Traveller-digest     Saturday, October 2 1999     Volume 1999 : Number 1152



(R)1996. Traveller is a registered trademark of FarFuture Enterprises.
All rights reserved.

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Citizens of the TML
Re: Meson Spinal Mounts vs Meson screens
Re:Mining Gas Giants
RE:Traveller Versions
Re: Annic Nova
Re: MT and TNE designs
Optional Rules (was: GURPS Rules)
Re: Traveller Versions
Re: Re:Mining Gas Giants
Re: Annic Nova...
Re: Traveller Versions
Re: Traveller Versions
THUDDD 10 Entries (So Far)
Signing the TML database
Re: RPG history and development
Re: RPG history and development
Re TNE/Nth RFW
Re: Linux question
Re: Versions (I will not)
Re: UNCLASSIFIED Traveller's many faces (& typos)...
Re: Shiont(h)y Belt
Re: Linux question
Re: Linux question
RE:Traveller Versions
Updated T4 weapons spreadsheet
Re: Annic Nova

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 23:16:33 -0400
From: "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net>
Subject: Citizens of the TML

Gentle sophonts,

As Mr. Lindsay suggested, the "citizens of the TML" listing has moved and is
now being maintained by yours truly.
http://www.downport.com/understanding/TML.html  There are 75 mini bios of
citizens listed currently.  This is a general call for updated information
from those listed and for new submissions by current subscribers.  I will be
making a few improvements to the document in the coming days and am also
seeking suggestions to that end.

Thank you for your indulgence.  I remain, your humble servant, etc., etc.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The TRAVELLER Domain
http://www.downport.com
Colin Michael, WebDev

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 23:35:27 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: Re: Meson Spinal Mounts vs Meson screens

>
> Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 20:26:09 +0100
> From: Simon Early <sre@taz.compulink.co.uk>
> Subject: Meson spinal mounts vs meson screens
>
> I've just been looking at GT ships (101 starships by Rob Prior) and the
> combat rules.  If I understand properly, Meson Screens are almost
> useless against a spinal mount meson gun:
>
> Meson gun  6dx10000 = 200,000 damage on average
>
> Meson screen = DR 10,000
>
> Net damage = 200,000 - 10,000 = 190,000
> .. or have I misunderstood something?
>

I was under the impression that meson screen modules were accumulative. To
increase DR increase the number of spaces devoted to meson screens. Have I
got that wrong?

Terry C

All that is Gold does not glitter
Not all who travel are lost

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 23:47:35 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: Re:Mining Gas Giants

I expect that seriously salvaging a derelict in a Gas Giant will be on a par
with Bob Ballard bringing stuff up from the Titanic. If I was a PC who was
gonna do it I'd use stuff based on deep sea salvage equipment. A deep
submersible robot designed to withstand the pressures deeper in the GG
atmosphere than ships usually go to refuel.  Probably a manned submersible
to get the job done. It would need the best contragrav equipment available
to prevent the people inside from being squashed, and they'd probably still
need something else on top of that, like an acceleration couch, probably
squishy jello immersion. Of course the craft itself might be more like a
balloon, with an envelope to allow the craft to float in a certain layer of
the atmosphere.

Oooo! This is too good a story idea! I might just have to write an adventure
module. Please don't tell me it's already been done.

Terry C

All that is Gold does not glitter
Not all who travel are lost

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 00:07:08 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: RE:Traveller Versions

>I want a more detailed universe rather than a
>few subsector maps and system lists.Behind The Claw is to be applauded as
it
>is the first real attempt to detail a sector, but as the system info if
>restricted to GURPS rules it doesn't interest me.

There are no UWP's, but generally material in GT:BTC is system neutral. An
exception is information about Jubilee Year, which of course is
Non-Rebellion timeline specific. Most of this information is limited to the
sidebars. I would expect that most of the information could be used in any
campaign happening after the FFW and before the Rebellion. Specific world
info would be good for most any setting, including post Rebellion.

Terry C

All that is Gold does not glitter
Not all who travel are lost

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

Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 21:30:25 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova

> My major problem with making it a Droyne ship is that it seemed built for
> humans.  There were no perching bars, for example, and the doorways were
> all human-scaled and -proportioned.

Well, we seem to be getting a whole list of clues here, Could it have been
built by a multi-racial or singular non-humanoid race with the intent of
crewing it or selling it /to/ humanoids.

These are actually quite a few clues posted so far, has anyone kept track?
Eris probably, as he mentioned curiousity over the issue. The map chip for
the interdicted system Victoria sounds like something worth thinking about.

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 14:45:53 +1000
From: "The Roc" <roc@kewl.com.au>
Subject: Re: MT and TNE designs

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Antony Farrell <Skaran@bigpond.com>
To: <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 02, 1999 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: MT and TNE designs



> >
> Sure, you and a number of other people have asked for the stats, I am in
the
> process of re-entering them on my current PC, the originals were done on a
> long since dead Commodore 64.

Ahhhhhhh... what memories... reentering old C64 data to a newer,
non-compatible system...  :^)

- -- The Roc

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 00:35:50 EDT
From: GypsyComet@aol.com
Subject: Optional Rules (was: GURPS Rules)

"Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com> typed:

>The best thing about GURPS rules is that everything (practically) is
>optional. You can fiddle with the rules and use just what you want....

This is also a problem in potential. As many a Rolemaster, Hero, or SFB 
player (and a fair number of AD&D players) can attest, there is no such thing 
as an "optional rule." Every rule in the book, optional or not, stands a good 
chance of being used if a player benefits from it. GURPS has the same 
problem. I don't consider this an automatically bad thing, but it takes a 
certain level of gaming maturity to consciously NOT use rules.

GC

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 21:58:30 -0700
From: "David P. Summers" <summers@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Traveller Versions

I must say, it seems that a lot of the problem a certain group has with GT
is that it doesn't use CT or MT mechanics and didn't reprint the GDW stuff
verbatim!  Anything else is heresy!  (Of course maybe they should also have
changed their name from SJG to GDW!)

The fact is that every edition of Traveller has made changes (consider
"thruster plates") and GT keeps 90%+ of the background intact and
all the essential bit.
______________________________
summers@alum.mit.edu
(This is the net.  My e-mail address may be in Boston, but I'm in California.)

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 01:46:46 -0400
From: "Jory Earl" <j-man@iname.com>
Subject: Re: Re:Mining Gas Giants

I used the Ahzanti High Lightening scenario with the ship floating nose-down
in the gas giant for my traveller/Gamma world scenario/campaign.  From the
CT aspect of it, the PCs (having escaped the prison in Adventure #8 : Prison
Planet) find the ship they hi-jacked to get away is pre-programmed to go to
this gas giant on the outskirts of explored space.  The reason they were
able to escape at all is that this ship ( a relic from a war long forgotten)
crashed into the prison.  The ship itself is a modified "Whisper Ship".
(See Zebrowski's Omega Point Trilogy).  Once on the lightening class
cruiser, they discover it being scrapped for technology by the "Hoops" (from
Gamma World). See, IMTU AHL class cruisers were all outfitted to escape
Earth with colonists.  I thought the image of a huge ship floating nose down
in the gas giant seemed pretty cool..(with the BlackHole soundtrak playing
in the background)
___________________________________________________________
 J-Man
 ICQ# 2843475
 New Hampshire - U.S.A.
 Email : j-man@iname.com
 Home Page : http://www.geocities.com/~jman037/
___________________________________________________________

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 15:48:37 +1000
From: "The Roc" <roc@kewl.com.au>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova...

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella <xrp@sierratel.com>
To: <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 02, 1999 2:30 PM
Subject: Re: Annic Nova


> > My major problem with making it a Droyne ship is that it seemed built
for
> > humans.  There were no perching bars, for example, and the doorways were
> > all human-scaled and -proportioned.
>
> Well, we seem to be getting a whole list of clues here, Could it have been
> built by a multi-racial or singular non-humanoid race with the intent of
> crewing it or selling it /to/ humanoids.
>
> These are actually quite a few clues posted so far, has anyone kept track?
> Eris probably, as he mentioned curiousity over the issue. The map chip for
> the interdicted system Victoria sounds like something worth thinking
about.
>

I just recalled some more clues (from memory of course...)

*A hydroponic vegetation deck (for food I'd assumed, but nothing was ever
said was there?).  Fresh vegies or research?  Perhaps it was a yacht??
**How about the little toy robot that every player I ran through the game
shot and killed (errrr, destroyed :)  What shape was that?
***The drawing on the door?  Was it if a snake?  Humanoids?
****The two Star Trek-like pods that were actually common ship's
boats/pinnaces?

In the early days, I took the easy out by "assuming" it was Droyne, but now,
as pointed out above, I'm not so sure... I never had real info about Droyne
back then, and it was easy to overlook that furnishings and controls were
not described as particularly "alien" to humans.

The vessel was alien enough not to be known to anyone in Imperial space, but
it could have been a custom design too?  But no-one knew the text of the
markings either?  The thick plottens??

Errrr... how's the memory holding up so far?

- -- The Roc

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 01:37:37 -0400
From: "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller Versions

- ----- Original Message -----
From: David P. Summers <summers@alum.mit.edu>
> I must say, it seems that a lot of the problem a certain group has with GT
> is that it doesn't use CT or MT mechanics and didn't reprint the GDW stuff

Snapshot and Mayday are as far as anyone ever needs to stray into optional
rules systems.  If you can't get along with the wealth of information in
Books 1 thru 5 then you are seriously lacking in imagination.  Now, if
you'll excuse me, I need to go retape my little black box.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The TRAVELLER Domain
http://www.downport.com
Colin Michael, WebDev

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

Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 00:45:49 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller Versions

Sword Worlder wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David P. Summers <summers@alum.mit.edu>
> > I must say, it seems that a lot of the problem a certain group has with GT
> > is that it doesn't use CT or MT mechanics and didn't reprint the GDW stuff
> 
> Snapshot and Mayday are as far as anyone ever needs to stray into optional
> rules systems.  If you can't get along with the wealth of information in
> Books 1 thru 5 then you are seriously lacking in imagination.  Now, if
> you'll excuse me, I need to go retape my little black box.

*clears throat*

I believe you meant to say "Books 1 thru _6_"....  ;-)

(I have never looked at Books 7 or 8, so I don't know what utility they
may have.)

- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 00:47:30 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: THUDDD 10 Entries (So Far)

So, who (besides AuricTech Shipyards) has submitted an entry in the
THUDDD 10 (Lifeboat) competition?  I'm not asking to see anyone's entry
(yet), I'm just curious as to how many TMLers have entered (and how many
others plan to enter).  Remember, the new deadline is 6 Oct 99 (I want
to ensure that my design has the best possible competition, so that we
all win [in the sense of having the best possible lifeboat available].)

- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 02:03:49 -0400
From: "Jory Earl" <j-man@iname.com>
Subject: Signing the TML database

Man talk about rude!  I went to the website that SwordWorlder mentioned to
add my bio and it returned it all saying it was "unwanted spam".

Well I guess I won't be on that list.
___________________________________________________________
 J-Man
 ICQ# 2843475
 New Hampshire - U.S.A.
 Email : j-man@iname.com
 Home Page : http://www.geocities.com/~jman037/
___________________________________________________________

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

Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 03:34:12 -0400
From: Christopher Thrash <thrash@io.com>
Subject: Re: RPG history and development

>Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 09:46:12
>From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
>Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
>
>At 06:20 PM 9/30/1999 -0000, you wrote:
>
>>Really? Not all that different from all of the extra Books a player had to
>>buy for Traveller, no? Book 4: Mercenary... Book 5: High Guard... Book 6:
>>Scouts... etc. In fact, GDW pioneered the concept of adding rules after the
>>game was "done." ;)
>
>One word: "Blackmoor"  (Introduced the Monk and Assassin classes)

Mr. Vice, a point of order:

"Greyhawk" is more accurate -- there weren't even Thieves in the original
Little Brown Books; just Fighters, Magic-Users, and Clerics.

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

Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 03:34:18 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: RPG history and development

Christopher Thrash wrote:
> 
> >Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 09:46:12
> >From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
> >Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
> >
> >At 06:20 PM 9/30/1999 -0000, you wrote:
> >
> >>Really? Not all that different from all of the extra Books a player had to
> >>buy for Traveller, no? Book 4: Mercenary... Book 5: High Guard... Book 6:
> >>Scouts... etc. In fact, GDW pioneered the concept of adding rules after the
> >>game was "done." ;)
> >
> >One word: "Blackmoor"  (Introduced the Monk and Assassin classes)
> 
> Mr. Vice, a point of order:
> 
> "Greyhawk" is more accurate -- there weren't even Thieves in the original
> Little Brown Books; just Fighters, Magic-Users, and Clerics.

Your point of order is well made, sir; all those who have ever played
any D&D/AD&D characters who belonged to classes other than Fighters,
Magic-Users, or Clerics will report to the grog bowl.... ;-)


- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 00:45:14 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re TNE/Nth RFW

"William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net> writes:
>Hell, I'd lobbied against the
>switch from MT to T2K mechanics as soon as I heard about it... sent a
>"please don't" letter with some 7+ signatories to GDW. Having run TNE
>(players wanted to try it), I can honestly say it was such a bad set of
>rules my players DEMANDED a change of rules (The votes went 3 mt, 2 GURPS,
>1 for CT, 2 abstensions... I reverse engineered the conversion back to MT
>from the guidelines to convert to TNE in SM).

I bought TNE and read it (in fact, I bought most of the material and still
own it (*)) and several things struck me:

<IMO - you're unlikely to change my views on this so don't flame me on list>

1) The audacity of Virus - its shear scope and destructive capacity across
everything. This first hit me reading _survival margin_. Virus destroys the
entire background.

2) The 'clunky' feel of the rules - MT suffered from errata, but somehow
always seemed more elegant than the GDW House system. This suffered in the
area GDW always seemed weak in particularly - personal combat. T2k (1st ed)
had the same problem, as did 2300, 1889 and CT. The 'buckets of dice'
autofire suffered from the same issues as the massed det laser attacks seen
in 2300's Star Cruiser. I disliked the rules from trying them out with my
group. We went back to MT, and now use T4 with the playtest mods and HG.

3) The poorer layout - this was less clear than CT or MT. Nowhere near as
bad as T4 or SLA Industries though.

4) The lack of an out of the box starship design sequence for the game.

5) HePLAR and the death of T-plates. I've said it before.

In the end, the background didn't enthuse me or my players. The rules
system felt intrusive and wrong, so we went back to Milieu 1100/1120 and MT.

(*) I like the TNE supplements and the idea of Clippers, and the idea of
rebuilding a lost past. The books are good sources. But nothing for TNE,
not even the Regency Sourcebook, invoked the feelings that Hard Times and
Arrival Vengeance's encounter with Strephon did. Hard Times felt like a
more plausible and playable rebuilding scenario.

</IMO - you're unlikely to change my views on this so don't flame me on list>

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 00:48:23 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Linux question

"Andrew Moffatt-Vallance" <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz> writes:
>I want to create a tar on my windows machine :*> I'm trying to produce a
>version of my PE spreadsheet for linux.

Stuffit Deluxe on the Mac will create/extract a TAR. I can take a ZIP and
convert it. Not sure if you can get anything more than Dropstuff and
Expander for Windows though....

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 11:28:31 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Versions (I will not)

"Bont" <felix@felixcafe.com> writes:

>< snipping of much ranting and raving ... >

You missed out the rabid drooling and manic laughter <g>

>> <BLACK GLOBE ON>
>LOL!
>
>Is this similiar to putting your hands over your ears and yelling, "La
>La La La La La La La" over and over again to yourself?

Hopefully. It depends if anyone pinned down the vector of the transmission
before I put the globe on.

BTW - would englobing in a nebula be a bad move?

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 11:34:10 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: UNCLASSIFIED Traveller's many faces (& typos)...

Mark Watson <markw@antares.demon.co.uk> writes:
>GDW's one attempt to stick by a set of "house
>rules" (T2000/2300/DC) faltered, mainly because they ignored the more
>proven set of rules (CT) they had sitting on the shelf.

2300 and T2300 *did not* use the GDW house rules system and had more in
common with MT.

T2k (2nd Ed), DC, Dinosaurs and erm... all used the house system.


>>The worlds
>>in AD&D have been developed beautifully. I have played various campaigns in
>>the World of Greyhawk for over 15 years and have yet to find a better
>>location for roleplaying.
>>
>Hmmm. Get thee to Glorantha by way of Innsmouth.

There is a flight leaving with a stop over at Tekumel and Jorune ....;-)

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 22:10:10 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Shiont(h)y Belt

In mail you write:

> Leonard Erickson writes:
>> > (b) "melt" away over time?
>> 
>> Fairly slowly. Remember that dust impacts will tend to soften" the
>> outlines of *any* asteroid.
>> 
>> And stellar wind "impacts" will tend to penetrate the surface before
>> reacting. A single proton, reacting a few mm below the surface won't
>> "soften" or melt much. 
>
> It will gradually turn the asteroid to powder, like any sort of radiation.  
> The real problem is collisions, though -- a microgram of sand will produce a 
> 90 terajoule explosion, which is enough to vaporize small asteroids and 
> shatter objects of significant size.

Huh? A microgram is 1e-6 grams. That's 1e-9 *kg*. Which gives an energy
release of 2e-9*(3e8)^2. Which is 1.8e8 joules. 180 megajoules is
nowhere *near* 90 terajoules. Nor is it enough to disrupt a large body.

Also, nobody is sure how macroscopic quantities of matter/anti-matter
will react. It's quite possible that at first contact the initial
annihilations will be sufficient to push the masses apart before any
great amount of mass is converted.

Also, as noted in my other post, the energy release tends to be spread
over a *large* area. That too will make things rather different than
expected. 

- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 22:18:54 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Linux question

In mail you write:

>> >> formats linux will support. Anybody got any suggestions, and will a PC
>> >> file translate to linux?
>> 
>> WinZip supports the ".gz" compression of gzip. It also supports ".tar.gz"
>> and ".tgz"
>> Also most linux systems support the good old zip format.
>
> The unix 'unzip' doesn't support the 'shrink' format.  IIRC, it's due to a 
> copyright problem in a library that PKWare used to make PKZip.

Probably that same LZW patent that affects GIF creating programs.

- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 22:20:41 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Linux question

In mail, traveller@lists.imagiconline.com writes:

> From:                   "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
> Date sent:              Fri, 01 Oct 1999 08:58:57 -0400
>
>> > As far as StarOffice files moving from Wintel to Linux, my
>> > understanding of the goals of StarOffice was to make exactly that
>> > possible, without needing to go through obscure interchange
>> > formats.
>
>> StarOffice is nice.  It handles Word9x format documents no problem,
>> something that the Linux port of Word Perfect doesn't.  And the price is
>> right, too.  <grin>  Dunno if Sun changed the pricing schedule when they
>> aquired the rights to it though, haven't checked yet...
>
> As of right now, its still free on the Sun site.

Or $9.95 for a CD with all the versions of StarOffice on it.

Mine showed up only a week after ordering it online. 

- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 08:43:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Prior <robert_prior@sympatico.ca>
Subject: RE:Traveller Versions

>>I want a more detailed universe rather than a
>>few subsector maps and system lists.Behind The Claw is to be applauded as
>it
>>is the first real attempt to detail a sector, but as the system info if
>>restricted to GURPS rules it doesn't interest me.

Signal GK (the magazine, not the adventure) was detailing a sector, and
doing a good job of it too. The materials was a bit dark, and I didn't like
the cyberpunk bits (which were easily omitted), but there was far more
published than you'll find in BtC. (You'll also need a magnifying glass,
some of the library data entries are tiny.)

>There are no UWP's, but generally material in GT:BTC is system neutral. An
>exception is information about Jubilee Year, which of course is
>Non-Rebellion timeline specific. Most of this information is limited to the
>sidebars. I would expect that most of the information could be used in any
>campaign happening after the FFW and before the Rebellion. Specific world
>info would be good for most any setting, including post Rebellion.

I can barely agree with you. I'd rather have had more information about
fewer worlds. A single paragraph gives me just enough to cramp my style,
while still leaving me a lot of work to detail the system.

Also, BtC ignored GDW-published material. For example, the world of Craw
was detailed in two articles by the Keith brothers (JTAS 5 & 6, I think). A
map, wih full workup of geography, climate, history, population, culture,
politics, and biology. Lots of neat stuff, and it was ignored in favour of
a single uninspiring paragraph. It would have been dead easy to write a
single paragraph that was compatible with the Keith's work, thus preserving
consistency.

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

Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 00:54:57 +1200
From: "Andrew Moffatt-Vallance" <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz>
Subject: Updated T4 weapons spreadsheet

True to my aim of giving Traveller players even bigger weapons of destruction
I have updated my T4 Gunsmith spreadsheet to version 2.01. This adds
Recoiless Rifles to the mix (just have tac missiles, mass drivers, particle
accelerators and meson guns to go now). For those who don't know, its an
Excel 5.0 spreadsheet.

I've sent off the updated version to Dom at BITS, so hopefully it should be
appearing sometime soon. However for those eager souls who can not
wait (yes both of you). It can be found in the weapons section of my site
at Downport.


Andrew etc
Homepage http://users.netaccess.co.nz/amv/
Traveller http://www.downport.com/amv/
 "What do you expect from a species who's females are
 always in heat" Ko of the Ilui clan on Humans and honour

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

Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 15:38:54 +0200 (METDST)
From: Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova

Craig Berry writes:

>My major problem with making it a Droyne ship is that it seemed built for
>humans.  There were no perching bars, for example, and the doorways were
>all human-scaled and -proportioned.
 
I don't see any problem there. It could have been built on commission  --
BY Droyne, but FOR humans. My main problem with the ANNIC NOVA is the magic
capacitors that allow a jump charge to be built up over several weeks.
Regulars to the TML will remember the problems such capacitors represent
in terms of making jump drives work as described in the rules.




      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk
- ------------
        "A  subsector  official  pompously states that the
        subsector  armed  forces  have  four Kinunir class
        ships in service,  each with enough troop strength
        to put down any military operations that threathen
        the peace of the Imperium."

                        ---Adventure 1, The Kinunir

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1152
***********************************

To unsubscribe to Traveller-Digest, send the command:

unsubscribe traveller-digest

in the body of a message to "traveller-request@lists.imagiconline.com".
If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is
coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that
address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe
"local-traveller":

subscribe traveller-digest local-traveller@your.domain.net

A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to
subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "traveller-digest"
in the commands above with "traveller".

Multi-Player Games Network http://www.mpgn.com
