Sorry to be a pain, but Determining Minimum Crew Step 22 has me very puzzled and stumped on how to calculate the crew requirement. I'm going to go through the sub-steps, without using numbers from the design steps, to see if I can clear-up the puzzles.
Step 22-1, p. 117 bottom of column 1: The total minimum crew ratings of all components (technicians.
This step seems to be straight forward and totals the crew requirements determined in the equations associated with Select - Drives (6), FTL Drive (7), Comm Gear (14), Sensors (15), Defensive Screens (17), and Power Source (21).
Step 22-2, p. 117 bottom of column 1 and top of column 2: Total gunnery technicians as per tonnage, and
The number of gunnery technicians is determined by totaling the tonnage of weapons (not payloads). Multiply the tonnage by the tech level factor determined below from the Crew Tech Level Factors Chart.
Does the totaling the tonnage of weapons include the ammo, missile reloads, and magazines for the non-energy weapons?
Would torpedo tubes/launchers be calculated in this sub-step?
Step 22-3, p. 117 bottom of column 1: Total Gunners.
This is another one that is straight forward and is assigned when installing the weapons.
Step 22-4, p. 117 bottom of column 1: 3 pilots.
This requirement appears to be based on a vessel that is operating for durations greater than 50 hours per the first note under the Crew Tech Level Factors chart on p. 117.
For me a better way to have presented the step would have been with the text written something like this:
Operations of 50 hours or less 1 pilot, Greater than 50 hours 3 pilots.
Vehicle operation of 50 hours or less requires 1 pilot and 3 pilots are required for operations over 50 hours in duration.
Step 22-5, p. 117 top of column 2: General personnel as per tonnage and
General personnel are necessary to monitor, clean, and take care of the ship. They handle basic maintenance as well. Multiply the tonnage of the vehicle by the tech level factor below to determine the total
general personnel.
Multiply the factor determined from the chart on p. 117 by the hull tonnage, again straight forward.
However, Note 2 could be over looked, I did miss the text my first read through
. I would also have liked to have a reference made to the Select AI Systems (24) step on p. 118, which appears to negate the use of a sophisticated AI as a substitute crew member in the SM: P universe.
Step 22-6, p. 117 top of column 2: Any vehicle technicians (see steps 34 and 35)
This step is the same as for Step 22-1.
Step 22-7, p. 117 top of column 2: Additional Crew Members (Pilots, Scientists, Marines, etc.)
Straight forward and really helps with the following steps.
Here is a recommendation on a way that the step Determine Minimum Crew (22) might be written:
Each craft has a minimum crew. This is the minimum number of bodies necessary to run the craft based on the designed period of operation. Short operational periods are considered to be 50 hours or less, while long term operations are anything over 50 hours.
22-1: Craft designed to operate for 50 hours or less requires:
A. 1 Pilot
B. General personnel/maintenance crew as per tonnage x the Crew Tech Level factor found in the chart (p. 117).
C. Additional Crew members as required
22-2: Craft operating for more than 50 hours requires:
A. The total minimum crew ratings for Drives (6), FTL Drive (7), Comm Gear (14), Sensors (15), Defensive Screens (17), and Power Source (21).
B. Total gunnery technicians as per total weapon system tonnage x the Crew Tech Level Gunnery factor found in the chart (p. 117).
C. Total gunners used to fire installed weapon systems.
D. General personnel as per vehicle tonnage x the Crew Tech Level General factor found in the chart (p. 117). Up to 80% of the living crew members can be replaced by equipping the craft with sophisticated AI systems. Each AI system costs ¢10,000 per crew member replaced.
E. Any carried vehicle/craft crew and support/maintenance technicians (see steps 34 and 35)
F. Additional crew members (Pilots, Scientists, Marines, etc.)
Of course I may have just added confusion for everyone else
