Subject: Shakler Dreadnaught DESCRIPTION: Highly advanced heavy cruiser developed for a campaign set after the Zahn novels (Gravity well version) NAME: Shackler Dreadnaught CRAFT: Rendili Astronautics' Shackler-Class Dreadnaught TYPE: Heavy Cruiser SCALE: Capital LENGTH: 800m SKILL: Astrogation 3D, Capital ship piloting 4D+2, Shields, 4D+1, Sensors 4D+2, Capital ship gunnery 4D+2, Capital ship gunnery 5D (central gunnery crew) CREW: 2010; gunners: 158; skeleton: 900/+5 PASSENGERS: 3000 troops CARGO CAPACITY: 3500 tonnes CONSUMABLES: 2 years HYPERDRIVE: x1 BACKUP: x15 NAV COMPUTER: Yes MANEUVERABILITY: 1D+2 SPACE: 6 HULL: 6D SHIELDS: 3D SENSORS: PASSIVE: 30 / 1D SCAN: 75 / 2D SEARCH: 150 / 3D FOCUS: 5 / 3D+2 WEAPONS: 15 Heavy Turbolasers Fire Arc: 3 front, 2 back, 5 left, 5 right. Crew: 3 Skill: Capital ship gunnery Fire Control: 3D Space Range: 3-15 / 35 / 75 Atmosphere Range: 3-15 / 35 / 75km Damage: 7D 80 Laser Cannons Fire Arc: 20 front, 10 back, 25 left, 25 right. Crew: 1 Skill: Starship gunnery Scale: Starfighter Fire Control: 1D Space Range: 1-3 / 12 / 25 Atmosphere Range: 100-300m/ 1.2 / 2.5km Damage: 5D 3 Gravity Well Projectors Fire Arc: Turret. Crew: 1 Skill: Capital ship gunnery Fire Control: 5D Space Range: 1-5 / 75 / 150 Damage: Blocks Hyperspace Travel. 5 Heavy Tractor Beams Fire Arc: 1 front, 2 left, 2 right. Crew: 3 Skill: Capital ship gunnery Fire Control: 2D Space Range: 2-10 / 30 / 60 Atmosphere Range: 4-20 / 60 / 120km Damage: 6D / 5D / 4D This space vessel has been modeled on the concepts behind the Katana fleet. They have been extensively slave rigged, with huge internal computer banks, centralising ship systems and also providing backup systems in case one particular computer system fails. All capital-scale weapon sytems are linked in providing exceptional fire control and the ability to be readily linked together, by a central gunnery crew of 15 to accurately fire on a target with all the weapons of one weapon system facing the target. Also, several of these vessels may be linked together after permission has been granted by the crews aboard the individual ships to fire upon a target, as directed by a crew aboard one of the vessels. Thus in large numbers, these ships could be quite damaging. Another feature is that the ships can be linked together, after permission has been given by the individual command crews, to make coordinated hyperspace jumps. This allows a fleet of these vessels to jump to hyperspace and arrive with precision timing and precisely positioned, ready for combat. IN GAME TERMS: Ship may perform a 'free' combined action (no command check) to attack a target with all weapons on one fire arc for one weapon system. Basically, the central gunnery crew takes over control of these weapons and fires them as one. This may be done as often as the weapons can be fired. When linking ships, the central ship must send a signal to all of the ships to be linked, then the other ships must acknowledge this. This occupies all of the central gunnery crews for that round, after that, the central ship may fire with all the weapons facing and within range of the target on all linked ships as a combined action. The ships may be at different ranges, but if they are, the difficulty is that of the ship at greatest range plus 5. The central may continue to use all the weapons until it sendes the disengage signal, or the individual central gunnery crews disengage their ship from the link. These vessels also carry 2 sqaudrons of starfighters, along with drop craft and vehicles for the troops aboard. In a special operation, the New Republic managed to disable and capture an Imperial Interdictor cruiser, the ship was taken over, hastily repaired and then they made a jump into New Republic space. The job to incorporate the Imperial Gravity Well system into New Republic ships was given to the secret Rendili Astronaughtics operation who decided to incorporate it into their new dreadnaught design that was just being put into production. The result is the Shackler-class Dreadnaught, into which they also placed special, heavy duty Tractor beams something that was seen to be lacking in the Imperial Interdictors.