       TRAVELLER Digest 55

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Stutterwarp by jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
  2) Jump Damper/Inducer by jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
  3) More Campn. stuff by "James M. Kelleher" <kelleher@holonet.net>
  4) more bandwidth on battlesuits and skills by "Glenn M. Goffin" <sudet@well.sf.ca.us>
  5) Zhodani Society by Lahtinen Antti <al76188@proffa.cc.tut.fi>
  6) Re: some not very short... by Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>

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Date: Tue, 27 Sep 94 21:37:00 -0500
From: jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
To: TRAVELLER@MPGN.COM
Subject: Stutterwarp
Message-ID: <89AA511.01000345D3.uuout@execnet.com>


  I was rummaging FFS today, and took it into my head to assume,
  for argument's sake, that all of the stardrive technologies 
  listed in FFS were possible, and commenced an economic analysis 
  and comparison among them.  The standard configuration I intended 
  to use was a J3 TL12 100 rate hull.

  When I went to work with the Stutterwarp setup, I couldn't get 
  sensible figures: The fuel usage was too low, and the performance 
  was too high (the minimum TL12 fusion plant I could put in gave a 
  stutterwarp performance of 9+ parsec/day [can you say J66 
  equivalent?]).  Worse, the size of the SW/powerplant combo was, 
  by the figures and description, independent of the hull rate.  I 
  don't see this as sensible, and feel that there must be a bug in 
  this.  Also, there were no figures on how far a SW system could 
  tunnel before discharge was necessary.

  Can someone _please_ rationalize this info for me?
==========================================================================
Jeff Zeitlin                                      jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com
---
 þ QMPro 1.52 þ Research Specialist, Jump Space Institute, Regina

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

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 94 21:38:00 -0500
From: jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
To: TRAVELLER@MPGN.COM
Subject: Jump Damper/Inducer
Message-ID: <89AA512.01000345D2.uuout@execnet.com>


  For odd and inexplicable reasons, I was going through FFS today,
  and started thinking about weapons systems that I had remembered 
  from previous Traveller experience.  I then started, for equally 
  odd and inexplicable reasons, to consider the peaceful civilian 
  applications of military technology.

  Two weapons I remembered were the Jump Damper and the Jump 
  Inducer.  All I know of them was that the JD could prevent a ship 
  from escaping into jump, and the JI could force a ship into jump, 
  which jump was guaranteed to be a misjump.  Now, what I need to 
  know is:

  Were these "official" weapons, or did they come from my GM's 
  fertile imagination?  If the former, can someone provide me with 
  tech specs on them?  A controllable JI/JD combination, depending 
  on how they really work, might have the potential to serve as a 
  "jump gate" method of interstellar travel, and might prove more 
  economical on high-density routes than conventional jump ships.  
  Even if they're not, working out the FFS specs to prove it might 
  be educational.
==========================================================================
Jeff Zeitlin                                      jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com
---
 þ QMPro 1.52 þ Research Specialist, Jump Space Institute, Regina

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

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 94 21:34:37 PDT
From: "James M. Kelleher" <kelleher@holonet.net>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (Traveller posts)
Cc: cat@wups.wustl.edu (Catie Helm)
Subject: More Campn. stuff
Message-ID: <199409290434.VAA14947@holonet.net>

James Kundert... Jim you forgot the Spigots and the parrot... but I guess
that story is for later...
I just got WTH ( World Tamer's Handbook ) and on the first couple of runs 
through it seems very good. it has a set of adventures but offers even more
guidelines for Campaigns of any focus High level Leaders of a Colony effort
to the First - In - Scouts (Tm.) ( Andre Norton I belive... :-)) it also 
indicates the idea of using the T:TNE rules with other earas and places.
Such as the first colonies at Alpha Centari... Pretty Radical :-).
It also had design sequences as add - ons for FF&S for Black Powder and Bows
( I liked the quote at the begining. ) Now I think I might try to design the 
Wheel Lock horse pistols I saw at the Austrian Exibit Here In S.F. They where
Beautiful...
Hummm I've got a character who is a collector of Guns...
I also have one who collects bows and had a compound made for him and his 
battle dress when he was in the Commandos. I can even design that Monster.
I really like it.
Something came up in our game... The ship we have is an Ex Corsair ( Yes EX!
)
( We took it away from the "People" who had it last. )
Any Way the problem came up when our more merchantile character asked "Well 
How much can I get for the Booze in the hold" it seems that the merchant 
system was designed with either one type of ship or one area of campain.
Since we are in the spinward and 1122 at that the fall is yet to come and 
the payments on our ship would not be made under this system. Oh My I just
figured out why all of these ships get used as pirates... :-)
Ok Well Mr. Kundert said that he would look into synthising something out of 
CT and T:TNE has anyone out there had similar problems and how did you solve
it?
Thanks in advance.

Our campsin style both of us... Mr. Kundert and I is pretty much passive.
We both prefer to let the players' Characters find trouble on their own.
This saves a lot of set up work; BUT, you have to be able to shuck and jive 
in a hurry and at a moments notice. This seems to work well for this group as
they are very interested in Character devlopement. ( One adventure I had set
up for them [ would have explained a lot and even might have revieled an 
enamey... ] They took one look at and said Thanks but no Thanks!!! ) Oh 
Well what can you do, Save that Sceane for later only I'll let them stumble
into it this time...
Our players like to do a lot of the play during Jump but this last session
was spent on the upstation. furinstance
Gunnar gave the Captian, Marcus two tickets to the Symphony as Marcus hadn't
been off ship for some time and he spent the last day dealing with the port
athurities while a number of the others got out and went to the concert.
He also bought Marcus Clothes sutable to the occasion, as He wasn't about to 
let his Captain go to the symphony in his tired, old, ratty ;-) scout suit...
He thought Marcus would invite one of the ladies on board to go with him but
Marcus came up with a date; We where suprised. :-)
One of the other things that happened was Blasnie (how DOES he spell it Jim?)
took our engineering robot DB to a Cyber Shrink ( He had been VERY depressed
lately... ) But Blasnie had forgotten Just one little detail... How to Pay 
for this, A very embarassing call from Madam Zola's ( Yes She does Massage,
Tea Leaves and Palmistry on the side, Not too much call for Cyber Shrinks.)
Astrid was not amused by Blasnie's ( I am trying to spell it consistanly )
running off to spend ship's funds with out telling her. then a couple of
minutes later Blasnie calles her back and wants to buy a pet.
This was very ammusing to listen as the players Played with this...
Blasnie got the idea that DB needed a pet. Fair assumption as some of his 
programming seemes to have been hiver. Astrid pointed out that DB will find
a "pet" on the crew.
It seems that every one on this crew has a tweak, something to hide, or all
of the above...
Makes for interesting play and sometimes a laugh a minute.
Madam Zola was Jim's fault, honest she was... ;-)
We have played through two months ( about ) ship time and we have had one 
fire fight Three shots fired, Three assailants down. Gunnar wasn't going to 
shoot his, but the idiot drew on him... Sigh Oh Well here it is...
other ammusing moments ( for Me any way ) was when the Weird Gray Knight 
walked up to Astrid and said " I've just done an inventorie and we do not
have 
any orbit to ground assult ordence."
Astrid "Well yess..."
"We should have some."
Then came a group effort to explain that we are a merchant ship NOT a
warship.
He also has problems with the idea of not going fully armored and armed every
where. He seems to have come from a most grim place.
The dynamics of this particular group and characters are very interesting.
see ya

P.S. the Misspellings are MINE all MINE ha ha ha.
oops sorry I'm ok now really I am...
jim
-- 
Remember: no matter where you go...
There you are...
B. Banzi

James M. Kelleher
kelleher@holonet.net


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

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 1994 22:27:58 -0700
From: "Glenn M. Goffin" <sudet@well.sf.ca.us>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: more bandwidth on battlesuits and skills
Message-ID: <199409290527.WAA21410@well.sf.ca.us>

Why are use and maintenance always tied in Traveller technical skills?  I
can drive in bad weather at speed and in heavy traffic, handle skids, drive
a road car on 4 wheel drive roads (not at speed), but I can't perform most
maintenance.  I can change filters, but not oil.  I have only the haziest
understanding of the internal combustion system, let alone the myriad
electronic gizmos like fuzes and distributors and horns.  What's my ground
car skill level then?

I agree that certain basic maintenance is part of learning to use anything
-- like filling the tank and knowing when to get professional help -- but at
higher levels of "use" skill, "maintenance" skill is irrelevant, and vice
versa.  The vice versa is my father's mechanic, who can take apart, fix, and
put back together any part of any vehicle that can be driven or towed into
his shop, but who is only an average driver, who doesn't handle heavy
traffic especially well.

Enough rant.

--Glenn

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

Date: Thu, 29 Sep 1994 14:59:32 +0200 (EET)
From: Lahtinen Antti <al76188@proffa.cc.tut.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Zhodani Society
Message-ID: <199409291259.OAA07962@proffa.cc.tut.fi>

> From: alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
> Subject: Additional RICE paper subjects...

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

 Soon after GDW's Alien Module 4 was released, we started a campaign
 in Zhodani space, and the campaign is still going on. (we recently
 switched to TNE game system, and had to re-design most of our ships
 and equipment with FFS) During this campaign, our characters have been
 involved in two Frontier Wars, and presently we are exploring the
 Core.
 At the beginning it was quite difficult to play Zhodani characters
 because the basic society was so strange. The Zhodani space was also
 quite peaceful place, and did not give much adventuring possibilities.
 However, the situation changed when our unit was transferred to
 Spinward Marches for anti-piracy (search-and-destroy) operations.

> 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?

 I think that Zhodani societies are much more uniform than old
 Imperial societies were. The Referee's Companion has a 9-page
 article of Zhodani, and it gives a good insigth to Zhodani society.

Form Megatraveller, Referee's Companion, page 65:
----------
.. It has been said that psionics has made the Zhodani Consulate the most
powerful, effective, and absolute tyranny in human history - and also the
happiest and most stable. Both statements are quite true.
----------

Form Megatraveller, Referee's Companion, page 66:
----------
Conformity: Zhodani are conformists. The relatively narrow band of activities
which all members of society understand and approve of is known to everyone,
and everyone strives to act within the range. The range of acceptable dress
(while wide) is rarely exceeded. Interests rarely involve strange or
unsuitable subjects. Too much deviation from the norm is considered an
aberration and subject to re-education.
----------

 Because Zhodani society is based on non-heraldry, psionic noble
 class, the government system can be considered as '8: Civil Service
 Bureaucracy' and 'C: Charismatic Oligarchy'.
 The Consulate law level is both '6: Moderate Law (all firearms are
 licensed)' and 'C: Extreme Law (unrestricted invasion of privacy)'.
 However, crime is extremely rare in Zhodani society and law level
 may appear to be much lower that it really is. Tavrchedl' troopers
 can effectively reduce crime by telepahtically searching for unusual
 thought patterns, and picking off any perverts and psychopaths before
 they do any crimes.
 If an Imperial citizen is wearing psionic shield while visiting a
 Zhodani planet, the local tavrchedl' troopers will consider him to
 be as suspicious as if he was wearing a ski-mask and wielding SMG.

Form Megatraveller, Referee's Companion, page 66:
----------
Zhodani society also helps direct individuals to the most productive and
satisfying pursuit available. Psionically based techniques help each person
understand his or her needs and motivations and place that person where
ability and aptitude can contribute most to personal well-being and to the
community as a whole
----------

 This is propably the reason why my character joined the Zhodani
 psionic Guards, and was eventually promoted to Major.

___
        Antti Lahtinen    : ...but the universe is a big place;
        al76188@cs.tut.fi :    whatever happens, you will not be missd...


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

Date: Thu, 29 Sep 1994 18:17:04 +0100
From: Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: some not very short...
Message-ID: <9409291716.AA11970@grobi.informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>

Rob and Edward,

thanks for your answers.  

However, I still don't understand the combat/damage system. Does an
unarmed damage value of 2 means to subtract 2D6 hit points from the
hit capacity or only 2 points.

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

If a normal pistol has 1D6 damage, does that mean I need to hit a
STR=10, CON=6 character (hit capacity 48) about 13 times to wound
him??

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

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 55
**************************
