Is it time for Jump-7 drives in Traveller?

[whulorigan]

1. Specifically to drop tanks, if it works for dispersed structure, it should work for them.
...
3. Then, of course, draping over a jump net.

One of the things that the "Bubble" Jump-readiness option is specifically for in T5 is dispersed structures. (BTW, "Bubble" is also the default option unless grid is explicitly specified.) So I do not think you can use a Jump-grid option with a dispersed structure under T5.

But the "jump-net" is not mentioned at all in T5 as far as I recall; so that might work unless it has been implicitly de-canonized since CT:Sup 9.

 

[Condottiere]

I'll leave that to those who are more intimately familiar with Tee Five.

If the four hundred tonne canonical close escort still has drop tanks, and is mentioned in Tee Five, the possibility exists that the spark arcs over from the hull to the drop tanks.

 

[whulorigan]

If the four hundred tonne canonical close escort still has drop tanks, and is mentioned in Tee Five, the possibility exists that the spark arcs over from the hull to the drop tanks.

The Gazelle does still have drop tanks, but the ship description in T5.1 does not explicitly mention its jump-readiness option. So it could be either grid or bubble.

 

[aramis]

I'm feeling too lazy to go dig MT out of the pile, so I'll just throw out so numbers.

MT uses (5×(Jn+1))% in effect, but it's literally 5× the volume of the J-Drive, and the JDrive is (Jn+1)%
WHich gives

TL	Drive	Drive %	Drive Fuel%	Total
9 (early) ¹	J0	1%	5%	6%
9 (mature)	J1	2%	10%	12%
11	J2	3%	15%	18%
12	J3	4%	20%	24%
13	J4	5%	25%	30%
14	J5	6%	30%	36%
15	J6	7%	35%	42%
16 ²	J7	8%	40%	48%
17 ²	J8	9%	45%	54%
18 ²	J9	10%	50%	60%
17 ³	J1-j6	(Jn+1)%	×4	((Jn+1)×5)%
18 ³	J1-j6	(Jn+1)%	×3	((Jn+1)×4)%
19 ³	J1-j6	(Jn+1)%	×2	((Jn+1)×3)%
20 ³	J1-j6	(Jn+1)%	×1	((Jn+1)×2)%
21+ ³	J1-j6	(Jn+1)%	×0.5	((Jn+1)×1.5)%

MT Jump Drives do not rely upon the power plant. Further, AM fuel is available only for PP, not for JD.
¹: extrapolated for canonicity reasons - Based upon CT AM Solomani. the first required a mass at the end of each leg, and it's implied that it could barely reach the Centauri system in two jumps. That's only 1.3 parsec distance, and the layover is about 1/3 of the way there. (Note also: T5 H1 can be used as a J10 if you have a mass to slam against at any distance less than 10 hexes.)
²: Extrapolated, but ignoring the canonical fuel reductions in MT at TL>16
³: Canonical MT drives

 

[aramis]

It wasn't even a constant, it was 5%+%5 per JN, so J-1 = 10%, J-2 = 15%, J-3 =15% J4 = 20%, etc,
that meant the "wall" was alot further out, and jumps got cheaper as tech progressed. And there were two progressions built in, one from the 5% plus 5% per JN, and one from the reduction above TL 16.
TL 17 J-8 would have been cheaper at 36% than TL 16 J-7, at 40%.
View attachment 3117

It's also vital to note that high jump couriers under MT & TNE do NOT use the central PP; the JDrive uses LHyd no matter which power source the rest of the ship has. (MT RM 65, TNE FF&S v1 p42)