Re: [Traveller_TNE] Stupid Lasers

On 10/5/06, Rupert Boleyn <> wrote:
> On Thu, 5 Oct 2006 06:49:56 -0500, you wrote:
> >It was the battery pack that was giving me fits. The rules don't make it
> >clear what the discharge rate for such batteries are (I think I ended up
> >using 50 small batteries of the ×125 output). As for output, what the
> >insert gave as the weapon's damage was what I got for its "Thin Atmosphere"
> >performance.
>
> The discharge rate you need is something faster than the shortest time
> the laser can empty the battery. If the laser fires once per turn and
> has 50 shots (for example), it can empty the battery in 5 x 50 = 250
> seconds, so you need to use a battery that can discharge faster than
> that (ie a 36 second discharge battery). The battery's output needs to
> be the total input energy of all the shots divided by the battery's
> discharge time. So, if you example laser has an input energy of 0.05MJ
> per shot, it has a total energy storage of 50 x 0.05 = 2.5MJ, and the
> battery needs to be able to supply 2.5 / 36 = 0.07MW.

If you don't mind extrapolation of the battery output modifier I have
a convenient table (and the formula behind it) posted at
http://user.it.uu.se/~paho9211/trav/weapons/battmods.html

Calculate the minimum time required to empty the magazine at the
required RoF and find the output modifier for that time using the
table/formula. If you are designing a gauss weapon halve this value
(since the rules allow them to fire twice). Then just calculate power
input according to p130 in FFS and add a battery capable of supplying
enough juice (using the custom discharge rate/modifier). I use this
method for all battery powered weapons and I think it's much more
straightforward than the official one. It also helps to keep the
weight of batteries down especially for gauss weapons where the rules
assume a ~1 second discharge rate.

Patrik Holmström