Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 07:36:56 -0600 (CST) From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net> Subject: January Traveller Contest
Hi,
This month's contest involves starship design, and it will be judged by Guy "Wildstar" Garnett. The constraints on the designs are laid out below. As usual, send your entry to me (ransom@iconnect.net), and I'll strip the header and forward it to Guy. As it says below, entries are due by January 31. The contest winner will be announced on February 1. Although there are some specific design specifications laid out below, keep in mind that Guy is the sole judge of what constitutes a winning vessel, and that his decisions are final. Oh, and please put "contest" in the subject line of your entry so I don't miss it. :)
The prize for this contest is a copy of _Central Supply Catalog_ (but if you want another book - say, if M0 is out by the time the contest is over - - the winner can negotiate for another book after winning).
- -Joe
You play the role of the chief designer of a major shipyard. You have to respond to the Scout Service's request for proposals (below) with a complete ship design for a vessel that meeds the mission requirements. If it's impossible to meet the requirements, the ship should meet as many as possible, and the notes should explain which ones weren't met, and why.
You can design the ship using either QSDS or SSDS, but be sure to note which system was used, so that the designs can be checked for accuracy. Double check your math, because illegal designs may be disqualified.
There's no need for deckplans; the designs will be judged solely on the USP and the accompanying descriptive text.
The Scout Service assumes that the ship's active lifetime will be 50 years, with at least one refit to update equipment before the ship is retired. They will judge the total cost of operating the ship for 50 years (including purchase price, maintainance, and crew costs). The lowest-cost ship that meets all of the requirements will probably win the competition.
All designs should be suitable for Milieu 0. Since the IISS is an Imperial service, equipment up to TL-12 can be used. Small craft and vehicles can be custom-designed for this ship, or standard designs can be specified (from the basic rulebook, or from _Starships_ or the _Central Supply Catalog_).
Be sure that your notes and other descriptive text points out the unique features of your design. Be creative!
Day 031 is January 31st, so don't wait!
Agency: Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, Bureau of Ships Request for Proposal: IISS/BuShips RFP-90037/03x7
The Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, Office of Exploratrion, has issued requirement number MIL-TD/41 for an exploration and recontact starship. BuShips requests that all interested shipyards submit detailed proposals that meet this requirement no later than Day 031. An IISS evaluation team will examine the proposals, and announce the winer by Day 032. The successful design will be practical to construct with current starship building technology and shipyards, meet all of the requirements listed below, and have the lowest full-lifecycle costs to the IISS. The evaluation team will take into consideration any special features of the design, and will also include servicability, habitability, and potential growth in their evaluation.
Requirement: IISS/OffExp MIL-TD/41
The Office of Exploration has an immediate requirement for starships that can carry a survey and recontact team of six to eight specialists (in addition to the crew required for the safe navigation of the ship) and their equipment of up to 16 displacement tons.
The ship must have an additional cargo capacity of 1 displacement ton per person (crewmember and specialist) to store additional supplies and comsumables for a long-duration voyage.
The ship must be capable of a 2-parsec Jump, and 1G maneuver performance.
The ship must be armed, and carry a gunner as part of the crew.
The ship must be capable of wilderness refueling, including the purification of raw fuel. If the ship is not capable of skimming, it may meet this requirement by carrying small craft that can skim the required amount of fuel in 24 hours of operations.
The ship must be capable of landing on undeveloped planets, including NOE (Nap-Of-the-Earth) flight. If the ship itself is unstreamlined, it may meet this requirement by carrying small craft that can deliver the specialists and at least half their gear to a planetary surface (6 to 8 persons and 8 dtons, in addition to the crew of the craft). This gear may include a small vehicle.
The craft's primary purpose is long-range exploration and recontact. Due to the extended duration of these missions, the quality of the quarters aboardship will be important to maintaining crew efficency.