       TRAVELLER Digest 23

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) news.groups by 556N@delphi.com
  2) TNE shirts by Shalom Zaidfeld <cs911408@red.ariel.cs.yorku.ca>
  3) Powered Armor by Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
  4) Game Stores by "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
  5) RE: Battledress weaponry in TNE by "TOM O'NEILL" <tom@csvax1.ucc.ie>
  6) TRAVELLER digest 21       by Roger Myhre <myhre@oslonett.no>
  7) Syleans by Steve Charlton/Avalon Software Inc

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Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1994 17:04:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: 556N@delphi.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: news.groups
Message-ID: <01HGG7IY49DE9BZE61@delphi.com>

Greetings from the land of TOO much sun...  Houston.

My server, .delphi, doesn't carry any .scifi news.groups, and I
haven't been able to locate any listings of them in the rec.frp
groups.  If someone could confirm or deny my suspicions that
such groups may exist, I would be most appreciative.

It seems that many of the games out there have QUITE a bit of
battle dress...  Hmmm.  I was under the impression that it wasn't
all that common in TNE.

I am creating npc & ship databases for Paradox, if anyone is int-
erested.  I think world data is next, since Traveller Navigator
left such a void...  Somebody hit me for paying that much for a
Windows .hlp file.

Any Oil Bay players of GDW games:  T:2000, M:2000, D.C., T.N.E.,
please e-mail me.

And now, I shall shut up.



David Reed
::I think, therefore I am hungry.

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

Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1994 17:26:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: Shalom Zaidfeld <cs911408@red.ariel.cs.yorku.ca>
To: TNE Mailing List <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: TNE shirts
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.90.940828172552.1956B-100000@blue>


Is anyone going or already did buy the Traveller: The New Era Shirts
offered in the recent Challenege 74?

Also, did anyone attend GenCon?  If so, what was GDW's section like?  What
was offered there and who, from GDW was there?

 -Shalom Zaidfeld

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

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 1994 13:10:32 +0200 (EET)
From: Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Powered Armor
Message-ID: <199408291007.GAA14847@Mithril.MPGN.COM>

If I recall right, powered armor gives +6 to strenght stat. But when using
that kind of armor characters use either their STR or Env.suit when calculating
bonus for firing a slug weapon.

Let's say that one has STR of 4 and Env.suit of 6. So with str bonus his
STR would be 10 (higher than Env.suit) so he would use STR 6 when calculating
bonus for shooting, am I right?

Joni Virolainen


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

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 94 09:36:16 ADT
From: "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Game Stores
Message-ID: <9408291236.AA03929@Prograph.Com>

Can anyone recommend a game store or two in the San Francesco/Cupertino area 
which does an exceptionally good job of covering the Traveller product line? I 
will be out west on buisiness in October, and might get a chance to do a little 
shopping.  Please reply by direct E-Mail, thanks.

Les Howie
Prograph International

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

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 1994 13:47:29 BST
From: "TOM O'NEILL" <tom@csvax1.ucc.ie>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Battledress weaponry in TNE
Message-ID: <00983ACC.F982E12A.1@csvax1.ucc.ie>

On the question of weaponry for battledress-equipped soldiers in TNE, it
has not yet been dealt with adequately. In CT/MT/Striker they used gauss
rifles with increasing numbers of plasma/fusion weapons. While the gauss
rifles could not penetrate, the grenade launcher generally attached
could.

However, the FFS design sequences make gauss weapons and plasma/fusion 
weapons impractical, at least IMHO. The power storage for gauss weapons
makes them too heavy, while high energy weapons now need ammunition,
wiping out the one advantage that they had over auto grenade launchers
(HEAP grenades always had better penetration). Personal lasers can be 
forgotten about in the new rules, at least as anti-battledress weapons.

GDW just translated the fusion/plasma guns to TNE stats, despite the
fact that they make even less sense than before (their high signature
makes for a short and interesting life for the firer).

As has been shown on the list before, the cheapest, easiest anti-
battledress weapon is a large anti-tank rifle. Chemical slugthrowers
seem to be the best weapons in general, as more technologically-
advanced weaponry is either equally effective, or in many cases
less effective, and typically for much higher cost. The fact that
this was done for all the high-tech weapons really irritates me, as
this is supposed to be a science-fiction game. Giving sample stats
for expensive high-tech weapons which are demonstrably inferior to
currently available weaponry is a waste of space.

Unless they give battledress point-defense systems, RAM grenades and
mini-missiles would seem to be good choices for battledress vs
battledress combat, with a LARGE rifle as backup. Indirect fire with
target designation and smart munitions would be the order of the day.
Of course the Virus provides a good excuse for keeping things simple,
and keeping the weapons dumber than their users. On a high-tech
unlimited battlefield, protective armour such as battledress will be 
necessary as otherwise the sensors will spot you(bang) or the gas/
radiation/bugs will take you out. (Imperial rules of war, what are 
they?). In limited conflicts, it may not be worth the expense, unless
your troops already have it.

So far GDW have not given us their post-TNE view of of battledress
combat. They are just a way of making PCs mostly invulnerable against 
backward indigenous natives, and plot-device Marines invulnerable to
lightly-equipped unruly PCs. Striker II should give us a clearer 
picture of battledress vs battledress combat as GDW see it, assuming 
they actually think about it seriously (not a save assumption).

                                          Tom

  Tom O'Neill  |   Tom@CSVAX1.UCC.IE        SCCS6085@IRUCCVAX.UCC.IE 

---------------!--------------------------------------------------------------
                    Fact is stranger than fiction

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

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 1994 17:09:29 +0200
From: Roger Myhre <myhre@oslonett.no>
To: TRAVELLER@MPGN.COM
Subject: TRAVELLER digest 21      
Message-ID: <199408291509.AA27531@oslonett.no>

MSAMUELS@VAXC.STEVENS-TECH.EDU writes:
>>>>>>A BD equiped soldier can lift and use the equivelant of a crewed
>weapon of non-BD infantry.  BD weaponry should be an order of
>magnitude heavier than stardard infantry weaponry.  Is this not
>the case if FF&S?
Yes, but remember that a battledress only doubles the strenght, and
average strength of a soldier is 7 or 8. With a base STR of 8 and CON of
7 gives a lifting capability of 45Kg. With a battledress it is 66Kg.

A 3Mj Fusiongun at TL 15 weight about 12 to 18 Kg unloaded. The
magazine will almost tripple this with 4 or 5 shots. You get more ammo
capability if the weapon is integral, but not much. somewhere about 30
shots in total. Far too few for an engagement. And you wont be able to
carry along any reloads.


>The Plasma and Fusion weapons have less firepower than a TL-10 4cm RAM grenade.

>>>>>>Hmm, I don't own FF&S or any TNE material.  As I recall there were
>a couple of F/PGMPs that could be used only by BD equiped troops, and
>they were quite a bit more destructive than those that could be
>carried and fired by a single light infantry soldier.
Yes, but a Heavy battledress can easily get more armorpoints than the
penetration rating of the weapon....

>The potential energy stored in chemical bonds is much less than the
>ionization energy needed to strip electrons.  An accelerated bolt
>of plasma of low mass could equal an extremely larger mass of chemical
>explosives.  I'd hazard a guess the focused plasma weapons should be
>*much* more destructive than chemical weapons.
Sorry you are wrong, a 4cm ARL loaded weights only a fraction of the
F/PGMP of same penetration rating.


Roger "StarWolf" Myhre

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

Date: 29 Aug 94 10:42:30 MS
From: Steve Charlton/Avalon Software Inc
To: traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Syleans
Message-ID: <9408291645.AA04231@khan.avalon.COM>

In his long list of alien and nonalien races, Ted7@world.stc.com states:

> Syleans                 Sylea / Core
> 
> Human minor race responsible for the Sylean Federation, which became the
> 3rd Imperium.

While it was never explicity stated, various accounts of Imperial history (like
the overview in the old Library Data book and comments in GDW's Solomani 
sourcebook) led me to think that the Syleans were just a cultural group, which 
was heavilty Solomani in background.  This was supposed to be why the 3rd 
Imperium had such a pro-Solomani bias until the Imperial family married into 
Vilani megacorp money and influence, shortly before the Solomani Rim War.  
Maybe you need another list of hybrid human cultures in the Imperium.  This 
would include the Antareans, the Julian Protectorate, the people of Ilelish, the
Sword Worlders, etc.  None are distinct biological races or subspecies, but
all are culturally distinct from "mainstream" Imperial life.

On the other hand, I could be mistaken about the Syleans, but I don't think 
so.  If I am, I will happily shut up now.

scharlto@avalon.com
"Try new CyanoTabs, chock full of crisp, crunchy atoms!"

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 23
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