RIVIERA CLASS RESORT SHIP

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

BACKGROUND

The Riviera vessels also provide additional services for the colony fleet other than entertainment. Kelp and seaweed are grown and farmed along the bottom of the ocean, while many different kinds of fish are bred and raised to provide the colony with additional food supplies. While not capable of producing foodstuffs on the same magnitude as Sunflower agriculture vessels, the Riviera farms produce seafoods and other delicacies that are highly sought after by the colonists. The crew of the Riviera also engages in ocean research, constantly working to discover new ways to use the sea to produce more for the colonists. In the event that a colony fleet encountered a habitable water world, the Riviera would work closely with Einstein research vessels to determine if the world is suitable for supporting a long-term colonization effort.

Because of the strict environmental requirements of the simulated ocean and the sea life contained within it, Riviera vessels have extremely advanced and fault-tolerant life support systems. The vessels are highly compartmentalized, and in the event of a hull breach or other damage large sections of the ship can be completely sealed off to prevent loss of environmental control in the intact areas. Riviera vessels are linked to Ark Royal-class Escort Battle Carriers in much the same way that the New Macross Battle sections and City sections combine to form one larger ship. The Riviera vessels are controlled from the bridge of the docked carrier, and the carrier's VF squadrons provide protection for the colony vessel in case of attack. The carrier can disconnect from the Riviera if necessary, and the vessel is equipped with an emergency bridge to control the ship when the carrier is detatched. The staff and crew of the Riviera vessels are well trained in crowd control and can quickly evacuate guests to shelters or escape pods in the event of a serious emergency.

Riviera vessels were developed around the same time as the New Macross colony vessels were released, and since 2030 at least one Riviera has accompanied every UN Spacy colony mission. The vessel's entertainment and farming facilities have helped greatly in maintaining colony morale. Only one Riviera ship have been lost so far; the Riviera 05 was captured by the Varuta shortly after landing on the planet Rax and was later destroyed after the captured civilians had been transferred in the Protodeviln's spiritia farms. The Riviera 07 was also captured by the Protodeviln but was rescued during an all-out counterstrike by the Macross 07 military forces. The ship was later repaired and returned to service.

RPG STATS

Crew (not including Escort Carrier): 74,300 total (plus tourists)

Military Crew: 1,000

Civilian Crew: 3,000

Police/Civil Defense: 300

Permanent Civilian Populace: 70,000

Visitors/Tourists: up to 80,000 max

Notable Ships of Class:

Riviera 05 (launched 2034 as part of the Macross 05 colony fleet. Captured and destroyed by the Varuta in 2045)

Riviera 07 (launched 2036 as part of the Macross 07 colony fleet. Captured by Protodeviln in 2046 but recaptured by UN Spacy forces during the final battle of the UN Spacy/Varuta war)

MDC BY LOCATION:

(1) Main Body                                   150,000
    Projectile Shield (Closed)                  100,000
    Projectile Shield (Per 40 ft area)              500
(2) Ocean Dome                                   30,000
(2) Ocean Dome (Per 40 ft area)                     200
    Small Airlocks/Access Hatches (300)             250 each
    Main Airlock                                  1,000
    Outer Hull (per 40ft area)                      120
    Interior walls (per 20ft)                        40
    External Engineering/Sensor Spokes (9)        1,500 each
    Lower Sensor Spoke                            1,000
    Connection Joint/Engineering Section         25,000
(3) Main Engines/Power Plant (2)                 50,000 each
(3) Auxiliary Engines (4)                         7,000 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 (and marine life) must be rescued quickly or will die from asphyxiation as the remaining atmosphere drains into space.
2. In "Shell Up" mode, the semi-transparent ocean dome is completely covered by the projectile shield. Therefore in order to attack the dome in this mode the projectile shield must be penetrated or destroyed first. If the ocean 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 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 Riviera is NOT designed to land on the ground. If it does so the landing will inflict 3D6x1000 MD damage to the main body of the spacecraft (the lower sensor spoke will be automatically destroyed).

Maximum Range: Unlimited (estimated 30 year life span)

STATISTICAL DATA:

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 Riviera colony ships. 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 projectile shield and/or ocean dome, (2) the engineering section/battle carrier docking section, and (3) the main and auxiliary engines, in that order. The operators primarily concentrate on defending the ship against larger spacecraft and leave defense against attacking mecha to the VF pilots from the battle carrier.

   • 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/Varuta 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 Riviera colony vessels 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 ocean dome and the interior of the projectile shield both contain 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 blocks the outside view and projects artificial sunlight over the city, and at night the system is turned off to provide an uninhibited 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 Riviera ships 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 resort colony have sufficient life support to provide breathable air and comfortable temperatures for 400,000 people, plus the entire marine ecosystem contained within the artificial ocean, for up to 30 years. In an emergency the life support system can support up to 600,000 people for a short time. The ocean's ecosystem can provide food and other necessary supplies indefinitely for up to 1,000,000 people, making it a vital part of the colony fleet's support structure.
• LONG-RANGE LASER/SATELLITE RELAY COMMUNICATIONS: The Riviera 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 Riviera is also modest compared to that of the docked escort battle carrier. 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 carrier 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 both the battle carrier and resort block through hyperspace when they are connected.
• 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 carrier 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 battle carrier is attached.
• SUBSPACE MASS SENSORS: Like the battle carriers, the Riviera colony 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 carrier 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 in the Riviera has enough room and resources to adequately support up to 3 squadrons (36 fighters) of VFs if necessary.

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN

• "Doe's All The Worlds' Starship Guide: Riviera Resort Vessel Entry"
• "Doe's All The Worlds' Starship Guide: Uraga Escort Battle Carrier Entry"
• Macross 7 TV episodes 8, 48, 49