"Artifactory" Subsystem


PROPOSAL:
New 'Artifactory' Subsystem for building things aboard ships, etc. that is not Self-Replication or Regeneration, but the ability to built new artifacts. i.e. Macross's SDF-1 was able to build a city in itself with on-board Factory facilities that besides helped to maintain the ship was also used to make everything in the ship. Another is example is Macross-7 factory facilities all the civil and military needs for the travels and the colonization.

Rules:

  • Production Rate: For each Space dedicated to the Artifactory the mecha can produce 1000kg or 1 CP at TL in per Time Rate. (at 1:1 scale)
  • It costs 5 CP per Space dedicated to the Artifactory

Tech Level Rate:

TL – Time/Production Rate @Mekton Scale per shift crew (8hrs)
4 – year/CP (1 t)
5 – 30 days/CP (1 t)
6 – 7 days/CP (1 t)
7 – 1 day/CP (1 t)
8 – 12 hours/CP (1 t)
9 – hour/CP (1 t)
10 – minute/CP (1 t)

Limits (Mekton Scale Spaces):

  • Only available at TL 4 and up.
  • 1 Space can only produce to the maximum of 1/10th scale products.
  • 5 Spaces can produce up to the maximum of 1/5th scale products.
  • 10 Spaces can produce up to the maximum of 1:1 scale products.
  • 100 Spaces can produce up to the maximum of 1:10 scale products.
  • 1000 Spaces can produce up to the maximum of 1:100 scale products.
  • Can only produce as much as there is in storage or scrap materials.

The spaces limit is the minimum spaces needed in order work to the maximum scale size it can produce. This limits a Mekton with the Artifactory subassembly from being able to manufacture starships, unless the Mekton builds the starship in modules of up to its maximum size. So if the Mekton has 1 space dedicated to the Artifactory, with enough raw material laying around, the Mekton can only produce a module of up to 1/10th scale or 1 space at 1:1 scale at a time. This would take a Mekton working by itself a very long time to build a starship, but not impossible.

Other limits that a GM can rule to prevent players from becoming gods of there own army of robots is to limit materials available by cost and/or availability. Additionally you can always use the Parts Unknown ruling to say a key part is needed which the Artifactory just can't build. To this extent an Artifactory can be helpful but still game balancing.

Buying @ Scale:

1/5th scale [Human]
1/10th scale [Roadstriker]
1:1 scale [Mekton]
10:1 scale [Corvette]
100:1 scale [Starship]

*Space means per Dedicated Space to the Artifactory.
**Production Lines build at the rate of Net Weight of the Product not by it's CP-Cost value.


Optional Rules for Mass manufacturing:

  • Although Manufacturing takes as much CP as the final product will be, costs to a Manufacturer is only 30% of the final mecha cost to build it. The Manufacturer intern sells the product to the Dealer at 60% the cost, which of course the Dealer sells to the Consumer (or Buyer) at the full price.
  • Production can be increased normally in two ways: 1) The minimum shift crew can be increased up to double the normal number. Production Rate increases by Crew/Minimum Crew. 2) The amount of shifts can be increased from one shift a day, to two, or three shifts a day. The Production Rate increase is x1.0, x2.0, and x3.0 respectively.
  • Similarly, Production can be decreased in the same two above ways: 1) The Minimum shift crew can be decreased to a Skeleton crew, which is ½ the Minimum number. Production Rate decreases by Crew/Minimum Crew. 2) The regular one shift can become ½ Shift, which cuts Production time in half.
  • Prototype manufacturing will take 4.0x longer to build and will cost an extra x0.4 more.
  • Limited Editions (less than 1000 units), will take 2.0x longer Production time to build and sale at an extra x0.2 to normal cost.
  • Recycling of scrap or salvage materials takes x1.5 longer Production time, but products costs x0.5 of normal. Only 95% of recycling material is ever reusable.

These rules will help to keep balance of game play and keep it semi-realistic.

Artifactory Modifiers:

Assembly Dedication: The more specific an Artifactory is dedicated to production of one type of product, the faster the Artifactory can produce that type of product and the cheaper the Artifactory becomes.

Omni [x1.0 Cost, x1.0 Production Rate] –An Artifactory, unless specified is considered to be this kind of production facility, where anything technical can be produced in any amount of quantity required; limited only on the Production Rate. Retooling takes 1d10 hours/100 CP Production Rate.

Category [x0.8 Cost, x2.0 Production Rate] –The Artifactory, is set to produce a particular Category of product, like Clothes, Vehicles, Houses, etc. Retooling takes 1d10 Hours/50 CP Production Rate.

Specific [x0.6 Cost, x3.0 Production Rate] –The Artifactory can produce only one specific type of product, like Macross Uniforms, Votom Limos, Gundam Laser Weapons, etc. Retooling takes 1d10 Hours/20 CP Production Rate.

Can’t be Retooled [x0.5 Cost, +x1.0 Production Rate] –All Artifactories can be Retooled to produce new products no matter what type of Assembly Dedication the Artifactory is, however by taking Can’t be Retooled nullifies this. Can’t be Retooled, means the Artifactory can only produce what it was made for and nothing else. If the Artifactory is to be changed to another type of assembly line the Artifactory needs to be gutted and a whole new Artifactory needs to be built in order to do so.


Technology Production Difference: If the Artifactory is to build any kind of technology level that is different than the Artifactories own Tech Level (TL), then the Production Rate is Affected.

TL Difference – Production Rate
3 TL or more advanced are impossible to build in mass quantities.
+2 TL – x0.5 Production Rate
+1 TL – x0.8 Production Rate
-1 TL – x1.2 Production Rate
-2 TL – x1.5 Production Rate
-3 TL or less – x2.0 Production Rate


(Optional) Crew Required for Mass Manufacturing:

For large mass production facilities, ranging of over 100 Mekton Scale Spaces, a certain amount of crew is required to for Mass Manufacturing as the Artifactory is not fully automatic. Note: If the Artifactory is anything but a military or ship facility, the Crew will have to be given wages [minimum wage of $9.5/hr]. This is the minimum required crew each 8 hr shift at the assembly line. No assembly line can run more than 120 hours at a time without a 48 hour rest period for normal maintenance.

TL – Crew/Production Rate @Mekton Scale
4 – 100/CP (1 t)
5 – 10/CP (1 t)
6 – 1/CP (1 t)
7 – 1/10 CP (10 t)
8 – 1/100 CP (100 t)
9 – Semi-Automatic; Supervision required only.
10 – Fully Automatic; No supervision required.


(Optional) Artifactory Crew Efficiency:

For large mass production facilities, ranging of over 100 Mekton Scale Spaces, crews required to keep the production going may not be as efficient as desired. Efficiency reflects the quality and/or the quantity control of the products coming out of the Artifactory. Crew Efficiency by TL lies arbitrary between the Minimum and Maximum Efficiency. The difference between the Crew’s Efficiency and 100% of the TL, is the Faulty Potential (Flaw) that each product will have something wrong with them, and the Efficiency is equal to how much of a decreased cost is made to manufacture products. The Flaw can be repaired though, but it will take as long as it did to manufacture to discover the mistake(s). Note: Fatal Flaws* is 10% of the Flaw.

TL – Minimum Efficiency/Maximum Efficiency
4 – 35%/95%
5 – 45%/95%
6 – 55%/95%
7 – 65%/95%
8 – 75%/95%
9 – 85%/95%
10 – 95%/100%

*Fatal Flaw is a mistake in the manufacturing of a product that makes it totally unrepairable, and good only as recycling material.

Example:

In the Fabinini Starship, the crew aboard require the new Adorian Squeeze Bulbs, they have the 2 spaces dedicated to the Artifactory and require 2000 units. The Artifactory requires normally only requires an assembly crew of 20 a shift [200 t / 10 t = 20], but with the urgency the assembly line is placed on full speed with an additional 10 crew members a shift. The Crew Efficiency is 85%, making the Flaw 15% [100% -85% = 15% ], Fatal Flaw 1.5% [15% x0.1 = 1.5% ], and the cost to be x0.85 as costly. The Bulbs normally costs 4 CP each to build and weighs 4 t. The Artifactory aboard ship can now build 900 t a day [200 t x(30 shift crew /20 min. crew) x3 shifts]. Therefore the Fabinini starship can build the Bulbs in about 9 days [ 4 t x 2000 units / 900 t = ~8.89 days]. Unfortunately the Fabinin Starship is a little short in the Raw Materials needed by 2000 CP.

For the sake of the Example the Fabini Starship has these stats:

[ TL 7; H. Striker class; 1000 K; 100 000 ton; 2 Spaces dedicated the Artifactory. ]


Artifactory Satellite Stations:

Typical Facility Set Up:

1) Raw Materials Extraction –Some kind of mining facility to extract raw materials set up is required to get materials for the assembly lines.

1a & 1b) Recycling (a)Breakdown & (b)Extraction –extraction of raw materials from previously created products. Only 95% extraction can ever be recycled from products.

2) Raw Materials Refinery

2b) Recycling Materials Refinery

3) Main Artifactory Assembly Lines

4) Storage & Warehousing –Storage of excess or pre-made products.

5) Showcasing, & Deployment

  • A) Crew Facilities
  • B) Satellite Station Facilities
  • Ba) Satellite Maneuvering Systems
  • Bb) Satellite Hangers, Bays, & Docking Facilities
  • Bc) Satellite Control and Computer Systems
  • Bd) Satellite Power Generating Facilities
  • Be) Satellite Defensive & Offensive Systems

 

Rules by: Christopher LeVert <luckio@interlog.com>

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