       TRAVELLER Digest 52

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Life support, Aslan Itaei fleets by alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
  2) Additional RICE paper subjects... by alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
  3) Re: Totalitarion High Tech... by ehenry@Newbridge.COM (Ethan Henry)
  4) Dark Backgrounds by "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
  5) Re: Some old TML digests missing... by Rob Miracle <rwm@MPGN.COM>
  6) Hi-tech melee weapons by PETER MCNAE <pmcnae@ozemail.com.au>
  7) Re: Designer Kiddies by Martin Fay <MFAY@fs2.cp.umist.ac.uk>
  8) Some not very short comments on traveller and some questions by Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
  9) Re: Some not very short comments on traveller and some questions by rwm@MPGN.COM (Rob Miracle)
 10) Re: Traffic and Jump Capability by Edward_Swatschek@mindlink.bc.ca (Edward Swatschek)
 11) Hydroponics - my favorite subject..... by alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>

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

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 1994 16:47:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Life support, Aslan Itaei fleets
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.1.9409251623.A3923-e101000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>

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Just some old stuff from bun281, 1992.  Any responses?

Alvin Plummer
(Regency Free Traders!  How about selling some high-grade catnip to the
Alsan on Glisten?) 
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Archive-Message-Number: 3427
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 92 23:11:14 EST
From: uunet!popeet!wildstar@sequent.UUCP (Derek Wildstar)
Subject: Re: Shipping Volume


A couple of interestng (and perhaps non-obvious) things follow from my
analysis
of the shipbuilding capacity of the Imperium.  The most important is that
the volume of shipping is *INVERSELY* dependent on the size of the ships used
to carry it.  This is because larger ships require more of a shipyard's
capacity, in addition to taking longer to construct!  When I calculated my
shipping volume, I assumed an "average" mix of ships, taking the same amount
of starship resources as one 10,000 ton vessel, and yeilding 1 ship per
million ton-weeks of shipbuilding capacity, with an average displacement of
6,250 tons per vessel (and presumably about 3,125 tons of cargo capacity).
Recomputing with 200-ton traders would result in over 3.3 times the total
volume of shipping (and presumably a similar increase in cargo capacity).

The Trillion Credit Squadron rules I used were probably never meant to apply
to civillian, merchant shipbuilding capacity; I used them because they were
the only ones available.  Better rules should include multipliers to the
capacity based on Tech Level and trade categories, as well as for Population
and Government Type.  Similarly, the trade through a port should be dependent
on the world's population, government type, law level, tech level, and trade 
categories, and astrographic location, as well as its starport type.

Nevertheless, let us proceed boldly into the fray.  I computed an "average"
Class A port as handling 27.3 million tons of shipping in a week.  This would
include all imports, exports, and trans-shipments.  Halving this number gives
an estimate of the total *CARGO* volume (remember, I was using the total
volume
of the ships involved): 13.65 million tons a week.  For simplicity's sake,
I will assume that 50% of this is imports, with the balance being exports and
trans-shipments; this gives us a final figure of 6.8 million tons of imports
per week.  For comparison, US imports of 31.5 million tons works out to about
0.6 million tons per week (I've been working in Displacement Tons all along).

If the US is taken to be an "average" Class A world, the Traveller shipyards
can maintain this level of trade (in terms of constructing and maintaining
the starships) even if the ships are as large as an average of 50,000 tons.
However, if the US is taken to be an "average" TL-7/8 world (and therefore
much more probably a Class B or even Class C port), then the major Imperial
worlds (with tech levels in the 14 to 15 range, and Class A starports) could
be
doing 10 to 20 *TIMES* the trade of the US.

While these volumes of trade are not enough to supply a world with the
staples
of life, it is more than enough to make a massive difference in the tech
level
and quality of life (excercise: look around and mentally "remove" everything
that has been imported from overseas; remember that some components that you
take for granted may be imported - like the DRAM in your computer).

Major gaming effects:
  o Worlds (small outposts and stations excepted) is probably self-sufficent
    in terms of staples (air, water, basic foods, fuel) although the
production
    or distribution of these may involve imported equipment or skills.
  o A majority of the available consumer goods are likely to be imported (or
    produced primarily for the export market, depending on whether the world
    is primarily an importer, like the US, or an exporter, like Japan).
  o A busy port will have many hundreds, up to thousands, of ships operating
    around it; probably at a large number of separate facilities (the World
    Builder's Handbook provides quite nicely for this).  A port is likely to
    be as busy as a major US airport, with vessels arriving and departing
    every two to fifteen minutes.
  o Even the sleepiest of ports will have a flow of traffic; anywhere from a
    ship a day to one every couple of weeks.

Rebellion effects:
  o Destruction of shipbuilding capacity has a long-term effect; if the yard
    is not rebuilt, the effect becomes cumulative as worn-out ships are not
    replaced.  The average starship will become older and less reliable, as
    ships are kept in service due to a lack of replacements.
  o Destruction of ships has an immediate effect; even if all shipyards are
    left intact, because of the long time needed to construct any ship.
    Replacements are likely to be smaller ships, because they can be built
    faster, and with fewer shipyard resources.

Wildstar


 .signature: syntax error in line 1, ")" unexpected.

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

Archive-Message-Number: 3429
From: Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
Subject: Hard times in the Domain (really?)
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 92 20:55:00 MET


Incidentally, would anybody care to calculate the economics of _ihatei_
fleets? How big a percentage of _ihatei_ can each aslan generation afford
to send off? How many ships would the Domain need to beat off a century's
accumulated _ihatei_, assuming that every single one went across the Great
Rift instead of some of them going rimwards? How many would they need,
if they can play off one clan against another? How many ships would they have
in their rimward subsectors even if they sent all the regular ships coreward
to deal with the vargr and just left the subsector forces?
I'd be interested to compare your findings to mine.

[Alvin Plummer says -- me, too!]

      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk
- ------------
        "Come all brother spacemen that travel along.
         Oh, pray come and tell me where the trade is all gone.
         Long time have I travelled, and I cannot find none."
         Ch: "And sing: All the hard times of the Empire.
              In the Empire are very hard times."
                                Traditional song.

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

Archive-Message-Number: 3430
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1992 14:54 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Starship Life Support Costs

Greetings

A while ago, there was a small discussion of the life support costs of living
on a starship.  Specifically the 2000 Cr per person per jump (Jump being
about 2 weeks approx because I assume they are including time for in system
manuvering.)  So that comes out to 1000 Cr per week per person in life
support
costs.

Ok, what does it pay for?  Good question.  Well, according to the Ref's
manual the cost/power/weight/volume of lights, heat, air, cooking, waste
recycling etc. does not change from TL 5 all the way to TL 21.  If so then
the technology used must be similar to that currently used.

Ok, that means you are going to need carbon dioxide filters, dust filters
and such that are going to have to be replaced on a regular basis.  Also
Emergency life support equipment is going to have to be serviced from time
to time, not to mention perisable medical supplies which will need to be
purchased if used or not.  (perhaps a wily starship crew could resell these
to dirtside hospitals before the expiration date was completely up to help
cut costs?)

Food?  Well it isn't that expensive, I have seen figures published saying
good food was about 200 Cr per week (I'll have to check that)
I also remember there was a bit in the Traveller Adventure on the cost of
breathing air.  (Aramis has an air tax I believe)  I think it was 150 Cr
per week (Of course that includes the cost of beaurocracies)

Still, I these are small costs overall.  What I think would soak up the most
cash would be the cost of various equipment maintainance.  Most aircraft
undergo maintainance inspections every 100 hrs of flight and a major
inspection
every 1000 hrs (Sorry I'm only a student pilot not an aircraft owner)
Starships on the other hand have their overhauls every year.  A year of
operation is a LONG time.  I'd guess that the 1000 cr per week goes mostly
toward routine equipment replacement and spares.

Speaking of air replenishing systems, I read a while ago on sci.military
about
'Oxygen Candles' which are an emergency air system on submarines.  Basically
it is a 'candle' (quite large: 30cm diameter by 50cm high) which 'burns'
releasing oxygen and heat as it does so.
 I imagine it as a kind of oxydizer rich solid rocket fuel.  Not that it
produces any thrust, but that it is a material which holds the oxygen
chemically, and releases it upon being heated.  The oxygen burns the
'candle',
heating it, releasing more oxygen.

I would assume these are carried aboard ships for emergency use.  Now, it has
been pointed out that there are existing worlds in the spinward marches which
would be 'failing' before the trouble started.  Say a Vaccum world with too
low technology.  Explain it?  Well, how about an naturally occuring mineral
deposit similar to these 'oxygen candles'?  It would be a local material that
would find a ready market!

Scott Kellogg

Odd image # 274:  Imagine an Aslan on catnip...


--0-1368291082-780526173:#3923--


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

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 1994 16:55:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Additional RICE paper subjects...
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.1.9409251656.A3975-a100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


Hello...

I plan to do a RICE paper on Regina, and then on that VIP Zhodani world
that I can't name right now, but is nearby.

A little help on Zhodani culture, please?  (suddenly, I can hear an
avalance rumbling in the distance...)

Would Zhodani Consulate systems be as diverse as Regency cultures?  Or
would all that psiconics and mind-reading tend to fore all
to conform into a single mold?

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

Also: what Regency/near-Regency worlds does the people on this list want
to hear about?

What improvements/changes do you want me to make on my RICE papers?


Alvin Plummer
(The restless scout...waiting for the Quarrentine to end...)


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

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 94 17:07:05 EDT
From: ehenry@Newbridge.COM (Ethan Henry)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Totalitarion High Tech...
Message-ID: <9409252107.AA09983@Newbridge.COM>

> Ethan Henry made a comment that many of my ideas for the truly high-tech
> society is simply "Totalitarianism with more toys".
> 
> In a number of instances, I'll agree.  So, Ethan, how can the common
> High-teck citizen fight back against this State with all these goodies
> (not to mention other nifty things a la nanotech spy-eyes)

Aaahhhh... Good question. The reason I called it 'totalitarianism' was
because genetic engineering removes a lot of a person's (or should I say
citizen's, perhaps even comrade's) ability to chose his/her destiny -
eg. someone bred for construction work doesn't have a lot of choice in what
they're going to do for a living.  Then again, calling this sort of
situation where people are bred for specific purposes 'totalitarianism'
is quite biased - perhaps the society in question sees it as being
beneficial.

Mostly I think that someone raised in such a society wouldn't want to
fight back against the State and when no one wants to fight against the
state, things go bad.
 
> And DON'T be discouraged... the computer revolution has given Government
> much more data on everything, but it has ALSO given your average-joe
> citizen more access to everything, too (a la the Internet, for example..)
> 
> (Just ask the Soviet Union.)
> 
> Probably the most interesting variations involve making this technology
> intergrated (via biotech) into pepole.  I.E. instead of great massive
> clone banks, make every woman capable of designing her own child. (Please,
> Someone, the IMPLICATIONS of this!)

Um, hm. Whole generations of children that look like soap-opera stars from
10-15 years back? It would be like the swings in availability of trained
people in the real world - there's a shortage of welders, so they train more
welders, so in 5 years, there's a surplus of welders. If women could design
their
own children, there might be lots of athletes one year, lots of artists the
next,
etc. Also, if the process didn't go 100% as planned, there might be a lot
of resentment - a child who was supposed to be an athlete decides she wants
to
pursue a writing career. One very disappointed mother. There's lots of
possibilites.

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

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 94 22:39:02 ADT
From: "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Dark Backgrounds
Message-ID: <9409260139.AA17748@Prograph.Com>

Cynthia wrote:
>     Miscellaneous notes:  I do not like to play T2K because the
>     Real World looks too much like it (Sarajevo, anyone?).  GDW's
>     best work, IMHO, has been in games that weren't trying to
>     follow a trend:  Classic Traveller, Space:1889, 2300AD.  A
>     pity none of those games or backgrounds are supported
>     anymore...  I still think the TNE ruleset married to the
>     Classic Traveller background would have made a heckuva game.
> 

Quite so.  Of course, the original Classic Traveller, like the original D&D, had
almost no built-in background at all (except perhaps that the designer had read 
one too many Dumarest of Terra books...) The whole magnificent edifice "just 
growed" from product to product until it became a big part of the product.

Personally, I was no great fan of the Imperial background (although I stole from
it in large chuncks for my own campaigns) so seeing the reset button pressed on 
it is no great distress.  It would be nice to see something in the game market 
to suggest that the entire future is not uniformly bleak; it starts to wear on 
the nerves after a while.

Side note on the C word.  Check "From the Management" in JTAS 13 (Hivers).

Les Howie
Technical Architect (Database)
Prograph International


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

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 1994 22:34:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rob Miracle <rwm@MPGN.COM>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Some old TML digests missing...
Message-ID: <199409260234.WAA11200@Central.KeyWest.MPGN.COM>

> Does anyone know where the 1993, 1994 copies of the TML Digests are?

The 1993 and 1994 bundles are in the newbuns directory on ftp.engrg.uwo.ca.

Rob
-- 
Rob Miracle
Tantalus Inc.
rwm@mpgn.com
"You have a problem?  I have a plan!" -- Anton Devious

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

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 94 20:43:46 +1000
From: PETER MCNAE <pmcnae@ozemail.com.au>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (Traveller Mailing List)
Subject: Hi-tech melee weapons
Message-ID: <1994SEP26.3914@ozemail.com.au>

I've been comentplating the rules from FF&S. Thinking where they could take 
other items not covered in the book. Eventually I thought about melee
weapons. 
The image of a super dense battle axe wielded by a trooper in battle dress,
was 
truly awesome.

So I'd like to start a discussion thread on how technology from the Traveller

universe could be converted into hi-tech melee weapons.

One idea was mount a HEAP round on a crowwbow bolt. Not strictly melee, but 
very quiet until it hits.


Peter McNae










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

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 11:47:56 BST
From: Martin Fay <MFAY@fs2.cp.umist.ac.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Designer Kiddies
Message-ID: <68F38AB42C1@fs2.cp.umist.ac.uk>

Alvin Plummer wrote:
> make every woman capable of designing her own child.

A friend and I discussed this scenario a couple of years ago and came 
up with this:
Ms. Smith goes down to GeneGenie to choose her baby, she decides on a 
boy, 6'2" tall with Barbie&Ken(TM) blue eyes. Now, what if a large 
fraction of the population specify the same 'brand-name' modification 
? This will of course be thoroughly tested and 'completely bug free' 
(now where have I heard that one?). However if an abnormally large 
fraction of the population have this gene then the chance of the gene 
being duplicated rises - this is (I think) similar to the result of 
inbreeding, leading to malformation, low IQ etc. The previous 
argument about lowered genetic diversity giving less disease 
resistance etc. also holds.

I'm not a biologist so there could be a few mistakes in this ;-)

---------------------------------------------------------
T.Eldritch - Regency Intelligence Service - Regina/Regina
martin.fay@umist.ac.uk
---------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 13:31:44 +0100
From: Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Some not very short comments on traveller and some questions
Message-ID: <9409261231.AA13435@donald.informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>

Hello.

Yesterday I've played (refereed) TNE the first time and I would like
to tell you my impressions and ask some question which raised in play.
Thanks in advance to all who read this and more thanks to them who
answer the questions :-)

Although not really convinced of the Reformation Coalition background
I selected it as campaign background after talking with my players.
Most of them were impressed of the idea of an fallen empire, the
restart of a new core empire, the ad-hoc adventure ideas of traders
and explorers who re-discover lost knowledge and goods and they fully
accepted the virus as part of the setting. So we started in the
Reformation Coalition (RC).

Character creation was long and (not surprising) the most time boring
but it went faster than I originally thought.  We've the following
players:

A very wealthy traveller (although is career is only allowed for
Regency I though that also in RC there're old emprial noble families
that haven't the old power and influence but money (what is nearly the
same ;-)) with a PhD in Economics from Aubaine.

A Hiver Technical Academy graduate (passed with distinction), who also
graduated at Fleet Academy, serviced in the Aubaine Navy and finally
became independent Trader; also from Aubaine.

A Fleet Academy graduate Scout who changed to the belter occupation
having to big strikes and earned MCr 1.5! He's from Spencer (?? The
world that was recently occupied by Oriflamme) but feels now more at
home 'between the stars'.

A bounty hunter, former army man, graduate of military academy from
Oriflamme. He rolled up extraordinary attributes (none is less than
8).

An ex-special ops marines, servicing 5 terms at the Army of Oriflamme.
He had no luck and is still O1 he received because of graduating the
Oriflamme Military Academy. Perhaps it's because he's from Baldur.

* Some questions to character generation (maybe I've only not found the
informations in the rules/PoT book):

 Does changing occupations really gives the full first-term
 skill pack every time?

 Why the belter gets tons of credits _and_ a free starship?
 I think that's unfair against the other careers.

 Are there any DMs for Special duties?

 Does Aubaine has the only Hiver Tech Acc?  Does Oriflamme has
 the only Military Acc? (Surely not, but it's probably the
 best)

* Comments:

 The next time I will not allow to roll for attributes but let
 the players allocate 36 (perhaps upto 40) points.  I don't
 like super heros (see below)

 A made the mistake and allowed the players (their characters
 of course) with low CHR to make a beauty operation that gave
 them +2 for 10.000 Cr or +4 for 30.000 Cr. Are there any rules
 for such a case? What's about other attributes?

The players managed it to get two starships with a little bit luck and
tons of ship DMs.  They now own a fabric-new scout and a good kept far
trader.  They also own about 2.3 MCr cash (mostly the belter-scout and
the Noble).

They decided to found a trading company and will probably give the
build order for a third ship.  That gave my campaign a slightly
different direction :-) I persuaded the party that big money can only
be found outside the RC and sugested the Unity of Promise as a far
target because that's a group of TL 15 world that could be very
interesting and very wealthy.  However, I didn't mentioned the rumour
jet, that the Unity may be a outpost of vampire ships.

In my Traveller universe, H-jump are a little bit faster, lasting
about 80 hours. So they reached Aurora after about 2 weeks starting
from Aubaine.  Selling 27t goods, making 81.000 Cr profit (buy:
27x3000 Cr, sell: 27x(5000x120%) Cr) 

* Questions that raised:

 Can a starship jump into empty space, provided that it has
 enough fuel aboard? (Otherwise the Aubaine->Aurora journey
 wouldn't possible with a J-2 ship, I think)

 What is the tank size of an Scout, a Far trader and what
 is the fuel consumption of these ships?  I haven't found
 any informations about this in the rules book.

 Making money seems to be quite easy.  I've calculated that a
 far trader costs about 50.000 Cr per month inclusive fuel and
 pay for the crew.  Jumping between Aurora and Aubaine would
 let the players become fastly rich.

But the party isn't interested in boring business of shipping goods
between two worlds so they accepted a job to bring a journalist called
Anne Bradly to Keipes, helping to recover an old imperial grav tank
she has the knowledge of and taking it back to Auction of Aurora.  (An
idea I got while looking at the cover of Challenge 74 :-)

Has anybody some ideas of Keipes more than the informations of PoT?  I
think it's a very interesting world. It has a B starport, but it tries
not the trade with the RC.  Probably the Guild will gave them the
needed goods.  It's a (relative) high-pop world with a big and good
equipped army.  I think, the RC informations aren't very exact and
Keipes tries the become a pocket empire. There're two very interesting
world 'behind' (from there RC view) Keipes (I don't remember the
names) and Keipes at least own two jump-capable ships.

I still need more informations about Aurora, a world that probably
become permanent base of my party.

* Question:

 Is a B starport able to construct starships or at least system
 boats?  How long would it last to upgrade starports?

 How many starships would the RC own (are inside the RC) at
 1201 or at 1205?  What's the grow-rate of this number?

 How many independent star ships might operate behind the RC AO
 border?

* Comments:

I understand the RC as an still growing both economically and military
group of worlds.  It's a economic miracle phase.  After a kick off now
the rebuild speed is growing (racing). All RC people profit from this,
they're all fine (?? They're not wealthy but think develop quite good
for them.) There's no hunger, suppression or bad feeling from
history. They're all looking forward to a even better future.

Aubaine is the centre, it's the most developed world an in the capital
you didn't noticed any more anything from past.  In maybe 2 or 3
years, Aubaine will have population problems and a wave of immigrants
will want to get their part of prosperity.

Oriflamme on the opposite aren't the bad guys as - I've just read -
someone sayed, but a very needed part in the RC group of worlds.  They
are the RC army and the now his.  They're not very lucky because of
this job but there is no discussion that the will do this job as best
as the can.  Distrust is more likely the paranoid of the others.  (Of
course it can be very dangerous to grow a scorpion at ones breast (or
that like the saying goes))

* Rule questions:

I've not found any stats for bows or crossbows.  One player would like
to use a crossbow. He already learned the early firearms skill.

What means Law Level 6: All firearms except firearms prohibited???

Comment to Law Level in general: I can't see why law level is only
related to Fire arms? What's about punishment of `usual' common
crimes? Is the justice liberal, conservative, repressive, corrupt are
more important questions.

Either I don't understand the combat/damage system or isn't extremly
unsatisfactory! 

Let's say you've a unarmed damage value of 2. Does this mean 2D6 or
merdly 2 points? But if D6 are ment, does the special ops man (UDV 6)
make 6D6 damage? Strange!

What's the damage of melee weapons?  A dagger as damage 1, a sword 2.
Again the question, D6?  But what means 1+(STR) (with parentheses) and
1+STR (without parentheses)?

I have to ask this because I can't believe it.  Is a hit capacity of
48 to the cest normal? ((STR+CON)x3 for STR=10 and CON=8, okay he's an
animal, but...) If a normal pistol makes a merde 1D6 damage, he can't
be killed.  He can catch MG-salves without problems! With a bulletprof
vest he can't be harmed by pistols at all (1 point blunt damage), and
automatic gun (penetration 1-nil) only make 1D6 damage at near range.
Let's assume the damage of 1D6 is 4, another 3 for blunt damage is
about 7 hits per shot.  That means 6 shots before he start's to feel
hurt and another 7 shots before he's critical wounded. (The rule that
players can't be killed is 'realy bad' btw and will be ignored by me)

And also John Average with (6+6)x3 = 36 hit points is immune against
swords. I have to hit him 18 times until he's heavy wounded?! A plate
mail (to stay in the same TL) is btw the perfect protection because NO
HIT EVER will go through the armor (or will an outstanding success
do?)

What's the price and tonnage (displacement tons) for a mining
equipment.  Let's say we need a bulldozer, an excavator, someting to
drill holes and sensors to measure the surrounding.

Why the starships have no informations about fuel capacity (in tonnes,
why is there always the change between m3 and t) and the needed amount
for one jump-1?

Enough,
bye.
-- 
Stefan Matthias Aust // keep the soldiers gunning, keep the cameras running,
                    //  cause the rulers always laugh at the video bloodbath

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

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 09:30:11 -0400
From: rwm@MPGN.COM (Rob Miracle)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Some not very short comments on traveller and some questions
Message-ID: <199409261330.JAA14213@Central.KeyWest.MPGN.COM>

>* Some questions to character generation (maybe I've only not found the
>informations in the rules/PoT book):
>
> Does changing occupations really gives the full first-term
> skill pack every time?

Yes.  Switching carrers is a good way to Min-Max a character.  Most of the
players in my game had a one carrer switch.  The one player who is our
biggest min-maxer switched carrers 5 times.

> Why the belter gets tons of credits _and_ a free starship?
> I think that's unfair against the other careers.

They don't get it automatically.  Remember, its a difficult check against
Geology, and they loose a -1 to SOC each term.  Kinda balances things a
little. (Not much mind you, but some :-) )

> Are there any DMs for Special duties?

Unless they are listed, no.

> Can a starship jump into empty space, provided that it has
> enough fuel aboard? (Otherwise the Aubaine->Aurora journey
> wouldn't possible with a J-2 ship, I think)

Yes, in fact, the 400T subsidized merchant was designed to be J2 with the
use of extra fuel.  The J-Drive was a jump 1, but with extra fuel, they
could make successive J-1's.

>What means Law Level 6: All firearms except firearms prohibited???

Should read:  All fireamrs exept Shotguns....  I belive.

>Comment to Law Level in general: I can't see why law level is only
>related to Fire arms? What's about punishment of `usual' common
>crimes? Is the justice liberal, conservative, repressive, corrupt are
>more important questions.

It is related to other things.  It is the value on 2D6 that must be thrown
to avoid legal problems.  It also uses firearms as the primary description
for how repressive the goverment is.  If you notice, at higher Law Levels,
they say things like there is no personal privacy, etc.


Rob
--
Rob Miracle
rwm@mpgn.com
"You have a problem?  I have a plan!" -- Anton Devious


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

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 94 09:52:34 -0800
From: Edward_Swatschek@mindlink.bc.ca (Edward Swatschek)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Traffic and Jump Capability
Message-ID: <m0qpJMM-0003Y8C@rsoft.rsoft.bc.ca>

Alvin Plummer wrote:

> Umm, can you tell me WHY gas giant refuelling is non-viable?


   The fuel requirements for HEPlaR make it non-viable if you plan to visit
the main world (assuming it's not in orbit about a gas giant itself).
You'll use up the fuel getting their anyways, and it may take long enough
that doing an in-system jump would be faster.  It's usually only viable if
you are just passing through.


--
               Edjs                    _
              ------                _ //  CIS  : 76427,662
   Edward_Swatschek@mindlink.bc.ca  \X/   GEnie: E.SWATSCHEK


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

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 16:31:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Hydroponics - my favorite subject.....
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.1.9409261544.A26673-c100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>



Good AfterNOON, Ladies and GENtlemen...

I fooled around with my less-than-complete understanding of hydroponics,
and I came up with the following skeleton of rules - subject to the
approval of the 500-sophont TML board, of course...

A) Life Support on starships are presumed to last indefinitely,
assumming regular maintance.  

If _no_ repairs are made for one year (a unlikely occurance, unless the
crew met an unfortunate fate), the ship's life support starts to break down. 
Breakdowns escalate in severity until about 6 minths later, when life
support collapses.

Emergency life support is built to last, and will work unattended for five
years (quite a number of ships in the Wild have used Emergency Life
Support for 70+ years). 

However, it is minimal - no food except these protein tablets, the
air stinks, you shower in a bag, waste is dumped outside of the ship, etc.
After five years with no repair, the air actually becomes noxious, the
water is unfit to drink, etc.  The ship becomes uninhabitable as
one-half of the ship start to heat up to oven levels (ie. the sun side,
and the engine room), and the other half becomes colder than Outer Siberia
(the dark side, or when the power plant is off-line).

Each Life support unit is designed to support double the total amount of
expected crew and passengers.  If the number on board is triple the
regular complement, cut the time to breakdown/increase the life support
cost accordingly.  

B) The hydroponics below is meant to last indefinitely (Especially for
space stations + asteroid homes...).  Food, water, air - but not heat - is
provided here.  Units are "needed to support one man"; if you want to
support 10 men, multiply the numbers by 10.  

Divide the numbers in half for a unit with one year duration for one man.  
Or let three men use each unit, for one year.

Tech level     volume(kl)   mass(mt)  MW      MCr
    9             1,000       100    .1        .5
   10               700        70    .07       .35
   12               500        50    .05       .25
   15               100        10    .01       .05

C) 'Man-portable' Life Support Units are actually synthesisers
designed to provide food, air, water, waste recycling for one month.  They
use refill cartriges, at 1/10 kilo. mass and price of the main unit.  AT TL
17, the unit can be borne in a backpack style, rather than requiring an
anti-grav lifter or whelled carriage of some sort (NOT included in price).

Tech level       volume(kl)  mass(mt)  MW      MCr
   10              10           8      .05      .5
   11               2           2      .015     .14
   14               .5           .4    .002     .05
   17               .05          .03   .00015   .005

D) Estimates on what 'Extended life support' REALLY means

TL 6: Air, waste recycle for 3 months, with regular maintenance
   7:                        1 year
   8:                        3 years
   9:                        indefinite  
   A: Basic food synthesis.
      More like eating chemicals rather than food.
   B: Water tastes like water, bread like bread.
      Still looks like coloured soya blocks.
   C: A good copy of food, but it isn't going to fool anyone.
      Texture and smell is somewhat recognizable.
   D: Many people mistake it for food, unless they are paying attention.
      Even the bone and marrow is there!  Thousands of dishes are possible.
   E: Even after weeks of travel, the food is appetizing and delicious. 
      Tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dishes are possible.  Only
      spacers can tell the difference.
   F: Even spacers can't tell the difference.  Each synthesiser now as a
      built-in style.  Gourmet versions can rival the best chefs in charted
      space.

Alvin Plummer
(I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest of caution.
                   - W. von Braun )

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 52
**************************
