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-------- TML Message #530 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 530
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 89 02:32:00 EDT
From: (James Johannesson) JOHANNESSON@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Hortalez Et Cie, LIC


Hi all;

   HAs anyone noticed the amount that this LIC (Limited liability Imperial
Charter) or more commonly mega-corporation owns. Esp. other mega-corps
such as:

    General Products 26%
    GSbAG            19%
    Instellar Arms   30%
    Ling Standard    26%

These are just a few of the mega-corporations (The above figures quoted from
Mega-Traveller Referee Companion Pg. 40-41). I thought that is was a little
strange, or actually didn't expect the numbers to be so high. I can see a
insurance company investing in alot of different things to get a return on
there rates, but this surprised me. What effect does the Rebellion have on
these mega-corps?? I was under the impression that they would like to
maintain the status quo and a LIC such as Hortalez would eventually come into
play in the rebellion. Or would the company try for profits in the war
area, trying to get as much profits as possible? I am probably just
rambling here, but I would be interested in opinions. Also, since Metlay has
offered the services of a librarian, I have one question. Any information on
the Hortalez family. It must be very important family in the fallen Imperium
regardless. I would be interested in using some of this for an adventure
for the characters in my campaign. When you start talking about espionage
and stuff, this is the kind of things I would love to get my character in
the campaign into hot water with. Anyways, enough ramblings for now....

James Johannesson                 | Bitnet:  JOHANNESSON@SASK
Consultant                        | Internet: johannesson@sask.usask.ca
User Support & Training           | UUCP:  !dvinci!johann
Computing Services                | MAIL:  56 Physics
University of Saskatchewan        |        University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Canada                 |        S7N-0W0
Phone: (306) 966-4838             |


-------- TML Message #531 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 531
From: CHOINSKI@env.prime.COM
Date: 08 Sep 89 10:06:45 EDT


- -=============================================================================-
Greetings!

With all the talk about World Builders programs I figured I may as well
announce mine.  I have started work on a system generation program for
2300AD that integrates the best (IMHO) parts of the WBH into the basic
system generation rules of 2300AD.  If there are any 2300AD people out
there who are interested, let me know at CHOINSKI@ENV.PRIME.COM and I
will see what can be done.  There are two things to note, however:

1) I am doing this on my Amiga.  If you have an amiga, you should enjoy it
   since it uses a graphical interface.  (basically, to generate the
   Sol system takes 6 gadget clicks -- one to get the Primary requester,
   three to select the primary's type, size and sub-number, one to okay
   the primary, and one to hit the "populate" button -- total time of about
   10 seconds.

2) If you DON'T have an amiga, I can give you the core routines that actually
   create the system (no graphic interface) as source code.  The code is in
   Modula-2.

- -============================================================================-
 Burton Choinski                                       choinski@env.prime.com
   Prime Computer, Inc.                                  (508) 879-2960 x3233
   Framingham, Ma.  01701
 Disclaimer:  Down! Down! Down! Out! Out! Out! Mine! Mine! Mine!
- -============================================================================-

          Disclaimer:  Hey, not me man ...  musta been my evil twin!




-------- TML Message #532 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 532
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 89 09:08 EDT
From: B_MAHONE%UNHH.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: History!


To Metlay and all amateur historians:

Yes!  Tell the newer Travellers, like myself, what you know of the history
of the game and the Imperium.  Valuable information, now that so much of the
original development is out of print...

And now, a question!

I'm running a MegaT campaign in the Spinward Marches (I know, so is everybody
else), and I would like to give my players some "everybody knows this"
information...  There was some mention a few weeks back about some local
nobility in the Marches, and their relationship to Norris.  Are there any other
noble families that "everybody" in the Marches would have heard about?  (Or any
other celebrities for that matter)

Thanks for any info...

Bob Mahoney



-------- TML Message #533 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 533
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 89 12:02 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Hit the deck! INCOMING LIBRARY DATA!



Hi de ho.

Well, with the blessing of Our List Admin who Art in Tektronix, I've become
historian for the List. I shall endeavour to do justice to my claims, having 
now put my proverbial foot in it! |->

To work!

To C. Harald: I only do Traveller and MegaTraveller. I consider 2300 to be an 
abomination for two reasons: first, it's predicated on Twilight, which is in 
turn predicated on the utterly fallacious and dangerously stupid concept of a
limited and survivable nuclear war, and second, it looked like a positively
fascinating future history until they introduced the Kafers and blew it to
hell. Besides, if this List covers 2300 I'm not aware of it. And thanks for 
the suggestion; Gerry and I have been GenCon pals for umpteen years now, and 
he may well be able to help me. Does he have an Email address, or should I 
(gasp) pick up the phone? I owe him a call anyway....

On the Hortalez family: there is virtually no data in the public domain on 
these families that I know of. I believe that they've been deliberately set up 
but left vague as a basis for future adventure ideas. You should do whatever 
you want with them, and keep us posted! Also, there are so many 
subcorporations of Hortalez, each larger than anything on Earth these days, 
that you can easily "cauterize" your adventure if it turns out later that 
you've done something wildly against "prevailing wisdom." I use a lot of 
feeder corporations in my games, as industrial espionage is a blast 
(literally). 

On Manipulation: the Hiver concept of manipulation began thousands of years 
ago, when the Hivers were first developing into city-states. The first 
Manipulator, known to humans as M. Primus, suggested that a road be built 
across a populated peninsula, linking several citystates together. This, he 
said, would provide better markets and less food spoilage in transit. The road 
was built, and within a few years, use of it had blended the cultures of the 
various citystates to the point where it was decided to form a single nation. 
Primus, at that point, stood up and revealed a sealed document, years old, 
that stated that he had planned for this to happen all along! The people were 
shocked and amazed, and overnight the concept of manipulation became a strong 
facet of Hiver intellectual pursuit. (What happened to Primus? Well, some say 
he was elected president; others say he was lynched. C'est la vie.)
	Since then, the Manipulators' Club on Guaran, and later on Glea, has 
listed Manipulations and accorded the status of Manipulator to worthy 
applicants. A "legal" Manipulation must fulfill the following criteria:

1. It must be designed on two levels, a superficial level with superficial 
effects, and a deeper level with unstated yet definite goals.

2. The parties being manipulated must remain unaware of the manipulation at 
all times during the course of the manipulation.

3. The entire manipulation, with a full prediction of superficial and deep 
effects and processes, must be filed with the Manipulators' Club before the 
manipulation begins, and must not be opened until the applicant tells the Club 
to do so, usually as part of a package of evidence demonstrating that the 
manipulation has been completed successfully.

As an example, my player, David, has always been fascinated with the Hivers, 
and in our first non-Spinward-Marches campaign he jumped at the chance to run 
one, but eventually decided to take a human instead for other reasons. 
However, the concept of manipulation appealed to him, so he elected to try to 
become a Manipulator. He took the film crew of which he was producer, and made 
a documentary on the unstable political situation on a world in the Solomani 
Rim. Ostensibly, this was to inform the public and encourage sentiment to get 
the Imperium to intercede. Of course, the Imperium did no such thing, but the 
megacorporation from which he'd been fired years earlier got a copy of the 
film, and decided to exploit the situation for their own ends. The problem was 
that a Scout team caught them worsening the situation, and the vice president 
in charge of the operation (who'd fired this guy at the age of 27) was hauled 
before an Imperial High Justice Tribunal. The irony of it all was that to nail 
this guy, he exploited the suffering of an entire planet, and if the situation 
had taken one more year to mature, the Rebellion would have ruined everything! 
The upshot was that the Manipulators' Club on Glea received his package, 
looked at it carefully, and now his name is no longer Iscin Delano Jaeger, 
it's M. Iscin Delano Jaeger! (He tells everyone the "M" stands for "Mister".)
Sick, huh? I love this stuff! |->

One final note: I'm looking into a membership in the HIWG, the History of the 
Imperium Working Group, for myself. This will give me access to history and 
development as it's being written, and will enable things not in the usual 
literature to be disseminated (with due credit to the HIWG, of course) to the 
List. Two questions, though: Is anyone on the List a member, and/or does 
anyone know how "Official" the HIWG's work is? I've heard it's considered 
gospel, but haven't had this confirmed yet.

Well, that's it for this report, folx. Keep asking them there questions, and 
let me leave you with the answer to my first rhetorical question on the list I 
gave last time: You'll get laughed at for buying a first printing of HIGH 
GUARD because it was wrong practically from cover to cover; the second 
printing corrected so many errata that it was literally a brand-new book.

Later,

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #327:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| Walk up to a Vargr Corsair and scratch his
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| tummy to see if his hind leg starts kicking.
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|




-------- TML Message #534 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 534
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 89 16:27 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Nobility and celebs in the Spinward Marches



Bob:

I'm assuming you're looking for "gospel" famous types, right? I mean, Near Miss
is a lot more famous than most people in the Marches, but GDW hasn't picked up
their option yet, so I'm stuck. |->

Well, let's see. There's Leonard Bolden-Tukera, Marquis of Aramis, a profligate
butthead whose wife is a Tukera heiress and who supports the illegal activities
of Tukera and its interface line Akerut as long as he gets paid off regularly.
There's Marc hault-Oberlindes, Baron of Feri and president of Oberlindes Lines,
a slick little shipping firm that's been burning Akerut out of its business in 
the Regina subsector for years and is expanding into the Aramis subsector now.
There's the Leader of Roup, whose primary claim to fame is that when he tells
people to do something, they do it. And there's the Matriarch of Mora, about 
whom more in a recent issue of Travellers' Digest.

As for other celebs, there aren't too many. But if I ever get around to putting
my Near Miss stories onto the List, you'll meet a few who might transplant well
to your campaign, some serious and others lighthearted (Her Grace the Duchess
Samantha Vanderkloot, owner of the famous Vanderkloot Diamond and the even more
famous Vanderkloot Cleavage, and her archrival Dame Lucretia Blithering-Snipe).

I'll flip through the lit and see what else I can find. If you're desperate,
you can always throw in (gak) Akidda Laagir and his band of incompetents....|->

metlay



-------- TML Message #535 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 535
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 89 00:04:39 EDT
From: (wilson m liaw) macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Reply on HIWG



	Metlay,

	I am a member of HIWG, and their work is offical allright.
Both Marc and Digest Group agree on that...

			Mac



-------- TML Message #536 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 536
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 89 17:07:16 +0200
From: ("Hans Rancke-Madsen.") rancke@diku.dk
Subject: Trojan Reach


I'm working on a pirate/treasure hunt scenario that will take
place in the Trojan Reach.
  For three years now, a friend and I have been running a campaign
wherein all the players were serving members of the Imperial Navy.
They're based on Wonstar in the  Five Sisters sub-sector, and have
been  suppressing  piracy in  District 268,  saving Candory from a
nefarious Zhodani plot and several other things.
  We now want to extend operations into the Trojan Reach, and have
been extrapolating data from the Imperial Atlas  and various other
very skimpy sources.  Now, recently I noticed an ad in an issue of
Travellers Digest  for a  canadian fanzine called  Third Imperium.
The ad states that, among other things, each issue contains a sub-
sector of The Trojan Reach.
  I'm very much interested in getting hold of whatever information
is contained in these issues. Is there anyone who will help me get
it?  Either by mailing me the world data or photocopies of the re-
levant pages? Or, if back-issues are still available, buy them and
send them to me.  I will  of course reimburse  your expenses  (but
check with me electronically first,  I'm not interested in getting
several sets of Third Imperium from different people).  I've had a
friend look for this  fanzine in californian games shops,  but the
ones he has found  stocks  very few  american fanzines,  let alone
canadian. Does anyone know of a good games shop in the LA area?



      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk

(Frederik VIs Alle 4, 1th
     2000 F, Denmark)



-------- TML Message #537 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 537
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 89 15:40 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: The Trojan Reach



Hans, the Trojan Reach near the Imperial Border is called the Outrim Void.
I don't know how "official" the Third Imperium stuff is, but the Egyrn and
Pax Rulin subsectors are detailed to great accuracy in GDW's Adventure 4,
LEVIATHAN. I hope that the Third Imp people haven't tried to "update" this 
information....

bye dee ho, 


metlay


-------- TML Message #538 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 538
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 89 07:55 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Historical help and backlog



To all concerned:

No history archives for two weeks, as I am going to (ugh) Notre Dame to do
an experiment at the Physics Dept. (for anyone on the list who's unlucky
enough to actually live in South Bend, I'll be at the Randall Inn; call and
ask for Mr. Metlay, and leave your number) I'll gather and clear away any 
history questions that come up over the next two weeks when I get back.

see y'all in a fortnight,

metlay



-------- TML Message #539 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 539
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 89 14:18:45 MDT
From: (SULAIMAN) asulaima@udenva.cair.du.edu
Subject: JTAS Victoria



I need information on the planet Victoria/Lanth. The info I seek is in JTAS #2
I believe. Would be obliged if someone could post a copy or USMAIL a Xerox
I will cover postage costs etc.

More MT starships next time...

	Ameer Z. Sulaiman.



-------- TML Message #540 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 540
Subject: Generated planet
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 89 8:22:33 EDT
From: (Jonathan Bayer) jbayer@ispi.COM


Greetings fellow travellers,


This is the only star system I was sent.  I am not sure if it came
through the mailing list, or if it was sent directly by James Perkins.

Please, I need a few more.  This showed up a small problem which I was
able to fix, but I would like to test it with a few more/

I ran it through the program two times, so you will be able to see
the differences between two different runs.


JB

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star System as it was sent (slightly edited):

World name: Earth
Hex location: 0304
Star size: V
Star type: G2
Orbiting a central planet (y/n): n

Number of stars in this system: 1

Starport type: A
Size: 8
Atmosphere: 6
Hydrosphere: 7
Population: 9
Government: 7
Law level: 4
Tech level: 8
Bases: M
Trade classes: Hi
Travel zone: R
Population multiple: 6
Planetoid belts: 1
Gas giants: 4
Allegiance: In



- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

		First Generated Planet

Primary Star Size: 5
Primary Star Type: 6


Orbit	Code
- -----	----
  0	 I
  1	 I
  2	 I
  3	 H
  4	 O
  5	 O
  6	 O
  7	 O
  8	 O
  9	 O
  10	 O
  11	 O
  12	 O
  13	 O
	Summary of size related information

diameter:	7901 miles
		12641 kilometers
Planet Density: 1.50
Heavy Core
World Mass: 1.500
World Gravity: 1.50
Stellar Mass: 1.000
Orbital Distance:    1.0 AUs
Orbital Period:	    1.00 years,
		   365.3 days
Rotation Period:  1.00 days,  2.00 hours,  0.00 minutes,  0.00 seconds
Axial Tilt: 22 degrees
Orbital Eccentricity: 0.005
Seismic Stress Factor: 1
	Summary of Atmosphere Related information

Standard oxygen-nigrogen mix
Surface Atmospheric Pressure:   1.00
Main star luminosity:  0.99
Orbit Factor: 374.025
Energy Absorption factor: 0.700
Greenhouse Effect: 1.10
Base Temperature:	285.12 K
			 12.12 C
			 53.81 F
Length of Day:  0.00 days, 13.00 hours,  0.00 minutes,  0.00 seconds
Rotation-Luminosity Factor: 0.990
Daytime Rotational effects on temperatures:
Temp. hourly increase:   0.50
Maximum temperature:   1666.46
Nighttime Rotational effects on temperatures:
Temp. hourly decrease:   1.00
Minimum temperature:   368.84


			Temperature Worksheet

	   1	   2	   3	   4	   5		   6	   7	
Hex	Base	Latitude	|Summer	Axial Tilt		Daytime
Row	Temp	  Mod	Col 1+2	| Plus	 Factor		Col 4x5	  Plus

  1	285.12	21.00	306.12	13.20	 0.25		 3.30	1381.35	
  2	285.12	14.00	299.12	13.20	 0.25		 3.30	1381.35	
  3	285.12	 7.00	292.12	13.20	 0.50		 6.60	1381.35	
  4	285.12	 0.00	285.12	13.20	 0.75		 9.90	1381.35	
  5	285.12	-7.00	278.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	
  6	285.12	-14.00	271.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	
  7	285.12	-21.00	264.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	
  8	285.12	-28.00	257.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	
  9	285.12	-35.00	250.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	
 10	285.12	-42.00	243.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	
 11	285.12	-49.00	236.12	13.20	 1.00		13.20	1381.35	


	   8		   9	   10	   11		   12	   13	
	  Orbit		   Col	|Winter	Axial Tilt	 Col	Nighttime
	Ecc Plus	3+6+7+8	|Minus	Factor		11x12	  Minus

  1	 0.15		1690.91	-22.00	 0.25		-5.50	83.72	
  2	 0.15		1683.91	-22.00	 0.25		-5.50	83.72	
  3	 0.15		1680.21	-22.00	 0.50		-11.00	83.72	
  4	 0.15		1676.51	-22.00	 0.75		-16.50	83.72	
  5	 0.15		1672.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	
  6	 0.15		1665.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	
  7	 0.15		1658.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	
  8	 0.15		1651.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	
  9	 0.15		1644.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	
 10	 0.15		1637.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	
 11	 0.15		1630.81	-22.00	 1.00		-22.00	83.72	


	   14		   15	
	  Orbit		Col 3+12+
	Ecc Minus	  13+14

  1	-0.15		384.19	
  2	-0.15		377.19	
  3	-0.15		364.69	
  4	-0.15		352.19	
  5	-0.15		339.69	
  6	-0.15		332.69	
  7	-0.15		325.69	
  8	-0.15		318.69	
  9	-0.15		311.69	
 10	-0.15		304.69	
 11	-0.15		297.69	




		Hydrosphere Related Details

Hydrographic Percentage: 69 
Hydrograhpic Composition: Liquid water
Tectonic Plates: 8
Planet has had wide scale terrain terraforming
Major Continents: 0
Minor Continents: 0
Major Islands:    0
archipelagoes:    9
Land based Volcanoes:   3
Undersea Volcanoes:     0
Natural Resources available:  Ores, Radioactives, 

Processed Resources available:  Metals, Non-metals

Manufactured Goods available:  Durables, Consumables, 

Information available:  Recordings, Software, Documents

Weather Control is practiced
		Summary of Population Related information

Total planetary population:   8,280,000,000

City #   Very large cities	City #   Large cities
- ------   -----------------	------   ------------
				   1      400,000,000
				   2      500,000,000
				   3      100,000,000
				   4      500,000,000
				   5      400,000,000
				   6      600,000,000
				   7      400,000,000
				   8      900,000,000
				

City Size Definitions
- ---------------------
Medium large:	     50,000,000
Moderate:    	      5,000,000
Small:       	        500,000
Very small:  	         50,000


Summary of Medium-Large through Very Small Cities
- -------------------------------------------------

  (Pop. multiplier of 5 / Pop. multiplier of 9)

Medium large	 Moderate	   Small	Very small
- ------------	 --------	   -----	----------
  52/   2	 202/  19	 586/  37	1812/ 115	



		Major Cities/Starport Summary

City #	Pop.	Pop.Mult  Type	Starport  Orbiting
- ------	----	--------  ----	--------  --------
  1	 8	   4	   P	   A	     
  2	 8	   5	   P	   B	     
  3	 8	   1	   P	   B	     
  4	 8	   5	   P	   B	     
  5	 8	   4	   P	   A	     
  6	 8	   6	   P	   B	     
  7	 8	   4	   P	   A	     
  8	 8	   9	   P	   B	     

Summary: 7	   9	   S	   H			Total of 2 cities
Summary: 7	   5	   S	   H			Total of 52 cities
Summary: 6	   9	   T	   H			Total of 19 cities
Summary: 6	   5	   T	   H			More than 100 cities
Summary: 5	   9	    	   H			Total of 37 cities
Summary: 5	   5	    	   H			More than 100 cities
Summary: 4	   9	    	   H			More than 100 cities
Summary: 4	   5	    	   H			More than 100 cities


Population has a conservative attitude and is indifferent
Population is militant, competitive
World population is discordant, and is interstellarly friendly


There are 3 unusual customs:

The entire population has an unusual sleep duration
Enforcement Figures require unusual food preparation
The entire population are confined to quarters
		Government Related Details

This planet has Balkanization


Government # 1
Population:   6,375,600,000
Organization type: None


Government # 2
Population:   1,847,268,000
Organization type: Ruler
There is a 2-way division of authority
The primary authorities are Executive and Judicial, and is 
organized as a(n) Ruler
The other authority is Legislative
Legislative is organized as a(n) Ruler


Government # 3
Population:      13,140,360
Organization type: Elite Council
There is no division of authority


Government # 4
Population:      43,991,640
Organization type: Ruler
There is a 3-way division of authority
The representative authority is Executive and is organized 
as a(n) Ruler
The secondary authorities are Legislative and Judicial
Legislative is organized as a(n) Ruler
Judicial is organized as a(n) Elite Council
		Law Related Details

Uniformity of law: Territoral

			Law Profile

                    4 - 2  6  7  5  4
                    |   |  |  |  |  |
         Overall ---+   |  |  |  |  |
                        |  |  |  |  |
         Weapons -------+  |  |  |  |
           Trade ----------+  |  |  |
    Criminal Law -------------+  |  |
       Civil Law ----------------+  |
Personal Freedom -------------------+





			Technology Profile

                      8  6 - 8  6  6  0  8 - 8  6  6  8 - 8  9 - 9
                      |  |   |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
       High Common ---+  |   |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
        Low Common ------+   |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
                             |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
            Energy ----------+  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
Computers/Robotics -------------+  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
    Communications ----------------+  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
           Medical -------------------+  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
       Environment ----------------------+   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
                                             |  |  |  |   |  |   |
    Land Transport --------------------------+  |  |  |   |  |   |
   Water Transport ------------------------------  |  |   |  |   |
     Air Transport --------------------------------+  |   |  |   |
   Space Transport -----------------------------------+   |  |   |
                                                          |  |   |
 Personal Military ---------------------------------------+  |   |
    Heavy Military ------------------------------------------+   |
                                                                 |
           Novelty ----------------------------------------------+

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Second Generated Planet
Primary Star Size: 5
Primary Star Type: 6


Orbit	Code
- -----	----
  0	 I
  1	 I
  2	 I
  3	 H
  4	 O
  5	 O
  6	 O
  7	 O
  8	 O
  9	 O
  10	 O
  11	 O
  12	 O
  13	 O
	Summary of size related information

diameter:	7933 miles
		12692 kilometers
Planet Density: 0.88
Molten Core
World Mass: 0.880
World Gravity: 0.88
Stellar Mass: 1.000
Orbital Distance:    1.0 AUs
Orbital Period:	    1.00 years,
		   365.3 days
Rotation Period:  1.00 days,  2.00 hours,  0.00 minutes,  0.00 seconds
Axial Tilt: 32 degrees
Orbital Eccentricity: 0.000
Seismic Stress Factor: 1
	Summary of Atmosphere Related information

Standard oxygen-nigrogen mix
Surface Atmospheric Pressure:   1.00
Main star luminosity:  0.99
Orbit Factor: 374.025
Energy Absorption factor: 0.700
Greenhouse Effect: 1.10
Base Temperature:	285.12 K
			 12.12 C
			 53.81 F
Length of Day:  0.00 days, 13.00 hours,  0.00 minutes,  0.00 seconds
Rotation-Luminosity Factor: 0.990
Daytime Rotational effects on temperatures:
Temp. hourly increase:   0.50
Maximum temperature:   1666.46
Nighttime Rotational effects on temperatures:
Temp. hourly decrease:   1.00
Minimum temperature:   368.84


			Temperature Worksheet

	   1	   2	   3	   4	   5		   6	   7	
Hex	Base	Latitude	|Summer	Axial Tilt		Daytime
Row	Temp	  Mod	Col 1+2	| Plus	 Factor		Col 4x5	  Plus

  1	285.12	21.00	306.12	19.20	 0.50		 9.60	1381.35	
  2	285.12	14.00	299.12	19.20	 0.75		14.40	1381.35	
  3	285.12	 7.00	292.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
  4	285.12	 0.00	285.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
  5	285.12	-7.00	278.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
  6	285.12	-14.00	271.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
  7	285.12	-21.00	264.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
  8	285.12	-28.00	257.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
  9	285.12	-35.00	250.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
 10	285.12	-42.00	243.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	
 11	285.12	-49.00	236.12	19.20	 1.00		19.20	1381.35	


	   8		   9	   10	   11		   12	   13	
	  Orbit		   Col	|Winter	Axial Tilt	 Col	Nighttime
	Ecc Plus	3+6+7+8	|Minus	Factor		11x12	  Minus

  1	 0.00		1697.06	-32.00	 0.50		-16.00	83.72	
  2	 0.00		1694.86	-32.00	 0.75		-24.00	83.72	
  3	 0.00		1692.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
  4	 0.00		1685.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
  5	 0.00		1678.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
  6	 0.00		1671.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
  7	 0.00		1664.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
  8	 0.00		1657.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
  9	 0.00		1650.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
 10	 0.00		1643.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	
 11	 0.00		1636.66	-32.00	 1.00		-32.00	83.72	


	   14		   15	
	  Orbit		Col 3+12+
	Ecc Minus	  13+14

  1	 0.00		373.84	
  2	 0.00		358.84	
  3	 0.00		343.84	
  4	 0.00		336.84	
  5	 0.00		329.84	
  6	 0.00		322.84	
  7	 0.00		315.84	
  8	 0.00		308.84	
  9	 0.00		301.84	
 10	 0.00		294.84	
 11	 0.00		287.84	




Locally evolved native life
		Hydrosphere Related Details

Hydrographic Percentage: 71 
Hydrograhpic Composition: Liquid water
Tectonic Plates: 7
Planet has had wide scale hydrographic terraforming
Major Continents: 0
Minor Continents: 0
Major Islands:    0
archipelagoes:    1
Land based Volcanoes:   3
Undersea Volcanoes:     0
Natural Resources available:  Agricultural, Ores, Crystals, 

Processed Resources available:  Agroproducts, Non-metals

Manufactured Goods available:  Parts, Durables, Consumables, Weapons

Information available:  Software, Documents

Weather Control is practiced
		Summary of Population Related information

Total planetary population:   8,530,000,000

City #   Very large cities	City #   Large cities
- ------   -----------------	------   ------------
   1	    5,000,000,000	   3      200,000,000
   2	    2,000,000,000	   4      500,000,000
				

City Size Definitions
- ---------------------
Medium large:	     50,000,000
Moderate:    	      5,000,000
Small:       	        500,000
Very small:  	         50,000


Summary of Medium-Large through Very Small Cities
- -------------------------------------------------

  (Pop. multiplier of 5 / Pop. multiplier of 9)

Medium large	 Moderate	   Small	Very small
- ------------	 --------	   -----	----------
   8/   0	  45/   2	 244/  18	 629/  54	



		Major Cities/Starport Summary

City #	Pop.	Pop.Mult  Type	Starport  Orbiting
- ------	----	--------  ----	--------  --------
  1	 9	   5	   P	   A	     
  2	 9	   2	   P	   A	     
  3	 8	   2	   P	   B	     
  4	 8	   5	   P	   B	     
  5	 7	   5	   P	   B	     
  6	 7	   5	   P	   B	     

Summary: 7	   5	   S	   H			Total of 6 cities
Summary: 6	   9	   T	   H			Total of 2 cities
Summary: 6	   5	   T	   H			Total of 45 cities
Summary: 5	   9	    	   H			Total of 18 cities
Summary: 5	   5	    	   H			More than 100 cities
Summary: 4	   9	    	   H			Total of 54 cities
Summary: 4	   5	    	   H			More than 100 cities


Population has a progressive attitude and is enterprising
Population is militant, competitive
World population is fragmented, and is interstellarly xenophilic


There are 1 unusual customs:

Marriage arranged by low social class
		Government Related Details

This planet has Balkanization


Government # 1
Population:   6,909,300,000
Organization type: None


Government # 2
Population:     518,624,000
Organization type: Several Councils
There is a 3-way division of authority
The representative authority is Legislative and is organized 
as a(n) Several Councils
The secondary authorities are Executive and Judicial
Executive is organized as a(n) Elite Council
Judicial is organized as a(n) Elite Council


Government # 3
Population:   1,102,076,000
Organization type: Several Councils
There is no division of authority
		Law Related Details

Uniformity of law: Territoral

			Law Profile

                    4 - 4  6  6  5  9
                    |   |  |  |  |  |
         Overall ---+   |  |  |  |  |
                        |  |  |  |  |
         Weapons -------+  |  |  |  |
           Trade ----------+  |  |  |
    Criminal Law -------------+  |  |
       Civil Law ----------------+  |
Personal Freedom -------------------+





			Technology Profile

                      8  5 - 8  7  7  0  8 - 8  8  9  9 - 9  9 - 9
                      |  |   |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
       High Common ---+  |   |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
        Low Common ------+   |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
                             |  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
            Energy ----------+  |  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
Computers/Robotics -------------+  |  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
    Communications ----------------+  |  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
           Medical -------------------+  |   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
       Environment ----------------------+   |  |  |  |   |  |   |
                                             |  |  |  |   |  |   |
    Land Transport --------------------------+  |  |  |   |  |   |
   Water Transport ------------------------------  |  |   |  |   |
     Air Transport --------------------------------+  |   |  |   |
   Space Transport -----------------------------------+   |  |   |
                                                          |  |   |
 Personal Military ---------------------------------------+  |   |
    Heavy Military ------------------------------------------+   |
                                                                 |
           Novelty ----------------------------------------------+


- -- 
Jonathan Bayer		Intelligent Software Products, Inc.
(201) 245-5922		500 Oakwood Ave.
jbayer@ispi.COM		Roselle Park, NJ   07204    



-------- TML Message #541 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 541
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 89 14:09:27 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!zephyr.ENS.TEK.COM!gslisa!gsliss!jcunning@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: jornal articles




Check the "Best of the Journal" which reprinted the best articles
from JTAS. Problem is, the Best ofs are now themselves out of
print.

I have a complete collection of JTAS; I'm willing to copy
articles, just let me know your "real mail" address so I
can send it.

By the way, Mike, how do you find time to run a game and be a 
grad student at the same time? Between class work and my assistantship,
I hardly have time to breathe. Have you cloned youself? If
so, how can I get one (of myself that is).


			Jim Cunningham
			Traveller Relic





-------- TML Message #542 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 542
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 89 09:07 EDT
From: B_MAHONE%UNHH.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: Is it Strephon?  Or is it Memorex?


Good morning, Mr. Phelps.

Traveller's Digest (#11?) relates in one of it's "Rebel Reporter" articles
that Strephon used two look-alikes, a robot, and a clone.  Lucan and Dulinor
maintain that the "Real" Strephon is the robot...

Has HIWG/GDW/DP made any decisions about the actual facts in this case?
(I personally like the idea of a legitimate Emperor stuck out in the cold,
trying to convince people he's himself.)

My player's are heading in this Strephon's direction, and I would like to avoid
making decisions that might be complicated by a later "official" product I
might want to use.  Does anyone have any facts, or even strong opinions about
this?

Thanks much.

- -Bob Mahoney
                                  oo
- ---------------------------------m--m-----------------------------------------
Bob Mahoney                           PSC Computer Services, Plymouth NH 03264
BITNET: B_MAHONEY@UNHH                   uucp: [uunet!unhd!,dartvax!]psc90!rem




-------- TML Message #543 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 543
Subject: The Imperium
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 89 11:34:17 EDT
From: (Jonathan Bayer) jbayer@ispi.COM


Greetings fellow travellers,


A general question:  Is there anybody out there who is NOT using the
shattered Imperium as the basis for their campaign?  A group of us are
thinking about using a different history as a basis, and were wondering
if anybody else is doing it.



JB
- -- 
Jonathan Bayer		Intelligent Software Products, Inc.
(201) 245-5922		500 Oakwood Ave.
jbayer@ispi.COM		Roselle Park, NJ   07204    




-------- TML Message #544 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 544
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 89 17:07:37 EDT
From: (wilson m liaw) macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Is it Strephon?  Or is it Memorex?



	Well, neither DGP nor GDW has make a decision on this. They think it
should be left to the GM to decide. In my game, he is actully a clone.
But in some of the games my friends run, he is the real thing.

				Mac



-------- TML Message #545 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 545
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 89 10:23:32 EDT
From: ("William B. Morrison") morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
Subject: *Real* star system generation program


Ted Kim <tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu> and I have been discussing the *real*
star system generation program. It generates star systems comparable
to our own (all have 1 star and about 10 planets), and the generation
is based upon current astrophysical knowledge. Since neither Ted nor I
are astrophysics experts, we'd like to know the following:

1) what classifies a star type (eg. sol is a G-type star, what's that mean?)
   Also, what are the other classes of stars and what does that mean for 
   the star system (I think it has something to do with star burn rates).

2) Are there any physics/astronomy/astrophysics people out there who
   could tell us what a *real* binary/trinary star system would look
   like ('yes' and 'no' are *not* appropriate answers :-).

3) Ar there any other star system types that are known to exist aside
   from the stardard unary/binary/trinary systems? (Ringworld and Dyson
   sphere systems are man/being-made and can be anything we want them
   to be). 

4) what does "Planet's rotation is in a resonant spin lock with the star"
   mean?


Thanks for any help.

This and other questions
- --Bill Morrison
  morrison@pyr.gatech.edu



-------- TML Message #546 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 546
Subject: Introduction to Astrophysics
Date: 15 Sep 89 16:43:13 PDT (Fri)
From: jamesp



I'm a little rusty on my astronomy hobby, but here goes.

> 1) what classifies a star type (eg. sol is a G-type star, what's that mean?)
>    Also, what are the other classes of stars and what does that mean for 
>    the star system (I think it has something to do with star burn rates).

Stars are classified by many things.  The most important factors in
stars are mass, composition, and distance from the observer.  From these
everything else can be deduced:

Basic Stellar Factors:

	Mass: Stars vary from 1/100 to 100 times the Sun's mass.  At
	certain cataclysmic times in their lives, stars will lose mass
	(from 10% to 99% of their starting mass).  Sometimes stars will
	scoop up mass from the atmosphere of a nearby companion.  Most
	stars are about 10-20% of the sun's mass.  Stars larger than the
	sun get progressively rarer, mostly due to their short lifetimes.

	Composition: Stars start out with about 75% Hydrogen and 25%
	Helium.  Stars formed from the ashes of earlier stars which have
	Nova'ed may have dust formed from elements Iron and lighter.
	Stars formed from the ashes of Supernovae (like most stars in
	our galaxy today) are further enriched with elements heaver than
	Iron.  Composition is the single most important factor which
	causes stars to age.  As stars age they fuse the Hydrogen nuclei
	into Helium nuclei.  Stars somewhat more massive (>1.4 Solar
	masses) can develop the core pressure to burn the Helium into
	Carbon, Carbon into Neon, Magnesium, and so on up to Iron.  The
	smaller stars (<1.4 Solar masses) run out of fuel, blow off
	their outer layers, and cool into a naked degenerate matter core
	called a white dwarf.  The larger stars run out of fuel, blow
	off their outer layers in a supernova, and press all the
	electrons and nuclei together (in the naked core) called a
	neutron star.  Or maybe a black hole.

	Distance from observer: affect the apparent brightness of the
	star.  Naturally it has no effect on the intrinsic brightness of
	the star.

Resultant factors:

	Core Temperature: A function of mass and composition.  A few
	million degrees Kelvin is necessary to fuse Hydrogen.  Several
	hundreds of millions of degrees are necessary to create Iron.
	Temperature (and Pressure) of that magnitude can only be
	achieved in the most massive stars.  The core temperature and
	pressure is increased by gravitional collapse, and decreased by
	the radiation pressure of the gamma rays generated by fusing
	elements.  As the fusion rates increase, the core expands,
	reducing the temperature and pressure, causing the fusion rate
	to decrease.  This steady state is why stars burn at a steady
	rate.  Very massive stars have stronger gravity-pressure to
	overcome, so they reactions stabilize at vastly higher reaction
	rates.

	Size: The girth of the star is determined most importantly by
	its composition and core temperature.  Most normal composition,
	that is, main sequence stars (type V) are compact, that is,
	about 1-10 million km in size.  Stars made of white-dwarf matter
	are subcompact (Earth size), and neutron stars are microcompact
	-- only a few km (say 15 or so) across.  Red giants, where the
	core temperature is very high and is goading fusion reactions on
	the star's surface, are bloated out to 100 million to 1 billion
	km in size.

	Surface Temperature: A function of mass and size.  Most surface
	temperatures are in the 3000K-45000K range.  Sol burns at about
	5600K.  Redder "colors" are cool, 3000-4000K.  Yellow is
	5000-7000K, White is 8000-15000K, and the hotter stars have a
	distinctly bluish tint.  This is because the photosphere
	(deepest visible layer of the star) radiates like a black body,
	in a continuous bell-curve of luminosity vs. wavelength.  White
	dwarfs tend to be whitish, Red Giants bloated by high core
	temperatures and high-atmosphere hydrogen burning are very cool
	on the surface.

	Luminosity: The intrinsic brightness of the star; it's total
	energy output.  This is a function of the star's size and its
	surface temperature.  White dwarfs are hot and very small, so
	they are dim.  Neutron stars are hotter still and tinier still,
	so they are even dimmer.  Red Giants are cool but very large, so
	they tend to be very bright.  Stars range from 10000 to
	1/10000'th the luminosity of Sol.

Observable information:

	Apparent magnitude: How bright the star looks from your
	backyard.  A combination of luminosity degraded by distance.
	This is a logarithm of the apparent brilliance of the star.  Sol
	is magnitude -26 or so, the Moon, about -16, Sirius A (brightest
	star) is -1.6, Alpha Centauri A, about 1.0, dimmest observable
	with unaided human eye, about 6.0, Sirius B (white dwarf), about
	15.0.

	Absolute magnitude: Magnitude of star if it were brought to a
	fixed distance of 10 parsecs.  I think the Sun would be around
	magnitude 4.0.

	Color Index: The degree of blueness or redness of the star as
	measured by comparing the brightness of the star from two
	photographs, one taken through blue and the other through a red
	filter.

	Spectrum: A spectrograph is used to look at the emission of the
	star at each visible wavelength.  The bell curve of black-body
	radiation is most evident (hotter stars are bluer, colder are
	redder).  On closer examination, dark and bright lines can be
	distinguished.  The dark lines are caused by gases in the star's
	atmosphere absorbing light from the lower layers; the bright
	lines are emissive gases in the star's atmosphere.  The exact
	position of the lines map out the composition of the stars to
	observing scientists.  Hot stars tend to have very understated
	emission/absorption lines, whereas the cooler stars have very
	pronounced absorption lines.

	The spectral class of the star attempted to classify the stars
	from the spectral lines, and originally we had type A through
	type S stars, with type W Wolf-Rayet stars too.  After much
	studying and theorizing, they realized everything was screwed
	up.  They threw out most of the letters as meaningless, and came
	up with the order O B A F G K M, which classifies normal (type
	V) stars in order of decreasing temperature and size.  For finer
	degrees of measurement, a decimal was added.  Hence Sol is 2/10
	of the way from G0 to K0, a G2 star.

Stellar lifecycles:

	Formation: all stars form from clouds of dust and gas.  Areas of
	the clouds will be more dense, and the stronger gravity there
	draws in surrounding gas, etc., until a proto-star system is
	born.  Often the central mass will have other similarly sized
	clumps gathered with it.  This is a multi-star system.  Others
	may not, like the Sol system.  Any tiny planets tend to clump
	together as the star is warming up.  Eventually the star heats
	up really good and blows away most of the dust and gas around
	it.  Often the young star burns off the volatiles from the
	close-in planets, while the outer ones maintain their hydrogen
	and helium envelopes (gas giants).

	Main Sequence Life: About this time it probably emerges from the
	cluster (in the case of galactic clusters) or spiral arm and
	enters the long-term hydrogen-burning steady state "main
	sequence".  The star spends most of its life converting hydrogen
	into helium, at modest core temperatures.  This is the time a
	star is considered "type V".  For Sol, this is around 10 billion
	years.  For more massive stars, much less time (higher core
	temperatures and much greater burning).  Sirius A, a class A
	star, probably will last 200 million years or so.  For less
	massive stars (class M), 40-50 billion years.

	Uh-oh, low on gas: When the star runs low on hydrogen, the core
	will no longer be able to support itself against gravity, and
	will shrink, compressing and heating up.  The hydrogen outside
	the core, what ther is, starts burning like crazy.  The intense
	heat of this causes the star to bloat hugely into a red giant.

	Small Stars: In small stars (1.4 Solar masses or less), the core
	will tend to continue collapsing into a state of degenerate
	matter called a white dwarf.  The remnant core will then blow
	off the outer layers of the star into a "plentary nebula".  The
	inert dwarf, just hot matter with no energy generation, will
	slowly cool over billions of years, going from spectral class B
	or so down to M and below (a black dwarf).

	Large Stars: The core will collapse futher and further until it
	gets hot enough to fuse the plentiful helium ash into carbon.
	The star has a new lease on life, but the intense temperatures
	makes the helium burn very quickly and it lasts only 1/10 to
	1/100 as long as the hydrogen lasted.  When it runs out, the
	story is repeated.  THe core collapses until it is hot enough
	for carbon to fuse.  The star is like an onion, with hydrogen
	burning on the surface, helium below, carbon below that.  This
	can't go on forever.  When the star reaches Iron, it cannot fuse
	any more to gain energy.

	Neutron Star: at this point the core continues collapsing until
	the electrons, protons, and neutrons are crushed into a gigantic
	ball of neutrons 10-30 km across, the rest of the star falling
	in around it.  Suddenly the core stops collapsing, and the
	infalling matter crashes against the core, rebounding with a
	gigantic shock wave which is crushed out before it can leave the
	star.  At this point heavy elements are created by crushing the
	iron and lighter nuclei together.  A massive burst of neutrinos
	is the neutron core's shockwave of its own.  The neutrinos,
	unlike photons, mostly pass through the matter of the star, but
	those that do collide into the star's matter heat it violently
	and the star's outer 95% rends itself away from the core.  This
	is called a Supernova.  The remnant is a neutron star.  If the
	star was very massive, the neutron star will collapse at this
	point into a black hole.

	The Remnant: The supernova remnant is highly enriched in heavy
	elements.  Undoubtedly the gases and dusts will be swept into
	more star formation in a few million or billion years.  Think of
	the gold in the switches in your computer terminal.  Yep, those
	came out of a supernova long before the solar system formed.

> 2) Are there any physics/astronomy/astrophysics people out there who
>    could tell us what a *real* binary/trinary star system would look
>    like ('yes' and 'no' are *not* appropriate answers :-).

I suggest going to a star party and asking to see a couple
binaries/trinaries.  There are many paintings by artists depicting life
on a planet ruled by binary/trinary star systems.  Read "Nightfall"
(don't see the movie) by Larry Niven and ???..  Look for art in
"Cosmos", by Carl Sagan.

> 3) Ar there any other star system types that are known to exist aside
>    from the stardard unary/binary/trinary systems? (Ringworld and Dyson
>    sphere systems are man/being-made and can be anything we want them
>    to be). 

Other than multi-star systems and globular and galactic clusters, there
aren't really any other kinds of systems.  Globular clusters are
ancient, one-shot star formations of several million stars, very poor in
heavy elements.  Galactic clusters (and galactic arms) are full of dust,
gas, and radiation.  They are full of young, hot, massive stars that go
"pop" and raise a lot of radiation.

> 4) what does "Planet's rotation is in a resonant spin lock with the star"
>    mean?

Mercury is an example.  It is in an eccentric orbit, and contains uneven
distribution of mass within itself.  It revolves around the Sun in 88
days, and rotates in 59 days.  Note the 3:2 ratio, a ratio of small
integers.  This has happened because of a resonance; when Mercury is
closest to the Sun, the lowest energy state is when the mass
concentrations on Mercury closest to the Sun.  The Moon is a similar
case in it's orbit around earth, only the ratio is 1:1.  This effect is
usally felt only when the objects are fairly close to one another, and
have been orbiting for a long, long time.

CraftID: Child's Tricycle, TL 15, kCr265  | James T. Perkins 568BB8, 23 years
   Hull: Config=1AF, Armor=10G		  | Traveller Mailing List Adminstrator
  Power: Fusion=1MW, Duration=45/135	  | Homeworld: Earth D867A74-8
   Loco: StdGravThrust=1ton, NOE=190kph   | Computer-2, Physics-1, Leader-0,
Off/Def: Pintel:VRFGauss,1600rounds/min	  | Wheeled Vehicle-1, Mechanical-1,
  Accom: Operator=1, Seats=crampedx1	  | Electronics-1, History-0



-------- TML Message #547 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 547
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 89 17:27:21 EDT
From: (Greg Givler - QA) givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM
Subject: TRADE AND COMMERCE VOL. 8



  ***************************************************************************
  ** TRADE & COMMERCE DIGEST: Cargo, freight, and passenger issues.        **
  **                                                                       **
  ** All followups on this topic should be sent to                         **
  ** givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com.  They will be edited for clarity     **
  ** and resent to the Traveller Mailing List in a following digest.       **
  ** For my benefit, if you would include the word TRADE or COMMERCE in    **
  ** your SUBJECT: this will help me track these articles for inclusion    **
  ** in this digest. Thanks, Greg Givler <givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com> **
  ***************************************************************************


Contents:

1. Trade and Commerce System - Greg Givler

       			   TRADE AND COMMERCE SYSTEM

This is a prototype of the new proposed trade and commerce system. This
has been culled from suggestions from various sources. Most notably
Mark Power and Edwin Wiles, thank you for your input. I hope that 
I haven't munged your ideas. :) 
I have placed the events in the same order that they are in the 
Mega-Traveller Book. I have repeated the unchanged portions to save 
GMs from having to look in two places for the information. There 
are very few if any changes in the first few steps, I have commented 
on some things that I think that need to be considered for change in 
the future. The real changes have happened in the Purchasing area. 
I have a purchase table and sale table and a goods table format. 
Most of the numbers are arbitrary. In other words I made them up. 
If you have suggestions send them to me and not the net. I would 
like to see this generate some new article for the digest. If I do 
not hear anything in the next week, I will give you the next part 
of the installments.

Greg
  
Steps for TRADE AND COMMERCE:
=============================

1. Source World Details
- -----------------------------
Determine sourceworld's Population and Tech Level.


2. Destination World Details
- -------------------------------
The ship captain must select and designate a destination world within
jump range. Determine destination worlds Population, Tech Level, and
travel zone.

3. Shipments
- ----------------
Passengers are determined at Step 4. Cargo and Freight are both
determined beginning at step 5.

4. Passengers
- -------------------
Determine how many passengers are available for the ship.
Roll once on the High column
Once on the Middle column
Once on the Low column


  
				PASSENGER TABLE

============================================================================
WORLD DIGIT		HIGH		MIDDLE		LOW
============================================================================

	0		---		----		---
	1		---		1D-2		2D-6
	2		1D-1D		1D		2D
	3		2D-2D		2D-1D		2D
	4		2D-1D		2D-1D		3D-1D
	5		2D-1D		3D-2D		3D-1D
	6		3D-2D		3D-2D		3D
	7		3D-2D		3D-1D		3D
	8		3D-1D		3D-1D		4D
	9		3D-1D		3D		5D
	A		3D		4D		6D

DMs: If destination world Population 0-4, DM -3. If destination world
Population 8+, DM +1.

If any crewmember has STEWARD skill, apply it as a +DM on the roll for
High passengers.

If any crewmember has ADMIN skill, apply it as a +DM on the roll for
Middle passengers.

If any crewmember has STREETWISE skill, apply it as a +DM on the roll
for Low passengers.

DM +(sourceworld TL minus destination world TL).

If destination world is RED ZONE, DM -12, and no Middle or Low
Passengers. 

If destination world is an AMBER ZONE, DM -6

Passengers may not exceed the passenger capacity of the ship. 

This table may be consulted once per week.

INCOME: Credit the ship with:

Cr 10,000 per High passenger,
Cr  8,000 per Middle passenger,
Cr  1,000 per Low passenger.

[One thing that was discussed is the possibility of charging different
prices for different length jumps. This should be considered a
possibility and I will have an optional table in future articles. I think
that a standard X per jump is a bit much and X per trip not enough. I
would like to see a sliding scale, something similar to what toadys
airlines have. Obviously the above table is the simplest, but not the
most realistic. - Greg]

5. FREIGHT AND CARGO
==========================

Freight consists of paid shipments of goods. Cargo is purchased at the
sourceworld and destination world. Determine the available lots from
the table. Roll once in the major column, once in the minor column,
and once in the incedental column. For each lot determine its size by
rolling the lot size.

				AVAILABLE LOTS
			      ==================

POP		__________Available at Sourceworld________________
DIGIT
		MAJOR			MINOR		INCIDENTAL

0		-----			-----		-----
1		1D-4			1D-4		-----
2		1D-2			1D-1		-----
3		1D-1			1D		-----
4		1D			1D+1		-----
5		1D+1			1D+2		-----
6		1D+2			1D+3		1D-3	
7		1D+3			1D+4		1D-3
8		1D+4			1D+5		1D-2
9		1D+5			1D+6		1D-2
A		1D+6			1D+7		1D

LOT SIZE: 

MAJOR CARGO:   1D+10 MINOR CARGO: 1D+5 [I have included optional lot
sizes on the cargo determination tables below. This chart could be
used or we can get develop a system where each entry on the purchase
table will have its own range of lot size. I think I like the second
method better, but it will mean some sort of modifier list to be
applied probable based on population. I will work on such a table.

MAJOR FREIGHT: 1D+10 MINOR FREIGHT: 1D+5 
Lot size is stated in displacement tons. To convert to kiloliters,
multiply by 13.5

DMs: If destination world is Population 0-4, DM -3. If destination
world is Population 8+, DM +1. If any crew member has LIAISON skill,
apply it as a +DM on the roll for minor cargos. DM +(sourceworld TL
minus destination world TL). If destination world is red zone, there
is no freight. If the goods are freight (carried for a fee of Cr1000
per ton) and their identity does not matter, ignore further steps. 
The sum of cargo and freight cannot exceed the cargo hold capacity 
of the ship.

This table shows the limit of freight and cargo available to a ship 
in a period of one week. A crewmember with Broker skill may consult
this table again once (to find last minute cargo but not frieght).

PURCHASING
- ------------
1) Determine number of available cargos. [ Dependent on starport and
   population? I do not have a table for starport and population, if
   someone out there has some suggestions let me know. - Greg] 

2) Determine specific cargos.  Involves a certain amount of searching
   on the part of the players.  Referee rolls on appropriate table for
   trade class.  


[I have a small (really) sample of what I am working on. I would like as
much input as you can give. Most of the numbers are based on Book 2 old 
Traveller base prices, but are actually rather arbitrary.]

[Here is what I have.

This is a suggested table of goods in a new format. This format will allow the 
referee to modify and add more detail to the cargos available. 
I have started with Mega-Traveller Table 10a, I have an entry for Lot size, 
but this could be optional and you can use the table above. As you can see this
table will take some time to establish and I would like input on what you see.
If you feel that this will not work let me know. I think that we have a rough 
beginning here and I know that I need more input. - Greg]
 
TABLE 10a: NATURAL RESOURCES
- ----------------------------------
NO: 11 FERROUS METAL ORE

Lots:	1D+10 TONS			
Value:	1000Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	NA
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: None	
Special Handling: None
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -40%
	Resale Mods  : In = -10%

NO: 12 FERROUS METAL ORE

Lots:	2D+10 TONS			
Value:	1000Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	NA
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: None	
Special Handling: None
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -40%
	Resale Mods  : In = -10%
		
NO: 13 FERROUS METAL ORE

Lots:	3D+10 TONS			
Value:	1000Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	NA
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: None	
Special Handling: None
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -40%
	Resale Mods  : In = -10%

NO: 14 NONMETAL ORE

Lots:	1D+10 TONS			
Value:	500Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	NA
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: None	
Special Handling: Corrosive - 10+, Flammable - 12+
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -40%, IN = -10%
	Resale Mods  : In = -30%, NI = -10%

NO: 15 NONMETAL ORE

Lots:	2D+10 TONS			
Value:	500Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	NA
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: None	
Special Handling: Corrosive - 10+, Flammable - 12+
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -40%, IN = -10%
	Resale Mods  : In = -30%, NI = -10%

NO: 16 RADIOACTIVE ORE

Lots:	1D+10 TONS			
Value:	1,000,000 Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	1000Cr per week, per ton
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: 8+
Special Handling: Special Sheilding, Radioactive 6+
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -20%, In = +70%, Ni = -20%, Ri = +30% 
	Resale Mods  : In = +60%, Ni = -30%, Ri = -40%, As = -30%

NO: 21 RADIOACTIVE ORE

Lots:	2D+10 TONS			
Value:	1,000,000 Cr per ton
Transport Price: NA
Transport Cost:	1000Cr per week, per ton
Market:	Raw Material	
Restriction: 8+
Special Handling: Special Sheilding, Radioactive 6+
Modifiers: 
	Purchase Mods: As = -20%, In = +70%, Ni = -20%, Ri = +30% 
	Resale Mods  : In = +60%, Ni = -30%, Ri = -40%, As = -30%

3) Determine base asking price.  Roll on table to determine price.

[Below are two tables quite similar, but slightly different, they are
possibilities of what we might end up with. They are pretty straight
forward, but may not work. I have not checked the probability curve.
Let me know what you think. - Greg]

PURCHASE TABLE

MODIFIED 	PERCENTAGE	
DIE ROLL	MODIFIER
- ----------------------------------
[Optional
   -2		-10% for each 
		Number below 2 until
		10% of base cost is 
		reached]

    2		  50%
    3		  60%
    4		  70%
    5  		  80%
    6		  90%
    7            100%
    8		 110%
    9		 120%
   10		 130%
   11		 140%
   12		 150%

[Optional

   13+		+10% for each 
		number above 12 until
		200% of base cost is
		reached]

- ---------------------------------

Roll 2D-7 plus modifiers

Get modifiers from product table.

Tech Level Modifier

Sourceworld TL - Destination TL

SALE TABLE

MODIFIED 	PERCENTAGE	
DIE ROLL	MODIFIER
- ----------------------------------
[Optional
   -2		-10% for each 
		Number below 2 until
		10% of base cost is 
		reached]

    2		  60%
    3		  70%
    4		  80%
    5  		  90%
    6		 100%
    7            110%
    8		 120%
    9		 130%
   10		 140%
   11		 150%
   12		 160%

[Optional

   13+		+10% for each 
		number above 12 until
		300% of base cost is
		reached]

- ---------------------------------

Roll 2D-7 plus modifiers

Get modifiers from product table.

Tech Level Modifier

Sourceworld TL - Destination TL

**************************************
==============================================================================
TRADE AND COMMERCE DIGEST             | ****This*SPACE*intentionally*left****
Greg Givler, Editor                   | *************************************
James Perkins, List Administrator     | ************FULL*OF*STARS************
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send replies to: givler@cbmvax.uucp or givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
==============================================================================





-------- TML Message #548 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 548
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 89 20:56 EST
From: WRICKER@northeastern.edu
Subject: Monopoly (TM) is Patented too


Regarding the (probably unlamented) dead topic of game copyrights,
I have seen a full copy of the PATENT on the monopoly game.  Its claims are
very specific as to how the game operates, but also has some breadth, such
that Parker Bros may be able to extort some vigourish out of similar games
created to promote other cities.  If anyone wants the number of the patent,
and doesn't have a game box handy, I can step down to the operating systems
group and check the copy.  (Jim did a contract automating the patent office
search system, and pulled copies of patents that intrigued him, including
Samuel L. Clemen's patent adjusable belt buckle; or was it a garter?)

- --- Bill Ricker
Ricker @ NUHUB.ACS.NORTHEASTERN.EDU



-------- TML Message #549 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 549
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 89 21:14 EST
From: WRICKER@northeastern.edu
Subject: re: What besides shattered imperium?


Our group and one on the west coast have been using for 10 years now a
campaign in the TL 9 to 12 range set in a non-standard post-imperial-fall
future history.  Paul Gazis (PhD Astrophysics, MIT, now with Voyager at JPL)
created both the campaign setting -- modeled after the long-boat raiding
in dark-age europe -- and the Traveller rules variants in use in both
campaigns.  The east coast campaign is set in a barbarous back-water, the
Scarp region, of the parent-campaign; the two GMs coordinate historical
fluxes between the campaigns, such that a couple of wars from the other 
campaign are about to redirect our commercial/exploration campaign.
    Paul's rules modifications consisted of:
* Skill learning system, not unlike that presented in Cosmos by J.Redden,`
   which Paul credits to Mike Yoder and the Eastern Isles campaign of
   Warren Dew, Frank Adams, &co at MIT & DC etc.  (A very low-tech medieval
   game with several games-masters for different islands, which now runs
   in multiple cities on the east coast.)
* Character generation tables for different sub-services and countries,
   not unlike Mercenary/HighGuard but moreso and completed (to all classes)
   sooner.
* Ship construction, maintenance, operation, and combat which didn't offend
   an astrophysicist, but are usable by non-technical players.
* stars live in 3-space, based rougly on the known structure of our galactic
  arm (the Scarp is just this side of the Orion nebula; major, old imperial
  space stations are located on the arm's fringes nearest tangencies to earth)
  Space combat, however, is done either as chalk-board vectors or kriegspieled
  verbally.

His rules variants have been serially published in The Wild Hunt, a role-
playing APA (Amateur Press Association) run by Mark Swanson.  I can provide
information to anyone who'd like more...

 Bill Ricker
WRICKER@NUHUB.ACS.NorthEastern.EDU
ignore erroneous return address on last message.



-------- TML Message #550 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 550
Subject: Re:  The Imperium
Date: 14 Sep 89 08:41:07 EDT (Thu)
From: (Gerry Williams) gsw@moss.att.COM


I once ran a campaign for a short time based on post-holocaust Earth (this
was before the advent of Twilight 2000/Traveller 2300).  It was totally
different from any other Traveller game that I have played.  I based it on
the premise that the Third World War was truly devasting and led to wild
mutations, etc.  That way I could throw in some curves (monsters).  I even
took some Gamma World monsters and converted them into Traveller form (it
was actually very simple to do).

Here's how the campaign went:

The character (in my case there was only one player) started out in post-
holocaust Earth fighting to survive.  He had quite a few skills and great
physical attributes, but no technical training (imagine a barbarian, only
tougher and smarter).  This was, of course, due to the daily rigors of
survival in a post-holocaust Earth.

After a bit of time spent just trying to survive and rebuilding some of
Earth's cities, the character came upon a crashed spaceship.  Exploring
the ship was somewhat hazardous and didn't reveal much anyway, but
eventually the owners of the ship came looking for it.  They had known
about the war on Earth, but were "too late" to stop it, and didn't know
that life was returning to the planet, or, in fact, that anyone was still
alive.  This is what the character was told, at least.  What actually
happened was that the alien race had seen the impending menace of humanity
and used their guile to cause a nuclear conflict on the Earth.  They were
quite upset at the fact that humanity had managed to start rebuilding so
soon (the character had played a big role in this earlier).

Rather than tipping their hands, the aliens pretended to be "friends" and
offered to help rebuild what was left of humanity.  We never finished the
campaign, but it was left off with the human leaders willing to accept
the aliens' aid without question, but the character was already starting
to get suspicious about certain discrepancies in the aliens' stories.  The
aliens also used slave labor from conquered races, and the character would
eventually have discovered this, since he was learning to use the alien
technology alot faster than he let on.  One interesting twist is that the
aliens had used the war as an excuse to grab tens of thousands of humans,
which they had bred and used as slave labor.  By this point there were
millions of humans being used as slaves throughout the nearby stars.

I made a great effort to use real nearby stars when devising this campaign
in order to add a more realistic feel (the Near Star List would have been
a great help at that time).  With any luck, the character would have
discovered a rebellion ready to happen among many slaves, and maybe even
saved a few humans along the way.  Actually, the character would be more
likely crossed by human slaves than by other aliens -- humans are less
reliable than most races.

It was an interesting campaign -- too bad we both left for college and
never got to finish it.

By the way, this was a long time ago, so I don't remember any of the
details, although I probably still have my campaign notes somewhere...

Gerald S. Williams : gsw@moss.att.com : AT&T Bell Laboratories
WH 14D-337 : Whippany Rd. : Whippany, NJ 07981 : (201)386-2059

P.S.  If you were looking for a history where, for instance, the Third
Imperium survived, then simply use the old Traveller setting.  Many
campaigns developed in that setting (including some I've been in).  I'm
sure that many people who had already developed elaborate campaigns
didn't want to screw them up by introducing the Shattered Imperium.  A
common one I have seen is the Solomani Revolt, where Earth decides
enough is enough and kicks some Imperial ass.  I personally liked the
idea of a conquered Earth.  In my campaigns in the Third Imperium, the
people of Earth were actually happier under Third Imperium rule, since
they had been tired of fighting and didn't really care who ran the
government anyway.  (Of course there were some who would have preferred
home rule anyway. 8-)


-------- TML Message #551 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 551
From: (Steven J Owens) scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 89 12:11:43 EDT
Subject: Request for Traveller Tech


Hi there in Traveller Land...
 
	I used to play Traveller a while back, and I've finally gotten
into another campaign.  I'm about to start a character who is very
techie oriented and will hopefully come up with a lot of odd, off the
wall devices.  He's starting on a world with TL12, maybe up to 13 or 14
on the black market, and no laws.  He'll have about 4-5 five weeks
before the other players (in transit) arrive, so I'm going to get some
stuff together. 
 
	I want to ask for advice and recommendations from the list,
because I'm not completely familiar with the rules (this is old
Traveller) nor with all of the expansions/alternates.  I'm interested in
advice or suggestions on the gadgets I'm going to make, suggestions on
more gadgets to make, and information on stuff that's already out there
in rules form but I haven't run into it yet.

	One thing I'd like is an idea of what kind of stuff is
available, mainly at TL12, with some stuff edging up into TL13.  The
rules I have aren't too detailed, and I definitely remember things
like holocameras, etc, which aren't detailed in my rules.

Hand Computers

	In this game the HandComputers are very nice, from an article
in a Traveller Digest the GM has.  I very much reccommend this article
(I only wish we had the stuff it talks about in there now!) in which
it outlines some of the things hand computer can do, and some of the 
services available to hand computers via packet radio transmissions
(including e-mail, possibility of hacking into the system to track
down somebody by their handcomp, various information services
available, etc). 

	One thing it doesn't do much about is software available for
hand computers, and how they can be used, but I guess that can be figured
out as needed, although if there are any such articles I'd appreciate
hearing about them. 

Implant Chip

	I remember seeing something called an Implant chip, or something
similar, in an issue of the TASJ, which enabled a character to hook up
directly to the computers.  I'm going to try to get one for my
character, and then use it to interface with my handcomputer and use it
more efficiently.

Eyephone shades 

	If I can't get one of those, I'm going to put together a set of
eyephones built into a pair of goggles or shades - eyephones exist
today, and are a pair of LCD screens which fit over your eyes and give
you a color 3D view of a virtual world - different people are developing
them for different reasons, I suppose, but I heard the most about them
in relation to something Autodesk (I think) is coming out with, a
virtual reality system using eyephones and a dataglove as the
input/output device.  
 
	These eyephones will be built into a set of wraparound
sunglasses, and will have input from the handcomputer to the screens, 
or from a tiny set of cameras, thus rendering them effectively
"transparent" to me so I can see out.  Minor options include a
rear-view option, and perhaps image processing.  The main reason for
the eyephones is to be able to display information from my
handcomputer for me.

	Then I can feed information in either through a set of
contacts to monitor my brainwaves (far-fetched, but perhaps possible
in TL12, what do I know?) or more realistically, through an
"eye-cursor" a system which tracks whichever spot I'm looking at, puts
a cursor there on the screen, then I can hit enter by blinking in a
special way, etc.  This enables me to do stuff without appearing to,
and to access my Handcomputer without overtly doing anything.              
 
Getting into the Rat Race...

	A series of rodent-sized robots.  They would be equipped with
certain capabilities, the range increasing with the TL and the
development. At first they'd basically be little programmable rodents
that go around and record stuff and carry out orders (through their
computer, or from a comlink) and can self-destruct with a demolitions
charge to destroy the evidence or a target.  

	As I get better, I'd add things like an electronic lockpick, a
tiny laser cutter to let them make their own mouse-holes, the ability
to tap into a ships computer and dump schematics so they can find
their way around, perhaps even the ability to dump a virus into the
ships computer so they are ignored by sensors.  Of course, the higher
the TL, the smarter the programming. 
 
	Any suggestions?  Feedback?  Ideas for more whacked out gadgets?
Let me hear from you! 

Steven J. Owens   |   Scratch@PITTVMS   |   scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..." 
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...





-------- TML Message #552 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 552
From: ("C. Harald Koch") chk@dretor.dciem.dnd.ca
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 89 17:48:23 EDT


In message 551 of TML, scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Steven J. Owens) writes:
> 	One thing I'd like is an idea of what kind of stuff is
> available, mainly at TL12, with some stuff edging up into TL13.  The
> rules I have aren't too detailed, and I definitely remember things
> like holocameras, etc, which aren't detailed in my rules.

Well, in our 2300AD campaign, we have some tech stuff which is quite useful
to us:

Subderma-Talk

	These are small, multichannel communicators implanted in the
	body. The main radio unit is located somewhere in the left shoulder,
	with the antenna running down the back. The radio is connected to a
	throat implant mike and an implanted ear-piece. It draw power from
	the contraction and dilation of the blood vessels in the shoulder,
	and from shoulder movement. You turn the transmitter/receiver on/off
	and select channels using unusual jaw movements.

	Range is quite short and power is low (easy to jam), but the throat
	mike is capable of detecting minute vibrations and amplifying them
	so that you can 'whisper without any sound' and still be picked up.
	For this reason, the system has been named Telepathy; you can read
	other PC's minds!

Subderma-Comp

	This is a computer (processor and static memory) implanted in the
	back of the neck. It has the same capabilities of a standard
	portable computer. It 'displays' information by interfacing directly
	with either the optic nerve or the visual processing centers of the
	brain (I'm not sure which); the effect is similar to a heads-up
	display. You communicate with the computer by typing on an imaginary
	keyboard (there is a pressure switch to disable this...). There is
	also a jack located on the surface of the skin which allows direct
	connection to a portacomp for software transfers and easier use.

	Having a powerful computer always available to you (even when
	stripped of all equiptment) is useful...

Subderma-Modem

	Naturally, we quickly came up with a way to link the computers to
	the radios so that we can communicate large amounts of data between
	implanted computers and otherwise interface with the outside world
	in situations where using the implanted jack is impossible.


An alien race in 2300AD grows various useful devices. One that all PCs wear
constantly is bio-contacts. These are like ordinary contact lenses (they
will correct your vision if necessary). However, by using various different
squint commands, you can get up to 5X magnification, light intensification,
infra-red sight, etc. Also built in are brightness dampers; you never need
sunglasses and they are fast enough to react to most sudden flashes (e.g.
explosions, lasers in the eye, etc).

> Getting into the Rat Race...
> 
> 	A series of rodent-sized robots.  They would be equipped with
> certain capabilities, the range increasing with the TL and the
> development. At first they'd basically be little programmable rodents
> that go around and record stuff and carry out orders (through their
> computer, or from a comlink) and can self-destruct with a demolitions
> charge to destroy the evidence or a target.  

Two of our PC's, the robotics expert and the explosives expert got together
and built a bunch of these. They are (of course) programmable with commands
sent from the subdermacomps via subdermatalk. They can transmit low-res
pictures, move around, and can carry small explosives packs. They can also
be programmed to act autonomously (i.e. drive to this location, record for 5
minutes, then destruct). They are incredibly useful; the GM is regetting the
day he let us design them.


Other useful low tech stuff:

	Ceramic knives (hold a *very* sharp edge almost forever, and don't
	show up in airport/spaceport detectors),

	portable neutrino detectors (great for locating fusion power
	sources, e.g. space planes, reactors, grav-sleds, etc).

	'God Gambit' transmitters: a radio that is powerful enough to rattle
	garbage can lids, fillings, and building supports across one face of
	a planet. Useful for getting low tech worlds to think that you are
	omnipotent...

Also see James Bond movies for lots of neat gadgets, and any cyberpunk
novels you can get your hands on.

- -- 
          C. Harald Koch          NTT Systems, Inc., Toronto, Ontario          
     chk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca,  chk@dretor.dciem.dnd.ca,  chk@chk.mef.org
"There is no problem, no matter how large or how small, that cannot be solved
by an appropriate application of high explosives."            -Leo Graf, 2298



-------- TML Message #553 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 553
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 89 15:47:08 MDT
From: (Dan Williams) wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!zephyr.ENS.TEK.COM!salt!china!dan@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech



>Eyephone shades with eye-cursor
	Things that eyephone shades can be used for are weapons tracking,
perhaps tied with a gyro stabelized weapons platform or gun.  How about
that as a guard dog substitute. look at your target, bink to lock the
pointer and say zap.  Robie then unloads a few hundered rounds at the
unfortunate target.
	If you do any combat you can use the shades to provide 360 degree
vision, or view other sensing spectra given your hand comp has the required
sencing equipment.  Perhaps a tricorder style of analysis and comentary fed
into your vision as you view things.
	More mundane and near future uses for such a system would provide
long distance telecomunication, remote monitoring of your situation,
provide a location service (ie maps), remote storage and retrieval of data,
providing access to a computerized expert on a range of topics.
Artificially inteligent expert systems are available now, but these should
be tightly controled by the GM.  Available topics should be very narrow,
commonly available topics, expert systems do not have the intuitive
abilities that humans have.  Current expert systems do things like diagnose
viral diseases, but it would be lost if you had a broken leg.
	Then there is always the terminator solution.  Eyephones display
realtime commentary about surroundings and were used to generate replies
that allowed the terminator to fit in with his current sittuation and
providing him a variety of options.  Swap your hand comp rom pack out and
put in a module for local street slang.  Then when the local street scum
question whether you belong on their turf, you can respond to them
eloquently with out resorting to violence.  I'm sure you could come up with
other ideas given some thought.


>Getting into the Rat Race...
	Swiss army rodents, a new style of computer peripheral hardware.
For breaking into computers I think you would have a better method by using
remote telecomunications from your hand comp.  And a human is a better lock
pick than a machine, but as a bug or spy device it may work.


| Dan Williams (uunet!china!dan) | FRP: It's not just a game,        |
|       MCDONNELL DOUGLAS        |            it's an adventure!     |
|           Denver CO            | "Of course thats just my opinion" |



-------- TML Message #554 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 554
From: scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Steven J Owens)
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 89 2:31:26 EDT
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech


> >Eyephone shades with eye-cursor

> 	Things that eyephone shades can be used for are weapons tracking,

	Interesting.  I'm working on a pair of smart pistols (sort of back
burner for the moment, while the "fun" stuff gets done) and I think I could
tie the targeting into the eyephones.

> 360 degree vision, or view other sensing spectra given your hand comp

	Interesting, but may take some convincing to get the GM to goforit.

	Many interesting ideas,thanks much... the terminator option,
idaknow.  If I can find a book on streetslang, perhaps, but that won't
be easy.  Maybe drop by a local linguistics dept. at a nearby college...

> >Getting into the Rat Race...
> 	Swiss army rodents, a new style of computer peripheral hardware.
> For breaking into computers I think you would have a better method by using
> remote telecomunications from your hand comp.  And a human is a better lock
> pick than a machine, but as a bug or spy device it may work.

	Nonono... I think you missed the point.  They aren't designed to
be lockpicks or computer crackers.  Those options are there to increase
the range of possibilities for the Ratbots once they get inside a ship
or building.  Also, most ships have a self-contained system that is hard
to hack into from the outside.  On the other hand, a Ratbot sneaking
into a secure terminal at the heart of the ship and downloading a virus
program...  Your last comment, as a bug or spy device, is precisely on
target.  They are for spying and doing mischief (what the tiny little
hands are for :-)
 

Steven J. Owens   |   Scratch@PITTVMS   |   scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..." 
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...




-------- TML Message #555 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 555
From: scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Steven J Owens)
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 89 11:07:03 EDT
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech


Drat!  I sent a long reply to this, but it looks like it got lost in the
shuffle.  Here we go again...

> >Eyephone shades with eye-cursor
>
> 	Things that eyephone shades can be used for are weapons tracking,
	
	I'm planning a set of smartguns, but they're on a back burner
while I work on the fun stuff.

> 	If you do any combat you can use the shades to provide 360 degree

	This might be fun.  I'm thinking along the lines of programming
an image converter (from one of the journals) into my hand computer,
then filtering the data through the eyephone cameras through the
computer before displaying it to me.  
	
	The other ideas outlined are also interesting, but I think the
GM is going to be very strict with Artificial Intelligences.

> Swap your hand comp rom pack out and put in a module for local street
> slang.  Then when the local street scum question whether you belong on
> their turf, you can respond to them eloquently with out resorting to
> violence.

	Uhmm... yes, but where do you find a street slang module?
Perhaps by dropping by the local major university's linguistics or
anthro dept...

> >Getting into the Rat Race...
>
> 	Swiss army rodents, a new style of computer peripheral hardware.
> For breaking into computers I think you would have a better method by using
> remote telecomunications from your hand comp.  And a human is a better lock
> pick than a machine, but as a bug or spy device it may work.

	Hmmm... I think you missed the point here.  The reason for the
rats to have the electronic lock picks and computer software is for
THEIR advantage when they're doing stuff, not so I can pull out a rat
and try to lockpick something.  My character's computer and electronics
skills are very high - I could probably hack most anything or pick any
electronic lock.  
 
	As far as remote telecomm, for the most part I agree with you.
Too bad the GM doesn't.  I can see some of his view - that the ships
computers are self-contained and you have to gain entry to the ship to
hack them.  But then again many of the players and NPCs use their hand
computers linked to their ships computers while they're in port.  The
idea behind the ratbot's interface and software is that they can sneak
in to a "secure terminal" and dump the software directly into the
computer, without having to hack past any login software or what-have-
you. 
 
	Speaking of which, what kinds of things could I do with my high
computer skill?  I'm in dire need of some ready cash (all of my benefits
were used getting a +4 intelligence, my hand computer, and a scientist's
scout/courier [from _More_Clout_For_Scouts_ in an early issue of the
Dragon]) and I'm thinking about software as a possible source.  I could
write some "standard" software and sell it, or I could try to do a
better version of the stuff on the list of ships software, or I could
try to write new and unusual programs.  Anybody have any ideas on new
programs for the ships computers, or for hand computers?
 
Steven J. Owens   |   Scratch@PITTVMS   |   scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..." 
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...



-------- TML Message #556 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 556
From: scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Steven J Owens)
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 89 2:48:17 EDT
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech


> Well, in our 2300AD campaign, we have some tech stuff which is quite useful
> to us:
> 
> Subderma-Talk
> 
> Subderma-Comp
> 
> Subderma-Modem
> 

	Nice stuff, but out of the question - in this campaign there is
a massive prejudice against cybernetics or bionics - the "shoot on
sight" kind of prejudice.  Comes from having a thirty year war against
cyborgs, I suppose.  I know there is a gadget called an Implant chip or
something similar in one of the Journals of the Traveller's Aid Society,
which does much of what the above do, but I'm hoping it's subtle enough
to pass, perhaps a bio-chip which doesn't show up on a medscan.  Anybody
care to type in the stats and e-mail 'em?  Would be much appreciated...

> An alien race in 2300AD grows various useful devices. One that all PCs wear
> constantly is bio-contacts. These are like ordinary contact lenses (they
> will correct your vision if necessary). However, by using various different
> squint commands, you can get up to 5X magnification, light intensification,
> infra-red sight, etc. Also built in are brightness dampers; you never need
> sunglasses and they are fast enough to react to most sudden flashes (e.g.
> explosions, lasers in the eye, etc).

	Fun gadgets, how about ordering me a few? :-)  Nice, but
probably hard to find.  So far,  the highest TL we've reached (going to
reach) is 12.  There are several TL15 or 16 worlds out there, very
neutral and self-absorbed - and powerful enough to keep it that way.
I'm going to make a sojourn to one of them ASAP.

> > Getting into the Rat Race...
> > 	A series of rodent-sized robots....
>
> Two of our PC's, the robotics expert and the explosives expert got together
> and built a bunch of these. They are (of course) programmable with commands
> sent from the subdermacomps via subdermatalk. They can transmit low-res
> pictures, move around, and can carry small explosives packs. They can also
> be programmed to act autonomously (i.e. drive to this location, record for 5
> minutes, then destruct). They are incredibly useful; the GM is regetting the
> day he let us design them.

	Glad to hear this, as it means I'm on the right track.  The only
question is what kind of capabilities it'll have.  The system I used to
generate my character didn't mention any "robotics" skill, and I ended
up with an Electronics-4 and Mech-2.  My computer skill is more than
enough to program them (level 6).  In response to my initial query "I
want to build some little rat robots-" the GM answered "You need
robotics skill."  to which I replied "There isn't any."  To which he
replied "It's in Citizens of the Imperium."  Fun, eh?  Well, he says I
can't design the robots without robotic skill.  

[I liked the open-endedness of Traveller skills, but one thing I've
 always disliked about them is the fact that many skills only show up in
 later books, and that there is no easy way to work them into the
 character generation tables in earlier books.  Personally I preferred
 just using general skills instead of breaking things down like that.] 

	So I've got a computer full of technical data, I'm going to look
up the designs for various robots, find one that is close enough to suit
my purposes, and then either downscale it to largish rat size (5-6") or
use the originals if it's already in that range (pipe cleaner bots, for
example.) 

	Thanks for the suggestions - how about the more common
technology that is around and ready to be perverte to my nefarious ends?

Steven J. Owens   |   Scratch@PITTVMS   |   scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..." 
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...



-------- TML Message #557 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 557
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 89 18:46 EST
From: EHT%PSUARCH.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu



>* Ship construction, maintenance, operation, and combat which didn't offend
>   an astrophysicist, but are usable by non-technical players.
>* stars live in 3-space, based rougly on the known structure of our galactic
>  arm (the Scarp is just this side of the Orion nebula; major, old imperial
>  space stations are located on the arm's fringes nearest tangencies to earth)
>  Space combat, however, is done either as chalk-board vectors or kriegspieled
>  verbally.
>
>His rules variants have been serially published in The Wild Hunt, a role-
>playing APA (Amateur Press Association) run by Mark Swanson.  I can provide
>information to anyone who'd like more...
>
Yes, please.  I would like more info on the ship rules (construction, combat,
etc.).  And if anyone else out there in traveller-land has any special or
otherwise interesting rules, how about letting us know at least what they are
concerned with so people can decide if they want to see them.  I'd be
interested in seeing anything to do with ships and combat, or neat gadgets.

>Bill Ricker
>WRICKER@NUHUB.ACS.NorthEastern.EDU

- ----------
>From the Bridge of the NOMAD

Captain Sir Michael Talmoth Commanding     UPP:  BA5A8B
   AKA Paul Baughman ---> EHT@psuarch.BITNET
      AKA Unka Paul

"You see me now a veteran
        of a thousand psychic wars,
                I've been living on the edge so long,
                       where the winds of limbo roar
And I'm young enough to look at,
        but far too old to see
                All the scars are on the inside,
                       I don't know if there's anything left of me..."
 -- BOC --




-------- TML Message #558 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 558
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 89 11:07:05 -0400
From: (Mail Delivery Subsystem) MAILER-DAEMON@unix.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown


   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
>>> RCPT To:<@RELAY.CS.NET>
<<< 550 Unable to parse address
550 @RELAY.CS.NET... User unknown

   ----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by unix.cis.pitt.edu (5.61/6.40)
	id AA20859; Tue, 19 Sep 89 11:07:05 -0400
From: Steven J Owens <scratch>
Message-Id: <8909191507.AA20859@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
To: @RELAY.CS.NET, @tektronix.tek.com:jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 89 11:07:03 EDT
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech
In-Reply-To: Message from "@RELAY.CS.NET,@tektronix.tek.com:jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com" of Sep 18, 89 at 3:47 pm
X-Mailer: Elm [version 1.5b]

Drat!  I sent a long reply to this, but it looks like it got lost in the
shuffle.  Here we go again...

> >Eyephone shades with eye-cursor
>
> 	Things that eyephone shades can be used for are weapons tracking,
	
	I'm planning a set of smartguns, but they're on a back burner
while I work on the fun stuff.

> 	If you do any combat you can use the shades to provide 360 degree

	This might be fun.  I'm thinking along the lines of programming
an image converter (from one of the journals) into my hand computer,
then filtering the data through the eyephone cameras through the
computer before displaying it to me.  
	
	The other ideas outlined are also interesting, but I think the
GM is going to be very strict with Artificial Intelligences.

> Swap your hand comp rom pack out and put in a module for local street
> slang.  Then when the local street scum question whether you belong on
> their turf, you can respond to them eloquently with out resorting to
> violence.

	Uhmm... yes, but where do you find a street slang module?
Perhaps by dropping by the local major university's linguistics or
anthro dept...

> >Getting into the Rat Race...
>
> 	Swiss army rodents, a new style of computer peripheral hardware.
> For breaking into computers I think you would have a better method by using
> remote telecomunications from your hand comp.  And a human is a better lock
> pick than a machine, but as a bug or spy device it may work.

	Hmmm... I think you missed the point here.  The reason for the
rats to have the electronic lock picks and computer software is for
THEIR advantage when they're doing stuff, not so I can pull out a rat
and try to lockpick something.  My character's computer and electronics
skills are very high - I could probably hack most anything or pick any
electronic lock.  
 
	As far as remote telecomm, for the most part I agree with you.
Too bad the GM doesn't.  I can see some of his view - that the ships
computers are self-contained and you have to gain entry to the ship to
hack them.  But then again many of the players and NPCs use their hand
computers linked to their ships computers while they're in port.  The
idea behind the ratbot's interface and software is that they can sneak
in to a "secure terminal" and dump the software directly into the
computer, without having to hack past any login software or what-have-
you. 
 
	Speaking of which, what kinds of things could I do with my high
computer skill?  I'm in dire need of some ready cash (all of my benefits
were used getting a +4 intelligence, my hand computer, and a scientist's
scout/courier [from _More_Clout_For_Scouts_ in an early issue of the
Dragon]) and I'm thinking about software as a possible source.  I could
write some "standard" software and sell it, or I could try to do a
better version of the stuff on the list of ships software, or I could
try to write new and unusual programs.  Anybody have any ideas on new
programs for the ships computers, or for hand computers?
 
Steven J. Owens   |   Scratch@PITTVMS   |   scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..." 
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...





-------- TML Message #559 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 559
From: (Adrian Hurt) adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 89 11:12:47 BST



> > Swap your hand comp rom pack out and put in a module for local street
> > slang.  Then when the local street scum question whether you belong on
> > their turf, you can respond to them eloquently with out resorting to
> > violence.
> 
> 	Uhmm... yes, but where do you find a street slang module?
> Perhaps by dropping by the local major university's linguistics or
> anthro dept...

I somehow can't visualise this.

Scum: Hey, dude, where the *@#! are you from?
PC (looks at handcomp, presses a few keys, face lights up):
      I's out of that there !#$@ just round the sqorner.
Scum: That there's one real *&^% looking piece of gear. Hand over, now, $%&*!
 
> 	Speaking of which, what kinds of things could I do with my high
> computer skill?

Well, on one occasion when we were facing an enemy battleship, one character
with a good computer skill and a good computer hacked into the enemy ship's
computer, and caused the ship to jump. No-one ever saw that ship again, partly
because it had been in near orbit round a planet when it jumped.

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk



-------- TML Message #560 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 560
From: ("C. Harald Koch") chk@dretor.dciem.dnd.ca
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 89 10:26:09 EDT


> 	Glad to hear this, as it means I'm on the right track.  The only
> question is what kind of capabilities it'll have.  The system I used to
> generate my character didn't mention any "robotics" skill, and I ended
> up with an Electronics-4 and Mech-2.  My computer skill is more than
> enough to program them (level 6).  In response to my initial query "I
> want to build some little rat robots-" the GM answered "You need
> robotics skill."  to which I replied "There isn't any."  To which he
> replied "It's in Citizens of the Imperium."  Fun, eh?  Well, he says I
> can't design the robots without robotic skill.  

Electronics, some form of mechanical engineering, and computer programming
skills practically *define* robotics; you should almost get free robotics
skill points for this, or at least be allowed to use these related skills at
penalty.

This is a general comment by the way; Skills are not as narrowly focused in
reality as is implied in RPG skill sets. Many 'skills' are inter-related,
and can be applied to other things. I like hierarchical skill sets much
better than flat ones because of this. i.e. a character with:

        Driving-2 -> GroundVehicle-4

Means that the character has a skill level of 4 when driving wheeled ground
vehicles (cars, small trucks) but has a skill of 2 in *all* other 'driving'
related skills, i.e. small boats, small hovercraft, large trucks, etc.

Of course, the problem is that coming up with a consistent set of
hierarchical skill is, um, difficult (to say the least).

> 	Thanks for the suggestions - how about the more common
> technology that is around and ready to be perverte to my nefarious ends?

Ammonia and Iodine mixed together makes a great contact explosive. Be
careful though; it is highly volatile once it has 'gelled', which takes
about 20 minutes. Don't breathe on it.

- -- 
          C. Harald Koch          NTT Systems, Inc., Toronto, Ontario          
     chk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca,  chk@dretor.dciem.dnd.ca,  chk@chk.mef.org
"There is no problem, no matter how large or how small, that cannot be solved
by an appropriate application of high explosives."            -Leo Graf, 2298



-------- TML Message #561 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 561
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 89 08:10:17 MDT
From: (Dan Williams) wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!salt!china!dan@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech



- ----- Begin Included Message -----
 Adrian Hurt	writes

>> > Swap your hand comp rom pack out and put in a module for local street
>> > slang.  Then when the local street scum question whether you belong on
>> > their turf, you can respond to them eloquently with out resorting to
>> > violence.
>> 
>> 	Uhmm... yes, but where do you find a street slang module?
>> Perhaps by dropping by the local major university's linguistics or
>> anthro dept...
>I somehow can't visualise this.

>Scum: Hey, dude, where the *@#! are you from?
>PC (looks at handcomp, presses a few keys, face lights up):
>      I's out of that there !#$@ just round the sqorner.
>Scum: That there's one real *&^% looking piece of gear. Hand over, now, $%&*!

You have it wrong.   You are supposed to use the Heads up display that the 
origional poster was designing as adisplay device to be inobvious.  Options 
are provided to the user as suggestions when someone speaks to him.  The 
whole point is for this to be undetectable.



-------- TML Message #562 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 562
Subject: Mail bouncing (now fixed)
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 89 8:46:04 EDT
From: (Jonathan Bayer) jbayer@ispi.COM


Greetings fellow travellers,


If any of you had recently tried to send me mail and had the mail
bounce, please check the address.  Any mail going to ispi.UUCP was bouncing
due to this system becoming registered in the .COM domain.  All mail to
me should be addressed either via the 'bang' paths (...uunet!ispi!jbayer) or
"jbayer@ispi.COM"




JB
- -- 
Jonathan Bayer		Intelligent Software Products, Inc.
(201) 245-5922		500 Oakwood Ave.
jbayer@ispi.COM		Roselle Park, NJ   07204    



-------- TML Message #563 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 563
From: (Steven J Owens) scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 89 14:24:56 EDT
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech


> > > Swap your hand comp rom pack out and put in a module for local street
> > > slang.  Then when the local street scum question whether you belong on
> > > their turf, you can respond to them eloquently with out resorting to
> > > violence.
> > 	Uhmm... yes, but where do you find a street slang module?
> > Perhaps by dropping by the local major university's linguistics or
> > anthro dept...
> 
> I somehow can't visualise this.
> 
> Scum: Hey, dude, where the *@#! are you from?
> PC (looks at handcomp, presses a few keys, face lights up):
>       I's out of that there !#$@ just round the sqorner.
> Scum: That there's one real *&^% looking piece of gear. Hand over, now, $%&*!

	You're right, you can't visualize it.  For one thing, in the campaign
supposedly *everyone* has handcomputers.  Kinda like a watch, or driver's 
liscence.  For another, the input wouldn't be that slow, nor the output,..

Scum: Hey, dud, where the *@#! are you from?
PC (pauses for a moment, his eyes inscrutable behind a set of heavy wrap-
    around shades)  I's out of that there !#$@ just round the sqorner.
Scum: #$%% ensem there, you're ice.  Let's find some $%#

	Since the PC is using a set of eyephones, and the computer is equipped 
with microphone (and even speakers & subvocal input) the Scum has no idea what
is going on.

> > 	Speaking of which, what kinds of things could I do with my high
> > computer skill?
> 
> Well, on one occasion when we were facing an enemy battleship, one character
> with a good computer skill and a good computer hacked into the enemy ship's
> computer, and caused the ship to jump. No-one ever saw that ship again,'
> partly because it had been in near orbit round a planet when it jumped.

	Sounds fun, especially since my computer skill should be high enough
to make that a breeze.  However, our GM has already ruled that ships computers
are generally not acessible from outside the ship.  Does anybody have any
suggestions, or know of any traveller sources that say otherwise?

	So far I've done a few nasty things by sneaking inside the ship to
get access to the computer (with forged documents saying we were from the
starport maintenace service...)

   Steven J. Owens  |  Scratch@PITTVMS  |  scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..."
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...




-------- TML Message #564 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 564
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 89 18:54 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Oh, damn, he's back!



Yeah, it's me again. Two weeks in that living hell that humans call Notre 
Dame, Indiana, doing the impossible for the ungrateful. Pfui!

Anyway, on various topics:

The only thing I'd heard from the DGP staff on the real Strephon was that they
were kicking around the idea of an adventure module with three possible 
endings: one, that it's a clone or an impostor, two, that it's a Krenstein 
special (i.e. a robot), and three, that it's really Streffie. Anyway, the 
module would also contain a mail-in card that would let the ref vote for the 
ending he or she liked best, and the "official" history would follow the vote.
(This was mentioned at the DGP roundtable at GenCon 1988, and no word since.)

On non-Imperium Traveller: I've done it twice, both times to introduce new 
players to the game's mechanics. The universes were unremarkable future-
histories on a limited scale, but they went over well. The players were very 
young, and found the Imperium a bit overwhelming.

On new and bizarre gear: There's enough material in my files for a separate 
article on the subject, so that'll come along later. My specialty is in hand
weapons development, but other gizmos have made themselves known....

And to Jim Cunningham: The secret is in prioritization over time. I do what's 
important to me at any given moment. Since I'm between finishing up my classes 
(May 1987) and finishing up my thesis (sometime in 1990), I have more 
flexibility for my writing, gaming, and music. Hopefully, in 1990 I'll be able 
to get my Traveller book published, release my second album, finish my thesis, 
and get married and honeymoon in New Zealand for a couple of weeks, all 
without the need to resort to cloning or other drastic measures. I had to 
shoot my clone two years ago, when he finished taking my comprehensive Ph.D. 
exams for me and demanded time with my girlfriend as compensation.

(Realistically, though, I'll settle for the wedding and the Ph.D. |-> )

ciao,

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #327:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| Walk up to a Vargr Corsair and scratch his
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| tummy to see if his hind leg starts kicking.
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|




-------- TML Message #565 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 565
From: (Adrian Hurt) adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: New skills for old characters
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 89 10:06:27 BST



> > An alien race in 2300AD grows various useful devices. One that all PCs wear
> > constantly is bio-contacts.

But the cutest must be the food-samplers!

> ...						  The system I used to
> generate my character didn't mention any "robotics" skill, and I ended
> up with an Electronics-4 and Mech-2.  My computer skill is more than
> enough to program them (level 6).  In response to my initial query "I
> want to build some little rat robots-" the GM answered "You need
> robotics skill."  to which I replied "There isn't any."  To which he
> replied "It's in Citizens of the Imperium."  Fun, eh?  Well, he says I
> can't design the robots without robotic skill.  

There are two ways to tackle this, depending on whether or not you think
the Navy (or Army, or whatever your character is from) uses robots. If it
does, then you could substitute Robotics for Electronics, the nearest
available equivalent. If it doesn't, tough - your character never met a
robot, and wouldn't know what to do with one. You might substitute it for
Computer skill instead.

Mind you, I'd think that actually building the thing, as opposed to using
or programming it, would use Electronics anyway. After all, the world's
best computer programmer (Computer-10?) couldn't design and build even a
simple microcomputer, unless he had some Electronics skill.

> [I liked the open-endedness of Traveller skills, but one thing I've
>  always disliked about them is the fact that many skills only show up in
>  later books, and that there is no easy way to work them into the
>  character generation tables in earlier books.  Personally I preferred
>  just using general skills instead of breaking things down like that.] 

So where no specific skill is available, use the nearest one to it. If
necessary, have a word with the referee during character creation, and
substitute the new skill for an old, similar one.

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk




-------- TML Message #566 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 566
From: (Adrian Hurt) adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: Request for Traveller Tech
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 89 10:12:39 BST



> Hand Computers
> 
> 	In this game the HandComputers are very nice, from an article
> in a Traveller Digest the GM has.  I very much reccommend this article
> (I only wish we had the stuff it talks about in there now!)

Find out about the Atari Portfolio.

> 	One thing it doesn't do much about is software available for
> hand computers, and how they can be used, but I guess that can be figured
> out as needed, although if there are any such articles I'd appreciate
> hearing about them. 

It claims to be MS-DOS compatible (insert favourite insult here:-). What
that means on a machine with no disc-drive isn't quite clear; I believe you
can copy any MS-DOS software to it via its comms. link, then run it.

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk



-------- TML Message #567 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 567
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 89 11:16:50 -0500
From: ("Nick Christenson @ St. Olaf College") christnp@thor.acc.stolaf.edu
Subject: Stellar information


[I admitted to being somewhat rusty on my astronomy hobby.  Now everyone
listen up for these corrections/additions/clarifications.
- --jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com]

Recently, there was a posting regarding stellar information for someone
who wanted "real" star system generation information.  Some of the material
in there was not quite correct and some was wrong.  I will attempt to clear
up a few things.

First, stellar classification is done by 1) mass, 2) temperature, 3) (much
less important) composition.  The third point is usualy equivalent to 
age, but not always.  All stars go through several evolutionary stages
which are more or less the way they were described in the previous posting.

Mercury is *not* tide locked.  It was believed to be tide locked into the
sixties, and some *current* text books still list it as tide locked, although
it most certainly is not.  This is certainly an easy mistake to make given
the state of astronomical literature, but it is a mistake, none the less.

Stars in globular clusters.  Don't worry about it in a Traveller universe.
It is possible that a planetary system could develop and could remain
relatively stable within a globular cluster for billions of years.  It is
also very possible that the system would be torn to shreds by a star passing
nearby, it depends on the circumstances.  You don't need to worry about 
systems in globulars because 1) they're very old, which means they're *very*
metal poor.  Therefore, not only is civilization unlikely to develop there,
but nobody except scientists would want to go there (personally, I'd give
up several limbs to get a close look at one.), 2) They are so far away 
(on the order of 50,000 light years) so that without a massive advance in
primary drive technology, nobody will get there.

Binary stars can be contact binaries (literally touching each other) to
very distant binaries (on the order of a couple of light years).  They
can also be anything in between.  If the stars are close enough, distant
planets can pretty much treat them as a single star (see variable stars
below, though).  If they are distant enough, a planet can treat them as
two separate stars; orbit one and ignore the other.  If the system is 
one main star with a companion orbiting in a planet-like orbit (distance
wise) foget it.  Not only are no stable orbits possible, (assuming 
both stars are massive enough to be significant) but humans and human-like
life couldn't survive the radical climatic changes.  Other life forms, 
however, might be able to.  The instability of the orbits is a *real*
problem, though.

Other system types?  How about a planet orbiting a variable star.  All
close (contact) binaries will be variable.  Unless you are very high
tech, or very adaptable, or really weird, you (as a species) will not
be able to survive in a variable star system like an RR Lyrae, delta
Cepei, W Virginis, omicron Ceti, U Geminorum or other "well known"
variable star type.  Good for curiosities and weird adventures, though.
Flare stars and X-ray binaries pose a special hazard to travellers.
All of these stars in the shattered imperium will be well known and 
*very* well studied.  I would also guess that with the possible exception
of Semi-regular red giants and ZZ Ceti type stars, their periods will 
be very well known, especially by Travellers.

I hope this helps.  If there are any questions, let me know.

Nick Christenson
christnp@thor.acc.stolaf.edu
#include <disclaimer.h>  



-------- TML Message #568 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 568
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 89 11:18:19 PDT
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: Test message and greetings



Greetings,
     This is merely a test message to see if our mailer understands about
mailing lists.  And to say that the esteemed WRICKER has misrepresented
me:  I work at NASA Ames rather than JPL, on the Pioneer rather than
the Voyager spacecraft.  A fatal error on his part.  The Voyager Police
will come and break his scan platform.  Ho ho!

P. Gazis
I forget what my e-mail address is these days they keep changing
it hopefully you can read it off the header assuming that our mailer
works, an unlikely prospect.



-------- TML Message #569 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 569
From: CHOINSKI@env.prime.COM
Date: 26 Sep 89 15:59:16 EDT


- -=============================================================================-
Does anyone out there have charts or formulas to calculate the luminocity
of brown dwarves or really big gas giants (i.e. 2300's Tithonus, our
Jupiter, etc).  If you do, please post or mail it to me.  Thanx.
    -- Burton
- -============================================================================-
 Burton Choinski                                       choinski@env.prime.com
 Prime Computer, Inc.                                    (508) 879-2960 x3233
 Framingham, Ma.  01701
- -============================================================================-
          Disclaimer:  Hey, not me man ...  musta been my evil twin!




-------- TML Message #570 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 570
From: (Steven J Owens) scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 89 15:40:23 EDT
Subject: Traveller Computer Skill Tasks



Hi out there in Mailing List Land...

	I've got a question:  The original traveller game doesn't
give much of a solid idea of what you can do with computer skill,
even though it has more information than most other skill descriptions.
This is because the traveller books don't give that much detail about
computers in the traveller universe.
 
	From what I've read here,  the new traveller games have much
more detailed "task" systems.  What do they have on the Computer skill,
and on computers in the traveller universe?
 

Steven J. Owens  |  Scratch@PITTVMS  |  scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..."
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...


-------- TML Message #571 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 571
Subject: Computer Skills
Date: Wed Sep 27 21:44:59 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



I would like to offer a tangential thought about computer skills.  
In my campaigns, especially the more recent ones, computer skills are
tied not only to the model of computer (such as mod 1 bis, etc.), but
are also tied to the tech level of computer on which the skill is 
gained, and other general infomration about the character.

Skills are not to useful (such as at -2, -3, 1/2 or whatever I feel
appropriate at the time {keep the GM in fresh coffee :) }) when used
with unfamiliar technology, with unfamilar software, or with unfamiliar
systems. This is true for both forward and backward technology 
incompatibility.


For example:

Hypothetical player Steve is running even more hypothetical ship's
engineer I. M. Smart (697DC7).  Smart has computer -3.  He acquired
the skill as an engineering officer on an Imperial destroyer
(most of our Imperial machinery is TL 14 or so) using a special-
purpose Model 5 engineering computer.

Now Smart has bluffed his way into an engineering job on a TL 11
subsidised merchant (about 400 Tonnes...) and is constantly frust-
rated with the antique operating system, the clumsy interface, and
the lack of speed of the ship's sole computer -- a Model 2 Bis.

Anyway, you get the idea.

When enterprising parties discover "Ancients" or alien technology -
well, you can imagine the consternation of trying out something
totally from scratch.  Why should computer behave in any way like
what we expect ours to?


Summary:

I guess what I'm saying is "keep people challenged, but don't
destroy them."  I'm just a little negative about computer skill
in general, because I believe at the tech levels we're simulating,
they'll all be neurally connected to our brains anyway.

Richard Johnson




-------- TML Message #572 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 572
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 08:14:42 MDT
From: (Dan Williams) wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!salt!china!dan@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re:  Computer Skills



>When enterprising parties discover "Ancients" or alien technology -
>well, you can imagine the consternation of trying out something
>totally from scratch.  Why should computer behave in any way like
>what we expect ours to?

	If anyone has read the series of books by Fredrick Pohl "Beyound 
the blue event horizon"  They talk about the problems of humans Discovering
cashe of artifacts from an older civilization.  It is a good reference for
the sort of thing you find happening in traveler.



-------- TML Message #573 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 573
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 89 12:02 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: a hardware question


Hey, gang, I haven't forgotten my promise to submit a feature on Traveller
gear, but I'm going to have to alter it a bit to remove some references to
gear that I'll be attempting to publish in the Travellers' Digest and in 
Challenge. If it gets in, then it'll be official and you can read about it
yourselves, and if it doesn't, well, then I'll publish it here as a variant.

Anyway, one question: does anyone know what MegaTraveller policy is concerning 
the HFMP-15? This was the "Hand Flamer," a low-efficiency plasma pistol for 
use with battle dress, as introduced in JTAS (Issue #3, I think). The idea was 
to have a relatively low-powered sidearm for use in cramped situations, 
powered from the same fusion pack that powered the battle dress. It seemed 
like a good idea, and is certainly plausible in technological terms (plasma 
devices on its scale exist today, for use in welding heat-resistant metals and 
so on), but it never seemed to catch on. Most of the weapons that were 
introduced in the JTAS, like the autoshotgun, tranq rounds, and the ARL, have
been incorporated into the official rules, but there's no mention of the 
HFMP-15. Pity, too; it was a nifty little gun. Did they leave it out to try to 
conserve game balance? That seems silly since it's not concealable unless you 
remove the fusion pack |-> . 

And by the way, what exactly are those fusion packs, anyway? Are they really 
small fusion reactors? If so, then how are the "minimum reactor size per Tech
Level" figures reconciled with them?

Just curious....

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #38:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| Pour sugar into a starship's fuel feed 
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| "as a prank."
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|



-------- TML Message #574 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 574
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 89 11:39:47 PDT
From: joshua@Atherton.COM (Flame Bait)
Subject: Back Traveller List Postings Available



I've got an archive server running on my machine, and you can use it to 
get back postings from the traveller mailing list.  I've got most of the 
postings since 426.  (About 5% of the postings never get to me, so I do 
not have those.)  In general, a posting will put in the archive within 
three working days of arrival here.  An archive server is a mail command 
program.  You send it an email request, and it sends you email back with 
your answer.  

The archive server can be reached by sending email to 
archive-server@joshua.atherton.com.  The human manager of the archive can 
be reached at archive-manager@atherton.com, or joshua@atherton.com in an 
emergency.  The body of the email message can contain one or more commands:

The server has four commands:
    help			Send a general help message.
    index [<category>]		Send an index for the category.
    send <category> <file(s)> 	Send one or more files from the category.
    path <return-path>		Route reply to this address.

Currently, there are five categories of files:
    traveller  Back articles from the traveller mailing list, starting at 426.
    cyberrpg   Back articles from the CyberRPG mailing list.
    design     Back articles from the Game Designer's mailing list. (dead?)
    programs   Programs for role playing games.
    background Useful background information for SFRPGs.
    other      Other interesting files.

Sample command lines to send:
    index traveller              Sends an index of traveller articles.
    path joshua@atherton.com     Server will reply to this address.
    send programs rnd-names      Sends a random name generating program.
    send traveller tm426 tm427   Sends back articles from the traveller list.
    index                        Sends "top level" index

The server's UUCP address is {decwrl|hpda|sun}!athertn!archive-server.

Note the confusing thing about the email addresses:  our domain name is 
atherton (with an 'o') but the UUCP name of our mail server is athertn
(with no 'o').  

Have fun with this.  If you have problems, send me email.

Joshua Levy  joshua@atherton.com {decwrl!hpda!sun}!athertn!joshua
                         ^^^-- 'o' here                 ^^- no 'o' here





-------- TML Message #575 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 575
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 89 11:51:09 PDT
From: joshua@Atherton.COM (Flame Bait)
Subject: Indexing a Traveller archive server



The big question in getting up my archive server was "how are people going
to find the articles they want?"  If you know the number of the article 
you want, it's easy, just ask for it, "send traveller tm534", also if you
know the author or subject, you can look for it in the index, which you 
can get with "index traveller".  

Are there other indexes or references that you want in order to find the 
articles you want?  If so, please tell me about them, so I can look into
adding them.  Thanks.

Joshua Levy
- --------                Quote: "Those who will be able to conquer software
Addresses:                      will be able to conquer the world."
joshua@atherton.com                             -- Tadahiro Sekimoto (NEC)
{decwrl|sun|hpda}!athertn!joshua    work:(408)734-9822    home:(415)968-3718




-------- TML Message #576 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 576
From: (Adrian Hurt) adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: New weapons for Traveller
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 13:51:02 BST


Forget all your smart handguns, forget eye-piece gunsights! I've got the
ultimate weapon. :-)

It depends on fibre-optic cable capable of carrying a laser pulse of
laser-rifle power.

In your backpack, you have the power unit and the laser itself. The laser
should be switchable between either of two power settings.  The low power
setting produces a continuous low power beam, about the same power as a small
targetting laser. The high power setting produces a pulse similar to the one
from a laser rifle (or for a lighter backpack, a laser carbine).

In your hand, you have a small pistol. It has a two-stage trigger. It is
connected to the backpack by a cable containing a fibre-optic line and an
electronic control line. When you pull the trigger to its first stage, the
laser is triggered on its low power, continuous mode, and you have a
targetting laser which you can wave around and point at things. When it's
pointing at something interesting, like the bad guy's head, you pull the
trigger the rest of the way. This switches the laser to its full power pulse
mode, and a laser rifle bolt goes right where your targetting beam was just
a moment ago.

If you can't have a dual power laser, have two lasers linked to the same
fibre-optic cable; one low power, the other straight from an ordinary rifle.
This method is probably better in that the targetting laser can be IR, so
you aren't lighting yourself up at the same time. You, of course, are wearing
goggles which allow you to see where the target beam is hitting.

Assuming it works, how do you implement this in a game? What die roll do you
need to hit, assuming you can take an aimed shot? The way I see it, it seems
to be impossible to miss.

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk



-------- TML Message #577 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 577
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech
Date: 29 Sep 89 14:59:16 PDT (Fri)
From: jamesp



Mail has turned to rubber for one user, so here's his message duly
forwarded.  Sorry for the long delay...

- ------- Forwarded Message

From: Steven J Owens <scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
To: traveller@dadla.la.tek.com
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 89 14:48:52 EDT
Subject: Re: Request for Traveller Tech
X-Mailer: Elm [version 1.5b]

> > Well, he says I can't design the robots without robotic skill.  
> 
> Electronics, some form of mechanical engineering, and computer programming
> skills practically *define* robotics; you should almost get free robotics
> skill points for this, or at least be allowed to use these related skills at
> penalty.

	I'll point that out to him... maybe I can dig up a robotics or 
cybernetics student as an "unimpeachable source" for this :-)

> This is a general comment by the way;... I like hierarchical skill sets much
> better than flat ones because of this.
> Of course, the problem is that coming up with a consistent set of
> hierarchical skill is , um, difficult (to say the least).

	Yuh, I understand... several game systems seem to be working towards
this, GURPS with their default skills, the new Shadowrun with their skill
web (you start at one node of the web which represents a skill; each node
further away is a modifier to attempt that related skill.  Interesting idea.)
Traveller (old traveller, at least) seemed to be trying a simpler method to
attain this - simply broadly defined skills instead of hyperspecialization.
This would also make sense for "adventurer" types, since if they were hyper
specialized they'd have some great job with a corporation and stay at home.

	Unfortunately, all of that changed as new books were introduced with
more skills.  It wouldn't be half so infuriating if the new books "back-dated"
the old books, so that all characters could get all skills.  
 
	One other problem with old traveller was lack of task definition. From
what I've seen here, the new traveller rules have very specific task definition
perhaps TOO specific :-)

> > 	Thanks for the suggestions - how about the more common technology that
> > is around and ready to be perverted to my nefarious ends?
> 
> Ammonia and Iodine mixed together makes a great contact explosive. Be
> careful though; it is highly volatile once it has 'gelled', which takes
> about 20 minutes. Don't breathe on it.

	Yeah, that's a fun set of chemicals.  I read about that one in
Heinlein's _Farnham's_Freehold_.  Easily obtainable too...

	Latest two ideas:  Take an ACR, hook up a grav module and hand 
computer (to the battlefield sight) and you've got a floating programmed
gun emplacement!  Other idea: remote control garrote, for controlling 
those rowdy prisoners....

   Steven J. Owens  |  Scratch@PITTVMS  |  scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..."
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...



-------- TML Message #578 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 578
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 89 09:58:46 EDT
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!ogccse.UUCP!harvard!genrad.com!mas@tektronix.TEK.COM (Mark A. Swanson)
Subject: The Wild Hunt & Traveller varients



The ~10 year old varient TRAVELER campaigns that Bill Ricker mentioned are
chronicled in my magagine THE WILD HUNT.  The rules have not been published
anywhere to my knowledge (GDW copyrights could be a problem) but might be
procurable from Paul Gazis, one of TWH's contributors in #148. They were
originally published in TWH #60-68 (roughly) some years back.  These back
issues are theoretically available but are rather deeply buried in my
basement.  However, many campaign writeups and comments do appear at this
time.

The Wild Hunt is published 9 times a year (Jan-May, July, Sep-Nov). The
148th issue was just mailed.  It costs $3 per issue + postage ($0.90 for
book rate, $2.40 for 1st class) for typically about 100+ pages of photocopied
zines with line art, etc. Send me a check to open an account if interested.

	Mark A Swanson
	40 Bow St
	Arlington, MA 02174



-------- TML Message #579 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 579
Subject: TML Admin invites locals to "do" lunch, RSVP
Date: 29 Sep 89 15:40:51 PDT (Fri)
From: jamesp



For all you Portland-Metro-Area listees, you're all welcome to join
Richard Johnson and I for a lunch.

Why:	Meet new people with common interest (Traveller)
Where:	Chang's Mongolian Grill
	Tanasbourne Mall
	off NW 185th just south of Hwy 26 overpass
	Portland OR
Date:	Thursday, October 12, 1989
Time:	11:30am
MegaCredits: Bring about ~$5, more if you want something other than
	tea or water to drink.
Meet:	Just outside the restaurant's door; I'll be wearing my Tektronix
	badge.

If you're thinking of coming, please let me know so I can have an idea
of how many to expect.  Any interesting outcomes of the lunch will be
summarized to the list, if interest warrants it.

James



-------- TML Message #580 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 580
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 89 12:22:50 EDT
From: (Dan Pierson) pierson@xenna.encore.COM
Subject: New weapons for Traveller


adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@NSFNET-RELAY.AC.UK writes:
 > Assuming it works, how do you implement this in a game? What die roll do you
 > need to hit, assuming you can take an aimed shot? The way I see it, it seems
 > to be impossible to miss.

It's probably very accurate but comparatively slow.  It'd be great
sniper/assassin weapon, but I'd be inclined to severely restrict its
snap shot potential and/or give the other side a chance to notice that
someone is painting cute little red spots on them.



-------- TML Message #581 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 581
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 89 15:41 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: A system for generating new TRAVELLER weapons (*LONG!*)



Hi gang! This one's for gearheads only, and it's kind of long, so bear with 
me, okay? You can always delete it if you get bored! |->

On the subject of fun gear for tech-heads, the various Traveller games I've 
run over the years have had more than their share of bizarre gadgets and odd 
weapons. It's become a tradition for players to fill out their characters and 
give them depth, not only by developing philosophies, religions, personal 
habits and beliefs, and so on, but also by designing and building or having 
built special items for combat and technical use. These included various odd 
technical gizmos, customized weapons, and a class of items that became ongoing
traditions in my campaigns and which may get added to the official rules if I
can get anyone at GDW or DGP to listen to me, so they'll have to wait a while.

It's amazing to see and hear the detail to which people will go to create 
weird and dangerous items to give them an edge over their foes. One of the 
most popular tricks I used was to allow characters weapons and gear that were
customized to the point of ridiculousness, based on the following set of
restrictions: 

1. Money, construction skill, and tech level and law level of the world and 
factory or weaponsmith's shop where the device was built would all control and 
limit the capabilities of the final device. 

2. In the case of weapons, the weapon design would be somewhat similar to an
existing weapon in the rules lists, with certain differences suggested by the
player and allowed by the ref. The weapon would either be: 

	a. Essentially identical to an existing weapon in terms of rules (i.e. 
	   the same range limitations, effectiveness against armor, etc.), but 
	   somehow unique in its operation (thus lending "flavor" to campaigns
	   where it was used), and/or

	b. A modification of an existing design, that would introduce certain
	   advantages to the user in exchange for disadvantages elsewhere. 
	   These would show up as adjustments to the rules and noted in the
	   description of the weapon.

3. The player and ref would agree on all of the device's capabilities and 
limitations to preserve game balance, and the ref would be the final authority 
in cases where it was felt that the devices was somehow being abused.

With these basic rules in mind, my players and I had a field day! Over the 
past eleven years, I've ran people with all kinds of strange stuff.

AN EXAMPLE: THE HUNTER
Consider one fellow who was running a bounty hunter in one of my more Space 
Opera-ish campaigns: he wanted a weapon that would give him a certain 
signature, one that was instantly recognizable to anyone who saw it, so that 
criminals would know that he was nearby and tremble (!). What we decided upon 
was to give him a weapon similar to the guns used in the film Logan's Run (NOT 
the design in the book; that was implemented elsewhere, for other reasons). 
These guns were the epitome of the evil, uncaring death that the bounty hunter 
carried with him: they spat green flame in four tongues surrounding the 
barrel, and the victim erupted in green fire and died. What did that become in 
terms of Traveller rules? Let's see:

1. First, the weapon's mode of operation had to be agreed upon. It was decided 
that the device was a Gauss pistol, firing incendiary rounds that ignited 
while still in the gun so as to be fully lit before impact (hence the flame 
vents). Thus it was limited to worlds with TL 13 or greater, Law level below 1 
(since the rounds were explosive) OR Law above 11 (then the gun would be in 
the hands of the Thought Police or some such), and oppressive or dangerous 
governments. I chose a suitable world, and told him that's where the gun was 
made. It's his only source of spare parts, ammo, and power packs, so he gets 
back there often or arranges for shipments to other worlds at a high cost.
If he runs low, getting to a supply source as his ammo supply dwindles becomes 
an adventure in and of itself! |->

2. The gun, as mentioned above, would come under option "a", as it was 
essentially an unusual design of Gauss pistol, with few, if any, major changes 
in terms of effects in the rules. The primary advantage, as mentioned, was 
psychological.

3. We agreed to run the weapon exactly as a Gauss pistol under the rules as 
given in TRAVELLER, and no questions or quibbles were ever raised. (I secretly 
noted the dangers inherent in shooting such a gun in areas full of flammable 
vapors, but he seemed to understand the risks and never did anything stupid.)

The end result: a nifty, impressive weapon, that didn't mess up game balance, 
but gave his character depth and recognition, both to NPCs and to his fellow 
players:

"The thug stands over you, one foot on your gun wrist and the muzzle of his 
pistol pointing at your face. He grins as he squeezes the trigger. Suddenly, 
he looks up at the sound of a tiny footstep from behind you, and screams, "NO! 
PLEASE!" There is an odd coughing noise, a burst of green fire, and he 
collapses in agony, writhing on the concrete. A figure in black steps out of 
the shadows; the Hunter has come through again."

Get the idea?

SOME MORE EXAMPLES: THE WEAPONS OF NEAR MISS
Near Miss, the characters of my GenCon adventures and the associated fiction 
stories, have been adventuring for decades, and rely on their weapons for 
their survival. Over the years, they've fine-tuned their own special needs, 
for weapons that cover all of the bases properly. Some of them were satisfied 
with traditional designs or minor alterations, while others had very specific 
needs. So:

CAPTAIN CRISIS was a Navy fighter pilot. He knew that he could be downed in 
hostile territory at any time, so he needed a weapon that would let him 
survive and defend himself over a wide range of situations (mostly military) 
yet be portable and easy to handle. The result was the Camberwell GP114, 
nicknamed the "Hammerhead," a special Gauss Pistol developed for fighter 
pilots. It was heavier and somewhat bulkier than normal Gauss pistols, but had 
a gyro unit and a laser targeting sight installed. RULES: treat as Gauss 
Pistol, but use "Scope," "Gyro," or "Scope+Gyro" task difficulties depending 
on what the firer chooses to use. Note that the firer must be braced and 
non-moving to use Gyro, and that Scope changes the weapon's signature to 
Medium (it's a low-efficiency laser, with lots of lens scatter) and may not be 
usable for snap fire (ref's discretion).

WINDY was a Scout Explorer. Her primary concerns were self-defense, hunting, 
and survival, and she couldn't be bothered to carry both a rifle and a pistol 
for field research. The Scout Exploration office issues, for such operatives, 
the Stenhauser MVACW, a weapon that provides excellent hunting and defense 
capability in a portable package. It's essentially a 9mm ACR with a very short
barrel and no shoulder stock, the bullpup-style magazine offset slightly to
allow the weapon to be held pistol-fashion. Long barrel and full stock can be
attached if desired. RULES: The Stenhauser, when fully set up with barrel,
scope, gyro and stock, is treated like any other ACR. However, the
barrel/stock unit (which is a one-piece device on a frame, not two separate
items) also contains the scope mount and the gyrostabilizer; when the action
and grip are detached from this, the gun uses the Handgun difficulty tables,
with no Scope or Gyro enhancements. Its maximum range is Medium due to the
short barrel, and damage and penetration are as normal for the type of ACR
ammo in use. Autofire is treated as for any other handgun with autofire
capability. (Use of both hands in controlling the weapon is advisable.)

COUNTDOWN specializes in explosives applications and demolitions. This makes 
the Snub Pistol (revolver style) and ARL essentially perfect for her uses, but 
there's an occasional need for something heavier. So she found an ARL with an 
underbarrel RAM grenade launcher. RULES: The RAM GL is a typical 3-shot TL 13
model, and the ARL runs by the same set of rules as always, but weight and 
encumbrance are slightly higher. The weapon may also be restricted at lower 
Law Levels than would be normal for an ARL.

MOTORMUTT doesn't fight for a living, and he never has. The less he uses 
weapons, the happier he is, so he limits himself to one single device that's 
there when he needs it and able to handle just about any situation in which he 
finds himself: a Stinger, essentially a TL 14 version of the Body Pistol using 
Gauss technology. Tiny, silent, and deadly. RULES: Treat as Gauss Pistol, but 
limit range to Medium, allow no autofire, and limit number of shots to five. 
In exchange, allow greater concealability and improved DMs for snap fire. 
Magazines and power packs are custom designs, and may be difficult to replace.
The weapon is not designed to avoid metal detectors.

DOCSHOCK specialized in psychoacoustic response science before SuSAG put him 
to work as a Field Operations Specialist (read, industrial spy). His research 
into nonlethal means of subdual led him to aid in the development of the 
Marovcenko Sonic Stunner. RULES: The MSS is built as a modular plug-in 
replacement for the flash tube of a TL 13 Laser Carbine, and can be converted 
back to use as a Laser in four rounds if the extra tube is handy. As a sonic 
weapon, it operates under the Neural Rifle rules, with no effectiveness in 
vacuum or Very Thin atmospheres and increased likelihood of damaging Mishaps.
Its signature is High, not due to flash but to operating noise (a piercing
shriek that ranges from skin-crawling behind the cone of effect to eardrum- 
shattering within it). Appicable skill is Lasers; he also carries an Integral 
Laser Pistol.

LIGHTS wasn't supposed to be a fighter for a living, but her Captain insisted 
on her at least learning to handle some weapon for ship defense, since Pursers 
must often be pressed into service for antihijacking work. So she chose the 
Shotgun, so as not to miss too often. The problem then became obtaining a 
suitable sidearm: her solution was to buy a second shotgun and cut it down.
RULES: Range limited to Long, difficulty as Pistol, no rapid fire, failure 
to stand and brace increases tasks by one level of difficulty, although a 
two-handed grip suffices for "bracing" in most cases; number of shots limited 
to five, and weapon falls under Handguns rather than Shotguns for Law Level 
limitations. No detachable magazine; must be reloaded by hand, one shot per 
combat round.

HUG was a warrior, plain and simple. He chose his weapons well, and used 
others only when neccessary. These days, his LAG and Snub AutoPistols are 
built by human gunsmiths to utilize easily available human-made spare parts, 
but are designed for Aslan hands and ergonomics: the Snub Pistols, especially, 
are strange-looking, as it is Aslan custom to mount the barrel UNDER the grip 
for better recoil control! (If you don't believe this, look in the annals of 
the NRA: A Soviet team was barred from rapid-fire pistol competition a number 
of years ago, because their "upside-down" guns gave them a massive advantage 
over the Americans and Europeans.) RULES: Increase repair tasks by one level 
for all devices; increase all attempts by humans to use weapons by one level 
of difficulty. No other changes, except for an optional Scope modifier for all 
weapons (either optical, as for LAG, or a laser pointer, for Snubbies.)
[Ref's note: this last bit is still being worked on, as there's never been a 
definitive statement on the ergonomics of Aslan tools and weapons as there has 
been for most of the other races (it's known that Vargr hands work well with 
the ovoid-cylindrical handles given to most human tools, and that Hivers
prefer to handle spheres of various sizes with their tentacles, for example).
This design may change after DGP gets through with the Aslan in their next few
issues; another possibility is a gun with two barrels, one over the grip and
one under it...the only worthwhile idea in the entire movie THE BLACK HOLE.] 

TINKER can't be bothered with weapons at all; she's a technician. But there's 
no law against modifying a Laser Welder for pulsed operation, is there? 
RULES: On Pulse setting, treat as Laser rifle, no real modifications. 
[A possible change to this character will replace the Laser with a device
that's more efficient both as a tool and as a weapon: a Powercutter, which
utilizes a plasma beam rather than laser light. A strong disadvantage to this
design, which has yet to be addressed adequately anywhere in the TRAVELLER
rules, is the weapon's signature: "High" is too weak a word. Plasma beams
(I've worked with a couple) are unbelievably bright; it's like staring into
the Sun! You can't get anywhere near them without going blind, unless your
eyes are heavily protected. And the waste heat in the vicinity is frightening;
I can't imagine using one of these without Battle Dress on.] 

Anyway, I've gotten amazingly long-winded here, and I'm sorry; the Near Miss 
gang are usually good models for anything you'll find in my campaign, and if 
nothing else you can consider the above a partial introduction to them. |->
I hope that these guidelines prove worthwhile for you in keeping your technoid 
players under control, and that your own campaigns can now bristle with 
bizarre techno-rubble without coming completely apart.

Have fun,

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #487:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| "Don't worry about it. We can start the Jump
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		|  Drive while skimming the gas giant, and be
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|  gone long before they can catch us!"





-------- TML Message #582 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 582
Date: Sun,  1 Oct 89 20:26:46 CDT
From: (Vernon Lee) scorpion@rice.edu
Subject: Re: (576) New weapons for Traveller


[To the moderator:  I do not have any rules past the first hardback book,
so I am potentially completely wrong in some of my assumptions.  Feel free
to bounce this message back to me rather than posting it if you think I'm
too confused.  This is my first contribution!].

I had always assumed that laser weapons _did_ have a targeting beam of
lower power (unless specifically stated otherwise), that could be used
exactly as described.  I suppose that one might want to have a switch that
would disable the targeting laser, for surprise.  I didn't consider the
goggles for seeing the beam - I was assuming something like the Terminator
used in the movie of the same name.  The laser carbine and rifle have
tremendous hit probabilities already, right?




-------- TML Message #583 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 583
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 89 09:43:34 EDT
From: givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM (Greg Givler - QA)
Subject: Re:  New weapons for Traveller


[This came to traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com; looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

>Assuming it works, how do you implement this in a game? What die roll do you
>need to hit, assuming you can take an aimed shot? The way I see it, it seems
>to be impossible to miss.
>
>
> Adrian Hurt			      |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
> UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

I would assume that the Hit would be automattic, but you would still have
to roll for aquisition. So I would run the first shot as normal just calling 
the to hit roll an aquisition roll. To reaquire, you may have to develop 
a system, like maybe the normal to hit +2 making it easier to reaquire the 
target. This however would be conditional to how much damage and did the
target after getting fried, decide that it is far better to hide than
get ones brains fried just for fun. 

Does this make sense?

Greg

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Givler                        Q-Link: GregGivler
QA Analyst                         CompuServe: Greg Givler 76702,647
Commodore QA (Software)            GEnie: G.Givler
215-431-9100                       INTERNET: givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Life is pain, Highness, anyone who says differently is selling something"
 - The Dread Pirate Roberts -- The Princess Bride
===============================================================================



-------- TML Message #584 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 584
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 89 12:33 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: RE: New weapons for Traveller


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

Adrian:

It's a nifty idea, but there's only one problem: the fiber-optic cable itself.
I'm primarily involved with quantum optics on the theoretical level, and my
practical lab experience with lasers isn't as much as what I have with, say, 
magnetic steering and bottling, but I can guarantee this: the idea will only 
work (and this is a pretty lame caveat, I admit) if the next seven or eight 
Tech Levels beyond ours have some amazing breakthroughs in fiber-optic 
technology. Here's my reasoning:

For the novices, fiber optics works by designing a material that refocusses 
divergent light energy "gently" back onto its original path. What this means 
is that the light beam arrives at its destination in essentially the same form 
as it left its source, and there is very little loss along the way (which is 
why US Sprint is making such a big hooha about using them). The problem is 
that there's no such thing as a "loss-free" cable; if there's any 
quantum-level interaction between lased photons and the atoms of the cable, 
and there HAS to be for the cable to operate at all, there will be an energy 
loss in the form of waste heat. Now, for most applications, such as 
telecommunications etc., this loss will be minimal, perhaps even immeasurable. 
But when we start talking about the levels of power communicated by a good- 
sized battlefield laser, things become more complicated. 

At this point, we have to consider the problem of laser weapons themselves. 
They're the most dangerous non-nuclear weapons in the Traveller arsenal, and 
everyone likes to have one around, but how do they really work? It's 
impractical to merely shoot a hole through someone: the high heat causes 
instant cauterization of the wound, and if vital organs are missed the victim 
may not even feel much pain. The concept behind the laser's effectiveness 
comes in heat transfer and tissue trauma: the water in human cell tissue is 
enormously efficient at absorbing and dissipating heat energy from radiative 
input on the visible wavelengths, so when a human body stops a laser pulse, a
chunk of flesh about the size of a golf ball at the point of contact instantly
flash-heats into steam, rupturing cell walls, causing potentially fatal organ
hyperthermia, and exploding outward in a sudden burst that may take a great
deal of unheated flesh with it. The results are properly graphic for fans of
special effects  a la George Romero: a loud explosion and a burst of blood and
pink steam, with an action-reaction effect (since the exploding flesh acts
against the human body as a reaction mass) that can hurl the victim backward
as nicely as a high-velocity lead slug. 

Lovely to look at, but how does this relate to fiber optics? Simple: If that 
much energy is being output in a single impulse (to overload the body water's 
ability to conduct heat away from the impact point swiftly enough to avoid a 
steam-burst) down a fiber-optic cable, the cable will almost certainly melt 
from the waste heat. The tradeoff between flexibility and sturdiness under 
handling is a tricky one in fiber optics, and to the best of my knowledge no 
one has yet tried to add extreme heat-impulse resistance into the equation. If 
you shrug and say, "Well, at TL15 there'll be fibers that can handle it," then 
your problem's solved. Or rather, it's just beginning, because a proliferation 
of devices like this could make life difficult for both players and refs.

There are those who say that at high TL, personal lasers will be UV, X-ray, or 
even gamma-ray devices. This is bull: unless you're trying to kill a guy with 
radiation, these weapons are far more effective on inert metal objects than 
they are on humans. The problem, again, is the radiative-heat absorption 
properties of water. Water is dynamite at absorbing heat (hence cell damage) 
from visible light, but is transparent at shorter wavelengths. So a shortwave 
laser would pass through a human, causing severe radiation sickness but no 
immediate fatal trauma. (And fiber-optic cables can't work on UV or Xrays;
their wavelengths are on the subatomic level, so atomic structures can no 
longer bend or shape them. That's what makes Xray telescopes so difficult to 
design.) The Xray laser being worked on by the DOD these days, remember, is 
for shooting down missiles: metal have very different absorption properties 
than people, and more energy output per photon is possible with shorter 
wavelengths.

Anyway, those are my feelings on the subject. I'd get a bit twitchy on the 
idea of letting a box like this into my game; I had a similar design in an old 
campaign, rigged to a pointer glove rather than a pistol for aiming, and the 
people who were able to get them wreaked havoc.

Let me know what you decide to do.

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #327:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| Walk up to a Vargr Corsair and scratch his
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| tummy to see if his hind leg starts kicking.
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|



-------- TML Message #585 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 585
Subject: Re: TML Admin invites locals to "do" lunch, RSVP
Date: 02 Oct 89 13:12:51 PDT (Mon)
From: jamesp



One of you has asked if you can tell/invite a Traveller friend of/to the
TML lunch who isn't on the list.  This is definitely generally okay, as
far as I am concerned.  Even people who aren't interested in Traveller
are welcome, as long as they can stand sitting next to people who are.
Don't invite anybody who might make lunch unappetizing, though (I
suppose that means that all the K'kree will have to stay home,
*pee-yew*).

I'm not planning any special program for lunch, just an informal
gathering and meeting.

James



-------- TML Message #586 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 586
Subject: Targeting Lasers
Date: Mon Oct  2 16:13:10 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



Adrian Hurt recently mentioned using laser target designation for 
laser pistols.

I have always allowed this in my campaign.  I even let characters use
these things in the fog (and try to figure out why they are so quickly
spotted) and underwater (and wonder why there are steam explosions...).

Laser target designation works its best with beam weapons; there is no
ballistic drop.  (I know, I'm assuming your on a planet.)  The earlier
postings alluded to sophisticated software that would automatically
calculate "drop" and "windage" and adjust the electronic sights of your
assault rifle.  Of course the latter costs a LOT more.

- -------------------------------------------------------------
Now, how about the space-borne equivalent: software that calculates
the shifting of the target and refraction (and focusing) of the beam
caused by, say, a gravity lens and feeds this information to the
targeting computer?

Imagine tryng to find a ship that fired at an oblique angle and 
literally bent the beam around a dense body to hit you.  

	Richard Johnson




-------- TML Message #587 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 587
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 89 00:27 PDT
From: SELLSWORTH@hmcvax.claremont.edu ("Scott, part time fuzzy")
Subject: Re: Traveller Universe History and Background


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

  Hello all.

  This is actually in regards to the weapons debate, though I do have a
question for the list historian if he gets that far.

  In one of my previous games, we had a true point and shoot death beam in the
game.  We were all equiped to TL 17 or 18 before the DM knew what that meant. 
He gave the entire merry band "power gloves."  As the name implies, you pointed
an appropriate digit at the offending being, vehicle, or starship that annoyed
you, and an appropriate blast of power removed it from the game.

  While the actual implementation was kinda lame (I can see all of the pocket
computers translating furiously), the idea was handy.  We used a target system
where the thing to be vaporized was telepathicly implanted in the firer's mind,
along with a BIG crosshair.  This gave a major plus on any aimed shot
(Essentialy adding about 20% to your chances to penetrate armor, more if you
had any skill) PLUS making any future shots occur at about a ten percent boost. 
It was kind of fun in that it was both concealable and VERY nasty.  Applying
the idea to the proposed laser flashlight/ sword of Damocles, I would boost the
hit chance by a great deal on the first shot, possibly also upping the
penetration due to precision effects.  Later shots may get an advantage, but
the bad guy might decide to get the foo out of the way.

  For another view on this, see David Gerrold's creation in the Chtorr series. 
In traveller terms, it would be an upscaled Gauss rifle, perhaps due to law
level restrictions on portable energy weapons, that had full electronic scope
sights and easier precision targetting.  In essence, the rifle sent out a guide
beam that the helmet picked up.  The frequency shifted by a nasty random series
set by some switches in both the gun and the helmet, thuis allowing the fierer
to see instantly where his or her shots were going, while only lighting up the
gun to standard sensors for millisecond flashes.  Still worse than no active
systems at all, and easy to defeat with enough sensing gear and computer power,
but pretty effective against those facing it.

  Metlay: (first name not currently at hand, sorry) What information exists
about Sternmetal Horizons.  In my game, they seem kind of like a bloodthirsty
K-Mart.  Thier equipment is very good for the tech level behind where one is,
thier training is laughable, but thier people are very well trained and
effective.  Almost like thier legal staff.

  Thanks.

             Scott Ellsworth
            sellswor@jarthur.claremont.edu
Best bet -> SELLSWORTH@HMCVAX

ps I am still working on a more sensible equipment list by tech level and
function, indexed by Per Capita planetary product, etc, but I have not had the
time.  My playing group has gotten tired of lasers and wants to get back to
midieval era gaming.  Sigh.



-------- TML Message #588 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 588
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 89 15:23:03 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!gslisa!gsliss!jcunning@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: crash start launch




Bennett, don't read this-- it concerns the adventure you will be
going through shortly thanks.

Hi. Any ideas about the length of time involved in going from a
ship with only its power plant running for essential services
(lights, some computer functions, etc.) to a launch in a real hurry?
Specifically, the end of Legendof the Sky Raiders adventure, which
I shall be running for the third time (its fun). The idea is that the
characters take the ship by force while it`s sitting at the landing
sight and wish to leave as soon as possible. In addition, the pilot
in question is probably not familiar with the far trader and is certainly
not familiar with the current panel configurations as customized by
the ship's normal pilot. Thoughts?





-------- TML Message #589 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 589
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 89 20:19:32 -0400
From: (Palmer Davis) davisp@marina.scl.cwru.edu
Subject: Solomani fighters



Here are some fighter designs I've used a couple times in my campaign:

Solomani FM-44D "Phantom" space control fighter
CraftID: Missile fighter, Type FM, TL 14, MCr 33.885
Hull: 	18/45, Disp=20, Config=6AF, Armor=40G, 
		Unloaded=619 tons, Loaded=633.2 tons
Power: 	1/2, Fusion=834 MW, Duration=8/24, Drift=100
Loco: 	3/6, Manuver=6, NOE=180, Cruise=3150, 
		Top=4200, Agility=5
Commo:	Radio=System, RadioJammer=System
Sensors: PassiveEMS=Substellar, ActiveEMS=FarOrbit,
		EMSJammer=FarOrbit, EMMask, PassEngScan=Rout,
		ActObjScan=Rout, ActObjPin=Rout
Off:	Missile = x03, Magazine=24 Btty/Rds 
			Batt    1
			Bear	1
Def:	DefDM=+10
Control: Computer=3x1+1bisx2, Panel=HoloLinkx2,
		Special=HoloHeadsUpx2, Environ=basic env, 
		basic ls, extend ls, inertial comp,
		grav plates (in accomodations only)
Accom:	Crew=1 (operator=1), Seats=roomyx1, Bunks=1
Other:	Fuel=133,911 liters, Scoops, ObjSize=small,
		EmLevel=NONE
Notes: This is the "stealth" model of the popular Solomani
FM-44 fighter.  It is commonly deployed in system defense
squadrons or "intruder" squadrons designed to harrass enemy
shipping.

I used this little guy once in an adventure (my campaign is set in the
Spinward Marches) in the hands of a bunch of former Rachelites that SolSec
had sold them to.  They operated off a converted freighter (which I'll 
upload if I can find the file anywhere) and hid in asteroid belts, near
gas giants, and in major shipping lanes with their systems powered most of
the way down and their EM maskers (read: cloaking devices) on.  When a juicy
target passed their way they'd surface, jam its transmissions and order it
to surrender.  Took the PC's quite a while to solve the mystery of the
mysteriously disappearing freighters.  I figured that with everything shut
off except the passive scanners, the life support systems, and the EM masker,
a dedicated (read: fanatical) pilot can stay on station just drifting for
over three months.  Hence the 100-day drift endurance.  I rationalized this
design by saying that the Solomani use this class for long-term patrol duties
(suddenly surfacing in case of intruders) and for commerce raiding as above.
Hence the reason to put a bunk on a 20-ton fighter...

Solomani FM-44E "Phantom" space control fighter
CraftID: Missile fighter, Type FM, TL 14, MCr 33.845
Hull: 	18/45, Disp=20, Config=6AF, Armor=40G, 
		Unloaded=619.61 tons, Loaded=634.1 tons
Power: 	1/2, Fusion=1260 MW, Duration=8/25
Loco: 	3/6, Manuver=6, NOE=180, Cruise=3150, 
		Top=4200, Agility=6
Commo:	Radio=System
Sensors: PassiveEMS=Substellar, ActiveEMS=FarOrbit,
		PassEngScan=Rout, ActObjScan=Rout, ActObjPin=Rout
Off:	Missile = x03, Magazine=24 Btty/Rds 
			Batt    1
			Bear	1
Def:	DefDM=+12
Control: Computer=4x1+1bisx2, Panel=HoloLinkx2,
		Special=HoloHeadsUpx2, Environ=basic env, 
		basic ls, extend ls, inertial comp,
		grav plates (in accomodations only)
Accom:	Crew=1 (operator=1), Seats=roomyx1, Bunks=1
Other:	Fuel=137,911 liters, Scoops, ObjSize=small,
		EmLevel=Strong
Notes: This is the standard-issue navy model of the FM-44.

Nifty tricks like EM masking aren't really necessary in a straight up-and-down
fight, so I figured the Solomani would need a more conventional version better
optimized for ship-to-ship combat than the D model (which is more like a mini
spacegoing submarine).  Anyway, I don't know if either of these designs will
be of use to anyone, but I thought I'd share them just in case and to increase
the list's inventory of ship designs.

- -- Palmer Davis --
davisp@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu



-------- TML Message #590 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 590
From: ("C. Harald Koch") chk@alias
Subject: Re: crash start launch
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 6:21:10 EDT


> Hi. Any ideas about the length of time involved in going from a
> ship with only its power plant running for essential services
> (lights, some computer functions, etc.) to a launch in a real hurry?

Consider the amount of time it takes to get your average airliner off the
ground, starting with everything off. The time is probably on the order of
an hour or so, more if you are unfamiliar with the ship.

A starship is still a very complicated piece of equiptment, and takes a long
time to start up. When your average jump takes 3 weeks, nobody really cares
that it takes a couple of hours to launch...

- -- 
C. Harald Koch                        Alias Research, Inc., Toronto ON Canada
chk%alias@csri.utoronto.ca      chk@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu      chk@chk.mef.org
"There is no problem, no matter how large or how small, that cannot be solved
 by a suitable application of high explosives."               -Leo Graf, 2298



-------- TML Message #591 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 591
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 09:44 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Preliminary work on Sternmetal Horizons, LIC



Scott:

No first name here. Just "Metlay." But thanx for the thought....

As for Sternmetal, they have a rather poor reputation in the GDW universe,
perhaps unfairly. Since the very first adventures, where the whole concept
of the megacorporations was still in its infancy and the GDW folx needed to
create a "big faceless corporate bad guy" entity, Sternmetal has been the 
butt of more than its share of villain roles, and incompetent ones at that.
This is sad, because there's no way they could have grown to the level of power
that they currently enjoy if they were always as incompetent as they've been 
made out to be. If you'd like, I can delve into my back issues of JTAS and my
old books and dig up some details about them; they're not really a merchan-
dising firm, but specialize instead in raw materials recovery and processing.
(This contributes to their bad reputation, as they have a tendency to leave
planets in unpleasantly befouled states.) If you want a K-mart for Average
Stellar Tech items (but one which is by NO means incompetent), I'd suggest
Ling-Standard Products.

Any other questions?

metlay



-------- TML Message #592 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 592
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 12:15:03 -0400
From: (Palmer Davis) davisp@marina.scl.cwru.edu
Subject: Re: crash start launch



Two possibilities: the ship either already has its fusion plant online or it
doesn't.  Most ships with fusion plants leave them running if they park for
less than about a week or so (I haven't seen the adventure you're running, so
I don't know what circumstances this A2 is in) because it takes so long to 
bring the power plant up from a cold start.  In any event, the UTP for what
they're trying to do looks like this:

    To power up a parked starship and ready it for flight:
    Routine, Pilot, Dex, 30 sec (assuming warm start, 5 min otherwise)

If you're still using the old rules (the new ones are well worth it!), the pilot
needs to roll a 7+ to start the plant.  DMs: +Pilot skill, +1 if Dex 5+ or +2
if Dex 10+.  It will take 3d6x30 sec (an average of about 5 minutes) to start
if successful (or 3d6x5 min for an average of 50 (!) minutes if the A2 is 
powered all the way down).  MegaTraveller gives rules for unfamiliar technology
but since I don't know what background your pilot has I'd simply suggest about
a -2 DM or so heaped on top of this.  If he fails the roll, he'll have to take
another time increment and do it again.

Oh, and also: I'm assuming that since your PC's are presumably in a rush, they
will skip the usual safety checks and such.  In which case, when they start the
ship, you should make a roll along with them.  If you both succeed, everything
is fine but if they succeed and you fail, you should implement a "warning light"
event about halfway to orbit (i.e. a plant malfunction, fuel leak, or the like)
that will require a harder, fateful task to avoid a major mishap.

Finally, if things get hot and your PC's need to get out of there in a hurry,
they can try to rush things a bit.  Double the DM's applied to the startup roll
but instead of a 7+ they now need to roll an 11+.  And so do you.... :-)

- -- Palmer Davis --

Oh, and I almost forgot: if anybody has Engineering skill, it can be used as a
DM as well.

- -- PTD --
davisp@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu





-------- TML Message #593 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 593
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 13:43:44 EDT
From: ("William B. Morrison") morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
Subject: Star System Digest, hey, wake up!


[Replies to this should go to Bill Morrison (look at the From and
Reply-To lines), who will coordinate the discussion and prepare digests.
Be careful not to reply to JAMESP or TRAVELLER-REQUEST, or there will be
a delay as I will have to manually redistribute the mail to him.
Similarly, mailing to TRAVELLER isn't necessary, since he will digest
the traffic for the rest of us.  Questions/concerns? Let me know --
James]

With all of the recent interest in the star system generation
programs, I would like to get the star system discussion group
going again. I remember (way back when :-) that James Perkins
and Fred Schiff were discussing the developement of their
program to generate sectors and subsectors with PostScript
output on hex paper. 

Our main topics of discussion would be:

     - What referees and players would like to see in a (generic)
       sector/subsector/planet generation program,
     - The design of these programs, and whether they should be one
       program or several programs in one system,
     - The necessary data needed to keep consistency between
       each generation system,
     - Expansion of any system generation program in scope/scale
       (eg. to include planetary maps of generated worlds, maybe
       down to the 'city' level).
     - Modification of James' (with his permission) and the existing
       'real' system generation programs to incorporate new functions,
       capabilities, and data items.

We will add other topics as soon as they are mentioned. Please note
that the 'expansion' item above is *very* ambitious with the amount
of time available (I assume that most readers have jobs and/or
school?) to use? 

We are looking for programmers, physics/astrophysics/astronomy
experts, biologist, SoRag agents, and anyone else who is
interested and has ideas about system generation (alright, even
if you don't have ideas on system generation we could use you).

This will be a sub-discussion group with myself as moderator, and
I'll post digests (just like the Trade & Commerce group) of the
discussion to the rest of the traveller mailing list. So if you're
interested, send me email and I'll add you to my personal alias
list (yes, that means that I'll have to forward all messages
back to the subgroup by hand).

I look forward to hearing from you.
- --Bill Morrison
  morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
  Star System Discussion Group coordinator



-------- TML Message #594 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 594
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 12:05:24 PDT
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: Long aimless ramble about cold start launches



     In The Eight Worlds (my Traveller-like game), a starship can be in 
any one of six states of readiness.  The nature, consequences, and
transition times between these states are:

     DOWN- Cold, lifeless, inert, and covered with dust:
     "Well, she flew pretty good ten years ago, but she's been sitting 
in the shed since then."

     COLD- On battery power and ready for opperational use.  
     "We rented a 'dozer an' pushed 'er out to the pad.  'Arry filled the 
air tanks an put new filters in the lifesystem.  Got a bit covered with 
sludge an 'e's not to 'appy bout that let me tell ya.  Arnie poked 'round
around Engineering an' says that looks pretty good.  'Arold replaced some
cracked boards in the avionics suite.  Sheila put new seat covers on all
all the crash couches.  We put 'er on battery power and nothing broke so 
I guess she's OK.  The whole job took about three weeks where's our cash?"

     RESERVE- Fusors up, drives ready, ship pre-flighted and on internal 
power.  Reserve consumes a detectible but negligable amount of fuel and
resources.  Reserve status also requires a small maintenance crew, 
whisically refered to as the 'anchor watch'.
     "Right boys, this is an old ship, no telling what we'll find, let's
tear this thing apart ourselves.  
     "Johnathan!"
     "Aye Cap'n?"
     "Go through the ENTIRE Engineering checklist before you pump down 
the fusors and drives, and make sure the power conditioning equipment 
downstream of the convertors is clean.  I don't trust this Arnie person 
one bit.  Give me a call before you warm and flash the fusors so we can 
co-ordinate things up on the bridge.
     " Ensign Viggens!"
     "Yes sir!"
     "Take a look at the lifesystem and see if this 'Arry fellow filled 
the tanks with oxygen.  And check to make sure he didn't mount the filters 
in the solid waste unit in backwards.  Remember what happened last time.
     "B'son Dgai!"
     "Yes Captain?"
     "Reboot the bridge hardware WITH the diagnostics option which this 
'Arold fellow so conveniently forgot and check the antenna feed lines on 
the fire radar.  I'll bet those fools used solder!
     "Ensign Peters!"
     [Sultry voice] "Sir?"
     "These crash couch covers are nylon, they'll burn like candles.  
I want 'em replaced by the time we're on Low Standby.
     [Outraged sultry voice] "Sir!  Replacing them will take a week!"
     "Don't worry, we've got the time."
     o[Sultry voice] "Sir, may I ask a question?"
     "Yes Ensign."
     [Sultry voice] "How come the women always get the boring jobs?"
     "Ensign Peters, Navy Regulations are not to be questioned."

     LOW STANDBY- Engineering systems on line at low power, ship ready to 
lift after drives and fusors have been warmed up and pre-takeoff checklist 
has been completed.  Low Standy consumes moderate amounts of fuel (about 
1% what is used in normal opperations) to run the fusor and to circulate 
through the various cooling systems.
     "Bridge, Engineering, Johnathan here, ready to flash the fusors."
     "Alert, this is the Bridge, all crew to damage control stations and
acknowledge."
     [jumble of acknowledgements]
     "B'son, your board?"
     "Green board Captain."
     "Engineering, Bridge, go ahead with the fusors."
     "Aye Cap'n."
     CLOOOOOOONK!
     "Fusors up, engaging convertors."
     PNINNNG!
     "Convertors up, 101% nominal, batteries on charge, applying power to 
drive coils."
     TOOKA TOOKA TOOKA!
     "Fusors, convertors, and drives are at Low Standby Cap'n, everything
looks nominal."
     "Good work Master Johnathan.
     "Alert, Crew, secure from damage control stations.  Begin pre-takeoff
checklist, I want this ship off the ground in an hour.
     "Ensign Peters, where are those new seat covers!"
     [Hurt sultry voice] "They should have been delivered by now Captain.
Oh, look I see the truck arriving now.  Permission to leave the bridge?"
     "Granted."

     STANDBY- Ready for takeoff.  Even though the drives are not running
(in fact, in the Eight Worlds, fusion drives can not be used if the 
external atmospheric density is greater than 1.0E-15 atoms/cc or they
will explode, BOOM, with a consequent reduction in the ship's opperational
capabilities.  Atmospheric flight is accomplished through the use of
thermal scramjets driven by heat from the fusor), Standby consumes 
considerable amounts of fuel, about 10% what is used in normal opperations,
but a ship can be lifted from Standy in the time it takes to spool the
lifters.
     A ship can also be lifted from Low Standby in an emergency.  This
involves omitting the pre-takeoff checklist, and thus any chance of
discovering if there is something wrong with the vessel (In Eight Worlds
game mechanics, I roll dice before each liftoff to determine if there
is a malfunction in any of the ship systems.  This chance depends on
the quality of the vessel.  If the crew perform their pre-takeoff 
checklist, they get a chance, dpependant on the relevant skills, to
detect and prevent the malfunction before it occurs.  If they fail to
do this, they must prevent the malfunction after it occurs, which is
considerably more difficult and entertaining.)
     [Sultry voice] "Sir, that's not the truck from the chandlery, it's 
a truckload of Plieades Federation death cyborgs.  Ick."
     "Alert!  Secure for lift!  Pilot!  Hit it!"
     Cloonk.
     "No!  I meant hit the throttles!"
     Ting.
     "B'son, execute a liftoff, full thrust, NOW!"
     THOOM ROAR POWER LIFT ALL SORTS OF GOOD STUFF!
     [The entire crew] "Grunt"
     "Launch plus eight seconds, altitude 1280 meters, speed 320 meters 
per second."
     "Bridge, Engineering, Johnathan here, I think..."
     SPUTTER DIE KAPUT
     "... that we might have a problem."
     "Can you fix it?"
     "Altitude 3980 meters, speed 220 meters per second."
     "Johnathan?"
     "Altitude 5680 meters, speed 120 meters per second."
     "Working on it Cap'n."
     "Altitude 6300 meters, speed 0 meters per second."
     "Johnathan, better hurry."
     "Altitude 5680 meters, speed negative 120 meters per second."
     "B'son, what's our estimated time to impact?"
     "Hard to say sir, it depends heavily on aerodymanic effects,
and whether our trajectory carries us into that mountain range over
there.  Altitude 3980 meters, speed negative 220 meters per second."
     "B'son, I want an answer!"
     "Sir, I gave you an answer.  Perhaps your request was 
insufficiently specific."
     "Damn Kiwade and their crazy sense of humor!  Why couldn't I
have found a Human pilot?"
     "I can't imagine.  Altitude 1280 meters speed negative 320
meters per second impact in 3.84..."
     "JOHNATHAN!"
     "Lifters ready Cap'n"
     "B'SON!"
     THOOM ROAR POWER LIFT ALL SORTS OF GOOD STUFF CAN THEY MAKE IT
IN TIME SEE IF YOU CAN CALCULATE THE APPROXIMATE SURFACE GRAVITY OF
THE PLANET AND THE APPROXIMATE FULL THRUST OF THIS SHIP FROM THE 
INFORMATION GIVEN ABOVE!

     bounce

     "Altitude 100 meters speed 300 meters per second.  Do you wish
me to strike the throttles for good measure?"
     "NO!"
     [Sultry voice] "Captain?  Ground control wants to know why we
took off without clearance."

     FULL- Opperational at full power.  In Eight Worlds ship opperations
Full power is only used during manuvers or combat.  During the long
10-20 hour coast out to the jump limit the ship is usually dropped
back down to Reserve.

     [Sultry voice] "Captain?  I've found the seat covers I ordered.
Special padded seat covers made from fireproof Nomex cloth with 
integral thermal control matting."
     "Very good Ensign Peters, let's see them."
     "PAISLEY!!!"
     [Hurt sultry voice] "It was the only color they had."
     [Captain stomps out of the bridge, in as much as it is possible
to stomp in zero g]
     "Thanks for the idea B'son."
     "Oh, don't mention it.  Got any fish?"

     Bringing a Ship Up is an ancient ritual, refined by 1500 years of
tradition.  I can, in fact, re-construct the elements of this ritual
for anyone who is interested.

Paul R. Gazis
gazis@hal.span.nasa.gov   or
gazis%hal.span@ames.arc.nasa.gov   or
something like that




-------- TML Message #595 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 595
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 15:29 EDT
From: 09NILLES%CUA.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: sternmetals


Could it also be that they want to give that impressoin(of incompetance)?

After all if you think they are incompitant, then how much time are you
going to spend thinking up plans to put them out of the picture?  Alot less
I would guess.  Also with mining, it may simply look like incompitance
to the untrained eye?

Just putting in my 2Cr. worth

Dave
09nilles@cua.bitnet

Nuke 'um till then Glow
      Then Shoot Them in the Dark.



-------- TML Message #596 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 596
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 89 08:40:23 -0700
From: (Happiness is a Goal in Sight and a Path Underfoot) baranski@yoda.enet.dec.COM
Subject: cold start launch


RE: Paul Gazis

Your descriptions of different states of readiness seems to overlap some. 
RESERVE implies that the powerplanet 'fusors' are running, but the description
does not match.

RESERVE- Fusors up, drives ready, ship pre-flighted and on internal  power.

LOW STANDBY- Engineering systems on line at low power, ship ready to  lift
after drives and fusors have been warmed up and pre-takeoff checklist  has been
completed.

In my mind, there should be the states:

DEAD         :  No energy being generated or used:
BATTERY POWER:  Battery power is available.  Doors, life support, lighting,
                controls may be turned on or off.  Computer will drain
                batteries within an hour if used.
BATTERY DIAG :  Normally a set of diagnostics are run on battery power before
                bringing up the main power plant.  Takes 5-15 minutes.
POWER CHARGE :  Charge the power plant in preperation to starting it.
                Can take minutes to hours depending on TL.
POWER START  :  Main fusion power plant is running at minimum capacity.  Full
                power is available within a moment.  Computer is available.
POWER DIAG   :  Normally a set of diagnostics are run to fully check the ship's
                systems.  Takes an hour or more.
MANEUVER WARM:  Apply power to the maneuver drives and ready for full power.
                Takes a moment.
GRAVITY START:  Ship's gravitics lift off the ship from the surface.
MANEUVER START: Ships's maneuver drives produce appropriate thrust at
                appropriate altitude.
JUMP DIAG    :  Diagnostics are run for the Jump Drive.
JUMP WARM    :  Minimum energy is applied to the Jump Drive.
JUMP DIAG    :  Diagnostics are run again for the Jump Drive.
JUMP START   :  The Jump Drive is energized, and the ship transfers to jump space.
JUMP MAINT   :  Jump Drive runs to maintain Jump.
JUMP STOP    :  Jump Drive is ??? to exit Jump.

most ships are kept at POWER STARTed state if they are going to be used within
the next month, or if there is crew aboard.  Naturally, the diagnostic steps
can be skipped.  The drives can each also be cold started with significant
chances of failure.

Jim Baranski
Tewksbury MA



-------- TML Message #597 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 597
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Introductions
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 89 15:56:31 EDT


Hi everyone,

I am somebody who has been away from the game Traveller for a while and has 
been somewhat surprised by all the changes. (Guass Pistols?!?!? What'll they
come up with next?)   

Being a rabid C programmer both by trade and as a hobby I am always working 
on programs to automate things, in particular stuff like table lookup and 
such.

I know that there are "projects" underway for program development for 
Traveller.   What stage are they in and what needs to be written?  I am 
making myself available.


Pete

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
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-------- TML Message #598 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 598
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 89 21:39 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: HOW TO DIE YOUNG



Many thanks to those of you who've written to compliment me on my series of
signatures, HOW TO DIE YOUNG. I'm sorry to say that there is no listing of
all of the bylines, though: I make them up and assign random numbers to them
as I go along. However, the list is open to anyone with a sick mind and a 
good sense of the ridiculous: I'd like to thank Kelly St. Clair, in 
particular, for HOW TO DIE YOUNG #14: 

Braid colored ribbons into the mane of a sleeping Aslan warrior.

Shades of the Cowardly Lion... "COWARDLY?! RRRAARRRR!!!" *rip tear shred maim*

Er, make that HOW TO DIE YOUNG #14-A....|->

Should I be archiving these?

oh well what th' hell, 

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #75:
Traveller Mailing List Historian| 
				| Take a Centaur out for lunch
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| ...at McDonald's.
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		| 





-------- TML Message #599 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 599
From: (Steven J Owens) scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 0:08:09 EDT
Subject: Zhodani & Psionics Information?



Hello out there in the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate...
 
	Does anybody out there know anything about the Zhodani, or
about any expansion rules for Psionics?  Just curious, I'm now playing
a Zhodani Nobleman psionic in our local traveller game.  We've got the
module, Expedition To Zhodane, and I've got Journal #23, with Zhodani
Philosophies.  I *used* to have the Zhodani Alien Module (#4).  For the
longest time it was lying around collecting dust because I was hardly
ever playing traveller, and when I was I wasn't playing Zhodani, and now
that I finally need it, I can't find it!  (I *think* I leant it to some-
body...)
 
	I'm thinking of writing a little expansion for psionics - not
to increase the power, but to fill in some gaps that seem to be in the
rules (telepathy, for example, jumps from skill 5 strength 2 sending
thoughts to skill 9 strength 9 probing...  what about the skills and
strengths in between?) and to add some techniques for using existing
psi abilities ("flickerscanning" for example, using sense thoughts by
skimming rapidly through a large crowd of people looking for key thoughts
or intentions - after which the psi would follow-up with a direct sense
thoughts) and some non-psi techniques for dealing withh psis ( the "jingle"
method of keeping your mind from being read, from Alfred Bester's _The
Demolished Man_).  Maybe (very iffy) some new minor technologies that
can be used by psis (psionically sensitive material that can have a message
or image psionically imprinted on it).  Any other thoughts occur?

   Steven J. Owens  |  Scratch@PITTVMS  |  scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

"Okay, Major Jonathan "Wrong-Is" Wright rubs his magic ring of Imperial
 Intervention and twenty stormtroopers with battledress and gauss rifles
 pop out of the microwave oven..."
 
	- Sean T. Grape, in a truly bizarre traveller campaign...



-------- TML Message #600 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 600
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: HOW TO DIE YOUNG
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 8:27:45 EDT


>> Braid colored ribbons into the mane of a sleeping Aslan warrior.
>> 

Better yet:   SHAVE the mane off of a sleeping Aslan warrior!

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
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-------- TML Message #601 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 601
From: (Adrian Hurt) adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: Re: crash start launch
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 9:48:21 BST



> > Hi. Any ideas about the length of time involved in going from a
> > ship with only its power plant running for essential services
> > (lights, some computer functions, etc.) to a launch in a real hurry?
> 
> Consider the amount of time it takes to get your average airliner off the
> ground, starting with everything off. The time is probably on the order of
> an hour or so, more if you are unfamiliar with the ship.

Most of that is concerned with safety, and especially air traffic control -
waiting for your turn to take off. The question says "in a real hurry", so a
more valid comparison would be with a fighter getting scrambled. Anyone
know how long that takes?

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk



-------- TML Message #602 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 602
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Next dumb question
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 10:07:52 EDT


For the projects that are being worked on for Traveller:

	What languages and operating systems are they being targeted for?
MSDOS?  UNIX?  C++? 


Pete


- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */




-------- TML Message #603 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 603
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: HELP!
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 11:23:34 EDT


I just recieved the gensec and mapsub programs (thank you Jim!) and have 
discovered a problem....  I can't seem to seperate out single subsectors.
The package I recieved was minus the tools to do this.  

If anybody has them handy, please send them to me!


Pete

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
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/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */




-------- TML Message #604 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 604
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell)
Subject: Re: Zhodani & Psionics Information?
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 16:59:25 MET DST


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

Steven J. Owens said:
> Maybe (very iffy) some new minor technologies that
> can be used by psis (psionically sensitive material that can have a message
> or image psionically imprinted on it).  Any other thoughts occur?

In my last campaign (Pre Rebellion in Spinward and Deneb) the players 
travelled around for som months with the Zho Thought Police Blensh
Desdiliepr (They had the common goal of preventing the 6:th (sic!) Frontier
War). She had the special dicipline of being able to add to positive DM
in combat by spending psi points on a two for  basis (If this was going
to be used by a Player Character rather than a NPC I'd recomend one for one!)
- -bertil-

- -- 
Bertil K K Jonell @ Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg
NET: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se 
VOICE: +46 31 723971 / +46 300 61004     "Don`t worry,I`ve got Pilot-7"
SNAILMAIL: Box 154,S-43900 Onsala,SWEDEN      (Famous last words)      
"GOOD DEEL ON SLIGHTLY USED CRANE" - Orson Scott Card 'The Abyss'




-------- TML Message #605 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 605
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 08:49:06 PDT
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: RE: cold start launch


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

RE: Jim Baranski
 
>Your descriptions of different states of readiness seems to overlap some. 
>RESERVE implies that the powerplanet 'fusors' are running, but the 
>description does not match.

     Sigh, 'tis true.  I admit it.  I do not have my rules memorized and 
was trying to reconstruct them off the top of my head while waiting for a
program to bomb.  I was partially sucessful.  The program did bomb.
 
>RESERVE- Fusors up, drives ready, ship pre-flighted and on internal power.
 
>LOW STANDBY- Engineering systems on line at low power, ship ready to  
>lift after drives and fusors have been warmed up and pre-takeoff checklist  
>has been completed.

     I knew that!  I knew that!  I was just testing to see if you were
paying attention.

>In my mind, there should be the states: 
>[description of states follows]

     The heart of the matter.  Yes, you have chosen fine states.  They
are goodly states indeed.  I will be the first to admit that your states
are every bit as good as mine.  Maybe better.  However...
     Your states appear to be chosen on the basis of crew activities, 
mine were chosen on the basis of power consumption and drive functionality.  
Other possibilities exist as well (weapons functionality, avionics status, 
opperational level of the Feel-O-Tron, etc.)  The particular choice of 
opperational states would seem to depend upon the nature of the starcrew 
subculture, the availability of Feel-O-Trons, and the whimsy of the GM.
A martial culture may only be concerned with the weapons.  A race of
hedonists may wait in line for the Feel-O-Tron.  Eight Worlds ships are 
TERRIBLY fuel limited so fuel management becomes THE overriding issue.
     And oh yes I forgot.  Fuel consumption and power level also
determine the extent to which the ship is visible to passive sensors.
This has, at times, been a matter of supreme importance.

TECHNICAL NOTE: 
     There are no GRAVITICS in the Eight Worlds universe.  Eight Worlds  
spacecraft are propelled by reaction drives, the way the gods meant Man 
to propel spacecraft.  No inertial compensation either.  Grunt snort.
     There are also no Feel-O-Trons in the Eight Worlds, to the dismay
of PCs who think that this would be an acceptible alternative to
inertial compensation.

Paul R. Gazis
Sunnyvale, CA

gazis@hal.span.nasa.gov   or
gazis%hal.span@ames.arc.nasa.gov   or
something like that



-------- TML Message #606 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 606
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 89 22:17:25 -0400
From: (Palmer Davis) davisp@marina.scl.cwru.edu
Subject: Re: cold start launch



About starships, airliners, and fighter planes:

Northrop claims that an F-20 can go from sitting on the runway with the pilot
drinking coffee to 20,000 feet and firing missiles at incoming enemy bombers in
less than a minute.  We can reasonably assume it takes about twice that long.
The MegaTraveller rules state that it takes 3d6 X 30 seconds to warm-start the
fusion plant on a parked starship or small craft, which works out to about 5
minutes.  If you add in safety checks like you're supposed to, you have to make
a Cautious task attempt, which means it takes twice as long, or 10 minutes.
Once we add in taxi and takeoff times, it appears that spacecraft in Traveller
take about as long to take off if they're following traffic control rules as
our airliners do.

Let's examine a typical Traveller case of a PC group in a hurry to take off.
Scout Susan Blaire is surveying a Tech Level 0 world.  She leaves her Type/S
Scout/Courier in "low fuel consumption park" mode as she plans to move on to
another continent the next day.  While outside her ship, she encounters natives
of the Ooga-Booga tribe (a minor race of humaniti).  While conversing with their
Grand High Poobah by use of her CLT, she rolls a fumble and manages to offend
His High Grumpiness.  Her attempt to patch things up (a hazardous, fateful
Liason test) results in a Destroyed mishap.  She decides to run for her life.

She manages to get back to her ship 2 1/2 minutes ahead of the pursuing savages.
Crash-starting her scout ship requires a Routine, Pilot, Dex, 30 sec.  Letting
TL 0 savages see a TL 15 scout ship is against Scout Service regulations, so
she decides to rush things a bit.  Her dexterity of 10 and her Pilot skill of 2
combine to give her a +4 DM on the task attempt.  Normally she would need a 7+
since this is a routine task, but since she's making a hasty attempt the 
difficulty goes up one level, to an 11+.  She rolls a 7 (which converts to an 
11 by her +4 DM), indicating success.  She rolls an 12 for her time roll, which
would normally mean a time of six minutes.  But because of the hasty task 
attempt, she subtracts twice her DM's from the roll, for a total of 4, meaning
it takes her two minutes to get her scout off the ground.  Thirty seconds later,
the Ooga-Boogas rush into the clearing where she had been parked, only to find
her mysteriously gone.  Such are the ways of the gods...

Notice that in the above example, it took about as long to get the scout ship
off the ground as it does to scramble a typical fighter plane.  However, in her
rush to get off the ground to avoid a code break, Sue forgot her safety checks,
making her task attempt uncertain.  Unless the referee also rolls a 7 or better,
Sue might just find herself stranded on this TL 0 planet... such are the risks
you take in lifting in a big hurry.

- -- Palmer Davis --
davisp@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu


-------- TML Message #607 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 607
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 89 00:24 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: ahem....








FEEL-O-TRON?!






metlay



-------- TML Message #608 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 608
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 89 19:44 EST
From: EHT%PSUARCH.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Feel-O-Tron!!!1



The Feel-O-Tron!  Of Course!  Why didn't I think of that myself!  That solves
a whole slew of problems I've been having interfacing my heads up display with
the electronic gun sights on my Grob-O-Matic!  I could just use the interface
module from the Feel-O-Tron and cross-synch the vertical hold on the Grob-O and
   when it's on-target I would feel like I wanted to pull the trigger!er!
Simplicity itself!  Thank you very much!

- ---------
>From the Bridge of the NOMAD

Paul Baughman
AKA UNKA Paul
AKA The Man From UNKA
AKA The Cloned OP



-------- TML Message #609 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 609
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 89 16:05:13 -0700
From: (Happiness is a Goal in Sight and a Path Underfoot 09-Oct-1989 1703) baranski@yoda.enet.dec.COM
Subject: ship gravitics, was take off procedures


RE: "There are no GRAVITICS in the Eight Worlds universe.  Eight Worlds  
    spacecraft are propelled by reaction drives, the way the gods meant Man  to
    propel spacecraft.  No inertial compensation either.  Grunt snort."

My inclusion of gravity drive was done for a couple of reasons:

Traveller spaceships assume that there is some kind of artificial gravity for
the living quarters orientation at least.  The rules sort of assume that except
for fighters, all ships have artifical gravity.  If they have artificial
gravity, I assume that it's strength can be varied.  It may not be dymanic
enough to cushion a crash, but it can certainly be set to some static value to
counteract acceleration.

I have yet to fathom how the majority of Traveller ships land and take off with
out some kind of gravity or auxiliary thrusters.  Take the scout ship, which
has the drive in the stern, yet lands horizontally.  How does it take off or
land in a wilderness as a scout should be able to do?  Since Traveller ships
obviously have some gravitics, why not use some form of gravity drive for at
least the initial liftoff?

I wish Traveller would either explictly define the spaceships gravity drive, or
explain how these ships land and take off without them.  And allow for ships
designs with and without the gravity drives.

Jim Baranski
DEC Tewksbury MA



-------- TML Message #610 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 610
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 89 17:31:34 -0400
From: davisp@solarium.scl.cwru.edu (Palmer Davis)
Subject: gravitics and m-drives



According to the REFEREE'S COMPANION, maneuver drives work by combining 
gravitics and nuclear dampers technology.  The strong molecular force is 
manipulated by a grav field to push against large plates mounted in the
stern of the ship.  Presumably, although the thruster plates themselves
lack the projective capabilities of grav modules, the grav modules that
are in the m-drive are used by themselves to lift the ship off the ground.
Once airborne, the ship then switches to the thruster plates for primary
locomotion.  That's how a type/S with its thruster plates in the stern can
land on a planet on its belly.

- -- Palmer Davis --




-------- TML Message #611 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 611
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 89 13:32:28 EDT
From: morrison@pyr.gatech.edu ("William B. Morrison")


Another entry in the 1001 ways to die:
  -- Give a sleeping Aslan warrior an inverse Mohawk

Then again, they may like that. So everyone won't think we
have it in for the Aslan, here is way to die #1002:
  -- Go up to a Kzinti warrior and say "Here kitty, kitty..."

- --Bill





-------- TML Message #612 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 612
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 89 12:38 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Gravitics and liftoffs



The new Starship Ops Manual from DGP addresses this matter; it seems that
thruster plates have a limited but usable efficiency in other directions
than straight back, so a ship with thrusters in back can lift straight up
if its engines are powerful enough.

Usually what's done is that the ship lifts in a horizontal attitude, slowly
tilts back in midair until it points straight up, then boosts. The reverse
process is used for landing. (Alternatively, if there's an air-traffic hold
pattern, horizontal flight is also possible.)

metlay



-------- TML Message #613 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 613
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 89 10:09:55 EDT
From: dan@engrg.uwo.ca (Dan Corrin)
Subject: Re:  ship gravitics


on  Mon, 9 Oct 89 16  baranski%yoda.enet.dec.com@RELAY.CS.NET said:

> 
> I wish Traveller would either explictly define the spaceships gravity drive, or
> explain how these ships land and take off without them.  And allow for ships
> designs with and without the gravity drives.
> 
I thought that the starship operators' guide explaned a lot of these
areas such as take-off procedures and gravitics. I haven't read this
in several months, so I may be mistaken...

Has anyone else seen the new MegaTraveller book "World Builder's guide"
(I think that is the exact title...It is difficult to think of these things
when they are on the shelf at home, and I am at work.) I have caught
at least 5 minor errors, and several differences between the examples
and the text. (For those of you who haven't seen this, it is in the large
a repeat of the information in the books "Grand Survey", and "Grand Census"
from digest group. Much of the information has been revised, and expanded on.)

		-Dan



-------- TML Message #614 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 614
Subject: Graphics Programs/mapping/plans
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 89 18:36:41 EDT
From: jbayer@ispi.COM (Jonathan Bayer)


Greetings fellow travellers;

I am getting ready to start up a new campaign, and have a small problem.
There will be a lot of spacecraft the players will be interacting with,
and I don't want to have to lug around a ton of books.  I was wondering
if there are any programs available that would let me either read in a
set of plans (using a scanner) or enter the plans in some way, store
them in a database, and let the players or myself recall them and/or
print them out as we need.  I would prefer it to work on a pc on a CGA
( :-(  card at a minimum (ega or vga preferred), but do have a Macintosh
available if there is software there.  I do not want suggestions such as
"Use Macdraw or MacPaint".  I am looking for something a bit more
oriented towards what I want it to do.  I also am not interested in
AutoCAD, since it costs $ 3000.


JB

- -- 
Jonathan Bayer		Intelligent Software Products, Inc.
(201) 245-5922		500 Oakwood Ave.
jbayer@ispi.COM		Roselle Park, NJ   07204    



-------- TML Message #615 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 615
Subject: TML Glitches
Date: 11 Oct 89 14:48:47 PDT (Wed)
From: (James T Perkins) jamesp@dadla.WR.TEK.COM



News flash!

There has been a slight delay of service over the last two days, and I
have been very silent.  Problem is my little automatic file custodian
program that skulks around at 1am came alive and went mad, removing all
files that hadn't been modified in 24 hours.  So, I had to restore all
my files and I hope I haven't lost any mail messages or list traffic.

Now we return you back to your regularly scheduled programming.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"



-------- TML Message #616 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 616
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!att.att.COM!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: Graphics Programs/mapping/plans
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 89 8:10:08 EDT


[This came to traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was
meant for traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply
headers! -- James]

>> 
>> 
>> Greetings fellow travellers;
Greetings!
>> 
>> I am getting ready to start up a new campaign, and have a small problem.
>> There will be a lot of spacecraft the players will be interacting with,
>> and I don't want to have to lug around a ton of books.  I was wondering
>> if there are any programs available that would let me either read in a
>> set of plans (using a scanner) or enter the plans in some way, store
>> them in a database, and let the players or myself recall them and/or
>> print them out as we need.  I would prefer it to work on a pc on a CGA
	[ stuff deleted ]

ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!   Your about 6 months too early!   I am ATTEMPTING to 
produce just such a program for the IBM compatibles...   Haven't been able 
to spend enough time working on it tho'.    Do me a favor and EMAIL me a set
of specs that would be EXACTLY what you are looking for.   Part of why this 
project has taken so long is a lack of specs.

Pete

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */



-------- TML Message #617 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 617
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 89 16:39:49 PDT
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: RE: ship gravitics, was take off procedures


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

       EIGHT WORLDS DRIVE SYSTEMS AND FLIGHT OPPERATIONS

Drine Systems
     Eight Worlds physics does not seem to allow for gravitics
technology.  Eight worlds ships have three drive systems:

     1) Hyperdrive.  Hyperdrive relieves much of the tedium of
interstellar travel, provided that no attempt is made to employ
it too near an interfering mass.  If this precaution is omitted,
the ship explodes, relieving ALL the tedium of interstellar flight.
The minimum distance at which hyperdrive can be employed without
explosive consequences (the infamous 'jump limit') is dependant
upon the intrinsic curvature of space, which quantity is, of 
course, equivalent to local tidal forces.  Thus, the jump limit is 
proportional to the cube root of the interfering mass.
     The jump limit for a terrestrial mass is about 1.0E+06 km.
The jump limit Sol is somewhere around the orbit of Mercury.  Or
perhaps Venus.  Who cares?  Both are worthless rocks.  The point
is that hyperdrive CAN be used for intrasystem transit, should one 
wish to travel to Io to replenish one's sulphur supply.  This is NOT 
the case in a system of habitable planets in orbit around a star of 
type M or smaller.  Which had important strategic consequences after 
the collapse of the Imperium.
     Hyperspace jumps appear to conserve momentum.  Certain aspects
of hyperspace jumps appear to allow for violation of causality, but
the relevant experiments are beyond the finacial capacity of any 
existing civilization.
     2) Fusion drives.  These are open core magnetic confinement 
fusion reactors which function as high specific impulse reaction 
drives.  (The most common configuration is a leaky tandem mirror
machine which burns D + D -> Useless Hot Junk.  The Useless Hot Junk 
heats reaction mass to provide thrust.)  Fusion drives are are used 
for planetary approaches and departures, to match velocity with a 
destination, and for Space Laser Tag, a fast-paced competitive sport 
with a simple and easily understood scoring system which is quite 
popular beyond the Frontier.
     Drives are not particularly useful without associated structure 
to keep the ship from collapsing.  I lump the mass and cost of the
load-bearing structure in with the mass and cost of the drives.  An 
interesting consequence of this approach is that it does not matter how 
much acceleration the ship pulls.  The structure of a 200 tonne ship 
with 200 tonnes of cargo accelerating at 2 Gs is under the same load
(4 MNewtons) if the ship dumps its cargo and flees at 4 Gs.  The crew, 
however, may notice a subtle change in their level of squishedness.
     Since fusion drives have open cores, they can't be used inside
an atmosphere lest the atmosphere leak in around the sides of the
plasma column, induce heavy-ion instabilities, and cause the ship
to explode boom.
     3) Atmospheric drives.  These are commonly known as 'Lifters',
and consist of an assortment of thermal turbojets and scramjets
driven by waste heate from the power plant.  (Eight worlds power
plants are closed core high-field magnetic confinement devices 
which commonly use the D + Li6 -> 2He4 cycle.  The energetic alpha
particles are then run through an MHD generator.  No muss, no fuss,
no radiation, and if there are any leaks in the system the crew all 
sound like Donald Duck.  It's great.)  Lifters are used to lift off, 
tool around the planet, depart the atmosphere, or land.  In the hands 
of unskilled crew, lifters can also be used to crash.
     Since lifters are part of the technology necessary to land on
a planet, I lump them in with streamlining, along with the aeroshell,
stabilizing fins, landing jacks, and paint job.  The thrust limitation
for lifters is imposed by the ship's load-bearing structure.  There
is no obvious benefit to attaching a 200 MNewton lifter system to
a ship which can only stand 8 MNewtons of thrust.

Flight Opperations
     This is, of course, all very great and keen and all, but does not
answer the question 'How do you land these things?'  (A question I have
often asked while landing my hang glider.)
     Most Eight Worlds ships are tail-landers (The drives are aligned 
along the aerodynamic axis of the ship and they land on their tails...  
What WERE you thinking!)  This is a fine and dandy configuration which 
has been used successfully on any number of wierd experimental aircraft
back during the 1950s when they didn't know any better.  There was
also a bizarre proposal to build a tail-landing version of an F-16
for use on small naval vessels.  Ick.  Tail landers are not all THAT
hard to land (my hang glider is arguably a tail lander if it is landed
correctly.  At other times it is a nose lander), but they can fall over
once they are on the ground.  The usual cause of such accidents is
soil failure, which grows more likely as the weight, and hence the
ground pressure of the ship, increase.  The maximum safe weight for
landing a tail-lander on a compacted dirt field is 400 tonnes, which
co-incidentally is the size of most Eight Worlds trading ships.  My
my.  Another cause of toppling incidents are careless PC starcrew who 
land their ship on a 45 degree slope.  It was fun, it was great, you 
should have been there.
     An alternative configuration is a belly-lander.  Belly-landers have
their primary drives aligned along the aerodynamic axis, but possess
an additional set of lifters or a thrust vectoring scheme which allows
them to hover in a horizontal orientation.  That this scheme is feasible
is proven by one of NASA's AV-8 Harriers which even now is hovering
outside my window producing a terrible racket and making it difficult
to do any serious work.  Belly-landers are more stable on the ground, 
a field which can handle a tail-lander can handle a belly-lander of 2-3 
times the size.  With their extra lifters they are also a tad more
manuverable in the atmosphere.  But belly-landers have two problems:
     1) There is an extra mass and cost penalty, equal to 50% the cost 
of streamlining.  This penalty has proven prohibitive for small ships,
which do not need belly-landing gear anyway so who cares.
     2) The coffee mugs fall off the shelves.  This problem is generic
generic to all Eight Worlds ships when they make the transition from
space to atmospheric flight, but it is much worse for belly-landers
since it persists after they are on the ground.  Eight Worlds ship 
designers use lots of velcro, and draw heavily on 1950s Sci Fi flicks 
for their deck plans.  The results are agreed by all to be somewhat
unsatisfactory.

More Flight Ops
     Nope.  No more flight ops.  I lied.

Paul R. Gazis
Sunnyvale, CA

gazis@hal.span.nasa.gov   or
gazis%hal.span@ames.arc.nasa.gov   or
something like that




-------- TML Message #618 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 618
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 89 22:22 EST
From: WRICKER@northeastern.edu
Subject: Laser guided laser rifles (late)


[Belatedly retransmitted -- reply to Pierson@Encore reply to Adrion]

Dan & Adrion,

I had just *assumed* that were were using low-power aiming mode on our
laser shoulder-weapons.  Iron sights are for the birds if you're not shooting
lead.

A current riot-control assault rifle has a VISIBLE-red aiming laser slung under
the barrel -- the red bouncing dot tends to having a calming effect on the 
rioter(s) its aimed at, I'm told.

For efficient transfer of energy from battery to victim, i suspect killing
lasers *are not* in the visible spectrum.  The only operaiontal deathray
I know of today, in man-aimable form, is a Maser -- called a navy gunnery
target designation radar.  Technicians supposedly adjust its iron sights by
aiming at a seagull (*Never an albatross!*) and squeezing the "trigger".
Basically a high-power, lasing, radar gun that produces instant oven
fried seagull at 30 paces and calls homing smart-bombs when painted on
large naval targets far away.

- -- Bill Ricker (WRicker@NUHub.ACS.Northeastern.EDU)



-------- TML Message #619 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 619
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 89 08:35:27 PDT
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: RE: Re: cold start launch


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

RE: F-20s

      Northrop has, in fact,demonstrated the ability of an F-20 to be
airbourne at 20,000 feet some absurdly small time after the pilot has
been strapped into the cockpit.  What has NOT been revealed is how
long the crew chief has had to beat on the plane beforehand.
      In striking contrast, the most optomistic time NASA even quoted
for turning around a shuttle was something like a month.
     A few minutes to do a fast launch, a few weeks.  Both times are
utterly reasonable.  Take your pick.

Paul Gazis



-------- TML Message #620 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 620
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 89 14:35:01 PDT
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: RE: ahem....


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

TO: The Estimable Metlay

RE: Feel-o-tron

SUBJECT: Definition thereof...

     A simple and useful device to relieve the tedium of hyperspatial
navigation.  The technology can also be used to reduce the distress
associated with high accelerations.  To quote one user, "You still
take physical damage from all the G's, but you don't notice it until
the tape runs out.  That's why I always use SENSOMAX long-play cassetes!"

     I hope this information is of some use.

Paul Gazis




-------- TML Message #621 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 621
Subject: Maps
Date: Thu Oct 12 15:45:06 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



maps, maps, maps, maps...

I am getting tired of new/better/different ways to map sectors and 
subsectors.  I've already got all I can handle.

What I would like to see is some mapping tools for:

	Generating MAPS of solar systems, complete with lesser
	bodies, asteroid belts, main cometary paths, etc.
	It would be OK to have to use a computer for scaling
	or several sheets of paper for various scales.

	Generating major orbital-scale maps: one planet with
	its attendant natural and artificial satellites (and
	possibly the satellites') and major orbits (like
	geosynchornous).

	Generating maps of planets, continents etc.  complete with
	major population centers, life forms and so on.  It would
	be a requirement that the use input major parameters from
	the UPP (or have a machine do it).
(finally)
	Creating the rough equivalent of a "net list" of what's on
	each map (this is for all of the above) for the GM.  Then 
	the GM can use the list for adventure/campaign/encounter
	information without messing up the map.

any more thoughts?
	Richard




-------- TML Message #622 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 622
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: RE: Re: cold start launch
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 9:01:38 EDT


>> 

Looking at this another way... when an US Navy ship prepares to get underway
from "Cold Iron" this can take a couple of days.  When it tries the same stunt
from some sort of "warm start" it can just be a few hours.

Pete


- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */




-------- TML Message #623 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 623
Subject: Gravitics, aerodynamics etc.
Date: 12 Oct 1989 15:35:55 GMT
From: andyc%minster.york.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk


I think somewhere in the Traveller rules, it is mentioned that only ships
with a certain configuration (needle/cone and wedge) can take off and land
on planets with an atmosphere.  It seems to me that because they
are aerodynamic, they must be able to take off and land horizontally.  This
could be why scouts only need to have drives in the rear.

But (now for the bit where I demolish my own argument), this doesn't work
in worlds with gravity and no atmosphere, where it won't be possible to get
enough lift for horizontal flight.  So possibly some kind of launch ramp could
be used as a compromise between horizontal and vertical lift off (this of
course raises the question of uninhabited zero atmosphere planets....).

Andy Coombes
Department of Computer Science,
York University, 
England.




-------- TML Message #624 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 624
From: (Jo Jaquinta) jaymin@maths.tcd.ie
Subject: Introduction
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 13:26:38 BST


     I  have only recently become aware of the Traveller  mailing 
list but have devoted many hours to creating Traveller  software. 
So by means of introduction I will list some of the things I have 
worked  on. Interested parties please e-mail me and if  there  is 
enough general interest I will post it to the list.
     Most  of  the  code  is fairly  portable  as  it  was  first 
developed under Berkely Unix then ported to a MS-DOS PC.

                    jaymin@maths.tcd.ie
                    jaymin%maths.tcd.ie@cunyvn.cuny.edu

     LANGUAGES. I was always annoyed that the original  Traveller 
didn't have language generation for English (Villani). So after a 
series  of programs I now have one that will take a  given  text, 
parse  it  in repeated passes and try to find  the  best  fitting 
syllabic pattern. It then effectively generates a table like  the 
standard  ones.  There is another trivial program  that  actually 
generates  the words. It worked well on English,  brilliantly  on 
Maori; I am unqualified to judge the results on German and  Irish 
but  it  couldn't adequately parse Latin. Its  assumptions  about 
syllables occurring independently within a word just don't work.

     YET  ANOTHER CHARACTER GENERATOR. I am sure it doesn't  have 
much  over the others but the one nifty feature it does  have  is 
that you can set the interaction level. I.e. you can specify that 
the  computer is to make the decisions as to what cascade  skills 
to pick up to even choosing when to muster out, etc.

     SCALED  HEX MAPPING. The idea is to design a map at  several 
different  scales.  You can go up to the  largest,  mark  several 
hexes  as hills, go down a few levels and add the finer  details. 
It turned out not to be as useful as I first thought.

     YET  ANOTHER  TRADE PROGRAM. Handles what is  available  and 
keeps a record of where you have been. Not very sophisticated.

     YET   ANOTHER  SYSTEM  GENERATOR.  Scouts  expanded   system 
generator. Not much more I can say.

     ZAP. I started ZAP back in college shortly after Elite  came 
out.  I  liked the trading and exploration aspect  of  Elite  and 
strove  to come up with something similar. It uses  the  galactic 
co-ordinates  as a random seed and the system for that  area  (if 
there  is  one)  is generated from that.  Add  a  simple  density 
function  and I have literally an entire galaxy of stars  even  I 
know nothing about.
     System  generation and ship construction are  done  although 
the  latter is not like Traveller. Trading is there but not  very 
well  done.  I  had a combat section done but it  seems  to  have 
disappeared.  Due  to  time pressures its  development  has  been 
rather  slow  over  the  last two years. I want  to  be  able  to 
generate maps of planets next but am having difficulty coming  up 
with  a  good  enough representation (more  of  that  in  another 
posting).
     I  would dearly like for someone to volunteer to  take  over 
development of it. Or best a group development of modules for  it 
al    la   'nethack'   centrally   co-ordinated   (Anyone    read 
'Planiverse'?). Anyone who might be interested in doing odd  bits 
please e-mail me and perhaps the mailing list might want to adopt 
it.

				Jo Jaquinta; jaymin@maths.tcd.ie.




-------- TML Message #625 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 625
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 17:03:35 EDT
From: ("William B. Morrison") morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
Subject: Re: Cold Start Launches


In his article,  Peter Berghold writes:

> Looking at this another way... when an US Navy ship prepares to get
> underway from "Cold Iron" this can take a couple of days.  When it tries the
> same stunt from some sort of "warm start" it can just be a few hours.
>
> Pete

Mostly true, depending on what you mean by "cold start". From what I
remember when I was in the Navy, if you include the inspections,
preventive maintenance, etc in that, it could take weeks regardless
of what type of power plant you have. However, lets assume that
all of that is out of the way, and that a "cold start" means
that you're ready to push the button to star the engines to
generate power. Both nuclear and boiler plants on ships generate
steam to turn the turbines. Generating the temperatures and
pressures for a steam plant average about 8 hours to get to operating
capacity. However, the new gas turbine (read: jet engine) ships
can be underway in about 30 seconds from when the button is pressed.

>From this, you can project technology to get engines that start in
as long or as short a time as you want (yes, I said all of that
just for this). You may want to consider the purpose of the ship
in determining the cold start time, and whether you want to count
inspections or not (if someone is stealing a ship, did the 
predessors, inspect it?), etc.

Just some things to think about

- --Bill



-------- TML Message #626 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 626
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: Maps
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 14:42:43 EDT


>> 
>> 
>> In Archive Message Number 621,
>> 	Richard Johnson <richard@agora.hf.intel.com> writes:
>> > I am getting tired of new/better/different ways to map sectors and 
>> > subsectors.  I've already got all I can handle.
>> 
>> 
Along the lines of random life forms:  One of my old campaigns (about 10 years
ago) did not even make the assumption that all sentient life forms would be 
human/humanoid.  Two planets side-by-side could have totally divergent races.
To generate the sentient creatures I used a set of rules from a TSR space game
(the name of which I forget at the moment) for this purpose.   I got life form
types from those rules of everything from humanoids to spiders and everything
in between.

Pete



- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */




-------- TML Message #627 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 627
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 89 14:03:41 -0500
From: f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis)
Subject: Re:  Gravitics, aerodynamics etc.


[This came to traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant
for traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers!
- -- James]

I have dealt with this problem in my game (VERY modified version) by having
four kinds of potentially aerodynamic vehicles.  The first is a lifting body
(i.e. brick-with-wings space shuttle design).  The second is a needle (i.e.
1950's rocket w. fins, or something similar).  The third is a stealthed hull
(kind of like a lifting body in shape).  The fourth is a lander (closer to
the LEM than anything else, although another good example is the big moon
lander in 2001).  I don't believe in gravity control, etc., so all of these
have to deal with with standard spacecraft dealing with gravity problems.
The only one that is a tail-lander is the lander model; the others have to
deal with the "coffee mugs fall off the shelves problem."  (Actually, my
description of the problem is a little more hideous--all the toilets turn
90 degrees; one hopes that landing procedures includes turning off the 
plumbing for a while, or at least moving modular units into new non-spill
positions.)

Of course, since about 95% of the population in my game world (200 billion 
to 500 billion per average solar system, and sometimes a lot more) lives in
space habitats, and most inhabited planets have their own elaborate shuttle
systems (very useful to keeping out smugglers, terrorists, etc.) this is
not a common problem for players.  (When it is, they velcro the coffee mugs
to the wall and turn off the plumbing for a few hours.)  Usually, your 
spacecraft docks at a habitat's spaceport or sits a few hundred kilometers
away if the docking berths are all taken and a space gig comes out to your
ship and shuttles you into the habitats.

NEW TOPIC.  How many people run adventures in large habitats (my typical
large habitat is a rotating cylinder affair 15 km. at the base and 60 km.
from end to end; at each end is an "endwall complex" of enclosed levels
for industries, apartments, etc.--imagine about 700 shopping malls stacked
on top of one another and you'll have a rough idea; the endwall levels 
are about 100 m. wide so you get a huge amount of internal space from them--
plus a "dayside," the landscaped interior of the cylinder.  The whole
thing supports about one million people; with the endwall complexes included
the internal surface area is about 4800 square km., of which roughly three
quarters (or two thirds of 3600 square km. if you use narrower endwall levels)
is "indoor" or endwall complex, and the remainder "outdoor" or dayside, 
the latter being used for farms, parks, wilderness preserves, etc.)?
Personally, I am satisfied with a set-up that I find plausible, and I have
found that while microworlds have some limitations (anyone who specialized
in Field Artillery is going to fill a bit left out since using howitzers
inside a habitat is generally considered a bad idea), a million-person
setting can give you some remarkably complex adventure scenarios, and is
a little easier to map out than a billion-person world.  When you finish
one adventure in one habitat, of course, you can always move on to another.
(I assume that in many cases you will get a few hundred to several thousand
habitats clustered around a big asteroid or a large moon--the main source
of raw materials--and they will form a general political alliance.  The
result is that my universe is one where most people live in the galactic
version of an archipeligo.)  Any comments, questions, suggestions?





-------- TML Message #628 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 628
Date: Sun Oct 15 19:19:33 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)


Greetings fellow travellers!  
This is a very long file about gravitics.


The following information is highly UN-official.  I have taken 
pains to try to reconcile what I know about the universe with
what I know about MegaTraveller from the rules and accessories,
but am not about to guarantee an official approval of any of it.  

You can use and distribute this material freely, so long as I 
get some credit for working it all out and making it available.
(and while your at it, remember to thank JamesP and Tek for the
list...)  

Some of this is still pretty rough, but I think you'll find
it mostly useful.

Richard Johnson
Hillsboro Oregon

- --------------------------cut here if you like--------------------------
Gravitics in MegaTraveller
- ------by Richard Johnson

It is a misconception among several of my players that the 
primary function of gravitics on space vessels is to hold 
crew members to the deck.  I suspect this attitude is common.
In actuality (sic) the science of gravitics has profound 
implications for space travel, and the development of 
gravitics has been a primary mover the direction of space 
technology.  

The "Starship Operator's Manual, vol 1" gives, on page 56, 
under "Gravitics Technician", introduces the idea of 
gravitics.  It states that: 

"The artificial grav plates and inertial compensators 
within the ship are not critical to its performance...  
More importantly, though, the maneuver drive's thruster 
plates operate on a principal that takes advantage of 
gravitic science..." 

This article explores the theory and applications of gravitics, 
and how gravitic design limitations affect the maneuvering of 
space vessels.  I strongly suggest you read the appropriate
sections of the operator's manual, and information about ship
design in the Referee's manual, to better understand what I'm
saying here (and to catch me where I've blown it).

- ----------------------------------

Theory of Gravitics:

Two fundamental properties of matter concern us when space 
vessels maneuver.  These are inertia and gravity.  Inertia is 
the tendency for matter to resist any changes in speed or 
direction.  Gravity is the tendency for all matter to attract 
other matter (or anti-matter, for that matter).  It is 
important to understand that these are *fundamental properties*.
All that exists demonstrates these tendencies; in fact, inertia
and gravity are what we use to define matter.

Both inertia and gravity are effects that we see, in "normal 
space", of matter being highly concentrated energy (1).  Energy 
concentrations sufficient to create solid matter are more than 
enough to interact with higher-order universal dimensions (2).  
These particles interact in higher dimensions in ways not 
possible in "normal space".  The *effects* of these 
hyperspacial interactions are then seen in "normal space" as 
inertia and gravity. (3)

- ------------------------------

Gravitic Devices:

There are four basic gravitic devices:

Maneuver drives
Repulsers
Grav plates, and 
Inertial compensators.

These all tap into these hypserspacial interactions, and 
concentrate and direct the resulting force.  In a sense,
so do jump drives, but there is a critical distinction.  
Jump drives use the hyperspace/space-time interactions
to loft the entire ship into a bubble in hyperspace, 
while gravitic devices use the hyperspace/space-time
interactions to manipulate space-time events.

Drives and repulsers generally utilize a repulsive force, 
while grav plates generally use an attractive force.  In all 
three devices, the "effects" being manipulated are gravitic.  

Inertial compensators, on the other hand, intercept inertial 
"effects" and use feedback techniques to reduce or nullify 
inertia on selected bodies.  Looked at this way, we can see 
that inertial compensators are not *truly* gravitic devices, 
but that the technology is similar enough so that we need 
make no distinction, except in the scientific community.  

For the remainder of this article, I  use "gravitic devices" 
to refer to inertial devices as well.  I do not use the term 
to apply to jump drives, even though they have many features
in common with gravitic devices.

- --------------------------

Basic Design of Gravitic Devices:

Gravitic devices operate much like valves in a water hose.  A
small change in the characteristics of the device (valve) 
produces a large change in output (flow).  That is to say that
the energy you feed your drives (from the power plant) is not
converted to thrust.  It is used to control and direct the
flow of "effect" from an interaction that occurs in hyperspace.

All gravitic devices have the same general design.  A typical
device has a "concentrator", a "plate", and a "governor".  



- ------------------------------
|Conc. ||        || Output   |
|Plate |--------| Gov.   |------| Plate    |
|      ||        |      |   |
- ------------|-----      ------------
\    |          /
 \----------    /
  \_____| Comp. |---/
- ----------

The concentrator plate is basically a hyperspace receive antenna.  
It collects and concentrates wade-ranging "effects" into a small 
region of space-time.  The concentrator does not create hyper-
space interactions; that would take too much energy.  It does tap 
directly into activity in hyperspace and intercept the 
interactions already there.

The output (or thruster) plate is basically a space-time output 
antenna.  It directs and releases the concentrated "effects" 
gathered by the concentrator.  Examine drive plates for a 
classic example.  (Refer to the "Starship Operator's Manual, 
vol. 1, pages 2-4.)  Notice how the output is strong in the 
plate's basic direction, but weakens sharply in other directions.  
Notice also that all plates are invariably placed so that 
*nothing* gets within about a meter of them.  We'll discuss 
this more in a minute. 

The governor is the part of the device that monitors and 
controls the concentrator and the plate.  It matches input, 
output, and demand (from the ship's computer).  Needless to
say, this is where most of the technology, and most of the
problems occur.


- ----------------------------

Limits of Gravitic Devices:

There is a serious side effect to using a gravitic device 
because the device operates both in hyperspace and in 
space-time.  Using a gravitic device "warps" space-time 
around the concentrator.  This warping is very like the 
warping of space-time around black holes, only the radius 
of curvature of space is much shorter, usually measured 
in meters rather than kilometers.  This warping becomes 
more intense as the acceleration produced by the device 
increases.  Beyond about 60 m/s/s acceleration (6 g) (4), 
the device becomes inoperable because of relativistic 
effects (5).

The warping of space-time caused by gravitic devices is 
identical to the warping to space-time by a gravity field, 
only intense and of short range.  It is critical, especially 
in jump-capable vessels to have space-time as smooth as 
possible in and around the ship.  The amount space-time is
warped represents how much is not known about the ship's
present position, or its destination.  Hence -- misjumps.

If these "warps" caused by using gravitics are left 
unaltered, time would flow at different rates in different 
parts of the ship, sensors would not operate properly, 
thrusters would fight themselves, and jumps (if possible) 
would be wholly unpredictable. 

The plates associated with all gravitic devices are large 
(and in the case of drives, massive) mainly to deal with this 
warping of space-time.  The plates function as antennae that 
receive hyperspacial energy and broadcast "spacial" energy.  
They could be microscopic and do this.  

However, the plates also "sink" or dissipate the space-time 
warping associated with the use of the gravitic device.  For 
this task the plates need to be large, to "spread out" the 
effects of the warping of space-time.  

In the case of jump-capable ships, even this is not enough.  
For a few microseconds before a jump, all gravitic devices on 
starships are switched completely off.  The transition to 
jumpspace is made, and gravitics are switched back on.  This 
enables the computers to more properly enable the jump vector, 
eases the load on the power plant during its most critical 
mission, and allows the gravitic devices to switch to the 
different circuits they need to operate from within jumpspace.  

It is probably this short hiatus in gravity that causes the 
momentary disorientation and nausea felt by even experienced 
space hands at the moment of transition.

- ---------------------------------

Effects of Gravity on Maneuvering Vessels:

Gravity has little effect on most vessels unless that vessel has 
lost its maneuver drives or is near a large celestial body (one 
large enough to orbit - or perhaps a runaway maneuver drive?).  
Thrust from maneuver drives so overwhelms most gravitational 
forces in deep space so as to make them inconsequential.

Near large bodies, though, gravity causes us to radically alter 
our flight paths and operational methods.  The force of gravity 
decreases as the distance from the attracting body increases (6).  
In many instances, this force can be greater that what we can deliver 
with thrusters; we must orbit the body.  

This also means that for a ship in orbit, for instance, the 
"bottom" of the ship (closest to the planet) and its occupants 
have more gravity on them than the top of the ship and its 
occupants do.  This phenomenon is called microgravity, and it is 
used to stabilize satellites in almost every spacefaring culture.




Satellite Top ------------Gravity - a little
||  
||
Center of Mass ---|   *|Gravity at orbit
||
||
Satellite Bottom ------------Gravity + a little



Ordinarily, microgravity is no problem.  However, in close orbits 
of very large bodies, stresses can build up in a ship's hull both 
from the gradient of microgravity and from the relativistic 
stresses caused by the sheer speed of the vessel.

The main problems from gravity are long-term.  On-board gravitic 
devices, interacting with gravitational forces, cause stress on the 
ship's frame and hull.  This stress is normally minor, but can be 
severe close to large bodies, especially if the vessel is 
maneuvering.  In deep space, away from gravity wells, a ship's 
gravitic devices are tuned to minimize stresses on the vessel.

- ------------------------------------

Effects of Inertia on Maneuvering Vessels:

Inertia is a much more severe problem for maneuvering.  It is easy 
to imagine maneuvers that could quickly make almost any sapient 
creature strictly two-dimensional.  Additionally, rapid changes 
in speed and direction cause enormous stress on the ship's frame.  
We are most familiar with inertia as a force that tends to pull us 
toward the outside of turns or pushed back in our seats when we 
accelerate.  The magnitude of the force we feel depends only on 
how fast we are changing our speed or direction.

In a space vessel these inertial forces are almost always enormous 
because the ship is travelling very, very fast.  For instance, 
making a 5-g (2) 180-degree circular turn at just over Terran escape 
velocity (a veritable snail's pace in space) creates a circular 
path over 10,000 km long, and a corresponding flight time of over 
13 minutes to execute the maneuver (7).  

Incidently, it would also take 13 minutes to reverse course by 
rotating the ship 180 degress (it's now flying backwards) and
apply a continuous 5-g thrust.  No one can turn around quickly 
enough to surprise and overtake his pursuers.

High agility doesn't provide this ability either.  Agility is
simply a measure of a ship's ability to change *facing*, not
to change it's speed and/or direction.  That is, agility is a 
figure expressing a vessel's ability to pitch, roll, or yaw.
"Maneuverability" is a figure that expresses, in g-forces, the 
maximum linear acceleration a space vessel is capable of.  
"Normally" (who knows what those TL 21 miscreants are up to!?) 
this is a figure from 1 to 6 (10 to 60 m/s/s).

This means that space battles are inherently linear.  Much like 
the days of sailing, with ships in a line.  Only in space, guns
can be aimed (turned away from the beam of the ship) and it is
possible to sail (fly) over and under, as well as around (or into)
your opponents.  (Ships in a plane?) I guess there is a good 
reason to teach formation flying!

- ----------------------------

Inertial compensators: 

My first thought on seeing their availability was that this was 
the way out of the inertia trap just presented.  "I could build 
a ship with maneuver 12 and inertia dampers 6, exposing the 
maneuver drives to only 6-g acceleration," I thought.  It doesn't 
work that way though.

The maneuver drives, and the inertial compensators work on effects
of hyperspatial interactions.  Their use causes space-time to warp.
Remember that it is acceleration, not force, that determines the 
extent of warping of space-time within and around the ship.  Because 
of this, gravitic devices (like maneuver drives) can be of any size.  
They cannot however, produce more than 6-g of acceleration.  Period.

Inertial compensators don't do anything for the space-time warping
caused by the maneuver drives.  In fact, they make it worse.  As the 
maneuver drive creates more acceleration, space-time warps more, and
more strongly.  Inertial compensators counter-warp space-time locally,
and in so doing exacerbate the overall effect.  Your ship's computers
must be bigger and faster to handle the load, and you suck up even
more fuel. 

What this means is that you cannot design a ship with a maneuver 12 
and agility 12 and inertial compensators 6.  It would be nice if you
could, but those big massive driveplate antennas would wipe out all
of your available volume and then some.  The best you can hope for 
with inertial compensation is to provide a feeling of "motionlessness"
for your crew and passengers.

- -----------------------------------

Repulsers and Grav Plates:

These are basically straightforward maneuver drives, adapted for
special uses.  Grav plates primarily hold things down, and 
repulsers hold things away.

Grav plates are tied in with the inertial compensator circuitry.  
Grav plates need to be large in area, but light and small in 
cross section.  They are used throughout the ship, and produce
from -6 to +5 g (if your maneuver drive is that good - if it 
isn't, buy cheaper inertia systems) to compensate for the ship's
maneuvering.  Notice that the plates can produce one less g in 
the "down" direction (letting inertial hold you to the deck), 
but that on "outside" turns, you will sometimes experience free 
fall.  That's just as much force as we can produce. 
(The rules say so.)
 
Additionally, grav plates need to produce an exceptionally 
uniform field.  Studies as early as TL 7 terra (really!) showed 
that if your perception of "down" changes often or radically, 
you *will* get at least nauseated.  This is commonly known as 
sea- or air-sickness.  It is especially acute when the victim 
lacks outside reference and/or feels confined (like in a space
ship).

Repulsers are high energy, high curvature, effect projectors.
That is, they are maneuver drives with small area, high mass
plates.  This produces a "beam" of gravitational energy, almost
always away from the projector.

"Reversing" the field effect (to make a tractor beam) usually
causes more damage to the ship trying it than to the ship in
tow.  In my campaign, I allow limited use of "tractors" for
in-system towing around TL 16.

- ----------------------------

Maneuver Drives

Maneuver drive plates are usually mounted across the aft end
of a starship.  In this configuration, they can provide the
most force in the most desired direction.


Region of Low Force
__
| ----
Region of| |   ---------
High Force| |<-plates--------    Region of *really*
| |             --------    Low Force
| |   ---------
| ----
- -

 Region of Low Force

Since the plates also deliver force to the sides, a ship can "hover"
horizontally if the gravity is not too high.  This is how air rafts
work.  Space ships eventually rotate into a more conventional 
attitude to leave the atmosphere of a planet.  (See the "Starship
Operator's Manual, vol. 1, page 3.)

The plates of the maneuver drive must be extremely large, to 
"linearize" the fields around the whole ship, and must be massive
so that a great deal of energy can be pumped through them.  Look
at the information about the mass and volume of the drives (in the
Referee's manual, page 65) based on ship's mass and maneuver
number.  Notice that mass and volume increase linearly with ship's
mass, and exponentially with acceleration.

Maneuver drives take the most power of any ship's system.  (Well,
a jump drive takes a lot, too, but it's antenna is the entire 
ship's hull.)  This is because of the sheer quantity of energy
being converted.

When in use, maneuver drives leave tell-tale perturbations in 
space-time.  Sophisticated sensors can detect the slight 
perturbations in stellar signatures that indicate the passage
of a ship, and it's course.

- -----------------------------

Summary

Gravitics in the service of humaniti.  By TL 10, gravitics
are as ubiquitous as computers.  Every air raft, every ATV
(or AFV), every air craft, space craft, and starship use 
gravitics for propulsion.  Gravitics are great for hauling
and lifting heavy loads, and for medical assistance to the 
invalid.  And it all came about because spewing chemicals
into space is much too expensive a way to get anywhere.

  

- -------------------------------------------------------
Notes:

1.This equivalence courtesy A. Einstein.  
E=mC^2
says, mathematically, that mass (inertia) and 
energy are *equivalent* modified by a known
constant (the speed of light, C).


2.This calculation arrived a little later than
Einstein's.  Planck gave us E=hu with h being
a physical constant, and u being the frequency
of the wave being measured.  

But, frequency is (velocity/wavelength), so for
electromagnetic waves, E = hC/l with l being the
wavelength and C the speed of light.

For typical masses (grams - kilograms - tons), 
a typical wavelength for the energy composing
the matter is ~10^24 meters.  This is roughly
as many times smaller than an atom as an atom
is smaller than us.

Energy densities this high *cannot* exist in
normal space-time.  We can only speculate at
how they might actually interrelate in dimensions
we can't measure.  High-energy supercolliders
are attempts to release enough energy in a 
short period of time to hopefully catch some of
the affects of these interactions "in the act".


3.This is where I actually begin "honest" Mega-
Traveller speculation about what it all means.


4.A "g" is defined as the acceleration due to 
gravity at mean sea level on Terra 
(Solomani Rim/Sol 1827 A867A69-F).  This is
roughly 9.8 m/s/s.


5.Relativistic effects include time slowing down
(literally!) in some parts of the ship, disa-
greement at a molecular level what the length
and density of ship's (or crew's) members should
be, and so forth.  In general, "relativistic
effects" means we become totally uncertain about
everything; we can't "know" anything without
altering the conditions upon which we "know" it.


6.Actually, gravity decreases with the square of the
distance.  Newton's formula F=G(m*M/r^2) gives the
exact description of the force of attraction between
any two bodies, m and M at a distance r from each
other.  

This rapid fall off in the potential for hyperspace
interaction is serendipitous.  Imagine the trouble
at Capital if the Solomani figured out they could
cause space-time warping remotely because the 
interactions they tap into in hyperspace reach that
far...


7.To compute the length of the path, we first determine 
the radius of the circle (r) followed by the ship, 
using the general formula for centripetal acceleration
(a = v^2/r).  We assign a to 50 m/s/s (about 5-g) and
v to our ship's speed (13 km/s - roughly escape velocity).
Then:

r = v^2 / a
r = 13 km/s * 13 km/s / 0.05 km/s
r = 3380 km

Next, we use the formula for the circumference of a
circle to determine the length of the path travelled.
We cut our determined value in half because we only
travel half the circle.

d = 2 * pi * r
d = 0.5 (2 * 3.14159 * 3380)
d = 10 618 km

To determine the time it takes to travel this far, 
we use the formula

t = d / v
t = 10 618 km / 13 km/s
t = 817 s

If we  divide by 60 to get minutes, we arrive at
13.61 minutes to execute that U-turn.




-------- TML Message #629 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 629
Subject: MegaTraveller Discussion on rec.games.frp
Date: 16 Oct 89 12:11:58 PDT (Mon)
From: jamesp



Here's some of the recent discussion on (Mega)Traveller from
rec.games.frp.  Summary: Some people love it, others hate it.  I like to
provide this list with all the Traveller-related articles I see on the
frp newsgroup, as long as it could possibly be of wide interest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"

- ------- Forwarded Messages

Article: 15438 of rec.games.frp
Path: wrgate!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!milton!toby!wendigo
From: wendigo@uwav1.u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Traveller
Message-ID: <8393@uwav1.u.washington.edu>
Date: 12 Oct 89 21:20:34 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle WA
Lines: 20

Is it just me, or does everyone else actually like the Digest Group task
system that is used for MegaTravller and 2300AD (Which I actually like.
Anyone else out there actually play it?)?
 
I find the 4-point thresholds simply ludicrous, the stat add thresholds
(every 5!) silly as well, and while many aspects are covered, there sure
is a lot of dice rolling (and as far as I can tell, there are provisions
for critical failures but not critical successes).
 
I myself simply cannot stomach it (and consequently have been trying to
devise a replacement, with mixed success...), and I'm just curious if
there is something I am missing, or is this truly the state of the art?
 
- - --
 
     Death to Videodrome
     Long Live the New Flesh
     -------------------------
     Hans Visser
     wendigo@max.acs.washington.edu

- ------- Message 2

Article: 15457 of rec.games.frp
Path: wrgate!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uunet!bloom-beacon!primerd!choinski
From: choinski@primerd.prime.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Traveller
Message-ID: <40500024@primerd>
Date: 13 Oct 89 15:06:00 GMT
References: <8393@uwav1.u.washington.edu>
Lines: 76
Nf-ID: #R:uwav1.u.washington.edu:-839300:primerd:40500024:000:4338
Nf-From: primerd.prime.com!choinski    Oct 13 11:06:00 1989


|Is it just me, or does everyone else actually like the Digest Group task
|system that is used for MegaTravller and 2300AD (Which I actually like.
|Anyone else out there actually play it?)?
 
  (waving hand) ME!  ME!

|I find the 4-point thresholds simply ludicrous, the stat add thresholds
|(every 5!) silly as well, and while many aspects are covered, there sure
|is a lot of dice rolling (and as far as I can tell, there are provisions
|for critical failures but not critical successes).
 
  I use a slightly modified task system in 2300AD (don't play MT).  My task
  levels use steps of 2 (I.E. Trivial=1, Simple=3, Easy=5, Routine=7, 
  Challenging=9, Difficult=11, Hard=13, Formidable=15, Overwelming=17,
  Unreasonable=19, Near Impossible=21, Impossible=22) and I have shifted
  skill rolls to using 2d6 instead of 1d10 (the curve makes the difference
  between difficulties more reasonable).  I'm trying to figure out how to
  fit the hit locations table to 2d6 so I can dispense with d10's completely.

  Another change I made, mainly to the Melee Combat system, the the ability to
  choose your maneuvers.  Instead of striking at Routine all the time, you may
  choose to do a "Hard" strike, requiring a "Overwelming" block.  This allows
  those trained in the martial arts to perform those hard-to-stop strikes on
  the lesser trained.  A side note to this rule is that if you choose a more
  difficult strike, and you fail the skill roll, you are considered 
  "off-balance" and your next block is made at one level (2 point level)
  increased difficulty.  As a ref you can handle this system two ways:

     1) Descriptive: "I do a high snap kick to his head!"  "Ok, that's a 
        Difficult Strike"
     2) Specific: "I do a Challenging Punch"

  The first method adds more color to the game as the players come up with
  flashy kicks and punches, but forces the referee to make judgement calls
  on the actual difficulties.  The second is quicker, but pretty dry.

  I also use a slightly shifted attribute modifier chart.  It goes something
  like this:
   
    Level Mod       Level Mod        Level Mod        Level Mod
       1   -6          7   -1          13    0          19   +2
       2   -5          8   -1          14   +1          20   +3
       3   -4          9   -1          15   +1          21   +3
       4   -3         10    0          16   +1          22   +3
       5   -2         11    0          17   +2          23   +4
       6   -2         12    0          18   +2          24   +4

  Example:  Joe Scout is walking though the woods, making geographic notes when
  he suddenly spots a Kafer mob heading toward his position.  Since running
  would alert them to his presence, he decides to hit the bushes and hide.
  There is no "Hiding" skill -- it's simply a matter of choosing the right 
  place and being quiet.  Joe is reasonably Intelligent (14) and has a skill of
  2 in Survival.  He must make an Uncertain task roll to find the right cover.
  The ref decides that given the fact he can't move very far, but given the
  amount of cover available, it is a Routine task.  Joe get to add 2 for his
  skill and +1 for his intelligence for a 4+ for success.  If both he and the
  referee roll 4+, he's well hidden from simply being seen.  If either Joe or
  the ref fail their roll, he's hidden, but could be spotted (his butt's 
  sticking out or something.  If both fail, this turkey is trying to hide 
  behind a sapling.  If Joe did not have a skill in survival, He would have to
  make a challenging task roll, adding ONLY his intelligence modifier.

|I myself simply cannot stomach it (and consequently have been trying to
|devise a replacement, with mixed success...), and I'm just curious if
|there is something I am missing, or is this truly the state of the art?
 
  The Task system is okay, you just have to tweak it a bit here and there.
  Once a few changes are made it works fine.

- - -============================================================================-
 Burton Choinski                                       choinski@env.prime.com
   Prime Computer, Inc.                                  (508) 879-2960 x3233
   Framingham, Ma.  01701
 Disclaimer:  Hey, not me man; musta been my evil twin.
- - -============================================================================-

- ------- Message 3

Article: 15467 of rec.games.frp
Path: wrgate!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!marina!davisp
From: davisp@marina.CWRU.EDU (Palmer Davis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Traveller
Message-ID: <823@cwjcc.CWRU.Edu>
Date: 14 Oct 89 04:10:38 GMT
References: <8393@uwav1.u.washington.edu>
Sender: news@cwjcc.CWRU.Edu
Reply-To: davisp@marina.UUCP (Palmer Davis)
Organization: Smith Undergrad Lab, CWRU, Cleve., OH
Lines: 85

In article <8393@uwav1.u.washington.edu> wendigo@uwav1.u.washington.edu writes:
>Is it just me, or does everyone else actually like the Digest Group task
>system that is used for MegaTravller and 2300AD (Which I actually like.
>Anyone else out there actually play it?)?
> 

Well, since I think it's absolutely the greatest thing since sliced toast, 
I suppose the answer to that question would be yes.

>I find the 4-point thresholds simply ludicrous, the stat add thresholds
>(every 5!) silly as well, and while many aspects are covered, there sure
>is a lot of dice rolling (and as far as I can tell, there are provisions
>for critical failures but not critical successes).
>

You must be playing with the old Digest Group version of the rules (published
in GRAND SURVEY, GRAND CENSUS, and TRAVELLER: 2300), which makes you make a
"failure roll" whenever you fail.  The new version of the task system, which
appears in MEGATRAVELLER (and, presumably, 2300 AD, although I haven't seen
the new edition), eliminates half the die rolling by replacing the failure
roll with rules for exceptional success and exceptional failure.  (This also
addresses the other gripe you had.)  

In the new system, whenever you succeed by more than 2, it's an exceptional
success.  When you fail by more than 2, it's an exceptional failure.  (I
say "more than 2," but it's really 2+, which I feel is too small a margin).
A natural 2 is still always a fumble.  Exceptional failure on a hazardous
task or ordinary failure on a fateful task results in a 2D mishap.  Fumbling 
a hazardous task, or getting exceptional failure on a task that is both
hazardous AND fateful, results in a 3D mishap.  The rules don't say this 
either, but I suppose that you could make a case for rolling four dice on
the mishap table if you fumble a haz/fate task....

As for the 4-point separation between difficulty levels, I frequently find
myself applying arbitrary -1, +1, or +2 modifiers to some tasks as a means
of "fine-tuning" them in specific cases.  These modifiers get added in on
an ad hoc basis for specific cases of tasks and don't go in my task library
(except in unusual cases...).  They let me fine-tune the difficulty of 
individual attempts to get the right balance.  But I wouldn't publish them 
in an adventure or supplement -- the levels they give are supposed to be
general guidelines, not straitjackets.  They work well for me, at least.  A 
typical pilot, for example, with a Dex of 7 and a Pilot skill of 2, making a
Routine, Pilot, Dex check will succeed on a 4+... whereas someone with no
skill needs a 10 or better.  Seems about right to me.

As for the 5-point characteristic bonuses, I like the way they balance out
too as they give characters with superior abilities an edge, but not so much
that they dominate the game.  Remember -- this is Traveller, not AD&D.  The
power curve between strong and weak characters is supposed to be MUCH flatter.
As it stands, you get a +1 on attempts if you have an ability of 10+, and a
- - -1 if you have an ability of 4-, as compared to the average Joe.  In the 
original edition, most die rolls that were affected by abilities started to
hand bonuses or penalties out at somewhere around these levels.
 
>I myself simply cannot stomach it (and consequently have been trying to
>devise a replacement, with mixed success...), and I'm just curious if
>there is something I am missing, or is this truly the state of the art?
> 

I'm finding I have a hard time stomaching anything else any more.  I seem
to be having the opposite experience you are with this... instead of causing
a lot of die rolling, the task system I've been using eliminates most of the
die rolling I've had to do (except in cases of fumbles).  Unless the players
are worried about time or a mishap occurs, every task rides on a single die
roll, which can be very rapidly calculated.  

The whole idea behind the task system is that you should be able to easily
memorize it, and apply it without really worrying about mechanics.  The system
lets me take my hands off the mechanics and worry about creating a challenging
adventure and realistic settings and NPC's and not the rules of running the
game.  And the sorts of things the system lets you do replace several pages of
new rules for each new task.  I love it.  Star Wars does something similar
with its standard difficulty levels and equally simple mechanics.  

My one gripe about MegaTraveller is its damage system.  PC's can take too
much punishment from guns, not enough from melee weapons.  I get around this 
by dividing each damage value for a weapon by 3 (retaining fractions) and 
applying it as 2300-style damage.

- - -- Palmer Davis --


Palmer T. Davis                  |  The opinions expressed herein are my own
Case Western Reserve University  |  and do not necessarily represent the truth.
davisp@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu    |  Flame away to your heart's content.

- ------- Message 4

Article: 15468 of rec.games.frp
Path: wrgate!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!leah!bingvaxu!sunybcs!boulder!pikes!udenva!isis!csm9a!sfellows
From: sfellows@csm9a.UUCP (5 CR)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Traveller
Summary: task system very good
Message-ID: <1963@csm9a.UUCP>
Date: 13 Oct 89 16:18:17 GMT
References: <8393@uwav1.u.washington.edu>
Organization: Colorado School of Mines
Lines: 31

In article <8393@uwav1.u.washington.edu>, wendigo@uwav1.u.washington.edu writes:
> Is it just me, or does everyone else actually like the Digest Group task
> system that is used for MegaTravller and 2300AD (Which I actually like.
> Anyone else out there actually play it?)?
>  
> I find the 4-point thresholds simply ludicrous, the stat add thresholds
> (every 5!) silly as well, and while many aspects are covered, there sure
> is a lot of dice rolling (and as far as I can tell, there are provisions
> for critical failures but not critical successes).
>  
> I myself simply cannot stomach it (and consequently have been trying to
> devise a replacement, with mixed success...), and I'm just curious if
> there is something I am missing, or is this truly the state of the art?
>  
Yes, you are missing something.  First off there are critical successes:
In combat, if you have a powerful enough weapon, you can make an instant kill.
The four point thresholds are decent and in my campaign they work.  As for
the stat add thresholds of every five, yeah, they are crap.  What I do is
modify the modifier by substracting two or three (I am just trying it recently).
This way if you have very low stats it hurts you, which seems a little more
realistic.  I do like the task system, because it makes for a consistent system
for determining whether you have accomplished something.  It allows for better
roleplaying because it gives the players a better idea of what the likelihood
of accomplishing a task would be. (I would give an examle, but right now I 
am in a hurry.)

As for 2300AD... Do I like it? Well, yes. I have a 2300AD campaign which is
over a year old going very well right now.

Steven B. Fellows
sfellows@csm9a.colorado.edu



-------- TML Message #630 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 630
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 89 13:01:39 -0700
From: (Happiness is a Goal in Sight and a Path Underfoot) baranski@yoda.enet.dec.COM
Subject: gravitics handwaving


RE: very long file about gravitics.

Very interesting...  But it seems like an awful lot of handwaving to explain
something that should be very simple.  I'd much prefer discussion on how to
make the subject reasonable and simple, then handwaving on how to make it
complicated... :-)

Jim Baranski
DEC Tewksbury MA



-------- TML Message #631 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 631
Subject: Taxes
Date: Mon Oct 16 14:33:12 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



How about some discussion of taxes?  What are the tax rates across
the Imperium?  How are taxes collected?  What devious methods have
been devised to get people to "volunteer" some portion of their
just (or unjust) profit?

How does a small-time operator deal with differnt governments, taxes,
and probably weights and measures, as he/she ploys commerce around
the many worlds?  Is there a widley accepted bookkeeping method?

Richard




-------- TML Message #632 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 632
From: (Steven J Owens) scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 1:41:21 EDT
Subject: Space Habitats (was Re: Gravitics...)


	I think Space Habitats can be used very nicely for a campaign setting
(although at the moment I'm biased, having just finished _Vacuum_Flowers_).
I also think that they will rarely show up in traveller campaigns.  Personally,
I think the Imperium is too friggin' big!  The GM should pick a nice-sized
chunk and flesh it out a lot (detail on each world, sprinkle a few space
habitats and curiosities around, etc).  Back to the subject...

	Two good books for Space Habitat background:  Christopher Rowley's
_Starhammer_ and Michael Swanwick's _Vacuum_Flowers_.  The latter is cyber-
punk, and has space habitats ranging from orbiting cans to dyson worlds to
cometary settlments.  It's a good book which I highly reccomend for reading for
personal pleasure, and it could serve as a nice little unusual but highly
fleshed out system for Traveller (hmm... that's an idea, take fifty or a
hundred of your favorite SF books and "place" them in a chunk of imperial
space, either carefully subsituting for near matches or merely putting them
where you like...).
 
	The problem with Vacuum Flowers is that it is cyberpunk, and much of
the material of the world therein might not match your traveller campaign,
especially the wetware (computer-brain enhancements) and the apparent dichotomy
of technology (wetware, but their space travel is pretty weak, and interstellar
travel non-existent).  You might get around this by making the citizens very
humanoid aliens (but their brain structure is different enough to allow them to
easily use wetware, while normal humans cannot) or by making the fancy tech
VERY dependent upon the rest of the society's technology (either because it is
not compatible with tech from other systems, or because it reli

From jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com Wed Oct 18 05:56:55 1989
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Date: 17 Oct 89 12:19:44 PDT (Tue)
From: James T Perkins <jamesp%dadla.wr.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET>
Status: R




-------- TML Message #633 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 633
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Some ruminations
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 9:36:49 EDT


Hi gang,

I was mulling over the idea of warm up times for starship power plants and I 
came to the following thoughts:

Warm up time is going to be highly dependant on the size, age, and maintenance
record of the power plant in question.  Larger, older, and less maintained 
power plants are going to take longer to come on line than a smaller, newer,
well maintained power plant.  

I think of my 77 Plymouth Volare station wagon.  It has a "slant 6" engine in
it, a medium size, very reliable motor.  Because it is old and its previous 
owner didn't take very good care of it, it tends to be a little 
cantankerous in the morning.   A freind of mine has a souped up Chevy (size of 
motor unknown, just very souped!) and because it is a complex beasty it 
doesn't want to start on any but the nicest day and it complains at that!

What is my point?  I am just trying to say that you really can't have a hard 
fast set of rules about starships run up times.   I think a great deal of 
flexibility has to be applied to the question.


Pete

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */


	(**** Transaction from an old campaign *******)
	GM: Your 100T scout is currently surrounded by 150+ Vargr 
	fighters.  Your turret fire control system has failed.  
	What are you going to do next?

	Player: CHARRRRGE!!!




-------- TML Message #634 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 634
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 11:53:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: (Eric Edward Moore) em21+@andrew.cmu.edu
Subject: Taxes


A while ago, I asked a friend of mine, who knows a lot more about 
economics than I do, and is also an avid Traveller player to help me
come up with a way the interstellar taxation system works.
This is how I/we work it.
	1) The imperium takes a slice from the military spending of
		all member planets to help pay for the navy etc.
	2) Most if not all planets have their own internal taxation 
		(income taxes/property taxes etc.)
	3) The Imperium prohibits import duties on all member planets
		except for small income tarrifs, which are
		discouraged.
	4) The imperium imposes a value-added tax on all manufacturing
		on Hi-Pop worlds.

Mostly we find that your average wandering free trader does not have
to pay too much in the way of taxes, as 1 and 4 don't apply to them at
all, and they rearely have to pay income taxes at home and the tarrifs
can be assumed to be built into the price system.  There are always
exceptions. "What do you mean I owe seven years back income tax I
haven't been here in seven years.  Oh yeah, you gave me citizenship
didn't you?"

	-Love Kisses and a Neutron Bomb
		-Eric the Finn



-------- TML Message #635 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 635
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 11:56:06 EDT
From: (Dan Corrin) dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: Black holes


This subject came up (Actually I brought it up :-)) on the star system 
generation group, and I was wondering about everone's opinion on this:

What does everyone assume about stellar phenomenon? There has never been a
place for generating black holes, neutron stars, nebula, dust clouds, 
pulsars etc. in the rules.

I have always assumed that there were a lot more stars than are actually drawn
on the map. The other "unmapped" stars would only be of passing interest to 
Scientists (1 month research trips and unmanned montioring probes). All of 
these "stars" would have two things in common:
a) no fuel to speak of (interstellar hydrogen, occasionaly a comet or two) 
b) no solid surfaces to put bases or other strucures on.

Therefore they are not placed on the maps as jumpspace effectively ignores 
everything between the entry/exit points (The navigator worries about 
them and their possible influence but not anyone else).

I seem to recall some rules (Leviathin/Zhodani module? I'm going to have to
bring my rules into work...) That seemed to make it extraordinarily difficult
to map the area that you are in. I believe that even with today's
technology, we could map the majority of the imperium without leaving earth
(albeit only star locations).
This inconsistancy (as I see it) could be accounted for if there was other
stellar objects that are not of interest.

	-Dan

						Dan Corrin
	dan@engrg.uwo.ca			System Manager
	D.Corrin@uwo.ca				Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
	Unbeliever@uwovax.BITNET		University of Western Ontario
	...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan		London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5B9
						(519) 661-3834





-------- TML Message #636 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 636
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 11:32:30 EDT
From: (Greg Givler - QA) givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM
Subject: Re:  Taxes



>Subject: Taxes
>Date: Mon Oct 16 14:33:12 1989
>Message-Id: <8910161433.AA23308@agora.hf.intel.com>
>From: Richard Johnson <richard@agora.hf.intel.com>
>
>How about some discussion of taxes?  What are the tax rates across
>the Imperium?  How are taxes collected?  What devious methods have
>been devised to get people to "volunteer" some portion of their
>just (or unjust) profit?
>
>Richard

Any follow-ups to TAXES, please send them to me for inclusion in the
Trade and Commerce digest.

Also did everyone get a copy of the latest one Vol 8.

If not let me know. it was the begining of a replacement system 
for Trade and Commerce.

Greg

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Givler                        Q-Link: GregGivler
QA Analyst                         CompuServe: Greg Givler 76702,647
Commodore QA (Software)            GEnie: G.Givler
215-431-9100                       INTERNET: givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Life is pain, Highness, anyone who says differently is selling something"
 - The Dread Pirate Roberts -- The Princess Bride
===============================================================================




-------- TML Message #637 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 637
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 09:51 EDT
From: 09NILLES%CUA.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Old fashoned rockets


Here is something that I occured to me on this great discussion about trying
to get bast the 6-G barrior.  What ever happened to the good old fashoned
ROCKET!!.  They aren't bothered by any warping in the time/space/whatever
fields.  They just shoot and shoot.  I would be intersted to see if someone
can come up with a viable versions.  They would obviously be limmeted to
ships about 600t and smaller simply because they would take up so much room.
Admittedly their main disadvantage would be size.  But they have two advantages
and that is:a) alows you to use a manuever 6 plus the rockets to get that total
of manuever 12.  b) cost.  They would still be cheaper per manuever then a
manuever drive.  Though another disadvantage is a wpn hitting the O2 tanks.
plus they couldn't be fully refueled at a gass giant. Minor things, but when
you need that extra burst of speed in the middle of combat.

Another minor problem is getting the inerial compensators to work for those high
G's.  but then again modern fighter pilots regularly are under sustained 5-6G
manuevers.  Then bring in the 6G compensators would bring the 12G acceleration
to a simple 6G felling for the crew and passengers.

Yea I know some of this doesn't make sense, but when you right on the fly, not
everything can work out perfectly.

dave
09nilles@cua.bitnet



-------- TML Message #638 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 638
From: (Adrian Hurt) adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: gravitics handwaving
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 19:03:33 BST



Jim Baranski writes:
> RE: very long file about gravitics.
> 
> Very interesting...  But it seems like an awful lot of handwaving to explain
> something that should be very simple.  I'd much prefer discussion on how to
> make the subject reasonable and simple, then handwaving on how to make it
> complicated... :-)

Well, the simplest method is as follows.

Grav-plates utilise gravity-type forces to overcome the 'real' gravity
produced by a planet, and to provide thrust. Repulsors use similar forces
to keep enemy missiles away. What's their theory of operation? I don't know,
go and ask a gravitics scientist!

After all, how many computer users could give you a detailed account of just
how little lumps of silicon deliberately made impure to create junctions
can do what computers do? Do many jet fighter pilots have any knowledge of
the chemistry of jet fuel? Do many starship pilots really know the inside
story of their manoeuvre drives?

If the PC's want to make life difficult for the referee by going and asking a
gravitic scientist, then the scientist (after giving them an appointment -
he's got more important things to do, after all) gives them a nice long lecture
involving enough 3rd order differential equations to make them sick of
gravitics for the rest of their lives.

Almost all SF has some kind of sufficiently advanced technology to make the
story interesting - in Traveller, it's gravitics, nuclear dampers and jump
drives. It isn't really necessary to come up with long explanations of how it
all works. As far as the PC is concerned, all that is important is that it
does work, or that he/she can apply a suitable skill to repair it if it
doesn't.

Or, if you must invent long explanations for everything in order for it to
be plausible for you, then you'll have to also write long essays on just
what is involved in such skills as Starship Tactics, Demolition, Admin, and
all the rest. And no cheating by saying "Well, such things are understood,
but I'm not an expert".

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk



-------- TML Message #639 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 639
From: (Bart Massey) bart@fatal.tv.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: Gravitics
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 15:01:39 PDT


[I changed the subject line to be more meaningful than "Digest #xxx" --
James]

> It is critical, especially in jump-capable vessels to have
> space-time as smooth as possible in and around the ship.  The
> amount space-time is warped represents how much is not known
> about the ship's present position, or its destination.

> In general, "relativistic effects" means we become totally
> uncertain about everything; we can't "know" anything without
> altering the conditions upon which we "know" it.

I'm not sure what you mean by all this, but I think you may
be confusing space-time distortion with Heisenberg
uncertainty.  The former is a relativistic effect, and the
latter a quantum mechanical one.

One of the beautiful features of Einstein's formulation of
special and general relativity is that the effects of
space-time distortion are deterministic, in the same sense
that classical mechanics is deterministic:  If you have
complete information about the state of a system at time T,
you can perfectly calculate its state at all future times
T+t.  (Note that the notion of time here *is* a little
confusing -- suffice it to say that any relativistic system
is completely causal, i.e. time flows forward only, and that
it is always possible to synchronize all the "local clocks"
to any causal "master clock", which you can then think of as
"the" clock...)  Indeed, for any reasonably advanced society,
the calculations shouldn't be much more difficult.

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle is a fundamental feature
of quantum mechanics.  Quantum mechanics, unlike relativity,
is a completely non-deterministic theory:  Even if you could
have complete information about the state of a system at time
T, you could only calculate the *probability* of the system
being in some other specified state at time T+t.  (In fact,
for *any* state, the probability of the system moving to that
state is nonzero -- just so low that it will "never" happen
in the expected lifetime of this universe!).  But
Heisenberg's principle says that you can't ever even
*acquire* complete information about the state of a QM
system.  In particular, let the probability that a particle
has a given velocity be P(v), and the probability that it has
a given position be P(x).  Then P(x)P(v) <= C, where C is a
magic constant.  Thus, the more certain you are about *where*
a particle is, the less certain you are about where it's
going, and vice-versa.

Thus, the above-quoted statements probably should invoke QM,
or even QCD, the merger of QM with relativistics.  However,
this opens up a whole 'nother nasty can of worms for the
gravitics theorist...

Comments or criticisms, anyone?  I'm sure there's some real
howler lurking in my comments somewhere... :-)

					Bart Massey
					..tektronix!videovax.tv.tek.com!bart
					..tektronix!reed.bitnet!bart




-------- TML Message #640 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 640
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 16:42:27 EDT
From: (Dan Corrin) dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: Re:  Taxes


<Richard> 
> How about some discussion of taxes?  What are the tax rates across
> the Imperium?  How are taxes collected?  What devious methods have
> been devised to get people to "volunteer" some portion of their
> just (or unjust) profit?
> 

There is some interesting information about taxes in Trillion Credit
Squardon. There is a section on incomes from planets for a campaign game.
If I remember correctly the revenue was 500 Cr per person modified by
government and state of hostilites. This represents just the naval budget.
(Hence the importance of high population worlds to the factions in the
imperium. I have always presumed that this naval budget is split between
the local, Subsector and imperial navys. In this case the imperium gets
money for its fleet in return for protecting the planet (The only thing
the Imperium seems to do for local planets). This implies that the imperium
gets its cut from the locals, but doesn't care how they come up with it in the
first place. In this case the planetary government can call on Imperial/Subsector 
forces to help retrieve tax money from citizens or visitors who are reluctant to 
pay.
At 500 Cr per person just for the military (navy), the average family of four
pays 2000Cr per year, then we add in local taxes for the government, which vary
but I usualy use 4x this amount. Resulting in a net Cr8,000 per year. (If I 
remember correctly some crew members only make Cr1,000 a month. - They better not
have large families!)
To answer your questions directly. The imperial portion would be the same,
across the imperium, (but the locals may not collect it equally). Taxes are
collected according to the government type of the planet in question.
Deviousness doesn't have to come into it. If you don't pay duty etc. no trading
impounding of ship/cargo, etc. (This does bring into question who the full-time
starship crews pay their taxes to?)

> 
> How does a small-time operator deal with differnt governments, taxes,
> and probably weights and measures, as he/she ploys commerce around
> the many worlds?  Is there a widley accepted bookkeeping method?
> 
If you are dealing at a starport, the imperial reguations regarding
trade would be used (another service provided to the planet!) And a standard
mechanism for payment of taxes, calcualting weights (eg. Imperial Litre :-)),
and paperwork. If you are dealing outside of the starport, you had better have
a good legal skill. (A good incentive to always use the port facilities, even
if there is a slight charge...)

			-Dan Corrin

By the way. If you calculate the income from the high population worlds, in the
Imperium, a fleet of 11000 BatRons can be easily maintained.



-------- TML Message #641 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 641
Subject: Re: Black holes 
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 89 22:15:29 PDT
From: (Leonard Erickson) leonard@tessi.UUCP


I remember checking some of this out once. The Traveller rules have stars
spaced approximately correctly. (Ie ave seperation in the range of a parsec
or two).

The problem is that the distribution of stellar types is such that the vast
majority of star are class M dwarfs. These require space based observatories
to locate if they are even a sector away! 

At least it is fairly simple to determine stellar positions given a medium
sized (say 20 inch?) scope on a jump capable ship. Do a full 360 degree
photo survey. Do a Jump-1. Take a second set of photos. Run them thru the
computers to see which images moved and how much. Plot the positions. 
Continue.

Black holes and neutron stars require a supernova to form. These require rather
large (and thankfully rare!) stars. I've seen estimates that place the lethal
radiation zone around a supernova at 15-30 parsecs. So a supernova would *kill*
a sector in all directions! The effects include what amounts to a massive
EMP. So unless your whole planet is using Fiber backup electronics...

We do have a small nebula down in the Aslan area. Except for the small
nebula ("planetary" nebulas) they tend to be sub-sector to sector size. It's
not surprising that there are so few in the mapped areas.

An old neutron star or a "brown dwarf" would have interesting possiblities.
A brown dwarf might be able to keep a small *very* close in planet warm enough
to be habitable. And it would be dim enough that it might not have been mapped.
This would make a great adventure....

"The pirate base *has* to be close! Those ships can only do jump-2."
"But there isn't anything that close..."  :-)




-------- TML Message #642 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 642
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 89 10:48:45 EDT
From: (Dan Corrin) dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: Re: Black holes


<Leonard> 
> I remember checking some of this out once. The Traveller rules have stars
> spaced approximately correctly. (Ie ave seperation in the range of a parsec
> or two).
Yes, but the average seperation is also in 3D space, so we are losing a number
of stars for our 2D representation. There can be many excuses for this
simplification, but as I mentioned, I assume that these other stars are not
interesting, and (for a simple model) vertical movement is unnecessary.
> 
> The problem is that the distribution of stellar types is such that the vast
> majority of star are class M dwarfs. These require space based observatories
> to locate if they are even a sector away! 
The charts for star creation do not give this distribution, and a viewing a 
sector at a time is good data collection, unlike the core exploration rules
in the Zhodani module.
> ...Do a full 360 degree photo survey. Do a Jump-1. Take a second set of photos. 
> Run them thru the computers to see which images moved...
Perhaps a Jump-6 or two would survey the area faster.
> 
> Black holes and neutron stars require a supernova to form. These require rather
> ... So a supernova would *kill*
> a sector in all directions! The effects include what amounts to a massive
> EMP. So unless your whole planet is using Fiber backup electronics...
The supernova doesn't bother us if it occured 500 Million years ago, there is
no data on the density of black holes as they are so difficult to detect, there
could be ones lingering arond from the big bang (assuming you subscribe to
that theory). There could be a blackhole/neturon star in every sector, or even
every subsector without any having been formed since the time of the Ancients.

Your last point was very good...i think I'll use it in my next campaign...

		-Dan

    dan@engrg.uwo.ca				Dan Corrin
    D.Corrin@uwo.ca				System Manager
    Unbeliever@uwovax.BITNET			Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
    ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan		University of Western Ontario
"That Lame-braned freeway idea could only	London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5B9
be cooked up by a 'toon" -Eddie (Rodger Rabbit)	(519) 661-3834
 






-------- TML Message #643 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 643
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 89 10:27 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: on "invisible" star systems



A nuclear astrophysicist's view of Dan Corrin's query:

>From a Traveller standpoint, all of the unusual stellar phenomena about which 
he's wondered are utterly unimportant. Why? Two reasons: scales of stellar
population, and the distribution and density of unusual star types. 

The population distribution of stars with respect to size, age, and light/heat 
output (i.e. luminosity) is a well-understood function, essentially an 
exponential "pyramid" with the brightest stars at the top and the dimmest at
the bottom. For every fairly bright star such as Sirius, there are hundreds
and hundreds of dim red or brown dwarfs like Barnard's Star; for every very
bright star like Acrux, there are hundreds of Siriuses. The problem with the
current star system generation tables is that if they reflected the true
population distribution of stars in the primary galactic medium, they'd bore
the average gamer to tears, because on a 3D6 table you'd need to roll a 3 or
an 18 to get anything other than a red dwarf, and then you'd have to roll a 3
or an 18 to get anything in spectral class any higher than F, and so on. From
the point of view of a "pointillistic" star system setup like Traveller or
2300 (i.e., we can only go so far before our engines poop out, so every star
system becomes an important stepping stone), the universe becomes an
intricately detailed and dishwater-dull place. |-> [In all fairness, a
"wide-dispersion" game like Space Opera (i.e., our drives have infinite speed
and range so we can pick and choose which worlds we settle) tends to lean
heavily on bizarre systems and unlikely planetary groups; hence the
Space-Opera nature of the game, where if there's no air to breathe normally
outside your Laser-Blazer stellar interceptor craft when you crashland on
Xymox IV, it MUST be a plot device.] In other words, it's unreasonable to ask
Traveller for a "more realistic" star system population distribution; if it
got any more realistic we'd die of boredom, and as it is its departures from
reality are vital if we're to have more than a fistful of inhabitable worlds
in the 11000 star systems of the Imperium. 

The fallacy in Dan's argument is as follows: Why shouldn't it be possible to 
see everything we need to chart, he asks, considering the fact that we can see 
so much just from Earth with today's telescopes? The fact is, we really can't 
see very much at all! Our vision relies on apparent luminosity, a quantity 
which is heavily dependent on temperature and proximity in a synergistic 
fashion. What this means is that while we see a mixture of red, orange, 
yellow, white, and blue-white stars in our sky, they by no means reflect true 
stellar populations: nearly half of the red dwarfs that we know of can be fit
on the Traveller:2300 Near Star Map with its 50-light-year radius, and the 
bright star Deneb in Cygnus, 1600 miles distant, is used as an example of a 
one-of-a-kind bright star in a stellar population not only by us, but by the 
Vilani as they ply the routes of the First Imperium not far from where we sit, 
by the Aslan as they make their first tentative steps toward the Tlaukhu, by 
the Vargr as they howl their unanswered questions to the moons of Lair, and to 
the Droyne as they look up from their mud huts and beg Yaskoydray to come 
back. As a bright star, Deneb stands alone; the star charts of the Imperium 
reflect this. The Solomani Rim chart features many stars of lesser but still 
bright magnitude; that's because we know they exist. In the neighborhood of 
Terra there are three dozen tiny red stars that we can see; if we extrapolate 
this to the rest of the galaxy, we assume that each yellow star is surrounded 
by red ones, and each yellow-star community is part of a cluster that 
surrounds a white star, and so on. 

The Near Star Map, by the way, is lifted from an excellent reference on this 
sort of thing, the Gliese Catalogue of Near Stars, including the Van 
Biesbroeck catalogue, the Ross and Wolf star lists, the American Catalogue, 
and the little-known but very worthwhile Vyssotsky listing of red stars, which
cites a lot of bizarre little details about some of our nearest neighbors; the
true interest in the piddling dwarfs in our back yard comes not from their
size and heat but from their odd behavior. Many are actually multiple star
systems, with companions too small to see; others are variables that flare up
from time to time in bursts of killing heat. There's a lot of interest here,
but one has to dig for it. 

And what about nebulae, neutron stars, and black holes? Forget them. They're
so rare and distantly spaced, and so noisy by their presence, that in the era
of Traveller we'd probably know about many times as many of them as we do
now, but the new ones we'd have found would all be even further away from us
than the ones we know now. There are fewer than a hundred pulsars in our sky,
and none of them is closer than the Crab, which is (I think; let me look it 
up) beyond the range of the Imperium's survey maps. The three X-ray sources
believed to be black holes, Cygnus X-1 and X-3 and Scorpius X-1, are even
further distant, their companions blue supergiants that dwarf even Deneb. It's
just not feasible to try to generate them randomly; they'd never come up in a
local area like ours. (There is the possibility of localized dark matter, like
brown dwarfs and black holes without companions, but the former would barely
perturb a jump route unless they happened to move through EXACTLY the path of
a jumping ship, which is ridiculously unlikely, and the latter don't make much
sense from a cosmological standpoint.) 

It's my opinion that the star system generators should stick to areas where 
any number of guesses might be perfectly okay, as in planetary groupings; we 
only have one system on which to base our guesses as of now, and it'll be a 
couple of centuries before we get out to Agidda and learn differently from the 
Vilani. In terms of creating stellar groupings, it's unreasonable to have more 
than a miniscule chance of anything more unusual than a single or multiple 
main-sequence star group. Giants, maybe once in a great while; Supergiants, 
almost never; Black holes, no way.

I hope this clears up the question; if not, then I've bored an AWFUL lot of 
people. I'll be glad to argue this point with anyone who thinks I'm wrong from 
a standpoint of realism, but have your references ready: I have mine. As for a 
game-fun standpoint, I believe in doing what needs to be done, of course, but 
there are a lot of ways to spice up a new sector than to sprinkle Wolf-Rayet 
and RR Lyrae stars everywhere just to freak out navigators....

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #586:
Traveller Mailing List Historian| 
				| Politely inform an Imperial Marine that 
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| there are clinics for treating people who
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		| look like him....




-------- TML Message #644 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 644
Subject: Cold Iron starts
Date: Sun Oct 15 19:15:21 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)


When I was in the Coast Guard, we had three general readiness levels,
called "alpha", "bravo", and "charlie".  Within each readiness level
was a number identifying time before we could actually leave the pier.

The cutter I was on would typically be assigned a "bravo-6" condition
when in port.  This meant no one could be further away than would let
them get back to the ship, be at their duty station, and have all their
assigned areas ready to leave within 6 hours.  Usually this was within
3 hours of the base.

Alpha periods were almost always assigned to short-endurance boats.  The
readiness level depended on the weather and expected activity (they would
be expected to respond more quickly on say, memorial day, when there 
was a lot of (drunk) people boating).  IF there were a storm warning, or
whatever, typical response time was from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.  The
longest "alpha" I ever heard of was 2 hours.

Charlie periods were typically time spent in the yard.  No one expected
the ship to get underway at all.  There was some fiction about being
able to get underway within two weeks.  Of course you can guess how 
likely this is if you're in dry dock, with engines dismantled, part
of the hull removed, and half the ship's wiring stripped out.

Richard



-------- TML Message #645 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 645
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 89 11:42:20 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!gslisa!gsliss!jcunning@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: taxes




A couple of thoughts tumble forth from my recolletions of days long ago:

1. A fellow High Passage writer once asked Marc Miller about
taxes once when we were at a convention. He wanted an idea of 
how such a system would work and how to incorporate it into the
game if it would make a difference in some gaming situations.
Marc grimmaced, made various gurgling noises, sat silently for a
few seconds, and then finally suggested that we foget the whole
thing as it would be a lot of work to figure out such a system and
it would only add marginal things to the game. He stated that for 
official purposes, we should consider taxes factored into the game
system.


2. Re: taxes and Trillion Credit Squadron: There is also a taxes
system in good old Striker, and the two are very, very different.
I remember computing a budget for a medium sized world using the
Striker system (or was it TCS?) and computing that the world would
be able to build and maintain several hundred Tigress class 500,000
ton dreadnoughts per year. This discovery was very humorous, as
we were designing the Old Expanses Fleet at the time. We figured
that using the official rules we could easily build a fleet that
could take the rest of the Imperium by force with no trouble.
Mr. Miller was not amused by the fact that the design rules made
this possible, and told us to more or les ignore the system.


				Jim Cunningham
				Traveller Relic








-------- TML Message #646 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 646
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 06:11:28 EDT
From: (wilson m liaw) macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu


A
aggressiveness 55, 75
air/raft 7, 45, 46, 48
albedo 4
alien races, see sentients
survey, analysis 7
Ancients 9, 15, 16
archeology 16
archipelagoes 88
Aslan 15
Assiniboia 53
asteroids, see planetoids 
atmosphere-related details 53, 64-68
atmospheres
    common gas mixes 54
    composition 53, 64
    corrosive 40, 53, 54
    gaming effects 93
    exotic 54
    exotic irritant 54
    insidious 54
    surface pressure 55, 64
    surface temp 54, 55
authority, government 78, 79
axial tilt 52, 55, 63, 66

B
balkinized worlds 78
base surface temperature 55
base temperature 65
belt zones 53
binary stars 67
binoculars, image convertor 21
binoculars, PRIS 22
biological activity 24
bioscanner (sniffer) 24
bridge crew 5
bureaucracy 3

C
carbonaceous zone (c-zone) 53
cargo, transport of 25
character generation note 33
chemical analysis (sniffer) 7
cities 55, 89
    large 72
    medium large 73
    moderate-sized 73
    orbital 55, 74
    primary 74
    secondary 74
    small 73
    tertiary 74
    very large 72
    very small 73
Cleon (emperor) 9, 13
communications office, emblem 7
communicator, commdots 30
communicator, handheld 29
communicator, remote earpiece 31
contact and liaison branch 6
continents 70, 87
Corridor 0806 (Antiquity) 15
cultures 2, 6, 7, 16, 95
customs 16, 75-77

D
data display headset 33
day, effects 66
Deneb 2713 (Wal-ta-ka) 12
densitometer 2, 4, 5, 11
densitometer, handheld 19
density 11, 52, 60
deserts 89
diagnosis, injury and sickness 23
diameter 60
die rolling conventions 1
Donosev 1, 3, 5, 45, 48
    plans 50-51
dressing habits 75
Droyne 15
Dulinor 5

E
eating habits 76
EMS array 4, 5
    active 10
    passive 10
energy absorption 65
English (Anglic) 15
executive branch 56
exotic atms 53
exploration 1
    emblem 7
    forming a party 7
    missions 6
    Scout office 2, 6
extensiveness 56, 75

F
family practices 76
fauna 2, 6
fines (for crimes) 94
First Imperium 9, 15
First Grand Survey 48
floater 25
flora 2, 6
forests 89

G
g-carrier 46-48
g-tube 43, 46
Galanglic 9, 15
gamma, definition 11
gas giants 2, 4, 53, 60
    atmosphere 53
    brown dwarfs 53
    composition 53
    size 53
government examples 57
government types 8, 56
government-related details 56, 78-81
governments, game effects 92, 95
grav bike 44, 46
grav belt 42
gravity 52, 60
gravity, artificial 11
Gvurrdon Sector 15
gyrocompass 26

H
heat/IR, definition 10
high-energy source 11
Hiver 15
holo pit 5
holorecorder 7
hydrosphere 87
    composition 69
    percentage 69, 88
hydrosphere-related details 69-71

I
icecaps 4
Imperial citizen, definition 13
Imperial culture 9, 16
Imperial grand survey (see survey office) 
Imperial law 94
Imperial standard time 27
Imperial, military 3
insidious atmosphere 40, 53
interpolation 52
Interstellar Development Service 5
iron-nickel zone (n-zone) 53
islands 88
J
judicial branch 56
jungle 89
Jupiter 53

K
K'kree 15

L
ladar 10
landing parties 2, 3, 6
    collecting samples 4, 7
    contact procedures 7, 8
    decontamination 4, 7
    survival of 7
language 2
    history of 15
    translating 15
    translator 28
lasercom relay 32
law levels 8, 57, 95
law-related details 57, 82
    law enforcement 94
    understanding 94
    uniformity of 57, 82
lead surveyor 5, 6, 48
legal profile 82
legislative branch 56
liaison 8
lifeforms 2, 20
    android 13
    clone 13
    contact with 6
    cyborg 13
    intelligent 7, 11
    taking specimens 3, 7
light, definition 11
linguistics 8
Lishun 0621 (Kaiid) 12
living quarters 76
Lucan 5

M
m-radar 10
magnetic field 4, 26
major bodies 4
map grid 87
Margaret 5
mass 52, 60
med scanner 23
memory copies 13
military bases 92
mission control station 5
mixed zone (m-zone) 53
molecular analysis 24
Mora 57
mountains 89
movement, game effects 93
multichonometer 27
multiple star systems 55, 67

N
native life 54, 68
navigation equipment 26
navigational charts 2, 6, 7
navigator 6, 48
neural activity readings 11
neural activity sensor 2, 4, 7, 11, 20
neutrino sensor 2, 4, 5, 11
night, effects 66, 67
nobles 9
Norris 5

O
oceans 70, 87, 88
orbital distance 62
orbital eccentricity 52, 55, 63, 65
orbital factor 64
orbital period 52, 62
orbital zones 52

P
Paulo III (emperor) 13
pilot 6, 48
planetary defenses 96
planetographer's checklist 2-4
planetoid belt 4, 52, 61
    belt zones 61
    carbonaceous bodies 52
    cartography 61
    icy bodies 53
    nickel-iron bodies 52
    notation 61
    stony bodies 52
    types of 52
PLSS A 35
PLSS B 36
PLSS C 37
population 8, 92
population-related details 55, 72-77
practicing group 77
probes 2, 49
progressiveness 55, 74
psionic helmet 11, 20
psionics 13, 14
Published Traveller universe 5
punishment for crimes 94

R
radar 10
radiation belts 4
radio 4, 12
    long-wave 10
    microwave 10
    short-wave 10
Regina 57, 87, 88, 91
religion 56
religious profile 56, 78, 79
representative government authority 78
resources 71
    information 71
    manufactured goods 71
    natural 71
    processed 71
ring systems 53
ro'bolla worm (animal) 13
roads 90
robots 13
rotation luminosity factor 66
rotation period 62
rouppa (animal) 13
Rule of Man 15

S
satellites 62
Scouts 3, 6, 7
seasons 55
Second survey 48
seismic quakes 96
seismic stress 52, 63
sensors 1
    active 3, 4, 10
    doing a pinpoint 10
    doing a scan 10
    locating objects 10
    locating sources 10
    masking emissions 10
    object 19
    operation 46
    passive 3, 4, 10
    ranged 10
    readout panel 18
    sources 21, 22
    tasks 17
    usage example 17
sentience, determining
    abstraction 13
    adaptation 14
    asthetics 14
    conceptual thought 13
    control of fire 14
    cooperation 14
    definition 13
    domestication of animals 14
    group compassion 14
    innovation 14
    instinct 14
    language 13
    psionics 14
    social structure 14
    tools 14
sentient races 7, 8
    communicating with 12
    contacting 2, 3
    culture of 12
    first contact 12
    identifying 2
    killing 14
    newly discovered 12
    protection of 14
Shattered Imperium 5
size effects during play 93
size-related details 52, 60-63
skills
    administration 6
    biology 7
    brawling 6
    bribery 6
    chemistry 7
    communication 2
    computer 6
    engineering 6
    forgery 6
    geology 7
    gun combat 6
    gunnery 6
    liaison 6
    mechanical 6
    medical 6
    navigation 6
    pilot 6
    recon 6
    sensor op 7
    streetwise 6
    survey 6
    survival 6
    vehicle 6
society, see culture
Solomani Rim 9
sophontology 16
spaceports, see starports
Spinward Marches 15
Star systems
    ecliptic 2
    habital zone 2
    orbital zones 59
    mapping 2
    when unsurveyed 2
starports 74, 90, 92
stellar luminosity 64
stellar mass 52, 62
surveys
    classes of 2
    kinds of missions 6
    Scout service office 2, 7
    special purpose 3
    studying cultures 8
    use of equipment 1
    use of robots 8
    when doing concealed 8
Sylean Federation 9

T
tech levels 8
    achievement levels 58, 85, 86
    common levels 58, 83
    notes 95
    novelty levels 58, 86
technology 16
technology profile 58, 83, 95
technology-related details 58, 83-86
tectonic plates 4, 69, 87
temperature 12
    axial tilt effects 66
    lattitude effects 66
    local 93
    worksheet 68
    on the surface 64
Terra 9, 15, 16
terraforming 90
    albedo 55, 68
    atmospheric 55, 68
    greenhouse effect 55, 68
    hydrographic 69
    terrain 69
Third Imperium 16
trinary stars 67
twilight region, definition 67

U
United Nations 15
unusual atmospheres 53
useful mapping formulas 87
utility vest 41
UV, definition 11
UWP 1, 2, 4, 52, 92

V
vacc suits 1, 4, 7
    general purpose 34
    hostile environ 40
    light duty 39
    tailored 38
Vilani 9, 15
volcanoes 4, 70, 89

W
weapons 93
weather 12, 71, 93
    visibility 93
world data, using 92-96
world population 72
worlds
    backward tech 6
    design practicalties 52
    extended surveys 6
    habital zone 12
    interdicted 12
    mapping 1, 2, 4, 87-90
    terrain 4
    tidally locked 55, 67, 90
    totally alien 90
    unexplored 1

X
x-boats 5
x-ray, definition 11

Z
Zhodani 15



-------- TML Message #647 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 647
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 06:13:45 EDT
From: (wilson m liaw) macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: index


{
	I just sent in the index file for World Builder's Handbook.
It's from Joe Fugate...

				Mac
Wilson "Mac" Liaw                     Internet   : macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
CompuServe : 71310,1653               GEnie : W.Liaw
===============================================================================
When the going gets tough, the tough quits. :) 




-------- TML Message #648 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 648
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 09:46 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: a correction and an addition on my star system posting



1600 LIGHT-YEARS, DAMMIT! LIGHT-YEARS! NOT MILES! Jeesh....

And on Dan's argument that we could have black holes or neutron stars in
every sector, but we couldn't see them if they weren't companions of bright
astral bodies (like, say, Nina Hartley's |-> ), I'm afraid that that argument
falls apart at densities like those he suggests. The black holes about which
we know (or claim to know) are very far away from us, and can only be seen by
their Xray emissions, but if we had a black hole within our back yard (i.e.
within 25 parsecs, the radius of our sector, approx), we'd sure as hell know
it. Black holes cause vicious gravitational lensing; as they move across the
sky, they'd cause the light of stars that they occulted to move in response
to their gravity wells. If any sort of concerted effort were made to chart 
star movements within a sector, it would take very little time (in historical
terms, that is) to spot the effects of a black hole in a sector; and at one-
per-subsector densities, things get even worse.

metlay



-------- TML Message #649 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 649
Subject: TML Archives now available via ftp
Date: 19 Oct 89 09:28:09 PDT (Thu)
From: jamesp



I am pleased to announce that one of our newest listees, Dan Corrin,
has offered to make all the Traveller Mailing List Archives available
from his site via ftp.

This archive site supplements the other two which currently exist.  The
Archive Services are now:

FTP Archive Site:
	All the Traveller Archives (filled Bundles and Packages) are
	available via ftp from sunbane.engrg.uwo.ca (129.100.4.12).
	A sample session follows (lines that a user would type on
	are marked with a "*", and commentary begins with a "#"):

    *	shell> ftp 129.100.4.12		#begin the ftp session
	Connected to 129.100.4.12.
	220 sunbane FTP server (SunOS 4.0) ready.
    *	Name (129.100.4.12:dan):anonymous   #prompts for your id, but type
					    #anonymous for archives
	331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
    *	Password: 		#type yourlogin@yourhost.xx.xx here -
    				#echoing is disabled
	230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
    *	ftp> binary		#set transfer type to binary
	200 Type set to I.
    *	ftp> cd pub/traveller	#chdir to the Traveller area
	250 CWD command successful.
    *	ftp> get bun01.Z	#file name assumed to be same on your host
	150 Binary data connection for bun01.Z (129.100.4.51,2328) (20480 bytes).
	226 Binary Transfer complete.
	local: bun01.Z remote: bun01.Z
	20480 bytes received in .34 seconds (59 Kbytes/s)
				#repeat get command as desired
    *	ftp> bye		#terminate the ftp session
	221 Goodbye.
    *	shell> uncompress bun01.Z	#uncompress the bundle

	The files README and TOC provide a brief/detailed summary of the
	contents of the archive.
	
	The site is managed solely by the FTP Site Coordinator:
	dan@engrg.uwo.ca (Dan Corrin).  The University of Western
	Ontario is not responsible for the materials and opinions stored
	in the archives.

Automated Archive Service: archive-server@joshua.atherton.com
	Mail to this address is read by a program which sends automated
	replies.  Almost all of the Traveller Mailing List traffic since
	September 1, 1989, is available from this program.  For more
	information, send a message to the address above with the text
	"help" (on the subject line or first line of the mail message),
	and it will explain to you how to use it.  You can reach the
	human who administrates this service by mailing to
	joshua@atherton.com (Josh Levy), archive-manager@atherton.com,
	uunet!athertn!joshua, or uunet!athertn!archive-manager (note the
	ommission of the letter "o" in the uucp format).

Human-run Semi-Automated Archive Service:
		traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com (TML Administrator)
	I maintain an archive of every message ever sent to the mailing
	list.  On a time-available basis, I will recover old articles
	for you and resend them to you by direct mail.  I can also send
	you an Archive Table-of-Contents so you can pick and choose
	which messages look interesting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"



-------- TML Message #650 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 650
Subject: Dead Stars  (was black holes)
Date: Thu Oct 19 16:18:46 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



I once had a player with a character who was a gravitic scientist
(which should help explain my obsession).  This gentleman went on a
research trip to a section of the galaxy where there were some
VERY old stars.  

He found a "radio dwarf" with a black body temperature of about 
400K (~30 degrees C) and *landed* on it.  He, in his zeal had
neglected the mass of this huge ball of iron and lead.  On the
surface, it pulled about 7 g.  His ship could pull 5.

With a great deal of difficulty moving about on board (2 g with
the grav plates maxed negative) he managed to start rolling along
the surface of the dead star.  By continuously accelerating along
the almost perfectly smooth surface, his pilot was able to put
their research ship into orbit.

Given a chance, I think there are many adventures we could make
out of these kinds of space "debris" we usually ignore.

	Richard




-------- TML Message #651 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 651
Subject: More gravitics
Date: Thu Oct 19 16:25:24 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



Bart Massey has suggested I might have confused General Relativity
with quantum mechanical uncertainty in regards to the reason star
ships need to be in "smooth" space to jump.

Actually, I was trying to say that firmly locating both the position 
AND the velocity of "gravitons" is an activity that produces 
uncerrtainty in the macroscopic universe.

Of course this is all wild speculation anyway.

Richard




-------- TML Message #652 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 652
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 18:57:32 -0500
From: (Mark Gellis) f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Subject: New Topic/Habitats



I was curious how many people run games in habitats and what they think of
the scenarios they use.  My game world relies on them a great deal because
I assume that once people learn to space-industrialize, they won't go 
back.  Thus, the average population of a solar system in my game world
is about four hundred billion.  If people live on planets (terraformed
Earth-like ones, that is), which only happens in about one system in ten,
such a population is about one percent of the total population of the system.

Habitats in my world tend to be clustered around large asteroids (100 km. +)
or the giant moons of gas giants.  Why?  Lots of natural resources close by.
(A 100 km. asteroid has enough material in it to build hundreds or thousands
or habitats, even assuming a low metal/organic/other useful stuff-to-slag
ratio; giant moons give you even more, even if they're mostly ice there will
be organics to make plastics from, etc.)

My basic large habitat is a rotating cylinder 15 km. across the base and
60 km. long.  In addition to the landscaped interior, which I call a "dayside"
because it sounds like something people might call such a place, I assume
that the ends of the cylinder are solid complexes.  Actually, they're like
the ring-type space stations you see in 2001, only on a much bigger scale.
Assuming an average ceiling height of 10 m.--the idea is to make these things
non-claustrophobic since a lot of people live on some of the levels--you have
room for about 700 levels.  If the complexes are 100 m. wide the effect
is something like having 700 shopping malls (only most of them are offices,
neighborhoods with townhouses, etc.) stacked on top of each other, and the
two complexes give you about 3600 square km.  Add this to the 1200 square
km. you get from the dayside, and the habitat (which I assume as having a
population of roughly one million) has a total of nearly 5000 square km.
of surface area.  The dayside is used for farms, parks, etc., and the
endwall complexes have apartment levels, business levels, factories,
warehouses, etc.  This leaves us with a population density similar to
that of Great Britain or New England.  Plenty of room for everyone.  
(After all, what's the point of technologically advanced if you have
to live packed together like rats in a barrel?)

Running these environments is not hard.  The endwall complexes are just
like city streets, except that they are a lot cleaner, there are no cars,
and the subways (stations every half-kilometer or so) are big elevators
that either stop at every level, every ten levels, or every hundred levels
(I think this is how they run elevators in large buildings like the Trade
Center; at any rate, I'm sure this is a problem anyone with a degree in
city planning could solve in about five minutes, although it might take
longer to work out all the details.)  The daysides are pretty much 
outdoor environments, except you cannot use Field Artillery (people take
a VERY dim view of someone blowing a hole in the side of their world).
By the way, I assume the hulls of these things are several meters thick,
both for structural strength and radiation shielding, and about half of
that is good ol' topsoil, so you can have reasonably large trees in 
these habitats, and hills (small ones), and lakes, and so on.

Well, I'll stop here...I could easily ramble on about these things for
much longer.  Anyone have any comments?  ideas?  suggestions?

     Mark




-------- TML Message #653 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 653
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 08:23:00 MDT
From: (Dan Williams) wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!salt!china!dan@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: New Topic/Habitats	


	If you have read Larry Niven's Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers
they discuss many problems with artificial enviroments and what sort of
technology is required to solve the problems.  

> I assume the hulls of these things are several meters thick,
>both for structural strength and radiation shielding, and about half of
>that is good ol' topsoil, so you can have reasonably large trees in
>these habitats, and hills (small ones), and lakes, and so on.
I would suggest sculpting your dayside to provide for the hills and lakes.
That way you don't have large areas of wasted topsoil.  The soil is a
uniform thickness throughout and the elevation is provided by sculpting the
hull.  

How about chaining habitats like a necklace when population pressures get
too large?  How long could a habitat run without supervision?  What about
"abandoned" structures?  Can they be moved, or can they only be created on
the spot?  If they can be moved is there a market in habitats orbiting
mined out asteroids?  Boy you could have a lot of adventures based on these
things:-) 

| Dan Williams (uunet!china!dan) | FRP: It's not just a game,        |
|       MCDONNELL DOUGLAS        |            it's an adventure!     |
|           Denver CO            | "Of course thats just my opinion" |



-------- TML Message #654 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 654
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 10:59:13 EDT
From: (Dan Corrin) dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: Re: Black Holes


In response to metlay:

Oops...Yes I had forgotten about the light-bending properties of blackholes,
and with a spaceship that can move over a wide area, it is quite probable
that they would be detected fairly easily.

> ... The problem with the
> current star system generation tables is that if they reflected the true
> population distribution of stars in the primary galactic medium, they'd bore
> the average gamer to tears, because on a 3D6 table you'd need to roll a 3 or
> an 18 to get anything other than a red dwarf ... it's unreasonable to ask
> Traveller for a "more realistic" star system population distribution

Yes I agree, however I was not discussing changing the star generation process
(which I would have left on the star generation list), rather coming up 
with a reason for the generation as listed. I did want a sub table to
generate other stellar phenomanon used perhaps once or twice per sector.
The rules (scouts) even mention adding supergiants in at a very low density
(1 per sector or so).

My main points are/were:
1) Stars not represented correctly (2D, too many non-dwarf, no black holes...)
a) Assume all stars are projected into a plane. to get 2D board
b) a large number of stars are not mapped (usualy dwarfs) because of no
bodies in the system for bases/fuel.
c) Resultant stars provide density and composition we get from the star
generation tables. (I have a good reason for 2D as well which I haven't
brought up).
d) Add in other interesting stellar objects at a rate of a few per sector
(I like a lot of black holes myself...but see first paragraph).
e) this results in no changes to the maps (execpt where you want to mark
other stellar objects), nor to any rules, it is just a method of
perceiving the traveller universe so that it approximates ours more closely
(after all we have already assumed a 2D universe)

2) Obervation techniques don't seem to match today's standards.
a) Correct me if I'm wrong as I havn't dug up my Zhodani alien module, but
I believe that in the core exploration rules, you only get to see an
area 2-3 parsecs ahead of you. 
b) if you subscribe to (1) above, identifying good stars may that difficult.
c) if not, (I was probably exaggerating when I said we could see the entire
imperium from one location.) but even the near star map at 50 ly radius
represents a circle with a 30 parsec diameter, which is approximately a sector
(24x40 parsecs). That is with tech 8 ground based telescopes, a good TL 15
scout in space with no light noise sould get at least 4 sectors. (double range)
d) additionaly as an jump-capable observer can more easily calulate positions
by virtue of being able to observe from different points (from Leonard)

	-Dan
	
BTW I haven't received any mail (dan@engrg.uwo.ca) complaining, so I will
continue this discussion on the list.
 



-------- TML Message #655 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 655
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 15:46 EDT
From: 09NILLES%CUA.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: re: habitat's


>How long could a habitat run without supervision?

A quick guess would be that when they first starting to appear(technically
feasable)  I would say, that they need LOTS of supervision, while as they
are used more in the higher tech levels, they would need very little super
vision in themselves(like the Azun structures in JTAS #15 I think).  But
the supervision is more for security to keep sabotage to a minimium.  So
if noone sabotaged the structure or systems, a tech 15 Habitat I would
think, could conceivable run for years with no outside help.  Though it
would have to be designed from the start to be fairly self sustaining.

>What about "abandoned" structures?

I would say lots if you are using the shattered IMperium rules.  Afterall,
they can make very good targets.

>Can they be moved, or can they only be created on the spot?

The smaller ones probly can be moved by a ship similar to the bulk cargo
carrior in Fighting Ships.  Who knows, someone may have designed a ship
to do it.  Why, I don't know, it would be cheaper to take it apart and reuse
the parts elsewhere, transported by a smaller (and cheaper) ship.

>Boy you could have a lot of adventures based on these things:-)

A viably untaped resource for adventures.  You can have all sorts of
environments, Water, desert, ice, vaccume(why I don't know) and then
some.

dave
09nilles@cua.bitnet



-------- TML Message #656 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 656
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 17:52:18 -0400
From: elturner@phoenix.princeton.edu (Edwin L Turner)
Subject: Re: Black Holes


[This came to traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was
meant for traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply
headers! -- James]

dan@engrg.uwo.ca writes
>In response to metlay:                                                        
>                                                                              
>Oops...Yes I had forgotten about the light-bending properties of blackholes,  
>and with a spaceship that can move over a wide area, it is quite probable     
>that they would be detected fairly easily.                                    

Actually, at distances of parsecs, the light bending properties of black
holes are not significantly different from those of ordinary stars of the
same mass.  I won't bother you (unless provoked!) with the math, but the
point is that the Einstein ring diameter (=characteristic scale of lensing
phenomena) is far larger than the stellar radius so that it makes very
little difference whether the mass is concentrated within its
Schwarzschild radius or merely within a normal stellar radius.  The
differences get more impressive if you get close (say within about 0.01 pc).

On the general topic of stellar exotica in Traveller, one should not
overlook degenerate (white) dwarf stars which are certainly common enough
to appear in great numbers within the Imperium.  Although much less
exotic than neutron stars and black holes, their large surface gravities
and tendancy to produce enormous explosions (novae) when provided with a
bit of hydrogen fuel might allow for some interesting adventures.  BTW,
such stars often occur in binary systems which would allow for an
ordinary star supporting habitable planets in the near vicinity of a
degenerate dwarf.

Ed Turner




-------- TML Message #657 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 657
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 89 18:28:36 -0500
From: (Mark Gellis) f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Subject: Habitats



Regarding some of the questions on habitats...

Most of the habitats in my game world (I don't really rely on Tech Levels
all that much, except as a reference for when certain tech items show up;
everyone is pretty much at the same very high level of technology) can
run on their own for a while.  Eventually, the environment will break 
down, but these things come with a series of very smart environmental
computers and a lot of tech robots to help the environmental engineers
keep things going.  If everyone suddenly died, the habitat would keep
running itself for a while.

As for moving them, why not?  If the habitat is using fusion and matter-
antimatter power, you won't disturb the power source by moving it (as you
might with a solar-based power system); if you boost the thing at a very
low degree of thrust and build it up slowly, you could eventually make
the thing an oversized spacecraft.  The internal gravity will not be
disturbed that much, even on rotating habitats, if the thrust from external
engines is only, say, 1/1000th of a gravity.  (or 1/10000th.)  Sure, it
will take years to get anywhere, but you have a habitat, so what's the hurry?

Abandoned habitats?  Not very many of them.  Habitats are very expensive;
even the raw materials used to build them are quite valuable.  If a habitat
has been somehow rendered uninhabitable (terrorists, plague, war, etc.) or
if it has simply broken down over time, and it takes time, I assume a high
technology habitat can probably last a million years or more if properly
maintained, the raw materials will quickly be recycled for something else.
Someone will claim it; people will probably fight over that much refined
material!  (Good source for adventures--salvage wars!)  The only place I
think you would find them would be underpopulated systems or the cometary
halo (i.e., isolated areas where there is not enough a population base to
handle the industrial problems involved in recycling that big a hulk.)

Well, go go now.  Take care.

     Mark




-------- TML Message #658 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 658
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 89 12:19:43 -0500
From: (Mark Gellis) f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Subject: The Horrors of Realistic Weapons



I have been trying for a long time to develop a realistic combat system
for Traveller.  As some of you may have figured out by now, the good people
at GDW often have some very good ideas, but just as often have no f**king
clue what they're doing.

In part, they're hampered by the basic problem of game design: the more
realistic you make a game, the less playable it is.  Even so, some of
what they have come up with for combat is either implausible or just
flat wrong.

I would be interested in hearing how the people on the mailing list have
reacted to the various combat systems created by GDW, and the modifications
they have come up with to deal with aspects they did not like.

For a start, I have had to develop my own damage system--based not on
statistics, for the most part, but on (a) location of hit on a person's
body and (b) the actual damage caused by the weapon.  In addition, I
think some weapons have been treated very poorly in terms of how effective
they are.  Many primitive weapons are much more dangerous (bows, especially)
than the GDW tables would have you think.

Disclaimer: I have not looked at the original GDW books in a while, so when
it comes to particulars, I have to cite from memory.  Please correct me
if I am wrong about any specific weapons, etc.  (I have a feeling that 
for the most part, however, people will agree that GDW combat systems leave
something to be desired.)

     Mark



-------- TML Message #659 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 659
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 89 13:35:12 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!gslisa!gsliss!jcunning@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: TD backissues





Bob asked if I have any back issues of Traveller's Digest for
article copying purposes. I do, and I thought others might be 
interested. I have issues 1,2, and 7, and 9+. Issue 2 has
a couple of pages that were't printed (part of the adventure),
so I'd be interested in getting copies of those if anyone's
got the issue. I'd be happy to copy articles if anyone wants
'em. I've also got numerous (read hundreds) of High Passage
back issues 2-5 in my parent's garage. I knew I couldn't sell
then when FASA and I went our seperate ways but I was not
going to let them keep them even if I had to trash them myself.
Anyway, if you're interested, drop me a line.


			Jim Cunningham
			Traveller Relic


Last words spoken by Droyne warrior upon seeing an asteroid
about to impact on his head during the Final War: "INCOMING!!!!"






-------- TML Message #660 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 660
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 89 09:41 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: re Jim Cunningham's offer



Jim:

Please repost your message or Email it to me, it got garbled at my end and
I lost your mail address as well as what's missing from Issue 2, which I
might be able to send you.

I'm very interested in High Passages (for the TML Archives). I think I have
some of them, but....

metlay



-------- TML Message #661 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 661
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 89 10:02:36 EDT
From: (Greg Givler - QA) givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM
Subject: The Horrors of Realistic Weapons.


>Archive-Message-Number: 658
>Date: Mon, 23 Oct 89 12:19:43 -0500
>From: f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
>
>I have been trying for a long time to develop a realistic combat system
>for Traveller.

I have a friend who uses a modified Azhanti High Lightning systeem, with 
penetration and such. It is rather easy to run. If he can dig it up I will 
post it, besides I haven't talked to him in about three months, both to busy
and it will give me a good excuse to give him a call.

Greg

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Givler                        Q-Link: GregGivler
QA Analyst                         CompuServe: Greg Givler 76702,647
Commodore QA (Software)            GEnie: G.Givler
215-431-9100                       INTERNET: givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You mean you're fighting Necron?"... "Him and his mother!"
- - The Man with Grande Cajones in Fire and Ice
===============================================================================




-------- TML Message #662 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 662
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 89 10:04:36 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!gslisa!gsliss!jcunning@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: back issues II



My apologies for garbling the last message. Apparently there
was a problem with the system not recognizing some of the
editing functions I used or something like that. This was done
out of ignorance-- I am but a humble library science student
and graduate assistant specializing in arms control and know
little of these computer thingies. The most sophisticated I get
is using my Apple II (I can hear you all laughing all the way up
here) and struggling with the occasional problem with various
CD ROM data bases at work.

Anyway, I had mentioned that at least one of you out there
was interested in articles from old issues of Traveller's
Digest. I have issues 1-2, 7, and 9+. I'll be happy to 
copy articles for you. In addition, I have several hundred
copies, and in two cases thousands of issues of High Passage
2-5. If anyone wants any of this stuff, drop me a byte.

In addition, my copy of TD 1 had a printing error-- pages
18 and 33 were not printed. Anyone out there with a copy
that they can xerox for me?


		Jim Cunningham
		Traveller Relic





