From owner-traveller@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM  Sat Dec 14 13:47:11 1996
Return-Path: owner-traveller@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM
Received: from phaser.Showcase.MPGN.COM (Phaser.Showcase.MPGN.COM [206.66.87.5]) by emin40.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id NAA12662; Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:47:07 -0500
Received: from localhost (daemon@localhost) by phaser.Showcase.MPGN.COM (8.7.3/8.6.9) with SMTP id NAA23972; Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:46:08 -0500
Received: by phaser.Showcase.MPGN.COM (bulk_mailer v1.5); Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:45:29 -0500
Received: (from majordom@localhost) by phaser.Showcase.MPGN.COM (8.7.3/8.6.9) id NAA23865 for traveller-digest-outgoing; Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:45:28 -0500
Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:45:28 -0500
Message-Id: <199612141845.NAA23865@phaser.Showcase.MPGN.COM>
From: owner-traveller-digest@mpgn.com (Traveller-digest)
To: traveller-digest@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM
Subject: Traveller-digest V1996 #754
Reply-To: traveller@mpgn.com
Sender: owner-traveller-digest@mpgn.com


Traveller-digest     Saturday, December 14 1996     Volume 1996 : Number 754



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

GA8:  TL12 4mm Gauss Rifle
GA7 (long):  The Rock
Re: Last Night on IRC....
Re: I'm not anti-Foss...I'm pro-Choice :-)
Re: Writing Contest Update
I'll take that cookie!
Re: 50td Modular cutter query
Re: Ship Design Formulas
Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #753
Starships

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 11:07:07 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: GA8:  TL12 4mm Gauss Rifle

The Grand Adventure post #8.

In this post...
1)  A TL12 4mm Imperial Marine Gauss Rifle
2)  Information is provided for both TNE based rules systems and 
     CT/MT/T4 based systems.  The weapon can be used for all types of 
    Traveller rules systems.


This is the gauss rifle that Frank Fornne mustered out with.  It 
should be considered the standard Imperial Marine slug thrower issued 
to all troops.

The weapon below was designed for a house rules system based on TNE.  
Since the creation of T4, the weapon has been modified for the T4 
rules.  

If you are using T4 rules, or my House Rules based on T4, you should 
disregard information that is not pertinent to those rules.  
Subsequently, this weapon sheet can be used for any Traveller rules 
system whether its TNE based or CT/MT/T4 based.  For T4, 
cross reference the range of the target with the type of ammo used.  
This will give you the difficulty to hit and the amount of damage the 
round does.  Other information on the sheet is needed for TNE rules 
systems.



TL 12  4mm GAUSS RIFLE v.2 

Round				ROF	Dam Val	Pen	Rtg		Bulk
4x20mm/35 Dart		5/10	4			1-2-Nil		5
4x20mm/35 HE		5/10	4			Nil			5
4x20mm/35 HEAP	5/10	4			2-2-2		5
4x20mm/35 Tranq	5/10	1d6-1		Nil			5

					Mag	Recoil SS 	Recoil Bst	Sht Rng	
4x20mm/35 Dart		40		2			4/9			85	
4x20mm/35 HE		40		2			4/9			64
4x20mm/35 HEAP	40		2			4/9			64
4x20mm/35 Tranq	40		2			4/7			30


  Performance & Statistics		.	
  TL: 12								Ammo:  4x20mm/35
  Muzzle Energy:  3500 joules			Ammo Price:  (Dart) Cr0.01
             	(Tranq):  2100 joules						  (HE) Cr0.02
  Req. Energy:	7000 joules						  (HEAP) Cr0.03
     												  (Tranq) Cr0.02
  
Weap Length:  75cm				Ammo Wt:  0.5 grams/round
Weap Wt (loaded):  3.9kg	
Weap Wt (empty):  3.5kg			Mag Wt(loaded):  .4kg
Weap Price:  Cr1500				Mag Wt (empty):  .38kg
    								Mag Price:  Cr4


  Features				.
  Electronic Battlefield Sight
  RAM Grenade Launcher Adapter
  Gyrostabilization
  Sling
  Bayonet lug



DESCRIPTION

The ultimate development of the slug thrower, the gauss rifle
generates an electromagnetic field along the length of the barrel
which accelerates a 4mm, .5 gram needle bullet to velocities of 3740
meters per second.  The most popular round for the weapon is a HEAP
consisting of a dense armor piercing core surrounded by a softer metal
covering, ending in a hollow point, giving the explosive round both
high stopping power and a good armor piercing capability.  Flight
along the barrel is nearly frictionless, with spin stabilization
imparted through magnetic bias.

A 40 round magazine is attached, and each pull of the trigger fires
one, five, or ten rounds.  The firing setting may be changed during a
combat round at the cost of one action.  It also costs one action to
reload a new magazine.  

Standard equipment on the gauss rifle includes a battlefield sight
that incorporates both light amplification and passive IR, visual
magnification, and a laser range finder which may also be used as a
target painting device.    

Other items that are standard are integral gyrostabilization (the
range and recoil have already been adjusted), a RAM grenade adapter, a
bayonet lug, and a sling.  Power for the magnetic barrel is provided
by a disposable/rechargeable power pack included in each magazine.


Use the below chart to find the to hit difficulty based on range and 
type of round used.



TL 12  4mm GAUSS RIFLE v.2 COMBAT CHARTS

Round	Range		Distance	Difficulty	Aim 	Damage
Dart	Contact		0-21 m		Easy		+3		4		
Dart	Very Short	22-42 m		Average				4
Dart	Short		43-85 m		Difficult				4
Dart	Medium		86-170 m	Formidable			4
Dart	Long		171-340 m	Staggering			4
Dart	Very Long	341-680 m	Impossible			4	

HE		Contact		0-16 m		Easy		+3		4		
HE		Very Short	17-32 m		Average				4
HE		Short		33-64 m		Difficult				4
HE		Medium		65-128 m	Formidable			4
HE		Long		129-256 m	Staggering			4
HE		Very Long	257-512 m	Impossible			4	

HEAP	Contact		0-16 m		Easy		+3		4		
HEAP	Very Short	17-32 m		Average				4
HEAP	Short		33-64 m		Difficult				4
HEAP	Medium		65-128 m	Formidable			4
HEAP	Long		129-256 m	Staggering			4
HEAP	Very Long	257-512 m	Impossible			4	

Tranq	Contact		0-7 m		Easy		+2		1 D6-1		
Tranq	Very Short	8-15 m		Average				1 D6-1
Tranq	Short		16-30 m		Difficult				1 D6-1
Tranq	Medium		31-60 m		Formidable			1 D6-1
Tranq	Long		61-120 m	Staggering			1 D6-1
Tranq	Very Long	121-240 m	Impossible			1 D6-1	


Features											
Electronic Battlefield Sight:

	The electonic sight provides a +4 DM on targets at long and very 
long range when aim, bead, or snipe actions are used.  The sight also 
incorporates a laser range finder/sight that can be used to allow 
3 fire actions at the same target instead of the usual one when 
performing aim, bead, and snipe procedures.  The sight can be damaged 
or misaligned on a 11+ if dropped or otherwise roughed up.


Long Live Traveller!

Kenneth.

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 11:07:06 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: GA7 (long):  The Rock

The Grand Adventure post #7.

In this post...
1)  The continued backstory of the Grand Adventure, part 4 of 7.
2)  A fully detailed and fleshed out NPC complete with stats, skills, 
     and extended bio information.
3)  Expanded thoughts on the mysterious disease that hit Corfu (see 
      the Traveller Adventure)
4)  Game information on items mentioned in the prose.



The Grand Adventure Backstory Part IV:  The Rock 

by Kenneth D. Bearden



Frank Rock Fornne.  In later years his friends called him the Rock. 
Born in 1066.  His father was a military man.  Marine Corps all the
way.  He was a good soldier.  No.  His father was a great soldier. 
No.  He was a hell of a soldier.

His father worked his way up from grunt to receiving his commission. 
He earned the highest award available in any of the Imperial armed
forces, the Starburst for Extreme Heroism, and was granted a patent of
nobility .  This made him a knight, and when he was killed in 1068,
the title passed on to his first born son.  Frank Rock Fornne became
Sir Frank Rock Fornne at age 3.  

Frank grew up on Roup in the Regina subsector.  The planet is a water
world with close to a trillion people.  The population is squeezed
into floating and underwater cities.  Every decade or so, what little
land mass there is flooded from the oceans and new island appear.  The
seas are sometimes violent, and dry land is a commodity that has a
time value attached to it.  The people of Roup learned to capture food
and all of the necessities of life from the sea, but Roup has an
atmosphere with a chlorine taint.  This has had a debilitating effect
on the evolution of sea life on Roup, and the planet is characterized
by a chronic food shortage.  Although Roup lies along one of the major
trade and communication routes in the sector, the Traveller's Aid
Society has declared Roup an Amber Travel Zone because of the frequent
turbulence among the populace.

Fortune and nobility do not always go hand in hand, and Frank was the
epitome of that.  Don't get it wrong.  Frank's family was very well to
do on Roup, and he never wanted for food.  But he wasn't an heir to a
fortune like many of the other nobles.  

As Frank grew up, he had encounters with other nobles who looked down
upon him.  He was too common, they would tell him.  At first, this had
the intended effect of causing distress in Frank.  After a while,
though, he came to think that if being a noble meant being a snob,
then he would choose to be a commoner, and that is how he has lived
most of his life.  

Before he was two years old, Frank was stricken with the Corfu
disease.   Corfu is a planet in the Aramis subsector.  In 1067, about
5% of the population was stricken with virulent, crippling disease
that withers muscle tissue.  No cure for the disease is yet known, but
there has been some success in finding treatments to relieve some of
the disease's effects.  The Imperial Scout Service now maintains a
surveillance post in the system, and access to the planet is
controlled.  The TAS has declared the system a Red Zone, but this all
happened after the disease became wide spread.  

A merchant ship visited Corfu and purchased raw meat for speculative
trade with Roup.  Foodstuffs always garner a high price on Roup.  That
meat made its way to a planetary distributor which, in turn, sold it
to a market in Frank's home town and ended up on Frank's plate.  His
mother was effected as well, but his little brother, and sister were
fine.   Frank and his mother were two of the first people outside of
Corfu to be diagnosed with the disease.

Frank wasn't completely crippled by the disease, but for many years,
he was very weak and frail.  One note of interest to his doctors was
that even though his muscles were withered, Frank possessed a
fascinating amount of dexterity.  In fact, Frank was quicker and more
manual dexterous that any other child twice his age.  This was a good
sign, and there was hope.

When he was 18, Frank decided to be a marine like his father.  He
applied and was accepted at the Imperial Naval Academy.  This became
the worst year of his life.  He missed too much class because of his
disease.  He fell behind, and physically, he couldn't compete with the
other cadets.  He flunked out before the start of his sophomore year. 


But he was determined.  He went to enlist after a few months home back
on Roup.  They were not going to take him, but, being a nobel, the
Corps accepted his enlistment on the condition that he took a support
MOS.  Frank agreed, went to boot camp which was a struggle, and became
a combat electrician.  

Frank's first tour of duty included 6 mos. of basic training, 6 mos.
of MOS school, and 2 years garrison duty.  He was a behind the lines
kind of guy and no where near the type of gung ho soldier that his
father was.  "In the rear with the gear," he would always say, and he wanted 
to get out and prove himself, but the forces
that be saw his place behind the lines.  

So he appealed again to his CO.  After all, there were advantages to
being noble.  Frank just made sure that he wasn't a snob about it. 
During that fourth year, he landed duty as ship's troops.  He liked
it, and he re enlisted.

During his first tour, he earned three promotions in 4 years, and he
noticed something else.  His muscle tissue was becoming stronger.  His
body was healing, and the disease was retreating.  He reported this to
his unit medical officer, and they transferred him back to garrison
duty.  They wanted him available to study and conduct tests on.  The
military was very interested in the disease on Corfu.  Frank was the
first known case of actual disease recession, and they ordered him to
keep it secret.

Frank did as they asked.  He submitted to their tests, let them take
samples from his body, and acted the good soldier by keeping it all
quiet.  They rewarded him with another promotion and choice of
assignment.  He opted for cross training in artillery, spent another
year in additional artillery training, and finally saw action again in
a military policing action.

He re enlisted for his third term.  This time in artillery.  They gave
him another promotion and set him back on Aramis for garrison duty. 
He taught combat computers to new recruits and served in the garrison
for three more years.  He was beginning to think of changing his
middle name to 'Garrison', but they had already started calling him
something else.  The Rock, because of his middle name.  He was a
hardened gunny and had spent several years on Aramis.  He had many
friends, and they all had nicknames.  He used to think that it was a
prerequisite for a military man to have a nickname.  And the one that
stuck with him was the Rock.  Yes, that's right.  Sgt. Rock.

He served as ship's troops again, received a promotion, and re
enlisted again.  He was a lifer.  His second year into his fourth term
he won the MCUF which was the highest honor he had ever received.  He
also reached the top of the enlisted grade scale.  E-9.  Sergeant
Major Rock Fornne.  

In 1099 he was approached by a civilian physician with Corfu's
disease.  The Dr. was a few years younger than Rock and had contracted
the disease when he was young.  The Dr. had been studying on Corfu
with the Imperial Medical Outreach Program and had read the case on
Rock's improvement.  The Dr., Too Pak Neimerani, and Rock kept in
touch over the next 6 years.  Rock liked him and respected the man's
dedication to his cause, and it wasn't long before he called Too his
friend.  

Rock had one more term before he was eligible for his pension.  He'd
be 39 years old at the end of this tour, and he was looking forward to
retiring.  He re enlisted and spent much of the time in his position
as artillery sergeant on the base.  It just wasn't in the cards for
him to see a lot of action, and he guessed that it was good.  The few
times his unit was called up it meant that the situation could not be
controlled by only ground troops, and Rock had seen what a meson gun
could do to a target.  Yea, he was getting a little soft in his old
age, and he was used to life on the base.  

One of the pilots he knew stationed out of Aramis was Daeus Jacks. 
Daeus was an officer, but Rock didn't hold that against him because
Daeus, in Rock's estimation, was a stand up guy.  They had served
together a few times as ship's troops, and Rock had learned that all
of the candy strips on Daeus' uniform were well earned.  

Rock was speaking one day with Daeus about what they were both going
to do at the end of the year.  They were both mustering out of the
service within a month of each other, and Daeus told him of his new
position as pilot aboard a merchant vessel.  They were still looking
to fill other positions and if Rock knew of anybody who might be
interested....

What the hell.  Rock had some experience with turret weapons, and the
ship needed a gunner.  This might be just the opportunity for a
retired gunny like himself.  And they were still looking for other
crew members.  

He sent a message via X-Boat to his old friend Too at Corfu Station.



Game Information:
Aramis, where Rock was stationed, is located in hex 3110 in the 
Spinward Marches.  The information about the disease on Corfu was 
extrapolated from the short reference in Marc Miller's Traveller 
Adventure.  Corfu is located in hex 2602--in the Aramis subsector of 
the Spinward Marches.  Roup is located in hex 2007, in the Regina 
subsector of the same sector, and all the information about the 
planet's food shortage is consistent with how Roup has been described 
in official Traveller supplements and adventures.

Sir Frank Rock Fornne

Original Player:  David McCormack
Race:  Human (solomani)
Gender:  Male
TAS?  No

Homeworld:  Roup		UPP  C77A9A9-7
Homeworld Location:  Regina subsector, Spinward Marches
Native Language:  Rifitan Anglic

STR  6
DEX  A
END  7
INT  6
EDU  6
SOC  B

Current Career:  Free Trader
Former Career:  Imperial Marines
Branch:  Artillery/Support
Final Rank:  Sargent Major (E9)
Terms:  5 (20 years)		Retired?  Yes	Retirement Pay:  Cr10,000 per mo.
Monthly upkeep:  Cr2750

Name of Discharge World:  Aramis
Location of Discharge World:  Aramis/Spinward Marches

Assignment Summary:
4 yrs Ships Troops
1 yr Artillery Teaching
3 yrs Police Action Tours
8 yrs Garrison Duty (Aramis Marine Base)

Advanced Education:
1 yr Imperial Naval Academy (dropped out)

Special Training:
.5 yr Marine Basic Training
.5 yr Combat Electrician Training (MOS)
1 yr Heavy Weapons Training
1 yr Artillery Cross-Training
1 yr Extended Artillery School

Awards and Decorations:
Medal for Meritorious Conduct Under Fire
3 Combat Ribbons (one for each Police Action Tour)

Primary Postion (March Harrier)			Salary
Chief Gunner							Cr1000 per mo

Secondary Positions						Salary
Ship's Electrician							Cr100 per mo
Security Officer							Cr100 per mo

		Total Salary						Cr1200 per mo
		Ship Shares						5

Skills:
Dagger-1							Tactics-1
Artisian-1							Intrusion-1
Combat Rifleman-3					Pilot-1
Electronics-1						Brawling-2
High Energy Weapons-1				Pistol-1
Heavy Weapons-1					Perception-1
Gunnery-1							Swimming-1
Large Watercraft-1					Mechanics-1

As with all of the Grand Adventure posts, GMs are encouraged to use 
this NPC in any way they see fit.  Change him to fit your campaign.  
The Grand Adventure is a shareing of ideas in order to make Traveller 
a better game.

Long Live Traveller

Kenneth.

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 09:14:17 -0800
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: Re: Last Night on IRC....

At 04:47 PM 12/13/96 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi!
>
>Last night on IRC, we had a great turnout!  Everyone was on early, 
>and we even stuck to the topic of the evening, at least until 
>everyone had a turn at telling about a favorite character or two!

*Sigh*  I would have been there, if Undernet didn't seem to have some grudge
against me... I spent an hour jumping from server to server trying to login!
Very frustating.  I never got to tell the tale of Sir Arameth Gridlore,
Merchant Prince (and part-time bastard).

+----------------------------------------------+
| Douglas E. Berry          dberry@hooked.net  |
|     Professional Driver - Traveller Guru     |
|        http://www.hooked.net/~dberry/        |
|**********************************************|
| "Life's a journey, not a destination."       |
|                                   -Aerosmith |
+----------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 11:15:14 -0600
From: John Kovalic <muskrat@msn.fullfeed.com>
Subject: Re: I'm not anti-Foss...I'm pro-Choice :-)

Joseph "Chepe" Lockett <jlockett@io.com> astutely noted:
>Quoth John Kovalic:
>> Joseph "Chepe" Lockett <jlockett@io.com> deftly commented:
>> >And this all comes down to: how does IG want to position Traveller?  CT
>> >drew a heck of a lot of inspiration from 50's/60's science fiction....
>>
>> I disagree, inasmuch as I think Traveller owed far more to Star Wars,
>> despite the obvious bows to (primarily) 60's SF.
>
>Unlikely, since, IIRC, the first printing of the Classic Traveller rules
>set came out the same summer as (or even shortly before) Star Wars: this
>was one reason for its rapid and runaway success.  Loren Wiseman still
>lurks around here sometimes, I believe, and I'm sure could regale us with
>tales of assorted inspirations.  But I find the character write-ups in CT
>S4, "Citizens of the Imperium," to be instructive as to what the designers
>were thinking.  Some Star Wars types are there, of course -- in that era,
>they had to be! -- but there's a lot of E.C. Tubb, Keith Laumer, & Co. too.

Yes, I agree. I should have been more precise. The POST-three-black-book
supplements and adventures, to me, evoked "Star Wars," but that could have
been because I went into "Traveller" with "Star Wars" in my High School
mind. Of course, there was planty of "Reteif" in there as well. :-)

I don't see as great a leap from late 60's and early 70's SF to "Star Wars"
(and hence to "Traveller") as I do with 50's SF. "Citizens" is - as you
state - a perfect example, with lots of stock SF heroes included. Didn't
one of the early JTASs have a competition to name the famous inclusions?

However, I still think the flavor of 40s and 50s SF differs profoundly from
that of the 60s and 70s, which became (after a typically hard-to-define
transitional period), "harder" and more realistic, and less Pulpy). So what
the Foss vehicles inspire to me is the feel of Pulp SF. There's a place in
the market for Pulp SF gaming, but for me, Traveller is not that place.
Whether it's Asimov's "Foundation," Niven's "Known Space" or "Star Wars,"
Traveller has - for me - always evoked post-Pulp SF.

John Kovalic

PS The name of the new comic strip is "DorK Tower," sorry about the typos
in my own damn work! :-)

PPS. Is this what you'd call a "Chepe" shot? :-)



********************************************************
           "This must be Thursday. I never COULD get the hang of Thursdays"
                                                     - Arthur Dent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*                                 "Wild Life": a Web comic --
*
*              MUSKRAT CENTRAL: http://www.msn.fullfeed.com/muskrat/
*
********************************************************

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 12:44:04 -0500
From: BrianMays@aol.com
Subject: Re: Writing Contest Update

In a message dated 96-12-14 10:14:38 EST, you write:

<< tired of getting raped by AOL, huh, Harold.  Me too.  I used to be 
 with AOL, but that per hour crap is for the birds.
 
 AOL has a nice set up, but at those prices, who needs it when you can 
 get all the important stuff, with unlimited time, for $20 a month. >>

FYI, AOL has finally caught a clue (maybe their plummeting customer base had
something to do with it?  Nahhhhh . . .) and switched to monthly billing.
 $19.95 a month.  I, too, was going to switch, but my 50 free hours carried
me right over into their new pricing policy.

Ok, ok, what does this have to do with Traveller?  Well, they DO have a nifty
RPG area, including chat rooms, software areas, and a great sci-fi MUD called
"Federation."

Brian

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 12:49:58 -0500
From: rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca (Roderick Darroch Elliott)
Subject: I'll take that cookie!

Armand wrote:

>
>I think spider mech drivers' worst fear would be a TDX overhead proximity
>mine.  That could take out all the legs at once!  A cookie to anyone who
>remembers what TDX is. ;-D
>
>Later,
>
>Armand

        IIRC, James Blish's Cities In Flight is where TDX is to be found;
gravitationally focused or some such handwaving explosive that produced
thin horizontal disk-shaped explosions...

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
| Roderick D. Elliott... rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca              |
|                        elliot_r@lsa.lan.mcgill.ca           |
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
| "...an imperfect plan implemented immediately and violently |
| will always succeed better than a perfect plan."            |
|                        -Gen. George S. Patton.              |
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

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

Date: 14 Dec 1996 17:35:17 GMT
From: Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
Subject: Re: 50td Modular cutter query

>        Does anyone know the precise sizes of a) the modules transportable
>by 50td Modular cutters and b) Imperial Standard shipping containers?

The answer to (b) is 3m x 3m x 6m, according to the equipment sheet on page
28 of MegaTraveller Journal #3.  This is a 4 tons disp. container.  I also
designed smaller and larger models, but DGP didn't publish those.  

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

Date: 14 Dec 1996 17:41:25 GMT
From: Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
Subject: Re: Ship Design Formulas

>I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I for one would prefer to
>see 2 pages of formulas rather than 18 pages of tables.  Maybe with some
>samples so I know that I am computing things correctly.

This won't work for QSDS, because the 'hull' is actually a hull plus other
components - ie. there is not a linear relationship there.  (Rather like a
basket of groceries: you could establish a pattern but not a precise
formula.)

It may be possibly to calculate a formula for the hull by itself, but I
couldn't find one when I tried (when FF&S came out).


>   2 - If the formulas are well thought out enough, then the ship design
>       system automatically extends to any size you want!  Just because the
>       table ends at 5000t doesn't mean you have to stop there...

Not true, at least in real life and hard-SF games.  Any formula will have a
region in which it applies, and will be increasingly inaccurate outside that
region as factors that were negligable within the region begin to have an
effect.  

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:30:40 -0500 (EST)
From: matth@homer.njit.edu (Matthew Harelick)
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #753

Hi: 

I must have missed something somewhere. 

Who is Courtney Solomon? 

Matthew

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

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 12:45:57 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Starships

Let's do a little comparison here.

Here is a list of the pictures of ships in Starships.  Answer yes or 
no if you think the pic is Travelleresque.

Let's get an idea of (A) what people think is Travelleresque, and (B) 
which of Foss' art people think fits Traveller.

I'll start.

1) Cover pic:  Yes.  Acceptible for Traveller, but that ship, or 
whatever it is sure is long and borders on the non-Travelleresque.

2)  Rescue Ball:  Yes.  Yeah, I can accept that one.

3)  Launch:  No.  But, I could be persuaded on this one.

4)  Ship's Boat:  Yes.  I actually like this one.

5)  Slow Boat:  Yes.  It's OK.  I consider it on the border.

6)  Pinnace:  No.  Dumb looking.

7)  Slow Pinnace:  No.  Again, dumb looking.

8)  Modular Cutter:  Yes.  I can accept that one.

9)  Shuttle:  No.  Dumb, again.

10)  Gig:  No.  Absolutely not.  Crappy drawing.

11)  Scout/Courier:  No.  Hmm.  It's not so much that I don't like 
       the design, because I think it would be good for some type of science 
        or industrial use, but it is just not a scout looking ship.  If it's 
       function were more appropriate, then I may change my opinion to yes.

12)  Luxury Liner:  No.  If I were Lewis Roberts, I'd be upset that 
        they drew my ship like that.

13)  Free Trader:  No.  Again, what a crappy design.

14)  Far Trader:  No.  Poor Joe Walsh.  I bet he cried when he saw 
        that his ship looked like a shoe.

15)  Secure Trader:  No.  If this was a Buck Rodgers game, then 
       maybe.

16)  Subdized Merchant:  No.  I expect to see 1930s sparks flying out 
        of the back of this one.  Flash Gordon all the way.

17)  Subdized Liner:  Yes.  It's OK.  I can accept it.

18)  Yacht:  No.  It's a 1955 T-Bird!

19)  Patrol Cruiser:  No.  This reminds me of third grade, when the 
        art teacher drew a line on a piece of paper, and you were supposed to 
        draw something from it.

20)  Mercenary Cruiser:  No.  I hope the mercs in that ship are real 
        bad asses, because as soon as they land, they're going to be laughed 
        off the planet.

21)  Laboratory Ship:  No.  What's the deal with the circular fins?

22)  Safari Ship:  No.  Looks like my radar detector.

23)  Corsair:  No.  Ever see The Spy Who Loved Me?

24)  Large Armed Freighter:  No.  If it wasn't so curvey, I'd count 
       it as a yes.

25)  Military Landing Ship Infantry:  No.  I want to like it, but I 
        just can't.

26)  Military Frontier Cruiser:  No.  Just don't like it.

27)  Military Destroyer:  No.  Just don't like this one either.

28)  Light Fighter:  Yes.  Hey!  One I really like!

29)  Medium Fighter:  No.  Looks like the close up of the head of a 
        bug.

30)  Heavy Fighter:  No.  What's the deal with the smiley face 
         sticking its tongue out in the rear of the craft?

31)  Missile Bomber:  No.  This is the epitome of the 50's retro 
        style that Foss is being accused of by members of the TML.  Looks 
        like a soap box racer.

32)  Pg. 81 Foss Plate:  No.  What the heck is that?

33)  Pg. 82 Foss Plate:  No.  Is this D&D or Traveller?

34)  Pg.  83 Foss Plate:  Yes.  Yeah, cool!  It looks like one of my 
         campaigns.  I DO like this one!

35)  Pg. 84 Foss Plate:  No.  Get rid of it.

36)  Pg. 85 Foss Plate:  Yes.  Almost a no, but I can accept it.

37)  Pg. 86 Foss Plate:  No.  It looks more like a giant robot rather 
        than a mech.

38)  Pg. 87 Foss Plate:  No.  Reminds me of futuristic Jules Verne.

39)  Pg. 88 Foss Plate:  No.  If the ship looked like it would fly, I 
        would have said yes.

40)  Pg.  89 Foss Plate:  No.  If the ship were worth a damn, I would 
        have said that this is a cool picture of a ship coming out of jump 
        space.

41)  Pg.  90 Foss Plate:  No.  Is this a virtural reality test for 
        Imperial Marines?

42)  Pg.  91 Foss Plate:  No.  Like the idea, hate the ship.

43)  Pg.  92 Foss Plate:  No.  More crap.

45)  Back Cover:  Yes.  I like this one.

So, what are all of your opinions?

Kenneth.

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

End of Traveller-digest V1996 #754
**********************************

To unsubscribe to Traveller-Digest, send the command:

unsubscribe traveller-digest

in the body of a message to "traveller-request@MPGN.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".
