Random Ship Construction Kit

This is a rules kit for Centaurus Gate that provides a way to randomly create a ship for an Expedition.

The Three Core Ship Concepts

There are three core ship concepts that must be defined before you can move forward and make details for the ship: Type, Engine, and Systems. The Type of the ship is its general size and format, there are ten types inside the Corvette scale of ships. The Engine of the ship tells you how complex and powerful the reactor core of it is in a vague sense. Systems are a count of installed systems on the ship of specific functions. Here is a chart of the options for a ship, rated from 1 to 10. 1 is the smallest Type, weakest Engine, and least Systems. !0 is the largest Type, strongest Engine, and most Systems.

Die Roll	Type	Engine	Systems
1	Junk	Single Core, ISO 1	One Light
2	Clipper	Single Core, ISO 2	Two Light
3	Longship	Single Core, ISO 3	One Light, One Medium
4	Ketch	Dual Core, ISO 1	Two Light, One Medium
5	Gundalow	Dual Core, ISO 2	One Light, Two Medium
6	Cutter	Dual Core, ISO 3	Two Light, Two Medium
7	Trawler	Trinity Core, ISO 1	Two Medium, One Heavy
8	Catamaran	Trinity Core, ISO 2	One Light, Two Medium, One Heavy
9	Barge	Trinity Core, ISO 3	Two Light, Two Medium, One Heavy
10	Lighter	Quad Core, ISO 1	Two Medium, Two Heavy

To create a random ship, you roll a six-sided die, an eight-sided die, and a ten-sided die. Re-roll any duplicates (always re-roll the larger die). Create three ships by assigning the rolls this way:

Assign the highest to Type, the lowest to Systems, and the other die to Engine.

Assign the highest to Engine, the lowest to Systems, and the other die to Type.

Assign the highest to Systems, the lowest to Engine, and the other die to Type.

Notice that there are only going to be two types possible between the three ships, though you will have two different versions of the smaller Type ship to offer.

The ship Types were named based on the over look and style of the vessel, and based on historical names. For instance, a longship is a long slender vessel which invokes the impression of Viking longships. They do also imply a certain size and mass. Here are the definitions of the ten ship Types listed above:

Barge

Scale: 9, Nominal Crew 22

Design: Single hull, Flat, wide, large number of storage docks (internal and external), single bridge and galley, minimum quarters.

Measurements: 180 to 360 meters long, half that wide, half that tall.

Features: Large cargo space, Rugged Armored Construction, Poor Maneuverability.

Propulsion: Moderate Speed, Moderate Efficiency.

Catamaran

Scale: 8, Nominal Crew 20

Design: Double hull, wide, moderate number of storage docks (most external), single bridge and galley, moderate quarters.

Measurements: 160 to 320 meters long, half that wide, various heights.

Features: Good cargo space, Double Hull Design, Slow Acceleration.

Propulsion: Moderate Speed, High Efficiency.

Clipper

Scale: 2, Nominal Crew 8

Design: Single hull, small number of storage docks (mostly internal), single bridge and galley, minimum quarters.

Measurements: 40 to 80 meters long, third that wide, various heights.

Features: Good Maneuverability, Good Acceleration

Propulsion: Impressive Speed, High Efficiency.

Cutter

Scale: 6, Nominal Crew 16

Design: Single hull, small number of storage docks (mostly internal), single bridge and galley, moderate quarters.

Measurements: 120 to 240 meters long, a quarter that wide, a third tall.

Features: Good Maneuverability, Excellent Acceleration

Propulsion: High Speed, Moderate Efficiency.

Gundalow

Scale: 5, Nominal Crew 14

Design: Single hull, small number of storage docks (mostly external), dual bridge, single galley, excessive quarters

Measurements: 100 to 200 meters long, half that wide, quarter tall

Features: Additional System (Medium), Enhanced Rigging

Propulsion: Moderate Speed, Low Efficiency

Junk

Scale: 1, Nominal Crew 6

Design: Single hull, small number of storage docks, single bridge and galley, minimum quarters.

Measurements: 20 to 40 meters long, various widths and heights, no formal style.

Features: Excellent Maneuverability, Simple Architecture

Propulsion: High Speed, High Efficiency.

Ketch

Scale: 4, Nominal Crew 12

Design: Single hull, moderate number of storage docks (either type), single bridge and galley, moderate quarters.

Measurements: 80 to 160 meters long, third that wide, various heights.

Features: Good Acceleration, Rugged Construction

Propulsion: High Speed, Moderate Efficiency.

Lighter

Scale: 10, Nominal Crew 24

Design: Single hull, large number of storage docks (mostly internal), dual bridge and dual galley, excessive quarters.

Measurements: 200 to 400 meters long, third that wide, various heights.

Features: Poor Maneuverability, Towing Rig, Uncommon Bonded Construction

Propulsion: Low Speed, Low Efficiency.

Longship

Scale: 3, Nominal Crew 10

Design: Single hull, small number of storage docks (mostly external), single bridge and galley, minimum quarters

Measurements: 60 to 120 meters long, third that wide, various heights

Features: High Maneuverability, Two Light External Systems (Port/Starboard)

Propulsion: Impressive Speed, High Efficiency

Trawler

Scale: 7, Nominal Crew 18

Design: Single hull, small number of storage docks (mostly external), single bridge and galley, moderate quarters

Measurements: 140 to 280 meters long, third that wide, various heights

Features: Low Maneuverability, StarNet Rigging

Propulsion: Moderate Speed, Low Efficiency

Engines

Systems

Design Features

Here are what the different design features mean in play.

Good Cargo Space: The ship has excellent cargo space. This means one standard space container (10m cube) per nominal crew member, between exterior or interior mounts.

Double Hull Design: The ship has two primary hulls instead of one, usually bridged by a central linkage assembly that houses nothing but conduits and sensor systems. Count the hull rating as 1d higher for these ships.

Slow Acceleration: The ship has slower than normal acceleration, count the maneuvering rating for the ship as 1d less than normal.