Subj: Traveller-digest V1999 #1422
Date: 12/1/99 5:49:19 PM Pacific Standard Time
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Traveller-digest Wednesday, December 1 1999 Volume 1999 : Number 1422
(R)1996. Traveller is a registered trademark of FarFuture Enterprises.
All rights reserved.
The following topics are covered in this digest:
California Weather
Re: Different Technologies
Re: Different Technologies
Re: Bribery Skill
Re: California Weather
Re: Different Technologies
Re: Low TL Medicines
Re: Percussive Maintenance
Re: Deadfall Ordnance
Re: Different Technologies
Re: Different Technologies
Re: Deadfall Ordnance
Bribery Skill
Re: Different Technologies
Re: California Weather
Re: California Weather
RE: LEO's (KEYBOARD WARNING!!)
Re: Different Technologies
Re: California Weather
Re: Different Technologies
Re: Police Ranks (long)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 15:33:58 -0800 (PST)
From: Kiri Aradia Morgan
Subject: California Weather
On Wed, 1 Dec 1999, Douglas E. Berry wrote:
> At 01:55 PM 12/1/1999 -0700, you wrote:
> >That's odd...I thought 'Scotland Yard' was the HQ of your equivalent of
> >the FBI, a national police force...Whatever they're called...I've only
> >heard them referred to as 'Scotland Yard'.
> >
> >Of course, my experience comes from watching things like 'Cracker' and
> >suchlike on PBS and A&E, and a pile of mysteries...
>
> Ah, the perils of television.. every summer San Francisco gets planeloads
> of tourist in shorts and t-shirts, who proceed to develop hypothermia while
> waiting for cable cars.
>
> Y'see they've seen "Baywatch", which is filmed in California, so they know
> what the weather is going to be like...
>
My ex-BF Go came from Saitama to SF one year with NOTHING but t-shirts and
shorts because he believed California was so warm...
poor baby.
Kiri =)
******************************************************************************
Kiri Aradia Morgan 93! Thou Art God
tiamat@tsoft.com
"If time passes, everything turns into beauty
If the rains stop, tears clean the scars of memory away
Everything starts wearing fresh colors
Every sound begins playing a heartfelt melody
Jealousy embellishes a page of the epic
Desire is embraced in a dream..." -- X-JAPAN
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 15:42:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Anthony Jackson
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
SD Mooney writes:
> At 16:50 -0500 1/12/99, Anthony Jackson wrote:
>
> >The only situation in which you will have competing technologies
> >like that is when there are two or more technologies which are
> >roughly equal, or which one or another group is philosophically
> >opposed to using. In many cases, the 'standard' systems are just
> >plain _better_ than any competing technology.
>
> Except in the case of Windows or Betamax.
Within the level of resolution I'm talking about, those systems _are_ equal.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 18:44:54 -0500
From: "Chris Seamans"
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
From: Ian Ferguson
> Just my Cr 0.02: There are differences in power generating
> plants around Terra, but most of these are either minor
> variations on the same technology, or based on resources
> that vary considerably in availability.
Well, yes and no. The same idea may be at work with nuclear plants and coal
plants, the two are very different animals.
>It could also be
> argued that TL differences contribute. Nevertheless, how
> many different kinds of cars are there? Sure, they may
> look different (actually, they mostly all look the same to
> me), and a mechanic might take a while figuring out the
> details of some foreign cars, but almost all of them use
> metal frames, rubber tires, and internal combustion
> engines. That despite the wide range in environments in
> which these vehicles must operate.
I know you said "almost all", but if you head up north where there's a good
deal of snow and you'll find lots of vehicles which use a combination of
skies and treads, not rubber tires. These vehicles fill the same role as
cars, but they're not cars.
To go a step further than that even, Buckminster Fuller designed the
Dymaxion (sp?), a three-wheeled car that was quantifiably better than most
cars of the time, but an unfortunate accident caused funding to dry up.
While the Dymaxion was not radical in the sense that the difference between,
say, using solar power on a starship and using fusion power would be, it's
still a design which is different enough to be notable.
To stick with automobiles as an example, even with very similar technology,
cars themselves can come in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
Sometimes, as with the popularity of compact and sub-compact cars, the
change is a result of *function*, while at other times the change is purely
a result of aesthetics. Take a look at the rise in popularity of the SUV
among America's "soccer moms".
To further complicate issues, you've got things like motorcycles on the
roads as well, which look and feel very different from automobiles. If
everybody in America started to drive motorcycles, for whatever reason, the
country would look and feel quite different.
So, even using the same core technology, you can have any number of
permutations which, in most cases, are functionally different in a
quantifiable way.
These are above and beyond *mere* differences in tech levels.
One thing that's interesting, which nobody has mentioned yet, which is not
surprising given the rational and optimization-happy nature of this list, is
that something which may be functionally and quantifiably better may be, for
whatever reason, unpopular, or the idea might not catch on. Look at the
Betamax / VHS brawl, as an example, or look at the story of the Tucker car,
or even the military vehicle that Tucker and his team designed for the U. S.
Army. Laserdiscs are another good example. Let's see... what else? Ah! Fax
machines owe their popularity in the 80s and 90s not to their being "better"
than other forms of technology, an email system has many advantages over the
fax machine, but to the fact that Japanese executives conduct their business
in a specific fashion, and the Japanese both make and consume lots of
electronics.
So, even on a single planet it's quite possible to have many different
approaches to a problem. People's priorities can also be very different.
While many on this list may lean toward optimization, most people *don't*.
Tradition and industrial inertia are very powerful forces, even for those of
us who aren't Vilani.
In some cases, even very brilliant people can't think far enough "outside
the box" to see that there may be a different way of doing something. The
rise in popularity of "alternative medicines" in the West is a good example.
Acupuncture, which just came up on the list in another discussion, is quite
different from other methods of dealing with certain medical problems.
Similarly, the difference between the therapy dominated field of psychology
and the empirical approach of psychiatry are really very different.
I could go on and on, but I think that I've made my point. ;)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 16:56:15 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson
Subject: Re: Bribery Skill
Douglas E. Berry wrote:
>
> At 04:38 PM 12/1/1999 -0600, you wrote:
> >In a recent discussion the subject of Bribery came up. I don't use it as a
> >skill in MTU. How difficult is it to bribe someone anyway?!? Is it like
> >electronics or medical, or even gun combat? How much training or experience
> >is actually involved to advance to a higher level. I accept it as a task,
> >but not as a separate skill! I assume that anyone with Streetwise would be
> >successful at bribery. Any opinions out there?
>
> Bribery is knowing who to bribe, how to pass it along, and what levels of
> squeeze are needed for any given situation. It differs slightly from
> Streetwise in that many "legitimate" citizens might by in a situation where
> bribery becomes a part of daily life. (Anybody here every get pulled over
> by the Sonora State Police? A US $10 bill, discreetly passed, and suddenly
> the officer forgets he ever saw you or your car.)
Streetwise would tell you to pass a $10 to the cop.
Bribery would tell you that it's ok for a Sonora Federale, but NOT a
CHiP.
Bribery is knowing the fine details of how much and the particulars of
bribing someone, as Doug says.
Foex, offering too much will generate differing responses.
Will the bribee:
a) assume you don't know what you're doing and pocket it anyway
b) take the usual and politely give the rest back (don't laugh, an old
National Geographic article on Bombay described that exact thing)
or c) assume you're up to something much worse, that they should be much
more suspicious of.
Streetwise will tell you to walk into a congresscritters office with a
briefcase of cash.
Bribery will tell you to walk in with an appropriately laundered check
made out to his re-election committee, or better yet, his favorite
PAC...
Streetwise leans heavily towards the folded ten in the palm.
Bribery is a delicately dropped insider tip.
Bribery, at it's best, and as a skill, consists of the art of paying
someone off while simultaneouosly offering them plausible deniability.
- --
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 17:00:26 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson
Subject: Re: California Weather
Kiri Aradia Morgan wrote:
>
> > Ah, the perils of television.. every summer San Francisco gets planeloads
> > of tourist in shorts and t-shirts, who proceed to develop hypothermia while
> > waiting for cable cars.
> >
> > Y'see they've seen "Baywatch", which is filmed in California, so they know
> > what the weather is going to be like...
> >
> My ex-BF Go came from Saitama to SF one year with NOTHING but t-shirts and
> shorts because he believed California was so warm...
Ha! one of my Japanese teachers (loooong time ago, I hardly remember any
of it) was from Japan. Her father was initially concerned about her
coming to Tucson because it was a dusty cow town with daily gunfights
and Indian raids...
Wasn't it Mark Twain who said 'The coldest winter I ever saw was a
summer in San Francisco.' ? I know, we still have the thick sweaters we
ran out and bought the first time we went there...
- --
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 16:00:26 -0800
From: "Luther Martin"
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
Most people may not lean towards optimization, but those who design and
build things *do*. The rest of the world has to live with what we build.
>
>While many on this list may lean toward optimization, most people *don't*.
>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 17:10:19 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson
Subject: Re: Low TL Medicines
Rupert Boleyn wrote:
>
> Here in NZ there's a pharmacy only (until recently prescription only)
> nasal spray that my doctor told me was a steriod (shortly before
> spending five minutes reassuring me that it wasn't like all those
> "evil" steriods). It's called Beconase and seems to have Beclomethasone
> Dipropionate as its active component.
Yes. Actually that stuff works pretty well, I'm taking it, since the
generic companies can make it now, and the HMO's think it's just peachy
keen to prescribe because it's cheap.
N.B. Steroids are a VAST array of compounds sharing a common base
chemical structure, with hugely varying pharmacological effects.
Only a tiny fraction of them have _any_ effect on the male sex drive.
It's on the order of syaing 'hydrocarbon' == 'gasoline'; whether it's
methane or coal.
It's all in the side chains, folks, all in the side chains.
- --
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 19:14:44 -0500
From: "Daniel Phelps"
Subject: Re: Percussive Maintenance
Was asked:
>>Okay, admit it...how many of you whack the TV/radio/etc with the palm
>>of your hand to "encourage" the darn thing to work?
My dad, the electronics tech, had a phrase that he would utter just before
he fired up some cranky item he was working on:
"All right, lets tune for maximum smoke."
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 19:03:19 -0600
From: "Bont"
Subject: Re: Deadfall Ordnance
> From: ehenry@newberlin.org (Eric Henry)
> .001 kiloton? why not just drop a WWII bomb?
Because it would burn up in reentry?
> This is certainly not in the planet busting category although it might
> stop an armored fighting vehicle.
I would hope so! 35,000 (2) points of damage is nothing to sneeze
at. That's enough to take out a 20,000 dTon ship with 30,000 points
of DR.
Drop a couple hundred of these over a ground-based starport and I
don't think there would be too many ships left.
But, you are right. I am not sure it bust up the planet. You would
probably need a 10 cf one for that ;)
- - - -
FELIX (Thomas L Bont)
- - Encrypt your messages!
That way only the government knows what you wrote!
- - It is truly the wise man that knows what he doesn't!
- - With your shield or on it ... (Old Spartan Blessing)
- - Fidelitas super omnia, honore excepto
- - Help Stop Forest Fires. Outlaw Matches.
Be sure to visit The FELIX Cafe at
http://www.felixcafe.com/
- - - -
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 16:59:06 -0800 (PST)
From: "John R. Snead"
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
"Bob Sanders" wrote:
>I agree, but we also know that many roads can get you to the same
>destination. ForEx. look at the many different types of power generation
>plants in the world. Gas, coal, nuke, solar, wind, etc... they are all
>optimized (the best they can be at existing technology) for their function.
>However they all still provide power. That doesn't answer my question of
>how the different races all developed the same solution to the engineering
>problem produced by space travel.
The problem is that Fusion is simply better than any sort of power
generation system which does not involve antimatter or other highly
exotic, *very* high TL solutions. Fusion power uses easily available fuel
(hydrogen) and generates a huge amount of power for a small amount of fuel
(and in a relatively small space in Traveller). Nothing else works nearly
as well.
The case for Thrusters is even better. Fission drives, solar sails, and
most other solutions are honestly fairly pitiful for getting around a
solar system in anything resembling a reasonable amount of time.
Fusion rockets & Heplar both work OK, but are incredibly inferior to
Thrusters, since they require considerable amounts of fuel or reaction
mass and thrusters do not. Thrusters are the only way you can do 1 G
continuous thrust boosts from one planet to another. With that sort of
advantage everyone who came across such things would drop their existing
technologies and adopt thrusters as soon as they could buy or duplicate
them.
Some technologies are simply better.
- -John Snead jsnead@netcom.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 20:09:57 -0500 (EST)
From: Kenji Schwarz
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
On Wed, 1 Dec 1999, Chris Seamans wrote:
> Personally, I'm in the same boat as you. It becomes a real problem when
> you're designing ships and vehicles because there's no reason not to use
> those technologies. As a result, two ships of the exact same size built by
> different cultures will tend to be, at least functionally, *exactly* the
> same. That may work for other people, but it doesn't for me. What's the
> point of visiting strange new worlds and civilizations if they're all going
> to be exactly the same?
Well, *obviously*, because you can 1) make money and 2) kill them. What
other reason, *realistically*, do you think people *rationally* need?
Kenji
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 20:05:16 -0500
From: Christopher Thrash
Subject: Re: Deadfall Ordnance
>Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 14:41:41 -0600
>From: "Bont"
>Subject: Deadfall Ordnance
>
>Body : 6 cf, empty space
>Structure Profile : TL7 Extra Heavy Frame, Very Cheap Materials,
>Robotic (I used low TL stuff for its weight)
>Armor Profile : TL6 DR 1200 Cheap Metal (I used low TL stuff for
>its weight)
>Total Cost : MCr0.064
>Size Mod : 0
>
>Total Weight is 17402 lbs.
Here's the only problem with your analysis, and why I didn't go this route.
Armor and framework don't have any volume in GURPS Vehicles. This is an
abstraction, to avoid iterative volume calculations. It works okay for
hulls that are thin relative to their volume, but it breaks down pretty
rapidly if you push it too far.
In this case, you have to consider the volume of all that steel. Say that
steel has a density of 8 g/cc (I don't have CRC to consult, so don't take
this literally). Your armor and framework together would take up 35 cf, on
top of the 6 cf of contents -- which throws off your drag and airspeed
calculations, and prevents the missile from using standard launchers.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 16:54:37 -0800 (PST)
From: Glenn Goffin
Subject: Bribery Skill
>From: Alex Ingram
>In a recent discussion the subject of Bribery came
>up. I don't use it as a skill in MTU. How difficult
>is it to bribe someone anyway?!? Is it like
>electronics or medical, or even gun combat? How much
>training or experience is actually involved to
>advance to a higher level. I accept it as a task, but
>not as a separate skill! I assume that anyone with
>Streetwise would be successful at bribery. Any
>opinions out there?
Well, I thought that the three-hour Mandatory
Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) workshop I recently
attended on Bribing Public Officials was extremely
helpful, and I'm looking forward to the follow-up,
Successful Solicitation of Bribes, this winter. (The
MCLE folks are also planning "Defending the Briber",
"Defending the Bribe-taker", and "Soliciting Bribes
for Declining to Prosecute Bribery Cases".)
Unfortunately, I don't have any more constructive
comments at the moment. What makes a skill for
Traveller, anyway? It's a thorny question.
- --Glenn
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place.
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 20:26:15 -0500
From: "Chris Seamans"
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
From: Luther Martin
To:
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 1999 7:00 PM
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
> Most people may not lean towards optimization, but those who design and
> build things *do*. The rest of the world has to live with what we build.
>
That is when the engineers can get their units right. ;)
Then again, anyone who thinks that engineers build solely with optimization
in mind need only look at the American automobile industry during the 70s,
or any one of a thousand different examples.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 17:23:51
From: "Douglas E. Berry"
Subject: Re: California Weather
At 03:33 PM 12/1/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>My ex-BF Go came from Saitama to SF one year with NOTHING but t-shirts and
>shorts because he believed California was so warm...
Ever notice how many vendors sell sweatshirts along Fisherman's Wharf?
Mwahahaha...
ObTrav: A planet that is known for one aspect actually only has that in a
limited area.. the rest of the world is much different.
- --
Douglas E. Berry gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 17:25:32
From: "Douglas E. Berry"
Subject: Re: California Weather
At 05:00 PM 12/1/1999 -0700, you wrote:
>Ha! one of my Japanese teachers (loooong time ago, I hardly remember any
>of it) was from Japan. Her father was initially concerned about her
>coming to Tucson because it was a dusty cow town with daily gunfights
>and Indian raids...
I get tourists all the time asking me "when the next earthquake is" or "how
many have you had today?"
>Wasn't it Mark Twain who said 'The coldest winter I ever saw was a
>summer in San Francisco.' ? I know, we still have the thick sweaters we
>ran out and bought the first time we went there...
That is was!
- --
Douglas E. Berry gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 17:28:37
From: "Douglas E. Berry"
Subject: RE: LEO's (KEYBOARD WARNING!!)
At 10:42 PM 12/1/1999 +0000, you wrote:
>Interesting aside - the Atomic Energy Police in the UK are one of the
>few police forces who regularly carry weapons, those and the airport
>police.
I'm sorry, I know I'm tired but.. the Atomic Energy Police? I just get
this image of John Cleese and Eric Idle in spandex costumes from Godzilla
vs. Mike Tyson..
- --
Douglas E. Berry gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html
If someone is arrested for jaywalking or littering just
after midnight next New Year's Eve, for at least a minute
or two he will have committed the crime of the century.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 20:29:16 -0500
From: "Chris Seamans"
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
From: Kenji Schwarz
> Well, *obviously*, because you can 1) make money and 2) kill them. What
> other reason, *realistically*, do you think people *rationally* need?
Ach! My apologies. I forgot we were talking about Traveller for a moment.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 20:32:51 -0500
From: "Chris Seamans"
Subject: Re: California Weather
From: Bruce Johnson
> Ha! one of my Japanese teachers (loooong time ago, I hardly remember any
> of it) was from Japan. Her father was initially concerned about her
> coming to Tucson because it was a dusty cow town with daily gunfights
> and Indian raids...
I think I missed the joke. Do you mean Tucson really isn't just a dusty cow
town with daily gunfights and Indian raids?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 17:38:00 -0800
From: "Luther Martin"
Subject: Re: Different Technologies
Optimizing for *profit* is still optimizing, isn't it?
>
> Then again, anyone who thinks that engineers build solely with
optimization
> in mind need only look at the American automobile industry during the 70s,
> or any one of a thousand different examples.
>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 12:38:47 +1000
From: david.d.jaques-watson@centrelink.gov.au
Subject: Re: Police Ranks (long)
Dear Folks -
Jeff said:
>Cheez, is that moldy old thing still around? If you can lay
>hands on it, do me a favor and forward me a copy - I want to see
>how far off my perceptions were; that was fairly early in my
>career as a civilian computer geek with the NYPD...
Your wish is my command.
He also said:
>Like I said, "Cheez, is that moldy old thing still around? If
>you can lay hands on it, do me a favor and forward me a copy...
Ok, I get the hint.
He also said:
> Like I said, "Cheez, is that moldy old thing still around?
>If you can lay hands on it, do me a favor and forward me a copy...
Enough already! Here it is:
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
TNE Rules: Law Enforcer Characters
By: Jeff Zeitlin
From: traveller@mpgn.com Tue, 04 Jul 95 [Digest 338]
Subject: TNE Law Enf. Career
I was looking through the Traveller: The New Era character generation sequence,
and decided, based on my personal real-world experience, that the Law
Enforcement career could be improved somewhat.
For the record, I live in a small town (about 15,000 people) and work for the
New York City Police Department (about 40,000 uniformed members of all ranks,
serving a city of 12,000,000 people). I have made it my business to be familiar
with police operations to the greatest extent possible in both departments. I
have also heard about other departments from police officers who have
transferred in, or who have done exchanges with other departments.
In general, there will be two kinds of Police Departments for the purposes of
character generation: small departments and large departments. The mission is
not dependent on size, but the department table of organisation will be strongly
affected, as will the ranks and some skills attainable by members of the
service.
A note on terminology - a "member of the service" refers to any individual
working for a police department. A "UMOS" (Uniformed Member Of Service) refers
to any member of the service that is issued a shield and a sidearm. A "Cop" is a
UMOS of rank below Lieutenant; an "Officer" is a UMOS of rank Lieutenant or
above.
SIZING THE DEPARTMENT
For the purposes of determining whether a department is considered large or
small, some information about local population _density_ and area covered by the
department must be available. For the purpose of discussion, interpret the
population density level (PDL) number as you would a population number, ie., as
an exponent of ten, but with units of people per square kilometre rather than
just people. If you're one of those people who likes to compute this by using
the "log 10" key on your calculator or in your computer program, round down.
My rule of thumb: If the PDL is less than 4 in the area covered by a single
department, _and_ the area covered by a single department has a population level
less than 5, the department is small. Departments that have other departments
operating partially or totally within their jurisdiction are automatically
large.
As an example, Westchester County, New York has several towns, cities, and
villages:
- - The Village of Pelham has a population of about 6,000 in 2.25 square
kilometres. This yields a PDL of 3 (3.42, actually). The Village of Pelham has a
small department.
- - The County of Westchester has a population of 867,000 in 1192.50 square
kilometres. This yields a PDL of 2 (2.86). However, the population level is 5,
almost 6, _and_ there are departments operating in smaller areas of Westchester
County. Therefore, the Westchester County Parkway Police Department is a large
department, as is the New York State Police Department.
- - The City of New York has 12,000,000 people in an area of about 1,000 square
kilometres. This gives a PDL of 4 (4.07). This alone is enough to make the New
York City Police Department a large department, as is the population level of 7.
TABLE OF ORGANISATION
Small departments are generally unitary, with no division into bureaus for
functional separation, nor into precincts for operational separation. Large
departments frequently have both. The typical small department can be treated as
a single precinct for its table of operation.
The typical precinct is commanded by an officer of rank O2 or higher. This
individual is responsible for overall coordination of activities that occur both
within the police station or out in the operational area, for the entire 24-hour
period of the standard day. In large departments, or in jurisdictions where
there is a lot of crime, he may be assisted by an executive officer whose rank
in small departments is at least one lower than his (but still at least O1) or
in large departments may be equal in rank.
There are three "platoons" in a precinct or a small department - one for each
eight-hour period of the standard day. Platoons are generally lettered in the
Anglic alphabet, with each platoon being listed as on-duty over a specific
eight-hour period. Each platoon is led by a Lieutenant, who is responsible for
coordinating operations in the operational area for the period during which his
platoon is on-duty.
The Lieutenant is also responsible for reporting his platoon's activity to the
commanding officer, and for passing on information to the following platoon
about conditions requiring special attention. Staffing of the police station
(ie., ensuring that a sufficient number of Police Officers are in the station at
all time to take walk-in reports of crimes and to process arrests) is the
responsibility of the Lieutenant, as well.
Each platoon is divided up into several squads. Each squad works a sequence of
days on-duty, followed by a shorter sequence of days off-duty. Squads work so
that there is sufficient coverage each day, and so that over a long period of
time, each squad's on-duty time is twice its off-duty time. Squads are headed by
Sergeants, who are responsible for ensuring that all information required by the
platoon commander is collected from the police officers, and for monitoring the
performance of the Police Officers in his squad.
In small departments, the Detectives are usually considered a squad on special
assignment, but see the notes on Detectives in large departments.
Administrative duties may be handled by Police Officers given a "special
assignment" of Staff, or by civilian bureaucrats (unranked clerks) specifically
hired for the purpose.
Large departments may have additional levels of command - for example, a
Division Command may have oversight and data collection responsibilities for
several precincts. Large departments always have a headquarters separate from a
precinct, which has ultimate overall responsibility for operational oversight
and strategic planning for the department as a whole. Large departments are
generally divided up into operational bureaus, as follows:
Patrol Service:
responsible for day-to-day patrol operation of uniformed officers. These
officers are the ones that respond to emergency calls and crimes-in-progress,
and who act as a deterrent by their presence.
Detective Service:
responsible for investigation and information development of
crimes-completed (in the past). May also arrange and execute "sting" and
under-cover operations.
Internal Affairs:
responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct by members of the
service. Responsible for proffering specifications for departmental hearings.
Information Systems:
responsible for maintaining computer systems and software, and development
and purchase of same.
Physical Plant:
responsible for maintenance of physical facilities of the department.
Quartermaster:
responsible for supply and maintenance of equipment and consumables
required for department operations.
Information Systems, Physical Plant, and Quartermaster may be contracted out to
non-governmental firms, or to other government agencies. Patrol Service and
Detective Service operate "round-the-clock" (but see below). Other bureaus
generally operate only during "normal business hours".
Detectives are not generally organised into platoons and squads as patrol
officers are. Instead, each detective sets his/her own hours based on the needs
of any cases and/or "stings" or under-cover operations he/she is currently
working on. Hours spent on-duty must conform over the course of one fiscal year
to the same ratio as is required of Patrol Officers.
RANKS AND TYPICAL TITLES (as used in the United States)
There are two "classes" of UMOS, similar to the "enlisted" and "officer"
division of military forces. Typically, they are referred to as "Patrol
officers" (cops, or enlisted) and "Supervisors" (officers). In this
classification, Patrol officers includes detectives of rank E2 and E4, and
Supervisors includes all ranks O1 and above.
The table below gives the rank number and rank title for all ranks. Where
"-----" appears in the Detectives column, it means that the Detective Service
bureau does not use that rank. Ranks marked with "*" may be omitted by some
departments; see the notes following the table.
Rank Standard Title Detectives
E1* Cadet -----
E2 Police Officer Detective
E3* Corporal -----
E4 Sergeant Detective Sergeant/Investigator
O1 Lieutenant Lieutenant
O2 Captain Captain
O3* Deputy Inspector Deputy Inspector
O4 Inspector Inspector
O5* Assistant Chief Assistant Chief
O6* Deputy Chief Deputy Chief
O7* Chief of Bureau Chief of Detectives
O8 Chief of Department -----
O9* Commissioner -----
* rank may not exist; see Notes
Notes:
- - Ranks O3 and above are generally considered political appointments from within
the ranks in large departments.
- - Small departments never have Cadets (rank E1) and generally omit ranks E3, O5,
O6, and O7; rank O3 may or may not exist.
- - If ranks O5, O6, and O7 are _all_ omitted, rank O8 is called simply "Chief".
- - Some large departments omit ranks E1 and E3.
- - A department that has rank E1 will also have a Police Academy of its own; a
Cadet will be a prospective Police Officer in the final phase of his/her
training, or, in the largest police departments, may be a college student who is
on a work-study program with a major field of study of Law Enforcement or
Criminal Justice.
- - Small departments never have Commissioners (rank O9). Large departments may or
may not; if a Commissioner exists, it is as a civilian political appointee
setting overall policy, not involved in operational matters.
UMOS are civil service employees until they achieve rank O3. As such, officers
must have come up through the ranks. Do not roll for Commission. Promotion
should be rolled for regardless of SOC and world government if current rank is
below O2, with a +1 DM for each _2_ terms served (count the current term) in
addition to the stated DMs and no SOC benefit. Term DMs are no longer added once
a character achieves rank O2, but at that time, the SOC benefit _is_ added.
Thus, a player with SOC 9 who achieves rank O2 in his 5th term did so with a +2
DM on the promotion roll in addition to any DM for CON, but no SOC DM is given,
even on Low Gov worlds. In subsequent terms, the character has a +2 DM for
time-in-service, _and_ a +1 DM for SOC 8+, for a total DM of +3. The automatic
promotion on Gov High+ worlds applies once a character is attempting to promote
beyond rank O2.
All characters enter the career as rank E2. Time spent as E1 in departments that
use this rank is covered by initial training and possibly Undergraduate
University as well.
Characters may leave the career and then choose to come back. If a character had
rank O2 or below at the time of departure, roll 2D6 for the total number of
terms in _all_ careers up to this point. the result is _greater_than_ the number
of terms served in all careers, the character may re-enter with no loss of rank.
If the result is _less_than_or_equal_to_ the number of terms served in all
careers, one level of rank is lost for _each_ term _not_ served in Law
Enforcement. If the character had rank O3 or above at the time of departure,
roll 2D6 for 10+, DM +1 for SOC 8+, DM +1 for each _2_ terms served in Law
Enforcement. If the roll succeeds, the character is reappointed with no loss of
rank. If the roll fails, the character may not return to Law Enforcement.
SKILL PACKAGES
Small departments:
The supplied skill packages in the basic rules are OK as written. However, the
"Detective" skill package is not used for being "commissioned". Instead, roll
1D6 for assignment each term; on 1, the special assignment is "Staff", on 2, the
special assignment is "Detective". On any other roll, the character is a
uniformed officer.
If the assignment is "Detective", use the Detective skill package instead of the
Uniformed skill package; if the assignment is "Staff", the skill package
consists of Vehicle, Interaction, Charm, Language, Perception, Economics, Social
Science.
On "Staff" assignments, the character gets one Government and one Law
Enforcement contact instead of one Criminal and one Law Enforcement contact in
that term.
Large departments:
Roll 1D6 each term for bureau assignment:
1 - Patrol Service;
2 - Detective Service;
3 - Internal Affairs;
4 - Information Systems;
5 - Physical Plant;
6 - Quartermaster.
If the bureau assignment is Patrol or Detective, roll 1D6 for assignment; on 1
or 2, the character has been assigned to "Staff" and gets the staff skill
package above. Otherwise, Patrol assignees use the uniformed skill package;
Detective assignees use the Detective skill set. For other assignments, use the
following skill packages:
Internal Affairs
Determination, Charm, Interaction, Perception, Vehicle, Economics, Social
Science.
Information Systems
Economics, Technician, Interaction, Charm, Perception. Contacts as "Staff",
above.
Physical Plant
Engineer, Artisan, Construction, Technician, Vehicle, Economics. Contacts
as "Staff", above.
Quartermaster
Charm, Determination, Interaction, Vehicle, Economics. Contacts as "Staff",
above.
==========================================================================
Jeff Zeitlin jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com
- ---
~ OLXWin 1.00a ~ The free exchange of ideas is a foundation of democracy
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
David "Hyphen" Jaques-Watson Beowulf Down (Tavonni/Vilis/SM 1520)
http://www.tip.net.au/~davidjw davidjw@pcug.org.au
"I file things in historical order, with a hashing algorithm of gravity"
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
REQ'D DISCLAIMER - material & opinions contained within are solely those
of the author and do not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the
position of Centrelink or any other Commonwealth Government agency.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1422
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