[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of the original Star Trek.]
The following are thoughts about Federation ships in the Expanded Classic Star Trek Universe.
I am inspired to retain the designs pioneered by Franz Joseph in his Star Fleet Technical Manual, but I shall not be using all of his suggested names for vessels. In fact, I shall be using very few of them. Unlike the extreme diversification of ship types found in both Star Fleet Battles and the Alternate Star Trek Universe, I would like to simplify Star Fleet and limit most of the variety to different classes within each type rather than representing every possible type. Star Fleet, after all, is a "combined service," as Captain Kirk once said, and would expect most ships to be capable of carrying out a variety of missions, rather than succumbing to the overspecialization (and overspending) of historical military services. The main ship types (and their hull classification symbols), then, are Heavy Cruisers (CA), Light Cruisers (CL), Destroyers (DD), Scientific Research Ships (AGR), Scout/Surveying Ships (AGS), Transport/Tugs (AT), and Corvettes (K). Battleships (BB) of various classes, including a Dreadnought class, are in the planning stage. Frigates (FF) have been retired from combat duty as they are obsolete, having only navigational deflector shields and some hull armor, rather than the powerful deflector shields required by modern warships.
CA: Heavy Cruisers, as mentioned repeatedly in the original series, are the most powerful ships in Star Fleet, and are the envy of rivals such as the Romulans. They have the most powerful armaments and deflector shields of any Federation ship, they are the largest of the armed Federation ships, and they have extensive research facilities to allow for very long deep space missions in potentially hostile parts of uncharted space. Despite their status as ships-of-the-line, they are far more versatile than the capital ships of most other spacefaring species, and their activities can involve exploration, surveying, scientific research, emergency aid, rescue operations, transportation, diplomatic missions, escort duty, or patrol, in addition to combat missions.
CL: Light Cruisers serve much the same function as Heavy Cruisers, but most classes are older. At one time they were the only Cruisers in Star Fleet (previously bearing the hull code C), and were the cause of the retirement of the Frigates. Light Cruisers are well-armed, possess reasonably effective deflector shields, and have moderate research facilities. They are used for much the same variety of roles as Heavy Cruisers. Light Cruisers are somewhat smaller, considerably less expensive (and quicker) to manufacture, and consequently more numerous.
DD: Destroyers are dedicated warships — heavily armed, possessing powerful deflector shields, very maneuverable, and having no peaceful function except to restore peace through battle or the threat of it. Destroyers are typically deployed to protect shipping, defend populated areas, repel invasions, or otherwise engage hostile vessels close to home or deep in enemy space. The limited research facilities of a Destroyer are solely devoted to analyzing unfamiliar enemy weaponry and developing countermeasures in the field. Additional barracks are available for large armed landing parties or boarding parties.
AGR: Scientific Research Ships are unarmed, possess moderate deflector shields, and are used for — as the name suggests — conducting scientific research alone in safe areas of Federation space or with the protection of a Destroyer, Light Cruiser, or Heavy Cruiser in more dangerous areas. They have the most extensive research facilities of any ship in Star Fleet and are capable of very long missions in deep space. They are slow, however, and not very maneuverable.
AGS: Scout/Surveying Ships are very lightly armed, usually possessing no more than a single bank of phasers, with moderate deflector shields, but they are very fast and highly maneuverable. They have moderate research facilities, but their primary mission is either reconnaissance, exploration, surveying planets, charting space, or a combination. They are also used to convey messages beyond the reach of Star Fleet signals.
AT: Transport/Tugs are truly the workhorse of Star Fleet and are the most numerous of the larger ships. Transport/Tugs can be reasonably maneuverable or reasonably fast, but never at the same time. They are moderately armed for defensive purposes, possess powerful deflector shields, and are equipped with the strongest tractor beams. The three main purposes of the Transport/Tug are to convey large, modular transport containers designed for liquids, dry bulk, refrigerated goods, products, or passengers; to tow ships that are disabled or are entering or leaving drydock; and to participate in salvage operations.
K: Corvettes are small ships with small crews, moderate armament, and light to moderate deflector shields. Like Destroyers, Corvettes are dedicated warships with no available space to waste on research facilities. Their purpose is to patrol the space around Federation planets, prevent piracy, and harass larger enemy vessels. Despite their size, they can be very effective when they use their speed, maneuverability, and superior numbers to their advantage. Corvettes are the most numerous of the armed ships in Star Fleet.
BB: Battleships are still in the planning stage as of the fifth year of the Enterprise's current five year mission. If and when they are ever launched, they will supplant the Heavy Cruiser as the most powerful armed ship in Star Fleet, but they will not enjoy the diversity of mission assignments, for their sole purpose is to destroy the enemy. A Battleship will possess the greatest firepower and the most powerful deflector shields; if she has research facilities, they will be strictly dedicated to research of a military nature; she will have enough quarters to accommodate the largest armed boarding parties; and she will be equally capable of providing planetary defense or spearheading assaults on enemy fleets or bases. The drawback is that she will be astronomically expensive both to build and maintain, especially for the limited scope of her missions. Another disadvantage is her poor maneuverability, the lowest of any armed ship in Star Fleet. She will probably need to be towed into place every time she docks. Nonetheless, when she needs to reach warp speeds, she will make the jump extremely quickly (as long as she's already pointed in the right direction).
More details on the ship types, including all the classes and the names of individual vessels, will follow. Eventually.
[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 30 June 2007.]
No comments:
Post a Comment