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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 7, 2021 10:03:04 GMT -7
With Tycen Hopkin's most recent ship pack release on thingiverse ( link here), I find myself interested in an ugly duckling of a class that never before caught my eye... the whale of a cruiser named the Brenton. 
Is there any info on this class beyond the technical info presented in the FSRM? I figured there maybe was a chance it was featured in an adventure or setting sourcebook possibly. I'm tweaking the design a bit where it'll hopefully still have the design cues of the original but just taken down a few notches (and belt sizes). I'm thinking about making it a TMP era cruiser/carrier which doesn't really matter ruleswise in FASA obviously but might give it a niche in the current STA rpg.
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Post by trynda1701 on Feb 8, 2021 12:20:03 GMT -7
I don't believe it appears in any FASA supplements or adventures. A Chandley class appears I think in the "A Doomsday Like Any Other" adventure, but it's just the stats, and the Federation SRM obviously has its original detailed background. There's also a Loknar class in the "Decision at Midnight" adventure, with TERRIBLE deckplans. But no Brenton as far as I'm aware. Bryan Jeckos' site here... fasaststcs.com/index.php/thefleets/united-federation-of-planets/star-fleet/brenton-class-xi-heavy-cruiser/...has the same info as the SRM basic background ("of the nnn built"), but has a few extra variants. As you know, I came up with a civilian variant for my universe based on the two Mk.Is sold by Starfleet. ststcsolda.proboards.com/post/18772/threadI was sure years ago, someone on the old forum came up with an idea for a reason for the wide hull. It was something along the lines that the ship could enter atmosphere and land on water, as an oceanic research vessel! I had put up a thread about the ships with the 'of the nnn built' style descriptions here, including the Brenton... ststcsolda.proboards.com/thread/182/federation-srm-missing-descriptions...but despite a few leads, I haven't managed to find that original designer. There might be another version that was on the old Yahoo Groups, it's not the same as the ocean research version. I'll try and find it if I can. Your idea as a carrier is as valid as my Ptolemy style tug variant!  |
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Post by trynda1701 on Feb 8, 2021 13:18:04 GMT -7
The other version I had seen was in the FleetSurplusDepotZed15 Yahoo Group. With Yahoo Groups closing at the end of 2020, I found on my thread about an updated map of Federation Space that four of them transferred over to the Groups.io site. These are found under the heading of TheFASAStarTrekUniverseE-group, and include the other Yahoo Groups from Morena Shipyards, Mustaka Shipyards, and Fleet Surplus Depot Zed 15. The site works very similarly to the old Yahoo Groups, with email messaging and other similar features. Register for the main site (it's free), then search for the FASA groups there. You will have to request membership to each of the four Groups. The site can be found here... groups.ioThe Brenton can be found in the Files section under Federation ships folder. |
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 8, 2021 13:33:44 GMT -7
Thanks. Yeah, your Brenton is at the top of the search results for Brenton! I used to use yahoogroups back in the day (1998ish-2005?) and didn't know it folded. I know I got a message a while back about some sort of change but honestly most of the groups I was a part of had been silent for years before even I stopped checking. I'll take a look at the new groups you mentioned. For the Brenton, is it fan art or fluff or deck plans? I added my tweak of the design in my main thread here today. |
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Post by trynda1701 on Feb 8, 2021 13:38:01 GMT -7
REALLY? My version shows up top of a Google search? Wow!
The version on groups.io looks like a fully described FASA ship, just like the Constitution class and the other fully described ships in the Fed SRM. No deckplans. Schematics look like cleaned up FASA graphics. Text description by Lee Wood.
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 8, 2021 13:45:14 GMT -7
Well, bing in my case but yes! The fasaststcs and ststcsolda are the two top results for me. Which group is it in? I put in a request for the FASAStarTrekUniverseE-group. Is it pretty active? How does it differ from here? Do you run that or are you a member? I'm impressed that someone put the effort into such an obscure ship. |
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Post by trynda1701 on Feb 8, 2021 13:50:44 GMT -7
Well, bing in my case but yes! The fasaststcs and ststcsolda are the two top results for me. Which group is it in? I put in a request for the FASAStarTrekUniverseE-group. Is it pretty active? How does it differ from here? Do you run that or are you a member? Groups.io looks like it works like Yahoo Groups. I'm just a member. it's about as active as always, but the good thing is a lot of the data (files) on the Yahoo Groups I listed above was transferred across before Yahoo Groups closed. These are found under the heading of TheFASAStarTrekUniverseE-group, and include the other Yahoo Groups from Morena Shipyards, Mustaka Shipyards, and Fleet Surplus Depot Zed 15. The Brenton is in the Fleet Surplus Group. Request membership of the main Group first, then the other individual Groups as well. |
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Post by trynda1701 on Feb 8, 2021 13:54:55 GMT -7
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 8, 2021 13:59:08 GMT -7
Ah, thanks. I misread that and thought it was separate groups there as opposed one umbrella. I was just curious if it covered different topics than here or the various facebook groups.
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 8, 2021 14:01:30 GMT -7
As for the Brenton being an obscure design, yes, it's as ugly as sin (as I've said elsewhere), but it has good stats, and despite the looks, I LIKE it. Damned odd but there you go! I actually wasn't a fan of the stats and found it very unoptimized for a Class XI cruiser but I don't plan on significantly upgrading it either. It's an ok second tier cruiser and I'm ok with that given that I plan on turning it into a carrier. That doesn't necessarily mean anything in FASA mechanically other than the Shuttles: XX line on the stat sheet but I don't think carriers should be heavily armed/armored so it fits with that. |
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Post by trynda1701 on Feb 8, 2021 16:33:20 GMT -7
I was just curious if it covered different topics than here or the various facebook groups. If you've looked at the Files section for the Brenton, there were a lot of other designs. People like Lee and the other contributors to that description will have designs in PDF format, formatted like FASA SRM pages. But I've seen plain text design entries for modified FASA designs, like drock on this forum for his interpretations of the Klingon D-series of ships that the Klingon SRM said were sold to the Orions. I posted my Orion Marauder class Blockade Cruiser that way I think that membership there would probably have more in common with this forum than the Facebook group, just because Yahoo Groups were in existence for years, compared to the more recent Facebook group. There's a small overlap, but as you probably saw on the thread about whether people were still using this forum, a lot of us just don't like/use Facebook. |
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Post by rabid on Feb 10, 2021 1:44:23 GMT -7
As for the Brenton being an obscure design, yes, it's as ugly as sin (as I've said elsewhere), but it has good stats, and despite the looks, I LIKE it. Damned odd but there you go! I actually wasn't a fan of the stats and found it very unoptimized for a Class XI cruiser but I don't plan on significantly upgrading it either. It's an ok second tier cruiser and I'm ok with that given that I plan on turning it into a carrier. That doesn't necessarily mean anything in FASA mechanically other than the Shuttles: XX line on the stat sheet but I don't think carriers should be heavily armed/armored so it fits with that. Unoptimized for sure. Weird thing is I actually like the looks of this ship. I think they may have built it after a ship type that appeared in the old marvel comics star trek run. 48 power and 4/1 MPR is what kills it. This can be mitigated with either giving it the Enterprise Class power plant or swapping for excelsior type shields. |
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 10, 2021 17:57:13 GMT -7
I actually wasn't a fan of the stats and found it very unoptimized for a Class XI cruiser but I don't plan on significantly upgrading it either. It's an ok second tier cruiser and I'm ok with that given that I plan on turning it into a carrier. That doesn't necessarily mean anything in FASA mechanically other than the Shuttles: XX line on the stat sheet but I don't think carriers should be heavily armed/armored so it fits with that. Unoptimized for sure. Weird thing is I actually like the looks of this ship. I think they may have built it after a ship type that appeared in the old marvel comics star trek run. 48 power and 4/1 MPR is what kills it. This can be mitigated with either giving it the Enterprise Class power plant or swapping for excelsior type shields.
Yeah, they don't help. At first I was considering upgrading both powerplants but I thought that may put it too close to the Reliant with the FWG-2 so I'll just upgrade the impulse engine instead for a bit of a power boost. At some point, I need to make a 1/4 shield generator system inferior to the FSP as I think the game definitely needs at least one (probably two) but for now I'll keep it at 1/3 though. Same thing with keeping it at the M-4 computer and under 70 WDF as I'm not trying to make this compete in the top tier in terms of optimization but rather comfortably average. Just like with the visuals, I'm just trying to polish a turd. |
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Post by Meteo Ascension on Feb 12, 2021 19:05:03 GMT -7
One of them, the USS Devon, was in some Stardate Magazine scenario involving Orions in the Triangle.
Also, in Eta Universe, I assume only 6 were built and used for medium-range patrol and survey missions.
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Feb 13, 2021 14:39:49 GMT -7
Thanks. I'll have to see if there is an online resource that I can search for the issue.
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Post by cowboy40 on Sept 23, 2021 8:30:40 GMT -7
When I wrote up a strategic study following the Four Years War, I extrapolated that this class of ship is an attempt by Star Fleet to produce a heavy cruiser, in the TMP, era. It was designed to use mature engineering tech, with newer defense systems and weapons. From what I could tell from the design: she was built to save money. To see what could be done. What came out of it was a ship that equals a Relent or a late Constitution class in performance. She actually is a good mix of the tech..and she fights well for her role and size... Here is a link to that strategic study published here... Strat study |
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atolm
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Post by atolm on Oct 12, 2021 5:11:57 GMT -7
I actually wasn't a fan of the stats and found it very unoptimized for a Class XI cruiser but I don't plan on significantly upgrading it either. It's an ok second tier cruiser and I'm ok with that given that I plan on turning it into a carrier. That doesn't necessarily mean anything in FASA mechanically other than the Shuttles: XX line on the stat sheet but I don't think carriers should be heavily armed/armored so it fits with that. Unoptimized for sure. Weird thing is I actually like the looks of this ship. I think they may have built it after a ship type that appeared in the old marvel comics star trek run. 48 power and 4/1 MPR is what kills it. This can be mitigated with either giving it the Enterprise Class power plant or swapping for excelsior type shields. Yeah bro, she is one of my faves as well  !!! |
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Post by tardiscaptain on Oct 28, 2021 16:14:59 GMT -7
Thanks. I'll have to see if there is an online resource that I can search for the issue. If you haven't found the issue yet, it's number 10 starting on page 26. |
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Oct 29, 2021 11:35:41 GMT -7
Thanks. I'll have to see if there is an online resource that I can search for the issue. If you haven't found the issue yet, it's number 10 starting on page 26.
Thanks! Could you give a synopsis on what type of info they have? I can't easily find any online resource that includes that issue (sarna.net or xon). Is it expanded background, deckplans for the rpg, extra versions, etc?
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Post by tardiscaptain on Nov 5, 2021 13:05:32 GMT -7
If you haven't found the issue yet, it's number 10 starting on page 26. Thanks! Could you give a synopsis on what type of info they have? I can't easily find any online resource that includes that issue (sarna.net or xon). Is it expanded background, deckplans for the rpg, extra versions, etc?
USS Devon is the name of the cruiser. It was assigned to patrol the Triangle in anti-priate duties. 41 days before the players are assigned to the mission, it was captured by pirates after the Devon was damaged by a planetoid fragment. The Commodore assigning the players the mission described the Devon being added to the pirate fleet as "You all remember what happened when that madman Khan seized the Reliant, well the Devon's a combat ship, not a research cruiser." The Devon fits into a spacedock the same size as the one seen in TMP and TWOK. No deckplans unfortunately, but the adventure describes how sabotaging the ship will take two teams, one on the bridge and one at the remaining warp nacelle Jeffreys Tube. There is a nice beauty shot of the Devon by famous Sci-Fi artist, Vincent Di Fate. It's B&W but more than just the top, side and forward view seen in the recognition manual. |
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Post by SITZKRIEG! on Nov 8, 2021 21:36:41 GMT -7
Thanks for the rundown. If you come across the image online, feel free to post a link here! I've already developed my own version as a 3d model but I'm always up for seeing some original fasa art.
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Post by tardiscaptain on Nov 9, 2021 15:11:06 GMT -7
Here is a quick screen capture from the bad PDF scan that I have. I know I have the magazine in storage somewhere.  |
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Post by patrickr on Feb 3, 2022 3:51:48 GMT -7
My take on the Brenton is that it's a deep space explorer with lots of room for the crew, ample storage, extra science facilities. Maybe even give crew the ability to take family with them as a kind of early Galaxy Class family friendly ship.
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Post by cowboy40 on Feb 22, 2022 13:40:31 GMT -7
Again look at the stats, compare to other ships like the late Constitution class and early Reliant class, and you realize that it was designed to be a "cheap" heavy cruiser. It does this...using the mix of somewhat modern weapons, defense measures and older engineering...well get an economical new ship that can replace the Constitution class production.
If you look at the Construction Manuals, and so on, you discover that both the Enterprise (Constitution refit) and the Reliant classes are expensive to build, but using the systems found on the Brenton class ships, you can build around two of them for the price of one Enterprise class vessel.
And yes, in my opinion, she has just as much internal volume built into her as a late Constitution class. Her layout just achieves this in a different way. Also if you look at her weapons and defensive systems, you realize that in the later versions, she is better equipped then the later models of the Constitution that you would still find in service when the production of the Brenton.
The volume of the ship would also make it a long term explorer, soy doing a five year mission, like the original Connies did.
So what you have here is a good "bang for your buck" vessel that can still hold the line and still carry out the science mission. This would relieve the Enterprise and Reliant classes to act as a primary deterrent to aggression from the Klingon and Romulan navies.
She may be an ugly duckling, but she is very useful!!!
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Post by cowboy40 on Feb 24, 2022 10:52:36 GMT -7
I know this is all well in our heads....the FASAverse, but when I do look at the drawings at the head of this thread, I do do the relation to what the FASA backstory lays out. In that story during the "Great Awakening" The original 13 Connies were built. These ships were sent out after shakedown cruises to perform their first five year missions. They carried enough supplies in their holds that they could bet up to a year away from the developed frontier.
The biggest problem with the Constitution class ships are, they are EXPENSIVE. So the Star Fleet brought the Anton class cruiser online. These ships were smaller and cheaper to construct, but they were designed to operation for three year missions, and they only carried enough supplies to actively operate. for six months away from the developed frontier.
Of course these problems could be solved by converting freighters to store ships and the likes. A fleet train was needed...
Now we come to the Enterprise and Reliant classes. Using upkeep money, the Enterprise was rebuilt during a refit; turning out a whole new ship type. Again they were the best the fleet had at the time carrying the best weapons, the best defense systems, and the best engineering plant that was offered at at the time. They were capable of doing those five year missions. Again the same problems as the Connie, they were EXPENSIVE to construct.
So now Star Fleet had to face that problem, so did what they did in the past, they designed a so called "refit" for the Anton class ships. They used the upkeep money for USS Reliant and turned out a modern ship using less expensive components. She had an older computer core, new weapons and defensive systems, and with a somewhat mature engineering plant. Again these ships were limited to around three year missions.
So a better solution was needed,and hence we get our "ugly duckling" in the form of USS Brenton. I have gone into her construction above of how they used new and old systems to achieve the ship, but her internal volume as stated earlier gives her the five year mission capable ship that she is. And, yes with the rising tensions of the 2270s and 2280s, she and her sisters would be doing the main exploring for the fleet. And if war was to come, she could be right there on the line with the Reliant and Enterprise class.....These are good ships, built within tight financial restraints.
All the design work on these classes of ships was all going on at the same time, so Star Fleet had all the problems in mind. It was the Brenton class that got to space first, they pretty much hit the ways as the Constitution refits and production was coming to an end. Then came the Reliant class out of the shipyards. The Fact that these two classes were two to three years ahead of the Enterprise class is proof the concept of mixing new and old was probably the way to go...
Here is the timeline for the lead ships...
Brenton class.... 2271
Reliant class..... 2272
Enterprise class. 2274
The last of Constitution class was refit in 2270
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