I've cooked up some "Rules of Thumb" from the FF&S rules to aid designers.


Custom Turrets:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the dimensions of non-standard turrets and barbettes, 
the radius of the turret is equal to the cube root of the 
volume in cubic meters, multiplied by 0.515:

r=0.515[V^(1/3)]

The Diameter of the turret = 2*r
The Height of the turret   = 2.3333*r


Particle Accellerator Length:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The minimum length of a PAW for its effective range to be equal
to a given range (in BL hexes) goes by the following formula:

                  [     H      ]^(1/3)
       L = 13.47* [----------- ]
                  [  Ml * Mfa  ]

L= minimum length of PAW in meters
H= desired range in BL hexes
Ml= Length Multiplier (see table pg. 113)
Mfa= Focal Area Multiplier (see table pg. 113)


Meson Gun Length:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The minimum length of a Meson gun for its effective range to be
equal to a given range (in BL hexes) goes by:

                 [  30 * H  ]
            L =  [----------]
                 [    Ml    ]

L = minimum length of Meson Gun in meters
H = desired range in BL hexes
Ml= Length Multiplier (see table pg. 117)


PAW Penetration:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a PAW is operating at the maximum Mj for its length, its
penetration value within its effective range is equal to:

          Pv = 5 * length (in meters)


PAW design notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a PAW operates at the maximum Mj for its length (and most will),
the damage it can do depends on how long it is.  This is not affected
by tech level.  Tech level affects the effective range only

For example, a TL 9 PAW can have an effective range of 80 BL hexes
(ie. maximum combat range) if it is at least 112 meters long.
A 112m PAW can deliver up to 12,544 Mj, and will do so even if
the PAW is TL 15, not TL 9.

However, the TL 9 PAW _MUST_ have its maximum bore (1/8th length)
to acheive this range.  Higher TL versions have the option of
reducing the focal area (and thus the volume, making for a more
compact weapon), or keeping the range overcapacity to improve
the weapon's performance during planetary bombardments.


The effective range of a PAW grows (most of the time) by leaps
and bounds with increased tech level.

For example, here are the effective ranges of a 16m long, 2m bore,
256 Mj N-PAW (suitable for 100ton bays) at TL's 9-15:

Tech Lvl        Eff Range(km)          Improvement over previous TL

   9              7037.2                   -------
  10              8042.5                   14%
  11             20,106                   150%

  12             37,700                    87%
  13             45,239                   120%
  14            100,531                   122%
  15            201,062                   100%



John H. Bogan / john.bogan@asb.com