Questions about Sci-fi Boarding Actions

[HemlockGrey]

I'm currently sketching a sci-fi uni, but I wanted a little catch. Ground combat is extremely 'modern', i.e. air support, artillerly, cover fire, snipers, etc.

However, I wanted to make space combat in the style of the 1800's.

Nuclear missiles take the place of heavy cannons.
Lasers take the place of rifled cannons.
Heat sinks, energy-bleeding ceramics, and hypertensile steel hulls take the place of wooden hulls, obviously.


I've got a few other things out that should vaguely mirror advances in naval technology up until around the American Civil War, but I'm not a buff so it'll just be the more obvious things like mines or Monitor-style uber-hulls.

However, I'd also like to include boarding actions, and I'd like to make them as close to 1800's boarding actions as possible. I've thought of a few ways to circumvent the normal 'space marines in power armor kick ass with heavy support fire' and go straight for 'crewmen and lightly armored marines storming enemy ships'.

So, marines wear a mesh suit that is made of some sort of ultraflexible, super-strong alloy. It's too expensive to mass produce for the land-based grunts, but the marines are elite, so they get it. It can deflect most small-arms fire and requires a 'hypersonic' bullet to penetrate it.

These hypersonic rifles(railguns?) have a slow rate of fire and needed to be reloaded often. The suit emits a weak ECM field, confusing smart ammunition. Gas weapons are defeated by the ship's efficient vent-and-filter system.

However, I still need some suggestions on how to reasonably eliminate grenades, rockets, etc.

[Mr Bean]

Use AD Style Incterceptor Weapons that counter Gernades and Rockets and Detonate them before they can be used

[Larz]

Not all together sure why you'd want to be lobing grenades around in a contained enviroment with highly intergrated systems like ship... sort of like throwing grenades around in a sub, not wise... but I suppose your probably talking about low flash frag or flashbangs... EMP devices to disable detonation triggers, if mechanical then intercepts are the only route to go.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Grenades and rockets would be pretty useless aboard a ship. Using them in that manner tends to run counter to the whole concept of taking the ship intact.

[neoolong]

Grenades and rockets would be pretty useless aboard a ship. Using them in that manner tends to run counter to the whole concept of taking the ship intact.

It depends on what kind of grenades. Gas grenades can let you take out the crew without having fire and maybe damaging the ship. Of course, this is assuming that the crew isn't prepared for that sort of thing.

[NecronLord]

I'll do my universe style

Boarding phase one

blast a chunk out of the enemy vessel

Immobilise enemy vessel Dispatch APC/Drop ships into or alongside the ship.

Deploy Troops in Combat Exoskeletons into the hole, also deploy microdrones with seek and destroy orders.

ECM a pressure drop in the atmosphere of the ship being boarded.

Phase two

Exoskeletons move into strategic control points. (i.e. escape pods, main compainionways etc.)

Microdrones herd crew towards the control points, and kill strggelers

[greenmm]

most ship corridors probably won't be wide enough to allow for bulky exoskeletons, so you're talking about guys probably wearing light suits with armor protection more along the lines of SWAT-style kevlar suits.

You also want to avoid heavy explosions (i.e. grenades/rockets) and armor-piercing projectiles, since they tend to destroy needed control circuits.

So... perhaps go with shotgun-style rifles and flechette guns, like Han Solo had in Han Solo's Revenge: not as useful perhaps against armored suits, but designed to shred unarmored flesh or light uniforms, and probably wouldn't penetrate bulkheads or walls.

[Guest]

If you want to emulate Napoleonic naval warfare you really should consider modifying the technology that you have proposed for your sci-fi universe. For example, you could go the route of sci-fi fantasy? Edgar Rice Burroughs comes to mind. If you don't like the idea of using rocket launchers, etc... You can also make up excuses as to why they aren't used. For example, you can say that weapons of that nature are against the warrior codes of the combatants (This was done before the Klingons ever existed).

The problem with emulating naval warfare of the 19th century is that it is really two dimensional. In space you can engage the enemy from above, below, etc... So limiting warfare in that manner is going to seem arbitrary in nature.

[NecronLord]

most ship corridors probably won't be wide enough to allow for bulky exoskeletons, so you're talking about guys probably wearing light suits with armor protection more along the lines of SWAT-style kevlar suits.

You also want to avoid heavy explosions (i.e. grenades/rockets) and armor-piercing projectiles, since they tend to destroy needed control circuits.

So... perhaps go with shotgun-style rifles and flechette guns, like Han Solo had in Han Solo's Revenge: not as useful perhaps against armored suits, but designed to shred unarmored flesh or light uniforms, and probably wouldn't penetrate bulkheads or walls.

If your talking about mine, they have warious types.

[Cpt_Frank]

Heat sinks, energy-bleeding ceramics, and hypertensile steel hulls take the place of wooden hulls, obviously.

Some inspirations:

Union Ironclad USS Essex

Confederate Blockade Runner Robert E. Lee

Confederate Ironclad CSS Atlanta
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[Larz]

Electric Stun guns would work well pending... They may want to disable artificial gravity (not by blowing it up) in order to give them the advantage (if the invading marines are trained in Zero-G combat). Flashbangs or sonic stun grenades could be used onboard a ship. The use of flechete rounds or low-density (crumbling) rounds could be used. Shotguns, bean bag or rubber shotgun ammo. Low energy energy weapons could be helpful, and your invading party would want a good melee weapon, perhaps a multiweapon like a force lance. Zats (from Stargate) would also make good weapons. Pending on the vessel, powered armor would be nice to secure the entry point, but it losses effectiveness when moving through the rest of the ship so the bulk of your force should be lightly armor troops, perhaps in teams of 4-5: a shieldsman (physical or electrical), a point weaponsman, engineer/technical expert, rear point weaponsman... just some suggestions

[Cpt_Frank]

Zats (from Stargate) would also make good weapons.

I hate Zats. They're a crappy-looking pseudo-phaser pistor. You couldn't hit anything with a design like that.

Since Cyril wants them to be as close to civil war boarding actions as possible I'd suggest using 'modernized' swords and sabers similar to those from WH40k as melee weapons, and crude-looking long guns with bayonetts.

[NecronLord]

Hey capt, have you got a picture of the alabama there?

[Cpt_Frank]

like that one?

[NecronLord]

Yeah, she was built witin walking distance of my house (few miles)

[Cpt_Frank]

Liverpool?

[NecronLord]

Other side of the river. The yard was on the other side of the river