User:Vivaporius/Sandbox/League of Civilized Worlds/III: Difference between revisions

| Cruiser ''(Heavy Cruiser)''

| Interdictor ''(Cruiser)''

| Lancer ''(Destroyer)''

| Skimmer ''(Frigate)''

=====Cruisers=====

Cruisers are medium-sized voidships designed to operate in a set-piece battle during confrontations with an enemy fleet. They are heavily-armed with the goal of registering a first strike upon enemy vessels with long-range particle beams, and usually have two or more onboard, with a single medium or large fusion beam cannon within the hull itself. Compared to their interdictor cousins, cruisers while capable of independent patrol tend to stick close to the fleet they are attached too, only splitting off to take part in long-range patrol missions with a flotilla of smaller escort vessels in tow. They have large vacuum infantry detachments for onboard security, as well as to take part in boarding actions during combat in the event that an enemy vessel strays too close during a pass-by of the two engaged fleets. Cruisers further differ from interdictors in that they have a far larger array of weapons and countermeasures designed to deal with all manner of enemy combat capabilities, such as signal jammers, scramblers for torpedo attacks, and advanced electromagnetic screens far and above those equipped on an interdictor. Cruisers can range anywhere from 200 meters in length to more than 500 meters in length, with more recent classes with full anti-gravity capabilities nearing 750 meters in length.

Lancers are military voidships designed to operate within a constellation of warships as the primary screen defense for the larger cruisers and dominators, and comprise the smallest military vessels designed to take part directly in attacks on enemy fleet formations. While they are not designed to take on larger voidships on their own outside of battle, they are expected to operate in wolf-packs that surround and attack the hardpoints and weapon systems of a enemy vessel. Lancers are somewhat larger than their skimmer counterparts, and have much more potent weaponry for their size due to their role in combat. Similarly, vacuum infantry serve a far more defensive role aboard lancers compared to skimmers, defending the lancer and its crew from boarding attempts during battle rather than proactively attempting to board the enemy vessel. Because of their role in forming the defensive screen for the large ships of the constellation, not all lancers are expected to have vacuum infantry aboard, or if they do, these attachments are limited in size. A typical lancer will be approximately 80-120 meters in length, and have a single light or medium fusion beam cannon as their primary anti-ship weapon, alongside the standard outfit of laser pulse/beam emitters.

=====Skimmers=====

Skimmers are lightly-armed voidships employed by the League for internal patrol duties and customs enforcement. Whereas their lancer counterparts are equipped with heavy weapons such as fusion and particle beam cannons, the skimmers are mostly limited to most modest yet potent weapons, such as laser emitters and ordinance launchers to fulfill the limited combat roles they might encounter. The skimmers are typically crewed by fresh recruits and newly-minted naval officers before they are reassigned to more prestigious postings on larger voidships. Skimmers operate almost entirely within the colonial and frontier systems of the League, where the presence of larger and more potent military vessels is deemed as either being too expensive or unnecessary for the needs of maintaining law and order in the system. As a rule, skimmers operate in groups of two or four, and only ever break off from their groups individually if deemed absolutely necessary, as the threat of an ambush by pirate flotillas or being marooned in space without immediate support are constant threats for the skimmer and its crew. Skimmers are the smallest military vessels in use with the League capable of independent patrol duties, with scales ranging between 50-80 meters in length, and usually run with a complement of 30 to 50 personnel and 10 to 20 marines depending upon the areas of patrol assigned to the vessel.