Component Contest! We have three winners!

By bobh, in Rogue Trader House Rules

Component Contest,

Get your Component built into the next version of the RT Ship Utility.

The RTSU is at version 1-351 and works well. Tweaks to its Character Sheet output are in the works and I've fallen upon the idea of adding non-canon (player-made) components into the Utility. If you want to get your component into the utility please post its description and relevant information in this thread. Three of the entries will be chosen for the first contest. You may enter as many times as you want. Though I will unltimately be the arbiter of which components are chosen feedback from the community will sway me so be sure to include a link to any threads where you originally posted your component ideas. Attribution (credit to you) will be included in all future version of the utility if your component(s) are chosen.

Two weeks from now, assuming anyone posts, the contest will conclude. I hope that, with enough participation, I can do this once a month.

Thank you and may the best scoundrel win! gran_risa.gif

Original RTSU Thread

Congrats for/to:

The Mimic Engine by BaronIveagh (look for them in v1-36)

Podded Components by Argus Van Het (Cargo & Barracks) (Look for them in v1-36)

and

Colonist Quarters by Jenk (in v1-351 and up)
Barracks conversion into Colonist Quarters by Jenk (in v1-351 and up)

The next contest will start in one week, 1 May 2010.

By popular petition:

Towing "Podded" cargo (or people!):

It is stated in the page 191 of the RT rulebook that certain components with 0 space required are mounted outside of the ship, and that implies their only protection against damage in combat comes from the Void Shields (and any damage surpassing it means that component is automatically destroyed). This, and my "addiction" to David Weber's Honor Harrington saga made me think about towing pod-like cargo holds for certain missions (let's say your frigate has to transport a Titan... where in the hell wil you fit that thing? This is an example, don't ask me where Titans come from...).

So, let's say you wanna get those good bonus from the cargo holds or the barracks, but you don't have enough space left in your ship to add it, or it's in the middle of the adventure and there is no time foir a quick refit. Fear not, because the Emperor smiles upon you, dear citizen!

What are the effects of towing this pods? Let's see it:

First, you get HALF the bonus from the component you are towing, and it will require 2 more energy points. If you need, you can always power down your weapons... (I assume something more sofisticate than a very long rope is being used here...). Also, the only bonus you will get is the Achievement one.

Second, they give you a -5x(space required) modifier to the ship's Maneuvrability as long as they are attached.

Third, when you try to change your speed from or to zero, your ship's speed drops 1 VU, because Inertia has given you a call, and she (like all those nasty physical laws) doesn't like to be ignored. So if your ship has a base speed of 8, and you are completely still in space, your speed is considered 7 this turn; and if you are traveling, then (for the sake of simiplicity) you require to spend an extra VU to make a full stop. If you are accelerating all your turns without changing your vector, then you won't be penalized.

Four, if any damage surpasses your Void Shields, say bye bye to your towing cargo. The attacker can make a shot with a -20 modifier to "cut" the pods from the ship (you will need time to re-attach them, so not in combat unless Tractor Beams are accepted... and yours have been just overload for some hours). You can cut them at the beginning or the end of any turn... but be advised: unless you are into a full stop, your GM will be very evil about minor details like finding it later, or the shape of the cargo (also Barracks without power equals to death in half an hour...).

Fifth: the pods are assumed to be towered inside the envelope of the Void Shields and the Geller Fields. I know the energy requirements should be a little different, and that the velocity and maneuvre modifiers should vary a little more too, but this is simplified purposely. This is not hard-Sci-Fi ^^. Also, take into account this pods are designed to answer pressing and temporal needs, and to become a plot device during a space combat, nothing else. These are not "regular" components to install into the ship.

Finally, the only pods contemplated here are the cargo & barracks components in the basic rulebook of Rogue Trader. Don't try to fill a pod with torpedoes and use it in combat, please, that has a TM ;) .

I’m smack in the middle of my exam period right now, so I don’t really have allot of time to work on some ideas I mused up after reading this. I’ll just post a few ideas and see if anyone wants to pick them up. Oh I might also mention heading off to Dark Reign and snatching a few of the components there. I wouldn’t mind posting some components I’ve seen over there, I would of course mention credit and reference.

Some form of Hab complex would be nice. At current there is nothing to moving large numbers of civilians around. Several times in my current game we’ve set up colonies and required quite a large number of new colonists. The Barracks is the closest thing, but doesn’t quite fit. Here is a quick go of it: Hab complex (Pwr 2, Sp 4). Plus 100 on trade endeavours involving human cargo. (one could add in a rule for press ganging the civies into fighting boarding actions).

An Environmental Dome would be pretty cool, some large area containing a forest or ice caves. Give some bonus to moral and perhaps some prestige for having your own version of the hanging gardens.

The current list is missing a lab, which could be pretty useful. I saw awhile ago a tech priest shrine on Dark Reign, so that might fit the bill.

A massive manufacturing facilitity would fit rather well. Allow the ship to construct goods from raw materials. This could offer a bonus to repair checks or perhaps trade as well.

Speaking of raw materials, a mining component would be pretty awesome. Use the ship to mine valuable resources from asteroid belts.

A prisoner hab would be pretty neat as well. Not simply a brig, but an entire prison of thousands. Could use it for raw labour or transportation of felons.

Some form of a command centre for waging tactical war on a planet or fleet engagement would be interesting.

Anyway, I need to hit the books again.

I don't think a mining component would be logical in a FTL ship: to mine you need to stay in a position, and you will be "losing" money (that means, not earning it). I think it's more logical to pack a modular mining base you set up (with miners) in the traget spot, then leave for a time doing other errands and earning money, and going back to pick cargo. You can use the pods I wrote in this thread for that in the case you don't have a cargo component in the ship, or want to deploy the base very quick.

As for transporting colonizers and population, the barracks are more than enough (and remember you are not limited to a single Barracks component, but following the rule of "too much people hampers the group task more than help it" I would limit the bonus against boarding to +30).

The massive manufacturing facility seems quite strange to me. Since repairs can be conducted, it can be assumed the ship already has some manufacturing capacities (they follow Mr. Motngomery Scott's rule of not bringing anything to space you can't repair by yourself XD). Also, manufactorums are usually archeotech. I don't see much reason to make such a component in a starship, but some people might find it interesting, so I'll leave it to them. The tactical centre... that's the ship's Bridge and its holographical systems ^^.

Now let's go to the thhings I find interesting:

  • The "lab" (AKA the Explorator/tehcpriest's playroom):

This component means the ship has a sizable part of its structure dedicated to industrial work. I would say the requirements are the following: 2 ship points, 1 space and 2 energy (based on the Munitorum and Teleportarium requirements). Since the only rules regarding repairs to the ship are the ones about extensive repairs (pg 228), I'd say this component allows the ship's engineer to make an unmodified Tech Use roll and add half of the degrees of success he gets to the extended repair rolls. If the engineer is an NPC, on the other hand, the ship will recover one additional point of hull integrity instead (for convenience). This adds to the Extended Supply Vault's effect.

Aside from this, it can be assumed the ship can replenish the Munitorum "en route", and they can produce by themselves some equipment: the group can make one additional Acquisition Test per session, but the items produced will be of common quality and the modifier can't be negative (extremely rare for a single man are the best they can get). Failing this test means, at the GM's discretion, the item(s) won't be finished until next session, or that not enough raw materials were found to make it... or simply the ship doesn't have the required SCT (in the last two cases, I foresee possible missions to find the materials or the SCT...).

  • Environmental Dome

This component doesn't really hit me as something the Imperium would bother to design, so I'll mark it as Xenotech (eldar seems the more likely source). Ther requirements would be 2 ship points, 2 Space (the machinery and life support extra needs are included here) and Energy 4. The effects would be a +2 permanent morale (even if that takes it to more than 100). Also, this look like having a good synergy with the Luxury Passenger Quarters, so I think it would grant a +50 Achievement Points towards Trade, Criminal or Creed objectives. Finally, the ship can remain an extra 10% time in the void without suffering crew or morale loss.

You like it? ^^

I'm of the opinion pods attached to the hull would be more logical if you wanted them enveloped by the void shields and geller field. And the hulls are so LARGE it wouldn't do anything but frak with your maneuverability and speed maybe.

Other than that I like the ideas :)

Argus Van Het said:

  • Environmental Dome

This component doesn't really hit me as something the Imperium would bother to design, so I'll mark it as Xenotech (eldar seems the more likely source). Ther requirements would be 2 ship points, 2 Space (the machinery and life support extra needs are included here) and Energy 4. The effects would be a +2 permanent morale (even if that takes it to more than 100). Also, this look like having a good synergy with the Luxury Passenger Quarters, so I think it would grant a +50 Achievement Points towards Trade, Criminal or Creed objectives. Finally, the ship can remain an extra 10% time in the void without suffering crew or morale loss.

You like it? ^^

this strikes me as very tau...and they like to sell stuff so these might get common REAL quick....and it'd be very efficiently designed and just 'human-like' enough to pass for non xenos if the tau deliberately designed it that way...very insideous those tricky xenos

Why not an exploration bonus (colony setup woudl be easier with fresh stocks of food plants) why a Creed bonus? Creed is 'religious'? and Imperium oriented. I was wondering aloud the other day if obvious Xenotech on a ship would result in a Creed penalty because of the implications of cavorting with the xenos. I shoudl ask in the errata faq as I haven't found any thing in the core book.

If it was Eldar it'd be made of wraithbone and would stick out if on the exterior of a hull. of course you could paint it black but wraithbone keeps growing? And might need a bonesinger to be healthy?

This all got me thinking about imperial equivalents...like Manufactoria that produce foodstuffs from raw materials......

Imperial Version

Foodstuff Processing Manufactory (1power/1space/1sp) -1MaxMorale, (+50 Trade, Criminal), gives you a small facility that can process most edible substances into foodstuffs, package them and offload them into a lighter bay or cargo hold for storage until sale. Of course 'corpse starch' (soylent green is people!) can be made from , um 'remains' and criminals are always looking for ways to offload bodies. Unlike an 'Extended Supply Vault' it could simply add length to a ship's 'legs' as far as 'food' supply, even if you can't make port (big crews have natural deaths and all). And if you find a planet with organics you can load up and make your own simple foods (freeze dried protein packs).

----

on the mining facility...an internal smelter/ore processor makes a lot of sense if you have a cargo hold and a manufactorium. you could essentially effect major repairs with in-system materials over time. this might be a good package to put together for a 'repair and recovery' vessel that refits ships in the void so they can be brought back and put into service. definitely a mechanicum component in there somewhere. perhaps a:

'Voidship Recovery Bay' which would aid in salvage operations of entire ships rather than just stripping parts.

Jenk said:

I’m smack in the middle of my exam period right now, so I don’t really have allot of time to work on some ideas I mused up after reading this. I’ll just post a few ideas and see if anyone wants to pick them up. Oh I might also mention heading off to Dark Reign and snatching a few of the components there. I wouldn’t mind posting some components I’ve seen over there, I would of course mention credit and reference.

Some form of Hab complex would be nice. At current there is nothing to moving large numbers of civilians around. Several times in my current game we’ve set up colonies and required quite a large number of new colonists. The Barracks is the closest thing, but doesn’t quite fit. Here is a quick go of it: Hab complex (Pwr 2, Sp 4). Plus 100 on trade endeavours involving human cargo. (one could add in a rule for press ganging the civies into fighting boarding actions).

An Environmental Dome would be pretty cool, some large area containing a forest or ice caves. Give some bonus to moral and perhaps some prestige for having your own version of the hanging gardens.

The current list is missing a lab, which could be pretty useful. I saw awhile ago a tech priest shrine on Dark Reign, so that might fit the bill.

A massive manufacturing facilitity would fit rather well. Allow the ship to construct goods from raw materials. This could offer a bonus to repair checks or perhaps trade as well.

Speaking of raw materials, a mining component would be pretty awesome. Use the ship to mine valuable resources from asteroid belts.

A prisoner hab would be pretty neat as well. Not simply a brig, but an entire prison of thousands. Could use it for raw labour or transportation of felons.

Some form of a command centre for waging tactical war on a planet or fleet engagement would be interesting.

Anyway, I need to hit the books again.

The enviro dome idea has great potential.

The prison hab is just itching to be used as a slave transfer component for the criminally inclined. I like the potential + to Crime endeavours or even creed endeavours if your transporting dangerous penal colonists or such.

I'm of the opinion that a 4 space barracks can carry upwards of fifty thousand equipped infantry. (see voidsmans quarters for a cruiser with a population of 95000). So why can't it carry 50,000 colonists with ALL their prefab domes and supplies?

The enviro dome idea has great potential.

The prison hab is just itching to be used as a slave transfer component for the criminally inclined. I like the potential + to Crime endeavours or even creed endeavours if your transporting dangerous penal colonists or such.

I'm of the opinion that a 4 space barracks can carry upwards of fifty thousand equipped infantry. (see voidsmans quarters for a cruiser with a population of 95000). So why can't it carry 50,000 colonists with ALL their prefab domes and supplies? Instead of bonuses to BA and H&R give your players a bonus to exploration for the colony setup if they stuff the barracks with colonists.

sry dbl post

Ugh, I must have been in a hurry writing my first post, it was not very well written I can see.

The miner component was more of an NPC vessel idea or a support ship. As a Rogue Trader I could see have a frigate sized miner or two setting to work in the asteroid belts, while I was off on my cruiser.
I do agree that the barracks could be converted into a hab complex for civilians, but there should be a rule that once stacked with civies it grants +100 to trade and not military. I suppose you could press gang the passengers into a fight as well, but I would think the bonus should range from +5 to +10, with a likely hit to moral (-1 per hit or a single hit for press ganging).
The manufacturing complex need not be a high tech animated archeotech component. I could easily see some form of sweat shop mixed with a large factory set up. Once again I agree that I would prefer to keep this off my main Rogue Trader vessel, but it would not be out of place on an NPC or support ship.

I rather like what you did with the Dome and Lab.

I don’t like the idea of pods on the side the vessel or being towed behind. I might have a solution though. What if we designed a support hull? The hull would have its own geller field and perhaps some very basic engines. The support hull would have its own power supply and crew, but would be for the most part helpless on its own and lack even warp engines. It would be towed akin to Argus Van Hets idea, and of course be something along the lines of 1/2 the size of the tower or perhaps 1/4.

As for the "semi-Ship" option Jenk says... well, the main problem is: engines and geller fields and void fields strike me as the really bottlenecks where creating a starship is concerned (and the associated control mechanisms required to run them).

My justification for the eco dome was in the line of Luxury Passenger Quarters, and since it gives Creed bonus... However, logic can be applied to the kind of objectives the item gives bonus, that's the reason GM. exists xD.

My position in the mining ships is quite simple: is cheaper to deploy a mining base (even a temporary one) and use the ships to take the cargo to the worlds you can sell it, than wasting cargo space in the ship to accomodate the extra systems. A military unit might do that kind of things, but a private bussiness won't because it's cheaper the other way.

The "towing" word was chosen because is very graphical (and I didn't wanted to think about another one, since english is not my native language), but it can mean a lot of things, like auxiliary pods attached to the exterior of the hull, or separated by some hundreds of meters from that hull (more probably, since every ship is some sort of artesanal, to have the pods in direct contact to the hull would require some specialized modifications to the hull, or custom-made pods to perfectly fit). Also, the manual talks this way about external systems ^^.

Finally, I see the barracks as a modular habitational space, so it can be easily refitted to accomodate passengers, soldiers or prisioners. I doubt they can accomodate 50.000 people, though, because if you look at it the only change in size for the crew comes when you jump to cruiser (and light cruiser) size. Also note that is as easy to replace 1% of crew for a transport than it is for a Cruiser...

Argus Van Het said:

As for the "semi-Ship" option Jenk says... well, the main problem is: engines and geller fields and void fields strike me as the really bottlenecks where creating a starship is concerned (and the associated control mechanisms required to run them).

My justification for the eco dome was in the line of Luxury Passenger Quarters, and since it gives Creed bonus... However, logic can be applied to the kind of objectives the item gives bonus, that's the reason GM. exists xD.

My position in the mining ships is quite simple: is cheaper to deploy a mining base (even a temporary one) and use the ships to take the cargo to the worlds you can sell it, than wasting cargo space in the ship to accomodate the extra systems. A military unit might do that kind of things, but a private bussiness won't because it's cheaper the other way.

The "towing" word was chosen because is very graphical (and I didn't wanted to think about another one, since english is not my native language), but it can mean a lot of things, like auxiliary pods attached to the exterior of the hull, or separated by some hundreds of meters from that hull (more probably, since every ship is some sort of artesanal, to have the pods in direct contact to the hull would require some specialized modifications to the hull, or custom-made pods to perfectly fit). Also, the manual talks this way about external systems ^^.

Finally, I see the barracks as a modular habitational space, so it can be easily refitted to accomodate passengers, soldiers or prisioners. I doubt they can accomodate 50.000 people, though, because if you look at it the only change in size for the crew comes when you jump to cruiser (and light cruiser) size. Also note that is as easy to replace 1% of crew for a transport than it is for a Cruiser...

I've been banging around the idea of making a MONITOR subtype on the utility itself to allow for any hull to be created without the necessary warp drive and gellar field to reflect its use as a non warp capable monitor (BUT if you want to tow it between system in the warp don't forget the geller field lol). Also, I want to create the Ironclad (vast 8-kilometer vessels which lack the void shielding of their counterparts in favor of meters of adamantine plate armor) type later but have put it on a back burner. Towing a MONITOR would be interesting and is likely don because not every system that is defended is defended by warp capable ships and they don't all have shipyards ergo they can be moved from system to system.

If your mining many hundreds of asteroids re-deploying the base is a time waster. Havig a ship which can simply open a door, take the roid in and crush it then smelt and take the valuable part and eject the detrius saves a LOT of time. Mining planets is another matter so perhaps a component/towable/pod and a ship type facility are needed to cover the bases.

I like the idea of pods because it avoids the nasty problem of having kilometer long cables attached to a mass behind you that also requires shielding from your own thrusters. And the external 0 spae systems rule in the core rules already covers us for part of the game mechanics.

"Also note that is as easy to replace 1% of crew for a transport than it is for a Cruiser..."

Barracks are Barracks, they don't change size for the hull they are installed in. My comparison is that a Cruiser holds 95,000 ppl in its Voidsmens crew quarters in the same space as a Barracks. Thats a LOT of room. Considering most troop accommodations on ships in the books are cramped and crappy, 50,000 troops and their stuff (tanks, planes, pods, gunships, rations and taggers along) is a conservative estimate.

We agree on a lot. Lets work with what we agree on and make some POD type systems: Environment Pod (whether for recreation or utility), Mining Pod (a facility that is dropped to mine either on a planet or moon or even in the upper atmosphere of a gas giant for exotic gasses). Certainly MOST systems can be recreated in PODS, even Barracks demonio.gif

Mmm... I think the Geller Field problem for non-warp capable ships can be saved quite easily: if the non-warp capable ship is being "towed" by another across the warp (by whatever mean you want to think it is used, be it ropes, gum, tractor beams...), you just need to fit a temporal Geller Field in the ship, and the energy can come from the ship's own engines (also take into account a ship being created in a system to be towed to another system will probably have so few tripulation on board -if it even has, to begin with-, the only purpose the Geller Field would be making sure nothing nasty comes with the ship, so no other systems needs to be powered up). Also, the ship doesn't need to be finished, leaving most of the details to the "purchaser".

About the barracks issue I certainly think FFG should detail it a bit. I just make it to carry an army. The question comes even more to mind when you think about the Space Marines ships, by the way: in theory each Space Marine capital ship with a contingent of space marines holds 100 marines at most (1.000 marines per chapter, 100 marines per company) plus dreadnoughts and explorers... And it surely holds the same space requirements than a normal barracks XD.

Edit: by the way, I think the mining operations would target big asteroids (easier than planets...). The small asteroids are easier to mine: just fire your batteries. The base could be made as a pod, also, so it becomes easier to redeploy in asteroid fields (for planets, use the normal mining instalations ^^).

We need bigger engines in the creator to fit the larger hulls possible with this. There are a couple good ones, though I use the engines in Ships of the Imperial Navy , myself.

I'll enter the hulls, upgrades and components I posted over at DR for the contest:

Ancient Vessels and Equipment of the Expanse

I've looked over what it would take to modify the utility to allow for up to battleship classed hulls and have decided to wait a short while to add such things. The current utility can handle up to battle cruiser class vessels. Since all of the larger vessels require components that are conjectural at this time I will probably create a custom Warp Drive and Plasma Drive slot so one can be added by the user, saving massive rewrites of the utility for canon drives that come out in FFG supplements.

I do like some of the components you came up with and will certainly keep them on the list for the competition. Listed here for clarity:

Hull Enhancements:


Pre-Imperial Variant [Cost: SP 10 Must be taken during ship creation]

A staggeringly rare and precious object, this ancient vessel was constructed before the Great Crusade, possibly during the Dark Age of Technology. It incorporates advanced systems designed to easily incorporate other STC equipment into it and is of extreme interest to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Whereas some ships contain Archeotech, this ship is Archeotech. This ship may not accept Xenotech components. Treat a result of Xenophilous on the ship Past Histories table as though Reliquary of Mars had been rolled, instead. If using Quality rules for ships, this ship is automatically of Best quality. Advanced Super Conductors: Reduce all power requirements for installed components by 1. This cannot reduce the power requirement below 1. Well Lit: A ship-wide lighting system utilizes ancient fiber optic systems to illuminate the ship. Crew gains +1 morale due to careful modulation of the light color and intensity.


Contaminated Hull

This is not a hull that is built, per se, but rather one that has become contaminated by direct contact with the living metal of a Necron vessel or artifact. While this makes the vessel supremely durable, it is also of intense interest to the Ordo Xenos, for obvious reasons. They will probably stop at nothing to recover such an insanely rare piece of xenotech. Reactive Armor: Lances used against this ship may not ignore its armor. Self Repair: This ship regains Hull Integrity automatically at a rate of 1 point of Hull Integrity per round. Destroyed components may be repaired by this, though not repressurized. Unnatural Ship: The constant feeling of wrongness about the vessel unnerves the crew. Permanently reduce Moral by 20. Power Drain: This vessel's engines power is reduced by 5 to reflect the energy consumed by the nanomachines infesting the hull.

Cost: Not Applicable. (The exact mechanic of acquiring this enhancement is left to the GM due to the extreme potential for abuse)


Archeotech Components:


Scartix Engine Coil

This is a highly sought after and very rare engine upgrade, allowing the engines to produce even greater thrust. This enhances any existing plasma drive.

Speed: +25% (rounded to nearest whole number.) Cost: Power 1, SP 1

Cargohold Stasis Fields

This component adds stasis fields to the ship's cargo holds, preventing damage and spoilage of delicate cargos. This component takes up no space, being integral to another component.

Fresh Fruit: Morale is permanently increased by +1 Delicate Cargo: Gain +20 Achievement points toward any trade endeavor due to reduced breakage.

Cost: Power 1, SP 1,

Public Holotheater

This ancient and venerable device allows the showing of holodramas and other entertainment for the crew. Movie Night: Increase Morale permanently by 1

Cost: Space 1, Power 1, SP 1

Tactical Maneuver Cogitator

This near-heretical device is a relic of the dark age of technology, using previous engagements that this ship has fought in to create prediction models, allowing the captain to stay one move ahead in any engagement. Motion Prediction: This device allows for near flawless target tracking, granting +5 to Command, Detection, and Ballistics tests and +10 to Maneuverability. This also grants a circumstantial +10 bonus to tests involving attempts to Disengage.

Cost: Space 1, Power 1, SP 3


Xenotech Components:

The Mimic Engine

The primary tool of the Dark Eldar Corsairs, this component is capable of disguising the ship as another ship of about the same size. This component functions against sensors of Ork, Imperial, Chaos, Eldar, and Tau ships. It has no effect on Necron or Tyranid vessels. The mimic engine can mimic specific ships, as long as the ship it is mounted in has previously encountered and performed a focused augery scan on the ship to be duplicated. This does not alter the ships actual appearance, so if the ship is within 2 VU of another ship, the ruse is quickly seen through.

Power Drain: This component cannot be used at the same time as Imperial void shields or any similar defensive system, such as Ghost Fields.

Cost: Space 3, Power 8


Grot Targeters

Guided by Mork, or possibly Gork, da meks have installed a new screen, wot shows dem udder gits ships as grots. An' if dere's anyfing an ork knows, it's how ta squish grots!

Instinctive Fire: this component grants a +10 bonus to all ballistics tests made to fire shipboard weaponry.

Orky tech: Non-orks cannot use this component.


Distortion Charge

A powerful mine-like weapon used by certain Eldar pirates, the Distortion Charge tears open reality, creating a warp rift. This weapon can be targeted and destroyed in the same manner as a torpedo, moving at 5Vu per turn toward the target. On detonation, it creates a warp rift 6VU across, centered on its point of detonation. This weapon may only be fired at targets in the aft firing arc.

Each turn that a vessel is caught in the area of a warp rift, treat it as having taken 3 strength 6 hits which ignore shields and armor, dealing 1d10+2 damage each, crit 5. At the beginning of the firers turn, roll a d6. On a 6 the warp rift closes.

This weapon does not have an associated cost, as it, like other self guided mines, can simply be tossed out of a lighter bay.

(How to acquire this powerful weapon is left up to the GM. Each of these is a one use weapon.)

Looks like I'm going back on what i said already. To fix another little bug i decided to not hardwire warp engines, so you will be able to choose Strelov 1 through 4 drives (3 and 4 being non canon) on the BUILD sheet.

Winners of the first RTSU Component Contest

The Mimic Engine by BaronIveagh

The primary tool of the Dark Eldar Corsairs, this component is capable of disguising the ship as another shipof about the same size. This component functions against sensors of Ork, Imperial, Chaos, Eldar, and Tau ships. It has no effect on Necron or Tyranid vessels. The mimic engine can mimic specific ships, as long asthe ship it is mounted in has previously encountered and performed a focused augery scan on the ship to be duplicated. This does not alter the ships actual appearance, so if the ship is within 2 VU of another ship,the ruse is quickly seen through.

Power Drain: This component cannot be used at the same time as Imperial void shields or any similar defensive system, such as Ghost Fields.

Cost: Space 3, Power 8

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Podded Components by Argus Van Het (Cargo & Barracks)

"Components with 0 space required are mounted outside of the ship. This, and my "addiction" to David Weber's Honor Harrington saga made me think about towing pod-like cargo holds for certain missions (let's say your frigate has to transport a Titan... where in the hell will you fit that thing? This is an example, don't ask me where Titans come from...). So, let's say you wanna get those good bonus from the cargo holds or the barracks, but you don't have enough space left in your ship to add it, or it's in the middle of the adventure and there is no time for a quick refit. Fear not, because the Emperor smiles upon you, dear citizen!"

You get 1/2 the Achievement BONUS of the component you have 'Podded', if any, and require 1 more energy to power/maintain the component than they would if they were buried deep within the hull. Second, they give you a -5, per Pod, modifier to the ship's Maneuvrability as long as they are attached. Third, when you try to change your speed from or to zero, your ship's speed drops 1 VU, because Inertia has given you a call, and she (like all those nasty physical laws) doesn't like to be ignored. So if your ship has a base speed of 8, and you are completely still in space, your speed is considered 7 this turn; and if you are traveling, then (for the sake of simiplicity) you require to spend an extra VU to make a full stop. If you are accelerating all your turns without changing your vector, then you won't be penalized. Four, if any damage surpasses your Void Shields, say bye bye to your towing cargo. The attacker can make a shot with a -20 modifier to "cut" the pods from the ship (you will need time to re-attach them, so not in combat unless Tractor Beams are accepted... and yours have been just overload for some hours). You can cut them at the beginning or the end of any turn... but be advised: unless you are into a full stop, your GM will be very evil about minor details like finding it later, or the shape of the cargo (also Barracks without power equals to death in half an hour...). Fifth: the pods are assumed to be towed (or latched onto the hull) inside the envelope of the Void Shields and the Geller Fields. I know the energy requirements should be a little different, and that the velocity and maneuvre modifiers should vary a little more too, but this is simplified purposely. This is not hard-Sci-Fi ^^. Also, take into account this pods are designed to answer pressing and temporal needs, and to become a plot device during a space combat, nothing else. These are not "regular" components to install into the ship.

Finally, the only pods contemplated here are the cargo & barracks components in the basic rulebook of Rogue Trader. Don't try to fill a pod with torpedoes and use it in combat, please, that has a TM ;) .

Editor's Note (me, bobh): I changed some of the basic penalties to make it easier to integrate the components into theUtility. Its also good to remember that if the ship is underway and a pod is ejected or cut from the ship it will travel roughly the same current speed and direction as the vessel that was carrying it. Each Pod has Hull Integrity = to its SPACE requirement if it were a normal component (i.e barracks = 4 HI) for purposes of determining damage to destroy a pod completely. One point of damage should crack a pod open, making it unusable at the very least as they are not armored heavily enough to defend against anything more than a micrometeor.

Cost: Space: 0, Power: +1 more than normal component, SP$: Same as regular component.

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Colonist Quarters by Jenk
Barracks conversion into Colonist Quarters by Jenk

Integrated into the RTSU v 1-351 (already in there ! :) )

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Great work Bobh!

This is a really useful tool!

So are you going to do another contest for more ship components?

Yes. I'm still working on v 1-36. As soon as its finished I'll open the next contest.