Dear Community!

I found this gem searching one the ships in the "Ship Art" thread:
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/space/spaceship/star-wars-light-freighter-acklay-f5785a90-44e2-43dd-b1c7-1f36cfbe476d

I really love the design and I want to insert it into my games. I have no experience what so ever in putting stats to vehicles (we only use them for transportation so far) so some balance advice is much needed. I took the Lancer class pursuit craft as a basis and modified a bit as it looks like some kind of exploratory, or scout transport with the huge engines and the characterized sensors. (Maybe a spy ship? like those listening ice cream trucks :D)

Silhouette 4, Speed 4, Handling -2
Defense 1/0/0/1, armor 2
HTT: 25, STT: 15
Hyperdrive Class 1, Backup Class 12
Navicomputer: yes
Sensor range: Medium
Ship's complement: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator/sensor-crew, gunner?
Passenger Capacity: 2
Price/rarity: greatest question mark in my mind
Hard points: 2
Weapons: As far as i see it there are 2 dual cannons facing forward from the engine, 2 solo canons facing forward under the cockpit, and a forward facing dual canon on the top. In this case there's no need for gunner, as the pilot can operate them in sync, but would seem more realistic to split them, maybe give the top cannon turret mounted trait and operate it separately and give a gunner crew, and the rest is a linked 4 laser turret (or just leave out the canons on the back and treat the forwards as linked 4 which can be operated by the pilot or the co-pilot.

What do you think? Maybe there's already a ship which fits this picture better?

Mostly not bad, but there's a few points I think need some more thought.

Big thing I always ask is "Why?" Why does this vessel need those numbers? What was the intended purpose of the ship that justified spending the credits (or not) to develop it's ability to do... whatever? Finalizing the intended function of a ship is the first big step in defining it's loadout.

11 hours ago, Rimsen said:

Speed 4

This is the same as many Starfighters. So.... Why? why does this ship need to keep pace with Starfighters? What in it's intended mission profile justifies the expense? Why would a speed of 2 or 3 not make more sense?

11 hours ago, Rimsen said:

Sensor range: Medium

This is also oversized. Medium Sensors (long when focused) can go a long way, especially when talking space scales. Most craft this size have only Close or Short. Soooo Why? Why does this ship need to see as far as a small capital ship? What's the benefit to cost here? Why is Short not far enough?

11 hours ago, Rimsen said:

and a forward facing dual canon on the top

If we're looking at that same thing... that's an antenna.

And lets look at this thing really close, as it has some odd feature...

- It's not very big, only 2 decks tall, maybe 3...

- It's weapons load out is higher than average, but not hugely so.

- It's got a super nifty looking side airlock docking collar. So this thing can probably dock with pretty much any known make and model of ship, and probably a few unknown.

- It's loaded with electronic gear. It's got more antenna and dishes than most ships it' size.

- It's landing gear are stupid huge for it's size.The tree of them are so big they can't totally retract into the fuselage. It even appears to have extra landing gear or something.

- It's engines are really big for it's size, suggesting a relatively high thrust:mass ratio

Sooo... lets take your initial idea and cross reference...

12 hours ago, Rimsen said:

some kind of exploratory, or scout transport with the huge engines and the characterized sensors. (Maybe a spy ship? like those listening ice cream trucks :D)

Ok... how about:

Extreme range tug, recovery, and salvage? It's got a tiny crew of maybe 4 or 5 tops, so it doesn't need to dedicate much space to storing supplies for them. Unusually strong sensors and commo gear so it can find stuff out in the middle of nowhere and keep it's home base up to date on how it all goes. It's landing gear pads are oversized so it can touchdown where other ships can't like mud or snow. A universal airlock so it can attach and maybe even cut into anything it comes across. And those extra landing gear? Those are oversized magnetic clamps, allowing this ship to tow cargo containers, asteroids, debris or larger vessels by just clamping on and flying off with it. (hey, there's even ventral lights and a viewing dome down there allowing an auxiliary piloting station to guide it in!) The extra weapons are because this thing is going to see use in the rim and wild space and needs to defend itself a little better than usual.

So... lets work those numbers, which are already off to a good start, just needs some demilitarization...

Silhouette 4, Speed 3,  Handling -2
Defense 1/0/0/1, armor 2
HTT: 25, STT: 15
Hyperdrive Class 2, Backup Class 12
Navicomputer: yes
Sensor range: Medium 
Ship's complement: Pilot, co-pilot, Flight Engineer/Sensor operator
Passenger Capacity: 2 (Typically Salvage or Payload team)
Price/rarity: 180,000/6
Hard points: 2

Weapons: Double Forward Medium lasers, 2 Double Light Lasers.

And some details to fill out the fan-fic: It's technically considered a freighter, as it has a small cargo bay and can clamp onto larger cargo containers and haul them through hyperspace, but the universal nature of the clamps also make it good for other mission that require heavy lifting. The Aklay can haul bulk cargo containers, or an object of Sil 5 or smaller both in realspace and through hyperspace, but doing so reduces it's sublight speed to 2.

1 hour ago, Ghostofman said:

If we're looking at that same thing... that's an antenna.

I don't think you were, there's definitely a turret on top (to the right of the sensor dish):

To me that's three Twin Light Laser Cannons (Aft/Port/Fore, Port/Fore/Starboard, Aft/Starboard/Fore) + one Twin Medium Laser Cannon. Very heavily armed for a Sil. 4 freighter, but like you say, it's dangerous out there. Plus it helps it live up to the name 'Acklay' . A dangerous vessel with clamping limbs that operates out in the wild seems like a perfect fit.

@Rimsen

There are official ship construction rules in Fully Operational , and unofficial ship construction rules in the Age of Rebellion forums, The Nubian Design Collective.

Either would be a good place to start when crafting your new ship.

On 7/20/2019 at 3:25 AM, salamar_dree said:

@Rimsen

There are official ship construction rules in Fully Operational , and unofficial ship construction rules in the Age of Rebellion forums, The Nubian Design Collective.

Either would be a good place to start when crafting your new ship.

Unfortunately I don't own Fully Operational, but I will check out the Nubian Collective, however i found it easier to mod an existing craft than make a new

Just now, Rimsen said:

Unfortunately I don't own Fully Operational, but I will check out the Nubian Collective, however i found it easier to mod an existing craft than make a new

On 7/19/2019 at 10:51 PM, Ghostofman said:

Big thing I always ask is "Why?" Why does this vessel need those numbers? What was the intended purpose of the ship that justified spending the credits (or not) to develop it's ability to do... whatever? Finalizing the intended function of a ship is the first big step in defining it's loadout.

This is the same as many Starfighters. So.... Why? why does this ship need to keep pace with Starfighters? What in it's intended mission profile justifies the expense? Why would a speed of 2 or 3 not make more sense?

- It's engines are really big for it's size, suggesting a relatively high thrust:mass ratio

So as you pointed out yourself, it's engine is particualrly huge for it's size. I thought that it made sense to make it faster, maybe decrease handling 1 more, because it's not gonna be racing a TIE fighter in an asteroid field, but running away seems like an easy challenge

On 7/19/2019 at 10:49 AM, Rimsen said:

Dear Community!

I found this gem searching one the ships in the "Ship Art" thread:
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/space/spaceship/star-wars-light-freighter-acklay-f5785a90-44e2-43dd-b1c7-1f36cfbe476d

I really love the design and I want to insert it into my games. I have no experience what so ever in putting stats to vehicles (we only use them for transportation so far) so some balance advice is much needed. I took the Lancer class pursuit craft as a basis and modified a bit as it looks like some kind of exploratory, or scout transport with the huge engines and the characterized sensors. (Maybe a spy ship? like those listening ice cream trucks :D)

Silhouette 4, Speed 4, Handling -2
Defense 1/0/0/1, armor 2
HTT: 25, STT: 15
Hyperdrive Class 1, Backup Class 12
Navicomputer: yes
Sensor range: Medium
Ship's complement: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator/sensor-crew, gunner?
Passenger Capacity: 2
Price/rarity: greatest question mark in my mind
Hard points: 2
Weapons: As far as i see it there are 2 dual cannons facing forward from the engine, 2 solo canons facing forward under the cockpit, and a forward facing dual canon on the top. In this case there's no need for gunner, as the pilot can operate them in sync, but would seem more realistic to split them, maybe give the top cannon turret mounted trait and operate it separately and give a gunner crew, and the rest is a linked 4 laser turret (or just leave out the canons on the back and treat the forwards as linked 4 which can be operated by the pilot or the co-pilot.

What do you think? Maybe there's already a ship which fits this picture better?

Hello! But you could ask the author of this vessel (that is, me) what was done there and why.
Napirimer write a message on the site on which you found the model.
My English is a little bad, so I will use a translator, but I think the essence of everything that I write will be clear.

The history of this ship began in the middle of the Clone Wars.
Initially, it was developed as a courier or embassy vessel for the needs of the Republic and did not have two twin turrets located on the sides of the engines, nor was there a twin turret located on the hull roof on the starboard side.
But he had a good shield generator (in the upper front of the ship), he had the ability to dock with smaller ships or ships of a similar size. And the big landing bearings, which allowed him to sit on unprepared surfaces, whether it be very sticky soil, snow or marshland.
Its very advanced antenna array system allowed it to notify its passengers in advance of danger or could find the target they needed at a very large distance.
One rescue capsule located almost in the center at the bottom of the vessel was also provided, which was a rarity for a ship of this size (48 meters).
The price of this vessel did not allow it to be mere mortals.
It didn’t look as beautiful as its analogs designed for courier or embassy work, but for that it was equipped with the latest technology (at that time) and therefore had a good price among its counterparts.

After the Clone Wars, ships of this type faded into the background and were put on the civilian market for free sale.
To replace it, the Galactic Empire ordered the further development of this ship, a more advanced and larger version. So the ship "Thranta-class corvette" turned out (it is a corvette only in name) in fact it was all the same embassy or courier ship.

Regarding Light freighter "Acklay"
After he appeared on the free market, he was acquired by wealthy customers and modified on their own. So there were additional turrets and the ability to carry small-sized cargo on the external sling of the ship, for this its landing bearings and the adjacent armor plates were equipped with magnetic grippers.

P.S. I will attach a few photos.
1) This is how freight containers were attached
2) Render of the further development of the ship "Acklay", the ship "Thranta-class corvette"

10 hours ago, Shturman said:

Hello! But you could ask the author of this vessel (that is, me) what was done there and why.

Very nice work and good backstory on the ship

It looks a bit like the YV-929.

Which stats are found here .

Going from what the author said, it was initially built as a courier ship, kind of like the little brother to the republic cruiser. That and the big engine are telling me that this ship is built for speed, and it doesn't look like it has much in the way of internal cargo space.

On 7/19/2019 at 9:49 AM, Rimsen said:

Silhouette 4, Speed 4, Handling -2
Defense 1/0/0/1, armor 2
HTT: 25, STT: 15
Hyperdrive Class 1, Backup Class 12
Navicomputer: yes
Sensor range: Medium
Ship's complement: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator/sensor-crew, gunner?
Passenger Capacity: 2
Price/rarity: greatest question mark in my mind
Hard points: 2
Weapons: As far as i see it there are 2 dual cannons facing forward from the engine, 2 solo canons facing forward under the cockpit, and a forward facing dual canon on the top. In this case there's no need for gunner, as the pilot can operate them in sync, but would seem more realistic to split them, maybe give the top cannon turret mounted trait and operate it separately and give a gunner crew, and the rest is a linked 4 laser turret (or just leave out the canons on the back and treat the forwards as linked 4 which can be operated by the pilot or the co-pilot.

It's 48 meters long, which is a little on the longer side of Sil 4, but considering how thin it is, Sil 4 seems just right. The big engines should make it either faster or more maneuverable than average. I'd say Speed 4 seems reasonable. It's not unheard of. Handling -2 is quite low. I'd say, considering, it doesn't seem to have much of a cargo hold that it needs to haul around, you could reduce this to -1.

It's mentioned to have good shielding, and the generator being located up front you could make a case for the shielding being stronger there. I'd set defense to 2 up front and 1 in the back. As a well shielded diplomatic ship, armor on the low side seems fine, so 2 seems completely appropriate.

Hull trauma and System strain looks pretty good, but compared to the YV-929, the Acklay seems thinner and a bit less sturdy, so I'd probably drop it to 20.

Hyperdrive 1 seems reasonable for a fast courier. No issues.

Sensors: With a "very advanced antenna array system" medium range sensors is not out of the question. There dedicated scout ships of the same size with long or even extreme range.

A pilot and co-pilot seems like a given. As the basic model didn't have the turrets, no gunners are needed. However, I'd say a navigator/sensor operator might be warranted. It should have enough passenger space for a small diplomatic delegation to fit in, but still have enough space to travel pretty comfortably. I'd say 4, which is on the low end, to account for the passenger cabins to be pretty roomy. The YV-929 fits 6 passengers with a crew of 4 for comparison.

17 hours ago, Shturman said:

The price of this vessel did not allow it to be mere mortals.
It didn’t look as beautiful as its analogs designed for courier or embassy work, but for that it was equipped with the latest technology (at that time) and therefore had a good price among its counterparts.

All right, this takes some deciphering, but as far as I understand this isn't a cheap ship by any stretch, but considering what you're getting it's not excessive. On the extreme end, for comparison, we have the Nubian J-type Star Skiff, at 260,000 credits, while your average freighter is around 100-120k. I'd set the price a bit higher than that. 140,000 seems reasonable. It's probably fairly rare though, as it isn't perfect for for pushing into freighter duty. I'd set rarity at 7 or 8 and wouldn't put it's cargo space at more than 50 encumbrance.

Hard points are a tricky thing. If the three turrets aren't standard, that's three hard points to fit them if done on an ad-hoc basis, so I'd probably set it at 4 or 5. If the weapons upgrade was part of a Clone Wars-era factory refit, like the republic cruiser got, it might be less.

That leaves weapons. I'd call the front guns a set medium laser cannons. Fire arc front, Linked 1.

So...

Acklay-class courier

Silhouette: 4
Speed: 4
Handling: -1

Defense: 2/-/-/1
Armor: 2
HTT: 20
SST: 15

Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 1, Backup: Class 12
Navicomputer: Yes
Sensor Range: Medium
Crew: One pilot, one co-pilot, one sensor-operator
Encumbrance Capacity: 50 plus external containers.
Passenger Capacity: 4
Consumables: Three months
Cost/Rarity: 140,000 credits/8
Customization Hard Points: 4
Weapons: Forward twin medium laser cannons (Fire arc front, Damage 6, Crit 3, Range; Close, Linked 1)

A clone wars era-refit could add the three turrets, and reduce the passenger cabin sizes to make room for a pair of gunners. Also, it would probably need some toughening up, at the expense of handling, some hard points and system strain due to the extra power drain and weight. So maybe something like...

Acklay-class Patrol Ship

Silhouette: 4
Speed: 4
Handling: -2

Defense: 2/-/-/1
Armor: 3
HTT: 22
SST: 12

Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 1, Backup: Class 12
Navicomputer: Yes
Sensor Range: Medium
Crew: One pilot, one co-pilot, one sensor-operator, two gunners.
Encumbrance Capacity: 50 plus external containers.
Passenger Capacity: 4
Consumables: Three months
Cost/Rarity: 160,000 credits/8
Customization Hard Points: 2
Weapons: Forward twin medium laser cannons (Fire arc front, Damage 6, Crit 3, Range; Close, Linked 1)

Forward, Port and Starboard light laser cannon turret (Fire arcs Front/Port/Starboard, Front/Port/Rear or Front/Starboard/Rear, Damage 5, Crit 3, Range; Close, Linked 1)

Which leaves us with the imperial "corvette version". It probably dispenses with some of the luxuries and it's probably also a bit more resilient than the upgraded variant, being purpose built for what it does. Looks like it's got a bit more armor and less engines too, not to mention what looks like missile tubes up front. It looses some speed but packs a bit more punch, making it a decent gunship/patrol boat. With cramped military bunks, it can probably fit some more troops in.

Imperlal Light Patrol Corvette

Silhouette: 4
Speed: 3
Handling: -2

Defense: 2/-/-/1
Armor: 3
HTT: 25
SST: 15

Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 2, Backup: Class 12
Navicomputer: Yes
Sensor Range: Medium
Crew: One pilot, one co-pilot, one sensor-operator, two gunners.
Encumbrance Capacity: 50
Passenger Capacity: 6 troopers
Consumables: Three months
Cost/Rarity: (R) 200,000 credits/8
Customization Hard Points: 1
Weapons: Forward medium laser cannons (Fire arc front, Damage 6, Crit 3, Range; Close, Linked 3)

Forward, Port and Starboard light laser cannon turret (Fire arcs Front/Port/Starboard, Front/Port/Rear or Front/Starboard/Rear, Damage 5, Crit 3, Range; Close, Linked 1)

Forward mounted proton torpedo launchers (Fire arc front, Damage 8, Crit 2, Range; Short, Blast 6, Breach 6, Guided 2, Limited Ammo 6, Slow-firing 1, Linked 1)