data about Spaceships and travelling between systems?

[Dunia]

Where can I get data on various starships that the players might own and how long does it take to travel between two systems?

And what does it look like jumping between 2 systems. Is it like Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly or Babylon 5 or something else?

[worktroll]

One place is an old book called "Dropships and Jumpships". It's mainly background, not rules, but covers just about everything involved in BattleTech space travel. May be available through RPGNow as an ebook, or second hand if you're vigilant.

Second place is www.sarna.net, the fan wiki. Darn good way to lose some hours, start here:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/JumpShip

Quickly:

1) Jumps are instantaneous - no "hyperspace", no zoom effects. You're here - then you're there.
2) A jump can go up to 30 light years. So going long distances means many jumps
3) Players are likely to work with small, commercial, lightly armed transport jumpships. Warships are pretty much unknown for long periods, and when available, belong to big governments
3a) Some merc units have arrangements or agreements with commercial JumpShips for transport. This also involves protecting the JumpShip, which (as mentioned) uses alfoil for armour, and carries a few popguns.

Hope that helps!

W.

[Daryk]

The nearest science fiction reference for FTL travel in BattleTech is probably Dune.  As Worktroll said, first in you're in one place, then another, just like that.

[skiltao]

Where can I get data on various starships that the players might own and how long does it take to travel between two systems?

And what does it look like jumping between 2 systems. Is it like Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly or Babylon 5 or something else?

Have you seen the BattleStar Galactica series from ten years ago? BattleTech space travel is a lot like that.

I'll second DropShips and JumpShips, it's my favorite all-around resource for space travel in BattleTech. It has a good selection of ships, but if you want more (and if you want Clan ships) you should look for TR:3057.

As to the very, very basics of space travel, I just posted this in your other thread (sorry it took me so long):

It typically takes a JumpShip a week to charge its battery for a jump. (Longer at a dim star, shorter at a bright star.) Sometimes there are DropShips waiting at the jump point; they dock immediately and wait. Sometimes there are DropShips on a planet; it typically takes a week to travel from a planet to the Jump Point. Schedules are often arranged in advance.

In the Inner Sphere, DropShips pay the JumpShip 50kCB per jump. Each passenger typically pays the DropShip 5kCB per jump; cargo is typically 500 CB per ton per jump. Luxurious accomodations, or faster handoffs between JumpShips, can cost more. The Clans don't use money, all assets move according to the will of the Khan (or whoever the Khan delegates authority to).

[Edit: Haha WHOOPS, no, I'm tired. That should be, what, 500 CB for a passenger and 100 CB per ton of cargo. /Edit]

[Lamont-Cranston]

Technical Readout 3057 is your one stop shop for all spacecraft.

Space Travel in BattleTech is both simple and complicated.

JumpShips make an instantaneous jump from one solar system to another, within a maximum range of 30 lightyears. Once jumped a ship must deploy a solar sail to recharge its batteries. They typically operate from a solar systems zenith or nadir point, above or below the plane of ecliptic, where gravitational forces are weakest. But they can jump in-system at so called 'pirate points' between planets and their moons to speed up getting to a planet but this can be quite dangerous.

DropShips travel to/from the JumpShips and planets and around solar systems. They attach to the JumpShip and everything must travel inside the DropShip in a jump. The largest JumpShip can carry 9 DropShips.

[guardiandashi]

Unless it's been retconed jumps are similar to the Battlestar Galactica jumps without the flash.
Onetwork description I remember was that it faded in and out depending on if it was at the starting or ending location. Essentially you have no filter then you again a say 5% filter, then you replace it with a 10% filter then a 15% then 20% etc until you work up to 100 IE you can't see it at all because it's gone and vice versa as it arrives.

As far as the rest of travel non jump travel is completely conventional more or less.