MARK TWAIN CLASS 'RIVERBOAT' RESORT SHIP

RPG Stats by DANIEL HENWOOD (dhenwood@hotmail.com)
Layout adapted from DAVE DEITRICH (deitrich@mcs.net)
Background info provided by the MACROSS ONLINE COMPENDIUM

BACKGROUND

The Mark Twain Class of vessels are designed as purely Amusement Ships, much like the Hollywood Class of Vessels. They do not provide food, or equipment for the Fleet like the Riviera, Sunnyflower and Three Star Class Vessles, however they keep the populace of the Fleet entertained. Although they are Casino ships primarily, and thus very much like Las Vegas of the 20th Century Earth, they are also highlighted for entertainment acts. Bands and entertainers of all types perform their acts for the restauranteers of the 'Riverboat' Casino's.

At only 300 metres and not attached to any UN Spacy vessels the Mark Twain Vessels stick close to the Flagship of the Fleet that they are assigned as they are the most vulnerable ships in any Colony Fleet, with only a PBDS to protect them.

RPG STATS

Crew : 1,250 total

Ships Crew: 100

Police/Civil Defense: 50

Passengers: 1100

MDC BY LOCATION:

(1) Main Body                                     8,000
    Casino Dome                                   1,250
(2) Casino Dome (per 40ft area)                     200
    Small Airlocks/Access Hatches (10)              250 each
    Main Airlock                                  1,000
    Outer Hull (per 40ft area)                      120
    Interior walls (per 20ft)                        40
(3) Main Engines/Power Plant (2)                  3,000 each
(3) Auxiliary Engines (4)                         1,000 each
(4) Pin Point Barriers (4)                        5,000 each

NOTES:

1. Depleting the MDC of the main body will essentially destroy the vessel. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The colony ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck, and any surviving colonists must be rescued quickly or will die from asphyxiation as the remaining atmosphere drains into space.
2. If the dome is destroyed while in space (1D6x10) percent of the colonists inside will be instantly killed due to explosive decompression.
3. Depleting the MDC of the main engines will force the ship to rely on its auxiliary engines. Depleting the MDC of the main engines AND auxiliary engines will leave the colony ship adrift in space. If in an atmosphere, the colony ship will crash (destruction of the main engines will render the antigravity system useless due to loss of power).
4. The Pinpoint Barriers regenerate at a rate of 1,250 MD per second (2,500 MD per melee round). If destroyed, a barrier will completely regenerate within four seconds (2 melee rounds). See the Pinpoint Barrier System entry for details.

SPEEDS:

Speed(sublight): 0.16 speed of light (25,600 miles per second)
Speed(Auxiliary Drives): Mach 3
Space Fold: Range Unlimited (1 light year every 6 minutes)
Planet bound:

Designed to land in a planetary ocean when necessary but not designed to maneuver in an atmosphere. The Mark Twain is NOT designed to land on the ground. It is capable of landing in the water however.

Maximum Range: Unlimited (estimated 30 year life span)

STATISTICAL DATA:

Length (main body): 300 m

Power System:

ORTEC/General Galaxy Main Reactor

Fold System:

ORTEC/Shinnakasu/General Galaxy Advanced Fold System Cluster

Sublight Drive:

ORTEC/Centinel Impulse Drive Cluster

Gravity Control System: Internal
Auxiliary Engine:

Shinnakasu/Shinsei Industries/Agar Nuclear Pulse Rocket Motor Cluster

Sensors: Standard plus Subspace Mass Detector

DEFENSE SYSTEMS:

1. PINPOINT BARRIER DEFENSE SYSTEM: Originally developed by researchers onboard the SDF-01 Macross during Space War One, the Pinpoint Barrier System is a standard defense system on board all UN Spacy starships and colony vessels, including the Sunflower colony Platforms. The system generates four small disc-shaped force fields that can be positioned anywhere along the ship to deflect missiles, energy beams or projectiles. Each pinpoint barrier is about 200 ft (61 m) in length and can absorb up to 5,000 MD in damage, which then regenerates within four seconds (2 melee rounds). The barriers can also be layered on top of each other to generate a field which provides 20,000 MDC and can even deflect heavy particle beams (usually).

   The four barriers are controlled by operators in the command tower of the carrier. These operators are instructed to defend (1) any breaks or weaknesses in the Casino Dome, (2) the main and auxiliary engines, and (3) the hanger bays, in that order. The operators primarily concentrate on defending the ship against larger spacecraft and leave defense against attacking mecha to the Fleets VF pilots.

   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Defense (the pinpoint barrier system cannot be used as a weapon)
   • RANGE: Up to 300 feet (91.5 m) from the surface of the vessel.
   • DAMAGE CAPACITY: Can sustain up to 5,000 MD per round. Regenerates at a rate of 2,500 MD per melee round.
   • RADIUS: 200 ft (61 m)
   • DEFENSIVE MOVEMENT: Can move from one end of the vessel to the other in less than a single round. Trained operators can attempt to block attacks up to 8 times per melee (counts as a parry) and are at 7 to block. Untrained characters can parry up to their number of hand-to-hand attacks with their normal parry bonuses only.
   • PAYLOAD: Nearly inexhaustible. Will work as long as system is functional (see below) and engines are intact. If main engines are destroyed, the barrier will loose power and not function.
   • NOTE: If all four barriers are grouped in a single spot they can deflect a heavy particle beam attack, such as the one generated by the Macross Cannon, Zentraedi/Varauta command warships, and some Protodeviln. However, the beam will completely destroy all four barriers and put incredible strain on the pinpoint barrier system, to the point where it may short out. After deflecting an energy beam, roll percentile dice on the table below to determine additional effects/damage.
     • 01-15: Lucked out, system will be operational in 1D6 hours.
     • 16-30: Minor damage, system will require 4D6 hours to repair.
     • 31-45: Major damage, system will require 2D6x10 hours to repair (yes, DAYS of work).
     • 46-60: Completely destroyed! System can be rebuilt, but will require new parts and 2D6 DAYS of work to replace.
     • 61-75: Major damage, system will require 2D6x10 hours to repair.
     • 76-90: Minor damage, system will require 4D6 hours to repair.
     • 91-95: Lucked out, system will be operational in 1D6 hours.
     • 96-00: It's a miracle! Trivial damage only, system will be operational again in only 4D6 melee rounds!

SYSTEMS OF NOTE:

• ANTIGRAVITY PROPULSION SYSTEM: The Mark Twain Resort Ships are equipped with an anti-gravity propulsion system used for planetary landings and liftoffs. The system is good for vertical ascent/descent only and can lift the ship at speeds of up to 1,320 feet (400 m) per minute. The system will function so long as the main engines can supply energy to it.
• HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTION SYSTEM: The interior of the vessel contains a sophisticated holographic projection system which are used to generate images of terran skies. These images help to calm colonists and make them feel like they are living in a city on Earth and not on a ship voyaging through space. The holographic system is often used to divide time on the vessel into day and night segments. During the day the holographic system displays a view of a normal outside view and projects artificial sunlight over the interior, and at night the system displays a view of the passing stars.
• HYPERSPACE COMMUNICATIONS: Based on the same technology as the space fold system, the hyperspace communications relay allows faster-than-light communication between the 'Riverboats' and other vessels or planetary bases. Hyperspace communications are still not instantaneous, however. Audio/video communication travels through hyperspace at a rate of about 1 second per 4000 light years so messages communicated over vast distances can still take seconds or minutes to arrive.
• LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: The Mark Twain vessels have sufficient life support to provide breathable air and comfortable temperatures for 1,500 people, for up to 30 years. In an emergency the life support system can support up to 3,500 people for a short time.
• LONG-RANGE LASER/SATELLITE RELAY COMMUNICATIONS: The Mark Twain has modest communications facilities that can communicate with up to 250 craft simultaneously at ranges of up to 900 miles (1,440 km). This range can be boosted indefinitely by using satellites or other spacecraft as to relay communications.
• LONG-RANGE RADAR: The radar array of the 'Riverboat' is also modest. The system can track and identify up to 500 craft simultaneously and has a 200 mile/320 km range.
• SPACE FOLD SYSTEM: For FTL propulsion, the vessel is equipped with an ORTEC/Shinnakasu/General Galaxy Advanced Fold System Cluster, capable of propelling the vessel through hyperspace at speeds up to 3.28x10^10 mps (5.25x10^10 kmps), or 1 light year per 6 minutes. The range of the fold drive is theoretically unlimited except by the life expectancy of the spacecraft. The fold drive is powerful enough to propel the Vessel through hyperspace.
• SUBLIGHT ENGINES: As a backup to the Fold System, the colony vessel is equipped with ORTEC/Centinel Impulse Drive Cluster engines that can propel the craft at speeds up to 0.16 speed of light (25,600 miles per second) in space. Note that these engines are mainly intended for rapid movement inside a planetary system and are not suited for long voyages between star systems. In a planetary atmosphere the vessel is limited to speeds of Mach 1 maximum due to hull stress. As with the fold drives, the engines are powerful enough to propel the craft when the battle carrier is attached.
• SUBSPACE MASS SENSORS: Like the battle carriers, the Mark Twain Vessels are equipped with subspace sensors for early warning of approaching objects and navigation at sublight speeds. These sensors can almost instantly detect mass readings and movement of objects up to 1 AU (93 million miles) distant from the vessel which are above 60,000 kg in mass (which means that the sensors usually cannot detect objects as small as variable fighters). Readings taken with the subspace sensors are not very detailed (-25% penalty when trying to identify a detected object) and are usually used for tracking purposes only.

MECHA COMPLEMENT (STANDARD):

NONE However, the landing bays of the Mark Twain have enough room and resources to adequately support up to 1 squadron (12 fighters) of VFs if necessary.

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN

• "Doe's All The Worlds' Starship Guide: Mark Twain Class 'Riverboat' Resort Ship Entry"
• Macross 7 TV Series