[Mobius]

I don't know if the screenshot is taken from below of from one of the sides(probably)...

[MarkN]

How about a converted, obselete destroyer, such as a Typhon, for use as a colony ship. It prabaly in combat condition has a crew of 10,000, and if all of the combat systems were romoved (on the principle that they are old, buggy and not suitable for upgrade), this could be significantly increased. If the colonists were put into cryotubes, this could be increased further. remeber a colony ship does not have to be big as many colony types would have small popuations (I would expect a mine on an airless rock to have a population of less than 1,000). As for the use of Babylon 5 ships, I think I understand shiv_pa's point. While the combat vessels of course would be completely unsuitable, the liners would make ideal colony ships.
I have been trying to put together a small camaign about setting upa major colony, using the method I described above, but I cannot work out how to get something as valuable and vulnerable as a colony ship into a combat zone to have some missions.

[Mad Bomber]

Anything on the relatively old side (read: anything from TVWP really) would make a pretty logical colony ship. I would imagine there was some significant effort to get some settlers out of T-V space by both sides.

How successful these efforts actually were is up for debate.

[Jadehawk]

If you ask me, you have two choices. One, have a colony ship that has reasonable DEFENSIVE armament that should be enough to repel bombers and small vessels and be fast enough to quickly get to it's destination. i.e to the next jump node. As refurbished old combat vessel would fill in here for this. They would also be able to protect reasonably them at their destination until the infrastructures were create and setup to support a more permanent protection.   

Two, a vessel that would outrun most combat ships sans fighters in lieu of any substantial defensive armament sans a small amount for shooting space borne rocks, etc. It would also be purpose-built for such a mission with speed a key player in it's survival.

But all this is based on the idea such a vessel would have to go through the combat lines more than once as reasonable thinking puts vessels as this far away from the combat front. In fact, I do not think you would colonize a new area or planet system without something like a Space station or Fleet to protect them to begin with. A Space station would be brought in such an area then colonizing the area planets, rocks etc. would begin unless they are some rouge or enterprising group setting out in their own.

Just my opinion.

[Rodo]

why should a colonization vessel have defenses??? It's supposed to be fully dedicated to colonization and that's it, if it should require protection then a military escort would simply fill up the role.

[Getter Robo G]

Very good point. A colonization ship needs to be 100% or close efficient use of space. Defenses would take up possibly a unacceptable amount fo room.

Plus it is assumed the ship's destination is one already mapped out and considered desirable to send CIVILIANS.

A Corp patrol or full military escort of just a few fighters would be more than sufficient for mere "pirates" on the off chance a colony convoy would run into any en route.

It would be feasible to think a small cap ship would be sent to stay int eh colony's orbit until a defensive installation (arcadia?) is built and minor defenses planet side built, and a response fighter unit.

[Jadehawk]

I based my points on what he wants to do which is have it in or near a combat zone. Like I said, in normal sense, you would not see this type of vessel in or near a combat zone. But never say never as anything could happen to where such a vessel would have been in this type of situation such as a Shivan suddenly showing up which they have demonstrated in the past to do.

[ssmit132]

That I see and he did a great job on that We just need more support ships and perhaps a Vasudan design or Dare I say a Shivan one?

I had an idea in my head for a story where, after the supernova, some misplaced Terrans/Vasudans on the wrong side of Capella found that the Shivans were building a Knossos back to the GTVA, and I could only think of giving the Krom/Anemoi Shivan maps to make some big Shivan cargo ship to transport the materials for the portal. Nothing else that's currently about IMO wouldn't fit with Shivan maps, and I didn't think destroyers carrying materials were suitable either. (Don't think I'm going to make this, it's just an idea.  )

[Trivial Psychic]

Not exactly a campaign idea, but it would be interesting if perhaps a colony ship had been launched from the Sol system, before they detected the subspace node out of the system.  They may have known of in-system subspace, but not inter-system subspace.  They went as far out as they could using standard subspace, then went normal-space for the rest of it and arrived in Alpha Centauri centuries later, only to find that Humans are already there, but that the way home is blocked due to the collapsed node.

[Droid803]

Wouldn't there have been communications though? They wouldn't just totally forget a colony ship.

[ssmit132]

Our hero uses a "sleeper ship" — a (typically) slower-than-light spacecraft which puts the occupants "on ice" to allow them to survive the travel times between stars. The ship gets knocked off course, or encounters a Negative Space Wedgie, and isn't found again until far into the future. Alternatively, in the hundreds of years the trip takes, humans manage to invent faster-than-light travel, and colonize the destination world long before the sleeper ship arrives. Bonus points if they flat out forget about the sleeper ship. Cue the proud colonists coming out of cryosleep only to find themselves snarled in space traffic.

  It's definitely a possibility. A very slim possibility.

[james777]

what about the GTL Splendid

link: http://www.freespacemods.net/download.php?view.180

[Getter Robo G]

Space travel IS very hazardous. How about the possibility that Earth lost contact with the ship and circumstantial evidence pointed that it was destroyed?

Possible hooks:
Loss of telemetry
No visual tracking due to astronomical interference
A comet or asteroid crossed it's path and causes bad data to be collected
navigation was a little off to ebgin with or thrown off by unknown gravity wells/eddies
Pure dumb bad luck.

[Trivial Psychic]

Could also have been more like a Pilgrimage kinda thing.  Perhaps there was so much civil war going on in the Terran system, that they decided that the whole system was going to hell in a hand basket, and decided to just head out on their own without letting anyone else know.  Sorta like those Klingons from the final season of Voyager.

[ssmit132]

 

I had an idea in my head for a story where, after the supernova, some misplaced Terrans/Vasudans on the wrong side of Capella found that the Shivans were building a Knossos back to the GTVA, and I could only think of giving the Krom/Anemoi Shivan maps to make some big Shivan cargo ship to transport the materials for the portal. Nothing else that's currently about IMO wouldn't fit with Shivan maps, and I didn't think destroyers carrying materials were suitable either. (Don't think I'm going to make this, it's just an idea.  )

Here it is: The SL Pluto. I re-skinned the Krom/Anemoi, as I said; do you mind, Trashman?

I would put the sample mission I made here, but, even though it's simple, it's not complete - I need to fix it up.

"The Pluto is a Shivan vessel that has only been recently encountered. Since scans have shown these ships to have large cargo holds, they have been designated as Logistics-class vessels. However, the Pluto has very heavy armour and even has two light beam cannons to harass larger vessels. These ships should be destroyed at every opportunity, unless otherwise ordered."

[attachment deleted by admin]

[General Battuta]

It still kinda looks Terran. And I'm not sure 'Pluto' is the right name, since it fits into the generally Greek Terran naming scheme. But it could work.

Hmm. What else could we name it?

[Rodo]

what type of designation uses FS for shivan craft?? they seem to be biblical names or demon-like definitions.

maybe Babel?   

[Droid803]

Demons.
Go to wikipedia, search up "List of Demons".
Have fun

[ssmit132]

I thought of 'Pluto' as a name because, IIRC, Pluto is the messenger, and I thought that would fit with a transport. That Demon list looks interesting... A lot to choose from. Any of you know if there's one that's like a messenger or carrier?

Hmm... Mammon is to do with material greed... Maybe that?

[General Battuta]

Mammon is good.