Administrator
Maintenance Cost MCr.0284 per month
Purchase Cost MCr341
| TL11 | Tons | Costs (MCr) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 800 tons, Streamlined | - | 48 |
| Reinforced | - | 24 | |
| Armor | Crystaliron, Armor:11 | 110 | 40 |
| Radiation Shielding | - | 20 | |
| M-Drive | Thrust 4 | 32 | 64 |
| Power Plant | Fusion (TL8), Power 540 | 54 | 27 |
| Fuel Tanks | 16 weeks operation | 24 | - |
| Bridge | 20 | 4 | |
| Computer | Core 15/fib | - | 3 |
| Sensors | Military Grade | 2 | 4.1 |
| Improved Signal Processing | 1 | 4 | |
| Weapons | Small Bays (missile) x6 | 300 | 72 |
| Triple Turret (beam laser) x2 | 2 | 5 | |
| Ammunition | Missile Storage (960 missiles) | 80 | - |
| Armored Bulkheads | Power Plant | 5.4 | 1.1 |
| Maneuver Drive | 3.2 | 0.64 | |
| Fuel | 2.4 | 0.48 | |
| Bridge | 2 | 0.4 | |
| Systems | Medical Bay x1 | 4 | 2 |
| Staterooms | Standard x15 | 60 | 7.5 |
| High x3 | 18 | 2.4 | |
| Software | Maneuver/0 | - | - |
| Intellect | - | 1 | |
| Evade/2 | - | 2 | |
| Fire Control/3 | - | 6 | |
| Library | - | - | |
| Common Areas | 23.3 | 2.3 | |
| Cargo | 57 | - |
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