Welcome to Project Payback’s own shipbuilding academy! This thread is primarily a tool for building your own hard sci fi designs in the Project Payback extra canon, but can be adapted for use for your own work.
Sections to add
What’s a ship? How does it differ from a spacecraft?
Classifying ships
Crewing a ship
Adding weapons to your ships
Armoring your ships
Moving your ships
Powering your ship
Heat Dissipation
(probably more to be added as the need arises)
Section One
What’s a ship? How does it differ from a spacecraft?
So, there are four different definitions that relate to floating watercraft.
Ship, via Oxford Languages
“a vessel larger than a boat for transporting people or goods by sea.”
Boat, via Oxford Languages
“a small vessel propelled on water by oars, sails, or an engine.”
Vessel, via Oxford Languages
“a ship or large boat.”
Watercraft via Oxford Languages
“a boat or other vessel that travels on water.”
so… what? Obviously, Spacecraft is taken from watercraft so
Spacecraft via Oxford Languages
“a vehicle used for traveling in space.”
I don’t know who came up with this string of water vehicle definitions. Strictly speaking, anything that goes up into the black is a spacecraft because everything in space is in motion, just as anything that sails on the blue is technically a watercraft. The primary issue is that many sci fi series (my example is from Nebulous: Fleet Command) use spacecraft to mean fighters/bombers/et. al. For example, the ‘Barracuda’ is a Space Superiority Fighter in service with the Outerlying Systems Protectorate is classified as a spacecraft. More famously, the X-Wing and TIE fighter from Star Wars are both classified as ‘Starfighter’ Spacecraft, distinct from say a Nebulon Frigate or a Star Destroyer.
So, how do we differentiate an X-Wing from Nebulon Frigate?
The answer is that if you’re unsure, ask:
“How many people does it take to fully crew my ship?”
If the answer is less than ten and isn’t controlled by an off-site team, it’s probably not a ship and is closer to a spacecraft. Most ships require a crew of 20 or more (see crewing a ship). Additionally, if your ship can send an away team (like a marine or damage control), it’s generally a good indicator of its status as a ship. Of course, there are exceptions, but I like to think the difference is likened to a Nimitz Carrier to a Fishing Trawler. Are they both boats? Yes, but one is much larger and can stay at sea for longer periods of time.