Author Topic: Let's talk about the...Jumbo-class DropShip  (Read 2718 times)

Lyran Archer

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Let's talk about the...Jumbo-class DropShip
« on: 07 November 2011, 21:48:47 »
This was a delightful if shocking surprise on pages 217-218 of my Reunification War sourcebook.

A 14 800 ton Inner Sphere DropShip which can carry 10 131 tons of cargo with decent armour for a civilian cargo ship. Best of all, though introduced in 2423, it "continued to remain in service throughout the Succession Wars and some even today" (present era) and "DropShip manufacturers in every nation began designing and building their own 'Jumbo's".

Yeah, Rose-class DropShips for everyone in any era and for only 1857 BV!

It's armour is decent with a 135/134/100 profile. Better than a Mule. It can also carry two small craft to protect itself because its own weapons (a dozen medium lasers and four AC/5's spread very thinly to cover all its arcs) certainly aren't much. It's 3/5 thrust is slow but expected for such a huge ship.

I like this ship! It fills a huge gap I've seen in fulfilling the logistical needs for large-scale military invasions. Need to support a couple battalions or a regiment or an entire RCT? A Jumbo can do the job!

I especially like how its fluff specifically states that it's available to any faction in any era - nothing bugs me more than getting the stats to a wonderful piece of equipment and then being told in the fluff that I can never use it (I'm looking at you Colossus-class DropShip)! 

Anyhoo, I'm very pleased. Anyone else's thoughts?

LCAF German Expeditionary Militia Kampfgruppe Panzerfaust: 1 Overlord class DropShip, 1 Fortress class DropShip, 2 AeroSpace Fighters, 4 BattleMech Companies, 1 Vehicle Company, 1 Infantry Battalion
Motto: STAND (behind a hill) AND DELIVER (indirectly via spotter)!

Trace Coburn

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Re: Let's talk about the...Jumbo-class DropShip
« Reply #1 on: 08 November 2011, 00:56:32 »
  Oh, yeah, she's a thing of beauty all right.  (I have slightly more affection for the DroST-IIa because of some things in its fluff, but enumerating those can wait for a DroST thread.)  If you need trash hauled before the advent of modern trash-haulers, or when you're hard-up for cash?  Accept.  No.  Substitutes.

  The beautiful part is, the thing's so ubiquitous.  Need to make repairs?  Everybody builds/built them, so parts will be everywhere, available, and probably cheap.  Need crews?  Any tramp-sailor who hasn't done at least one trip on a Jumbo is probably too green to be worth hiring.  Need to carry (read: smuggle) something valuable without attracting undue attention?  Nobody looks past all those dings and the battered paint-job - it's damned near anonymous.

  And if you're a sneaky sonofabitch like me, merchant-conversions are still going to be so anonymous, few people will ping 'em until it's too late.  Keep the external mods to a minimum, and nobody will look twice - hell, they might not anyway, given the myriad pedigrees and design-architectures you're likely to see out on the space-lanes.  (Remember, the term "Jumbo" is applied to more of a design-group than a single set of invariable blueprints; every 'Shipwright will have their own variation on the recipe.)   Need to haul a military ground-unit on the QT, like maybe pulling a Trojan Horse gambit on a spaceport?  Turn a Jumbo's cargo bay(s) into vehicle-decks or 'Mech-hangars.  Want a Q-Ship/"merchant-carrier" for JumpShip escort or to support your ground-troops?  Open her up and turn her into a fighter-carrier - you can cram in a full wing of eighteen ASFs into just one hold, and you'll still have the cargo-capacity of the other two for supplies or other uses.  (Don't bet against there being a lot of pirate-bands who have their own take on those set-ups.  If you do, I'll strip you of every cent you have.)  My money says that if you can think of a mod for a Jumbo, it's been done in-universe half a dozen times minimum.

  TL;DR: I love this 'Ship.  She's an antique beat-up tramp-freighter hunk'a'junk, and God bless her for it.  {>{>

Martius

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Re: Let's talk about the...Jumbo-class DropShip
« Reply #2 on: 08 November 2011, 11:19:46 »
IMO its the YT-1300 of the BT universe. Simple, rugged, nothing fancy but just begging to be modified.

Hellraiser

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Re: Let's talk about the...Jumbo-class DropShip
« Reply #3 on: 08 November 2011, 19:50:12 »
I'm torn over this ship...

More than anything I like the 2 small craft cubicles........ That is something the Mule is sorely lacking.

The slightly thicker armor & weaker weapons is a trade off, but its a small improvement.

I want to like it, and I am glad its not extinct..........but........... if it is not extinct, then it begs the question of "why do we have the Mule?"

That is the small issue I have with it....... it just doesn't seem to fit...... or perhaps more correctly, it now makes the MULE seem not to fit in universe.

I'd have prefered something that was a bit more diversified than a ship we already have.


I'm not sure, add personel bays to give it passenger transport ability, or, make it even larger to be more of the mid way point between the Mule & the Mammoth.  Or make it faster, or even MORE heavily armored and call it a combat support ship,  something.

Its just a little TOO close to the Mule for my liking.

But overall the ship itself is a fine one.
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Lyran Archer

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Re: Let's talk about the...Jumbo-class DropShip
« Reply #4 on: 09 November 2011, 00:41:53 »
IMO its the YT-1300 of the BT universe. Simple, rugged, nothing fancy but just begging to be modified.

Love the YT-1300 from the Star Wars universe. I have one crewed by Imperials as seen here...


« Last Edit: 09 November 2011, 00:52:36 by Lyran Archer »
LCAF German Expeditionary Militia Kampfgruppe Panzerfaust: 1 Overlord class DropShip, 1 Fortress class DropShip, 2 AeroSpace Fighters, 4 BattleMech Companies, 1 Vehicle Company, 1 Infantry Battalion
Motto: STAND (behind a hill) AND DELIVER (indirectly via spotter)!