Standard Sci-Fi Fleet: Difference between revisions
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* ''Shuttle'' - Commonly used to transfer personnel or material from one ship to another, or down to the surface of a planet. Usually lightly armed, although Combat/Assault shuttles that sacrifice their carrying capacity for guns are not unheard of. Civilians may own these for personal transport.
** ''[[Drop Ship]]'' - [[Awesome Personnel Carrier]] <small>[[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE]]</small>. A specialized shuttle-like craft specifically made to carry troops from a ship to the surface, even into the middle of a battlefield or under fire. Always heavily armored, and usually armed to boot.
** ''[[Drop Pod]]'' - Instead of deploying infantry together in ships, transports will sometimes drop individual soldiers or [[Humongous Mecha]] in pods or very heavy armor
** ''Boarding Shuttle'' - The ship-to-ship relative of the Drop Ship, carrying a [[Boarding Party]], presumably with hull-cutting equipment and airlock with clamps<ref>without the former, marines would have to politely knock on the door and/or walk in where they are expected; without the latter, plow through a hurricane as the ship's air vigorously exits the hole they try to enter and carries everything not bolted down within the breached compartment</ref>.
<big>'''Space Ship'''</big>
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** The major Empires seem to have one [[The Battlestar|giant battlecarrier]] (command carriers, dreadnoughts), a [[Space Fighter|fighter-type ship like a prowler or the Scarran equivalent]], and a Marauder/Stryker-type, which is like a Heavy Fighter or Gunboat combined with a Dropship. In the Scarrans' case, theirs is also a [[Lightning Bruiser]]. The [[P Ks]] also have a smaller capitol type ship, the ''Pantak''-Class Vigilante, which looks to function like a frigate in fleet formations or like a light cruiser on its own.
** ''The Peacekeeper Wars'' shows two full battlefleets going at it: Peacekeepers and Scarrans.
*
* The ships of ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' can be partially classed into a Standard Sci-Fi Fleet, although most space-faring civilizations seem to use only a very few ship classes (and of course the titular Stargates make the use of ships optional altogether in some situations). The Goa'uld have the largest variety, with the fighter-like Death Gliders, small cargo ships that are essentially shuttles, medium-sized bombers, dedicated troop transports, and Hatak mother ships, which are basically Assault Carriers, carrying both lots of cannons and lots of Death Gliders. Some powerful Goa'uld also developed larger Capital Ship classes. ''Most'' large ships in the 'verse seem to be "Battlestars," including all large Earth vessels, though a few alien races do provide exceptions.
** The Wraith, of all races, approach this trope the most, having Dart fighters, slightly-larger scout ships (only one is ever shown, though), supply ships (carrying people for food), cruisers, and massive Hive ships. Both of the latter are [[The Battlestar|battlestars]], carrying large numbers of Darts as well as armed with powerful energy cannons. There was also the one-off Super-Hive, which got big as a result of a powerful energy source. It could probably take on an Ori mothership and win.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' materials and various spin-offs cover it. See [https://
** ''[[Battlefleet Gothic]]'' has the hulls divided into basic classes that define which components can be installed in the ship and some aspects of performance (how much the ship can turn in one round), though those are very general and have functional sub-classes. Most fleets have a mix of Frigates, Cruisers, Assault Carriers, Battleships, and Battlestars supported by fighters, bombers, and drop pods. Most factions also have a Missile Boat frigate class (Tau have several types towed on gravitic hooks), some have Space Guns.
*** System Defence Monitor is an escort up-armored above most cruisers and heavily (for an escort) armed. It's incapable of interstellar travel and can't even catch up to a transport, but would do when the enemy comes to it - more expensive than an orbital or surface defense platform, but isn't a sitting duck like they are.
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** Raiders - small fast warships. Also includes Privateer, Destroyer, Scout Sloop. Outliers: Viper Class Missile Destroyer (the smallest torpedo design in canon is still here, Cobra Destroyer converted to carry torpedoes) and Ork [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|"brute ram ship"]] because [[Ramming Always Works]].
** Frigates - tougher than Raiders, but not quite as fast. ''Purpose-built'' torpedo designs start here ("Falchion"). Also includes Corvette, Strike Frigate, Heavy Frigate.
** Light Cruisers. Lances can be mounted not only on prow, and Prow weapon mounts stop being [[Fixed Forward-Facing Weapon|forward-facing]]. In RT
** Cruisers. Can pack twice as much of broadside as anything less. The smallest ships that can carry [[Wave Motion Gun|Nova Cannons]]. Outlier: "Conquest" Star Galleon (may use both Cruiser- and Transport- rated systems), designed for Rogue Traders in the first place.
** Battlecruisers.
** Grand Cruisers. Bigger still. Also, at this size a ship can be a mobile base (if one has a folding space dock installed and will drift for a while).
** Battleships - da biggest and da fightest, fit for flag of a big fleet, but truly ponderous. Also includes Fleet Carriers and Space Marine Battle Barges (Littoral Combat ship [[Space Is an Ocean|In Space]] - its main jobs are [[Drop Pod]] assault and orbital bombardment). In ''Rogue Trader'' not really available. Even as potential antagonists there are only Kroot Warspheres (more of an armed mobile habitat) and one oversized Ork "Battlekroozer".
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* ''[[GURPS]]: Spaceships'' has given stats for everything but a worldship (though it does get a name check).
* ''[[Double Star]]'' has Command Ship (battlestar type), Battleship, Battlecruiser, Cruiser, Destroyer, Transport and Fighting Transport (blockade runner type), Orbital Fighter (planetary defence - 0 moves) and Robot Fighter.
* ''[[Alternity]]'' ''[[Star*Drive]]'' had ships added piecemeal, then summed up and given a customization system in ''Starships'' accessory (with additions in [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] article ''Starship Perks & Flaws'') and translated into a better model <ref>not linking durability and space, and taking advantage of ''Alternity'' game mechanics</ref> in ''Warships'' (it's free). The latter classifies different basic hull types as one of 5 size classes and either "military" or "civilian" design, with tradeoffs between Wounds ([[Hit Points]]), Toughness (scale for hitpoints), Maneuverability, Hull Points (volume for systems), cost, etc. Thus it's still better to start customization from the correct type, though it may depend on the circumstances.
:: Trade-offs are scaled right to shape meaningful doctrine/design choices: e.g. a navy in need of modest carriers would consider Light cruiser and Heavy transport hulls. The latter has same Toughness, 2x wounds, slightly over 4x hull points, 4x cost, but is easier to hit by 2 steps and has manoeuvrability 1 step worse (so it's hard to jink). Which is better depends on the expected threats — "do not arm for war but for a war". Against long-range beams from capships, light cruisers would fare better: you won't need specific defensive systems, but try to not get hit, and then for your money have 2x total durability and a lucky hit may make only 1 of 4 ships sitting ducks - which makes one even less able to jink, after all. Conversely, Heavy transport is more viable against big swarms of missiles or small craft: they will hit anyway if not swatted, so it's worth being a fat target for 128 extra points that allow ''lots'' of point defences, power or ammo for them and/or interceptors - and if multiple hits get through ''this'', it can repair 2 systems at once, and can go on when a smaller ship probably would be crippled or destroyed. Armored cruiser is about average of them, thus would be [[Master of None|not too bad, but mediocre in either scenario]].
**
** Light Ships (no superheavy armor, 1 repair attempt/round). Military: Corvette (tougher escort, long-range gunboat), Frigate (long-range scout, heavy escort, light destroyer), Destroyer. Civilian: Hauler (tug), Industrial (may be mining ship, mobile outpost, etc).
**
**
** Super-heavy Ships (3 repair attempts/round). Military: Dreadnought, Super-carrier, Super-dreadnought (''rich'' admiral's flagship), Fortress ship (Dreadnought + Fleet carrier = "[[Battle Star]]" or "Worldship"). Civilian: Super-freighter, Colony transport (hauls a self-sufficient town with houses and industry, plus populace for it, some assembly required).
* ''[[Star Frontiers]]'' from the start had
* ''[[Stars Without Number]]'' has hulls in 4 size classes that affect mostly equipment costs and scaling, with 9 (in Original Edition) or 10 (in Revised Edition) basic hull types.
** Small craft (cargo and boarding shuttlecraft, drop pods and [[Escape Pod|lifeboats]]) are equipment.
** Fighters (more vulnerable than the rest): Strike Fighter, Shuttle;
** Frigates: Free Merchant, Patrol Boat, Corvette, Heavy Frigate;
** Cruisers: Bulk Freighter, Fleet Cruiser;
** Capital ships: Battleship, Carrier<ref>built for lots of special fittings (not necessarily fighter/frigate bays) rather than as a warship</ref>.
** Then there are numerous specialized ones from [[splatbook]]s: ''Skyward Steel'' (Naval) has Naval Courier (fast unarmed frigate), Troop Transport and Logistics Ship (cruisers); ''Mandate Archive: Scavenger Fleets'' ([[Wagon Train to the Stars|space nomads]]) adds 3 expensive advanced hulls: Far Scout (very fast frigate), Colony Ship (cruiser)<ref>some back from when humanity expanded, some overhauled bulk freighters, either way converted into a flying town with lots of hydroponics, since they aren't going to hibernate until arrived somewhere</ref> and Factory Ship (cruiser); Imago Dei (AI [[Church Militant|knightly orders]] [[In Space]]) have their own hull types (Fighter-Bomber, Frigate, Cruiser, Battleship, Carrier)…
*** There's an entire splatbook for late Mandate era ([[Tech Level]] 5) battlecruiser Bruxelles, which surprisingly ''is'' a battlecruiser: in chase is a match for built-for-speed (Scavenger Fleets) TL4 cruisers, and compared to TL 4+ cruisers ''not'' built for pursuit (Imago Dei) it's faster, but has less total durability (though TL5 armor and ECM make it less of a problem), and is inferior to a TL4+ battleship in all stats except speed, available power and minimum crew.
** Various orbital stations, mostly in Cruiser or Capital size. Small craft such as lifeboats, ECM drones, orbit-to-surface lighters and drop pods, are considered equipment fittings. Common specialist equipment includes mobile extractor (for mining/refining, Frigate and up), workshops (building small stuff and ship maintenance; Frigate and up), mobile factory (same, but build anything short of ships, up to orbital/planetary structures; Cruiser and up), exodus bay (lots of [[Human Popsicle|cold sleep pods]], mainly used for settling or evacuating a colony; Cruiser and up) and colony core (allows to convert the ship into a mostly-autonomous habitat, space- or planet-based; Frigate and up). Again, splatbooks have more.
** One of the niches not already addressed in splatbooks is Escort Carrier, which is necessary: Carrier proper is ''very'' expensive, and while cruiser sized hulls normally cannot mount bays for frigates, those are capable of interstellar travel on their own as escorts, unlike fighters. Some [[Design It Yourself Equipment|fan tinkering]] ensued; Bulk Freighter hull can do this, but Troop Transport hull can do this much better (amusingly, Colony Ship from ''Scavenger Fleets'' makes a better troop transport than Troop Transport hull). [https://np.reddit.com/r/SWN/comments/gikpis/if_you_take_oversized_mountings_can_you_mount/ This can be done] even with a modified Free Merchant hull — it can carry 10 fighters and crew, though little else, and remains very frail.
*** The other missing and even more necessary vessel is Drop Ship, which must be a frigate<ref>shuttles are too small to carry large vehicles, cruisers cannot land</ref>; vehicles can be equipped for orbital drop, but need to be lifted back somehow later. The result may vary wildly, from 7 tanks/APC/aircraft per Free Merchant for 675k Cr (the worst survivability stats; hull could carry 9, but needs Extended life support or Cold sleep pods for vehicle crews), to 20 per Heavy Frigate for 9,875k Cr (the best survivability stats).
*** Another mentioned yet non-statted vessels are "shelter shuttles", used with Exodus ships (capital scale colonizers); Revised Edition allows to cobble together something similar using Colony core (fitting that allows to turn the ship into a ground or orbital habitat upon arrival), though the result is expensive; [[Word of God|the author says]] they are very specialized, but didn't stat them so far.
== [[Video Games]] ==
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*** It's also mentioned that dreadnoughts are at their best as long-range artillery pieces. Which is why the best tactic against them is to close in to "knife range", thus avoiding their main gun. This requires the use of smaller ships to protect the dreadnoughts. This is why the ''Destiny Ascention'' is threatened in the first game. The geth ships appear way to close for it to use its main gun effectively.
** The Reapers' fleets consist of a mixture. The big, Sovereign-sized ships are simply referred to as "capital ships" while much smaller Reaper warships are referred to as "destroyers." They also include troop transports and "processor" ships which {{spoiler|turn organics into husks or raw material to be used to assemble more Reapers.}}
* ''[[Master of Orion]]'' had ships classed as follows: Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, Battleship, Titan, Doom Star - though those are size classes not related to equipment other than in "how much it can carry"
** ''[[Master of Orion]] III'' had even more classes, such as Battle Cruisers, Dreadnaughts, and Superdreadnaughts.
* ''[[Galactic Civilizations]]'' has tiny (fighter), small (bomber), medium (corvette), large (cruiser) and massive (battleship) chassis for ships, and space stations. Depending on what you stick on the chassis, they may fill several of the above-mentioned roles - you can, for instance, make a massive-sized colony ship by sticking several colony modules on a massive chassis.
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** '''Carrier''' - launches small craft, got capship weapons too; top priority: Escort Capital; low priority: Carrier,Support < Capital.
** '''Support''' - various unarmed or lightly armed vessels from small couriers to bulk freighters; top priority: Support < Shuttle.
* ''[[Stars!]]'' has basic classes defined by hull types, but customization goes far beyond that, of course - useful [http://wiki.starsautohost.org/wiki/Category:Ship_Design designs] for Battleship alone include all-missile, beam/sapper, missile/jammer and missile/sapper/jammer subclasses with different logistical and operational properties (which forms [[Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors]] with possible adjustments for special abilities of the sides). And then there are universal hulls - a [http://wiki.starsautohost.org/wiki/Frigate Frigate] may carry 2x Scanners + 3x minelayer pods, Beams (
* ''Emperor of the Fading Suns'' (not very faithful to [[Fading Suns|the original game]]).
** Human players can build:
*** Cadiz Dreadnought, Vlad Cruiser: heavy and not so heavy vessels, with long- and medium- range weapons only, the latter allows orbital bombardment.
*** Frigate, Destroyer: light and not so light escorts, with medium- and short- ranged weapons.
*** Stealth Ship (Raider) - fragility of a fighter with agility of an escort, medium range weapons like the improved Bomber; hopefully remains hidden and get Agility bonus if actually unnoticed until the battle starts. Since it's no longer hidden, jumping away after the battle to re-hide is the only viable option.
*** Carrier / Carrier MkII - better armored hauler and better armed Armored Bulk Hauler, that can deploy transported small craft in combat.
*** Assault Lander - like a freighter, but can land on non-city tiles without damage and has non-space weapons… only.
*** Freighter, Armored Freighter - carries 2 units or loads of cargo.
*** Bulk Hauler, Armored Bulk Hauler - carries 4 units or loads of cargo.
*** Starbase / Meson Starbase - Can't go anywhere, but may land in cities; long- and medium- range weapons only, so orbital bombardment. Basic version as tough as Dreadnought, but has long-range guns weaker than on cruiser / same with maximum-power weapons, slightly better armor and detection, but accuracy is still mediocre.
** Small craft: cannot jump, can be launched from the planet or delivered by haulers and unloaded, but launch from carriers gives Agility bonus. [[Fragile Speedster|Frail, yet agile]].
*** Seraphim Space Fighter / Archangel Cyber Fighter - accurate short ranged weapons / same and ludicrous agility, but [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|low psychic defense like all cyborgs]].
*** Prophet Torpedo Bomber / Martyr Torpedo Bomber - accurate medium ranged weapons / agility down to escort level, armor reduced, but psychic defense and mid-range attack improved.
** Also, units with Psychic attack can use it, and some infantry can participate in space combat while on board of attacking or defending Carriers.
*** Marauder Legion: space marines.
*** Dervish: most powerful, but least consistent psychic attack.
** Symbiont (hive mind) fleets have specialized [[Organic Ship]]s — all with mediocre stealth (thus some get surprise bonus, but a fleet won't be undetected), Armor between Frigate and Destroyer and agility of a freighter, [[Glass Cannon|but strong attacks]]; no small craft.
*** Grappler: short range only, but hideously strong.
*** Blow Ship: long range only, as powerful as Meson Starbase and much more accurate. Good detection.
*** Spore Ship: medium- and short- ranged weapons, as powerful as cruiser/destroyer, but more accurate.
*** Pod Ship: unarmed transport. Near-blind.
*** Symbiot Butcher: stats suggest they should be slightly more powerful space marines, but due to a bug they don't work this way, or rather Pod Ship doesn't work as a carrier.
*** Symbiot Minder: psychic menace.
** Vau (space elves) have:
*** Shroud Weaver Dreadnought: armor of Cadiz, more powerful long-range weapons, nothing else.
*** Veil Seeker Cruiser: tougher than any human ship short of Dreadnought, medium range weapons only (just like Stealth Raider).
*** Destroyer: short ranged weapons only, but better and more accurate than anything short of a Grappler, also great Spot value, so tend to screw Stealth Raiders over just by being around.
*** Quick Mercy Corsair: armor like symbionts, agility a notch below fighters; weaker, yet more accurate than Veil Seeker.
*** Deathmate interceptor: armor between fighter/raider and frigate, agility of a fighter can jump on its own or be launched from carrier for juicy Ag bonus; short ranged weapons with strength between escort and fighter, but accuracy matched only by Spore Ship.
*** Vau Carrier: as tough as their cruiser, unarmed, but carrying 4 of ''those'' interceptors.
*** Vau Transport: Bulk Hauler, but slightly more tough and agile and without defensive weapons.
*** Vau Mandarin: psychic, not very strong.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' has everything from drones and "tanks" (small craft with a relatively big cannon used both in planetside missions and as interceptors in space) to battlestar equivalents like Ob'enn Thunderhead, but adds its own classes.
** Battleplates, colossal armoured ships designed to take asteroid impacts the hard way. They are designed to carry enough [[Subspace Ansible|hypernet-linked]] drones to create a wide enough perimeter around a planet, to have enough time to react to a relativistic asteroid aimed at the planet, and are able to deflect and/or destroy said relativistic asteroid with extreme speed. This also makes them very good at destroying everything else (as in, can compress smaller ships into neutronium once their shields either fail or quickly run out of power due to constant overload). They are unusual in that [[Gravity Master|their primary armament]] is [[Artificial Gravity|gravy]], rather than the usual railguns, lasers, particle beams and missiles - though they do carry small ships, heavy missiles, point defence turrets and whatnot.
** At one point the characters consider adding another category to this list when they get their hands on a particularly large [[Nanomachines|Fabber]], basically a [[Mobile Factory]], and consider adding engines, a helm and crew quarters so they can christen it ''Scrapyard of Insufferable Arrogance''. Mainly to make fun of the [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Ob'enn]].
** Fleetmind adds another variation called Penetrators, which are basically (sometimes) recoverable missiles which also contain a drop-pod. Flung up to near-c by a launcher, a single one can capture an Ob'enn Thunderhead by simultaneously scramming the main annie plant (and do so safely most of the time, which in itself is very impressive), and implant an agent to subvert the AI. There are also what they call "Extortionators" for their use in [[Gunboat Diplomacy]] - relatively small weapon platforms slapped on the main power source bigger than everything a battleplate packs put together.
** Worldships! Technically, any habitat with enough of gravitics to shield it (let alone teraport) is somewhat mobile, that's just not their purpose. But true worldships appear near the end of a galactic civilization cycle, when there are both capabilities to build them and demand for mobile habitats due to the threat of [[Interstellar Weapon|wormhole guns]]. The first discovered was Eina-Iafa, which is "merely" big enough that "you could drop Mars in this can and tuck Luna and Europa on top". The really big ones are the size of a gas giant; they were built to depart the Galaxy for less crowded and safer void.
*** The Paanuri ships are big enough, but maybe don't count, as they are just non-enclosed vehicles, if carrying several entities each longer than a gas giant.
* ''[[Crimson Dark]]'' has most of the above. Both sides have fighters, bombers, frigates, destroyers, and carriers. The Republic calls their big warships Battleships, while the Alliance equivalent are called Heavy Cruisers. And then there's Behemoth class - probably classifiable as [[The Battlestar]], since it was described as "Not so much a ''ship'' as a mobile ''station''". Their are also a variety of civilian freighters seen in the comic.
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** Private yachts? Hell, there are a couple actual sailing ships out there.
** Worldships? Take a look at the ''Grover's Corners'', a ¾-mile-diameter chunk of West Virginia farmland under a silicon "diamondoid" dome.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20200922180655/http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2017/06/jutland-at-101-day-of-dreadnoughts.html Jutland at 101: Day of the Dreadnoughts]" on ''Rocketpunk Manifesto'' blog discusses the place of battleships and battlecruisers in space fiction and the reasons why the cliche moved this way.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:This Index Has Standards]]
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