Non OTU: So, interesting idea here. Want opinions.

[GLΩAMING]

Earlier today, I was struck by the thought of a Jump Projector. Some kind of station that would be able to generate a jump bubble outside of the station, surrounding another, nearby ship. It would then send the ship off on a jump to wherever (within range of the jump engine contained within the station). Similar concepts are common across SF.
This would obviously be massively advantageous to merchants on well-travelled lines and also for establishing semi-static defensive lines of SDBs that can be shipped fairly easily between systems. Being able to fill an extra 10% (minimum) of a ship's hull with cargo, weapons or armour would be terrific for anyone who invents this technology.
Is there any indication of why this technology is seemingly not present in the OTU? It doesn't seem too advanced for the Imperium or Darrians, and especially not for the Ancients. Is it simply impossible with canon jump physics?
I'm thinking of introducing it anyways into my home grown setting, so general feedback and comments are welcome also!

 

[kilemall]

Creates a very top down sort of interstellar society where jump launchers are a prerequisite to commerce and travel and it can all break down quickly if the jump forts are destroyed/ disabled.

 

[McPerth]

MT had the jump projector as spinal weapon...

MT:RM page 59

Jump Projectors: Jump projectors induce a jump field arround de target, causing it to missjump. Available at very high tech levels

The tables put them at TL 21, and there are no more specific rules (but in MT, those very high TL weapons have, at bes, poor defined rules)

 

[mike wightman]

There are jump portals mentioned in two T4 adventures, they are Ancient era tech... possibly.

The reason jump portals are not built by TL9+ cultures is due to the setting paradigm. If you want them, use them.

There are plenty of jump gates in sci fi - Stargate, Babylon 5, Buck Rogers in the XXVth century, the Expanse...

 

[Dragoner]

I'm thinking of introducing it anyways into my home grown setting, so general feedback and comments are welcome also!

I've toyed with using it in my setting as well. I think though in the OTU, it started as a rough and ready frontier in the Spinward Marches, and more wow! type tech could have been in the core, though that never really appeared in game.

 

[Condottiere]

1. Changes the fundamental aspects of the Third Imperium setting.

2. Would channel traffic (and economic development) to specific locations.

3. The jump gates become strategic objectives.

4. Alternative would be wormholes, whether activated by the gates or not.

5. Or jump streams, where you still need to use jump drives, but can be further.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Isn't this what Fading Suns is based on?

Or am I thinking of the wrong rpg?

 

[bookwyrm]

Can only be placed on Class A & B Star Ports. Sends ships to important worlds & along a trade route. Only open every 12, 8, or 6 hours for 1 hour, or always open but only connects 2 points in space, taking 24 hours to a week to change coordinates if necessary. How many can fit in a system. Are military gates separate from trade gates or shared.

Since this is Jump technology, I take it travel times are still about a week? And I guess tech level would be an indicator for range.

The downside to sending war ships to another system with the jump projector... how do they get back?

Just some thoughts from similar technology I've read in Sci-Fi over the years.

 

[Enoki]

This depends on how you view how jump works. This wouldn't work with the way I see it, for example. My version of how jump works is it is gravity based and you are opening a 'well' that can't be extended beyond 6 parsecs--why jump distance is limited--and the ship has to do it to 'fall' into the well. It's also why you have to be clear of any major source of gravity with only micro (background if you will) gravity present to jump.

The ship emerges at the bottom point of the well or if a strong source of gravity causes it to. Thus, you can't have some other source generate the well for the ship, so what you suggest wouldn't work. My version also counts in inerta as a form of gravity. That is, jumping while accelerating or even having motion of the ship can increase the chances of a misjump so to ensure you do it correctly you have to be at a stop and motionless.

Jumping in the presence of any gravity source beyond background can cause a misjump depending on skill of the crew, with the greater the gravity present, the more likely a misjump will occur.

That's my version.

 

[kilemall]

Big storyline issue, no jump escapes. I would think you would want both jump gates and regular jump tech.

 

[Baroun Tardis]

You could achieve the same effect with a network of drop tank providers.
Merchant ships would get back the fuel volume. Just dump the tanks before entering jump, and the local company picks them up and refills then
Or the tanks are drones that automatically head off to refuel after being used.

 

[Timerover51]

This depends on how you view how jump works. This wouldn't work with the way I see it, for example. My version of how jump works is it is gravity based and you are opening a 'well' that can't be extended beyond 6 parsecs--why jump distance is limited--and the ship has to do it to 'fall' into the well. It's also why you have to be clear of any major source of gravity with only micro (background if you will) gravity present to jump.

The ship emerges at the bottom point of the well or if a strong source of gravity causes it to. Thus, you can't have some other source generate the well for the ship, so what you suggest wouldn't work. My version also counts in inerta as a form of gravity. That is, jumping while accelerating or even having motion of the ship can increase the chances of a misjump so to ensure you do it correctly you have to be at a stop and motionless.

Jumping in the presence of any gravity source beyond background can cause a misjump depending on skill of the crew, with the greater the gravity present, the more likely a misjump will occur.

That's my version.

That is quite similar to my approach to Jump.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Big storyline issue, no jump escapes. I would think you would want both jump gates and regular jump tech.

This was one of the distinctions made in Babylon 5 by JMS.
You had Jump Gates that provided access to hyperspace at specific points for any craft (which then had to navigate through hyperspace to reach its destination). But ships, particularly military and paramilitary ones, also had hyperspace generators (effectively, jump drives, for our purposes) which allowed those ships to access hyperspace from anywhere, not just the gates.

Here's an example of this (for those who have forgotten or never saw the series).
Blue jump points are inbound to normal space from hyperspace.
Brown jump points are outbound from normal space to hyperspace.
Notice that the Earth Alliance Cruisers arrive through the jump gate at the beginning (notice the struts not attached to the ships), because doing so would save them significant power reserves for the fight that they were preparing to engage in. But when they break off to retreat, they generate their own jump point, rather than returning to the jump gate.

 

[Enoki]

Now, I deviate from the Megatraveller rules on this in another way, in that if you are stopped, jumping from a known system to a known system, have skill level 1 pilot, navigator, and engineer, you don't have to roll for a misjump unless you aren't keeping up on things like the navigation program, maintenance on the ship, etc.

Skill 0 in anything means rolling to see if you do it correctly.

If you are running for your life and doing a gazillion kilometers a minute (a highly technical term), while flinging your ship all over space, then you have to roll for everything. Your chances of mis-jumping skyrocket.

Short version: Routine jump with trained crew, not a problem (no rolls and it works). Any jump using amateurs or not bothering with keeping up your maintenance, or not following the rules of a safe jump, problem (rolls and cross your fingers). Running for your life and breaking every rule of jumping, major problem (your crew isn't the driver and pit crew of a Formula 1 team and you're likely to end up who knows where if you don't die).

 

[Dragoner]

I have though about if there was a tanker with long fuel lines could provide jump fuel to a jumping ship.

 

[Condottiere]

You need to understand how a jump drive works, which at best is somewhat sketchy.

In the MongoVerse, the process takes place within six minutes, so hydrogen transfer requires a somewhat more sturdy plumbing.

As regards low risk/idiot proof transitions - monojumps.

 

[mike wightman]

Recoverable drop tanks.

Their inclusion, rather then the original destroyed on use, leads to the conclusion that fueling ships and fueling stations could provide the jump fuel for a ship.

I mean if a drop tank is recoverable why not add a cockpit and engines and allow it to recover itself?

The next logical step is a long hose from a fueling station - if drop tanks can pump their fuel through the jump drive in the alloted time then ther is no reason the hose could not do so.

 

[whartung]

Recoverable drop tanks.

Their inclusion, rather then the original destroyed on use, leads to the conclusion that fueling ships and fueling stations could provide the jump fuel for a ship.

I mean if a drop tank is recoverable why not add a cockpit and engines and allow it to recover itself?

"Fuel Shuttles"

Yup. Once you cross that rubicon, Jump 6 becomes very practical for commercial freighters. In fact, it can be argued that by design, commercial freighters would provision the least amount of fuel practical (perhaps a minimum of one jump and 4-8 weeks of run time).

Using the B5 analogy, military ships carry their own fuel, so are not reliant on system infrastructure, unlike the freighters. In fact, the establishment of reliable Fuel Shuttle presence is an indicator of how a world has stepped up and joined the modern galaxy. Fair to suggest that only A and B starport worlds would have such a capability.

By a similar notion, fuel can be used as a mechanic of control over the traders by the system governments. Don't play by their rules, they don't get shuttle support.

 

[Condottiere]

It's explosive separation.

 

[Spinward Flow]

By a similar notion, fuel can be used as a mechanic of control over the traders by the system governments. Don't play by their rules, they don't get shuttle support.

Even better yet, you HAVE TO buy fuel from the starport, instead of being able to wilderness refuel "for free" from oceans and gas giants in order to keep your overhead costs low.

Considering that the highest jump starships will need the most fuel (go figure, eh? ) this can have some pretty significant knock on effects ... such as you can only buy refined fuel from the service, not unrefined ... at which point fuel purification plants stop being a benefit and instead become a liability of deadweight tonnage in high capacity transports.

Yes, with such a service you can increase the revenue tonnage available to your starship ... but at the same time you create an enormous dependency upon such fuel shuttle services in order to operate at full capacity ... and that dependency has some rather important financial and economic implications for how starships are designed and operated (not to mention, WHERE).

Yup. Once you cross that rubicon, Jump 6 becomes very practical for commercial freighters. In fact, it can be argued that by design, commercial freighters would provision the least amount of fuel practical (perhaps a minimum of one jump and 4-8 weeks of run time).

Indeed.
However, it also reinforces the "archipelago effect" of there being HAVES and HAVE NOTS in terms of where the trade routes go and which worlds benefit (the most) from interstellar trade, along with world importance. It creates an infrastructure "backbone" which enables as much as it traps operators of starships dependent upon such a system.

Note that such services will tend to necessarily bias (economically) in favor or large volume transport, which also has some rather interesting YTU building implications (of the megacorporate and wannabes variety).