the shape of things to come

True to Clan style, Scott sees his Sabutai
as a short-term brawler, designed to
engage and destroy its enemies quickly.
For that, he plans to devote as much
weight as possible to weaponry and
armor, and so he decides on a mere 3-ton
fuel capacity. This provides the craft with
240 fuel points (3 tons of fuel x 80 points of aerospace
fi ghter fuel per ton = 240 points). As an aerospace fi ghter,
the Sabutai may not use strategic fuel expansion, and so
does not receive a “Tons per Burn Day” value.
This leaves the fi ghter with 62.5 unspent tons (65.5
tons – 3 tons = 62.5 tons).
Bruce decides he wants his Astrolux
to be a good long-distance space
yacht, with enough capacity for a
long-distance hike. The minimum recommended
fuel capacity for a Small Craft or DropShip
is 5 to 10 percent of the craft’s weight. For the Astrolux,
10 percent comes to 20 tons of the craft’s weight (10
percent of 200 tons = 0.10 x 200 = 20 tons). In reviewing
that, Bruce notes that Small Craft have a 1.84 tons
per burn day value (at 1 G). This means his luxury craft
can run for nearly 11 days straight at 2 Thrust Points
of acceleration (1 G) with a 20-ton fuel tank (20 tons ÷
1.84 tons per burn day = 10.87 days of fuel at 1 G). This
amount of fuel also equates to 1,600 combat fuel points,
which Bruce feels is more than suffi cient for touring or
running from an explosive situation.
For his craft’s 20-ton fuel capacity, Bruce fi nds he will
need an additional 0.5 tons of fuel pumps (2 percent of
20 tons of fuel = 0.02 x 20 tons = 0.4 tons, rounded up to
0.5). After installing the fuel tanks and pumps, he fi nds
that his Astrolux has 114.5 tons remaining (135 tons –
20.5 tons = 114.5 tons).
For his Nekohono’o-class DropShip,
Chris decides on a nice round 400 tons
of fuel. Though this is well below the
recommended 5 to 10 percent of the
DropShip’s weight, he reasons that the
vessel will be employed as a defensive
unit close to planets and friendly JumpShips. He also
notes that despite the Nekohono’o’s size of 16,000 tons,
its military design yields the same 1.84 tons-per-burnday
rate that a Small Craft enjoys, enabling the ship to
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY TABLE
cruise at 1 G for up to 217 days before running dry—a fi ne
endurance record for him (400 tons ÷ 1.84 tons per burn
day = 217.39). This fuel capacity also provides 12,000
points of combat fuel (400 tons x 30 fuel points per ton at
16,000 tons total ship weight = 12,000 points).
Satisfi ed with his craft’s 400-ton fuel capacity, Chris
fi nds he will need an additional 8 tons of fuel pumps
(2 percent of 400 tons of fuel = 0.02 x 400 tons = 8
tons). After installing the fuel tanks and pumps, his
Nekohono’o has 10,392 tons remaining (10,800 tons
– 408 tons = 10,392 tons).
Dawn decides to place her Arcadia’s
fuel capacity at 200 tons, falling within
the recommended 5 to 10 percent minimum
range. She computes from this
that her 3,000-ton vessel will receive
6,000 fuel points (200 tons x 30 fuel
points per ton at 3,000-ton ship weight
= 6,000 fuel points). Because the Arcadia is a military
craft, it will burn fuel at 1.84 tons per burn day under
strategic fuel use. This means her DropShip can maintain
a continual 1-G (2 Point) thrust rate for nearly 109
days straight before running out of fuel (200 tons ÷ 1.84
tons per burn day = 108.70 days). Dawn feels this is
more than enough for her needs.
At 200 tons of fuel tanks, the Arcadia requires 4 tons
in pumps (2 percent of 200 tons = 0.02 x 200 = 4 tons).
After installing this necessary equipment, Dawn’s Drop-
Ship has 1,698 tons remaining (1,902 tons – 204 tons =
1,698 tons).
DETERMINE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
Once the designer has determined an aerospace unit’s
weight and Thrust Points, he can determine its Structural
Integrity (SI) value. This defi nes the strength of the unit’s internal
structure or airframe.
Fighters: The SI value of a conventional or aerospace fi ghter
must equal the fi ghter’s Safe Thrust Rating or 10 percent of the
fi ghter’s tonnage (rounded down), whichever value is higher.
Fighters devote no mass to this structural integrity and may
not voluntarily increase its value.
Small Craft and DropShips: The Structural Integrity value
of a Small Craft or DropShip must be at least equal to the unit’s
Maximum Thrust, but the designer may opt to increase the SI
for these units to allow for the installation of more armor. The
maximum SI a Small Craft or DropShip may receive is equal to
30 times its Maximum Thrust.
Aerospace Unit Type* Minimum SI Maximum SI SI Weight
Conventional or Aerospace Fighter ** ** 0
Small Craft or DropShip (Aerodyne) Max Thrust x 1 Max Thrust x 30 (SI x Tonnage) ÷ 200
Small Craft or DropShip (Spheroid) Max Thrust x 1 Max Thrust x 30 (SI x Tonnage) ÷ 500
*These values apply to either Clan or Inner Sphere technology bases.
**Conventional or aerospace fi ghters use the higher of the fi ghter’s Safe Thrust or 10 percent of the unit’s tonnage (round down).
INTRODUCTION
CONSTRUCTION
BASICS
BATTLEMECH
CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRIALMECH
CONSTRUCTION
PROTOMECH
CONSTRUCTION
COMBAT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
CONV. INFANTRY
CONSTRUCTION
BATTLE ARMOR
CONSTRUCTION
AEROSPACE UNIT
CONSTRUCTION
WEAPONS AND
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
INFANTRY WEAPONS
AND EQUIPMENT
COSTS AND
AVAILABILITY
BATTLE VALUE
INDEX
RECORD SHEETS
187