New Ship - Assault Cruiser

    I was bored at work, and so worked up the stats for a new ship,
the Assault Cruiser.  It is designed to fill out the ranks of combat
ships, along the lines of the Squid and Hammership, but on a bit
of a larger scale, allowing for more weapons and marines.
    This ship was designed using my own ship construction system.
Many on the list are probably familiar with it, but if your not, it can be
found on my website at...

http://www.lesbois.com/members/malacoda/TarkasBrainLabIV.html

    Just follow the link to the Arcane Space Division, then to the
Ship Systems section.  I will probably put this on my site before
too long.
    This design is based on the Weatherlight, which is ths ship
used in a bunch of Magic expansions.  Never owned any of them, but
the ship is cool looking.  For a picture, check out this...

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/MTG_Art_of_Magic.html

    There are a couple of pages form the book.  I actually haven't
looked at them, since I am having Acrobat problems, but I am
guessing from the descriptions that they have pictures.
    

Assault Cruiser
Design:    Space
Tonnage:    85 tons
Frame:    Heavy Thick Wood
Hull:    Thick Wood
Hull Points:    100
Plating:    50 tons Thick Wood/50 tons Stone
Armour Rating:    6
Ram:    Piercing
Enclosure/Deck:    Standard
Rigging:    Standard
Maneuverability:    E
Landing Capabilities:    Water
Minimum Crew:    10
Air Capacity:    10,200 man-days

Weapons:     4 Heavy Catapults
    2 Medium Catapults
    2 Medium Ballistas
    Rigging Shears

Internal Facilities:    Heavy Frame (8.5 tons)
    Helm Room (1 ton)
    Astrogation Room/Observatory (2 tons)
    Basic Engineering Room (2 tons)
    Cooking Facilities (1.25 tons, serves 20 people per hour)
    Mess Hall (6 tons, 24 men capacity)
    Captain's Quarters (1 ton)
    Commanders Quarters (.75 each, 3 rooms, 2.25 tons total)
    Helmsman Quarters (.75 each, 2 rooms, 1.5 total)
    Crew Quarters (.5 each, 80 men, 40 tons)
    Cargo Space (20 tons)

    The Assault Cruiser is in many ways a larger version of the Hammership.
 
Although it looks different, overall, it is designed to serve a similar 
function.  It is optimized to serve as a warship, but also has the 
capability of serving other purposes.  It can carry a large number of men, 
having space for 80 beyond the command staff.  And although it has a 
relatively small cargo space, its ample decks allow it to carry 
additional cargo up top.
    But combat is what the Assault Cruiser is designed for, and it excels 
at it.  It is designed to act as a command ship or forward assault ship 
in larger fleets, and while it does well alone, works better in groups, 
since lighter ships can be used to keep smaller, quicker ships off its 
tail.  Although its size prevenst it from being maneuverable, its low 
armour rating is made up for by its durability and capacity to carry a 
large array of weapons and marines.  It's forward decks are arranged for 
easy boarding after a ramming attack, making it an excellent ship for 
such actions.
    The hull plating of the Assault Cruiser is different, in that half of 
it is made up of an odd stone mined from some ocean floors.  It is very 
light and porous, allowing it float, but it is also quite durable.  The 
Astrogation/Observatory on the top of the ship is not metal, but rather 
plated with the stone, which looks like metal when polished.  
    The weapons listed above are a typical array, and like weapons on a 
Hammership, will vary widely from one to another. 


Leroy Van Camp III	
malacoda@???????.com 
ICQ #20039817

     "Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown."

                    Dr. Venkmen, Ghostbusters