Editing Essay:JumpShip distribution

{{BattleTech Essay}}
:''See also:'' [[:Category:JumpShip classes]]
==Overview==
There is little [[canonical]] data regarding the total number of [[JumpShip]]s operating in the [[Inner Sphere]], or what [[:Category:JumpShip classes|classes]] even exist in which numbers. This Essay seeks to demonstrate that available information suggests the following distribution ratio by class to be (roughly) accurate for the Inner Sphere as a whole in the late [[Succession Wars era]], ''i.e.'' around the year [[3025]]:
* 46% ''[[Invader]]''
* 32% ''[[Merchant]]''
* 11% ''[[Scout (JumpShip class)|Scout]]''
* 5% ''[[Star Lord (JumpShip class)|Star Lord]]''
* 3% ''[[Monolith]]''
* 3% all other ("minor") classes combined, including but not limited to:
** ''[[Tramp]]'' (apparently the most numerous minor class)
** ''[[Leviathan (JumpShip class)|Leviathan]]'' (possibly the second-most numerous minor class)
** ''[[Liberty (JumpShip class)|Liberty]]''
** ''[[Uma]]''

This list does not include [[WarShip]]s, the [[ComStar]]-exclusive ''[[Magellan]]'', and JumpShips without [[docking collar]]s such as the ''[[Explorer (JumpShip class)|Explorer]]'', ''[[Quetzalcoatl (JumpShip class)|Quetzalcoatl]]'', and any primitive vessels predating the introduction of the docking collar. However, even if these were factored in they would probably all be so rare as to fall into the "other classes" category and not significantly change the overall ratios.

(Specifically regarding primitive JumpShips, it was noted that they became "essentially extinct" less than four decades after the introduction of the JumpShip Hardpoint/[[K-F Boom]] Docking Collar.)<ref>''Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives, Volume 3'', p. 17: Prototype JumpShip Docking Hardpoint</ref>

==Facts==
===General Data===
* ''[[DropShips and JumpShips|DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary]]'' (1988) is known in-universe as the "ComStar Intelligence Summary FB-60" document that was declassified and published in [[3025]]. While it may be the most important, and most detailed, single source on the subject matter, its accuracy was called into question: ''[[Technical Readout: 3057 Revised]]'', an in-universe document compiled by [[WolfNet]] in [[3067]], remarks in its preface that ComStar's declassified ''FB-60'' document was found to contain numerous errors or possibly deliberate misinformation.<br />(Out of universe, this was presumably done to explain changes in the stats of several ships classes that had to be made due to changes in the construction rules, and thus wouldn't necessarily extend to the fluff text examined here.)
* As of 3025, the ''Scout'', ''Merchant'', ''Invader'', ''Star Lord'', and ''Monolith'' classes comprise "the five major types of JumpShips currently operating in the Inner Sphere",<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 3</ref> or those "most commonly found operating in and among the Successor States".
* All of the named five major JumpShip classes are still being built in at least three Successor States each (the ''Invader'' in all five).<ref name=DSJS15/> There is no manufacturing data for the periphery, though the overall impression is that no significant JumpShip production was taking place outside of the Inner Sphere.
* The total annual JumpShip production throughout the Inner Sphere as of ca. 3025 was only about 30–50 hulls.<ref name=DSJS15/>
* As of ca. 3025, "more than a dozen JumpShip designs" are known to be still in existence.<ref name=DSJS16>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 16</ref>
* The [[Explorer Corps (ComStar)|Explorer Corps]] fleet, as of ca. [[3058]], comprised of around 60% ''Invaders'', 25% ''Scout'' and ''Merchant'' class combined, and "a wide range of other designs" for the remaining 15% (including the purpose-built ''Magellan'' class). It was expressly said that ''Monolith'', ''Star Lord'' and ''Leviathan'' class vessels are not used by the Explorer Corps.<ref name=EC17>''Explorer Corps'', p. 17</ref>
* As of [[3058]], a ''Magellan'' modified beyond recognition into an unidentifiable merchant JumpShip with (only) one docking hardpoint was supposed to be inconspicuous enough to be a good cover for a covert operation.<ref>See the description of the ''[[Persephone (Individual Magellan-class JumpShip)|Persephone]]'' in the ''[[Living Legends]]'' adventure</ref>
* As of ca. 3025, the number of operable JumpShips in the Inner Sphere had supposedly been constant at around 2,000 for decades, with "only about a dozen new JumpShips produced each year among all the Successor Houses".<ref name=DSJS15>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 15</ref> Later, ''Mercenaries Handbook 3055'' claimed that, as of 3055, some 3,000 JumpShips roam the Inner Sphere; production reportedly increased after the discovery of the [[Helm Memory Core]].<ref>''Mercenaries Handbook 3055'', p. 23</ref> ''Strategic Operations'' clarifies that the actual number must be higher by an order of magnitude or two,<ref>''Strategic Operations'', p. 250: "External Communication"</ref> but does not offer concrete numbers.
* In the Lyran Commonwealth, the [[Bolson Shipyards]] had been a major producer of JumpShips for the [[LCAF]], as well as freighters and pleasure craft for the private sector. It wasn't specified what classes of JumpShips had been built there. The shipyard was destroyed in 2787.<ref>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 46: "The Bolson Shipyards"</ref>
* The [[First Succession War]] cut the Lyran Commonwealth's JumpShip production abilities by 95%.<ref>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 53</ref>
* In the 'Mech Unit Creation rules in the (1986) [[MechWarrior|MechWarrior]] RPG rulebook,<ref>''MechWarrior'', p. 25</ref> set around the year 3025, a player-run unit – be it a House unit or a mercenary unit – automatically gets to roll for possession of a JumpShip if the unit has at least one DropShip, which is the case on a 2d6 roll of 2–8 for lance-sized units, 2–10 for units two lances in size, 2–11 for company-sized units, and automatically if the unit is battalion size or larger. The "JumpShip Status" roll of 2d6 has higher success probability as the unit size grows, and the JumpShip is scaled accordingly: A lance will get a ''Scout'' or ''Merchant'' on a roll of 2–5; two lances will get an ''Invader'' or ''Merchant'' on 2–6; a company will get an ''Invader'' on 2–7; a battalion will get an ''Invader'' or ''Monolith'' on a 2–10; and a regiment will get a ''Monolith'' on a 2–11. (The ''Star Lord'' class is notably absent from the table.)
* In the 1988 sourcebook ''DropShips and JumpShips''<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: Operations Manual'', p. 38</ref> the acquisition of a DropShip or JumpShip is described as a major undertaking; but at the same time it is nevertheless possible to acquire any of the five major JumpShip classes–including namely the ''Monolith''–even for relatively small units, if they can afford the price. Players must first generate leads to possibly available vessels with a 2d6 roll once per month resulting in 1–2 leads on average, depending on "Diplomacy" skill, then follow up on individual leads with a second roll to get a chance to actually buy a ship. ''Scout'', ''Merchant'' and ''Invader'' class JumpShips will become available on a 2d6 roll of 9+; a ''Star Lord'' on a 10+; and a ''Monolith'' on a 11+. For JumpShips, the target numbers are –1 for salvage-quality vessels and +1 for nonfunctional vessels. The rolls for leads can result in modifiers to the second roll. The costs for new (''i.e.'' non-salvage fully functional) vessels are given as 300, 400, 500, 750 and 1,000 million [[C-bills]] respectively, 40% that for salvage quality vessels, or 20% for destroyed (nonfunctional) vessels.<br />For comparison, new ''Fortress''es (800 million C-bills) and ''Behemoth''s (2,000 million C-bills) are only available on 12+, ''i.e.'' harder to obtain than a ''Monolith'', while ''Excalibur'', ''Achilles'', ''Vengeance'' and ''Mammoth'' DropShips are all 11+ like the ''Monolith''.
* The JumpShip acquisition rules in ''Mercenary's Handbook 3055'', p. 82, postulate that a unit may only attempt to acquire a JumpShip once during creation. The unit must spend a flat fee of 15 million C-bills on attempting a JumpShip Acquisition Roll (which fails on 1–3, and thus has a 50% chance to succeed; the result table goes up to 9 but does not explain how a 1d6 roll can result in more than 6. A result of 9 means the second roll is made with 2d6 instead of only 1d6). In case of success, a second roll is required to determine if the desired vessel is available for purchase; this will usually be a 1d6 roll. The target number on this 1d6, which is decreased by 1 for every additional 6 million C-bills spent on the Acquisition Roll (which does not improve the 50% chance of success in the first place), is 8 for a ''Scout'', 9 for a ''Merchant'', 10 for an ''Invader'', 11 for a ''Star Lord'' and 12 for a ''Monolith''. Acquisition is an all-or-nothing roll during creation; if successful, the unit owns the JumpShip (there is no buying price involved). This is because the unit creation rules assume the unit being created for the players is not created from scratch, but has been existing for some time already at the beginning of the game.
* As of ca. 3055, it is "still uncommon to find any individual or organization in the Inner Sphere, other than a ruling House or a large corporation, that owns its own JumpShip. On occasion, however, a fortunate mercenary unit can obtain one."<ref name=MH3055-23>''Mercenary's Handbook 3055'', p. 23</ref> JumpShips cannot normally be bought on the open market.<ref name=MH3055-82>''Mercenary's Handbook 3055'', p. 82</ref>
* (The ''[[AeroTech]]'' and ''[[AeroTech 2]]'' rulebooks offer no information about the proliferation of JumpShip classes.)

===Data by JumpShip Class===
====Scout====
* Relative "Frequency of Sighting" rating: "Uncommon"<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 17</ref>
* Known production sites:
** As of ca. 3025:
*** [[Irian Technologies]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Clipperton]], Free Worlds League)
*** [[Ioto Galactic Enterprises]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Alarion]], Lyran Commonwealth)
*** [[Dharma HyperSpace]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Schuyler]], Draconis Combine)
* Noted for high maintenance costs<ref name=MH3055-23/> (implicitly, in relation to its carrying capacity), another reason why it is considered primarily a military vessel

====Merchant====
* Relative "Frequency of Sighting" rating: "Common"<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 19</ref>
* Known production sites:
** As of ca. 3025:
*** [[Stellar Trek]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Chatham]], Draconis Combine)
*** [[Rashpur-Owens, Inc.]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Capella]], Capellan Confederation)
*** [[Ioto Galactic Enterprises]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Gibbs]], Lyran Commonwealth; no actual manufacture of new drive cores but a repair facility building ships with Star League–era KF cores from a supply depot; drive core supply "dwindling" by 3054)<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 81</ref>
*** Although the Free Worlds League isn't mentioned as a current producer of the ''Merchant'' class as of ca. 3025, unlike the Draconis Combine, Capellan Confederation and Lyran Commonwealth,<ref name=DSJS15/> it is also noted that the Free Worlds League's output of ''Merchant'' and ''Explorer'' JumpShips was "second to none" at one point.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 114</ref>
* The ''Merchant'' is one of the oldest designs still in use,<ref name=DSJS18>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 18</ref> or even one of the oldest JumpShip designs (period).<ref name=MH3055-23/>
* The ''Merchant'' is the second-smallest JumpShip still in use (after the ''Scout'');<ref name=DSJS18/> this is ignoring the ''Explorer'' class which doesn't have docking hardpoints and wasn't yet written into canon when ''JumpShips and DropShips'' was published).
* Around 40% of all ''Merchant''-class JumpShips are thought to operate within the borders of the Lyran Commonwealth as of 3025.<ref name=DSJS18/>
* The ''Merchant'' class is the mainstay of trader fleets throughout known space.<ref>''BattleSpace'', p. 52: Merchant</ref>

====Invader====
* Relative "Frequency of Sighting" rating: "Common"<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 21</ref>
* Known production sites:
** As of ca. 3025:
*** [[Technicron Manufacturing]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Tamarind]], Free Worlds League)
*** [[Stellar Trek]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Chatham]], Draconis Combine)
*** [[Rashpur-Owens, Inc.]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Capella]], Capellan Confederation)
*** [[Ioto Galactic Enterprises]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Alarion]], Lyran Commonwealth)
*** [[Universal Air]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Delavan]], Federated Suns)
** After ca. 3039 also
*** [[Kathil Shipworks]]/[[James McKenna Shipyards]] ([[Kathil]], Federated Suns)<ref>''Handbook: House Davion'', pp. 166–167</ref>
* As of ca. 3054, the Rashpur-Owens shipyards build a single ''Invader'' annually.<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 143</ref>
* The ''Invader'' class is the most common JumpShip operating in the Successor States.<ref name=DSJS20>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 20</ref>
* The ''Invader'' class is "reliably estimated" to account for some 46% of all registered JumpShips in the Inner Sphere as of 3025.<ref name=DSJS20/> This still holds true by 3055<ref name=MH3055-23/> and 3056 ("slightly more than 45% of all registered JumpShips").<ref name=BSI>''BattleSpace'', p. 52: Invader</ref>
** Nearly 51% of all known ''Invader''-class vessels in the Inner Sphere are operated by the [[Great Houses]]' militaries, 32% by merchants, and 17% by [[mercenaries]] as of 3025.<ref name=DSJS20/> These ratios haven't changed as of 3055.<ref name=MH3055-23/> A 3056 report<ref name=BSI/> states that state armies and mercenaries between them use roughly 70% of the existing ''Invader''s.
* The ''Invader'' is the design most commonly used by Inner Sphere armies<ref name=MH3055-23/> (even though, unlike others, it is not considered a primarily military design).

====Star Lord====
* Relative "Frequency of Sighting" rating: "Rare"<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 23</ref>
* Known production sites:
** As of ca. 3025:
*** [[SelaSys Incorporated]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Loyalty]], Free Worlds League)
*** [[Stellar Trek]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Chatham]], Draconis Combine); production has stopped by 3054<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 176</ref>
*** [[Universal Air]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Delavan]], Federated Suns)
* Around 40% of all ''Star Lord''-class JumpShips are thought to operate in the Free Worlds League as of 3025.<ref name=DSJS22/>
* As of 3025, two ''Star Lord'' per year are built in the Free Worlds League and one in the Draconis Combine.<ref name=DSJS22>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 22</ref> No number is given for the Federated Suns who are supposedly also building the design.<ref name=DSJS15/>
* The ''Star Lord'' is more common among the Clans than in the Inner Sphere.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3057'', p. 106</ref>
* Notably expensive to purchase and maintain.<ref name=MH3055-23/>

====Monolith====
* Relative "Frequency of Sighting" rating: "Rare"<ref>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 25</ref>
* Known production sites:
** As of ca. 3025:
*** [[Rashpur-Owens, Inc.]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Capella]], Capellan Confederation)
*** [[Ioto Galactic Enterprises]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Alarion]], Lyran Commonwealth)
*** [[Challenge Systems]]<ref name=DSJS15/> ([[Panpour]], Federated Suns)
** After ca. 3054 also:
*** [[Stellar Trek]] ([[Chatham]], Draconis Combine)<ref>''Objectives Raids'', p. 68</ref>
* Around half of all ''Monolith''-class JumpShips are thought to operate in the Draconis Combine; roughly equal (but unspecified) numbers operate in the Federated Suns and the Free Worlds League, respectively, as of 3025.<ref name=JSDS24/>
* As of 3025, the Draconis Combine is no longer able to produce the ''Monolith'' class<ref name=JSDS24>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 24</ref> and the same is thought to be the case for the Free Worlds League who used to build one every two years "until recently",<ref name=JSDS24/> while the Federated Suns build two every three years.<ref name=JSDS24/> At the same time, there are three Free Worlds League facilities–namely the shipyards at Clipperton, Tamarind and Loyalty–that are considered capable of producing a ''Star Lord'' or ''Monolith'' as of ca. 3025.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 114</ref> (The Free Worlds League and the Draconis Combine are not listed as manufacturers of the ''Monolith'' class, but the Lyran Commonwealth and Capellan Confederation are, without production numbers given.)<ref name=DSJS15/>
* According to ComStar's ''CIS FB-60'' document, only a few dozen ''Monolith''-class vessels still operate in the Inner Sphere as of ca. 3025, and the class "is found exclusively within the armies of the Successor States",<ref name=JSDS24/>; according to ''Technical Readout: 3057'', as of January [[3057]] ''Monolith''s were "only operated by the militaries of the Successor States and Clans", and "less than fifty vessels remain in the armies of the Successor States."<ref name=TRO3057p108>''Technical Readout: 3057'', p. 108: ''Monolith'' class entry</ref> However, other canonical data calls this statement into question:
** [[Synguard Corporation]], a medium-sized mercantile corporation, was mentioned to operate three ''Monolith''s as of ca. 3025.<ref name=MW1e>''MechWarrior'' (1st Edition), p. 109</ref>
** The [[Eridani Light Horse]] mercenary unit operates three ''Monolith''s as of ca. 3025;<ref>''Mercenary's Handbook'', p. 74</ref> Wolf's Dragoons had at least two ''Monolith''s with them when they first arrived in the Inner Sphere at Delos in 3005.<ref>''Wolf's Dragoons'' sourcebook, p. 6</ref> The [[Northwind Highlanders]] operate ''Monolith''s by 3067,<ref>Named ''Monolith''s with the Northwind Highlanders as of 3067 include the ''[[Edinborough Express]]'' and the ''[[Spirit of Edinburgh]]''</ref> with the implication that they had them for a long time.

====Other====
* The ''Tramp'' class was eventually phased out in favor of the ''Star Lord'', but found considerable success in the wilder parts of the periphery in its time.<ref name=TRO3057-104>''Technical Readout: 3057'', p. 104: ''Tramp'' class entry</ref> It is inferred that the ''Tramp'' was not in production around 3025, but most ''Tramp'' class vessels implicitly operate in the periphery, beyond the scope of ComStar's ''FB-60'' document which is concerned with the situation in the Inner Sphere (and not the periphery). When production was restarted, eleven ships were built between about [[3046]] and [[3052]], ''i.e.'' almost two per year, and three more between about [[3055]] and [[3057]], with no production in the years in between because of a technical problem.<ref name=TRO3057-104/>
* Between its introduction in [[3056]] and 28 January 3057, two vessels of the all-new ''[[Chimeisho]]'' class were built at the [[Izumi JumpShips]] yard at [[Altair]].<ref>''Technical Readout: 3057'', p. 102: ''Chimeisho'' class entry</ref>
* By 3058, the purpose-built ''Magellan'', which was used almost exclusively for the Explorer Corps, nevertheless still made up only a fraction of those 15% of Explorer Corps JumpShips that weren't of ''Scout'', ''Merchant'' or ''Invader'' class.<ref name=EC17/>

===Analysis===
* While the ''CIS FB-60'' document does make use of a fourth "Frequency of Sighting" rating, "Unique", in its DropShips section, it only discusses the aforementioned five JumpShip classes, and considers none of them any rarer than "Rare". It follows that existing numbers of vessels in other JumpShip classes are so small that they fall below the "Rare" or even "Unique" threshold.<br />(For comparison, among DropShips, "Rare" is applied to the ''Overlord'' and ''Intruder'', among others, while the ''Avenger'', ''Achilles'' and ''Fortress'' are all described as "Unique". This establishes that "Unique" isn't meant literally and should merely be read as "very rare" instead, as the document itself discusses several individual DropShips for each "Unique" entry.)
* 46% of all JumpShips are ''Invader''s. 68% of these are operated by House militaries, mercenaries or private citizens while only 32% of these, ''i.e.'' 14.72% of all existing JumpShips, are operated by corporations or merchants. To be the "mainstay" of trader fleets, the ''Merchant'' class only needs to outdo this number with ''Merchant'' class merchant vessels. (The ''Scout'' class, being the next-rarest JumpShip class, is described as mostly a military vessel and a poor choice commercially.)
* The ''Merchant'' class is only "one of the oldest designs", but not "the" oldest design. This implies there is at least one class still in use that is yet older.
* There is conflicting information on the relative numbers of ''Monolith''-class JumpShips. ComStar's ''CIS FB-60'' document from 3025 claims that only a few dozen ''Monolith''-class vessels still operate in the Inner Sphere, and that this class "is found exclusively within the armies of the Successor States".<ref name=JSDS24/> ''Monolith''s were "only operated by the militaries of the Successor States and Clans", and "less than fifty vessels supposedly remain in the armies of the Successor States" as of January [[3057]], according to ''Technical Readout: 3057''.<ref name=TRO3057p108/> However, in the same timeframe several mercenary commands including the Eridani Light Horse, Wolf's Dragoons and the Northwind Highlanders have been known to own and operate such vessels, and even the medium-sized Synguard Corporation had three ''Monolith''s which was not treated as particularly noteworthy.<ref name=MW1e/> JumpShip acquisition rules do not suggest the class to be particularly rare either. Finally, a proliferation rating of ''Rare'' instead of ''Unique'', combined with ongoing production and being named among the five major types of JumpShips (out of at least a dozen) strongly suggests that ComStar, for some reason, ignored or omitted a significant number of existing ''Monolith''s in their ''CIS FB-60'' and ''TRO: 3057'' reports. It could be speculated that the lion's share of ''Monolith''s is actually operated by ComStar themselves, in which case their somewhat misleading observations regarding the design's proliferations would technically be true when one assumes they refer to other factions besides ComStar.
* As of ca. [[3058]] the ''Leviathan'' is listed (besides the ''Monolith'' and ''Star Lord'') as a ship class that the Explorer Corps does not make use of.<ref name=EC17/> That the authors of the document (ComStar) would expressly mention it beside the other two vessels seems to indicate that the ''Leviathan'' class, albeit obsolete, was by no means extinct or unique in the sense of only a handful of relics remaining, and makes it the second "minor" JumpShip class mentioned in a way that suggests it still exists in some numbers.

==Conclusions==
The ''Invader'' is the most numerous class, and the only one with a stated ratio: 46% of all registered JumpShips are ''Invader''s. Its frequency of sighting is rated "Common", as is the case for only one other class, the ''Merchant''; one class is "Uncommon", two are "Rare", and none is described as "Unique". Since several other classes exist, this suggests that the frequency of sighting for all other classes is no better than the "Unique" rating (which is demonstrably not to be taken literally but rather translates as "very rare"). Those other JumpShip classes are collectively called the "minor" classes for the purpose of this essay, as opposed to the five dominant "major" classes.

For the purpose of this essay, it is assumed that each frequency of sighting tier is roughly three times as numerous as the next one.<br />Thrice was determined to be the most plausible tier step because at twice, it would be too hard to justify the ''Invader'' and ''Merchant'' being in the same tier, and at four times or more, the "Uncommon" and especially the "Rare" classes would be marginalized to the point where grouping them into different tiers would be equally hard to justify; similarly, the ''Monolith'' and ''Star Lord'' could then hardly be counted among the major classes anymore, of which there would then only be three. This effectively rules out the initial urge to treat the tiers as orders of magnitude, ''i.e.'' a factor of ten: Only 0.4% – or one out of 250 JumpShips – could then be a ''Star Lord'' or ''Monolith'', and minor classes would have to be rarer still by a factor of at least ten.

Despite sharing the "Common" tier, the ''Invader'' must vastly outnumber even the ''Merchant'', the sole other "Common" design, in order for the tiers to remain meaningful overall. Consequently, it was disregarded as an outlier, and the remaining 54% of all JumpShips would therefore be divided thusly: 9 parts "Common" ''Merchant'', 3 parts (''i.e.'' one-third as many) "Uncommon" ''Scout'', 1 part (one-third as many again) each for the "Rare" ''Star Lord'' and ''Monolith'', and finally 1 part for all other minor classes combined. This computes as altogether 15 parts across 54% and results in a ballpark distribution ratio of 32.4% (''Merchant''), 10.8% (''Scout''), 3.6% (''Star Lord''), 3.6% (''Monolith''), and 3.6% (minor classes combined).

The ''Star Lord'' class is consistently described as easier to acquire than the ''Monolith'' in different rulebooks, though both are considered "Rare". The exact distribution given varies, but based on acquisition target numbers the former is generally 1.5 to 2 times easier to acquire than the latter, assuming a sufficiently solvent buyer. This would suggest they are on opposite ends of the "Rare" tier range. It thus seems reasonable to round down the number of ''Monolith''s to 3% and push the ''Star Lord'' to 5%. However, while the ''Monolith'' is the rarest of the five major JumpShip classes, it must still outnumber the minor classes by at least one if not two tiers.

The ''Scout'' and ''Merchant'' were simply rounded to 11% and 32%, respectively.

The ''Tramp'' is implied to be the most numerous minor design by far. Of the other minor designs, only the ''Leviathan'' was mentioned (once) in a context suggesting it was still operating in somewhat notable numbers in 3025, so by conjecture it might be the second-most numerous minor class after the ''Tramp''.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:BattleTech Essays|JumpShip distribution]]