Inspired by BFG's Armada rules for freighters as big as cruisers. I think it still might have to much free space. The variable bonus of the cargo hold based upon the scale of the endeavour is meant to reflect that this thing is so big, that it is best used for big endeavours. What do people think?

Speed: 3
Manoeuvrability : -15
Detect: +10
Hull Integrity: 60
Armour: 15
Turrets: 2
Space: 65
SP: 50
Weapon Capacity: 1 Dorsal, 1 Port, 1 Starboard
Components useable:
Uses cruiser essential components, except for Bridge. Can only use combat or commerce bridges, both requiring 2 power and 2 space.
For supplemental components, it can mount any useable by transports, but must pay cruiser costs for them.
Has an inbuilt “Ginormous Cargo Bay” that will add +150 achievement points to lesser trade endeavours, +175 to greater endeavours and +200 to grand endeavours. This component takes no space but needs 3 power.

My thoughts on the crew size would be more than a frigate simply because of the mechanical aspects of running cruiser size flight systems, but slightly less than a light cruiser due to having less weapons, so around 45,000 or so.

Course, you do realise if the puritan bastard gets hold of one it will be filled with lots of barracks and pods full of crazed emperor lovin dickheads armed with chainswords, combat drugs and flamers

I always thought that transports were as big as cruisers.

Many transporters are in the fluff, but the ones in the book are only half the size of the light cruiser.

woops, copy pasted the wrong version. Should also be able to take the cruiser sized exploration bridge and have a special note mentioning that yes, it can mount a double void shield array.

As for size of transports, Vagabond is 2km long, Lunar is 5km long, bit of a difference...

The ones in the book are probably just the ones that would be of interest to a Rogue Trader as their Flag Ship. Probably closer to the settings equivalent of the Millenium Falcon instead of a bulk freighter. Hygric's proposed hull would be pretty handy to have as a support vessel, but I doubt many players would take it as a first choice.

i knwo from experience that the players dislike to begin with a transport, except with an Orion. A large cruiser-size transport will interess them as a flagship if it is like the Orion ( fast, large cargo capacity, cand defend itself well, but light-armored).

Vandroiy said:

I'd say the Orion is closest to the Millenium Falcon. The other transports are a bit slow for the role.

Looking through the Badab War II book, came across this beastie which is coming close to the kind of scale the Imperium would require to actually function if it was to carry out its tithes to the letter. Ok so its not fast or very impressive in terms of sheer boom and probably out of the scope RT allows, but it is very cool as a story prop. The fantastic levels of capacity through would be interesting!

I'll type it up and hope it doesn't end up formatted like a wrecked arse...

Imperial High Conveyer

Type/Hits_________________Speed_________Turns_________Shields_______Armour_____Turrets

Battleship/12______________15cm__________45deg_________2____________4__________+3

Armament

St'd/Port batteries Range 15cm Firepower/Strength 4 Fire Arc Right/Left

Prow batteries Range 15cm Firepower/Strength 4 Fire Arc Forward

Lance Battery Range 30cm Firepower/Strength 2 Fire Arc Forward/Right/Left

Far rarer than more common frieghters and merchantmen, High Conveyers are truly vast transport vessels; often many kms long whose cavernous vault holds can carry the tithed output of entire worlds, full invasion armies of Imp Guard troops or vast quantities of ores and other raw materials. The economic importance of these vessels is hugh and they are fitted with a defensive array sufficient to give most raiders and pirates pause, although they are no match for a true warship of any size. Every bit as legandary in their own right as famous warships, the command of such vessels is either in the remit of ancient Chartist Trader bloodlinesor a particular branch of the Adeptus itself, such is their rarity and commercial value as part of the imperium's lifeblood.

Notes:

Vast: High conveyers are truly massive vessels, dwarfing even Imp Warships in size. These ponderous ships cannot use the All Ahead Full or Come to new Heading special orders. All critical results against them are reduced by -1 to the dice result

Imperial Provender: A high conveyer may be used in any scenario where transports can be used, with a single high converyer counted as two normal transports for the provision of any special rules.

In Battlefleet Koronus there is a mass conveyor which is about 12km long and comes with FOUR built in main cargo holds, plus more space for add ons, and extra power generators. If you wanted to lug this thing through the expanse it could easily become a mobile space port with repair, manufacturing, salvage, mining, and troop transport capacities.

Just don't try taking it into a fight.

Back it up with a Goliath factory ship and a transport given over to arboretums and supply storage nets you enough logistics support your fleet wouldn't need to return 'home' until you get mauled in a fleet action.

Hrmm...that might be how Ad.mech explorator fleets remain out in the void for decades at a time.

One mass conveyor as a mobile space dock, one or two factory ships for fuel, couple of transports for food and stowage, two squadrons of escorts, a light cruiser, and two regular cruisers would be a pretty impressive and sustainable fleet for long term journeys.