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-------- TML Message #1018 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1018
From: ("Mark F. Cook") markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM
Subject: Mortgage that Starship!!
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 90 14:02:39 PST


This one ought to draw some interesting comments.

I'm about to start up my traveller game with all-new PC's that my players
just generated.  Out of the entire group, two of the PC's have starships
(a class-S for the retired scout PC, and a Far Trader for the retired
merchant PC).  Now this is where it gets interesting.

The scout PC is assumed to have his ship as a loan of indefinite duration,
but the merchant PC is assumed to have acquired his via purchase or some-
such (the rules are not specific about this).  However, the rules DO say
that he also acquired a 40-year mortgage to go along with the ship.  They
do not go into detail about how this should be managed.

Let us assume that the merchant acquired a USED Far Trader (list price:
MCr. 41.07) and that after initial depreciation and down-payment, that
he is left with MCr. 20.535 (50% of the original price) to amortize over
a 40 year period.  I also assume quarterly, rather then monthly, payments
(since being in a position to drop off a check at the mortgage-holding
financial institution on a monthly basis may be difficult for a ship
that could be anywhere within a 50-or-so parsec radius).

Given these assumptions, let's used the information from "Starship
Purchase" (pg. 89, MT Imperial Encyclopedia) to generate an amortized
loan payment schedule and see what happens.

After all of the numbers given, the book says that the final cost to the
new ship owner (principal and interest) should be 220% of the original
purchase price.  For the used starship (above), that would be MCr. 45.177.
Reverse calculation of a 40-year amortized loan with that amount as the
ultimate total gives us an interest rate of 4.63%.  The quarterly payment
turns out to be Cr. 282,496.92 (every 3 months).  This is a lot of cash!

If we assume that this is reasonably accurate, then the question is: Can
the PC actually expect to generate enough income to make the payments and
still have enough left over to live on?  Notice that we haven't even touched
on the issues of crew salaries, annual maintenance costs, fuel, and general
upkeep.  These will be considered later.

According to specs. in "Supplement 7: Traders and Gunboats", the ship can
carry 7 High/Mid passengers, 4 in Low Passage, and 46 tons of freight.  If
we assume best case (7 High Psg, 4 Low Psg, and full cargo hold) then we
have Cr. 10,000 x 7, Cr. 1,000 x 4, and Cr. 1,000 x 46.  This represents
a potential maximum of Cr. 120,000 per week.  So assuming this PC is Super-
Trader, and could accomplish this week after week, we have a revenue
potential of MCr. 1.44 per quarter, before expenses, and not considering
port time for freight transfer, refueling, etc.  After deducting the
quarterly mortgage payment, we're left with MCr. ~1.158, before expenses,
as profit.  So much for best case.

Now, let's try something more realistic.  Assume 50% of the time is spend
in port, refueling, haggling for freight and passengers, etc.  Further
assume that, on average, the ship is only operating at have capacity for
cargo and passagers.  This reduces the gross quarterly income to Cr. 360,000
(again, before expenses).  Deduct the quarterly mortgage payment, and we're
left with Cr. 77,503.08 to cover 3 months worth of expenses.

Now, let's look at what it costs to run this starship.

First, there's fuel.  In 12 weeks, this ship will jump 6 times and burn
45 days worth of maneuver and powerplant fuel (based on the 50% active
assumption).  The ship has a jump-2 drive but we'll assume that only 1/3
of the jumps are jump-2; the other 2/3 are jump-1.  This means that total
fuel consumption for 4 jump-1 and 2 jump-2 trips (based on ship design
from MT Referee's Manual) is 1,620 kliters, at Cr. 35/kl., works out to
cost of Cr. 56,700.  For the powerplant, which uses (1.107 kl./hr. x 24 hrs.
x 45 days x Cr. 35/kl.), we have a total maneuver & powerplant fuel cost of
Cr. 41,844.60.  Add these two together, and we get a total quarterly cost
of Cr. 98,544.60.  Oops!  We've already exceeding our available cash!
Therefore, the ship must rely, at least partially, on refuelling from
natural sources (gas-giants or water-worlds).  Let's assume 50% of the
fuel is acquired this way.  Now, our quarterly fuel bill drops down to
Cr. 49,272.30.  Let's hope the ship doesn't wear out prematurely from all
of that atmosphere skimming :-).

Next, we have life support for 3 crew members, 1/2 of 7 High/Mid passengers,
and 1/2 of 4 Low passengers (we will assume for the sake of the merchants
wallet that none of the freight requires life support).  The Imperial
Encyclopedia says that each stateroom requires Cr. 2000 of support per
2 week trip, and each Low berth requires Cr. 100 per usage.  If we assume
that the crew-members consume life support equal to 1 Mid psg. passenger,
(say, 80% of 1 High psg. passenger), then for each 1-way trip we use
(High Psg=Cr. 2000 x 0.5 x 3.5) + (Mid Psg= Cr. 1600 x 0.5 x 1.5) + (Low
Psg= Cr. 100 x 2) for a total of Cr. 4,900.  We assume no LS is used while
a ship is in port.

Then there are crew salaries to worry about.  For a Far Trader, the crew
consists of 1 Bridge crew-member (Pilot), 1 Engineer, and 1 Medic/Steward.
If we assume that the pilot is the owner, then we must only pay the Engineer
and the Steward.  Given the "skill levels" recently posted by METLAY (which
are pretty good definitions, IMHO), the Engineer and Steward are probably
both level-2 for purposes of salary determination.  For these levels (and
assuming the Engineer achieved O-3 in the Merchants), the salaries should
be Cr. 1950/mo. for the Engineer and Cr. 1000/mo. for the Steward.  Quarterly,
this would be Cr. 8,850.

The annual maintenance fee cannot be avoided, if the ship is to keep flying.
This amounts to 0.1% of the cash price of the ship annually (Cr. 20,535,
in this case), which works out to Cr. 5,133.75 per quarter.

Finally, we have berthing costs.  This includes landing fees, handling costs,
facilities use charges, and other miscellaneous starport expenses.  The
average cost is Cr. 100 for the first 6 days in port, plus Cr. 100 for each
additional day beyond 6.  If we assume that the ship is in port 50% of the
time, the we have 6 weeks at Cr. 200/week, or Cr. 1,200.

So, the bottom line is Cr. 49,272.30 for fuel, Cr. 4,900 for Life Support,
8,850 in salaries, and Cr. 1,200 in berthing fees, which works out to a
total of Cr. 64,222.30.  Out of Cr. 77,503.08, we are left with Cr. 13,280.78
for quarterly profit, or Cr. 53,123.12 per year.

Before taxes, but that's another story.

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc


-------- TML Message #1019 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1019
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 90 18:15:29 -0500
From: (wilson m liaw) macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Well



	Ok, so we have DGP's permission. But there is a problem, most of the
stuff on there are not from DGP, but from writers that's on GEnie. For those
files, you'd have to ask them as well. Since DGP can't act on behave of them.

			Mac

If you ask me, and you haven't, it's yet another can of worms. (grin)

			Mac "the Canopener" Liaw :)



-------- TML Message #1020 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1020
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 90 18:16:02 hst
From: (Gregory Hara) ghara@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu
Subject: SCUBA


Greetings,
  I am pleased at the various discussions no this mailing list, and I hope
you can help me.  How do you handle characters who are in the water ?
There is no swimming skill, or snorkelling skill ?  I had a group of
mercenaries attack a shore line installation (radar tracking) in advance
of an invasion.  They parachuted into the water and SCUBA dove to the radar.
I used STR, DEX,& END but is there a better way to handle this situation.

Thanx in advance,
Greg Hara

Inquiring Minds Want To Know !!!!



-------- TML Message #1021 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1021
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 09:35:59 EST
From: (Fiver Toadflax) 09nilles%cuavax.dnet@netcon.cua.edu
Subject: Scuba diving and stuff


Greg Hara asks if there is a better way to handle scuba diving and such.

I don't know if my suggestions will be of any help or not, but, I seem to
recall something in the Double Adventure Night of Conquest about swimming,
and also in two JTAS issues.  One was an Amber Zone (It was also in the
Best of JTAS 1) and also the issue(around 23 I think) that gave suggestions
and equipment for use in Striker.  Maby that could help.

Tis the best I can give ya....

                 Dave

+-----------------------------------------+
|          09nilles@cua.bitnet            | Money Talks.
|  09nilles%cuavax.dnet@netcon.cua.edu    |    Mine Only knows how to say bye
| uunet!cua.bitnet!09nilles@uunet.UU.NET  |
| Fiver.Toadflax@f329.n109.z1.FIDONET.ORG | Peace through superior firepower
+-----------------------------------------+



-------- TML Message #1022 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1022
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 10:49:20 EST
From: (Greg Givler - Product Assurance) givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM
Subject: Re:  Mortgage that Starship!!



>This one ought to draw some interesting comments.

Yes it should, and would you send followups to me for inclusion in the
now dormant TRADE & COMMMERCE Digest. my address is givler@cbmvax.commodore.com

>I'm about to start up my traveller game with all-new PC's that my players
>just generated.  Out of the entire group, two of the PC's have starships
>(a class-S for the retired scout PC, and a Far Trader for the retired
>merchant PC).  Now this is where it gets interesting.
>
>Let us assume that the merchant acquired a USED Far Trader (list price:
>MCr. 41.07) and that after initial depreciation and down-payment, that
>he is left with MCr. 20.535 (50% of the original price) to amortize over

[Lots of good stuff deleted.]

Please send followups to me, as I will will edit them and make it much
easier to digest. Pun intended.
 

>INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
>UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

Thanks for the input, maybe we can get the digest going again. Also 
does any one have any interest for part 2 of the speculative trade system
that we were working on back in Sept?

Greg

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Givler                        | Q-Link: GregGivler
Analyst - Systems Evaluation Group | CompuServe: Greg Givler 76702,647
Commodore Product Assurance        | GEnie: G.Givler
215-431-9100                       | The NET: givler@cbmvax.commodore.com
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wild Whores couldn't keep me away!" -- George Francisco
"That's Horses, George" -- Matt Sikes -- Alien Nation --  Fox Broadcasting --
===============================================================================




-------- TML Message #1023 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1023
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 10:00:03 EST
From: (Paul Dale) wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz.au!grue@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: ~m


hiya,

>I've got access to a macintosh and the standard macintosh compression programs
>and chalmers has a direct net-mac link. I am willing to offer my help.
>(If the files mentions "binhex4.0" or "stuffit" or "packit" they are definately
>packed on a mackintosh)

I've also got a mac and am willing to help (may be a little far to send
the stuff).
I'm also will to write programs for the mac (with interface etc). If the
system generation people would liuke some help, I could probably find some
time :-)

If the file ends with a 'hqx', '.sit' or a '.pit' then the file is
likely to be binhex/stuffit/packit format respectively.  If it isn't one
of them it still might be MacBinary format (which used to be a kind of
standard use by some deranged souls).


							Pauli
seeya
SNIF

Paul Dale               | Internet/CSnet:            grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au
Dept of Computer Science| Bitnet:       grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Uni of Qld              | JANET:           grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uk.ac.ukc
Australia, 4067         | EAN:                          grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz
                        | UUCP:           uunet!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz!grue
f4e7g4Qh4++             | JUNET:                     grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au



-------- TML Message #1024 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1024
From: ("Mark F. Cook") markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM
Subject: Re:Mortgage that Starship!!
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 8:55:55 PST


>So, the bottom line is Cr. 49,272.30 for fuel, Cr. 4,900 for Life Support,
>8,850 in salaries, and Cr. 1,200 in berthing fees, which works out to a
>total of Cr. 64,222.30.  Out of Cr. 77,503.08, we are left with Cr. 13,280.78
>for quarterly profit, or Cr. 53,123.12 per year.

Oops!  I left out the annual maintenance fee!  That was calculated as...

>The annual maintenance fee cannot be avoided, if the ship is to keep flying.
>This amounts to 0.1% of the cash price of the ship annually (Cr. 20,535,
>in this case), which works out to Cr. 5,133.75 per quarter.

So, the actual total is Cr. 69,356.05.  This leaves (77,503.08 - 69,356.05)
or Cr. 8,147.03 net profit per quarter.

But, wait!  Perhaps I'm too generous with the annual maintenance fee.
Afterall, as a car gets older, it's maintenance costs go up, not down.
Why not assume the same for a starship?  Lets just use the original price
as a calculation base, instead of half the original price.  This would
double the amount shown above (Cr. 10,267.50, instead of Cr. 5,133.75),
so by subtracting the second half (Cr. 5,133.75) for the net, we get
an actual net profit of Cr. 3,013.28 per quarter.  Again, before taxes.
I don't know about you, but Cr. 1,004.43 per month sounds kinda' slim
to me.

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc



-------- TML Message #1025 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1025
Subject: [Personal mail - deleted]
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 11:48:21 PST
From: (James T Perkins) jamesp@metolius.WR

[I sent some personal mail to the list by accident.  It got out to the
instant folks, but I'm suppressing it for the digest folks.  Don't worry
- - it wasn't anything hot & heavy :-) -- James]

-------- TML Message #1026 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1026
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 13:31 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: re SCUBA



Greg:

One big plus of the Traveller skill system, expanded upon by the
MegaT task system, is that the skill choice is open-ended. If you
need a SCUBA skill, make it up. Add appropriate tasks, and you're
set! I think the real problem is that there's no way for characters
to have such skills in retrospect, but that can be fudged if you're
clever.

metlay



-------- TML Message #1027 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1027
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!reed.UUCP!oresoft.uu.net!richard@tektronix.TEK.COM (Richard Johnson)
Subject: How many level-7's
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 11:50:20 PDT



In this tome I beat the `level 7' horse completely to death.
I look at it from a bunch of different angles to come up with what
we, as ref's and players, already knew:

	Level 7 skills are hard to get, but not impossible.
	And of course it costs the character something to get there.



In the process, I got some insight into levels, probabilities,
sector population, character generation, and task difficulty.

Now that you've all been thoroughly warned, if you want to hear my
answer to Bertil's question about how may Pilot-7 folks are in the
Marches, read on. 

(sorry this is so long)
	Richard Johnson

===========================================================
Part 1: Tasks and Probability:

I made up this nifty little table to show me how easy it really is
to achieve certain tasks:

#	likelihood	 +1		+2		+3		+4		+5		+6		+7

3+	35/36		always	*		*		*		*		*		*
4+	33/36		35/36	always	*		*		*		*		*
5+	30/36		33/36	35/36	always	*		*		*		*
6+	26/36		30/36	33/36	35/36	always	*		*		*
7+	21/36		26/36	30/36	33/36	35/36	always	*		*
8+	15/36		21/36	26/36	30/36	33/36	35/36	always	*
9+	11/36		15/36	21/36	26/36	30/36	33/36	35/36	*
10+	 6/36		11/36	15/36	21/36	26/36	30/36	33/36	35/
11+  3/36		 6/36	11/36	15/36	21/36	26/36	30/36	33/
12+  1/36		 3/36	 6/36	11/36	15/36	21/36	26/36	30/
13+	---			 1/36	 3/36	 6/36	11/36	15/36	21/36	26/
14+	---			---		 1/36	 3/36	 6/36	11/36	15/36	21/
15+ ---			---		---		 1/36	 3/36	 6/36	11/36	15/
16+ ---			---		---		---		 1/36	 3/36	 6/36	11/
17+ ---			---		---		---		---		 1/36	 3/36	 6/
18+ ---			---		---		---		---		---		 1/36	 3/
19+ ---			---		---		---		---		---		---		 1/

Note that this chart leaves out one important item: the 1/36 chance
that you will get a critical bumble. (oops, `funble' :-)
									 (aargh, I did it again!)

MT Task levels (fer reference an' those who don't know yet):

	Simple ==  3+  --> 35 in 36 you succeed (with minimal skill)
   Routine ==  7+  --> 7 in 12 you succeed with minimal skill
 Difficult == 11+  --> 1 in 12 you succeed with minimal skill
Formidable == 15+  --> don't try this at home, kids!
Impossible == 19+  --> only genius nerds need apply

This told me that there probably IS the rare, gifted, and neurotic
individual who can dream the impossible dream (level 7) and out of
those a select handful you hear about (like Nobel laureates) - the
one who rolled 12 at the right moment after years of training.

Unfortunately, this table doesn't really talk about acquiring
skills, only using them.  For a level 7, the formidable is *almost*
routine, but the impossible is still nearly impossible.  The way
this character operates makes the typical work assignment look
trivial - and to this person it is.

So this told me that level 7 is at least reasonable in game terms.
It does not violate any obvious game balance considerations but does
stretch them a bit.  I had to look elsewhere for skill aquisition
information.


===================================================

Part 2: How long does it take to get level 7?

How much effort is required to get that much skill?  Well, aside
from forgetting about level 1 and 2 in about three other fields (in
our world quite an accomplishment in itself!) because of the maximum
levels rule (not > int + ed)...

How 'bout the AT rules? (not in original Traveller - AT's allow
characters to `get credit' for self-study and for experience.)  You
roll at the *beginning* of the adventure:

	to add a level roll = difficult (11+)
		DM's = + int/5, #of AT in that skill
		   - level of skill attempted

	No more than 2 AT/year are allowed.

Let's say you got pilot 3 in flight school and you're now 22.
Further, let's say you choose to ignore other important fields so
you can become a starship test pilot.  And lets also say you ALWAYS
roll 10+ (not too likely, but this IS a fantasy :-).  Finally, let's
suppose your INT is 15.  

Year 1: +2 AT, +3 INT, -4 level = +1 DM  you roll 10+  for Pilot 4
Year 2: +2 AT, +3 INT, -5 level = 0 DM you roll 10 no skill
Year 2.5: +3 AT, +3 INT, -5 level = +1 DM you roll 10 for Pilot 5
year 3: +1 AT, +3 INT, -6 level = -2 DM you don't even try...
year 4: +3 AT, +3 INT, -6 level = +1 DM gets you Pilot 6
year 5: +2 AT, +3 INT, -7 level = -2 DM you don't try now either
year 6: +4 AT, +3 INT, -7 level = 0 DM 10's not enough
year 7: +6 AT, +3 INT, -7 level = +2 DM gets you Pilot 7

REMEMBER: this seven-year plan is for the incredibly gifted and
supremely lucky (1/12 chance at rolling a 10+).  The `average'
character will take, just on rolls, seven times this long to get
there == 50+ years!  (Your mileage may vary, depending on how often,
game time, each adventure takes.)


Let's look at this another way.  It takes roughly 3 months to get a
level 0 skill.  If you double the time for each augmented level, it
will take 6 more months to get level 1 (9 months total).  It will
take:

	1 year	level 2		(~2 yr total)
	2 year	level 3		(~4 yr total)
	4 year 	level 4		(~8 yr total)
	8 year	level 5		(~16 yr total)
	16 year level 6		(~32 yr total)
	32 year level 7		(~64 yr total)

Which actually agrees pretty closely with the figures I got from
using the AT method.

Again, just on time, it doesn't seem that level 7 is inordinate.
Really hard to get, and costly in terms of a social life and other
(probably needed) skills, but not out of line.

So finally, I asked myself "How probable is it that someone *would*
have a level-7 skill?"

===========================================================

Part 3: Enormous numbers:

I said to myself: "strictly by chance, how likely is it that someone
will have a skill level-1?"  There's about 160 skills listed (if
memory serves me), and and `average' character will have 20 levels
(10 INT + 10 ED).  {Yes, you're right - I picked these numbers to
make things easy...}  Thus there's a 1 in 8 chance of a particular
character having a particular skill.  I used this value as a base.

This is not good procedure for a number of reasons, but I simply
extrapolated the 1/8 chance to the seventh power.  This says that
roughly 1 in 2.4 million folks have a level 7 is something.  This
"feels right" to me, looking out at our wonderful world.

Since characters are usually outstanding in some respect (or they
wouldn't be much fun to play), I don't feel that it's terribly out
of line for a character to devote his/her/its time and energy to
being a `nerd' for that one shot at glory.  Characters like this can
pretty much write their own ticket, and they do.  But they pay for
the ticket with years of antisocial behavior.

==================================================

Part 4:  Finally an answer...

OK.  Now I can answer Bertil's question: `how many pilot-7 folks are
there in (some region of space)?'  A LOT!  Just try to find them,
though.  

If there's ~10^13 people in a sector, even extremely low probability
events are numerous.  Since the probability of level 7 is about 
1 in 5*10^6 (I halved it, since characters are `great' people anyway) 
and the population is 10^13, we can guess that there's a couple of
million level-7 somethings hanging around the Spinward Marches, more
close to Capital.

Since he specifically asked about *pilot-7*, I'll divide by my
infamous 160 skills and guess that the Marches have 12,500
pilot-7's.  (and 12,500 equestrian-7's, and 12,500 etc.)

========================================================

Just to stop the question before it gets asked:

there's probably about 1,000 pilot 8's  IF they lived long enough
and about 100 pilot 9's.  It'd take over 100 years to get to 8 and
over 250 to get to 9 though...

If you account for consistently lucky rolls and for age, 
there's probably 50 pilot-8's in the Marches and probably 50 
pilot 9's in all known space who are actually young enough to fly.

I actually did finally guess on this last - the likelihoods are
really extreme and the batteries on my TL7 hand comp died!

If you've read this far, you're more serious about MT than I
thought!  :-)  Have good day.

Richard Johnson
	richard@agora.hf.intel.com
	richard@oresoft.uu.net




-------- TML Message #1028 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1028
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 14:13:55 -0800
From: ("Ted Kim (Random Dude") tek@lanai.cs.ucla.edu
Subject: Re: Mortgage that Starship



>So, the bottom line is  ... Cr. 4,900 for Life Support, ...

In one campaign, some unscrupulous starliner operators were accused of
feeding passengers watered-down "fast" drug. This slows the passengers
metabolic rate, cutting down on life support and food cost. Not a big
factor for the Trader example, but if running the Spinward Marches 
Love Boat is your business...  Not advisable to feed your crew the
same, if you want good reaction time. :-)

- -ted

Ted Kim                           
UCLA Computer Science Department  Internet: tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu
3804C Boelter Hall                UUCP:    ...!{uunet|ucbvax}!cs.ucla.edu!tek
Los Angeles, CA 90024		  Phone:   (213) 206-8696



-------- TML Message #1029 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1029
Subject: Confusion in MT basic character generation...
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 16:27:28 CST
From: (Chris Olson) chris@ssbell.imd.sterling.COM


Well, I was working on my NPC generator (this one's in ANSI C) earlier this
week, tracking down some bugs, when I happened to re-read the example character
they give.  Basically this character is a merchant with 5 terms.  The
problem involves mustering out benifit rolls.

In the example, and in the rules in the text describing how to, they use
a base of one roll per full term served.  However, in the tables giving
details about each service, the left sidebar contains a note about figuring
mustering out benifits stating that it's two rolls per term.  Going on an
assumption that the rules and example are correct, I have used the one roll
per term rule.

What this also means is that the characters created for my campaign were
generated wrong, as we did not read the rules as we went but simply followed
the (erronous) tables.

Oh, and about the NPC generator, it creates characters in the same format
found on the last page of the basic character generation system.  It starts
out by rolling the characters stats, then the homeworld (in the shortened
format given earlier in the book).  It then picks a target number of terms
to serve (2d3) and attempts to serve them out.  It ignores the question of
anagathics, as I feel that's a real tough question for a human to decide,
let alone coming up with a simple set of guidelines for the computer.  It
correctly handles belters, bureaucrats, and nobles (notable exceptions to
the smooth flow of character generation).  It also handles cascades, items
and stat modifications.  It has a verbose mode were it describes the actions
its taking, and it allows you to choose the number of characters to create.
It also ranks the services by enlistment throw dms, and chooses from
among the highest.  I'll let you folks know when it's ready.  The only
porting problem will be to non-ANSI compilers, as I've used both the
stringize(#) and token pasting(##) abilities.  Saved typing.  I'll remove
these things on my last pass through the files...

Last problem to solve involves tech level of certain skills.  I'm getting
a lot of nueral weapon skill users from non-extreme stellar tech levels...

I'll send another message when it's ready for world distribution :-) and
if there are no objections, I'll mail it to those who ask me for it AFTER
I announce that it's ready (I have a terrible memory...).  How should I
send it to the TML archives?  By sending it to traveller-request?  Certainly
not by sending it to traveller!

Well, enough self-grandizement, later folks, back to coding... 

	chris
- -- 
     /// Chris Olson (chris@ssbell.Sterling.IMD.com)|  [My post, my opinions]
    ///       (ssbell.Sterling.IMD.com!lvkeep!chris)|"Death to the unbelievers!
\\\///                                              | Join me or die!"
 \XX/ Amiga - The computer for the best of us...    |   - Me, playing Talisman.



-------- TML Message #1030 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1030
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 17:20 EST
From: RWMIRA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Mac Binary vs GEnie files


Ok, it must have gotten missed in my post :-)

The files are TEXT files.  I have yet to see a binary file that wasn't
obviouslly binary from the filetype (PC .ARC and .ZOO files).  The few that are
real binary are few and far between.  All of the SECTOR data is TEXT regardless
of what the GENIE software says.

When you use X[YZ]modem to upload a file to GEnie (CompuServe, etc) it uploads
8 bit files unless you specifiy otherwise.  To GEnie, any 8 bit file is BINARY.
You can still look at them or download them via Capture or by X[YZ]modem.

The only problem that I have encountered with the files is that they are CR
delimited lines, not CRLF (PC) or LF (Unix(r)).  A simple 6 line 'C' program
fixes the problem.

Rob



-------- TML Message #1031 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1031
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 20:05:08 -0500
From: (wilson m liaw) macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Re: Oops


	Yup, dating is expensive and time consuming, that's for sure. Hey,
James, sounds like you are a romantic person. I am sure your wife appreciates
that. 

			Mac "I need sleep" Liaw



-------- TML Message #1032 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1032
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 22:17:37 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!att!ihlpf!zonker@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: GDW Computers


    Had a long talk with GDW members Loren Wiseman and Frank Chadwick about
computers last Saturday.  This was mainly because Loren just got a Macintosh
at work.  From what I gathered the workshop is just about all converted
to apple products.  They like the apples because they cater to non-computer
types such as GDW, but it still lets them feel like they are doing something
sophisticated.  For example, Frank was saying that he didn't know how to get
to MS-DOS to look at an apple file, in fact he barely knows what MS-DOS is or
what it really does.  Loren is a little bit better, but then he has a tendency
to tinker with things to figure out how they work.
    As far as a USNET connection to GDW the nearest one I know of is 60
miles away at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.  I don't
think Illinois State which is in Bloomington-Normal has a connection.

					Non Cuniculus Est,
					    Tom Harris




-------- TML Message #1033 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1033
From: zonker@ihlpf.att.COM
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 05:37 CST
Subject: GDW Computers


    Had a long talk with GDW members Loren Wiseman and Frank Chadwick about
computers last Saturday.  This was mainly because Loren just got a Macintosh
at work.  From what I gathered the workshop is just about all converted
to apple products.  They like the apples because they cater to non-computer
types such as GDW, but it still lets them feel like they are doing something
sophisticated.  For example, Frank was saying that he didn't know how to get
to MS-DOS to look at an apple file, in fact he barely knows what MS-DOS is or
what it really does.  Loren is a little bit better, but then he has a tendency

					Non Cuniculus Est,
					    Tom Harris





-------- TML Message #1034 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1034
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 11:59:43 CST
From: (Jim Cunningham) jcunning@gsliss.lis.uiuc.edu
Subject: USNEt U of I




Yes, we do have a USNET here at U of I.


				Jim Cunningham
				Traveller Relic





-------- TML Message #1035 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1035
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 12:13:20 CST
From: (Jim Cunningham) jcunning@gsliss.lis.uiuc.edu


misc



Re: Underwater thingies: See "The Undersea Enviornment" by J.
Andrew Keith. This was published by Gamelords a few years back
and might still be available in some hobby shops  and/or DGP.


Re: GDW's phone is 309-452-3632. By the way, this is also the 
combination of the safe in Research Station Gamma.


Re: Any stories you may of heard about power and phones being
knocked out in Champaign-Urbana are true. Due to a massive
ice storm, a helluva lot of people (including myself) have
been without power for several days and probably won't
get it back until next week. If you`re having any problems
communicating into this area by any means, that's probably the
reason. Trying to live a normal life for close to a week
without power of phone is not fun.


Re: Traveller novels: See the latest Traveller's Digest (#17
I think) for a little more info.


			Stumbling in the dark,

			Jim Cunningham
			Traveller Relic






-------- TML Message #1036 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1036
Subject: Re: Mortgage that Starship!! 
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 18:16:17 -0500
From: (Arturo Perez x6739) aperez@caribe


> Resent-Message-Id: <9002152004.AA06011@dadla.WR.TEK.COM>
> Archive-Message-Number: 1024
> From: markc%hpcvss.cv.hp.com@RELAY.CS.NET
> Message-Id: <9002151655.AA05801@hpcvss.HP.COM>
> Subject: Re:Mortgage that Starship!!
> To: traveller%dadla.wr.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET
> Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 8:55:55 PST
> 
> >So, the bottom line is Cr. 49,272.30 for fuel, Cr. 4,900 for Life Support,
> >8,850 in salaries, and Cr. 1,200 in berthing fees, which works out to a
> >total of Cr. 64,222.30.  Out of Cr. 77,503.08, we are left with Cr. 13,280.78
> >for quarterly profit, or Cr. 53,123.12 per year.
> 
> Oops!  I left out the annual maintenance fee!  That was calculated as...
> 
> >The annual maintenance fee cannot be avoided, if the ship is to keep flying.
> >This amounts to 0.1% of the cash price of the ship annually (Cr. 20,535,
> >in this case), which works out to Cr. 5,133.75 per quarter.
> 
> So, the actual total is Cr. 69,356.05.  This leaves (77,503.08 - 69,356.05)
> or Cr. 8,147.03 net profit per quarter.
> 
> But, wait!  Perhaps I'm too generous with the annual maintenance fee.
> Afterall, as a car gets older, it's maintenance costs go up, not down.
> Why not assume the same for a starship?  Lets just use the original price
> as a calculation base, instead of half the original price.  This would
> double the amount shown above (Cr. 10,267.50, instead of Cr. 5,133.75),
> so by subtracting the second half (Cr. 5,133.75) for the net, we get
> an actual net profit of Cr. 3,013.28 per quarter.  Again, before taxes.
> I don't know about you, but Cr. 1,004.43 per month sounds kinda' slim
> to me.
> 
> Later,
> 
>         Mark F. Cook


Y'know, I had this same problem.  No matter what I did with the
numbers, I could NOT get them to come out in any way, shape, or
form to be analogous to what happens today when you buy a house,
which is the model I was using.  

My problems with it were that the interest rates were coming
out far too LOW.   4% just doesn't seem right to me, in these
inflation prone times.

The other thing is, of course, what you mention above.  It
seems almost impossible to make any real kind of profit with
any moderately good ship.

Perhaps we should adopt the tone of many sci-fi books and have
the ships be HUNDREDS of years old.

Anyone care to adventure on a TL12 400 tonner?

arturo perez
<my signature-appending software doesn't work :-(



-------- TML Message #1037 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1037
Subject: Re: Confusion in MT basic character generation... 
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 18:33:13 -0500
From: (Arturo Perez x6739) aperez@caribe


> Resent-Message-Id: <9002160203.AA13550@dadla.WR.TEK.COM>
> Archive-Message-Number: 1029
> Subject: Confusion in MT basic character generation...
> To: traveller%dadla.wr.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET
> Date: Thu, 15 Feb 90 16:27:28 CST
> Message-Id: <9002151627.AA20572@ssbell.IMD.Sterling.COM>
> From: chris%ssbell.imd.sterling.com@RELAY.CS.NET
> 
> Well, I was working on my NPC generator (this one's in ANSI C) earlier this

Sounds great!  I wrote a character generator in GNU Emacs lisp
once (which I no longer have), but it was incredibly difficult
to follow the rules as given in the books.  My hat's off to you!

> 
> In the example, and in the rules in the text describing how to, they use
> a base of one roll per full term served.  However, in the tables giving
> details about each service, the left sidebar contains a note about figuring
> mustering out benifits stating that it's two rolls per term.  Going on an
> assumption that the rules and example are correct, I have used the one roll
> per term rule.
> 
> What this also means is that the characters created for my campaign were
> generated wrong, as we did not read the rules as we went but simply followed
> the (erronous) tables.
> 
> Oh, and about the NPC generator, it creates characters in the same format
> found on the last page of the basic character generation system.  It starts
> out by rolling the characters stats, then the homeworld (in the shortened
> format given earlier in the book).

I found a problem with generating homeworlds for players.  I
wanted to make the homeworld be an existing planet in the
sector and I found that with randomly generated homeworlds they
wouldn't match anything around.  I ended up with a lot of
people from sectors that were unreachable from the Marches.

> Last problem to solve involves tech level of certain skills.  I'm getting
> a lot of nueral weapon skill users from non-extreme stellar tech levels...

Neural weapons are supposed to be a rare and perhaps illegal
aspect of the game, at least according to the <something,
perhaps Imperial Enc.?>

> -- 
>      /// Chris Olson (chris@ssbell.Sterling.IMD.com)|  [My post, my opinions]
>     ///       (ssbell.Sterling.IMD.com!lvkeep!chris)|"Death to the unbelievers!
> \\\///                                              | Join me or die!"


-------- TML Message #1038 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1038
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 20:30:47 -0500 (EST)
From: (William Dow Rieder) wr0k+@andrew.cmu.edu
Subject: Re: Mortgage that Starship!!


Mark F. Cook writes:
>This one ought to draw some interesting comments.
You bet.  This is my specialty.

	The main thing overlooked in your post is speculative trade.  Most
merchant ships can just barely break even on freight, and some (such as the
far trader) actually lose money under the standard assumptions. Speculative
trade is where merchants (from free traders to Tukera lines) make their real
money.  The Ref's guide rules on trade are a bit confusing (so what else is
new :-)), so I'll try to go over all the inobvious stuff. This is from
memory (my
books are at home), so if I goof on the numbers please let me know.

>Let us assume that the merchant acquired a USED Far Trader

	The rules imply it is difficult to finance a used ship (although
you could probably swing something if you have high Admin or Liason),
and more importantly, merchant ships received as mustering out benifits
were financed when new even if they are old now.  So for my figures, I
will assume that the ship is a new far trader, just financed -- ie rolled
once at mustering out. Multiple rolls just mean the ship is older and more
payments have been made, the amounts don't change.
	The far trader list price of MCr. 41.07 is financed as follows:
20% down payment - already made.
1/240 of ship price per month for 480 months (40 years).
This means a total cost of 220%, and a monthly payment of Cr. 171,125.
I think that the monthly ship payment can be dropped off at any A or B
starport, and gets forwarded by Xboat if your bank doesn't have a branch
at that particular port. In the following, I am assuming 2 jumps per month,
and 2 ~5 day stays in port doing business.

	Monthly Expenses (in Cr.)

Mortgage		171,125
Fuel			None - get water (free) and run it thru the
	purification plant. If you don't have one, get one. They are very cheap.
	(30,000 Cr for a minimum size tech 15 plant)
Life support		40,000	2K per statroom, whoever is in it, for every jump.
	I am assuming worst case for expenses.
Salaries		9,000    All crew gets 3,000/mo. (should be plenty)
Berthing fees		200
Layaway for overhaul	3,423   Based on the cost of the ship when new.

Total			Cr. 223,748 per month (4 weeks)

Income

	For speculative trade, there are a number of conditions that you need
to make a profit.  The first is a good route ("good" can be hard to pin
down without
a lot of analysis -- I'll post some comparisions after checking my
books). Probably the
easiest good route to find is two Hi pop worlds with type A starports
within one jump
of another, so I'll give figures for that.

>According to specs. in "Supplement 7: Traders and Gunboats", the ship can
>carry 7 High/Mid passengers, 4 in Low Passage, and 46 tons of freight. 

The far trader specs have changed in MT due to the change in ship design
rules; they now have 61 tons of cargo space. I think the low berths are
gone too,
so I'll leave them out of my calculations.

	Assumptions: The ship is jumping back and forth between two worlds
with pop 9 (Hi), starport A, tech 15. (A lower tech level is actually
better here,
since it reduces cargo cost without changing anything else, and a pop of
A would increase available cargos, so this is the worst case of "pop Hi,
starport A").  I also assume someone on the ship has the Broker and Trader skills.

Passengers:
High:	3D-1D+1		avg. ~8
Middle:	3D+1		avg. ~11.5
	Only very rarely will you be unable to get a full load of passengers, so
I will assume a full load of mid. passengers. (Normally, most or all
will be high
passengers - so this will more than compensate for the rare unfilled slot.)

7 Middle passengers		Cr. 56,000 per jump (2 weeks)

Speculative Cargo

	The Freight and Cargo chart (section 5 on p.50 in Ref's guide) is used
once for freight and once for cargo (twice if you have someone with Broker).
The description for the table does not make this very clear, though, and I
think it should be fixed. I will assume that the DMs for destination pop apply
only to freight, although this is not stated.

Lot type			number		average	average tons
Major:	(1D+10 tons ea.)	1D+5 (x2)	17	229.5
Minor:	(1D+5 tons ea.)	1D+6 (x2)	19	161.5
Incidental (1D tons ea.)	1D-2 (x2)	~3	11.6

	This gives a total of ~402 tons of speculative cargo available, in
variously sized lots. At this point, your person with Trader looks them over
to determine the first die roll for each on the actual value chart for sale at
the destination.  1/6 of them, on average, will have a prerolled "6"; for
~67 tons.  He then buys the largest combination of these lots that will
fit in the hold.  I will assume that the ship averages 50 out of 61 tons
of prerolled "6" cargo. In practice, any remaining nooks can usually be
filled with prerolled 4 or 5 cargo.

Cargo cost:  Base 4,000 - 1,000 (A starport) - 1,000 (Hi pop) + 1,500 (TL15)
	= Cr. 3,500 per ton.

Cargo base selling price = 5,000 + 1,000 (Hi vs Hi) = Cr. 6,000 per ton.

	At the destination, the goods are sold with the aid of a Broker-4
(available at all type A starports).  The prerolled 6 gives a total roll of
7 thru 12 +4 for the broker gives 11 thru 16, for an average actual selling
price of 270% x 0.8 (left after broker fee) = 216% of 6,000 = 12,960 per ton.
Profit is 12,960 - 3,500 (cost) = 9,460 per ton for 50 tons gives a total of
Cr. 473,000 average profit on speculative trade per jump.

	Average Monthly Income Estimate ( in Cr.)
Passengers:	56,000 per jump = 112,000 per month
Cargo:		473,000 per jump = 946,000 per month

Total:		1,058,000
Expenses:	-223,748
		----------
Net Profit	834,252 Cr. per month

	This is a lot of money, but remember this is based on average runs
on a good route with no complications (the stuff adventures are made of...)
The point is that it is possible to get rich as a merchant IF you know what
you are doing and choose your route well. In practice, a merchant should be
able to meet the payments and save for a rainy day or time spent off the "good"
routes (ie most places). 
	Comments and corrections welcome.

					W. Dow Rieder
				alias Capt. Kagariilian Grant

 	When the only tool you have is a hammer, all your problems
start to look like nails...



-------- TML Message #1039 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1039
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 08:56:16 EST
From: (Dave Allen) davea@vlsi.ll.mit.edu
Subject: Continental drift simulator


I have just released a new version of my continental drift simulator.
The main improvements from version 1 (released 11 / 15 / 89) are:
    - Added text-only mode to support nongraphics UN*X machines.
    - Graphics ported to Sun 3 and 4 systems.
    - Ported to IBM PC by Peter Lind.
    - Parameters can come from an input file.

The source code is available from the USENET group comp.sources.misc, where
it is archived.  It consists of two shar files.

TEC draws a map of some imaginary world and puts one big continent on it.
The program then graphically simulates the breakup of this supercontinent by
rifts and the drifting of the continents.  Mountains are built by
subsuming and by continental collision, and are reduced by erosion.  As
more time passes, the continents tend to drift back into a supercontinent
and split up again, forming what some authors call a "supercontinent cycle."

The program produces a map of an imaginary world which contains realistic
looking mountain ranges and continents which sometimes look like they fit
together (like South America and Africa on Earth).

Here's an example output file.  0's are ocean, 1's are land, 2's are
mountains.  (Graphics output has up to 256 grey scales.)
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Dave Allen: internet davea@vlsi.ll.mit.edu



-------- TML Message #1040 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1040
From: (Bertil Jonell) d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se
Subject: Trade & Commerse (Was: Re: Mortage....)
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 90 11:15:07 MET DST


W. Dow Rieder writes:
> Speculative Cargo
> 
>[Deleted]
>
> variously sized lots. At this point, your person with Trader looks them over
> to determine the first die roll for each on the actual value chart for sale at
> the destination.  1/6 of them, on average, will have a prerolled "6"; for
> ~67 tons.  He then buys the largest combination of these lots that will
> fit in the hold.  I will assume that the ship averages 50 out of 61 tons
> of prerolled "6" cargo. In practice, any remaining nooks can usually be
> filled with prerolled 4 or 5 cargo.
>
> [Deleted]
>
> 	At the destination, the goods are sold with the aid of a Broker-4
> (available at all type A starports).  The prerolled 6 gives a total roll of
> 7 thru 12 +4 for the broker gives 11 thru 16, for an average actual selling
> price of 270% x 0.8 (left after broker fee) = 216% of 6,000 = 12,960 per ton.
> Profit is 12,960 - 3,500 (cost) = 9,460 per ton for 50 tons gives a total of
> Cr. 473,000 average profit on speculative trade per jump.

Hmm, I'd say that allowing a separate roll for each consignment gives the
players a too big advantage. This way, they can be assured of a "6" at the
first roll and a 3.5 average at the second roll.

To moderate this a little, why not let the cargo consist of 1-6 cathegories
(rolled on the types of goods tables), more for Hi In Histellar and possibly
only one or two for a Lo Ni or Ag. The first rolls is then rolled once for
*each cathegory* to reflect the probable price on the market. The when the 
market is reached, roll *one* die for the whole consignment as second die roll
to reflect the markets current view on goods from that source.

Also, a task roll could be required for each estimate:

   To estimate the price of goods on the market world 
   (ie roll a die in advance):
   Difficult, Trader, Edu, 2 min, (uncertain)
   Referee: Lack of accurate data about the market world makes this task
Formidable. On Full Truth, roll one die, this is the first die on the sale price
table. On Some Truth this die is not correct. On No Truth he goods will be
worthless on the market world.
Implement mishaps as legal problems on the market world, ie cargo banned or
disliked for legal or religous reasons. Legal skill can be used to detect this
in advance.
	

- -- 
Bertil K K Jonell @ Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg
NET: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se 
VOICE: +46 31 723971 / +46 300 61004     "Don't worry,I've got Pilot-7"
SNAILMAIL: Box 154,S-43900 Onsala,SWEDEN      (Famous last words)      
"I say cut his air!" "I say cut his heat!" "I say raise his rent!" "Hey, we're 
trying to get rid of an Alien, not evict a tenant!" Alien - American MAD version



-------- TML Message #1041 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1041
From: (Parkway) csd096%cck.coventry.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Subject: SCUBA
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 90 11:25:46 WET DST



Re: The question on using scuba gear -

    It's just my opinion, but if characters want to use scuba gear
    for anything more demanding than a couple of minutes in a pool,
    then they better have at least scuba-0 ( ie basic training in
    what they're doing ). It may be tricky for characters to have
    got hold of the skill, but trying to do without it altogether
    would lead to the kind of problems you get in trying to use
    a vacsuit without skill, except visibility is a lot worse down
    there. The first minor problem they run into is liable to have
    them breathing water, or being forced to surface in a hurry at
    least, which can cause major problems if they do it too fast.

	Yours Sincerely   :   Simon Anderson	( csd096@uk.ac.coventry.cck )



-------- TML Message #1042 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1042
Subject: GEnie files are indeed distributable
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 90 12:43:38 PST
From: (James T Perkins) jamesp@metolius.WR



Well, after much prodding from list members and a call to Digest Group,
I have satisfied my paranoia and distrustfulness regarding the GEnie
files.  I am very interested in getting them posted to the mailing list,
and soon.

However, I would like to control the deluge rather than have megabytes
come poring over the list all at once, in triplicate.  The need still
exists for someone to organize the distribution of the material.
My main concerns are:

    o it be in a digested form; that is, small messages are
      concatenated into a single message not exceeding 50K bytes in
      size.
    o the subject line contains a clear notice that the material is
      culled from GEnie, including a volume/number like the existing
      digests.
    o exactly one copy of each message goes out to the list.
    o all copyrights remain intact, and the origination of the material
      (i.e. GEnie, Genie poster, owner, author) is clearly marked.
    o each part of the material is reproduced in whole, unedited (except
      where necessary to split a file avoid a giant TML message in excess
      of 55K bytes).
    o it be in plain ascii text wherever possible.
    o the material is gradually released (to avoid giant increases in
      TML throughput).
    o and lastly, that everything of interest to the list gets posted,
      without any gaping holes.

The easiest way to assure all the above criteria are met is for me to get
a new TML Topic Coordinator to manage the download and release to the
list.

Would those of you who offered to download the files and redistribute
them PLEASE drop me a line via email? 

James
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"



-------- TML Message #1043 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1043
From: ("Mark F. Cook") markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM
Subject: Re: SCUBA-diving PCs
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 90 13:39:20 PST


Simon Anderson(csd096@uk.ac.coventry.cck) writes:

>Re: The question on using scuba gear -
>
>    It's just my opinion, but if characters want to use scuba gear
>    for anything more demanding than a couple of minutes in a pool,
>    then they better have at least scuba-0 ( ie basic training in
>    what they're doing ). It may be tricky for characters to have
>    got hold of the skill, but trying to do without it altogether
>    would lead to the kind of problems you get in trying to use
>    a vacsuit without skill, except visibility is a lot worse down
>    there. The first minor problem they run into is liable to have
>    them breathing water, or being forced to surface in a hurry at
>    least, which can cause major problems if they do it too fast.

Simon is very correct.  Speaking as a trained Rescue Diver with 19 years
of SCUBA experience, I can definitely state that without proper training
(lots of it, if you're planning on anything more than recreational diving),
a little mistake can get you dead, even in very shallow (<10 ft.) water.

First, there's working with the gear itself: watching your tank pressure,
not ascenting too fast (air embolisms, you know), not staying down too long
(getting the bends), not going too deep (again, the bends and possibly
nitrogen narcosis), or just flat running out of air and drowning because
you panicked and forgot how to do an emergency swimming ascent.

Then there's the diving environment itself.  Being underwater for extended
periods is no more natural for humans than being in vacuum for extended
periods.  You have to watch out for currents, low visibility, dangerous
plants and animals, dangerous temperatures (usually, too cold), and then
most dangerous thing of all is your inexperienced dive buddy :-).

For game purposes, the following guidelines would probably work:

        SCUBA-0:  Basic Open Water Certification (the lowest level of
                  diver training), followed by half a dozen dives.
        SCUBA-1:  Advanced Open Water Certification (the next level of
                  diver training), plus 1+ year of diving experience.
        SCUBA-2:  Search & Rescue Certification (or graduation from a
                  Commercial Diving Instruction School), plus 3+ years
                  of diving experience.
        SCUBA-3:  SCUBA Instructor Training, plus at least 5 years of
                  actual experience in a wide variety of dive locations.

Given the above list, most REAL recreational divers would be classified
as SCUBA-1, with Navy frogmen being SCUBA-2, and UDT or Seals being SCUBA-3.

Some examples are given below for tasks in Traveller, using these scuba
skills:

        To maintain control in a heavy current:
        Difficult, SCUBA, Str, 2 sec. (fateful)
        Ref: If control is lost, the diver is swept along in the current,
        possibly taking damage from collisions with obstacles.

        To pry off a tunnel cover (grate) underwater:
        Routine, SCUBA, Str, Dex, 15 sec. (uncertain)
        Ref: If the diver lacks the neccessary tools, the task becomes
        difficult.  Exceptional failure means that the diver has slipped
        and cut himself on the edge of the cover (1D of damage).

and so on.  Hope this info helps out.

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc



-------- TML Message #1044 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1044
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 90 02:01:39 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!tnc!m0068@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Psionic help


To: uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveler
From: m0068@tnc.UUCP (Stephen D Smith)
 
Subject: Psionics help
Organization: personal mailbox at The Next Challenge
 
[I tried to send this message to the TML last week, but never ]
[saw it posted. So I'm trying again. Sometimes my local mailer]
[ chokes. If the original was posted, pardon the duplication. ]
 
      Thanks for the several replies on my question for psionic
help. My GM and I will be getting together to work out some 
kind of "scenario" for altering my characters abilities. (I'm
sort of attached as it's my first one.)
 
To Rob Miracle (message 916):
 
      Thanks for the suggestion and the outline of possible point
costs for the "new and improved" ability. Actually it was a VERY 
GOOD psi level (11!), at the time of rollup I didn't know how 
good it was. (Beginners luck.)
 
To Greg Givler (message 928):
 
      So far my character has used her abilities in "public" 
only under extreme circumstances. In the pirate ship I gave as
an example, no one on the ship actually knew WHAT happened, just
that the ship blew up. Actually they didn't have time to think as
we were very close, and had to go into jumpspace to avoid the EMP
and shock wave. Even then we had a misjump.) My character keeps a
tight reign on herself, just imagine what would happen if she had
a nightmare while asleep!
 
To uunet!tess!leonard (message 933):
 
      I'm no expert, but I do have a problem with your message.
First let me say I should have mentioned in my original message
that the GM determined the 1 mg pellet of antimatter hit the fuel
tank of the pirate ship. You mention;
 
> 1. 1 milligram of antimatter is roughly equivalent to 10 kilos 
>    of TNT. That ain't gonna bother the pirate much. 
>    (approximately .01% of the mass in a fission bomb is 
>    converted to energy, a 20 kT bomb has about 10 kilo's of 
>    fissionables. The rest is simple calculations)
 
      I was under the impression that a matter/antimatter 
explosion was a FUSION reaction, and 100% complete energy 
conversion, not .01%. I do puzzle at a ship that could take a 
10 kilo TNT explosion on it's hull and not be bothered. (I 
guess Megatraveller ships are a LOT tougher than I thought.)
 
> 2. This happened in *space*. Therefore, the hydrogen fuel is 
>    no big deal. Hydrogen is *NOT* explosive. Hydrogen mixed 
>    with an oxidizer is. Blow a hole in a fuel tank, and you'll
>    cause a small side thrust due to the escaping fuel. You'll 
>    also make them worry about their fuel reserves.
 
      If a FUSION reaction took place in a hydrogen fuel tank 
might not SOME of the hydrogen participate in the reaction? It
wasn't the oxidation I was referring to, but the byproduct 
H -> He reaction. Even if no fusion reaction took place, wouldn't
the gamma radiation mess up the ship systems, as well as the 
biological systems?
 
To Robert Johnson (message 936:
 
      You're right everything has a price. As mentioned above, 
I keep a tight reign on this character. Of course since she's 
from the Aslan Heirate culture, she doesn't fight much, 
(that's MALE work!).
 
      In another instance, our party was gather in a local 
restaurant before a mission, simply to plan our actions, and 
minding out own business. he bad guys started shooting up the
place, the males of our party (human, aslan, and zhodani), 
returned fire. When the baddies blew a hole in the ceiling, (there
were more on the roof), I simply moved to another table out of the
line of fire, ordered another drink from the terrified waiter, and
watched. When an idiot on the roof took a shot at me, (missed, but
close), I simply looked at him, and turned the carbon atoms in his
head to nitrogen. (It's quicker, less obvious, and quieter than 
sodium.) Since the bad guys were a suicide force, when he died the
self-destruct unit got rid of the evidence.
 
      Thanks again for the help, suggestions, and info.
 
 
            Stephen D Smith   USENET: m0068@tnc.UUCP
                              BIX: sdsmith
- --Name = STEPHEN SMITH  Mailbox # = 68



-------- TML Message #1045 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1045
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: A Brand New Traveller...
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 90 8:49:48 EST


Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

*| 
*| 
*|  In message: <9002121901.AA02864@violin> you write:
*|  >
*|  >At 8:01AM this morning (Feb 12, 1990) David Aaron Berghold was born
*|  >to Peter & Ellie Berghold.   Mother and child are doing as well as
*|  >can be expected.   He was dubbed by his maternal Grandmother as
*|  >"Just perfect....".
*| 
*|      Well, congratulations, Dad!  Good for y'all!  So, tell me...when
*| are you gonna get him his own set of books?  ;-)
*| 
*|      Now, where did I put that "Children in Traveller" article...  :-)
*| 
*| 
SHHHH!! Don't say that around his mother! <hehehe!>   

He'll probably start off with Daddy's about the time he can read! :->


- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */




-------- TML Message #1046 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1046
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 90 15:38 EST
From: RWMIRA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Questions about Trade and Commerce


Ok, stupid question, who is working on (moderating) the Trade and Commerce
system?

Next questions, do you have any ideas on a simple way to compensate for the
following problem:

Using the Errata Modifyed rules (and assuming a No Trade Class, B starport
world of TL-10:

  1 Ton of Exotic Fluids Costs 5000 cr / ton
  1 Ton of Consumable Milk Costs 5000 cr / ton
  1 Ton of Computers Costs 5000 cr / ton
  1 Ton of Weapons Costs 5000 cr / ton
  1 Ton of Currency Costs 5000 cr / ton

Problem #1
  Players Buy 1 Ton of Weapons at 5000 cr / ton.  Lets say they are autorifles
  for example (5 KG each, I like round numbers).  That is 200 autorifles in the
  1 ton lot.  An autorifle sells for 1000 cr each, that is 200,000 cr for the
  lot.

  Players buy 1 Ton of Consuable Milk at 5000 cr / ton.  (1 L water weighs 1KG
  right?)  That is 1000 Liters of Milk, at lets say 0.5 cr per Liter.  Or 500
  cr for the lot.

Now the system put forth in Merchant Prince (Book 6) is the basic megatraveller
system with one exception, they left out what the items were.  Now, I could say
sure you buy 10 tons of TL-12 Manufactured Goods for 8000 cr / ton.  But they
are going to open the boxes and see what they bought and they find 10 tons of
holo crystals which they can sell for 10 cr each (or what ever) and in the 10
tons of them there are over 100,000 of them.  You know just what the players
will do!!!


Now my delima is this, just were do I put a modifier in?  Do I make a TL for
each item and modify the cost by that?  If so, how do I compensate for some of
the items such as currency and information  in which Tonnage means nothing.
If I do anything different, it isn't standard MT, so GDW may not recognize my
work.  I play to sell/give away (yet to be decided) this nifty Traveller program
for the IBM/PC -- VGA required, it is SHARP!!!  Uses GDW/DGP/Genie sector
files, as well as my own propritary format (based on James P's Sector.C
program, but modified somewhat), and as soon as I discover the TML format, i
will adjust the program to handle that format also.  (I Just love .RC files).

I know this doesn't conform with all of the TML development going on, but I
started this in Turbo Pascal well before I even knew of TML.

HELP (Anyone!!!) (And Thanks in Advance)
Rob



-------- TML Message #1047 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1047
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 90 23:07:06 EST
From: (Andrew Salamon) salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu
Subject: Grav Bike Design


Greetings to All,

  Here's a little present for everyone.  Any suggestions/criticisms etc
are welcome.

Courier Grav Bike
Craft Id:  Grav Bike, Type ZK, TL17, Mcr 4.9309
Hull    :  1/1, Disp=.5, Config=1AF, Armor=0
           Unloaded=1.7613tons, Loaded=1.8593
Power   :  1/2, Fusion=.98Mw, Duration=10hours
Loco    :  1/2, LowPowerLGrav=14tons, NOE=250kph
           Cruise=3150, Top=4200
Commo   :  Radio=Planetary
Sensors :  Radar=Vdistant, EMSpass=Interplanetary, RadarJammer=Vdistant
           RadioJammer=planetary
           ActObjScan=dif, ActObjPin=dif, PassEngScan=Rout
Off/Def :  	        pen/attn	Dam	MaxRange	sig
           Beam laser	6/2		5	Distant(2.5)	low
Control :  Comp=0/bis x2, Panel=Dynamic linked x2, Special=Heads Up Holo
Accom   :  Cramped seat x1
Other   :  Feul=1.4kl, Cargo=.993kl (max 140kg), Size=small,
           EMlevel=mod

There's no armor but I forgot to check the armor table to see if it is
possible to add armor without increasing the weight at all.  Please
note: to calculate CP's for the sensors I used the highest tech level on
the apropriate chart, not tech level 17 (unless that is the tech level
actually used for the calculations).
  Quite the fun (and expensive) toy for any grav vehicle enthusiasts out
there.
  I probably should have used tech level 15 but some characters I just
created are based on a TL17 world.
  
  Jim Baranski (sp?): if you are able to join the pbem game, and your
character has the money (or can borrow it) you should try one of these
out!

  Bye y'all.

Magic in my Mind                     |   /Andrew/
Music in my Heart                    |   soi-disant Bleydion op Rhys
Laughter in my Soul                  |   salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu
And...A Sword in my Fist (sigh)      | 





-------- TML Message #1048 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1048
From: ("Brent L. Woods") woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu
Subject: Re: Psionic help
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 0:15:05 EST



 In message: <9002180701.AA03915@uunet.uu.net> Stephen D. Smith writes:
 >
 >> 1. 1 milligram of antimatter is roughly equivalent to 10 kilos 
 >>    of TNT. That ain't gonna bother the pirate much. 
 >>    (approximately .01% of the mass in a fission bomb is 
 >>    converted to energy, a 20 kT bomb has about 10 kilo's of 
 >>    fissionables. The rest is simple calculations)
 > 
 >      I was under the impression that a matter/antimatter 
 >explosion was a FUSION reaction, and 100% complete energy 

     Nope.  Fusion is, basically, slamming atoms together hard enough that
they "fuse" (that is, meld together to form a new, heavier atom).  For an
example, look at the Hydrogen -> Helium reaction (the one that makes
sunlight, among other things).

     A matter-antimatter reaction, on the other hand, is the *total
conversion* of mass into its equivalent quantity of energy (I'm given to
understand that this reaction produces mostly gamma radiation, but my
knowledge may be obsolete).  For a given amount of antimatter (or
contra-terrene matter) m, the reaction optimally converts a mass of 2m
(the antimatter plus an equivalent amount of normal, or terrene matter)
into energy.  The relationship is shown mathematically with the famous
equation:
                2
          E = mc                                   (1)

where E is the energy produced, m is the mass, and c is the speed of light
in a vacuum (approximately 3e8 m/s).  As you can see, even a small amount
of mass represents a *huge* (at least, in human terms) amount of energy.

     In the above example of 1 mg of antimatter, the reaction would
involve 2 mg of mass (don't forget your normal matter), so the energy is
(using cgs):

          E = (2e-3) * (3e10)
            = 6e7 ergs

     Not bad, but not catastophic, either.  Don't forget, in the example
above, this energy is applied to the *hull* of a starship.  Starship hulls
are made of the toughest materials available, since they have to endure
a very hazardous environment.

 >conversion, not .01%. I do puzzle at a ship that could take a 
 >10 kilo TNT explosion on it's hull and not be bothered. (I 
 >guess Megatraveller ships are a LOT tougher than I thought.)

     Bothered?  Maybe.  We *are* talking about a fairly dense gamma flux
applied to a small area of hull.  I'm sure that it (as well as the shock)
would be noticed.  But I doubt that it would do even as much damage as
a standard HE ship-to-ship missile.

 >> 2. This happened in *space*. Therefore, the hydrogen fuel is 
 >>    no big deal. Hydrogen is *NOT* explosive. Hydrogen mixed 
 >>    with an oxidizer is. Blow a hole in a fuel tank, and you'll
 >>    cause a small side thrust due to the escaping fuel. You'll 
 >>    also make them worry about their fuel reserves.
 > 
 >      If a FUSION reaction took place in a hydrogen fuel tank 
 >might not SOME of the hydrogen participate in the reaction? It

     Not enough to matter.  Remember, fusion reactions are *extremely*
difficult to maintain (if it was easy, everybody'd be doing it--literally)
*If* the antimatter suddenly appeared in the fuel tank, the conversion
*might* cause some of the neighboring hydrogen to fuse, but the energy
output of this secondary fusion would be negligible in comparison to the
yield from the matter-antimatter reaction.

 >                                                         wouldn't
 >the gamma radiation mess up the ship systems, as well as the 
 >biological systems?

     Probably not.  The amount of radiation produced is quite a bit
below that of a nuclear (or thermonuclear) device.  I think the hull
could take it in stride, especially at higher tech levels.


- --
     Brent

INTERNET:  woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu  /  woodsb@attctc.dallas.tx.us
USENET:  pur-ee!gn.ecn.purdue.edu!woodsb
FIDONET:  Brent.Woods@p303.f40.n201.z1.fidonet.org  (from Internet)  or
          Brent Woods@1:201/40.303  (from FidoNet)
USNAIL:  320 Brown St., #406  /  W. Laf., IN  47906
PHONE:  +1 (317) 743-8421 (voice)




-------- TML Message #1049 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1049
From: ("45252-Peter L. Berghold") wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Some Thoughts...
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 8:47:33 EST


Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

Just out of curiosity...  how do other folks out there handle the prospect
of military career characters swapping services?

Some background here:   When I was in the U.S. Navy (1975-1981) we often had
folks that were called OSVETS.   (Other Service VETeranS)   They would 
typically come into the Navy and instead of attending boot camp they would 
attend an orientation school that would acclimate them to the Navy environment.
Typically they would keep their old rank or at most drop one rank.   They 
would, however, need to take the rating exams for the rank they were holding 
and pass them.

With that in mind, in some of my own campaigns, as well as some that I played
in, multi service characters were allowed.   The methodology in place was 
as follows:

	1) Muster out of the original service.

	2) Make the enlistment roll.

	3) On 1d6 < 3 (if using Mercenary rules) drop 
	one rank.  Exceptions:  If prior service was 
	"unranked".

This option was allowed for "enlisted" characters and not officers.  An 
officer gets his commision in one branch and pretty much stays there. 
The exception to that rule is Marine officers who want to switch to the 
Navy.  They need to make the enlistment roll with a dm -2 and then roll 
2d6 10+ .

Thoughts????

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */




-------- TML Message #1050 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1050
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 10:15:07 EST
From: (Dan Corrin) dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: Anti-Matter


There has been a lot of discussion on Anti-matter recently on the list. One
thing that people have not mentioned is that anti-matter is not an element
in and of itself. You have anti-electrons (positrons), anti-hydrogen,
anti-helium, anti-uranium, etc.

Perhaps the more physics oriented on the list could clairify the next point:
I have read (perhaps in Sci-Fi) that a matter-antimatter reaction only takes
place between like elements. This becomes important with the higher tech
missiles (anti-matter ones). If a chunk of anti-carbon is impacting on a
hull (presumably some iron/titanium type metal), what happens?

Scenario 1) Every gram of the anti-carbon combies with the metal for a really
big boom (this is what the rules imply). All the missile owners are happy.

Scenario 2) On impact the atoms don't "fit" and only the surface electrons 
combine for a small explosion hurling the majority of the anti-carbon in the
opposite direction. All the ship owners would be happy, as you would have to
have a missile corresponding to the hull nearly exactly (Anti-titanium, 
covered by the same type of anti-paint etc.)

			-Dan

Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan



-------- TML Message #1051 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1051
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 12:18:48 EST
From: (Andrew Salamon) salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu


Greetings to All,

   Sorry to repost this, but I found some mistakes and made some
changes, re-enjoy:

Courier Grav Bike
Craft Id:  Grav Bike, Type ZK, TL17, Mcr 5.024594 
Hull    :  1/1, Disp=.5, Config=1AF, Armor=31H
           Unloaded=1.6841tons, Loaded=1.8161
Power   :  1/2, Fusion=.98Mw, Duration=10hours
Loco    :  1/2, LowPowerLGrav=14tons, NOE=250kph
           Cruise=3150, Top=4200
Commo   :  Radio=Planetary
Sensors :  Radar=Vdistant, EMSpass=Interplanetary, RadarJammer=Vdistant
           RadioJammer=planetary
           ActObjScan=dif, ActObjPin=dif, PassEngScan=Rout
Off/Def :  	        pen/attn	Dam	MaxRange	sig
           Beam laser	6/2		5	Distant(2.5)	low
Control :  Comp=0/bis x2, Panel=Dynamic linked x3, Special=Heads Up Holo
Accom   :  Cramped seat x1
Other   :  Feul=1.4kl, Cargo=.973kl (max 180kg), Size=small,
           EMlevel=mod

  I have a few questions.  Does the armor cover the driver?  Is this a
design decision or do I have to do something to make it happen, i.e. add
basic env and basic ls?  If I reduce the armor, can the weight of the
hull be reduced below the value given in the vehicle chassis table?
Would feul cells take up less volume and weight for the same power
output?  Would anybody be stupid enough to ride one of these things on a
possibly dangerous courier mission?  How does the armor compare to the
armor levels in Hand to Hand combat, cloth and combat armor etc.?  Do
the numbers mean the same thing, for example, a speeder has an armor of
4, is this less than the protection provided by cloth armor?

  Bye y'all.

Magic in my Mind                     |   /Andrew/
Music in my Heart                    |   soi-disant Bleydion op Rhys
Laughter in my Soul                  |   salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu
And...A Sword in my Fist (sigh)      | 




-------- TML Message #1052 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1052
Subject: Antimatter & you...
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 11:04:46 PST
From: (Leonard Erickson) leonard@tessi.UUCP


A few points in response to Stephen D. Smith's reply to my msg.

I mentioned the energy conversion in a fission bomb to show where I was
getting my figures.

A matter/antimatter reaction is neither fission nor fusion. 

I said 10 kg of tnt wouldn't bother the pirate much, not that it
wouldn't bother them at all.

And finally, no, even if it hit the fuel tank, it wouldn't cause the
hydrogen to undergo a fusion explosion. Both fission and fusion reactions
require *something* to hold the reaction together until it is mostly
completed. Otherwise the first bit to react will blow the reaction apart
(you can take enough plutonium to make a bomb and place the pieces
together. Instead of a 20 kiloton explosion, you get the equivalent of
a blasting cap, and that scatters the pieces and stops the reaction.)
A fusion reaction requires that the hydrogen meet certain conditions of
temperature *and* pressure and that those conditions be maintained for
a period of time. (the temp and pressure conditions are such that you
can trade pressure for temperature). The bit of hydrogen near your
blast might have reached a hugh enough temperature. It's doubtful that
it reached a high enough pressure, and virtually certain that it didn't
do so for enough time!

The TML is made possible by facilities provided by Tektronix, Inc.

-------- TML Message #1053 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1053
From: ("Brent L. Woods") woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu
Subject: Re: Anti-Matter
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 16:11:31 EST


 In message: <9002191515.AA07858@engrg.uwo.ca> Dan Corrin writes:
 >
 >There has been a lot of discussion on Anti-matter recently on the list. One
 >thing that people have not mentioned is that anti-matter is not an element
 >in and of itself. You have anti-electrons (positrons), anti-hydrogen,
 >anti-helium, anti-uranium, etc.

     Um...  Yes, but usually you deal with individual antiparticles.  In
Traveller terms, there was an article in issue 20 of the Journal ("Spinal
Mounts Revisited," page 40) that talked about antiparticle accelerators
(oof; woudn't that just ruin your whole day?).

     However, I can't see any reason against antiparticles associating
themselves into antiatoms.  Hmm.  If you used antihydrogen to form
antihelium would that be antifusion?  But, I digress...  ;-)

 >Perhaps the more physics oriented on the list could clairify the next point:
 >I have read (perhaps in Sci-Fi) that a matter-antimatter reaction only takes
 >place between like elements. This becomes important with the higher tech
 >missiles (anti-matter ones). If a chunk of anti-carbon is impacting on a
 >hull (presumably some iron/titanium type metal), what happens?

     Well, if the structure of contra-terrene atoms are analagous to
terrene, then there should be a cloud of positrons (antielectrons--
positively charged) surrounding the nuclei.  Once the positron shells
come in contact with the electron shells of normal matter, then a
conversion reaction would take place.  Also, since charged antiparticles
(that is, not antineutrons) have the opposite charge of their terrene
forms, they would be attracted to one another.

 >Scenario 1) Every gram of the anti-carbon combies with the metal for a really
 >big boom (this is what the rules imply). All the missile owners are happy.
 >
 >Scenario 2) On impact the atoms don't "fit" and only the surface electrons 
 >combine for a small explosion hurling the majority of the anti-carbon in the
 >opposite direction. All the ship owners would be happy, as you would have to
 >have a missile corresponding to the hull nearly exactly (Anti-titanium, 
 >covered by the same type of anti-paint etc.)

     I think Scenario 1 is the one that'll fly.  However, I'm not a
physicist, merely an interested amateur.


- --
     Brent

INTERNET:  woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu  /  woodsb@attctc.dallas.tx.us
USENET:  pur-ee!gn.ecn.purdue.edu!woodsb
FIDONET:  Brent.Woods@p303.f40.n201.z1.fidonet.org  (from Internet)  or
          Brent Woods@1:201/40.303  (from FidoNet)
USNAIL:  320 Brown St., #406  /  W. Laf., IN  47906
PHONE:  +1 (317) 743-8421 (voice)




-------- TML Message #1054 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1054
From: ("Mark F. Cook") markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM
Subject: Re: Psionic help
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 14:06:12 PST


> ...........................  For a given amount of antimatter (or
> contra-terrene matter) m, the reaction optimally converts a mass of 2m
> (the antimatter plus an equivalent amount of normal, or terrene matter)
> into energy.  The relationship is shown mathematically with the famous
> equation:
>                 2
>           E = mc                                   (1)
> 
> where E is the energy produced, m is the mass, and c is the speed of light
> in a vacuum (approximately 3e8 m/s).  As you can see, even a small amount
> of mass represents a *huge* (at least, in human terms) amount of energy.
> 
>      In the above example of 1 mg of antimatter, the reaction would
> involve 2 mg of mass (don't forget your normal matter), so the energy is
> (using cgs):
> 
>           E = (2e-3) * (3e10)
>             = 6e7 ergs
> 
>      Not bad, but not catastophic, either.  Don't forget, in the example

The TOTAL CONVERSION statement is correct, and the formula is correct,
but the numbers plugged into it are WAY off.  The Speed-of-Light (3e8 m/s)
squared is 9e16, not 3e10 (remember, (x^y)^z = (x^z)^(y*z)).  Therefore,
using MKS units:

        E = (2e-3) * (9e16)
          = 1.8e14 joules (= 1.8e21 ergs, since 1 joule=1e7 ergs)

not 6e7 ergs.  And since that amount of energy would make plasma of a 
Plankwell-class battleship, well, if that's not catastrophic, then I don't
want to be around for something that is :-).  Seriously, according to The
Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th Ed., 1987), in Vol. 16, page 520, Column 1,
the total energy (including radiation) generated by the 20-kiloton bomb
dropped on Hiroshima was about 1e13 joules (1e7 Kw-Hrs.).  If we assume
(based on that data) that there are 5e12 joules released per kiloton of
nuclear detonation (1e13/20), and that any increase is linear, then the
total conversion reaction postulated above would be roughly eqaul to a
200 kiloton nuclear detonation.

Not in MY backyard, thank you very much!

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc



-------- TML Message #1055 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1055
Subject: TML: PLEASE READ
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 14:55:18 PST
From: (James T Perkins) jamesp@metolius.WR



Effective tommorrow evening, distribution on the Traveller Mailing List
will change.

Members currently receiving the twice-a-week digests will see no change.

Members currently receiving "instant" mail will see two *major* changes:

    o mail will be distributed only once a day, at 8pm, instead of at
      6am, 6pm, noon and midnight.
    o mail will not arrive as several individual messages; instead, it
      will be bundled up into a "daily digest".

I am sorry that the immediate feedback members are used to on the
instant delivery list will be significantly impacted.  I am also sorry
that the messages will not arrive individually, but be bundled into
daily digests.

In light of the recent increase in traffic and number of recipients, I
have been asked to reduce the mail load on the Tektronix corporate mail
server, and this is my first shot at it.  Hopefully, no further changes
will be necessary.  Sorry to pull executive fiat on this one, folks, but
these changes are necessary--so that the list keeps a low profile so it
isn't axed by Tek management.

In the mean time, keep up those information-packed postings!

James
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"



-------- TML Message #1056 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1057
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 19:31 EST
From: (Bob Mahoney) BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: History Question!


Here's one for metlay, the Traveller Relic, and other local savants:

In Traveller's Digest #17, at the end of the "Psionic Knights" module, mention
is made of Count Draco Sylas, "...one of the most important members in the
Domain of Deneb."

Is this a person with a "Classic Traveller" history?  Who is he?  Where is he?
Any other info?

Thankee!

- -BobMah



-------- TML Message #1057 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1058
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 09:38:26 EST
From: (Greg Givler - Product Assurance) givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM
Subject: Re:  Some Thoughts...


>Just out of curiosity...  how do other folks out there handle the prospect
>of military career characters swapping services?

There was an article several years ago that had all the services and what
you could move to. The logic being that most of us don't stay in the same
job all your life, so why should someone in the Traveller Universe. I think
this article was in an old White Dwarf. I could have been in an old Journal
though. The GM that has run all the Traveller Campaigns that I have played
in, used this to roll up characters. I have had characters with 2 terms in
the Scouts, 1 Term in the Rogues and two Terms in the Nobles, and so on.

If I can I will see if he has the orignal article and where it was published.
The thing I remember was that the older you got the less choices you had.
it also had die modifiers for enlistment too.

Greg



-------- TML Message #1058 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1059
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 23:02 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: Some Thoughts...



Not only is cross-enlistment viable, it's vital, especially from military
to non-militarty service ("Yes, Tukera Lines likes having the best pilots.
That's why we hire Navy vets. Don't let retirement mean wasting away:
call your local Tukera office.") A character who can dip into two or more
areas of service becomes better rounded and more useful in an adventure.
I've had rules of this type for years, and they work very well. Interestingly,
tho, the only place where such things are legal in the official rules are
when the character is a Vargr. Short attention spans, I guess.|->

metlay



-------- TML Message #1059 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1060
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 23:09 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: Anti-Matter


 
The only reactions that matter in matter-antimatter collision are on  the
subatomic level; positrons with electrons yielding two gamma rays at 511
keV each, and protons with antiprotons yielding gamma pairs at appx. 1 GeV
each. The gross structure of the antimatter is unimportant..


Interestingly enough, there was a serious science text called "Galaxies,
Antigalaxies" thaty theorized galaxies being entirely made of antimatter, thus
explaining why there's a local imbalance of matter to antimatter in our galaxy.
This theory was debunked when time reversal violation was discovered  and a

real reason for the predominance of matter was explained. In fact, it's this
fact that makes places like Shionthy impossible in normal physics. (Shionthy
is an antimatter asteroid belt in the MArches. It was made by Grandfather.)

metlay

forgive the typos, the echo speed is terrible. I HATE Tennessee! HATE IT!



-------- TML Message #1060 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1061
Subject: Re: Psionic help 
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 90 22:45:14 PST
From: (Leonard Erickson) leonard@tessi.UUCP


>> ...........................  For a given amount of antimatter (or
>> contra-terrene matter) m, the reaction optimally converts a mass of 2m
>> (the antimatter plus an equivalent amount of normal, or terrene matter)
>> into energy.  The relationship is shown mathematically with the famous
>> equation:
>>                 2
>>           E = mc                                   (1)
>> 
>> where E is the energy produced, m is the mass, and c is the speed of light
>> in a vacuum (approximately 3e8 m/s).  As you can see, even a small amount
>> of mass represents a *huge* (at least, in human terms) amount of energy.
>> 
>>      In the above example of 1 mg of antimatter, the reaction would
>> involve 2 mg of mass (don't forget your normal matter), so the energy is
>> (using cgs):
>> 
>>           E = (2e-3) * (3e10)
>>             = 6e7 ergs
>> 
>>      Not bad, but not catastophic, either.  Don't forget, in the example
>
>The TOTAL CONVERSION statement is correct, and the formula is correct,
>but the numbers plugged into it are WAY off.  The Speed-of-Light (3e8 m/s)
>squared is 9e16, not 3e10 (remember, (x^y)^z = (x^z)^(y*z)).  Therefore,
>using MKS units:
>
>        E = (2e-3) * (9e16)
>          = 1.8e14 joules (= 1.8e21 ergs, since 1 joule=1e7 ergs)
>
>not 6e7 ergs.  And since that amount of energy would make plasma of a 
>Plankwell-class battleship, well, if that's not catastrophic, then I don't
>want to be around for something that is :-).  Seriously, according to The
>Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th Ed., 1987), in Vol. 16, page 520, Column 1,
>the total energy (including radiation) generated by the 20-kiloton bomb
>dropped on Hiroshima was about 1e13 joules (1e7 Kw-Hrs.).  If we assume
>(based on that data) that there are 5e12 joules released per kiloton of
>nuclear detonation (1e13/20), and that any increase is linear, then the
>total conversion reaction postulated above would be roughly eqaul to a
>200 kiloton nuclear detonation.

except you got the figures wrong too!

E=(2e-6)*(9e16) {it's two *milligrams*, not two *grams!!}

E= 1.8e11 joules 

So we get about .36 kT using your figures  for joules/kT.

But your figures disagree with themselves. 1e13 joules = 2.7e6 kW-hr.

Since I don't have the same edition of the Brittanica, I can't check
your reference because you didn't give the name of the article!

I can't find any of my references at the moment, but I remember that
1 MT = 4.2e??? ergs. So we have a problem.



-------- TML Message #1061 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1062
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 11:29:32 EST
From: (Paul Dale) wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz.au!grue@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: Re: pilot 7's (rather on the long side)


hiya,

>In this tome I beat the `level 7' horse completely to death.
>I look at it from a bunch of different angles to come up with what
>we, as ref's and players, already knew:
I've come up with another angle :-)
The results are right at the end of this article (way way way down at the
bottom).  They are quite interesting!!

>
>OK.  Now I can answer Bertil's question: `how many pilot-7 folks are
>there in (some region of space)?'  A LOT!  Just try to find them,
>though.  
>
>If there's ~10^13 people in a sector, even extremely low probability
>events are numerous.
I'll assume that there are 10^13 people in a sector and I'll also assume that
only half of them have joined a service.

>
>Since he specifically asked about *pilot-7*, I'll divide by my
>infamous 160 skills and guess that the Marches have 12,500
>pilot-7's.  (and 12,500 equestrian-7's, and 12,500 etc.)
>
>there's probably about 1,000 pilot 8's  IF they lived long enough
>and about 100 pilot 9's.  It'd take over 100 years to get to 8 and
>over 250 to get to 9 though...
>
>If you account for consistently lucky rolls and for age, 
>there's probably 50 pilot-8's in the Marches and probably 50 
>pilot 9's in all known space who are actually young enough to fly.
>
My calculations reveal that these estimate are quite a lot on the low side.

If you don't like lots of (simple) probability theory and basic statistics
then skip down to the end and look at the results.





I worked from the scout service (since it gives easy figures to process)
I assume that about 1 in 6 people are in the scout service (from the
draft thingy).
Thus,
	Pr(Scout) = 1/6

To survive a term of service, you've got to roll 7+ (21 in 36) unless you've
got END of 9+ then you have to roll 5+ (30 in 36).  The chance of END 9+ is
10 in 36 (I ignore aging effects).
So,
	Pr(survive a term) = 10/36 * 30/36 + 26/36 * 21/36 = 47/72

To re-enlist you need 3+ (35 in 36), I ignore the force re-enlist option.
Thus,
	Pr(re-enlist) = 35/36

I also assume that a person will remain in the service until they die or they
fail to re-enlist.  If the die I'll assume that they left at the end of the
previous term and not receive any skills for this term).

The expected number of terms served by an average scout character is

Sum(i=1..12) i * (35/36)^(i-1) * (47/72)^i * (1/36 + 35/36 * 25/72)
             ^         ^             ^                ^
        # terms  Pr(re-enlist)  Pr(surviving)  Pr(fail re-enlist or dying)

This sum is approximately equal to 1.74
The prob of all these terms is 0.64999 say 0.65
The probability of not surviving the first term is: 25/72 = 0.347222
So the probability of serving longer than 12 terms is 0.00278, and if
I assume that all longer services are actually 12 terms we add 0.03 to the sum
(12*0.00278 = 0.033)

So an average scout character would expect to be in the service for 1.77 terms
(Bet you didn't think it was that short did ya).

[ for other services I'd expect a little longer since scouts don't survive
very well ]

Now turning to skills received:
A scout receives 2 skills per term (plus 2 extra in the first term)
A scout can also receive special duty on a roll of 4+ (giving one extra skill)
but if that roll is 8+ the character receives two extra skills.

Pr(2 skills per term) = 3/36
Pr(3 skills per term) = 18/36
Pr(4 skills per term) = 15/36
And 2 bounus skills for the first term and a pilot-1 for being a scout.

The expected number of skills per term is:
	2*3/36 + 3*18/36 + 4*15/36 = 10/3 = 3.33333

So for an average scout character, the characters would be expected to have
	3.333*1.77 + 2 + pilot-1
	or 7.89999 skills and a bonous pilot-1.

For simplicity assume the character gets 8 skills and pilot-1


Looking at the skill table the chance of a space skill is given by:
	15/36 * 2/24 + 21/36 * 1/18 = 29/432
(taking into account the advanced education table and assuming that the
tables are equally likely)

Looking at the space skill table, there are 6 skills present so assume that
1 in 6 space skills are actually pilot.

Thus,
	Pr(any scout skill being pilot) = 29/432 * 1/6 = 29/2592 = 0.011188

Consider the event that a skill is pilot vs it isn't.
Pr(event) = 29/2592
Pr(not event) = 1- 29/2592

Expanding the probabilities for the 8 skills the average scout character gets
gives,
Pr(event occurs 0 times) = 0.573548
Pr(event occurs 1 time) =  0.330181
Pr(event occurs 3 times) = 8.315997e-2
Pr(event occurs 3 times) = 1.196843e-2
Pr(event occurs 4 times) = 1.076564e-3
Pr(event occurs 5 times) = 6.197594e-5
Pr(event occurs 6 times) = 2.229903e-6
Pr(event occurs 7 times) = 4.584701e-8
Pr(event occurs 8 times) = 4.123955e-10

Going back to the population initially considered.
10^13 people, divided by 2 since half of all people aren't of consideration,
better divide by 10 -> 10^12
then 1 in 6 end up in the scouts: 10^12 / 6: 166,666,666,666 people under
consideration.

Multiplying by the above probs gives the number of scouts with each skill level
(remember these are average scouts,  aged less than 26 since they've served
less than two term !!!)

pilot-1 = 95591470883
pilot-2 = 55030325669
pilot-3 = 13859995174
pilot-4 = 1994738759
pilot-5 = 179427333
pilot-6 = 10329324
pilot-7 = 371650.640
pilot-8 = 7641.168
pilot-9 = 68.732

I'd expect there to be quite a lot of pilot-9's running (flying) around the
place.  Pilot-7's are really common place. By pilot-11 I'd expect them to be
quite rare.  Also remember that this is only considering the scout service
since the numbers are easier than for the other services.  Other (ranked)
services would allow for many more skills to be obtained, but they don't get
the bonus of pilot-1 for simply joining up.

Belters would be nice to ruin since SPACE is a very common skill for them.


Also note that since MegaTraveller restricts the DM on a task to be +-8, high
skills levels are unlikely to upset game balance.  I think that they'd only
make the character more famous/infamous in his/her profession.  That is, there
isn't too much difference between a pilot-8 and a pilot-10 in game terms, the
pilot-10 would command a much bigger salary.




							Pauli
seeya
SNIF

Paul Dale               | Internet/CSnet:            grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au
Dept of Computer Science| Bitnet:       grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Uni of Qld              | JANET:           grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uk.ac.ukc
Australia, 4067         | EAN:                          grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz
                        | UUCP:           uunet!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz!grue
f4e7g4Qh4++             | JUNET:                     grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au



-------- TML Message #1062 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1063
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 12:09 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: History Question!



metlay say nope.

I don't have my library here in Tennessee, but to the best of my memory
this fellow was introduced strictly for the purpose of this module.

(Psionics. Yuck.)  |->

metlay



-------- TML Message #1063 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1064
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 10:58:51 -0500
From: Mark Gellis <f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Subject: Missiles


Just reading some stuff on missiles, anti-matter, etc. and I thought
I would put in my two cents.

Anti-particle beams may not work.  They would, after all, have to be
charged particles, and these (a) do not work well in space to begin with
and (b) can be deflected by magnetic fields.  This is why there is so
much trouble about SDI, you need neutral particle beams to make it work
in deep space (and high energy neutrons are about as good for your health
as recent French philosophy), BUT they are much harder to build.  Of
course, since this is the FUTURE, we can assume these mere technical
problems have been overwhelmed by our engineers-uber-alles.

Anti-matter bombs might work, but they are probably going to be real
expensive, even assuming the reduction in cost allowed by mass production
of anti-matter.  (Here's an adventure idea for all you GM's--anti-terrorist
work (or terrorist work) at an anti-matter production facility.  Using
guns near a lot of the equipment might be what we commonly refer to as 
a BAD IDEA.)

One more thing about missiles.  I don't know how people run it in their
game worlds, but even my conventinal missiles with wimpy 100 kg. TNT
warheads do a lot of damage.  Why?  Missiles in space work differently
than missiles in an atmosphere.  I have missiles boosting at 20 gees,
usually from a distance of several thousand kilometers (the maximum
range on the long range versions is 300,000 km. and it takes it nearly
an hour to reach its target).  Missiles generally have course-correction
stuff built into their computer brains, so they simply accelerate at their
targets.  They usually hit at something like 50 km./sec.  You have any
idea what happens to a spaceship when it gets hit by something like this?
Picture the USS Nimitz...now picture it after being hit by a meteor that
weighs as much as Buick!

To keep my space combat system simple, I have adopted a base value for
missile hits, even though they might be moving at different speeds (there
is probably a diminishing return of effects, and as the missile boosts,
it does get lighter since it is using up fuel).  A single missile hit
will totally destroy a spacecraft of less than 12,500 tons (picture a
California-class cruiser) and will disable--"Keptin!  We're dead in space!"--
a spacecraft of less than 25,000 tons (picture the Soviet Kirov-class 
cruiser.)  Of course, since missile attacks are often made in huge
barrages designed to overwhelm anti-missile defensive lasers, the point
is often moot.

Take care all.

    Mark





-------- TML Message #1065 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1065
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!reed.UUCP!oresoft.uu.net!richard@tektronix.TEK.COM (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM Admin for Turn 1.0
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 11:59:44 PDT


PBEM turn 1.0 Admin stuff...


Still ironing out mailers.  Almost all of you are working now - even
the recalcitrant mailers are bending to our collective will.


Rulings on psionics (at least for this game):

A psionic CANNOT passively determine if there is another psionic
(who is also passive) in the area.  That is, you'd never know whether
X is psionic unless one or both of you do something active.  This
means that either X has to scan you (which implies that you know
when your natural or artifical shield is touched) or you have to
scan X (and touch X's shield).  Of course, if there are several
beings around, any one or several of them might have touched the
shield, so there is not necessarily a two-way link at just this
level.  A more complete contact is needed for that.

A psionic CANNOT automatically tell the difference between a natural
psi shield and a technolgical (or drug-created) psi shield.  All the
character will know is that a shield is working.  

No one so far who knows for sure has come forward and said whether
wearing a psi shield in some fashion alters you psi abilities.  For
example, it might color or distort your impressions.  (I won't make
it do evil, non-rules, things though such as deflecting telekenisis
- - if it's supposed to work, it will work.  It might be just a little
off center however.)


Your location:

You have astutely determined that you are on the frontier near the
hinterworlds.  This is only several weeks fro Dulinor's territory,
Solomani Territory, and Aslan (I think its Aslan - you can correct
me on this if I'm off base -- don't have my books here) territory.

There are several nebulae nearby.  Note that these do not show up on
standard star maps because usually they're unfruitful for commerce
or military purposes.  (again correct me if I'm way off.  I don't
remember ever seing a nebula though...)


Other admin:

During your next turn-message, tell me whether you want to keep this
double-blind business going, or if you want me to post everyone's
address.  Also let me know if you don't want your address given out.
I assume we're all friends here, but I won't ask why if you don't want
anyone else to know your address.


Happly MT'ing!

Richard Johnson
	richard@agora.hf.intel.com
	richard@oresoft.uu.net




-------- TML Message #1066 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1066
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!reed.UUCP!oresoft.uu.net!richard@tektronix.TEK.COM (Richard Johnson)
Subject: Turn 1.0 PBEM
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 12:01:17 PDT


During breakfast, on your third day, Adam comes in and starts to
talk (yell?) at everybody:


Well, I guess it's about time to move you folks out to the Alcyon.  
First, some announcements:

About ships:
Headquarters informs me that while you can take your own ships, you
do so at their risk.  If your ship is lost, destroyed, or damaged
because of the mission, Turnskaad will not replace it or reimburse
you for it.  We have transportation available if you'd prefer.  We
will also go to some length to make sure your ships are as ready as
possible before you leave.

Anyone and everyone who wants to take a ship, or a particular grav
carrier full of lab equipment, or whatever that is big and bulky,
see me RIGHT AWAY!  (This means tell the ref so he can figure this
nonsense out :-)

Insurance:
I'm passing out insurance and salvage agreements today.  You do not
have to fill these out.  However if you do not, salvage is assumed
to belong to Turnskaad fully, rather than leaving you a finders
portion, and Turnskaad is the default beneficiary of your life
insurance.  It really is in your personal interest to fill these
out.

Mission Equipment:
Everyone will be equipped with a TL15 scout-type vacc suit, except
for the members of the security team, who will have armored vacc
suits issued.  We expect everyone on the team to be in continuous
contact, at least in terms of location; all issue vacc suits have
ELT's (emergency locator transponders) built in.  The ELT's signal
the base ship every 30 minutes and relay your health and location
information.  More details are available if you're curious.

TL13 Stun pistol with a variety of drug charges is the standard 
issue sidearm.  You are expected to have this with you at all times, 
loaded.  You will receive some rudimentary training in selecting the
proper drugs to use in various situtations.  Of course, this does
not preclude your wearing or using your favorite sidearm; we just
want you all to have a visible reminder that this is initially a
peaceful mission.

Personal medikits are available from ship's stores.  A slightly more
substantial party-sized kit is assigned to each team's carrier.

Hand computers (TL15) will be issued to those who do not already
have them.  If you wish to buy one, you can do so at a discount, as
with all personal equipment you purchase for this mission.  (Send me
a list of equipment you wish, together with suggested price from
some book if you have a price.  I will indicate which are assigned,
which are for the ship, and which you need to lease or purchase.
For items to purchase I will assign a disocunt price.  After
everyone has bought what they want, I'll tell you how I figured the
discount, if you're interested :-).)

Items of a more sensitive nature, such as military-style hardware
are available at our asteroid spaceport.  You will be leaving for
there this afternoon.  (So send in your lists for this stuff, too.)
Of course, further comunications with the outside will be limited
after this, so if you've got any farewells to send, better do it
this morning.


==================================================================
Next part of this turn: You finally get to see the Alcyon
(once I find out how many ships you are bringing along.)

Richard Johnson
	richard@agora.hf.intel.com
	richard@oresoft.uu.net



-------- TML Message #1067 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1067
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!reed.UUCP!oresoft.uu.net!richard@tektronix.TEK.COM (Richard Johnson)
Subject: Analyzing levels
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 12:08:27 PDT

I like Mark Cook's idea of equating level X skill with something
identifiable.  It would be interesting to compile an exhaustive list
(if such a thing could exist).  The one I always used was:

Medical:
	level 0: know when to call a doctor
	level 1: a good thorough, working knowledge of first aid
	level 2: equivalent to emergency medical technician or nurse
	level 3: equivalent to an intern
	level 4: doctor (U.S. type) or surgeon
	level 5: highly skilled neurosurgeon
	level 6: breaking new ground in medicine
	level 7: Hippocrates :-)

The caveat about U.S. type of doctors is because I don't know much
about any other type.  It could be quite different.  Level 4
witch-doctoring or shamanism might be quite useful. 

Richard Johnson


-------- TML Message #1068 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1068
Date:    Tue, 20 Feb 1990 16:58:27 EST
From: Stephen Tihor <TIHOR@acf6.nyu.edu>
Subject: Antomatter & you...

Yeah but think of all those lovely neutrons from the reaction  and what will
happen to the crew  after the pirates have caught and tortured you to death.

Me I would aim for the engine room too many use things there than a little
explosion will wipe out, jump drive, batteries, fusor, chief engineer.  All
hard to replace in deep space.

-------- TML Message #1069 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1069
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 19:22 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Utter hogwash about Pilot 7s and so on.


I won't argue with your math, or your marvelous grasp of the rules.
I will merely say that your initial premise is total bilge. Has it
ever occurred to anyone that if one preson in ten were a member
of the Imperial Services, the economy would collapse? Let's get
realistic here for a minute, folks! It should be equally easy for
one of you rules lawyers/mathematicians out there to estimate the
size of an Imperial Sector Fleet, based on the data in the Reb Sourcebook.
>From that, we can make a decent estimate of the total military strength
of a sector; if there are 1e13 people in a sector, I find it hard to
believe that unless there is a state of open war/draft callup, there
would be more than a hundred million people per sector in the service.
(I have no book s in front of me now; this is an estimate.) I really
think that all of your numbers should be scaled down by, oh, four orders
of magnitude. And not including aging effects is cheating, not to mention 
the fact that in a one-year service (Same Scouts, different rules) it's
much easier to get your tail shot off. Harrmph!

Oh, and if these posts were meant in fun, well, hahaha, very jocular.

(Can you tell I haven't seen my fiancee in two months? Knew you could.)

metlay

-------- TML Message #1070 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1070
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 17:51:20 PST
From: gazis@galileo.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: Antimatter And You


     What happens if you throw a big chunk of antimatter at a big chunk 
of matter?  The result depends on the impact velocity, and can be 
summarized in the following simple table:

Velocity        Result

Zero            There is a tiny bang and the two chunks bounce away
                from each other essentially intact.
Relativistic    The two chunks interpenetrate, all the particles
                interact, and there is a whopping big explosion.
In between      I dunno, but I'm willing to make a guess...

     If a chunk of matter contacts a lump of antimatter, there WILL be
an explosion.  Even if the impact velocity is zero, the atoms at the
contact surface will be attracted by Van der Walls forces.  The electrons
and positrons will interact and be destroyed.  The resulting storm of
photons will probably not be enough to overcome the electromagnetic
forces that will suck the protons and anti-protons to their doom.  Shlurp.
Bang.  
     But this interaction will only occur at the contact surface between 
the two chunks.  If the impact velocity of the two chunks falls below some 
critical value, the explosion at the contact surface will push the two
chunks apart before much  damage gets done.
     What, one wonders, is this critical velocity?  
     In general, this is a complex question, and depends on the mass and
shape of the chunks.  The answer is, in fact, in the province of bomb 
design, which deals specifically with the question of how to shape masses 
of explosive  material so that they hold together long enough to explode.
     Fortunately, we are not really interested in the general case.  We 
only want to know what happens when a teeny tiny impactor made from anti-
matter strikes a large, spacecraft-sized, object.  I suspect that in such
a case the critical velocity is the speed of sound within the impactor.  
If the impact velocity is higher than this, the shock wave generated at
the contact surface will not have time to propage and blow the impactor
apart.  
     What, you ask, is the speed of sound in a typical solid?  I don't
have the slightest idea.  Nor is it relevant, since the impactor will
be heated to plasma temperatures.  I would guess that the critical 
velocity is somewhere around 100 km/sec.  This is a perfectly reasonable 
number for a railgun projectile, and is about the kind of velocity one 
would need in any case if one hopes to hit a manuvering target with an 
unguided projectile.
     As for the mass of antimatter necessary to wreck a spacecraft, 
note that the interaction of 4 micrograms of antimatter with 4 
micrograms of matter will produce approximately 1.0E+16 ergs, which is
the energy of 200 grams of high explosive.  This is roughly comparable 
to a 30mm cannon shell.  A series of dramatic and realistic experiments, 
conducted over Germany 45 years ago, demonstrated that this was 
sufficient remove a wing from an armoured 20 tonne aircraft.  Four 
milligrams of antimatter is roughly the equivalent of a 500 pound bomb.  
Recent experiments, conducted in the South Atlantic, have demonstrated 
that this is sufficient to destroy a 4000 tonne seagoing warship or a
20,000 tonne seagoing merchant ship.  (It is not always sufficient to 
destroy a 500,000 tonne supertanker.  Make of this what you will.)

     A final interesting question is: 'How much antimatter does it take
to break a planet into little bits a la the DEATH STAR?'  The answer 
is... LOTS.  
     The gravitational binding energy of the Earth is approximately 
1.0E+33 ergs, give or take an order of magnitude because I'm working
this out on a piece of scratch paper while I wait for my lousy stinking
solar wind spectral simulation routine to run.  This (the binding energy,
not the simulation routine), is the equivalent of one million tonnes of 
antimatter.  Where, I wonder, did Governer Tarkin get the stuff?  Where 
did he keep it?  In his closet perhaps?  His cleaning service must have 
been surprised.

Paul R. Gazis                        
gazis@hal.arc.nasa.gov   or
gazis@hal.span.nasa.gov   or
gazis%hal.span@ames.arc.nasa.gov   or
something like that


-------- TML Message #1071 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1071
Date:          Tue, 20 Feb 90 22:29 EST
From: RWMIRA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject:       Re: Pilot-7's

In the discussions of the "Frequency of Pilot-7's" one point seems to have been
looked.  Some of us use the enhananced character generation which gives a
higher number of skills that the basic system.  Just looking at the Navy
generation system you have anyone graduating Flight School will have a Pilot of
1-3 max(d6-3,1);  So before the first term is even served they could have a
pilot of three. Now since I am thinking like a player who gets to choose his
skills (when skills like SPACE come up) and we are wanting to see excessives,
we will see just how fast one could get to Pilot-7.

Flight School:    Pilot-3
Basic Training:   2 Rolls on Flight yield 2 pilots for a Pilot-5.
Fourth Year:      1 skill  We can finish the first term with a Pilot-6.

With a max of 4 skills a term after that (unless special duty comes out way) we
could have a Pilot-10 by the end of the second term (third if you count the
acadamy.)

Now this person can do one thing, fly a starship (and do a good job with Ships
Boats as well), but not much else.  With a little luck on Mustering out, our
character would look like:

Pilot-10, Navigation-2, Ships Boat-1, Engineering-1, Vacc Suit-1, Weapon-1
(from Mustering out with 2 weapon rolls).  Pretty lop sided, but none the less
enjoyable.

Now this all is really moot, so lets have fun with it and lets tell some
stories.

I once reffed a player who had a character who was a Pilot-9.

  "Legands say that the Great Pilot, Frey Starhunter, the best pilot in the
universe, could jump a ship into jumpspace from the ground ... And not misjump!"

(BTW: Jump from within 10 Diamaters is Formiadable, 15+ -8 (Max DM) 7+ to
succeed.  Odds are he will make it!!!  DM Note, I would bump it to Impossible
19+ to succeed, that makes it a bit rougher, and he needs an 11 or better,
still possible though.)

(Andy Rooney Voice on)
  Wouldn't it be nice ...  If howfar a ship could jump was a function of the
pilots skill?  And wouldn't it be nice, if they served more than peanuts during
the flight?
(Andy off)
(Sorry, coun't resist)

Rob
rwmira01@ulkyvx.bitnet

-------- TML Message #1072 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1072
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Steal that Starship! (and more Psionics)
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 22:19:41 PST

Well, we already touched on the subject of a fine, upstanding, HONEST,
and NEW starship owner (that is, a NEW owner, not neccessarily a NEW
starship :-)).  But what about the less-than-honest NEW starship owner?

In the campaign I mentioned earlier, before either of my "about to become
starship title holder" PCs actually get their shiney, new asteroid dodgers,
they have to get out of one teeny, little predicament: a war.  Now, as
it turns out, they're at the starport when the planet is attacked, and,
as luck would have it, there will just happen to be a 1000-ton long haul,
freighter (fueled and ready to go) sitting in the parkbays.  Since the
plan is for the group to snatch the ship to escape becoming POWs, they
will be motivated into ship thievery by the situation, rather than greed.

Assuming that they make it to a safer haven (read, different system), and
assuming that the original captain and crew met with unsavory ends back
on the embattled planet (as Ref, I can safely make this assumption :-)),
is there a legal way for the PCs to permanently acquire the ship?  Be
advised that I'm not sure yet whether I actually want them to, but should
the situation present itself, I'd like to have some details ready.

So, compare this to a group of people fleeing the Nazis in WWII by stealing
a boat on the French coast and making it to England.  Do the english arrest
them for boat-napping, or do they say, "Right, it's your boat from now on,
an' don' let anybody tell you otherwise!"

Well, obviously I don't know the answer to this one.  HEEELLLPPP!!

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

P.S.  Re: Psionics & Antimatter: You're right.  I forgot that we were
talking milligrams instead of grams.  And my 4-function math stinks!
The original number SHOULD have been 36 Kt, NOT 200 Kt.  So if the
REAL answer is a 0.36 Kt detonation (that's 360 tons of TNT, boys and
girls!), I still don't believe that somebody is going to laugh it off
if it goes off INSIDE their hull!!  It'll still hurt plenty!  The specific
reference I quoted earlier from Encyclopaedia Britannica was in the
Macropaedia, under the heading "Climate and Weather: Major forms of
weather disturbances: Tornadoes, whirlwinds, and waterspouts: Physical
characteristics of the vortices" (Whew!).  There is a comparison under
"Pressure, heat flux, and energy" of the energy of a tornado to that
of the Hiroshima bomb.

-------- TML Message #1073 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1073
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 11:04:51 EST
From: Chris Bartlett (Mouser) <cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: Character generation



I like the idea of allowing characters to have more than one service in their
background.  Most of the time though, players complain that they don't have
enough control over their character's development.  I refer, of course, to
the skill selection system.  How do you folks handle this?  I seem to
recall a point-based character generation system for Traveller in an *old*
issue of _Dragon_ (back when I still read it), that allowed players to buy
skills using points.  I've been having the players roll for which subtable
to select their skills from, and letting them have their pick from that.

For example, if a Scout character could choose from the Scout life, Field
Service, or Exploration subtables, I would have him roll for which table to
pick a skill from, i.e. if he rolled and came up with the Field Service
table, he could freely select a skill from there.  It seems to be a
reasonable compromise.  Any suggestions?


Chris


-------- TML Message #1074 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1074
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 09:36:05 PST
From: gazis@halley.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: 1 kilotonne HE = 4.2E+19 ergs


... according to the NRL Plasma Formulary (a useful object).

Paul R. Gazis

P.S. Or, if you are perverse, 1 KT HE = 1.0E+12 calories, enough energy to
do aerobics for 100,000 years.  Feel the burn!

-------- TML Message #1075 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1075
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!reed.UUCP!oresoft.uu.net!richard@tektronix.TEK.COM (Richard Johnson)
Subject: Jim Cunningham's Address wrong?
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 8:47:07 PDT

Sorry about wasting bandwidth for this but...

For Jim Cunningham:

I have your address as jcunning@gliss.lis.uiuc.edu

I *consistently* get `gliss' as an unknown host, and am unable to
work around it (cause it's where you are.)

Did I get it wrong?  Is there another way I can contact you?


Richard Johnson

p.s. I can hear you fine at both agora and oresoft.

	richard@agora.hf.intel.com
	richard@oresoft.uu.net


-------- TML Message #1076 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1076
From: "45252-Peter L. Berghold" <wrgate.wr.tek.com!uunet.uu.net!allegra!violin!plb@tektronix.TEK.COM>
Subject: Re: Some Thoughts...
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 7:52:15 EST

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

*| tho, the only place where such things are legal in the official rules are
*| when the character is a Vargr. Short attention spans, I guess.|->
*| 

<hehehehe!>
Metlay,

You are responsible for an early morning laugh for me....


bleary eyed:
- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */


-------- TML Message #1077 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1077
Subject: Re: PLEASE READ and Jim Cunningham's address
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 10:59:32 PST
From: James T Perkins <jamesp@metolius.WR>


Hi everyone,

A couple messages were lost yesterday while I was messing up my mailing
list software.  If you fail to see something come across the list that
you posted recently, go ahead and repost it.

I get through to Jim Cunningham with:

	jcunning%gsliss%gslisa@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (-Jim Cunningham)

I use this obtuse routing because of problems similar to the one you're
having; only a few sites seem to know how to get to the site that knows
about gsliss.

James
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"

-------- TML Message #1078 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1078
From: Bart Massey <bart@fatal.tv.TEK.COM>
Subject: Re: (1069) Utter hogwash about Pilot 7s and so on.
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 14:26:01 PST

In TML Biweekly Volume 6 Issue 16 METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu writes:
> I will merely say that your initial premise is total bilge. Has it
> ever occurred to anyone that if one preson in ten were a member
> of the Imperial Services, the economy would collapse? Let's get
> realistic here for a minute, folks!

Hmm.  Perhaps the estimate is high, but "total bilge"?  Please correct me if
I'm wrong, but I believe the good ol' U.S.ofA. has a total armed forces
payroll of around 2 million bodies, or about 2/300 of the total U.S.
population.  This would only change the estimates in question by 1 order of
magnitude, and certainly wouldn't invalidate the premise that the existing
rules make it abnormally easy for player characters to get high skill levels.

The problem is that the probability of getting skill level n + 1, given skill
level n, should be O(1/n) rather than the O(1) function it is now.  This
would make the probability of getting skill level n from scratch roughly
O(log(n)), which would make the suggestion of an earlier poster make sense,
by making the skill level be roughly the *log* of the actual "amount of
skill".  If the constants were chosen correctly, there might still be some
Pilot-9s in the universe, but there would be many orders of magnitude more
Pilot-7s.

On the other hand, I had always assumed that the rules were the way they were
to make player characters more interesting, and that they didn't apply to the
population as a whole.  To put it another way, if I used the character
generation system described above, I would probably throw away most of my
characters as "too boring", and the existing generation system just
"pre-throws-away" most, but not all "boring" characters.

I'm sure I will be liberally corrected on all of the above.

					Bart Massey
					..tektronix!videovax.tv.tek.com!bart
					..tektronix!reed.bitnet!bart


-------- TML Message #1079 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1079
Date:        Wed Feb 21 17:51:17 BST 1990
From: Solo <derek%TARDIS.CS.ED.AC.UK@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject:     Re: Task System for GURPS Space

X-Mailer: Ream v4.12c (The One True Mailer)
X-Thought: Is it paranoia if they really *are* out to get you?


> This question involves GURPS Space and MegaTraveller.

Nice to see I'm not alone in using GURPS for a Space campaign...

> [stuff deleted to save bandwidth]
> I was thinking of something like this:
>
> Simple:     skill + 2
> Routine:    skill
> Difficult:  skill - 3
> Formidable: skill - 6
> Impossible: skill - 12
>
> In GURPS, you roll three 6 sided dice for an average roll of 10.5 .
> It just so happens that a novice in a certain skill will have a
> skill of 10 or 11 and will therefore succeed with a routine task
> about 50% of the time.  A reasonably experienced operator will
> usually have a skill of about 13 (maybe level 1 or 2 in traveller)
> and succeed in a routine task around 60-70% of the time.  So, how
> often should this reasonably experienced operator succeed if the
> task is simple, difficult, formidable or impossible?

  Hmm.  OK, time to dig out the GURPS books I guess.  The easiest way to
approach this would seem to be to check out the descriptions of various
skill levels, and work from there.
  In GURPS, level 12 in a skill is described as that of a talented
beginner, or an average man after a little study.  I don't think this
translates to Traveller skill 2 - level 1 maybe, but not 2.  Looking
further down the table we see that a "veteran" fighter (one with
experience, but not a lot of it) has a skill of ^15.  This leads to
the following rolls/percentages for different tasks:

        Simple    : Roll 16, 98.1% (as a roll of 17+ always fails)
        Routine   : Roll 15, 95.4%
        Difficult : Roll 12, 74.1%
        Formidable: Roll 9,  37.5%
        Impossible: Roll 3,  0.5%

  This seems to be in keeping with how I see Traveller skill level 2 -
although the chance for the Impossible task is perhaps a little on the
low side.
  Someone with a *lot* of experience will have a skill level of about
18, thus adding 3 to all the above rolls.  Thus, he will succeed at an
Impossible task about 9.3% of the time.  This, to me, seems like the
sort of skill level I would give someone with Traveller skill of 3.
  A Master, as described in GURPS, has skill 20.  He will succeed in the
Impossible task about 25.9% of the time.  Sounds like Traveller level 4
to me.
  A Wizard (described as someone who could fight blindfolded) has a
skill of 25.  This gives him a 83.8% chance at succeeding at the
Impossible task - Traveller skill 5, at a minimum.

  It is possible under the GURPS rules to have levels even higher than
this, although the cost of such levels is usually prohibitive, at least
for the Physical skills, such as Combat, Piloting etc.  I don't think
it's really necessary to go beyond level 25 for the purposes of looking
at the task system - much further, and the person attempting the skill
roll can do virtually anything 98.1% of the time (not 100%, as noted in
the table above.)
  All the above comparisons are based on the description of combat
skills found on page 45 of the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.  They
seem to fit the task levels presented fairly well to me, although
different people would of course need to alter them to fit with the
overall levels of skill found in their campaign.

Sayonara,
       Derek.

PS: To Richard Johnson - Received your mail test OK, did my reply ever
    reach you?

- --
Derek MacColl,          JANET:  derek@uk.ac.ed.cs.tardis
Ex-Computer Science,    ARPA:   derek%ed.cs.tardis@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
Edinburgh University.   UUCP:   Sorry...
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do isn't very nice."


-------- TML Message #1080 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1080
From: Bertil Jonell <d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se>
Subject: RE:Steal that Starship!
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 90 11:28:50 MET DST

> >From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
> 
> Assuming that they make it to a safer haven (read, different system), and
> assuming that the original captain and crew met with unsavory ends back
> on the embattled planet (as Ref, I can safely make this assumption :-)),
> is there a legal way for the PCs to permanently acquire the ship? 

Hardly, They could claim that they found it, though, but it will be hard to
legally clear them of the suspicions that *they* killed the crew in the
general confusion.
A starship is almost never unowned, If it isn't owned by a person, it is owned
by a corporation, or an Imperial Agency (IMC, IN, IISS etc), or by the system
govenment, or by an insurance company, or by the heirs of the previous owner
(this last case is the one that is most apliccable in your case) 

If they want to keep the ship, they would have to act as if it was stolen, ie
get it registerd under a new name, fix all id'numbers, and, most difficult,
fix the transponder...

> So, compare this to a group of people fleeing the Nazis in WWII by stealing
> a boat on the French coast and making it to England.  Do the english arrest
> them for boat-napping, or do they say, "Right, it's your boat from now on,
> an' don' let anybody tell you otherwise!"

If they steal somebodys cargoship, that somebody (or his company, or his bank,
or his creditors, or his family) is going to be mightily cross with them.

If they steal a german military (or ex-french military) boat then the English
government would take the boat from them and give it to the RN.

Just my quarter credits worth.
- -bertil-
- -- 
Bertil K K Jonell @ Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg
NET: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se 
VOICE: +46 31 723971 / +46 300 61004     "Don't worry,I've got Pilot-7"
SNAILMAIL: Box 154,S-43900 Onsala,SWEDEN      (Famous last words)      
"During the high point of the Downes Age, they put Ming the Merciless in charge
of designing California gas stations" W.Gibson "The Gernsback Continuum"

-------- TML Message #1081 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1081
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 90 12:50:37 CST
From: Jim Cunningham <jcunning@gsliss.lis.uiuc.edu>
Subject: address & things



The e-mail address that James listed for me is correct. GSLIS
stands for Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Forgive me if I'm not too talkative for the next few months. Right
now I'm working 30+ hours a week and carrying a full load of grad 
classes and sending out resumes, interviewing, and occasionally
sleeping. Actually, I might be in over my head this time, and 
might drop something. If I do, you'll be hearing from me more often.


				Jim Cunningham
				Traveller Relic



YOU KNOW YOU`RE IN ZHODANI TERRITORY WHEN: You walk into a 
resteraunt and the waiter starts writing down your order before
you tell him what you want.



-------- TML Message #1082 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1082
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 90 13:08:22 PST
From: John Wilber <wilber%sal-sun3.usc.edu@usc.edu>
Subject: Merchant Profitablility


I have one suggestion for helping those merchants make their mortgages:

RAISE PRICES!!

So what if the books say a high passage costs kCr10, and a low passage
is kCr1 (I think)?  Altering the prices by a few thousand either way isn't
going to hurt anybody, is it?  Besides, this would introduce the effect of
having passages to the "smaller" worlds costing more than passages to
major worlds, which seems realistic to me.  Unfortunately, figuring out
what to charge for passages could become quite complicated, because of
having to figure in current interest rates, salaries, and prices.

The players would also have to worry about the competition from other,
large well-established lines with many ships (Tukera, Oberlindes), and
economies of scale on their side, which would probably keep them off
of the major trade routes.  Oh well, that's life...

/************************************************************************\
* John J. Wilber        * Perfect paranioa is perfect awareness!         *
* wilber@nunki.usc.edu  * "I'm a pessimstic cynic- I guess that makes me *
* student, partier, and * a realist."                                    *
* fun-loving guy.       *                                 Unknown        *
\************************************************************************/




-------- TML Message #1083 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1083
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 90 16:13:54 EST
From: Chris Bartlett (Mouser) <cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: Robot design


Hello all,

Andrew's posting of his grav bike design inspired me to dig this out.  It's
a design for a ship's surgical robot.  I designed it to be a static unit for
emplacement in the ship's infirmary.  The patient is placed *inside* the
unit for diagnosis and treatment.  It's similar to the automed in _2300_.  I
thought it would handy for PCs to have around, as PCs tend to have nasty
things happen to them.  I used _Book 8: Robots_ to build this:


  Static robotic surgical unit -- "autodoc" 	

 URP:  D1300 - 06 - LM221 - TF53	Cr 235,800.00	550 kg

	Fuel: -		Duration: -	TL: 12

  600/1500  (mesh)
  2 light arms
  2 very light arms
  2 very light tentacles
  2 visual sensors ( + tele ), 6 tactile sensors ( + sensitivity )
  2 audio sensors
  Power interface
  Voder
  Video display
  Medical instrument pkg  x 2
  Medical - 3

You plug it into a ship's power supply or equivalent.  That's why there's
nothing down for fuel or duration.  Hope everybody likes it.

			Chris



-------- TML Message #1084 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1084
Subject: Well, I made it
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 90 13:51:45 PST
From: James T Perkins <jamesp@metolius.WR>


Well, I didn't get laid off, so I guess the list will be around for the
forseeable future.  I've been busy and nervous lately so I'm a little slow
on responses to specific questions.  I promise to try to get caught up
in the next week.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"

-------- TML Message #1085 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1085
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Deneb SubSector names
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 90 16:06:14 PST

Well, I need help again.  I downloaded a file containing (supposedly) all
the sector and subsector names (for the Imperium) from GEnie last week,
and I'm not sure that I trust the data.  Specifically, the list of subsector
names given for Deneb are as follows:

      (A) Pretoria      (B) Lamas       (C) Antra       (D) Million
      (E) Sabine        (F) Inar        (G) Dunmag      (H) Atsah
      (I) Star Lane     (J) Vincennes   (K) Usani       (L) Geniishir
      (M) Gulf          (N) Zeng        (O) Kamlar      (P) Vast Heavens

However, in "The Spinward Marches Campaign" Sourcebook, the sector map
of the Marches shows the names of the Deneb subsectors immediately
adjacent to the Marches to be "(A) Gulf", "(E) Star Lane", "(I) Sabine",
and "(M) Pretoria".  So, the list shown above would appear to be
upside-down (or worse).

What are the correct subsector names?

Second question:  Where can I find a current list of the X-boat routes
in Deneb (or any other, for that matter) sector.  So far, the only current
routes I know of, are for Corridor sector (I got them from issue #18 of
Travellers' Digest).

If there's not an official list, do I just play "connect-the-dots" with all
of the class A and B starports?

Regards,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

-------- TML Message #1086 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1086
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 90 16:53:01 -0500 (EST)
From: Ronald Henry Daubel <rd1g+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Hospitals, Insurance, and other stuff

Hi,

I had a problem the other night with my group of players.  What happened
was one of them was being an idiot on a law level 2 world.  He wanted
information, and was going about it the wrong way.  He got his right
forearm blown off, hand and all.  There was a hospital around, so he was
taken there.  I've always been under the assumption that hospitals do
emergency cases first, and worry about payment later.

Well, they fixed up his arm (I assumed tech level 10 could put a robotic
appendage on) and were looking for payment, either immediately, or in
some kind of payment contract.  The problem is, he WAS a general in the
Army, before he retired.  Would he have some kind of Veterens insurance
(for just such a thing) or would he be on his own with payment?  Since
he didn't have anything specific, I offered a payment plan.  He didn't
want to sign, and generally made a nuisance out of himself. (Remember
this is LL2) I had the cops arrest him.  He was still a pain in the ass,
so the Cops (unsavory fellows) executed him.

What should I have done?  What would you have done?

Thanks,

Ron

Internet:  rd1g@andrew.cmu.edu
Bitnet:	arioch@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu

-------- TML Message #1087 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1087
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Re: Pt. Defense Targetting
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 90 13:14:40 PST

A few week ago, I posted the following question about vehicle combats and
Point Defense Targetting:

> According to the specs. for the Sword Worlds TL11 Gram grav-tank (inside
> cover, "101 Vehicles"), it has a "TL11 Point Defense".  This is listed in
> the MT Ref.  Man. as:
>         "  Point defense targetting allows the weapon to fire at incoming
>          missiles and projectiles.  Hardpoint mounted weapons automatically
>          have this capability.
>            For each direct fire weapon which must also serve in a point
>          defense capacity, install one point defense targetting module."
> 
> Now, since the Gram grav-tank has the following weapons:
>                                 Pen/        Max.    Auto  Dngr
>                      Ammo Rnds. Attn Dmg    Range   Tgts  Spc  Sig  ROF
>         Plasma PA-11  -    -    44/5 20   VDist(5.1) 2     15   H   40
>         3 cm AutoCan HE   500    2   6    VLong(3.5) 4     3    M   200
>                      HEAP 500    5   4    VLong(3.5) 4     -    M   200
>                      KEAP 500    4   4    VLong(3.5) 4     -    M   200
> 
> I assume that the PA-11 automatically has PTD (Pt. Def. Targetting) and
> the one add-on mentioned is for the autocannon.  Anyway, how does this
> get used in vehicle combat?  Does the tank gunner give up a shot at a
> target during a combat round, and elect to use PDT to eliminate incoming
> rounds instead?  Or does PDT automatically provide some kind of defensive
> DM for the tank and no explicit crew action is required?

I got an answer telling me that the PDT weapon can either be used for
PDT or standard combat in any given round, but not both.  What I still
need to know is: If the weapon is used from PDT, does in automatically
succeed?  Isn't there a roll for TOTAL/PARTIAL/NO success?  If it auto-
matically succeeds, then it seems way too powerful to me.

What's the straight scoop, guys?

Regards,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

-------- TML Message #1088 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1088
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 90 02:18:52 -0500
From: wilson m liaw <macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: MegaTraveller Alien Source Book Vol 1


	Good news, MegaTraveller Alien Source Book Vol 1 is now finished.
It has been sent to the printer, and will be shipping shortly!!

				Mac




-------- TML Message #1089 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1089
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 90 13:22:35 -0500
From: Mark Gellis <f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: [Insurance]

[Edited subject line to be more meaningful -- James]

On the subject of insurance; it is available, but (a) it only covers illness
and injury (no elective surgery) and (b) rates for people who list their
occupation as "high-risk, high-pay adventurer" are also high.  Actually, 
what I usually do is assume that the government looks into your credit
history and will help you out if you cannot pay your medical bills.  If
you can pay your medical bills, hospitals usually run about 5000 CR/week
(between $500 and $1000 in modern American money).  Oddly, no one in my
game world has ever asked about insurance.

As for your specific problem...

   1) As a veteran, the character might have had some kind of special
insurance options.  On the other hand, even if they did pay, they might
take a while, and the character might be temporarilly responsible for
his or her medical bills.  I think that, right now, you only have health
insurance from the military while you are IN the military, although you
can get special rates from some companies when you are out.

  2) Since your character was being a pain, you might have warned him--
"General Goof, make an Intelligence roll."  "I rolled an 11."  "You get
the distinct feeling that if you continue to hassle these well-armed
peace officers that they will take advantage of the local low law level
and blow your fucking head off."--before you executed him, but I assume
you probably did something like that.  (Since it is a game, you are
allowed to use creative clue devices--I had one friend who, when we were
totally lost, had us receive telegrams or notes tied to rocks that were
thrown through our window.)

  3) If your character continued to be a pain after you warned him about
possible consequences, you have three options.  1) Kill him on the spot,
either by having the NPCs do it or by just saying "You're pissing me off,
so you have a fatal heart attack.  Go home."  2) Give him what he wants,
if it something minor, and write it off.  3) Give him what he wants, and
then have him die in some unrelated way near the end of the adventure--
"I don't know, General Goof, the bad guys just keep rolling your number
when they are selecting targets; maybe it's because you look like a leader."

Basically, the point is to have fun, but it is your game, too.  If a
character is being a total idiot, and you have warned him about it, it is
his own fault if he keeps on irritating you and/or other players and/or
NPCs that you are trying to run realistically, and gets himself shot.  NPCs
are like people, some of them are stupid, ill-tempered, and so on, and you
should not screw around with them.  Of course, sometimes a player is okay,
but has chosen to run a somewhat eccentric character, but then they usually
accept the risks, and are usually smart enough to take your hints if they
are going too far.

As a final note, I just want to say that I do not like situations where I
feel like I have to kill someone's character.  Fortunately, my players can
usually tell when my decision on something is final and they generally do
not push things.  On the rare occasions when a player is being an ass, 
other players usually off him before I have to do anything about it: "But
this is simply not the blah blah blah blah blah."  "Mark, Alan is being a
jerk, so I'm shooting him in the head."  "Okay, roll two dice."  "I rolled
a 9, and my high Dexterity makes that an 11."  "Alan, Jeff is drawing on
you, make an inititive roll."  "I rolled a 7."  "Uh oh, Jeff will get the
first shot, and he has Pistol skill at +4."  And so on.

Take care all.

-------- TML Message #1090 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1090
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 90 15:27:07 GMT
From: Jo Jaquinta <jaymin@maths.tcd.ie>
Subject: 1,000,000 stars, level 2

	The 1,000,000 stars system generator level 2 is ready. It incorporates
extended system generation as in the MegaTraveller Referees Handbook. Due to
the length I will not post it to the board but I will mail it to anyone who
desires a copy.
	There was a problem with level 1 on computers whose int & long were
other than 2 & 4 bits. This only caused it to produce non unique results
but otherwise does not impair the functionality.

	There are still quite a few places left in the PBeM I am running
set in the 1,000,000 star universe due to my mispelling my address. Anyone
still interested write to
				Jo Jaquitna
				jaymin@maths.tcd.ie

-------- TML Message #1091 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1091
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 90 20:16:33 MST
From: SULAIMAN <asulaima@udenva.cair.du.edu>
Subject: point defense et al


Well this is my interpretation of point defense rules which like quite a 
few other things seem to have been left out of MT even though they decide
to leave meaningless charts of neat things with no explanations. Could
it be that s-one from 'Judges Guild '
arrggg editors.
actually is sabotaging GDW :-)



First of all point defense targetting modules are standard only on ship
type hardpoints. Those that take 13.5+ kl etc. So I think it is misleading
to assume PA-11 is mounted hardpoint. As it is considered a gun and not
a hardpoint.

In 'vehicle' design you have to specify which weapon the  PDF module is
to be used for. Multiple weapons require multiple modules.
Anyway here's the scoop on PDF. This is from 'Striker' but apparently
seems valid for MT as most Striker stuff does.

A weapon with Point Defense Fire(PDF) module can do 3 separate missions.
1. Normal fire. Uses normal fire rules but ignores enemy movement DMs due
to its superior fire control. Nasty against those high speed Zho ground
speeders.
2. Overwatch. Weapon may engage any indirect fire rounds.
3. Dedicated support. PDF locks on to specific person or vehicle and tries
to follow its movement. Any missiles, rockets and indirect fire against
supported unit  within 100m of it may be engaged by PDF unit.

These missions are mutually exclusive. For overwatch and dedicated support
all non-grav vehicles must be stationary due to the high accuracy required.


Against Direct Fire:
 Unit must see last 150m of weapons trajectory. Unit rolls as per normal fire
No movement DMs. Any hit destroys one round. If multiple hits, owner may
(of PDF) chooses which rounds to take out. So if u have 4 missiles inbound
and you hit 3 times, u pick which three.

Against Indirect Fire:
 You roll the following number of dice to hit inbound artillery fire based
on TL of  PDF module:
	TL-9:4
	TL-10:6
	TL-11:8
	TL-12:10
	TL-13:12 
	TL-14:14
	TL-15:16
This is the number of artillery rounds destroyed.
>From each die subtract PDF TL-Art round TL. E.g TL-10 rolls 6 die against
artillery fire. 4 are dedicated to a TL-15 artillery barrage and 2 are
assigned to a TL-10 barrage. There is no modifier to TL-10 barrage but there
is a -5 to EACH die fired against TL-15 barrage.

As MRL's overload  defenses by firing within a short period of time(what about
rapid fire M-D guns??Hmm)  divide the numbers of rounds destroyed by 2.

This leads us to the other question. How the hell do u use artillery?
If anyone is interested I'll post it. Otherwise I hope this clears up most of
the mess. Most units don't have to worry about indirect fire anyway.

That Gram grav-tank is real nasty with its PA on direct fire. Makes mince 
meat of a few Imp 'Trepida's(what a wimpy name for a tank!)              

	Ameer Z. Sulaiman.
 	
D
D
D
D
D
D
	Resident Rules Master

-------- TML Message #1092 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1092
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 90 01:10:52 EST
From: Frederic Joshua Krage <milamber@wpi.wpi.edu>


    In response to a not-so recent post:
	In my various campaigns, cross-enlistment is an extremely
viable option.  After mustering out from one service, each player
has the option to enlist in another.  The player rolls for 
enlistment, but with a DM-1 per term served.  Thus a player in
his sixth term would have a -6 adjustment to his enlistment roll.
If the roll is still made, (or a 12 is rolled and I'm feeling nice)
the player is considered as a normal recruit in his first term. 
The player is still subject to retirement after his seventh term, 
total time, but is otherwise is treated as if he had enlisted in his
first term.  I also apply other negative DMs if the character has
some sort of handicap or serious injury.
    
    Some fuel for a new fire:
	What happens when a player (using the extended generation) 
reaches rank 6, and gets promoted?  Any thoughts?  My solution was
to make the person the head of the service in question.  Unfortunately
for me, he tried to change the seven term retirement rule.  A die roll
later, he retired.  End of problem.
	Another thought.  What do you do when a character becomes a
Duke?  How do you handle his lands, etc.?  My solution is ongoing...

					-milamber-	
	=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
	" You can send me some NICE mail at:				"
	"	milamber@wpi.wpi.edu    or   milamber@wpi.bitnet	"
	"	milamber@wpi.bitnet					"
	=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

-------- TML Message #1093 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1093
Subject: Portable PC's
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 90 11:17:59 GMT
From: cs_s424%ux.kingston.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk

Hi,

I have a portable PC which I have in front of me while GM'ing. I run some
of the progs downloaded from the archive-server and it is a real help, 
speeding up the game, adding more information in a shorter space of time,
giving the game greater depth. Is anyone else using a portable during the
game? Have you got any poxy little programs which seem too trivial to post
and are only useful if used during a game? For example I wrote a prog to
expand a planets upp to a full description, so when the players are 
jumpnig through the Spinward Marches I can describe each planet fully to them.
Trivial and very poxy and not at all useful unless you are actually using the
machine during the game.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Paul.
                                             _____ 
                                            /____/      /
                                           / __        /
                                          / /__/_/__/_/___
                                         ------------------

   |   |   |  ---------------------------------------------------------------
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-- Paul J Netherwood   e-mail:  P.J.Netherwood@uk.ac.kingston
   |   |   |    Research
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]--           
   |   |   |    School of Computer Science and Electronic Systems,
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-- |/ingston |>olytechnic, Penrhyn Road, Surrey KT1 2EE, UK.
   |   |   |  --|\--------|--------------------------------------------------
                  \


-------- TML Message #1094 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1094
Date:     Thursday 1st March 1990 09:04:35 GMT
From: Alan Huscroft <ASSHUSCR%cms.am.cc.reading.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject:  Subsectors of Deneb Sector

 
In message #1085, Mark F. Cook asks about subsector names in the Deneb
sector.  The discrepancy he describes is one that has been hanging
around for many years.
 
Supplement 11 (Library Data N-Z) featured a sector map of the Spinward
Marches in which the adjacent subsectors of Deneb were listed in reverse
order to the way they had previously been shown in Supplement 3 (The
Spinward Marches).  The Sup.11 map has since appeared in a number of
other places (including the MegaTraveller Players' Handbook).  I don't
have a copy of the Spinward Marches Campaign sourcebook - would I be
right in thinking it uses the same map again?
 
So which is correct, Sup.3 or Sup.11?  I believe the answer can be found
in the Atlas of the Imperium.  The Atlas doesn't show subsectors, but
it *does* have some important evidence.  If you examine Deneb sector
you will see a world named Pretoria (sector location 0406, which puts
it in subsector A) and one named Vincennes (1122, which puts it in
subsector J).  It seems like a good bet that these worlds would be
found in the subsectors of the same name.  If this is the case then
Sup.3 and GEnie have got it right, and Sup.11 and the SMC book are
in error.
 
Sorry, Mark, I don't have any info on X-boat routes.  Just join the
dots ... your players won't know the difference. :-)
Come to think of it, I doubt that any data on X-boat routes would be
entirely reliable in these troubled times - this week's X-boat route
is next week's Vargr territory!
 
............................................................................
: Alan Huscroft              : Janet:    A.Huscroft@uk.ac.reading          :
: Reading, England           : Internet: A.Huscroft@reading.ac.uk          :
: 6-G takeoffs AND landings! : X-boat:   A.Huscroft@terra.sol.solomani_rim :
:............................:.............................................:

-------- TML Message #1095 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1095
Subject: This week in PBEM
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 18:29:06 PST
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!tessi.UUCP!agora.hf.intel.com!richard@tektronix.TEK.COM (Richard Johnson)

I am even as you read this, trying out a new bunch of aliases thatO
should speed things up considerably.  We're down to only a
few stragglers who don't have characters in.  In general, even 
if yo've not heard from me, if you sent in a character, its
approved.

Apparantly agora doesn't like to broadcast to huge numbers of
people, so some of you might get the turn message twice.  I hope
everyone gets it.


This week, the physical scientists have been arguing over 
whether grav devices will work if the ring has insubstantial
mass, and no gravitics of its own.  

The speculation as to just where R-alpha is is dying down, 
probably only for a little while.

Everyone is getting in huge equipment lists, and we only have
one soul brave enough to risk his own ship.  I won't say who -
you try to deduce it.  :-)

Anyway, the details of the turn, and other PBEM stuff I'm actually
trying to get out on mail this week.  Wait until Friday.  If you don't
see the turn info, an alias file, and a second turn file (a lot to
say this week), THEN write me.  Hopefully by then I'll have gleaned
most of the bouncers out.

Richard Johnson
	richard@agora.hf.intel.com
	richard@oresoft.uu.net




-------- TML Message #1096 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1096
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 90 18:10 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: A change in address


Hi, all.

Please change any alias files or whatever that have my VMS address, the
one from which I sent this note, in them. I'm trying to move most of my
non-thesis-related newsfeeds and mail to my UNIX account, for political
reasons best not discussed here. My new address, which James is already 
using, is:

mpmst1@unix.cis.pitt.edu

If there are any problems with this address, please notify me HERE. I
can still get mail here; I just strongly prefer not to.

thanks,

metlay

PS. Could someone send me an alias file for the PBEM game, like Richard 
mailed out to all players? In fact, I'd appreciate a copy of the message
he mailed to everyone... We've determined that I'm reaching him, but that
everything he sends me just vanishes. Argh. Of course, with double-blind
removed, this becomes less critical.... It WAS removed, wasn't it?

-------- TML Message #1097 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1097
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 90 19:04:39 EST
From: Andrew Salamon <salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu>
Subject: Help with mailer

   Greetings to everyone!

   I can't seem to get my mailer to recognize the aliases Richard sent to me.  It works fine for the individual people but when I try to use an alias that uses
other aliases it won't work.  I am using (I think) SMI 4.0.  I would appreciate
any help at all!
   
   
  Thanks!
Magic in my Mind                     |   /Andrew/
Music in my Heart                    |   soi-disant Bleydion op Rhys
Laughter in my Soul                  |   salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu
And...A Sword in my Fist (sigh)      | 

-------- TML Message #1098 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1098
From: Bertil Jonell <d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se>
Subject: The Psionic vs the NAS vs the PSI-shield
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 90 14:22:25 MET DST

This matter recently came up in the PBEM:

A person with natural telepathic 'shield' will not be detected by a person
with telepathic 'life detection' (according to ze rules)

A artificial psionic shield is equivalent to a natural 'shield' (?)

A Neural Activity Sensor is equal to a 'life detection' (???)

Does this mean that a NAS can't detect a shielded individual (?*e20)

If yes, how come that The Imperium haven't used this for zapping psionics?
It would be easy to construct a robot with a NAS, IR optics and a large
amount of hardware. If it senses something living that 1) don't show up on
NAS, 2) looks like an intelligent spieces. 3) gives an IR signature (ie: is not
a robot) 4) don't have a a artificial psi-shield, then it would perform an
arrest or a summary execution...

********************(VERY HEAVY SPOILER BELOW!)*********************
(About Psionics et cetera. It is really heavy info, that can spoil
years of work for a ref, so don't read it you out there who just play!)
********************************************************************

[I've rot13'ed this so that it won't get accidentally seen by people who
are paging through the digest.  To decrypt this, Translate letter a to
m, b to n, c to o... etc.  This can be done with UNIX through piping the
words below through the command "tr 'a-zA-Z' 'n-za-mN-ZA-M'". -- James]

Nppbeqvat gb gur vasb ba 'Cfvbavpf Fhcerffvba' ba gur Ers cneg bs gur Vzcrevny
Raplpybcrqvn, gur Cfvbavpf fhcerffvbaf jnf va fbzr jnlf n zvfgnxr gung gur
Vzcrevhz *qvqa'g* jnag. Gur Vzcrevhz ernyyl sbbyrq vgfrys vagb ungvat
cfvbavpf. N Cfv-vafgvghgr vf rira nzvavfgrerq ol gur Vzcrevny Anil!

Fb gur nafjre gb gur dhrfgvba nobir zvtug or gung gur Vzcrevhz xabjf gung
ANF pna or hfrq gb ybxngr Cfvbavpf, ohg gung vg qba'g *jnag* gb bccerff gur
cfvbavpf. Nyy bccerffvba vf va ernyvgl cersbezrq ol 'zbof' rgp, abg ba na 
bssvpvny yrir.

Comments Anyone?

- -bertil-
- -- 
Bertil K K Jonell @ Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg
NET: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se 
VOICE: +46 31 723971 / +46 300 61004     "Don't worry,I've got Pilot-7"
SNAILMAIL: Box 154,S-43900 Onsala,SWEDEN      (Famous last words)      
"During the high point of the Downes Age, they put Ming the Merciless in charge
of designing California gas stations" W.Gibson "The Gernsback Continuum"

-------- TML Message #1099 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1099
Date:          Mon, 5 Mar 90 11:04 EST
From: RWMIRA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject:       Traveller EPBM Players PLEASE READ

Several of you have me in your distribution lists as:

rwm1ra01@ulkyvx.bitnet  (or whatever)

It really is:

rwmira01@ulkyvx.bitnet  (or rwmira01%ulkyvx.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu)

Please note the 4th letter of the id is an EYE not a ONE.  My system manager
is not smiling because of the bounced mail.  Please try to correct this as soon
as possible.

I am using the mailing list since this should get to everyone.  Richard, you
may want to put something in your next posting as a reminder also.

I appreciate this mucho.

Rob (aka Anton Devious)
- --
Rob Miracle              | Bitnet   : RWMIRA01@ULKYVX    CIS: 74216,3134
Programmer/Analyst-II    | INTERNET : rwmira01%ulkyvx.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu
University of Louisville | UUCP     : ...psuvax1!ulkyvx.bitnet!rwmira01


-------- TML Message #1100 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1100
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 90 12:48 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Another address change, and an apology


To all concerned:

The brain-dead UNIX mailer on my machine will not allow any messages
with long alias files to be received, so I'm forced to switch back
my TML subscription and my aliases for the PBEM to this address,
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.edu. I'm likely to get roasted alive for it,
but I'll take the risk. I apologize to all concerned for the
incredible inconvenience I've caused....

metlay

PS to Richard Johnson: You're reaching me via oresoft. At least your
short messages are; I haven't gotten any of the long files or alias
lists you said you'd sent.

-------- TML Message #1101 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1101
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 90 11:53:25 EST
From: Paul Dale <wrgate.wr.tek.com!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz.au!grue@uunet.uu.net>

hiya,
I wasn't going to comment about the first reply, but since this one came
I thought I'd explain my reasoning and give some more comments.

In TML Biweekly Volume 6 Issue 16 METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu writes:
> I will merely say that your initial premise is total bilge. Has it
> ever occurred to anyone that if one preson in ten were a member
> of the Imperial Services, the economy would collapse? Let's get
> realistic here for a minute, folks!

In Message (1078) Bart Massey writes:
>Hmm.  Perhaps the estimate is high, but "total bilge"?  Please correct me if
>I'm wrong, but I believe the good ol' U.S.ofA. has a total armed forces
>payroll of around 2 million bodies, or about 2/300 of the total U.S.
>population.

The 1 in 10 came about by the following reasoning:
Every character tries to enlist in their preferred service, the enlistment
rolls can fail and if the character does fail to enlist they are subject to
a draft in an armed service (which is nice and uniformly distributed).
I took a wild guess about the chance of failing enlistment,  I was probably
incorrect.  But according to the rules I think that 1 in 36 must fail their
enlistment roll and it is quite likely that more will do so.  They will be
subject to the draft.

BTW: What proportion of the population had been/or is in the armed forces when
	there was drafting??  I suspect it was quite a bit higher than 1 in 10.




>
>On the other hand, I had always assumed that the rules were the way they were
>to make player characters more interesting, and that they didn't apply to the
>population as a whole.  To put it another way, if I used the character
>generation system described above, I would probably throw away most of my
>characters as "too boring", and the existing generation system just
>"pre-throws-away" most, but not all "boring" characters.

If this is happening then I take back this and my previous posting, since they
are obviously incorrect.

My assumption that dead characters retired in the previous term will also make
a difference to the results, I am unsure as to how much.  This assumption made
the calculations a lot simpler.

My other assumption as to ignoring aging effect is valid, since the average
time spent in the serive in very short.  The probability of staying in the
scouts until aging takes effect is very low.  I also ignored increases in
character stats due to skill rolls.  These are more likely to have an effect,
but any effect they have will increase the chance of high skill levels.



I might also comment: in Classic Traveller Supplement #1  1001 Characters there
were two instances of Scientists with Computer-8.  Hows that for chance.




							Pauli
seeya
SNIF

Paul Dale               | Internet/CSnet:            grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au
Dept of Computer Science| Bitnet:       grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Uni of Qld              | JANET:           grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uk.ac.ukc
Australia, 4067         | EAN:                          grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz
                        | UUCP:           uunet!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz!grue
f4e7g4Qh4++             | JUNET:                     grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au

-------- TML Message #1102 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1102
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 90 08:52 EST
From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Psionic shielding and NAS's

Bertil-

I think you are right about the effect of psi shielding on a NAS.  A telepath
with a shield active should be undetectable by a NAS.  (Or a standard NAS at
least- the referee may have access to some amazing TL(Big Number) equipment
that his pesky players won't know about...   ;^)

About the Killer Anti-Psi 'bots.  I don't think this is a good dodge for the
"official" anti-psi elements, at least for two reasons:

1)      Only Telepaths have that natural psi shield.  Not all psionics are
        Telepaths.

2)      "Normal" citizens wearing technological psionic shields would be
        subject to very annoying attacks but these A-P 'bots.  Considering that
        a non-psi citizen wearing a psi shield is likely to be rich/important
        or both, this might be a real bad move on the Imperium's part.


        "High Governor Smith-Davies was attacked today by a warbot in his
         office at the Palace.  Preliminary investigation indicates that the
         warbot was of a type used exclusively by the Imperial Navy.

        The Imperial trade delegation was immediately expelled."


Please note, however, that any number of anti-psionic elements (including our
own metlay) might construct one or more such 'bots just to get at the nasty
psionic persons.  Insert here your favorite Mad-scientist plotlines...

- -Bob          (Nasty referee and secret psionic fan)


-------- TML Message #1103 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1103
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 90 14:31 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: VMS alias files


Since I can't use my UNIX machine, I'm stuck with turning the 
provided alias file into VMS-usable form. Any help from more
knowledgeable types?

metlay

-------- TML Message #1104 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1104
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 90 15:17:44 EST
From: Chris Bartlett (Mouser) <cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: Julian Protectorate


   A question to the historians (this means you, Metlay):  how does the Julian 
Protectorate fit into the history of the Imperium?  Has there been any
mention of the region in any Traveller or MT publication?  There isn't
anything in the Imperial Encyclopedia, but there is a mention on one of the
maps of the Julian War.  The region strikes me as one of the grey areas
suitable for adventuring in....


				Chris

P.S.:  Was there a digest sent out last Sunday?  I didn't get one.
Submissions haven't dropped off that much, have they?



-------- TML Message #1105 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1105
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 90 15:59 EST
From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: What's going on in the Universe?

Hi all!

A while back there was some discussion of the "History of the Imperium Working
Group" (HIWG).  It is, if I understand it, a postal exchange oriented towards
writing the future history of the Imperium.

So how's it going?


What I mean is, have major decisions been made?

How will the general Traveller masses be given this information?

How well does HIWG function as a group?  Is it worth the money/time/effort?

...and when do we find out if Strephon is alive?

- -Bob  (always a question)

-------- TML Message #1106 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1106
Subject: Weekly PBEM update
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 90 22:40:35 PST
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!agora.hf.intel.com!richard@tessi.UUCP (Richard Johnson)

This week about half the crew went into town and had fun...
About 1/4 got into fights with each other over some thing or another,
and about 1/4 started raising he** with Turnskaad because things
hadn't really started yet.

Oh well.  Such is thelife of the average adventurer.

Actually this week has been mainly cleaning up the straight
communications attempt.  Either it's working or I scared
everyone off the game.

Weekly postings are now typically two messages each about 
4-5 kBytes long.  These messages are sent to *charaacters*
not to players.  since there are stil about six players without
characters, they are not getting news.  Of course, the characters
wouldn't know this stuff anyway :-).

What follows are the two turn messages.  Press `n' now!


===================================================================



Well, the morning finally arrives.  During the evening, several people
went to town, and have returned in various states of dissolution and
disrepair.  Surprisingly though, no one is grumbling except about a 
perceived inability to continue their excess onto the mission.


The engineeres , most notably Bhyarravouf, are getting incredibly 
irritable at not geting their paws on the Alcyon yet.  They have had 
to console themselves with once agina reviewing their flight
manuals and hoping for something truly interesting.

The physical sientists have started to agree that gravitics are 
likely to work once you arrive, but the arrival is going to be quite
tricky.  The transport team hasn't mentioned any concern over approaches
yet.

The bioscience and medical team has inventoried their material and 
requested a few long-term survival items.

The security team has requested just about everything ever created and
pleaded for more troops and more explosive punch.  Which is more dangerous,
a morose soldier or a happy soldier?

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Briefing:  (Adam speaks)

When you arrive at our asteroid base this afternoon, you will understand
part of our need for tight security.  Everyone of you seems quite anxious
to get on with this, and frankly, I wish I were going with you.  However,
we need to get this out of the way:

If anyone wants out now, see me before you lift.  No questions will be
asked, and it will not affect any recommendation you ask from us.  You
will receive your full pay up to this point.  (3 days?)

Some of you have already met Mr. Adrian Bishop.  Adrian is a reporter, and
I know some of you are not too thrilled about having him along.  Never-
theless, we and you *need* and accurate permanent record of whatever 
happens, and when and how it happens.  In some ways, his record might
just be the most permanent affect of this whole undertaking.  Anyway,
please try to co-operate with him.  If you can't find a way to bring
yourself to co-operate, at least act civilly, please.

I can't give you a briefing on the Alcyon here, but you will receive a
full briefing on her as soon as you dock space-side.

Good luck.

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

So, you all get into the shuttle and head out to the asteroid belt.  It's
about a ten hour trip.  The pilots recognize that the approach, while made
quite smoothly, is manual not automatic, and is deceptively tricky (it 
seems simpler by far than it really is).  You who have brought ships are 
halted near a concentration of asteroids and asked if you would please 
allow them to hook on with tugs for the final part of the trip.

The reason for the tugs becomes apparant as you enter the cluster.  For 
those on the shuttle, you'll get to see it when you disembark.  In a 
parllel orbit is an enormous, spider-like tetrahedron.  In the center
of the tetrahedron is what seems to be a large engine-like structure.
This center engine is roughly 400 tons (volume) in its own right.

The engine faces one apex, with exhaust through the center of one of
the tetrahedron's faces.  Each of the four apexes connects to the 
central engine, as well as to each of the other three corners with 
strong structural members.  A fine mesh covers the front three faces
of the tetrahedron, and most of the rear face.  At the front 
of the Alcyon is a bridge and crew compartment.  The other three apexes
are obviously reserved for ships to connect to.  

The fine mesh is the Alcyon's lanthanum grid.  Beneath the grid, and 
well connected to all eight of the structural beams are bags of some
strong, light weight, material.  These seem to be collapsible fuel bags.
Presently they float limply, about half full.

Several figures in vacc suits labor about the Alcyon even now, preparing 
her for flight.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 2:


Good evening fellow travellers.  I am Julanna Cariolesse, the launch
director for your mission.  You can call me Jula or 'lanna.  Welcome
to our little home in the country, here.  We refer to this base as
`Rocky's Revenge'.  For the next day and a half, it's home.  You
are scheduled for launch in roughly 36 hours, and there appear to
be no bugs in the schedule.

(Julanna is ~160 cm tall, lithe and muscular.  She has shoulder length
 auburn hair, accented with silver and green stripes.  She wears an
 issue TL15 jumpsuit and the `nerd-pack' kind of hand computer.  Her
 features are soft, and the eyes bright.  One eye is bright blue, the
 other reddish-brown.  Your overall impression is of an extremely
 bright, well-conditioned humanoid who is just a little, well, 
 deviant.)

Tonight, the three ships you brought will be attached to the Alcyon
for the jump to R-alpha.  You have (she eyes her notes) two scout
ships and a merchant -- all streamlined it says here.  Good.  There
is a 200T cargo bay on the Alcyon in addition to what is on your ships.
Most of the heavy equipment requested for this trip is already on board.

You might want to do some cargo shuffling tomorrow, so that your merchant
ship can carry some of the larger items down without having to shift 
cargo after you arrive.

The Alcyon is a jump tender.  A little more advanced in some ways than
the traditional ones, though.  Access ways are provided between each of
the ships and the central core.  One ship's location has been replaced
by bridge, computing, and life support for a small crew.  Enough fuel
should be on board to provide two jump 5's without refueling.  You might
be able to stretch that with some tinkering with your ships and so forth
in an emergency.

Only a very minimal maneuver drive is available on the Alcyon herself.
Just enough to keep her oriented, not really enough to accelerate or
fend off any serious gravity.  The software is installed to use your
ship's engines for this, though.  {ref: OK transport crew - how much
acceleration we gonna get?}

Likewise, the Alcyon is pretty defensless without your ships.  Only a
double laser turret and a sand caster up front.  There just isn't any
good place to put a hard point that won't damage the Alcyon more than 
whatever you're firing at.

Overall, what this means is that with the Alcyon you've got range and
speed over interstellar distances.  But you've got to rely on each 
your own ships for some of the work.  Likewise, it means that wherever
you go, you get there together; no party scattering due to misjumps.
Once you're there, your navigators will quickly figure out where you
are, and in a pinch, you can scuttle the Alcyon more cheaply than
a `real' ship and bug out individually.  

Master Seargent Fallow will show you all to your quarters.  You should
find most or all of the personal equipment you requested waiting for 
you.

Tomorrow morning, all personnel, except physicians, are to report to
room AA38-Port for emergency first aid training at 08:00 standard.  
Doctors are to report to room F622-Port for instruction in the selection
and use of various drugs for stun gun use with varying genotypes.
Breakfast is from 06:00 to 07:30; the central computer will assist you
in finding the mission mess.

After lunch tomorrow, all engineering and transport personnel are to
report the simulation chamber for initial training in the Alcyon's 
systems.  All security personnel are to report to the armory for 
Battle dress fitting, adjustment, and initial training.  Science
and generalist teams have a ringworld theory and introduction class
in the main auditorium.

The material covered in most of these sessions will be available in
holocrystals, for you to use while in flight, in case you have to miss
them.  Count Ger may have other duties for you.

Good evening.

-------- TML Message #1107 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1107
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: My mail inbound
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 90 11:24:12 EST

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

Hey folks!

Mail to my machine is going to be slightly messed up for a while.   The 
routing information for my machine changed and the AT&T gateway may not 
know about it for a while yet.   

Don't abandon hope, though, I keep trying!

- -- 
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */
/*		Peter L. Berghold					*/
/*		System Administrator					*/
/*		AT&T Red Hill Systems Administration Group		*/
/*		1F138	+1 (201) 615-4419				*/
/*		EMAIL (UUCP):	{uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb		*/
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  */


-------- TML Message #1108 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1108
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 90 18:06 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: The Julian Protectorate


The Jlian Protectorate may be spoken of at some length in one of the
arcane bits of text floating around GEnie or the HIWG, thanks to some
bright boy at GDW or DGP, but it has never been mentioned anywhere
in the main rules set other than as a historical place (see the Rebellion
sourcebook for background on the Julian conflict, I believe) and as the
political backup for the first two years of Brzk's reign.

still in Tennessee and HATING IT!,

metlay

-------- TML Message #1109 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1109
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 90 18:12:38 pst
From: "Cynthia Lee [TA]" <ln63w7%sdcc4@ucsd.edu>
Subject: PBEM


Well, looks like I bit off more than I could chew.........
I'm going to have to bail out of the PBEM, so if you folks
could take me off your alias files, I'd appreciate it.....
Thanks.......

Cynthia Lee
"Bortai Narayanam"

-------- TML Message #1110 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1110
From: Bertil Jonell <d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se>
Subject: PBEM: Edd Baranski, Steve Owens, Brian Gillespe
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 90 7:57:35 MET DST

This is a message to  Edd Baranski, Steve Owens & Brian Gillespe.
I have not been able to reach you on the adresses:
baranski@meredin.enet.dec.com
jscratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu
bgillesp@beast.prime.com

This is even worse than usual because two of you are on the engineering-team!

Do you have any alternate adresses or write the adresses in some other way?

Metlay has also gotten bounces when trying to mail Edd Baranski.

Would you please reply to either me (and Metlay for Edd) or TML in case
you can't reach me either.

- -bertil-
- -- 
Bertil K K Jonell @ Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg
NET: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se 
VOICE: +46 31 723971 / +46 300 61004     "Don't worry,I've got Pilot-7"
SNAILMAIL: Box 154,S-43900 Onsala,SWEDEN      (Famous last words)      
"I say cut his air!" "I say cut his heat!" "I say raise his rent!" "Hey, we're 
trying to get rid of an Alien, not evict a tenant!" Alien - American MAD version

-------- TML Message #1111 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1111
Subject: PSIONICS
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 90 11:16:18 GMT
From: cs_s424%ux.kingston.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk

Hi,

In reply to Bertil, the rules state that the natural psi shield allows the
telepath to shield his/her mind from unwanted interferance. This could be
a very clever and subtle process whereas the psi shield is a dumb, artificial
copy. Perhaps you could liken it this; a natural shield is like a wire fence,
cant get in but you can see in (ie the NAS can 'see in') but the artificail 
shield
is like a solid 30' high wall. They both keep unwanted interferance out, but
in different ways.

Another thought occurred to me during my psionics campaign that I'm currently
running, is wouldnt it be in the interests of psi shield manufacturers to keep
the fear of psionics high just to protect their product line? Especially if
it was becoming a fashion accessory. It would only take a bit of advertising;
"Thinking of buying a psi-shield? THEY already know about it!" to stir up a
bit more public opposition.

Paul

   |   |   |  ---------------------------------------------------------------
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-- Paul J Netherwood   e-mail:  P.J.Netherwood@uk.ac.kingston
   |   |   |    Research
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]--           
   |   |   |    School of Computer Science and Electronic Systems,
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-- |/ingston |>olytechnic, Penrhyn Road, Surrey KT1 2EE, UK.
   |   |   |  --|\--------|--------------------------------------------------
                  \





-------- TML Message #1112 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1112
Subject: PC portable programs
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 90 14:51:19 GMT
From: cs_s424%ux.kingston.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk


Hi

Thanks to all those who responded to my question about the use of 
portable IBM PC's (and clones) during a game. I enclose two poxy 
programs to which I use in addition to the npc generator and name
generator programs from the archive-server. The first is i simple prog
to expand a planets upp to a full description (just to save you looking
it up) and the second determiones weapon availability based on tech/law
level of the world your on.

These programs are written by me and are TOTALLY USELESS ! 

(unless you are running them during the game.)


I compiled them using TurboC v2.0 but they are so trivial they would
require little (or no) conversion.

Anybody still got anymore ideas of useful programs to run DURING a game?
                                             _____ 
                                            /____/      /
                                           / __        /
                                          / /__/_/__/_/___
                                         ------------------
   |   |   |  ---------------------------------------------------------------
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-- Paul J Netherwood   e-mail:  P.J.Netherwood@uk.ac.kingston
   |   |   |    Research
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]--           
   |   |   |    School of Computer Science and Electronic Systems,
- --[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-- |/ingston |>olytechnic, Penrhyn Road, Surrey KT1 2EE, UK.
   |   |   |  --|\--------|--------------------------------------------------
                  \
- ----------------------------------
/**************************************************************************/
/*                                                                        */
/*   Program Name : full_upp.c                                            */
/*                                                                        */
/*   Description : Expands the upp for a planetary system to a full       */
/*                 description.                                           */
/*                                                                        */
/*                 Compiled on TurboC 2.0 using:                          */
/*                                                                        */
/*                       tcc -mt -lt full_upp.c                           */
/*                                                                        */
/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Paul J. Netherwood  Kingston Polytechnic               | 28th Feb 1990 */
/*                                                        |               */
/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Modification history:                                                  */
/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* none                                                   |               */
/**************************************************************************/

#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>

void
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
int	size, atmos, hydro, pop, gov;
int cloudiness;

     if(argc == 1)
     {
           printf("Usage: full_upp <starb><size><atmos><hydro><pop><govt><law><tech>\n");
           return;
     }

     printf("Planetary details:\n");

	/* starport */
     printf("Starport class %c, ",toupper(argv[1][0]));

     switch(tolower(argv[1][0]))
     {
           case 'a' : printf("Excellent quality installation\n");
                      printf("Refined fuel available. Annual maintenance overhaul available. Shipyard\n");
                      printf("capabable of constructing starships and non-starships present.\n");
                      break;

           case 'b' : printf("Good quality installation\n");
                      printf("Refined fuel available. Annual maintenance overhaul available. Shipyard\n");
                      printf("capabable of constructing non-starships present.\n");
                      break;

           case 'c' : printf("Routine quality installation\n");
                      printf("Only unrefined fuel available. Reasonable repair facilities present.\n");
                      break;

           case 'd' : printf("Poor quality installation\n");
                      printf("Only unrefined fuel available. No repair facilities present.\n");
                      break;

           case 'e' : printf("Frontier installation\n");
                      printf("Essentially a marked spot of bedrock with no fuel, facilities, or\n");
                      printf("bases present.\n");
                      break;

           case 'f' : printf("Spaceport:Good quality installation\n");
                      printf("Only unrefined fuel available. Minor repair facilities.\n");
                      printf("Spaceport used mainly for inter-system travel.\n");
                      break;
                      
           case 'g' : printf("Spaceport:Poor quality installation\n");
                      printf("Only unrefined fuel available. No repair facilities.\n");
                      printf("Spaceport used mainly for inter-system travel.\n");
                      break;

           case 'h' : printf("Spaceport:Primitive Installation; no facilities.\n");
                      printf("Spaceport used mainly for inter-system travel.\n");
                      break;

           case 'y' : printf("No spaceport.\n");
                      break;

           case 'x' : printf("No starport. No provision is made for any ship landings.\n");
                      break;

           default:   printf("Not a listed starport type\n");
     }

	/* size */
	switch(tolower(argv[1][1]))
	{
           case '0' : printf("Asteroid/Planetoid Belt.");
                      break;

           case 'r' : printf("Ring (around a world)\n");
                      break;

           case 's' : printf("Small World (200km) Surface gravity of .024 of a G\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : printf("Small world. Surface gravity of .122 of a G \n");
                      break;

		case '2' : printf("Small world. Surface gravity of .24 of a G \n");
                      break;

		case '3' : printf("Small world. Surface gravity of 37.7 of a G\n");
                      break;

		case '4' : printf("Small world. Surface gravity of .5 of a G \n");
                      break;

		case '5' : printf("Medium sized world. Surface gravity of .625 of a G \n");
                      break;

		case '6' : printf("Medium sized world. Surface gravity of .84 of a G \n");
                      break;

		case '7' : printf("Medium sized world. Surface gravity of .875 of a G \n");
                      break;


		case '8' : printf("Medium sized world. Surface gravity 1 G \n");
                      break;

		case '9' : printf("Large world. Surface gravity of 1.12 G's \n");
                      break;

           case 'a' : printf("Large world. Surface gravity of 1.25 G's \n");
                      break;

           default :  printf("Non standard world size.");
	}

     if(tolower(argv[1][1]) == 'a')
           size = 10;
     else
           if(tolower(argv[1][1]) == 'r' || tolower(argv[1][1]) == 's')
                 size = 0;
           else
                 size = (int)argv[1][1] - 48;

     if(size > 0 && size <= 10)
           printf("World diameter is %d miles (%d km).\n",(size*1000),(size*1600));

	/* atmos */
     if((int)argv[1][2] >= 141)
           atmos = (int)argv[1][2] - 131;
     else
           atmos = (int)argv[1][2] - 48;
	switch(tolower(argv[1][2]))
	{
           case '0' : printf("No atmosphere. Vacc suit needed.\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : printf("Trace atmosphere. Vacc suit needed.\n");
                      break;

           case '2' : printf("Very thin, tainted atmosphere. Combination mask needed.\n");
                      break;

           case '3' : printf("Very thin atmosphere. Compressor mask needed.\n");
                      break;

           case '4' : printf("Thin, tainted atmosphere. Filter mask needed.\n");
                      break;

           case '5' : printf("Thin atmosphere.\n");
                      break;

           case '6' : printf("Standard atmosphere.\n");
                      break;

           case '7' : printf("Standard, tainted atmosphere. Filter mask needed.\n");
                      break;

           case '8' : printf("Dense atmosphere.\n");
                      break;

           case '9' : printf("Dense, tainted atmosphere. Filter mask needed.\n");
                      break;

           case 'a' : printf("Exotic atmosphere. Oxygen tanks needed.\n");
                      break;

           case 'b' : printf("Corrosive atmosphere. Vacc suit or protective suit needed.\n");
                      break;

           case 'c' : printf("Insidious atmosphere. Vacc suit or protective suit needed.\n");
                      printf("Although it will only last for 2 to 12 hours\n");
                      break;

           case 'd' : printf("Dense, High atmosphere. The air pressure at sea (or lower)\n");
                      printf("levels is too great to support life, but at higher altitudes,\n");
                      printf("the atmosphere is breathable.\n");
                      break;

           case 'e' : printf("The worlds surface is ellipsoidal, not spherical in shape.\n");
                      printf("Because the atmosphere remains spherical, surface atmospheric\n");
                      printf("pressure ranges from very high at the middle to very low at the\n");
                      printf("ends. Breathable bands may exist at some point within the range\n");
                      printf("of pressure.\n");
                      break;

           case 'f' : printf("Thin, Low atmosphere. The world is a large, massive one with a thin\n");
                      printf("atmosphere which settles in the lowest levels of the terrain. As a\n");
                      printf("result, the atmosphere is unbreathable at most altitudes, but is\n");
                      printf("breathable at very low atltitudes (as in depressions or deep valleys).\n");


           default: printf("Non standard atmosphere classification.\n");
	}

	/* hydro */
	switch(tolower(argv[1][3]))
	{
           case '0' : hydro = 0;
                      printf("No free standing water.\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : 
		case '2' :
		case '3' :
		case '4' :
		case '5' :
		case '6' :
		case '7' :
		case '8' :
		case '9' : if(tolower(argv[1][3]) == 'a')
                             hydro = 10;
                      else
                             hydro = (int)argv[1][3] - 48;
                      printf("%-2d percent water. ",hydro * 10);
                      switch(hydro)
                      {
                             case 0 : cloudiness = 0;
                                      break;

                             case 1 : cloudiness = 0;
                                      break;

                             case 2 : cloudiness = 10;
                                      break;

                             case 3 : cloudiness = 10;
                                      break;

                             case 4 : cloudiness = 20;
                                      break;

                             case 5 : cloudiness = 30;
                                      break;

                             case 6 : cloudiness = 40;
                                      break;

                             case 7 : cloudiness = 50;
                                      break;

                             case 8 : cloudiness = 60;
                                      break;

                             case 9 : cloudiness = 70;
                                      break;

                             case 10: cloudiness = 70;
                                      break;
                      }
                      if(atmos >= 10)
                             if(cloudiness == 70)
                                   cloudiness = 100;
                             else 
                                   cloudiness += 40;
                      else
                             if(atmos < 3 && cloudiness > 20)
                                   cloudiness = 20;
                             else
                                   if(atmos == 14)
                                         cloudiness /= 2;
                      printf("Cloud cover is %d percent\n",cloudiness);
                      break;

           case 'a' : printf("No land masses.\n");
                      break;

           default : printf("Non standard hydrographics classification.\n");
	}

	/* pop */
     pop = (int)argv[1][4] - 48;
	switch(tolower(argv[1][4]))
	{
           case '0' : printf("No inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : printf("Tens of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '2' : printf("Hundreds of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '3' : printf("Thousands of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '4' : printf("Tens of thousands of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '5' : printf("Hundreds of thousands of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '6' : printf("Millions of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '7' : printf("Tens of millions of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '8' : printf("Hundreds of millions of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

		case '9' : printf("Billions of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

           case 'a' : pop = 10;
                      printf("Tens of billions of inhabitants.\n");
                      break;

           default : printf("Non standard population classification.\n");
	}

     /* Government */
     gov = (int)argv[1][5] - 48;
     switch(tolower(argv[1][5]))
     {
           case '0' : printf("No government structure. In many cases, family bonds predominate.\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : printf("Company/Corporation. Government by a company managerial elite; citizens\n");
                      printf("are company employees.\n");
                      break;

		case '2' : printf("Participating Democracy. Government by advice and consent of the citizen.\n");
                      break;

		case '3' : printf("Self-Perpetuating Oligarchy. Government by a restricted minority, with\n");
                      printf("little or no input from the masses.\n");
                      break; 

		case '4' : printf("Representative Democracy. Government by elected representatives.\n");
                      break;

		case '5' : printf("Feudal Technocracy. Government by specific individuals for those who\n");
                      printf("agree to be ruled. Relationships are based on peformance of technical\n");
                      printf("activities which are mutually beneficial.\n");
                      break;

		case '6' : printf("Captive Government. Government by a leadership answerable to an outside\n");
                      printf("group; a colony or conqured area.\n");
                      break;

		case '7' : printf("Balcanization. No central ruling authority exists; rival governments compete\n");
                      printf("for control.\n");
                      break;

		case '8' : printf("Civil Service Bureaucracy. Government by agencies employing individuals\n");
                      printf("selected for their expertise.\n");
                      break;

		case '9' : printf("Impersonal Bureaucracy. Government by agencies which are insulated from\n");
                      printf("the governed.\n");
                      break;

           case 'a' : printf("Charismatic Dictator. Government by a single leader enjoying the confidence\n");
                      printf("of the citizens.\n");
                      break;

           case 'b' : printf("Non-Charismatic Dictator. A previous charismatic dictator has been replaced\n");
                      printf("by a leader through normal channels.\n");
                      break;

           case 'c' : printf("Charismatic Oligarchy. Government by a selected group, organisation, or class\n");
                      printf("enjoying the overwhelming confidence of the citizenry.\n");
                      break;

           case 'd' : printf("Religious Dictatorship. Government by a religious organisation without regard\n");
                      printf("to the needs of the citizenry.\n");
                      break;

           default : printf("Non standard government classification.\n");

     }

	/* law */
     printf("Law Level %c: ",toupper(argv[1][6]));
	switch(tolower(argv[1][6]))
	{
           case '0' : printf("No weapon prohibitions.\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : printf("Body pistols undetectable by standard detectors, \n");
                      printf("expolosives (bombs, grenades), and poison gas prohibited.\n");
                      break;

		case '2' : printf("Portable energy weapons (laser carbine, laser rifle)\n");
                      printf("prohibited. Ships gunnery not affected.\n");
                      break;

		case '3' : printf("Weapons of a strict millitary nature (machine guns,\n");
                      printf("automatic rifles) prohibited.\n");
                      break; 

		case '4' : printf("Light assault weapons (sub-machine guns) prohibited.\n");
                      break;

		case '5' : printf("Personal concealable firearms (such as pistols and\n");
                      printf("revolvers) prohibited.\n");
                      break;

		case '6' : printf("Most firearms (all except shotguns) prohibited. The carrying of\n");
                      printf("any type of weapon openly is discouraged.\n");
                      break;

		case '7' : printf("Shotguns are prohibited.\n");
                      break;

		case '8' : printf("Long bladed weapons (all but daggers) are controlled, and open\n");
                      printf("possesion is prohibited.\n");
                      break;

		case '9' : printf("Possession of any weapon outside one's residence is prohibited.\n");
                      break;

           default  : printf("Possession of any weapon is prohibited.\n");
                      break;
	}

	/* tech */
     printf("Tech Level %c: ",toupper(argv[1][7]));
	switch(tolower(argv[1][7]))
	{
           case '0' : printf("Stone Age. Primitive.\n");
                      break;

           case '1' : printf("Bronze Age to Middle Ages.\n");
                      break;

		case '2' : printf("circa 1400 to 1700\n");
                      break;

		case '3' : printf("circa 1700 to 1860\n");
                      break; 

		case '4' : printf("circa 1860 to 1900\n");
                      break;

		case '5' : printf("circa 1900 to 1939\n");
                      break;

		case '6' : printf("circa 1940 to 1969\n");
                      break;

		case '7' : printf("circa 1970 to 1979\n");
                      break;

		case '8' : printf("circa 1980 to 1989\n");
                      break;

		case '9' : printf("circa 1990 to 2000\n");
                      break;

           case 'a' : printf("Interstellar community\n");
                      break;

           case 'b' : printf("Average Imperial tech level\n");    
                      break;

           case 'c' : printf("Average Imperial tech level\n");
                      break;

           case 'd' : printf("Above average Imperial tech level\n");
                      break;

           case 'e' : printf("Above average Imperial tech level\n");
                      break;

           case 'f' : printf("Technical maximum Imperial\n");
                      break;

           case 'g' : printf("Occasional non-Imperial\n");
                      break;

           default : printf("Non standard tech level classification.\n");
	}

     /* Trade classifications */
     printf("Trade Classifications: ");
     if(atmos >= 4 && atmos <= 9 && hydro >= 4 && hydro <= 8
     && pop >= 5 && pop <= 7)
           printf("Agricultural. ");

     if(atmos < 3 && hydro < 3 && pop >= 6)
           printf("Non-Agricultural. ");

     switch(atmos)
     {
           case 0 :
           case 1 :
           case 2 :
           case 4 :
           case 7 :
           case 9 : if(pop >= 9)
                         printf("Industrial. ");
     }

     if(pop < 6)
           printf("Non-Industrial. ");

     if( (atmos == 6 || atmos == 8) && pop >= 6 && pop <= 8 
     && gov >= 4 && gov <= 9)
           printf("Rich. ");

     if(atmos >= 2 && atmos <= 5 && hydro < 3)
           printf("Poor. ");

     if(hydro == 10)
           printf("Water World. ");

     if(hydro == 0 && atmos >= 2)
           printf("Desert World. ");

     if(atmos == 0)
           printf("Vacuum World. ");

     if(tolower(argv[1][1]) == '0')
           printf("Asteroid Belt. ");

     if( (atmos == 0 || atmos == 1) && hydro >= 1)
           printf("Ice Capped. ");
}
- -----------------------------------

/**************************************************************************/
/*                                                                        */
/*   Program Name : guns.c                                                */
/*                                                                        */
/*   Description : Determines the availability of a requested weapon      */
/*                 based on the tech/law level of the world were you      */
/*                 are trying to purchase it. If the weapon is available  */
/*                 a listed price modifier is given and the delivery time.*/
/*                 This is based on an old, old White Dwarf article by    */
/*                 Steve Cook entitled 'Guns for Sale'.                   */
/*                                                                        */
/*                 Compiled using TurboC v2.0 (Ansii C) with:             */
/*                     tcc -mt -lt guns    (flags just make it a .com)    */
/*                                                                        */
/*                 Conversion to unix/non-ansii C will just require       */
/*                 removal of a few #includes and renaming of the         */
/*                 randomising functions.                                 */
/*                                                                        */
/*                 Additional weapons may be added to the table just by   */
/*                 adding a new line in the following format:             */
/*                 "gun",<base chance>,<tech level min>,<law level max>,  */
/*                                                                        */
/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Paul J. Netherwood  Kingston Polytechnic               |8th Mar 1990   */
/*                                                        |               */
/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Modification history:                                                  */
/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* none                                                   |               */
/**************************************************************************/

#include <stdio.h>
#include <dos.h>
#include <conio.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>

/* Declaration and initialisation of gun table */

struct base_chance 
{
     char *gun;
     int chance,       /* Base percentage chance weapon is available */
     tech_min,         /* Minimum tech level required to make weapon */
     law_max;          /* Maximum law level that weapon is allowed */
} gun_table[] = {
     /* Weapon */  /* Base Chance *//* Tech *//* Law */
     "Accelerator Rifle",    50,       9,       2,
     "ACR",                  40,       10,      2,
     "Assault Rifle",        60,       7,       3,
     "Auto Cannon",          1,        8,       2,
     "Auto Pistol",          55,       5,       4,
     "Auto Rifle",           35,       6,       3,
     "Auto Shotgun",         30,       6,       3,
     "Bayonet",              75,       3,       7,
     "Blade",                75,       3,       7,
     "Body Pistol",          60,       7,       0,
     "Broadsword",           45,       2,       7,
     "Carbine",              60,       5,       5,
     "Cutlass",              55,       3,       7,
     "Dagger",               95,       1,       8,
     "FGMP 14",              1,        14,      1,
     "FGMP 15",              1,        15,      1,
     "Flamethrower",         1,        6,       1,
     "Gauss Rifle",          25,       12,      2,
     "Halberd",              40,       2,       7,
     "Heavy Body Pistol",    40,       7,       0,
     "Laser Carbine",        20,       8,       1,
     "Laser Rifle",          20,       9,       1,
     "LAG",                  40,       8,       3,
     "Needle Rifle",         10,       14,      1,
     "PGMP 12",              2,        12,      1,
     "PGMP 13",              2,        13,      1,
     "PGMP 14",              1,        14,      1,
     "Plasma Pistol",        -1,       16,      1,
     "Pike",                 40,       1,       7,
     "RAM GL",               25,       8,       0,
     "Revolver",             70,       4,       4,
     "Rifle",                55,       5,       5,
     "Shock Disablers",      20,       9,       4,
     "Shotgun",              70,       4,       6,
     "SMG",                  35,       5,       3,
     "Snub Pistol",          50,       8,       4,
     "Snub Rifle",           35,       8,       5,
     "Spear",                60,       0,       7,
     "Stun Pistol",          30,       8,       4,
     "Stun Rifle",           25,       8,       5,
     "Submachine Pistol",    40,       7,       3,
     "Sword",                50,       1,       7,
     "Tonite Pistol",        20,       12,      1,
     "Tonite Carbine",       30,       12,      1,
     "VRF Gauss Gun",        1,        10,      3,
     "Warper",               -1,       17,      1,
     "Wiper",                -1,       18,      1
};

#define NKEYS   ( sizeof gun_table / sizeof(struct base_chance) )
#define MAX_ACROSS 3         /* maximum gun names displayed across screen */

#define d(x)   ((rand() % x) + 1)

void
main(void)
{
int n,m,tech,law,streetwise,bribe,modifier,total_chance,price_mod,roll;
char choice;
long now;

     /* Randomise */
     srand(time(&now) % 37);

     printf("Weapon Availability\n");

     /* Display all the weapons */
     for(n = 0; n < NKEYS; n += MAX_ACROSS)
     {
           /* Display one row of weapons */
           for(m = 0; m < MAX_ACROSS; m++)
           {
                 if(n+m >= NKEYS)
                       break;

                 printf("%3d: %-20s ",n+m,gun_table[n+m].gun);
           }
           printf("\n");     /* Next line */
     }

     printf("Choose weapon: "); scanf("%d",&n);

     printf("\nThe %s is a tech level %d weapon and is banned\n",
           gun_table[n].gun,gun_table[n].tech_min);
     printf("at law levels %d and over\n",gun_table[n].law_max+1);


     if(gun_table[n].chance < 0)
     {
           printf("The %s is not available through know channels\n",gun_table[n].gun);
           return;
     }

     if(gun_table[n].chance < 10)
           printf("Chance of finding one of these is pretty slim\n");
     else
           if(gun_table[n].chance < 50)
                 printf("Availabilty for this weapon is low\n");
           else
                 printf("Availabilty for this weapon is high\n");

     printf("\nEnter the worlds tech level: "); scanf("%d",&tech);
     printf("Enter the worlds law level: "); scanf("%d",&law);

     total_chance = gun_table[n].chance;       /* Get base chance */
     price_mod = 0;

     /* Tech level modifier */
     if(tech >= gun_table[n].tech_min)
     {
           modifier = (tech - gun_table[n].tech_min) * 10;
           if(modifier > 50)
                 modifier = 50;
     }
     else
           modifier = (tech - gun_table[n].tech_min) * 15;

     total_chance += modifier;

     /* Law level modifier */
     if(law >= gun_table[n].law_max)
     {
           modifier = (law - gun_table[n].law_max) * -25;
           price_mod = (law - gun_table[n].law_max) * 15;
     }
     else
     {
           modifier = (gun_table[n].law_max - law) * 10;
           price_mod = (gun_table[n].law_max - law) * -5;
           if(modifier > 30)
                 modifier = 30;
     }

     total_chance += modifier;

     printf("\nPurchased at a general shop? [y/n]");
     do
           choice = tolower(getch());
     while(choice != 'y' && choice != 'n');

     if(choice == 'y')
     {
           total_chance -= 35;
           price_mod += 30;
     }
     else
     {
           printf("\nPurchased at a non-specialist shop? (e.g hunting shop) [y/n]");
           do
                 choice = tolower(getch());
           while(choice != 'y' && choice != 'n');
           if(choice == 'y')
           {
                 total_chance -= 15;
                 price_mod += 10;
           }
     }

     printf("\nStreetwise skill (enter 0 for no skill): "); scanf("%d",&streetwise);

     total_chance += streetwise * 10;
     price_mod -= streetwise * 5;

     printf("\nPurchased on the black market? [y/n]");
     do
           choice = tolower(getch());
     while(choice != 'y' && choice != 'n');

     if(choice == 'y')
     {
           if(law >= gun_table[n].law_max)
           {
                 modifier = (law - gun_table[n].law_max) * 15;
                 price_mod = (law - gun_table[n].law_max) * 25;
                 total_chance += modifier;
           }

           printf("\nBribery skill (enter 0 for no skill): "); scanf("%d",&bribe);

           total_chance += bribe * 10;
           price_mod += bribe * 10;
     }
     if(d(100) <= total_chance)
     {
           printf("\n%s available for purchase at %-+d percent listed price\n",
                 gun_table[n].gun,price_mod);
           roll = d(100);
           if(roll <= 50)
                 printf("available straight away\n");
           else
                 if(roll <= 75)
                       printf("available after %d hours\n",d(6) + d(6));
                 else
                       if(roll <= 90)
                             printf("available after %d days\n",d(6) + d(6));
                       else
                             printf("available after %d weeks\n",d(6) + d(6));
     }
     else
           printf("\nWeapon unavailable\n");
}

-------- TML Message #1113 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1113
Date:          Sat, 10 Mar 90 09:29 EST
From: RWMIRA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject:       Re: PC Portable programs

>Thanks to all those who responded to my question about the use of
>portable IBM PC's (and clones) during a game. I enclose two poxy
>programs to which I use in addition to the npc generator and name
>generator programs from the archive-server.

Thanks for the programs.  They may prove useful (though I don't have a
portable) I may try to borrow one from work on weekends.

>Anybody still got anymore ideas of useful programs to run DURING a game?

I am working on a program (written mostly in Turbo Pascal) that displays the
planet you are on and all systems within jump 4 on a hex grid map that is very
close to the Traveller Sector/Subsector maps.  I use colors a little
differently and I don't have names on the map, but listed down the side.  The
system you are on stays in the center of the screen :-).  Any way, you enter
the hex you are travelling to and it expands the UWP to an expanded description
(not quite as far as yours took it) and it generated cargo for the trip and
such.

I am working on the encounter (both animal and person) and an improved trade
system.  Parts of these such as the animal encounter program are written in
turbo C to be stand alone.  I plan to pipe the output to temp files to be read
in my the master Pascal program..

The BAD THING about this software is that because of the map requirements I
had to use 640x480 16 color mode (though not much is lost in mono).  This will
keep many portables from running it.  I am looking a a means to reduce the
requirements to EGA, but then I just say why, have anyone that wants it upgrade
to VGA anyway (if IBM can do it so can I :-)  )

I may make this a commercial product, though in all probablility, I will
release it to this list as a BETA test (its what you get for being cool dudes).
I have no estimates on it's release but it is pretty close.....

Rob

-------- TML Message #1114 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1114
Date:     Monday 12th March 1990 15:27:05 GMT
From: Alan Huscroft <ASSHUSCR%cms.am.cc.reading.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject:  Thrusters

There is one point in the Starship Operator's Manual which grates a bit
on my sensibilities.
 
The section on thrusters says that the thruster plates must be rigidly
fixed pointing in one direction, usually towards the aft end of the ship.
If you try to apply thrust in any other direction, the amount you can
get is severely limited.  The upshot of this is that ships generally have
to come in to land nose-upwards and flip horizontal at the last moment.
Similarly, if you want to hover for more than a short period you have
to do it nose-upwards.
 
This strikes me as a very clumsy and ungainly way for a high-tech starship
to behave.  As a remedy, I propose that it should be possible for more
advanced thruster plates (say, TL 14+) to rotate around a port-starboard
axis.  This would have the following benefits:
 
(1) The plates could be directed towards the belly of the ship to
    facilitate lateral attitude takeoff/landing/hovering.
 
(2) The plates could be directed towards the forward end of the ship
    to enable some serious deceleration without having to flip the
    whole ship around.
 
Is this a good idea, or a silly idea, or am I the only one who cares?
 
............................................................................
: Alan Huscroft              : Janet:    A.Huscroft@uk.ac.reading          :
: Reading, England           : Internet: A.Huscroft@reading.ac.uk          :
: 6-G takeoffs AND landings! : X-boat:   A.Huscroft@terra.sol.solomani_rim :
:............................:.............................................:

-------- TML Message #1115 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1115
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 90 13:27 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Vargr & Aslan Female Anatomy

James:

You're the moderator; I'll let you decide if this is to be posted. |->

[Metlay, this is fine.  It seems reasonably tasteful and discreet.  I
appreciate you sending possibly controversial topics to me first, and
hope that you and other TMLers will continue to do so in the future.
- -- James]

***********

I recently received a rather interesting piece of mail from a TML reader who 
asked to be kept anonymous. He beseeched me, in my capacity as TML historian
and fount of all knowledge Travellerish, to answer a question that had been
bothering him for a long time: put as delicately as possible, how well 
endowed are Aslan and Vargr women? He'd had his curiosity piqued by
conflicting representations in works by various "official" Traveller artists,
and was hoping that I could shed some official light on the subject. Well, I
can't; GDW and DGP, for reasons of public good taste, avoid any but the most
basic discussions of sexuality in their materials. But if people trust my
judgement and the logical arguments I'll use below, then we can probably
consider what I'm about to say as "official," and someone with more guts than
I have can send it to DGP or something. |-> 

Anyway, my logic is as follows. The closest thing to a discussion of sexuality
among the Vargr and the Aslan (the two races under serious consideration here)
that we have had to date is the TRAVELLERS' DIGEST article on children, and on 
information on marital patterns in older rule books. The chaos in Vargr 
society as a whole tells us nothing, but the male/female ratio in Aslan 
society and the prevalent polygamy in Aslan ekho (family) structure indicates
a long-standing need for several females to be sexually associated with one 
male, so as to assure the maximum number of offspring per year and per 
available healthy male. This would tend to hint at a small litter size, and in 
fact the TD article bears this out; Aslan mothers give birth to only one child 
at a time, after long gestation periods, and twinning is not unknown but is 
rarer than it is among humans. The TD article also tells us what we need to 
know about Vargr pregnancy; the mother gives birth to a litter of up to six 
pups, and the experience of pregnancy, whelping, and rearing/weaning leaves 
her bedridden for several years. Based on my knowledge of the Vargr ancestors
(which I've raised and bred all my life), I believe I can realistically fill 
in the missing details here.

Aslan women have two breasts, bilaterally symmetric in much the same fashion 
as human women. They change size only slightly with the rhythms of the 
female's sexual cycles, as do those of human women, and pregnancy and nursing
increase these changes for a period of one to two years. There is no need for 
any more than these, as there are never more than two kits to feed. Because of 
the torso strength of the female's upper body, and the occasional perogative 
to take over the rearing of the kits belonging to another female in the ekho 
who is dies in childbirth or is killed soon after birthing, the breasts are 
always in a state where proper stimulation can encourage lactation after a 
short delay (several days), and do not shrink substantially with disuse. This 
picture is borne out in the early drawings of Aslan women by William Keith
and David Dietrick (refer to the front cover art of Alien Module 1 for a 
perfect example of the female Aslan). The only counterexample, and in my
opinion a glaring failure in continuity on the part of DGP, was the drawing of
the female Aslan guide in the recent adventure on Kusyu in TD, where she is 
depicted as having four breasts. This oversight can easily be attributed to 
William Keith's astounding lack of continuity in drawing in the past; he has 
drawn anatomically perfect Aslan in many cases (FAR TRAVELLER magazine's
early issues, and the introduction of the Aslan in old JTAS), but is also 
guilty of terrible oversights (ALIEN REALMS, the Alien adventure module set 
from GDW, contains several hideously distorted Aslan pictures, where the poor
creatures are depicted as having human hands!). This one erroneous artist's
depiction aside, then, the question is settled for the Aslan.

The Vargr present a more difficult puzzle, however. Only one, count'em, ONE
female Vargr has ever been drawn in any Traveller publication, and that is
Gharukh, the cryptographer of THE TRAVELLER ADVENTURE, as drawn by Liz 
Danforth, David Dietrick and Brad Foster. (Refer to the many drawings of
Gvoudzon, the ex- Corsair gadabout, in the same book, or to ALIEN REALMS or
many other places, for representation of male Vargr.) Her clothing was such
that little or nothing of her anatomy was visible, and the confusion among the 
many artists who draw for Traveller as to how the bone structure of the Vargr 
torso is to be represented makes matters confusing. The crux of the puzzle is 
as follows: the Vargr was an obvious genetic alteration of the dog toward the 
model of the human. Its arms are human. Its legs, tail, and head are canine.
But what is its torso? Artists are split down the middle on the matter; the 
anatomical drawings in Alien Module 3 distinctly represent the torso and 
ribcage of the Vargr as being the narrow design of a dog's chest, and it is 
this interpretation that I favor, as do artists like Donna J. Barr. However, 
many artists have drawn Vargr as having human torsos and abdominal 
musculature, which strikes me as ludicrous in consideration of the rest of 
their bodies, particularly the legs and tail. So let me base the rest of my 
argument on the assumption that the arrangement of the Vargr torso and organs 
follows that of the Terran dog. The female dog has two rows of teats, several 
on a side. This allows for large litters of pups to be fed simultaneously.
However, the presence of so much excess weight when there are no pups to be
fed is detrimental to the female's survival in the wild; hence the size and
functionality of the mammary glands is directly linked to advanced pregnancy
and the years immediately thereafter. The female's weight can increase by up
to 50% as her body prepares for the task of feeding eight hungry pups; is it
any wonder why she is too exhausted to move from her bed for any length of
time? But when she is not expecting or has recently birthed, the glands shrink
to invisibility. A healthy female Vargr who is not expecting can not be told
from a male merely upon inspection of the torso; her fur hides what little
structure remains. I am sure that a Vargr could tell the difference, but that
is not a matter for discussion here. 

I apologize for the longwindedness of this discussion, but I wanted to be as 
precise in my terminology as possible. Consider this a plea for more careful 
continuity in Traveller art; the question never would have arisen if people
had taken a little bit more care, and had been a bit less prudish, in the 
past.

The frightening part of all of this is that DGP is about to release some new 
Alien books, in which these conclusions are likely to be ignored or carelessly 
refuted, and we can look forward to a long spell of trying to reconcile some
basically contradictory and silly views of races in whose essential realism
we would like to believe. Oh, well....

Yours with a slightly red face,

metlay


-------- TML Message #1116 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1116
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 90 16:03 EST
From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Co-refereeing?

Hi folks.

Does anyone have any experience with a co-refereed campaign?  By this I mean
one campaign being actively run by two referees.  For the purposes of this
question, let's exclude hand-me-down campaigns and campaigns that switch off
between two referees.  I'm looking for a situation where two people run a
campaign together: co-delevopment, etc.

If you have any related non-Traveller experience (like another game system),
I'm still interested.

The reason I ask, is that I have a very stable (but not quite stagnent) group
of players, and over the years I have switched off being "the supreme being"
with one of the other players.  We have switched back and forth several times
over the years, with good results.  (Of course, I'm better, right Kevin?)

I wonder if the two of us might not be able to merge our styles/ideas/etc., and
produce one very intense campaign.  There would be very little idle time for
the remaining three players, non-player characterizations would probably
improve (less distractions for the ref), and NPC's would certainly become more
unpredictable from the players standpoint.

I think it might add a real kick, and allow us (as referees) to have a lot of
fun with each others ideas.

Any thoughts, caveats, etc?

- -BobMah


-------- TML Message #1117 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1117
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Re: Paul's PC Programs
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 90 13:23:15 PST

Thanks for submitting the 2 PC programs, Paul.  I've got them running on
an HP workstation (with almost no mods at all), and I'm sure they'll run
on an HP Integral PC (I've got a couple of them) since it also runs HP-UX.

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc




-------- TML Message #1118 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1118
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 90 12:05:01 -0500
From: tey@sage.cc.purdue.edu

<Human mode>
Well, sorry I haven't replied to anyone's mail lately, but I just
returned from Spring Break. Now to take care of a few loose ends.
James: Sorry to use the board on this, but I missed Richard's alias
mailer...Break wasn't worth even this much trouble....

<Mr. Science mode>
After an extended trip to the head(about a week.....), Dr. Morser
returns to the group. He seems quite excited to finally be on the
move. As he wanders around the ship, understandably in awe, he occasionally
bumps into various members of the crew. After a few quiet conversations, 
he addresses the group:
	"Well, as to ze quextion of some kind of coordinate system,
	I prrrrezume we will all have zome kind of inertial compasses
	to keep us from getting lost in ze ring. I zometimes need mine
	even here... If we were to establish a primary landing point on
	ze ring, a 'command post' if you will, we can all set our
	compasses to zis area, and mark positions from it. Naturally,
	ze Security Team should decide zis place, as it vill be our 
	rally point for ze return trip. Und now, I must go meet somevun..."

<Human Mode>
Don't worry, I'll send out the individual messages right after I fire this
off; with any luck, the players in quesion will get their notices before
they even see this in the next transmission. Hasta whenever...

			Craig Waylan aka Karl Morser aka Mr. Science aka Legion


*****************************************************************************
                                  |"And all this science, I don't understand.
  tey@sage.cc.purdue.edu(Legion)  | It's just my job, five days a week."
                                  |                     -Elton John
*****************************************************************************

-------- TML Message #1119 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1119
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject: Thrusters
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 90 10:03:24 BST

> From: Alan Huscroft <ASSHUSCR%cms.am.cc.reading.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
> Subject: (1114)  Thrusters
> 
> There is one point in the Starship Operator's Manual which grates a bit
> on my sensibilities.
>  
> The section on thrusters says that the thruster plates must be rigidly
> fixed pointing in one direction, usually towards the aft end of the ship.
> If you try to apply thrust in any other direction, the amount you can
> get is severely limited.  The upshot of this is that ships generally have
> to come in to land nose-upwards and flip horizontal at the last moment.
> Similarly, if you want to hover for more than a short period you have
> to do it nose-upwards.

Back in the days when I assumed that thrusters meant rockets (not necessarily
chemical), I also assumed that most ships had grav plates, like those on
grav vehicles, as part of their manoeuvre system.  This allowed them to fly
around a planet without frying any towns they came near, and also allowed
non-aerodynamically designed ships to operate in atmospheres (e.g. the
Type S scout/courier, the Type A, A1 and A2 traders, etc).

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

-------- TML Message #1120 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1120
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!stirner@sequent.UUCP
Subject: co-GMing
Date: Tue, 13-Mar-90 18:12:35 PST

    Recently, Bob Mahoney asked if anyone had any experience at co-GMing
Traveller or other games.  I've never coGMed a Traveller game, but I have
coGMed Warhammer FRP, and I expect the basic principles would apply to any
gaming system.
    Basically, it worked very well.  You need to be more prepared for a
co-GMed game than when you're doing it alone, because it is very confusing
if one GM starts to "wing it" to any significant extent, as there will not
be time for him to inform the other GM as to what is going on.  So I would
say it's only a good idea if the two GMs can get together before the game
and spend at least one evening going over plans.
    The benefits are that some of the work gets split up, and in a number
of situations the role-playing is better.  When the party splits  up, or
even just when different players are doing different things in the same area,
it helps to have two different GMs to deal with them (not so much time spent
waiting on the GM to get done talking to another player, before you can do
something).  This is especially valuable if you have players who like to
each do their own thing, or one player who is enthusiastic (ie loud) enough
to drown out the others when things get heated.
    The biggest advantage, tho', is that it is easier to role-play several
people at once.  I can remember several instances from my own experience
when I was playing an important NPC who was talking to the party, while the
other GM was playing NPC's of less importance who were distracting the party
but added a lot of color to the game.  The halfling shoe salesman who tried
to sell his wares to party members while they were interviewing someone in
a bar, for instance.  (yes, I said halfing shoe salesman)  Even in more 
serious situations (such as when the players are listening in on a situation,
or any other time when more than one NPC is "on-stage" at once), it was very
handy to not have to run everyone in the world.
    For Traveller, where there is probably more background for the GM to
fill in than in any other RP game in existence, the advantage of dividing
up work seems like it would be especially useful.  Hope some of this helped;
I say go ahead, it's a good idea.

-------- TML Message #1121 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1121
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 90 14:21:27 EST
From: Greg Givler - Product Assurance <givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM>
Subject: Re: Co-refereeing


>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 90 16:03 EST
>From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
>Subject: (1116) Co-refereeing?
>
>Hi folks.

>Does anyone have any experience with a co-refereed campaign?  By this I mean
>one campaign being actively run by two referees.  For the purposes of this

No I have never done that but...

>If you have any related non-Traveller experience (like another game system),
>I'm still interested.

I have something that is similar, at least I think that it is :-) ...
I have for some years directed plays at a local amateur theater group, this
is similar to running a game, except the game is much more wide open. Anyway
when I direct musicals, I have my wife Music Direct, that can be a problem,
because... 1. I am as qualified as my wife to music direct, being a music 
major in College, my wife was also a music major. And 2. I am married to 
her so that I have to "live" with my suggestions for how the music should 
be done. 

What we have found is that the best way to handle this situation is this:

1. We define our roles. If we are co-music directing, which we have done. 
then I handle the chorus numbers and she handles the solos. If there are 
numbers that one does not feel comfortable directing then we decide before
we begin how the duties will be split. 

2. We never argue in front of the cast. In your case the players. If we 
have differences we discuss them on the way home in the car, that way we can 
yell all we want, and this does not make the other folks uncomfortable.

3. Never change what the other person did, without discussing the change with 
the person, and better let them change it. This way the people that you
are leading are not confused as to who they should listen to. 

4. Be open to suggestions. If you both have the same goal, in my case a
good show then you have to be willing to listen to suggestions.

I have had 6 very successful shows because of the help of my wife, and 
we have never had a major fight in the last 6 years about the plays. 

Also, something that I think some of lose sight of from time to time. 
remember that this is a game, and it should be fun. 

>I wonder if the two of us might not be able to merge our styles/ideas/etc., and
>produce one very intense campaign.  There would be very little idle time for
>the remaining three players, non-player characterizations would probably
>improve (less distractions for the ref), and NPC's would certainly become more
>unpredictable from the players standpoint.

It is possible, but remember understand your goals and each of your
responsibilities and it should be just fine.

Greg

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Givler                        | Q-Link: GregGivler
Analyst - Systems Evaluation Group | CompuServe: Greg Givler 76702,647
Commodore Product Assurance        | GEnie: G.Givler
215-431-9100                       | The NET: givler@cbmvax.commodore.com
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wild Whores couldn't keep me away!" -- George Francisco
"That's Horses, George" -- Matt Sikes -- Alien Nation --  Fox Broadcasting --
===============================================================================


-------- TML Message #1122 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1122
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 90 19:40:13 EST
From: Andrew Salamon <salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu>
Subject: PBEM, Ed Baranksi

Sorry to post this (repost the topic, actually).

Mr. Baranksi, I am not able to send mail to you at either of the addresess
our illustrious leader Richard sent to me.  Could you please send me some 
mail so that I can try an automatic reply thingy.  You have already missed
out on some of my postings (sorry).

BTW, what position does your character want to fill.  ie Nav, commo, pilot?

Happy Star-Trails!
Magic in my Mind                     |   /Andrew/
Music in my Heart                    |   soi-disant Bleydion op Rhys
Laughter in my Soul                  |   salamon@sun.acs.udel.edu
And...A Sword in my Fist (sigh)      | 

-------- TML Message #1123 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1123
Subject: Thrusters
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 90 17:29:11 PST
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!agora.hf.intel.com!richard@tessi.UUCP (Richard Johnson)

Actually, I think the big deal with fixed thruster plates is
that GDW didn't want to figure out the physics of fully
articulated thrusters.  I think it would be realy neat --
you could run fast, stop on a dime, and perform marvelous
acts of death-defying agility (a la Hawker Harriers).

I just can't justify any contraption that would be able to
take the force and allow the thruster to move around inside
the ship.  Not to mention what moving this big thing is
going to do to your center of gravity and bending moments.

Richard


-------- TML Message #1124 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1124
Subject: Co-GMing
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 90 08:42:04 +0000
From: Jim Cheetham <is_a063%ux.kingston.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>

>
>  Does anyone have any experience with a co-refereed campaign?  By this I mean
>
	Well, not exactly, but I'll tell you anyway.
	I play RuneQuest every couple of weeks in a group whose GM pays
	just as much attention to the details of the published RQ as all
	you guys pay to Traveller et. al. - which means that if you want
	a second opinion, just go the rule book, and if it's reasonable
	(ie not a blatant excuse) everythings AOK.
	*However* we have one player who knows the rules backwards, sideways,
	upside down and on his head ... (you get the drift)
	This might not be too bad - it's great outside the actual game,
	when it comes to generating characters, checking on details, etc,
	especially if the GM is doing something else (like helping someone
	else generate characters etc) but it can get a little bad in play.
	Example :-
	The said playing rule-book had an elf character who acted a little
	too sassy with a group of trolls. Splat. End of elf. Oh, says he,
	according to your calender, it's my god's holy week at the moment,
	can I roll for a Divine Intervention (A handy device used by fantasy
	role-players to make up for suicidal mistakes!) ... unfortunately
	for all concerned, he made the roll (witnessed!) ... so back pops
	the elf, with the POW attribute (luck, etc) dropped from 16 to 2.
	In between sessions he scrapes through the rules, and comes back
	next time, and *by the rule book* manages to raise POW from 2 to
	10. This makes all the other players (understandably) a little
	p*ssed off ...
	Now I can already hear a lot of you saying that that's the GM's
	fault for not interpreting the rules his own way and making sure
	that players can't take advantage like that ... fair enough, but
	it's really just him being consistent to his stated manner of play.
	Not to worry, plans are afoot by the rest of the party to make sure
	the elf meets a bitter doom (in the *nicest* possible way, of course!)

	And what's the moral of all this ?
	(aside)		(Not co-GMing, that's for sure!)
	If you've got two or more people capable of making rulings on the
	course of the game for *whatever reason* (both GMing, or some as
	players) someone, somewhere, has got to be very careful to keep
	it all under control ... and that is *not easy* at all.

	So, watch it ! Let's be careful out there !
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     _____               (JANET) jcheetham@uk.ac.kingston
    (__ __) O  ______    (local) is_a063@ux.king
   (____)  (_)(_)()(_)   (voice) (+44) 1 549 1366 x2690
   Jim Cheetham, ISD Kingston Polytechnic.
   "... nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------- TML Message #1125 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1125
Subject: Re: Vargr & Aslan Female Anatomy
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 90 09:59:21 PST
From: James T Perkins <jamesp@metolius.WR>


As most of you are aware, we have a few people on this list that have
close but indirect ties with Digest Group.  Being list administrator has
it's privileges and responsibilities, so I'd bet I'm more aware of these
people than you are.  One of these people passed metlay's letter on to a
DGP playtester, and asked me to anonymously post the reply below.

Our mysterious DG person also had this *very* interesting statement to
make, and I quote:

	GDW has plans next year to increase its level of MegaTraveller
	support, and DGP is also ramping up the number of products it
	expects to publish.

Hope you're all having fun on this list.  As regards the GEnie issue,
I've been a little too busy to work on it, but I promise to get
something out to the respondees in the next week.  I've also heard
people's concerns about the EPBM and the GEnie postings being bothersome
with the new all-digest format (must notably, it's hard to delete a
message you're not interested in, out of the middle of a digest), and
the best solution there seems to be, to let those entities exist as
seperate mailing lists.  This is mostly what's going on now, and it
seems to be working out well, at least from my perspective.

I apologize for the new digest-only format.  Those of you with MH seem
very grateful for the burst command, but the rest of you are making do.
I appreciate your patience, and your unabated contributions.

Forwarded Message Begins (my commentary is in [square brackets] --
James):

[Metlay's introduction to his anatomical treatise was quoted here]

Okay, here goes with some comments.  First, this is a very good and
perfectly reasonable question, which could be important for any number
of non-prurient reasons.  For example, how well would a (human, Vargr,
Aslan) spacesuit fit a (member of a different race)?

Also, DGP avoids "any but the most basic discussions of sexuality" not
for reasons of public good taste, but rather because we don't want some
13-year-old kid to get in trouble from his [sic] mom for buying our
stuff.  Our staff is all grown-ups, not counting freelancers, and our
own campaigns are a little racier than what gets published.  For
example, if you remember the murder mystery in TD#4, you may recall that
the victim had a mistress on board.  Well, the mistress was pretty
active, etc., etc.  Also, the original manuscript of TD#2 had a rather
involved mating ritual between the natives of Wal-Ta-Ka, and part of the
adventure involved Aybee's obvious difficulties at being chosen by one
of the young maidens.  [Note for people not reading their TD...  Aybee
is an android].

[Metlay comments on TD article on children, and "marital patterns in
older books"]

This is all further detailed in MegaTraveller Alien Volume 1: Vilani and
Vargr, which has been promised back from the printers this very week,
and should appear in stores some time later this month, but Metlay's
certainly on the right track.

[Metlay discusses Aslan females, and notes a particular illustrator's
discrepencies in artwork].

Very perceptive, Metlay!  The only trouble is that Bill Keith (along
with brother Andy) pretty much "invented" the Aslan, so you'd think he
knew what he was doing.  In fact, Aslan females do have four breasts,
but the lower two are vestigial.  In their pre-sentient times, Aslan
typically had a greater number of offspring, but infant mortality goes
down as intelligence goes up, etc., etc., so now they have "two"
breasts.

[Metlay discusses Vargr drawings, and bemoans the unclear representation
of the creature's torso].

Another line drive down the middle for Metlay.  MTA1 will have published
pictures of female Vargr, and in fact, they have six teats in two rows
of three.  Along these same lines [...], one of the long-standing jokes
around the DGP offices is our threat to put out an "aliens at the beach"
issue, which would feature a "Vargr in a bikini".  The joke, of course,
is that the poor female is wearing three bras, one above the other.  Out
of a concern for modesty, I won't tell you who came up with this gem
[...].

[Metlay apologizes for the length of the article, and chides DGP for the
inaccuracies]

Nobody's perfect :-)

[Metlay sadly predicts that further contradictions are "likely" in the MT
Alien books]

I daresay that Metlay is likely to be pleased by our presentation.  We
are, of course, fans of the game (we'd have to be to keep doing this
:-), and definitely share Metlay's desire to believe in these alien
races.  We have spent countless hours of discussion in trying to
reconcile "everything ever written" about these first two alien races,
as well as fleshing out detail in a way that rings true.

[End of forwarded message.  Ta-ta for today, TMLers! -- James]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
uunet!dadla.wr.tek.com!traveller-request  "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"

-------- TML Message #1126 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1126
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 90 14:00:10 PST
From: John Wilber <wilber%sal-sun55.usc.edu@usc.edu>
Subject: Watercraft in Trav

One of the things that has bugged me about Traveller is the vehicle
design rules.  With MT now being out, one can design any kind of wheeled
or grav vehicle from a moped to a Death Star-Type dreadnaught capable of
wiping out planets with one shot.  COACC added design rules for
aircraft.  What about water vessels?  I think Trav could benefit from
some organized system of designing water-borne ships and boats.  (For
the duration of this post, any reference to ships, boats, vessels, or
naval craft is to be construed as referring to water-borne, and not
space-borne vehicles.)

Think of the possibilities:

* Mobile starports.
* Putting fuel refining capability on the ships so they could "skim" from
  the very water they floated in.
* Superultramega mobile energy weapon platforms.  With a ship power
  plant, one could power some LARGE energy weps, or mount some very mean
  mass drivers.
* Submarines - they could "skim," too, and use an MHD drive (like the
  Red October).  Communications wouldn't be a problem once meson
  technology became available.  ICBM's would also be obsolete once meson
  weps could be mounted on subs- this would also enable them to be used
  for orbital defense, too.  Unless one could (somehow) find out where a
  sub with a meson gun was firing from, the sub would be invulnerable.
* Needless to say, you could still do all the fun things with watercraft
  that are possible with today's technology (off-shore fire support,
  piracy, and so on).

I think it would be pretty easy for someone who knew Trav vehicle design
rules at least reasonably well to come up with a ship design system that
was at least semi-workable, except for a few very technical questions:

1) How does one calculate the amount and cost of armor for a ship, given
such stats as length, beam, and depth of the keel?  (I hope I make myself
clear- I am not too familiar with naval architecture or terminology.)

2) Given the same stats as above, how is the displacement (and the
draft) calculated?

3) I think that the outputs of extremely large power plants should be
scaled again, since gigawatt powerplants might appear regularly on
ships.

4) How does one calculate the cruising and maximum speed of a craft
given the physical dimensions, and the power output of its drives?  I
anticipate a formula for this using the power output, length-to-beam
ratio, and the displacement of the vessel.

5) Anybody got any ideas about the volume, weight, and cost for aircraft
catapults used on carriers?

6) How is weather handled?

7) What about the maneuverability of vessels?  How is that calculated?

8) How do the ballast tanks for a sub figure into the design?
Fortunately, the only variables here are the volume needed for the
tanks, and the pumps needed to clear/fill them.

9) How is anti-submarine warfare handled?

10) What about MHD drives for subs?  What kind of weight, volume, and
cost requirements are needed?

Volume, weight and displacement for subs should be easy- just modify the
starship hull tables slightly.

Any suggestions, comments, or input is appreciated.

/************************************************************************\
* John J. Wilber        * You can't lose at solitaire!                   *
* wilber@nunki.usc.edu  * The most difficult part of theory is execution *
* student, partier, and * (Most things are easier said than done)        *
* fun-loving guy.       *                                                *
\************************************************************************/




-------- TML Message #1127 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1127
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 90 23:01:58 PST
From: gwh%ocf.Berkeley.EDU@lilac.berkeley.edu
Subject: (water)Ships in Traveller

You happen to have [Lucky You..] a Real Naval Architect { yup! :-) } on the
mailing list.  A few things i've done RE putting things that float and sink i
into my trav campaigns...

For subs; use a rule of thumb that the operating depth [rated] equals ten m
meters per armour rating of the vehicle hull.  This corresponds nicely with real
life if anyone works out the numbers for real-life subs.  All subs have to be
streamlined; if someoen were to make one an Airframe i'd give it some boost
to speed [ x1.25 maybe? ].  Design the hull like a starship.  The max depth
[where ref gets to implode his players :-) ] should be about 1.5 times the
safe depth.

For MHD drives; i would have the following design strategy:  Since the MHD is 
a bunch of magnets and wiring, it somewhat resembles a Fusion plant of equal
tech level.  Thus, a MHD drive would be some factor times the weight of a 
equivalent output fusion drive...maybe 0.5 the mass and volume and cost.  Or
perhaps equal to, it depends; im not a MHD expert.  

Speed is a toughie.  try the following:
Velocity in knots [*1.6=km/h] equals sqrt{ [Pwr(mw)*190]/[sqrt(kl)] }

[if i erred in that let me know.  it's a really rough approxomation of real
sub velocity vs. power.]

All subs should be cylinders. One thats a sphere is OK but ought to have 1/3
the rated speed.

...just some more miscelaneous ramblings from
*******************************************************************************
George William Herbert     JOAT For Hire: Anything, Anywhere: My Price
UCB Naval Architecture undergrad: Engineering with a Bouyant Attitude :-)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gwh@ocf.berkeley.edu       |||||||||| "What do I have to do to convince you?"-Q 
gwh@soda.berkeley.edu      |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| "Die."-Worf
maniac@garnet.berkeley.edu |"Very good, Worf. Eaten any good books recently?"-Q

-------- TML Message #1128 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1128
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 18:32 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Metlay rebuts the DGP comments on, well, YOU know.



I am very pleased with the calibre and detail of the answers to my
commentary, and won't argue too loudly with the quibbles in terms
of number and function, ahem. (Six, eight, what the heck.) But on
the offchance that the DDGP people could be prodded into another
answer (I know, I know, dream on. "Why don't you just go to  WORK
for them, Metlay?" The letter's in the mail, dudes.), I'd like to 
pick up on one or two points that weren't well clarified:

1. How does my explanation of Vargr female weight fluctuation tie
in with what's been written on the subject? I based this assumption
on my knowldege of raising pups, so I assume it's not far off....

2. You guys still haven't committed to a torso shape, damn it! Do
they have a dog's ribcage or a human's and if the latter, why?

Harrumph. |->

However, the opening statement did raise an interesting problem:
changes in spacesuit design for aliens! What do you do with the 
tail? How do you keep visors from fogging, given that Vargr and
Aslan pant to cool themselves because they don't sweat? Interesting
stuff; think I'll do some writing tonight....

(Side comment for those of you building up a trivia library: the
most common Julian/Antarean Vargr term for a human is "Pinkstink,"
with "Shavetail" a close second. Harf! |-> )

metlay

-------- TML Message #1129 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1129
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 13:38:24 PST
From: And now for something completely different! 16-Mar-1990 1633 <baranski@meridn.enet.dec.COM>
Subject: mail to BARANSKI

The following is the only mail I've recieved recently realted to TRAVELLER.
I assumed when I didn't hear back that my character got in too late.  Let me
know what's up currently.

My net address has "meridn" in it, not "meridin".

Jim Baranski

From:	DECPA::"bgillesp@beast.Prime.COM" "Brian Gillespie" 15-MAR-1990 13:58:26.16
To:	d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se, dan@engrg.uwo.ca, metlay@vm1.cis.pitt.edu 
CC:	meridn::baranski 
Subj:	 

Re: Metlay's address question,(Baranski aka Fritz Severin)
 
Since I haven't recieved a reply directly from Mr. Baranski I won't
guarantee this works, but things don't bounce either.
 
The address passed out contained an extra 'i', meridin, I noticed when I
looked at a post of his to the TML.
                                                   -^-
 
Try  baranski@meridn.enet.dec.com
 
Hope this helps.
Brian
 
bgillesp@beast.prime.com
- - or -
bgillesp@beast.prime.com@cunyvm.cuny.edu
 

-------- TML Message #1130 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1130
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: ARRRRGGGH!
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 21:11:32 EST

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

HELP!   I just attempted to design a starship via the MegaTraveller
Craft Design rules.  Man are they comlex!    

Does there exist somewhere out there a program or spreadsheet
already to automate this process somewhat?   If so, where can I get
it from?   I'd prefer something that runs on either MSDOS or UNIX.
If I've got source I'll port it to MSDOS if it is for UNIX or vice
versa.

- -- 
- ------------------------------> Peter L. Berghold
        ----------------------> AT&T, HRSAG, +1 (201) 615-4419
             -----------------> INTERNET: plb@violin.att.com 
                    ----------> UUCP: {uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb

-------- TML Message #1131 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1131
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM admisitrivia
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 14:18:53 PDT


Some PBEM administrivia for the last two weeks.

First, letting people mail openly to each other has added a lot of
life to the game.  It has actually complicated things just a little
for me, but it has been well worth it in terms of added richness of
the game.  If anyone out there wants the player/character aliases
(even non-players) let me know.  So far no one has complained about
giving out addresses, so, since we are sort of a mailing-list
fraternity, I will make it available as a partial list of TML'ers.
If you are going to ask, pleas remember that some folks *pay* for
their own access and cannot afford a lot of connect time (just a
gentle reminder).

Second, Co-GM'ing (well, sub-GMing) is working well for the PBEM.
We have about 40 characters and a variable number of NPC's.  Far
various reasons, the amount of traffic to/from each character varies
widely from week-to-week.  Because of the heirarchic nature of the
crew, some characters/players are able to field a lot of the direct
character interaction for me.  It works *really* well (now that it's
starting to settle out some), and I would like to publicly thank
those who are on teh command team.  You know who you are, and I know
how much work it must be for you.  Thanks again.

In a nutshell, there are eight (8) command team reps.  Of these, one
is the misssion CO.  The CO basically co-ordinates between me and
the other seven, and busts his buns working out other internicene
struggles.  The other seven handle most of the day-to-day goings on
of their particular team.  Right now it's going well, but we're
still adjusting to the scheme.  
We will probably re-organize so that players who are more
interested and or more able to do this become away team leaders and
handle a different kind of load distribution.

This layout is now (finally) beginning to leave me free to work on
making the adventure truly fun for all.

I apologize to everyone for taking two weeks to get out this turn.
I plead temporary insanity bred by trying to put away my second
(also full-time) job while this was going on.  Also, in mitigation I
would offer that it is spring break for about half the college types
playing (the other half is this week) so some players have put in a
lot of energy and others none -- a little hard to co-ordinate.

I am breaking up this week's turn into several parts.  The first
part is the actual turn and overview, the other parts are run-downs
of what has been happening.  There is a lot of material, and I plan
to post it all because so much of it is of general interest.

Thanks to everyone for supporting us, even if you can't play.  It is
really a lot of fun jsut to be part of.  I am considering making
this an open campaign -- allowing people to sign up and leave as
their schedules allow.  Right now it's just a thought, but it would
be good to discuss and consider as we all get more practice at doing
this.  If  you want to talk to me about opeing the game, write to
the oresoft address.  This will help me keep this discussion
separate from the game. 

- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1132 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1132
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM turn 3.0
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 15:24:40 PDT



A lot has happened in the last (almost) 2 weeks:
Sorry it took so long, but it was worth it, I assure you.

You are a remarkably self-motivated crew.  Most of you are waiting
anxiously to get out of here (I don't blame you.)  Already you are
making important discoveries about R-alpha, just by developing answers
to your needs once you get there.  

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

After your initial training and orientation you are flown out to the
Alcyon.  The Alcyon is a large tetrahedron, now with two scouts and
a free trader attached.  A large column runs down the center of the
tetrahedron, with what is obviously an engine exhaust at one end,
and a bridge at the fourth apex.  Three smaller columns connect the
central spine to the three attached ships.

As you approach you notice that she is generally bronze colored,
with highly reflective "baloons" of fuel, now about 2/3 full and
beocming rigid, filling the remaining volume of the tetrahedron.

Over all the "flat" non-surfaces, there is a fine mesh --  the
lanthanum grid.  Two vacc-suit clad figures, and a safety shuttle
closely crawl accross the surface of the grid, inspecting it, as you
approach.

TUNSKAAD ALCYON CLASS JUMP TENDER
        CraftID:Jump Tender, Type TZ, TL16, MCr 765.636
        Hull:   2,700/6,750, Disp=3,000, Config=7USL, Armor=40G, 
                Unloaded=11,681tons, Loaded=21,936tons
        Power:  11/23, Fusion=3,654MW, Duration=60
        Loco:   27/54, Manuever=0.5, 324/648, Jump=5 x 2, Agility=0
        Commo:  Radio=System x 2, Laser=System x 3, Meson=System
        Sensors:PassiveEMS=Interstellar x 3, ActiveEMS=FarOrbit x 2, 
                Neutrino=1kW x 3, Densitometer=HiPen/25km x 2, 
                ActObjScan=Routine, ActObjPin=Routine, PasObjScan=Routine, 
                PasObjPin=Routine, PasEngScan=Simple, PasEngPin=Routine
        Off:    BLasers=x05, Batt=1, Bear=1 
        Def:    DefDM=+6, SCasters=xx5, Batt=1, Bear=1
        Control:Computer=6fibx3, Panel=Holodynamic link x 574, 
                Special=HoloHUD x 8, Environ= basic env & inertial for whole
                volume except jumpfuel. basic ls, extended ls, grav plates for
        Accomm: Crew=4 x 3 (Bridge=4, Engineering=6, Gunnery=1, Command=1,
                Medic=1), Staterooms=20, Subcraft=Fittings for three riders
                of up to 200tonnes each
        Other:  Cargo=454kl, Fuel=26,800kl, PurificationPlant=53h (enough for 1
                jump 5 after 24h, ObjSize=Large, EMLevel=Moderate
                Special=The bridge, engineering, cargo and powerplant-fuel
                sections can be disconnected and has then Jump 4 and 2.5G


		The option of using the riders for extra acceleration is 
		largely useless. Even if they were three scouts (the best 
		config) they would only give an 0.25G addition!   There are 
		attachment points for solid-fuel chemical boosters, for JATO.

		The powerplant fuel is about twice what is needed for the 
		usual 30days endurance and it can be used to fuel the jumpdrive 
		in an escape attempt.

		If the big fuel bladders are used as drop-tanks the central 
		parts can reach jump6 easily.


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

You board the Alcyon and family.  A few people from your crew are
already here.  Some engineers are going over the entire grid, piece 
by piece.  Captain Ger is getting a sore ear from talking on the 
radio so much.  

Generalists are dispatched to oversee installation of cargo, the medical 
team sets to examining everyone and verifying condition of medical 
stores and equipment, the security team checks in weapons, and the scientists
are scambling to answer questions from the other groups.

Tursnkaad brings out three shuttlecraft and a defense fighter and
installs them, one each, in each of the cargo bays.  {ref note:
some of you might still be worrirng about what's aboard -- I haven't
(quite) dissaproved anything yet, so don't worry about it.}

As you stow your gear your mind recalls the sights of smells of so
many previous launchings: the crates filling the passageways as well
as the cargo holds, the fresh antiseptic smell, the near-smell of
the new and unkown, the rumblings of the power plant coming on line,
the annoyng, incessant, chirp of communicators being tested, and the
hushed awe of watching ground slip away.

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

When everyone and everything is aboard, tugs hook on to the Alcyon 
and slowly pull you away from the ecliptic plane and out of the 
asteroids.  As your view clears you notice three more tugs, each 
bringing a strap-on booster rocket.

The tugs depart, the rockets are attached and wired, and the
remaining tugs arc gracefully away.  Those in position notice that
at the Turnskaad base, all lights go out, then on, three times.
Communications receives the message: "Good luck intrepid
adventurers.  Come back with your shield."

You feel the shudders and hear the groans of the structure only
microseconds before the automatic polarizers dim your viewports from
the glare of the rockets.  Even with assistance, your initial
progress is agonizingly slow (about 1.5 G).  The sky jet black
forward, fiery red behind, you depart for your rendezvous with jump
space now only hours away.

- -----------------------------------------
{ref note:  I'm not discussing what you do at your posts - you know
that better than I do :-)}

Have a good trip.


- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!




-------- TML Message #1133 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1133
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM turn 3.2
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 17:14:38 PDT




More conversations - these specifically about transport:


    Also, according to my preliminary calculations (based mostly on
guesses) we are only going to be able to get at most 3/4G acceleration
out of the Alcyon/3ship lashup.  That is three quarters of a
standard gravity of acceleration.  Not very much for maneuvering around
something that could be spinning at over 1100m/s!  I suggest we leave
the Alcyon in some easily reachable orbit and transfer everyone to the
ringworld by Scout/Free Trader.   This is assuming Dr. Abuko's calculations
about the spin are correct.
    It certainly looks like life is going to be interesting, to say the
least, once we hit system!
    A bientot.

		Etienne

Commander Ger,
   I would like permission to run some simulations and drills for all
pilots, navigators, and sensor/comm operators.  Including people from
all of the teams, not just Transport.  I would prefer to do this before
we jump, but if there is no time now it can wait until we have entered
jump-space.  I will try to determine who is most suited to fill the
various positions on-board as well as in the Away-Teams.
   Beaux cieux a vouz.
			
			-Etienne




Move from Eneri DeAith:

To Transport Team:

  "Any of you given any thought about how we're going to land on the
ringworld?   There's got to be walls on the side, so maybe we can 
match velocities and dock.  If there's an intact transport system on
the ring, maybe we can use it to move our equipment and personnel.
There might even be airlocks on the 'floor'.  Either would be
preferable to landing in a pseudo gravity well.   If we had to leave
in a hurry, I'd rather be able to just 'cut loose' than have to take 
off."

  
Eneri DeAith

  

Greetings Team,

   We are getting closer to launch time and I'm still not sure who will be 
filling what positions!
   Nishu I believe has stated he would like to be Navigator, and Jaron
mentioned Sens/commo.  What about the rest of you?  We will be going
through a full series of tests and drills as soon as we hit jump-space
but I need some idea now.
   Let me know ASAP.
   Plus, en retard.
			-Etienne






Subject: Gravitics vs R-alpha


Johann barges in on the grav vs. ringworld discussion: "I do have a basic 
	training in gravitics if you'd like me to make some simulations. If 
	grav devices won't work on r-alpha it will be a big obstacle to 
	overcome. I assume that reactioneless thrusters will work in either 
	case, though.
	What I'd like to point out is that it will be difficult for the ships 
	to match speeds with the rotating ringworld. If it's diameter is like 
	terras orbit and it is designed to give an impression of one gee then 
	it's rotational speed will be," he begin to fiddle with his pocket 
	computer, "approximately..." no this must be wrong!" he checks his 
	figures to make sure that they are correct, "1211 kilometers per 
	second, but I hope that I am wrong! If I am right it will take more 
	than 17 hours at two gee to match speeds with the ringworld and the 
	acceleration vector on the surface of the ringworld will change by 
	3.34 degrees per hour. I think that it sounds like we'll have to make 
	major changes in the manuever-control programs to enable them to 
	function properly on and around the ringworld!
	Hmm, I wonder how the builders of r-alpha, shall we call them 
	'Ralphs'?" Johann added with a slight smile "do when they land? And 
	how they travel around on the ringworld? Normal, non-grav, means is 
	generally to slow and can't take that much cargo. Is it possible that 
	they installed artificial grav-modules in 'paths' as 'highways' for 
	grav-vehicles? Since there were no neutrinos, I guess that if such 
	grav-paths even existed they won't be in operation now, since they 
	would need enormous amounts of energy. Of course, if they rely on 
	solar energy, that might do the trick.
	I hope that we'll bring a few small-crafts with reactionless thrusters 
	in case grav-modules really don't work on r-alpha!"

Johann Abuko




To: everyone
Subject: Dr. Limner finally wakes up
Cc: limner ref

Dr. Limner, a thin man of just about 185 cm height, wearing a nice but
slightly outmoded suit, has been sitting very quietly throughout most of the
discussions.  He stands up.  For some reason, he seems to remind everyone of a
typical college professor.  He finally speaks:

    "Hmmm.  Mr. Schmud, your point about the artificial gravity is well
    taken, but it appears to me that the ring will still have a mass, and
    thus gravity-  powered vehicles should still function, although they
    might need some tuning. Admittedly, that is not my specialty, but I
    believe that I could be of some assistance in that task.  Lets
    see...  You'd need to compensate for the extra coriolis force while
    compensating for the odd distribution of mass...  Yes, that could be
    done by simply tuning the primary navigational field's epsilon
    parameter then applying a few turns to the...

    Sorry, I tend to go on a bit sometimes.  Please feel free to stop me
    if I am talking too much.  I know that I sometimes tend to ramble on
    but this is all so interesting.  I wouldn't want to get on anybody's
    nerves, though.  Just stop me if I..."

Dr. Limner seems to notice a few rolled-back eyes and stops speaking, then
fumbles with the equipment he has been given.  He seems especially clumsy with
the stun pistol he was issued, which he almost drops, but catches before it
hits the ground.

    "Oops, I should be more careful with these things.  Wouldn't want to
    have to give first aid to anyone before we even got there, now would
    we?
    
    Now, where were we?  That's right, gravitics.  I had a similar
    problem once where a planet's moon was so large...  But I'll save
    that story for some other time."

Dr. Limner stops, seems to hesitate, then walks over to the physical sciences
team.



Dr. Limner speaks up:

    "Ah, Mr. Abuko. I was just discussing this matter with Dr. Werner.  I
    believe that gravitic propulsion systems should work on the
    ringworld, since the ring must have a mass, even though it probably
    relies on centripetal acceleration to produce its simulated gravity.
    The fact that there is a lower concentration of mass may cause some
    problems, but we should be able to adjust any gravitic drives to
    compensate for it.  Once we get close to the ring, however, the
    ring's mass should dwarf any gravitic vehicles we are using, and we
    should get the lift we need."

Dr. Limner begins to sit down, then pauses:

    "Of course, getting close to the ring might be a problem."

Dr. Limner sits down then and seems to be looking over the equipment he was
issued.  He pulls out a high-tech set of binoculars and looks into the
eyepiece, withdraws an old-style spyglass and looks through it, then smiles
contentedly.  He then notices that people are looking at him, and speaks out:

    "If you're interested, I have done this sort of thing before, it
    involves focusing the gravitational drives in the direction of the
    star and rather than lessening the gravitational effects, instead
    increasing them.  This would allow you to orbit at the higher orbital
    velocity necessary to match that of the ring.  As all of you probably
    realize already, this is not the way that most gravitational drives
    were designed to operate.  As such, it is a bit less precise.  It
    will let you get close enough to the ring, however.  Of course, I've
    never actually tried it with a RINGWORLD before, only with a rosette
    formation of... but I'm sure nobody is interested in that right now."

Dr. Limner seems to have stopped speaking, but after a while adds one more
thing:

    "Oh, by the way, we don't know what sort of gravitational devices
    were used on the ringworld.  It is quite conceivable that there could
    be devices which would have an adverse effect on gravitic drives.
    They probably wouldn't be running, though."

Another pause:

    "This is all theoretical, though.  Practically, the easiest thing to
    do would be to simply bring the spacecraft close enough to the ring
    for gravitic drives to work, then release the gravitic vehicles.
    This would also be the fastest.  Unless you have some reason for not
    wanting to bring large spacecraft near to the ring.  In case you have
    any fears, we will be able to use gravitic vehicles long before the
    spacecraft get too close to the ringworld."

    "Oh yes, and there was one more thing...  It was something Dr. Werner
    said.  Now what was it?  Oh, that's right.  Even though the
    gravitational drives will operate near the ring, they will need to be
    adjusted signifigantly to compensate for the tremendous rotational
    velocity.  Otherwise they would be almost impossible to control and
    would no doubt either crash or go spinning off into space.  I almost
    forgot about that detail.  I never was good with details."





	
	From Ralf:
	
	Well, mine is a "midget" Grav APC, 4 tons.  It's stocked with a
minilab for all my gear and some of my supplies.  Questions:  Can I use
my high electronics to build some sort of "stealth" field for the APC?
I know that there is holography in the Imperium, could I also adapt a
holographic rig to provide holograhic camoflage or invisibility over the
APC?  How about using my Gravitics skill to pump up the speed (right now
it's pretty much a "stock" model)?




Hey Lazer,

I've got for sure 5 empty staterooms on the Korondor Talisman... is 
somebody going to assign people to them?  We can go single or double
on the occupancy, and I've got enough decent grub to feed us all for
a while provided somebody is on board that can cook the stuff
without burning it....

Thul



[Well, with a lot of number crunching and slipstick time you guys
have found out quite a bit about transport problems you might have.
Here's a summary of your conclusions and solutions:]

The Alcyon will almost certainly stand off from the ring, and actual
contact will be made with scouts or shuttles.

The ring's linear velocity is probably betwen 1100 and 1300 m/s.

The ring probably has a noticable mass of it's own; no one is quite
sure what this means yet, though.

Initial landing will probably be on the spill wall (thanks to whoever
came up with that term -it's great).  That way, accidents might hurt
but probably will be recoverable.

Approach for initial landing will either be tangential to the ring,
or from above.  Still undecided.

The Alcyon will probably park between the ring and the sun.

A command shuttle will be used.

No decision yet on how far apart you are willing to separate teams.
Right now the discussion centers on communication time and response
time.

One of the scouts will probably make an initial pass over areas to
be explored, for preliminary mapping.

[Referee's quiz for everyone:  Why did Turnskaad use *chemical*
rockets to boost the Alcyon, when fusion would have been cheaper?]


- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1134 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1134
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM turn3.1
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 17:13:49 PDT


Best way for you to get the feel of what's happening is just to let
you read it.

[important note:
I have a mailing list for All characters for use with a
VAX system running the PMDF mailer system. If anyone wants it I'll
send them a copy.
                                       Brucer
address is brucer@psc.bitnet]



Here's some exerpts from last week:


        When he gets a look at the Alcyon, Dr. Sir Van Der Merwe breaks
out in gales of laughter. "A jump tender! Oh, what a piece of work! I
bet that just gave those impatient engineers a shock. Such high hopes of
working on a big ship..."


...[Bhyarrvouf] carries a heavy tool belt that's weighed down
by a massive Gauss pistol at each hip, and a data/display headset
covers one eye and connects to one ear, giving him a piratical look
that's either menacing or silly, depending on your mood.
	He's relatively quiet until the Alcyon drifts into view; then
he's glued to the viewport, his tail wagging furiously (in Abuko's
face, unfortunately |-> ). He jabbers something excitedly in a Vargr
tongue, then forcibly reverts to his his heavily-accented Galanglic.
	"A jump tender! Kae, kakh TSAKHA, a JUMP TENDER! HEEYARF!"
He licks his chops, practically drooling. "No wonder they kept it
quiet. Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on those drives! And she's
MINE! Mine mine mine mine mine all MINE!" He checks himself 
sheepishly. "Subject to Fearless Leader's orders, of course. And the
Helmsman. And the NAvigator...." He slumps into his couch, dejected.
"Okay, so it's NOT mine." He sighs heavily, then brightens a bit.
"But the JUMP DRIVES are!" he sits up and watches the approach, then
and notes Karl Morser out of the corner of his eye. He grins toothily.
	"Yo! Mr. Science! What do you think of ZAT, huh?" 







	
	Bhyarrvouf talking to Abuko:
	
	He scratches an ear thoughtfully. "As for the hastiness of the
mission, well, I won't lie, it has me worried too. They're slinging us
into the unknown and wishing us well; it's possible that they have a
REAL mission with loyal Turnskaad people being set up right now, with us
to go on ahead and take the brunt of any nasty surprises R-alpha has in
store." He shrugs. "But that's a risk we all seem to be prepared to take."
	"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, A.P.: You've got the look of a 
long-haul trooper on you. Where'd you work before this little jaunt?"



and:
"Bizarre. I gave it all up to be a Second Engineer on a starship I've
never seen, working for a human I don't know, going somewhere I know 
nothing about with more humans I don't know guiding my path and guarding 
my life for reasons I don't trust...."
	He grins wolfishly. "Kakh tsakha, I love this life!"




Christian van der Merwe:

        "I'm arranging with Count Ger to give all of you a full medical
check-up and range of inoculations. I want to make sure I have good
base records on all of you, in case I need it in the future... Further,
I want to make sure that you are all in tip-top shape. The inoculations
are to make sure that no common bug gives us any trouble.



Eneri DeAith:

  "Any of you given any thought about how we're going to land on the
ringworld?   There's got to be walls on the side, so maybe we can 
match velocities and dock.  If there's an intact transport system on
the ring, maybe we can use it to move our equipment and personnel.
There might even be airlocks on the 'floor'.  Either would be
preferable to landing in a pseudo gravity well.   If we had to leave
in a hurry, I'd rather be able to just 'cut loose' than have to take 
off."

  

Dr. Limner speaks up:
[actually a related conversation]

    "Ah, Mr. Abuko. I was just discussing this matter with Dr. Werner.  I
    believe that gravitic propulsion systems should work on the
    ringworld, since the ring must have a mass, even though it probably
    relies on centripetal acceleration to produce its simulated gravity.
    The fact that there is a lower concentration of mass may cause some
    problems, but we should be able to adjust any gravitic drives to
    compensate for it.  Once we get close to the ring, however, the
    ring's mass should dwarf any gravitic vehicles we are using, and we
    should get the lift we need."

Dr. Limner begins to sit down, then pauses:

    "Of course, getting close to the ring might be a problem."

Dr. Limner sits down then and seems to be looking over the equipment he was
issued.  He pulls out a high-tech set of binoculars and looks into the
eyepiece, withdraws an old-style spyglass and looks through it, then smiles
contentedly.  He then notices that people are looking at him, and speaks out:

    "If you're interested, I have done this sort of thing before, it
    involves focusing the gravitational drives in the direction of the
    star and rather than lessening the gravitational effects, instead
    increasing them.  This would allow you to orbit at the higher orbital
    velocity necessary to match that of the ring.  As all of you probably
    realize already, this is not the way that most gravitational drives
    were designed to operate.  As such, it is a bit less precise.  It
    will let you get close enough to the ring, however.  Of course, I've
    never actually tried it with a RINGWORLD before, only with a rosette
    formation of... but I'm sure nobody is interested in that right now."

Dr. Limner seems to have stopped speaking, but after a while adds one more
thing:

    "Oh, by the way, we don't know what sort of gravitational devices
    were used on the ringworld.  It is quite conceivable that there could
    be devices which would have an adverse effect on gravitic drives.
    They probably wouldn't be running, though."

Another pause:

    "This is all theoretical, though.  Practically, the easiest thing to
    do would be to simply bring the spacecraft close enough to the ring
    for gravitic drives to work, then release the gravitic vehicles.
    This would also be the fastest.  Unless you have some reason for not
    wanting to bring large spacecraft near to the ring.  In case you have
    any fears, we will be able to use gravitic vehicles long before the
    spacecraft get too close to the ringworld."

    "Oh yes, and there was one more thing...  It was something Dr. Werner
    said.  Now what was it?  Oh, that's right.  Even though the
    gravitational drives will operate near the ring, they will need to be
    adjusted signifigantly to compensate for the tremendous rotational
    velocity.  Otherwise they would be almost impossible to control and
    would no doubt either crash or go spinning off into space.  I almost
    forgot about that detail.  I never was good with details."





Count Ger:

I wish to put a request in for one of
the following (depending on availability) (perhaps both a shuttle and
fighter, depending on size).

	1) A system defense boat. ("standard" designs are 400T and are
	thus probably too big to fit in our space). At least one missile
	turret.
	
	2) Heavy Fighter. (6G, Agility-6, missile turret, armoured) This may 
	not be available. Nuclear weapons (combat grade - not dirty), would 
	be the preferred load. Two man ship (pilot+gunner) preferred. 
	Extended duty ship also preferred. (increased crew area, and supplies)
	
	3) Extra "command" shuttle. (6G, agil 3+, armed, missiles again),
	definitely with small cabins. Extended electonics - communications
	and military-grade sensors. Perhaps this could also double as a 
	fuel shuttle for the ship.
	
	4) Fast shuttle (6G).


[These were all approved and brought on board]





Count Ger:

It has recently been drawn to my attention, the possible difficulties in
communications on R-alpha (time lag, and extensive atmosphere).

The actual deployment of our teams will be highly dependant on the conditions
that we observe when we reach R-alpha. It is quite possible that a ship could
be placed in a orbit closer to the sun to act as a relay point, or that the
ringworld may already have some form of relay stations. The point is don't
expect any hard answers until we see the actual conditions.

Has anyone come up with a possible reference system for R-alpha. (We won't
have compass directions - just spinward, and anti-spinward). If we want to
specify a location on the surface, and there isn't any ready landmarks, we
may have to provide a coordinate system origin.

However, until we arrive, and especially before we leave, keep thinking of
any special problems so we can have contingincy plans, and get any needed
special equipment.



Abdul:

How is this for a reference system,  we can have spinward and anti-spinward
for the long dimension of the ring and use port and starboard for left/right
when the viewer is facing spinward.  Use the initial landing site as the
origin of the coordinate system (unless some other significant landmark
presents itself.

As for communications relay,  a ship located close to the sun would cover
most of R-alpha, a second ship located on the oposite side to the first should
be able to cover the rest.

                                   .
     ------------------------------*------------------------------
                                   .

Where the -'s are the ring and the * is the central sun.  the .'s are the
posible locations of ships (stationary positions would be nice but orbiting
should be ok.  So long as the two ships can communicate to each other, the
whole of R-alpha should be visible to radio.  This will make for interesting
time delays of several minutes.  Assuming we do not disperse over the entire
surface of R-alpha, we may not need any kind relay for messages.  This is a
good reason for not dispersing too widely, at least initially.


from Thule
Maybe we can talk our employers into supplying us with some phase/time
locked transponders?  

{Player mode on:  Such a thing exists in 20th century earth}

Idea being if you have two accurate time pieces you can figure out where
you are distance wise from the transponder.  With two or more you
can nail down an fix.     Range depends on how cheap or expensive
you go with it....

[ref:  These are exactly the kind of transponder repeaters sewed
into your uniforms - the ones everyone hastily removed because they
didn't like the idea of being "watched"...]



[character mode on. The conference, an informal gathering. Zben Blaine,
Bhyarrvouf, Dr. Abuko, and Count Ger are there; probably just standing
in a hallway.....]

"Here's the problems as Zben and I see them," Bhyarrvouf says. "We have to
stay in communication with our people in space and our base camp at all 
times, but the structure of R-alpha makes that tough. Sure, there's no
horizon, but there's also much longer air paths for the lasers and a nasty
little wrinkle I have Dr. Morser working on-- the warping of spacetime
by the Sun, which sits right in the middle of our view of the oposite
side of the Ring and distorts the gravitic lines near it, hence bending
our laser beams all over the place!"
	"Now, I had an idea for a cheap and easy way to solve some of these
problems, but I want to bounce it off of you folks first. We need a relay
comsat network, in orbit inside the Ring but away from the Sun a ways, that
can bounce signals around and avoid long atmosphere paths and solar gravity
distortion. I figure six of them should be enough; fewer if we stick to a
small section of the Ring at any one time, maybe as few as one."
	"But here's the neat trick-- they don't have to be expensive relays!
All we need are mirrored balloons, to bounce the laser beams where we want
them to go! A little transponder on each one to help locate them precisely
in space and help the computer do the aiming, and we're in business!"
	"I know it sounds crazy, but think it over first. I've seen this
trick used to boadcast pirate video on worlds where the government was
supposedly in control of all communication. The principles are simple!"
	He grins. "Of course, an orbiting laser relay satellite WOULD be
preferable, but does Turnskaad have one they could spare? Or six?"


>From Zben:
First: I checked the equipment list given and found each
individual had at least a hand communicator, and there are enough Comm
Dots or Remote earpices in stock to supply everybody.
        Second: These units are what we call "frequency agile", with
digital muliplexing available. They'll support a set of five
frequencies, which will be adequate, given the set up I purpose below.
What this means is, that even though a unit may only have a preset for
five channels, they don't all have to be the SAME five channels!
        Third: We really need two different configurations, one for
onboard ship while in transit, and a second set for when we break up
into Away Teams.
        Fourth: There are different needs for voice, video, and data,
at different priority levels.

        Given all that I've come up with these Communication Channel
Assignments. I'm sure you don't want me to go into detail on
frequencies, etc. [8-)] but I can tune the units to comply with this
list, If I'm given the go ahead. Everybody gets 4 channels. Here goes:

                  Shipboard Communication Channels

Channel Code    Memonic         Used by/for

        A       All Call        The Commander, to address everyone
        B       Bosses          Commander and Team Leader conferences
        C       Common          "Party Line Channel, for all"
        D       Docs            Medical and Sciences channel
        E       Engineers       Engineering channel
        F       Flyers          Transport Channel
        G       Guns            Security Channel (encoded)
        H       HELP            Emergency channel to Security&Medics!
        I       Intership       Intership Bridge Link
        J       Jeneralist      Hope Spelling don't count

                 Exploration Communications Channels

        A       All Call        Same Purpose
        B       Bosses          Team Leaders and Commander (via relay)
        C       Charlie         Team #1 (for team members)
        D       Delta           Team #2     "
        E       Echo            Team #3     "
        F       Fox             Team #4     "
        G       Golf            Team #5     "
        H       HELP            Emergency channel & transponders
        I       Intership       Between landing craft
        J       Joker           Team #6     "

                     Data Transmission Channels
                  (for pocket computer links, etc.)
      (may also double for video links, but not simultaniously)

        #1      High Priority & Speed (x4)      For Command Decisions
        #2      Mid Priority/ Hi Speed (x12)    For Intership&Medical
        #3      Mid Priority & Speed (x48)      All other uses.

        the (x__) refers to the number of multiplexed channels
available for that channel. More can be added later, if absolutely
needed and useable.

        "Now that that's set up, I have a few questions that I'd like to
know if anybody thought of....." He pulls out a pocket computer and
starts to punch in numbers. "In doing all this I had to ask about
things like Laser and Maser relays, line of sight, and total distance
the signal will travel, etc. I was at the briefing with the rest of
you, but only now did the scale of this place start to hit me! For one
example, if we put teams on opposite sides of the Ring, do you have
any idea how long communications would take??"( Zben starts pacing,
obviously excited and warming to the task.) "To send any kind of
signal that we can generate from one side of the "world" to another
would take Over 16 Minutes! ONE WAY! (do the math...) I think we need
to think long and hard about how far afield we can send teams!" (He
stops, and smiles) "One good thing though...we won't have to worry
about sending signals "over the horizon"....There isn't any!"



Blaine, Bhyarrvouf,
	I need a couple of examples to help me understand the communications
protocols. Why only 4 channels when 5 are available? What channels would
I get?, a team commander?, a team member? I would also like to see the
team channels carried over to the exploration groups in order for my command
structure to work efficiently.
	As I see it a #3 team member would have the following channels:
		AEH (the other channels could be the team channel, and
		perhaps a public relay channel ie. sent to the ship, etc. 
		eg. "Please connect me with person x" which could then beep
		that person's communicator, and they could talk regardless of
		team assignments (like the party line channel))
	A team leader (same team) could have:
		ABEH (plus his team channel, public relay?)
	I would need:
		ABHI (plus a private relay channel, eg "commo, connect me
		to team 4").

I await your reply.

	-Commander Ger




        Zben mutters over the comp for a few minutes more, with
comments like "...angle of incidence equals angle of reflection..", and
"...orbital velocity doppler shift..", and finally picks his head up.
"Good idea with the relay sats, but I don't think we can use passive
reflectors. One, they couldn't be in "geosync" `cause they'd
litterally be in a differnt orbit. Two, coherent light bounced
off a curved surface would tend to scatter. There are some other
reasons, but those should suffice. Unfortunately, relay sats have
some problems too." He goes back to the comp and calls up more
figures. "However, I could make two other recommendations that might
be marginally better. First, we could "daisy-chain" the team vehicles
together so relay is done by the shortest route available. I would
reccommend this as maybe a back-up plan, as there's a lot that can go
wrong with it. My best plan would involve hard landing two relays on the
top of the "spill-wall" [to borrow a term]  at 120 degrees in each
direction from the primary basecamp. These would be out of the
atmosphere, visible to all, and should be able to supply inter-relay
links avoiding most sun effects."
        "`course, we may find conditions when we get there stranger
than we can believe... I suggest keeps all options open `till we get
there!"

        Zben looks up, expectantly.....




Bhyarrvouf grunts disgustedly at Zben's speech. "Kakh idiot," he says to
himself. "Why didn't I think of that? Must be getting old.... of course
the top of the spillwall is the perfect place for them! Good shot, 
Blaine! And if they were fix mounted, we could actually use modified
ground-relay stations, which are probably cheaper and easier to get than
comsats!" He sniffs. "Still liked the balloon idea, though." Shrug.
"It worked for holovid broadcasts...." Grin.
	"So how's about it, Fearless Leader? Can we strain Turnskaad's
already-bustin' bank accounts and get ourselves two or three surface-
to-orbit laser relays?"




Mr Khervatchkov:
	We would like to request 3-6 very long range communications satellites
for use at R-Alpha. With optional static mounts in case we need to attach them
to the top of R-Alpha itself.

		Commander Ger.

[You got 4]
[This communications plan was approved by the CO]






"I know this is a stupid idea," Bhyarrvouf says apologetically as he 
carefully checks his tool kit and gauntlets, "But I guess I'm superstitious.
I learned engineering from an old drive-hand who'd been cruising the 
Antarean Void and the Julian Worlds for thirty years, and one thing
he used to drum into my head was checking the hull and grids every so often.
'Bhyarrvouf,' he'd say to me, 'The grid *is* the drive; the power plant
and the zuchai crystals are just sauce for the bones. If the grid's bad, 
your jumps're gonna be bad, an' don't you forget it!' He checked the grids
of every ship he ever served on, once when he signed on and twice a year
after that, more often if there'd been battle damage or weathering while
in port." 

He pauses thoughtfully. "The last ship he signed on to was a tramp
freighter, taking him home to die. Her captain treated him as a guest, and
told him he didn't have to work the passage, even for fun. So he got aboard
without checking the grids." Another pause, longer this time, and Bhyarrvouf's
eyes grow bright. "We were watching them as they went into jump, and I'll
never in all my life forget what that ship looked like when she went to
weave-open and there was a dead spot in her grid. Not even any debris to 
recover; one flash and she was pure gamma rays. What a stupid way to die."

He shakes his head and grins. "Stupid old wolf. I talk too much."

'Vouf





Bonjour Lazer,
   Bhyarrvouf and a few others are going EVA and need someone to stand
off in a shuttle in case anything goes wrong.  Do you have time to do
this?  If not let me know and I will fly it.
   I am assuming you don't have any experience piloting ships as large
as the Alcyon.  If I am wrong let me know!
   Allons-y.
			-Etienne




Right now I'm about to cover the outside of the ships with vouf, just
waiting to hear about some combat armour, & so what I need right now
is to get hold of a spaceworthy holo-camera that no-ones going to miss
for a few hours, figure out the instructions on it and get to the main
lock with all my kit checked & ready before Bhyarrvouf does !

- -- 
	Yours Sincerely   : Kimball Redd





###



>From the security folks (I lost their names):
	
	"Who can spend some extra time with me on using this Battle Dress?"

	"I expect to be spending some time going over the Grav Vehicles
         we got.  The Recon and Medevac units are the ones I asked for,
	 the same as I used to use when I was with Gilley's.  The APC is
	 a model I haven't flown, ...yet." (Smile)




"Aye Lazer, I'll talk ta transport for tha team.  You'll be wantin' to talk to
 them about rapid response vehicles, I assume?  I've got a grav-bike on board
 if ya think that might be useful..."




	As all of you are doing your various tasks, Hammer will approach
	you one by one and try to get your attention.

	"Excuse me, but I've been put in charge of cataloging all weapons.
	I'll need to inspect any personal weapons you have. Don't worry,
	any other items I see will not be included in my report."

	 Could everybody please forward a list of their personal weapons to
	me? Please include anything that could be used to stop or injure a
	hostile entity.

	 Thanks..

					Hammer.



We are a team, and I hope that anyone who is temporarily not busy will help
anyone who still has work to do.  That includes people from other teams, if you
are competent to help.
Well, men, let's get to work!

    Lazer, your merciless taskmaster :-)







> Greetings, Commander.
> Security Team has one little nightmare--the ring's anti-meteor defences.
> Something that huge and that thin would have problems with the danger of
> asteroid collisions, and the defences would presumably be automatic and
> unmanned.  Hopefully, it could differentiate between a starship and a asteroid,
> but it might require a recognition code, or id beacon, or something we won't
> have.  We are not armoured against something that can destroy, or maybe just
> deflect, a decent-sized asteroid.  I've mentioned this to my team--but no-one
> has come up with any ideas.
>  
>   Lazer Farouk, out.
>  


I have decided to take a wait-and-see attitude on this. We have a probe that we
will send in first to determine if there are any defenses. There is no way to
stop any planetary-class defenses, so if they are present we will have to
approach from the bottom, match speeds, and hopefully the defenses won't
be smart enough to identify the craft as foreign. This will be done at first
with a shuttle crewed by volunteers.

			-Commander Ger



Here are the specs for that robot that got stuffed on board at the
last minute:

Robot X   4420D-05-MM14-GF63   MCr96.6   154.4kg
Fuel=14  Duration=70h  Tech=14 (fuelcell tech15) Speed=240kmh (as per vehicle
design rules with 0.2 extra gee in thrust)
thrust=200kg
4lt tentacle 1vlt tentacle(with visual,olfactory and audio sensor)
5 visual sensors, 3 with IR, 4 audio with extra sensitivity, 1 olfactory
with extra sensitivity, touch with extra sensitivity, magnetic-, radiation and
neutrino sensors.
Interfaces for power, programs and data. Regional Radio-14, electronic tools
mecanic tools, master/slave modules.
The programs comes in two versions:
1: Electronics-4, Gravitics-3, Gravvehicle-1, Commo-1
2: Mechanic-4, Engineer-3, Gravvehicle-1, Commo-1



- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1135 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1135
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: graphics formats
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 14:27:50 PDT

I know this sounds a little wierd on this list, but...

A PBEM player has asked for a GIF picture of the Alcyon (and I
presume - the other ships also).  I know next to noting about
graphics formats, transmitting and transmuting them, making pictures
available.

I do not have access to a Sun (except Sol) :-(.  I do have access to
an Amiga and can make a picture in IFF format.  If people are
interested enough, I will do that and put it on the list for people
to look at.

I don't want to do this unless someone volunteers to alter formats
so that other people (beside Amiga owners) can view it too.
Any takers?

- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1136 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1136
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 15:47:07 EST
From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
Subject: Re: ARRRRGGGH! (Ship Design)

The new format is twice as complicated as the old (high guard) rules, which
were themselves a nightmare. I don't have a program to do ship designs,
(Though I have been working on one for a while - We could form A new 
subgroup "Ship Design" :-).

Here are some tips that I use for designing ships:

The old (High guard) rules used to allow you to break things down into
percentage based, and non-percentage. Thus allowing you a quick calculation
for approx. hull size...No more, you have to guess at the hull size. (Not
a good tip I know)

The sensor/communications choices are quite complex, but there are essentially
two types of suites, Military (one of everything please), and Non-Military
(Radio (Laser), and medium range EMS). You should set up sensor pacakges
for your design style for each tech level in the two formats. Thus when
you design a tech 14 military ship, you just read off the line on your chart
which already has the cost, price, weight, and power worked out. You can then
list any modifications to the basic package.

Armour: Armour is only effective (for starships) in increments of three. 
(40,41 and 42, are all the same for starhip combat). Civian ships which want 
agility, (and are price consious) cannot have extra armour.

Design the craft in this order: Hull, armour, locomotion, senors/commo, 
weapons, computer. Calculate the engergy reqiurements for life support on 
the entire ship's volume. Gravity/compensators for total volume minus jump 
fuel volume. Compute the non-agility power requirements, and enter the power 
plant info. Estimate the crew size, anc compute the weight required. Using the
following formula:
	(Required agility)*(Ship's mass so far)
	---------------------------------------
			5.4
			
Compute the power required to get the agility you want. Then compute the
size of the power plant (round up), and use it''s mass in the above equation 
instead of the ships to get the power required for the extra mass of the power 
plant. Repeat until the power is less than approx. 1% of the total.
Now compute the fuel required for the power plant (30 days is not essential, if
you only have 20 day's worth, it may be O.K). Calucate the purification plant
plant weight and power, and the savings on gravity/compensators for not
including the power plant fuel. If the net energy and weight aren't close
(using the above formula) either increase the purification time (especially if
the ship is not streamlined), or go back to the power plant calulations
increasing the ship's mass accordingly.
Now compute the exact crew requirements, and the control panel for the ship.
(If you wish - recompute your power plant, power fuel, grav/intertial, and 
purifier based on these new totals). Otherwise, add all your totals up, check
that the agility, and volume is still O.K. And you can now write up the
description. (Remember all thoroughout this you should keep an eye on the
volume requirements, so you can see if your hull estimate is off).

	Easy huh? This is the point where you find out that you really can't
get a TL15 ship, and it has to be TL14....time to cry.

One last tip. There are points on the charts for energy levels, batteries
bearing, etc. that an extra/fewer couple of units of size, energy, etc. can 
make a big difference. (For example I was deigning a 45T fighter, when I
started to write it up, I discovered that it's 1100 Mw power plant, even with
E-M maksking, made it a Moderate energy output on a scan. By redesigning it
to 40T (and a 990 Mw power plant, the energy output dropped two levels to None).


Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan

-------- TML Message #1137 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1137
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:19:22 EST
From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
Subject: Re: Graphics Formats

I can convert from the following formats:
	Pc paintbrush, doodlebrush, CMU window manager bitmap, Group 3 Fax,
	GEM .img file, Sun icon, MacPaint, MGR bitmap, PICT, X10 or X11 bitmap,
	X10 or X11 window dump, FITS, Usenix FAcsSaver, HIPS, Postscript 
	"image", TIFF, GIF, Amiga IFF ILBM, Img-whatnot, Mark VanDeWettering's
	ray tracer output, QRT ray tracer output, Sun raster, TrueVision Targa,
	Colour X11 or X10 window dump.
	
To these formats:
	Group 3 Fax, ASCII graphics, BitGraph, CMU window manager, Graphon,
	Sun Icon, HP LaserJet, MacPaint, MGR bitmap, Printronix, Sun Raster,
	X10 or X11 bitmap, X11 window dump, UPC bitmap?, FITS, Encapsulated
	Postscript, GIF, Amiga IFF ILBM, colour X11 window dump.

I haven't tested many of these formats (or know what a lot of them are for
that matter), so I don't guarantee anything, but I do have conversion
programs...

If you can give me a Amiga IFF ILBM file, whatever that means, (or any of the 
other formats for that matter), anyone who needs any of these output 
formats, can get an appropriate image from me.

				-Dan

Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan


-------- TML Message #1138 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1138
From: "Brent L. Woods" <woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: IFF, GIF formats
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 4:03:57 EST

[I adjusted the subject line to something more meaningful -- James]

 In message number 1137, Dan Corrin writes:
 >
 >I haven't tested many of these formats (or know what a lot of them are for
 >that matter), so I don't guarantee anything, but I do have conversion
 >programs...
 >
 >If you can give me a Amiga IFF ILBM file, whatever that means, (or any of the

     It means Interchange File Format InterLeaved Bit Map.

 >other formats for that matter), anyone who needs any of these output
 >formats, can get an appropriate image from me.

     As a matter of fact, I can handle converting from IFF to GIF format
also.  I have an Amiga, so I *know* I can deal with an IFF file.  I have
the software necessary for conversion to/from GIF, too.


- --
     Brent

INTERNET:  woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu  /  USENET:  pur-ee!gn.ecn.purdue.edu!woodsb
FIDONET:  Brent.Woods@p303.f40.n201.z1.fidonet.org  (from Internet)  or
          Brent Woods@1:201/40.303  (from FidoNet)
USNAIL:  320 Brown St., #406  /  W. Laf., IN  47906
PHONE:  +1 (317) 743-8421 (voice)





-------- TML Message #1139 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1139
Date:     Monday 19th March 1990 12:10:21 GMT
From: Alan Huscroft <ASSHUSCR%cms.am.cc.reading.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject:  More thoughts about thrusters

Richard Johnson comments on my idea about rotating thruster plates:
 
> Actually, I think the big deal with fixed thruster plates is
> that GDW didn't want to figure out the physics of fully
> articulated thrusters.  I think it would be realy neat --
> you could run fast, stop on a dime, and perform marvelous
> acts of death-defying agility (a la Hawker Harriers).
 
This wasn't quite what I had in mind.  I was thinking more along the
lines of rotating the plates *slowly*, and probably turning off each
plate while you rotate it.  Since any naval architect worthy of the
name ought to install at least 2 plates on any vessel, you would
always have a minimum of 50% thrust even with one plate turned off.
Larger ships would have a whole series of plates which could be turned
off and rotated one at a time with only a small loss of thrust.
Thus the ship does not become super-agile or anything like that ...
just a little more comfortable to handle.
 
> I just can't justify any contraption that would be able to
> take the force and allow the thruster to move around inside
> the ship.  Not to mention what moving this big thing is
> going to do to your center of gravity and bending moments.
 
Why not have *retractable* bracing which could be taken out of the
way while the plate is switched off and rotating, and extended again
when it is in the desired position?  This would probably mean that
the plates could only be used in a few set orientations, as the
bracing allowed (e.g. aft-, belly- or forward-pointing).  Personally,
I feel that TL 14 engineering ought to be able to cope with this.
 
............................................................................
: Alan Huscroft              : Janet:    A.Huscroft@uk.ac.reading          :
: Reading, England           : Internet: A.Huscroft@reading.ac.uk          :
: 6-G takeoffs AND landings! : X-boat:   A.Huscroft@terra.sol.solomani_rim :
:............................:.............................................:
 
"Let's keep some aesthetic values in starship design ...
 ... and blow every Donosev class vessel out of the skies!" :-)

-------- TML Message #1140 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1140
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: Vehicle Design
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 10:00:08 EST

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

[The TML has a few (half-dozen) starship designs in the archives.  If
anyone wishes to get them, send me mail asking for the Starship Design
Packages -- James <traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com>]

Does there exist somewhere an archive of MT starship designs?   I
would like to see some examples besides the ones in the MT Referee's
Guide.    I know about The Digest Group's offerings and (someday)
plan to order it.

I have (among 50 other projects I'm working on) started creating a
program (unix curses based) to aid in the design of MT starships.  
It will be a long time before it is ready for consumption though.


- -- 
- ------------------------------> Peter L. Berghold
        ----------------------> AT&T, HRSAG, +1 (201) 615-4419
             -----------------> INTERNET: plb@violin.att.com 
                    ----------> UUCP: {uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb

-------- TML Message #1141 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1141
Subject: IFF, GIF and transferring files
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 90 09:04:34 +0000
From: Jim Cheetham <is_a063%ux.kingston.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>

>   >If you can give me a Amiga IFF ILBM file, whatever that means, (or any of t
>
>       It means Interchange File Format InterLeaved Bit Map.
>

	OK Dan, Brent, I'll also mention that I can convert loadsa graphics
	formats, including colour to grayscale and straight b/w.
	But then again, it sounds like you all have got fbm, pbm, bmx et. al.
	(the conversion libraries)
	
	Only one new point to add - be *damn* careful when transferring
	images to/from each other ... make sure all files are transferred
	as binary images within FTP, or,if you're resorting to mailing
	them, find a mutual binary-to-ascii converter ...
	
	There's nothing worse than going through all the file transfers
	and conversions, and then finding that the original file was
	junked ...
	
	Rather like delivering an important passenger through thick & thin,
	taking loadsa risks to get them to their destination, and then
	finding that they die from a heart attack just before they pay ...
	and you don't have any friends around ...
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     _____               (JANET) jcheetham@uk.ac.kingston
    (__ __) O  ______    (local) is_a063@ux.king
   (____)  (_)(_)()(_)   (voice) (+44) 1 549 1366 x2690
   Jim Cheetham, ISD Kingston Polytechnic.
   "... nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------- TML Message #1142 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1142
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 90 15:59:27 EST
From: Chris Bartlett (Mouser) <cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: e-mail address


Greetings all,

	Some folks have been having trouble with my address.  Mail me at:

	cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu

I'm still catching up on the pbm stuff...

			Chris



-------- TML Message #1143 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1143
Subject: Graphics formats
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 90 15:47:37 PST
From: Leonard Erickson <leonard@tessi.UUCP>

If you can get the IFF image to me, I have a program that *should* allow
me to convert it to both GIF and MacPaint. That should cover just about
anybody. (The Macpaint file may be BW only though)


-------- TML Message #1144 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1144
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 90 22:48:45 CST
From: Alan David Mead <mead@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: books

[Disclaimer:  ***Warning:Virgin Posting***]

I have been listening in for a few months now and I have failed to hear
anything about science fiction relevant to Traveller.  Doesn't anybody
read fiction?  Of course you do; does anyone have a list of
"recommended readings?"

Well regardless, I'd like to start with one book of short stories that
seems to me so close to Traveller in "format" that it could have
spawned it:

_Star Swarm_ by Brain Aldiss

I am now looking into his (literally) mountain of stories to see if any
others are as applicable (_Star Swarm_ is a collection of previously
published stories).  Another similar Aldiss collection that seems
germane is _Galaxies Like Grains of Sand_.

- -alan mead : mead@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu
           : mead@uiucvmd 


-------- TML Message #1145 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1145
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 90 21:44 EST
From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Xboats, interstellar messaging, and YOU!

Learned Travellers-

Senario:

       Dr. Sigmund Starpuppy, noted Sophontologist, wishes to send a manuscript
       to his friend in a system 6 parsecs distant.

How does he do this?  What does it costs?  What choices does he have?

Is there an Imperial Postal Service?  If not, what is the "official" groundside
interface to the Xboats?  What sorts of private companies are involved?  What
about securities and other monetary stuff?

How do you folks handle the nuts and bolts of this sort of communication?

- -Bob,   UnOfficial Asker of Questions Odd

BobMah@PSC.bitnet  (a fun place)

-------- TML Message #1146 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1146
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM addresses (again)
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 90 11:35:44 PDT

My apologies for using the list for this - but it is the best and
fastest way to make sure everyone who plays gets it.  

All hail Tektronix for sponsoring the TML!
All hail JamesP for putting up with the PBEM!



- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Here's some addresses to try for those troublesome folks.  I gleaned
this list from some requests for changes and help, and from looking
at folks' mail headers.  I'm glad I'm not the only one with a
recalcitrant keyboard.  :-)


Eneri De Aith  (Bob Moynihan)
	moynihan_r@apollo.hp.com
	moynihan_r@apollo%hp.com


Christian van der Merwe  (Nick Sylvain)
	uunet!dayton.bitnet!sylvain$n
	sylvain@udcps2.cps.udayton.edu
	sylvain$@dayton.bitnet

	The first address is preferred.  It is a strictly bitnet scheme,
	and if you are on internet-only type systems, it will not work.
	The last address sometimes works from uucp systems, not always
	though because it might pass through an internet node.  Use the
	second address as a last resort.  It usually takes one or two
	days longer for mail to get to Nick this way.


Dr. Werner (Ron Abramson)
        rona@hpml92.hp.com
		rona%hpdml92.hp.com@udel.edu

		Make sure your alias uses the letter `l' not the number `1'.
		Some of you (and me initially) have a 1 in there.  I have no
		idea where this goes.. sometimes it bounces.


Adrian Bishop (Mark Cook)
        markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com
		markc%hpcvss.cv.hp.com@udel.edu

		Make sure that you have hpcvss, not hbcbss or some other
		strangeness.  Also make sure you have `markc' not `mark' --
		that goes to someone else in the same building who is
		getting weary of reading Mark's mail.


Abdul (Paul Dale)
		grue@lance.hss.bu.oz.au
        grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au

		I don't know which of these he prefers; he answers both
		fairly promptly.  Paul is in Australia, so it *always* takes
		a couple of days to get a response.


Andon Shrike (Brian Gillespe)
		bgillesp@beast.prime.com
        
		We are trying bgillesp@cvbnet.prime.com in case the first
		fails.  DONT USE bgillesp@beast.prime.com%cunyvm.cuny.edu
		because CUNY bounces it.  Also don't use bgillesp@beast --
		that will send it to Unix World magazine and they'll send me
		more nasty-grams (although they are getting intrigued with
		his mail :-).)


Anton Devious (Rob Miracle)
		uunet!ulkyvx.bitnet!rwmira01
		rwmira01@ulkyvx.bitnet
		uunet!ulkyvx.bitnet!rmwira01@sun.acs.udel.edu

		Make sure you get the end name spelled right.  It's `mira'
		as in Miracle (at least that's how I finally remembered it.)


Sergeant Major Hammer (Rory Reynoldson)
		uunet!frith!upba!rory

		We are currently testing rory@upba%frith.uu.net  and I will
		tell those who have asked if it works (if they haven't
		already tested it.)


Fritz Severin (Jim Baranski)
        baranski@meredn.enet.dec.com

		The name is `Jim' not `Ed'.  My humble apologies.  Be sure
		you don't have `meredin' in the address; there is no i.


 Ralf (Steve Owens)
		jscratch@eklektik.pgh.pa.us
		jscratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu

		Steve prefers the first address.  Use the second if the
		first one fails.



Alas, some people are no longer with us.  Some simply are gone for a
week or two instead (Hope you had a good vacation, because play time
is officially starting.)

Among those called to higher duties:

Bortai Narayanan (Cynthia Lee)
		ln63w7@sdcc4.ucsd.edu

Kevin McFadden (no character approved)
		fkam_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu


Folks who have a really hard time getting/sending mail or limited
time to play.  These folks are listed to remind us that they might
show up later :-) :

Derek MaColl
	derek%uk.ed.cs.tardis@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk

Eric Halil
	erich@uqspe.cs.uq.oz.au

Robert Harris
	uunet!andrew.cmu.edu.rh1+

Steven Fellows
	sfellows@csm9a.colorado.edu


Finally, I'll confess to an NPC.
Ian Thomas (Richard Johnson)
	richard@agora.hf.intel.com
	richard@oresoft.uu.net


Play note:  I am going to deliberately drag my feet about letting
you guys into jump space for the next week or so.  I want to make
sure everyone has had time to see the turns up till now and to catch
up on whatever they need to.  It won't be fun for some of you to
keep marking time - but, well, .... tough.

So far only one character has reported to sick bay, as ordered, for
his/her physical.  Let's get with it.  Send your physical stats and
notes to Dr. Van Der Merwe or me, if you can't get through to him.

I'll send out information on how we'll handle the pilot/nav
simulations Etienne is running.
- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1147 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1147
Subject: Re: (1144) books 
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 90 13:01:39 PST
From: James T Perkins <jamesp@metolius.WR>


Thanks for your posting, hope everyone feels free to ask questions here
on the list.

Try Poul Anderson, maybe a collection of short stories like "Trader to
the Stars" or "The Long Night", both of which I've read and enjoyed.
Although they are a bit dated compared to today's cyberpunk and other
advanced technologies, many of Anderson's ideas seemed to be adopted and
appear in one form or another in Traveller.  I especially like how he
brings planetography, starship operation and economics issues to the
stories.

I'll take a look at Brian Aldiss; thanks for the reference.  I'm sure
metlay, Cunningham, Mac et al will have lots of sugggested reading.  I
particularly like merchant stories.

James

BTW, if anyone wants to post book short reviews of books that seem
particularly parallel to the Traveller universe, please recognize that
this list welcomes such submissions.

-------- TML Message #1148 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1148
From: wilson_m_liaw@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Reading list.
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 90 23:37:21 EDT

	Well, since James mentioned my name in his message. I guess I should
at least post something.

	Here are some of the sci-fi books I thought it would be interesting
to Traveller GMs. 

	Ringworld by Larry Niven,
	Berserker series by fred Saberhagen,
	any book by Pohl Frederick,
	Venus Prime by Paul Presus,
	
	You can find lots of interesting ideas from books. The hard part is
to improvise it instead of just copy it directly. In fact, some of the
Cyberpunk stuff I'm reading are great help as far as the implementaion of
bionics in my adventures. 

				Mac

-------- TML Message #1149 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1149
From: wilson_m_liaw@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: 2300 New stuff report
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 90 23:41:05 EDT

	Death Watch program has been released. It's a adventure for 2300 AD 
which takes place on Earth. The players are hired to do a simple job,
Easy money, really. Of couse, what they find after they come home really
freaks them out. I'll stop here, but this adventure is very well done.


	Coming up next for 2300 AD is "Rotten in the Core", yet another
Cybertech style adventure, due out in June. Keep your eyes open, boys and
girls. (grin)

				Mac

-------- TML Message #1150 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1150
From: wilson_m_liaw@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: DGP release
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 90 23:44:28 EDT

	MegaTraveller Aliens Source Book has been released and hit the market.
Run, don't walk, to your local game dealer and take a look.

	Also, from GDW, the Imperium Fighting Ships has also been released.
I recommand you check it out. Next product on the line from GDW is 
"Knightfall", due out the 2nd half of the year. (I think)

		This has been a public service brought to you by....



					Mac

PS:I don't work for either GDW nor DGP, so there! Insert your favorite
   disclamer here!

   [Well, Mr. Mac, you've made that point quite clear! :-)  Thanks for
   the notices! Too bad your mail rolled through at 8:45pm, just 15
   minutes too late to cause a digest to be sent tonight.  -- James,
   Friday night]

-------- TML Message #1151 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1151
From: wilson_m_liaw@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: questions.
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 90 4:23:44 EDT

	I have a few questions.

	one: how many people on the list plays 2300?

	two: In an adventure, what do you find exciting? In another word,
	     What makes a good adventure?

				Thanks,
					The wondering Mac. (grin)

-------- TML Message #1152 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1152
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 90 15:20 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Good books, good reads, good adventures.


My 2 credits' worth: (Dang, getting one's name mentioned as an "authority"
can loosen one's tongue! |-> )

I don't read. Seriously, I don't. I write and perform my own music, create
my bown gaming adventures and rules, and occasionally write for gaming
magazines, when I'm not working on my thesis. I stopped reading assiduously
right about the time that Spider Robinson was first published, if that tells
you anything. Among the various people whom y'all probably worship whose
stuff i've never opened are David Brin, Jack Chalker, William Gibson, and
a young fellow I used to be friends with back in my SF-fan days, who shared
dreams with me but actually DID something about them too, Somtow Sucharitkul.
Such is life; I anticipate even less time for this stuff after I'm married,
as I expect Suzanne to drive me mercilessly to finish my album and the stuff
I've been preparing for GDW and/or DGP. (Behind every successgful man there
stands a woman with a well-aimed meat fork--sigh....)

As for what I USED to read, well, that's straightforward.... try Heinlein
of any vintage. His view of women borders on the psychotic, but the rest
of it is good fodder for space opera. I highly recommend E.E. "Doc" Smith,
as he was the man who CREATED (in the 1920's!) all of the space opera 
ideas we now consider cliched. Larry Niven, with or without Pournelle,
bandies about some good ideas, as do Poul Anderson and Fritz Lieber.
For more generalized background, I also recommend books from outside of
SF; Ian Fleming's James Bond books are wonderful, at least the first
ten or so. I also recommend, for those of you with strong stomachs and
a sick twist to your psyches, Carlos Castaneda for psionics and Yukio
Mishima for one man's view of an aristocracy. If you can read his last
four books (the "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy, comprised of SPRING SNOW,
RUNAWAY HORSES, THE TEMPLE OF DAWN, and THE DECAY OF THE ANGEL, the last
being completed on the morning he committed public suicide in the 
traditional manner) without throwing up, then you're either too jaded to
live or you've just gotten some GREAT game fodder, or both. 

I'm curious about the new releases; are reviews forthcoming, Mac? there
aren't any game stores to speak of in Tennessee....

And on "what constitutes a good adventure," I favor mysteries to be solved,
a great deal of personal interaction and character development, intricate
plots, and brief, sudden, and highly unpleasant bits of violence to keep
things hopping. I keep my characters relatively poor and weak, give and
take away riches and power quite casually, and hit them with foes that are
too powerful for them, secure in the knowledge that gamers of the calibre
of those with whom I play will always improve themselves to the point of
being able to handle things before the situation becomes hopeless. I pace
things quickly, and I never open a rule book if I can help it. 

metlay

PS. Oops, almost forgot: GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon and DHALGREN
    by Samuel R. Delany. Both good head-straighteners.

-------- TML Message #1153 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1153
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 90 10:19:54 EST
From: Paul Dale <grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au>
Subject: My email address

hiya,

My email address was recently posted as one of these:

>Abdul (Paul Dale)
>		grue@lance.hss.bu.oz.au
>        grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au
>
>		I don't know which of these he prefers; he answers both
>		fairly promptly.  Paul is in Australia, so it *always* takes
>		a couple of days to get a response.

Well, I much prefer the second one.  The first address just extends the distance
the message has to travel (and extends the time by at least two hours :-), the
message is sent from here to the address only to be bounced back.  The first
address is also of a TEMPORARY nature.

Could anyone who has an alias for me, make sure it is the second one above that
is used.

As to response time: if everything goes well, you can expect a response
overnight.  If not it may take as long as a week or rarely longer :-(.




							Pauli (Abdul)
seeya
SNIF

Paul Dale               | Internet/CSnet:            grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au
Dept of Computer Science| Bitnet:       grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Uni of Qld              | JANET:           grue%batserver.cs.uq.oz.au@uk.ac.ukc
Australia, 4067         | EAN:                          grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz
                        | UUCP:           uunet!munnari!batserver.cs.uq.oz!grue
f4e7g4Qh4++             | JUNET:                     grue@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au

-------- TML Message #1154 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1154
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 90 14:29 EST
From: News and Views from the Void in Boyd <BRUCER%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: TML nightly: Msgs 1152-1152 V2#8

>Subject: (1152) Good books, good reads, good adventures.

        TiskTiskTisk, Metlay (I'd be stronger, but there may be children
looking in...)! No Reading? Reading is the only thing that gets me through a
typical day. Even if its only for 15 minutes before falling asleep (yes, I am
married...luckily my wife reads too!). Oh, well, I'm sure you'll get back in
the habit soon......

        About books, etc.: I must say I agree with your taste in authors. RAH
was one of my all time favorite writers, even with his somewhat distorted views
concerning women (he was, after all, a product of his generation...). And
E.E."Doc Smith ranks right up there! Not only his more famous LENSMAN and
SKYLARK series, but for intrigue and plots that translate Directly into a
MegaTraveller universe, read his "Family D'Lambert" series (SP? Im not home and
don't have the books in front of me) . Here is a whole family of Covert agents,
wandering the galaxy and doing the Emperor's dirty work disguised as a
travelling circus! IRIS would be proud....
        Another name I can add to the list is Jo Clayton. Her "Skeen" trilogy
may start on on world (with some Very Strange aliens....), but it ends up as a
far reaching Galactic Trip. Also, Skeen's occupation is one that could fit in
well...she's a "rooner" (sp?), that is she makes a living finding artifacts and
art objects, for a price.
        And, for all you Space Opera buffs, I can also offer John Campbell
(yes, THE John Campbell: He wasn't always an editor/publisher), especially his
"The Dark Star Passes".
        Well, that should keep you reading for a while. Most of you....
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
        Bruce T. Ritchie (Brucer@PSC.Bitnet) AKA: Zben Blaine
        Plymouth State College
        Plymouth, N.H. USA
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Pay NO attention to that               The Wizard Of Oz
man behind the Curtain!"                (And GM's everywhere...)

-------- TML Message #1155 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1155
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 90 17:18:50 PST
From: John Wilber <wilber%sal-sun48.usc.edu@usc.edu>
Subject: World UPP's

A while ago there was a lot of discussion about downloading some
sector UPP's from GEnie.  Well, I just noticed a simple and elegant
solution.  In the _World_Builder's_Handbook (I think that's the title)
from DGP, there is a mention of some disks that one can order with the
world building process automated and another set of disks with the
UPP's for several *sectors* on them.  The cost was $24.95 for each set
of disks.

This strikes me as being considerable easier and more legal than
downloading the stuff from GEnie.  It would probably be cheaper, too.

/************************************************************************\
* John J. Wilber        * Perfect paranioa is perfect awareness!         *
* wilber@nunki.usc.edu  * "I'm a pessimstic cynic- I guess that makes me *
* student, partier, and * a realist."                                    *
* fun-loving guy.       *                                 Unknown        *
\************************************************************************/




-------- TML Message #1156 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1156
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 09:51 EST
From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Xboats (again), GDW, Barbarians, and stuff

[A quick note -- I'll be away from Thursday through Tuesday this weekend
on vacation in Seattle, so I won't be able to answer any messages until
I get back.  The list software should carry on normally, though --
James]

Well, now that we are "digested", there doesn't seem to be much point in
separating messages by content, so engage your ramble screens...

- ---

No one ever answered my question about the costs to characters of using X-boat
communication.  (I was deeply hurt)  To recap:  "What is the cost of sending a
message to a friend several parsecs distant, and what procedures do you use in
your campaigns?"  (You aren't letting them do it for *free*, are you?)

- ---

This weekend, ignorant barbarians entered my car and stole my suitcase full of
Traveller gear, along with less important stuff like my driver's license and
checkbook.  (a pox upon their houses!)  Lucky for me, the large words involved
caused the criminals to dump the Traveller books in the woods not far away from
my house, which I found the next day.  (Saved!)

I did have a few frantic moments, though, and I called GDW to see how much of
the out-of-print stuff could still be had.  (Thanks again to those of you who
helped me get this stuff in the first place!)  I was a little suprised to have
Marc Miller answer the phone, and he was real helpful.  He offered to handle my
order himself, saying he knew where some of what I needed was gathering dust.
Real nice, you know?

The cool thing about all this is that I don't have to balance my checkbook this
month...   (For a moment there I thought I was off the hook for my much-delayed
TJ-Transport deck plans, but I guess you have to take the good with the bad.)

- ---

I have a copy of the "Vilani & Vargr" Aliens module.  I like it.  There are
very, very helpful sections for each race, giving a couple of pages of
excellent roleplaying examples for each.  Also, non-human races are completely
illustrated (yes, a Vargr bikini would be silly).  There are nice examples of
Vargr starship technology- maybe 6 ships, with stats.  There are also deck
plans for the much-feared Corsair.  Pretty ok product.  I found the Vargr more
interesting than I thought I would, and the Vilani less so.  (IMHO)

Are there release dates for the rest of the series?

Does anyone have any first-hand information on GDW's "Fighting Ships", or DGP's
"The Black Duke"?

- ---

- -Bob Mahoney              bobmah@psc.bitnet

(Beware of wandering, illiterate hordes in this area.)

-------- TML Message #1157 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1157
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 11:46 EST
From: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Black Globes

It is written:

 (cue the organ)

That the Imperium found 2000 small black globe generators, and that they have
installed them on some Imperial ships, and worked to make less efficient models
for use on other Imperial ships.  (Adventure 12 - Library Data)

Why is it that none of the published ship descriptions I have seen (excepting
one Challenge article on a secret fleet- "Operation Blackheart", I think),
detail the installation of BG's?  Where did they go?  Not fashionable in MT?

Is the Imperium using them, or not?  On what class of ships?

If the Imperium doesn't have them, who might?  Anything published on this?
Does anyone have any play experience in a campaign that contained Black Globes?

I'm really not sure I would want one in the hands of characters...

- -BobMah@psc.bitnet

-------- TML Message #1158 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1158
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 12:22:36 EST
From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
Subject: Core & Repairs

My players are on their way towards the core, in a small expedition.

Their governments gave them all a nice budget, and they have gone and
purchased the best equipment that money could buy (TL 14, 15, and a
couple examples of TL 16). They are going to be many parsecs from
a TL13+ planet, and want to carry some "Electonic and mechanical spares".
I am not going to let them get off that easily: The following is a plan
I have for repairs, I would appreciate your comments, and any comments
you would have on what the planets would be like towards the core. After
all, there is no empire that way, the ancients, as far as I know didn't
proceed overly far in that direction.

Optional repair rules:

Assume:
1) All equipment can be broken down into 4 types: Mono-material, simple, 
complex, and highly complex.
2) There are only a limited number of "critical" parts, the rest can be
fashoned from generic spare parts. e.g. your TV has some ciritals, Picture
tube, tuner, flyback transformer, etc. However a lot of the secondary
circuitry can be repaired with a good selection of standard electronic parts.

Rules:
Any time damage results, roll once on the critical part tables per 10%
damage done to the object, re-rolling most duplicates. Each critcal part 
should appear once on the chart, have an average value of 5% of the price of 
the entire object, and be placed on the table in a semblance of frequency of
damage. 
Note that spare parts of one tech level difference, increase the repair task 
difficulty by one level. Otherwise use the standard repair tasks. A higher 
tech level will have parts on hand for 1-3 tech levels lower, and can 
fabricate parts of many tech levels lower. A lower tech level will have 
limited ability to produce items at the next tech level. 
Most parts, with time, may be able to be fabricated from their componet parts, 
others should be so indicated (eg. Lanthium grid, no lanthium, no repair).

Table examples:

Mono-material: e.g. Chair
	Table? - Only a limited amount of material types. A piece of wood,
	metal etc. is all you need (plus the corrrect tools to cut and
	otherwise shape the material, and fasten it together).

Simple: eg. Fuse Box
	Use an equal, probability table, d3, d6, d10, etc. depending on the
	number of "critial" parts. Multiple occurences are common.
	eg: 1) Fuse 2) Socket 3) Casing 4) Wire

Complex: Eg. TV
	Use 2 dice probability table, 2d3, 2d6, 2d10, etc. very few parts
	will be multiple occurences.
	eg: 2) Speaker 3) Chassis 4) Horizontal control 5) Transformer
	6) Tuner 7) Knobs 8) Picture Tube 9) Automatic adjustment
	10) Vertical Control 11) Amplifier 12) Sync Circuit
	
Highly Comples: Eg. Jump Drive
	Use either 3 die table, or use 2 die with subtables
	(e.g. 8-fusion plant, and generate a table for this, or conviently
	use a table already generated. eg computer could use TV table for
	a monitor).

Notes:

Not all the parts need to be named (I'm not a starship drive engineer), and
made-up names can be just as good. "It's the Flux-amplifer captain"

The most common parts, could be the least expensive or the most depending on
how delicte the machine is, and how mean you are.

These rules assume you use the x% damaged results, and that the material cost
is approx. 1/2 the repair cost - the rest is labour, which the PC's are
supplying.

These rules allow the PC a contol over what spare parts they are getting. 
They can estimate based on the table, if they really need to get that
spare amplifier circuit for their holodisplay.

Maintenace to equipment could also use these tables, to repace a single part,
or a good mechanic after examining the equpment, may be given the results of
one die roll, so they can have an idea where the next failure will
probably occur. (Uncertain task).

	-Dan

Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan

-------- TML Message #1159 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1159
Subject: Re: Co-refereeing?
Date: 28 Mar 90 10:55:31 EST (Wed)
From: William Ricker <wdr@wang.COM>

Several references.  I hope at least one is helpful.

(1) Our very-deviant traveller game is split into two region of space.
The founding GM shows up here occaisionally, Cap'n Paul GAZIS.  The original
campaign has the higher tech level of the two, but is still several levels 
below normal Imperial games.  And is currently having a minor war fought over
a planet near the "border" (Zoo region) of the Scarp, the backwater in which
the TL 9-11 game is set.  This is very low interaction co-development.

(2) the grand old MIT game Eastern Isles has not only had multiple GMs for
the main game, as the refs graduated, but has split into parallel regions,
with a Ref per island.  (Not traveller, and not D&D; a unique FRPG rulset,
which is classified -- only the Ref's have been formally briefed as to what
the rules are.)  They've also had a sub-GM for character generation.

(3) My wife and I are coGMing a GURPS Fantasy campaign.  I handle mechanics,
she handles characterization, we share plotting.  This works failry well.
Advice about not arguing in front of the players previously given is very
good.  Conspiring in advance about likely plot occurences is wise!
   We synergize well because my wife is a storyteller, and the world we 
game in is her invention, but she has no experience in GMing and no desire 
to learn any rulessystem well enough to have it intrude in her relationship
with the fantasy.  Her training is comparative mythology and anthropology,
mine in math/analytical skills.  So I figure out how to make climatolgically
sound continents and a sound local economy, and figure out how to make her 
ideas of magic fit into a playable game.   She invents characers and plots
with which to tantalize the players.

(5) Lee & Barry Gold (publishers of Alurums & Excursions, an RPG APAzine)
coGM everything they play, almost.  When Lee GMs, she has Barry play key
NPCs; she briefs him in advance or slips him notes etc as necc.  When Barry
ran a Chivalry and Sorcery game (ghods, I'm dating them!), Lee would spin
off a dozen or more possible plot twists that she could conceive of as
extensions of the last play session before the other players showed up.
He would pick one or embroider between on his own as GM, while she played
as a normal player, happily mystified as to which he was using.
    (This is paraphrased from a recent note of Lee's in either A&E, her mag,
or The Wild Hunt, the east coast (amiable) "competition", whose address
has been given here before.)  Lee's address available on request to
anyone who wants to send her a few bucks for a sample issue...

(5) A couple we know, Dan & Nancy, (who also play in the deviant traveller),
(not so) recently ran an INteractive Literature weekend game together.  I'm
not sure how they divided the work; but I gather IL games usuaully require
multiple referees, since a dozen or more players are interacting in knots
throughout the hotel.

(6) Can someone at Princeton get a Princecon GM to report on how they
have multiple GMs of their Fantasy RPG system running threads or sub-quests
of one plot?  (Princecon is a weekend long RPG con with all games inter-
related.  Foolcon was similar while it lasted, but smaller.  Both are
like IL or Mystery Weekend games, but of the sit-around-the-table RPG
variety, rather than the wander-around-the-hotel-dressed-funny (IL/MW)
variety.




- ---
bill ricker 
wdr@wang.com a/k/a wricker@northeastern.edu
*** Warning: This account not authorized to express opinions ***

-------- TML Message #1160 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1160
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Fleet Escort Deck Plans?
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 13:26:12 PST

I need the collective memory of TML readership to help me out on this one.

Somewhere in the last 2 months, I recall seeing deck plans for the P.F. Sloan
class Fleet Escort (you know, as illustrated in "Supplement 9: Fighting Ships"
and "The Spinward Marches Campaign").  I don't remember whether it was in an
issue of Challenge or Traveller's Digest, or in a DGP or GDW product.  Maybe
it was in one of those "Officially approved for use with Traveller" offshoots.
But I KNOW I saw it somewhere!

If one of you happens to remember seeing this thing, please drop me a line.
I need it for my campaign.

        ~1100 Thanx in advance,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

-------- TML Message #1161 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1161
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 16:56:38 -0600
From: Mike Prather <mikep@mcs213k.cs.umr.edu>
Subject: Need Mercenary & another book

I am not familiar with mailing lists, so I am using a simple "reply" command
in the hopes that this message will get to somebody who can post it on the
TML.

[Using the default reply address will usually cause the mail to come to
me alone, the list admin.  With a little grumbling, I'll resend it on to
the list.  The more correct way is compose a new message and send it to
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com -- James]

I would like to get ahold of the two rulebooks which I am missing.  I have 
the original three rulebooks for Traveller.  I need the Mercenary rules,
and one other rulebook whose name escapes me for the moment.  If anyone can
help me out, I would appreciate it.  I am willing to pay for someone's
extra copies of either/both of these two rulebooks.

[4 Mercenary and 5 High Guard (Navy)? Other books in the Traveller
classic set were 6 Scouts, 7 Merchant Prince, and 8 Robots.  Which are
you interested in? I have 4, 5, and 6, but I won't let them go -- James]

Thanx in advance,

Mike

mpp@umree.ee.umr.edu

-------- TML Message #1162 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1162
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 90 19:15:07 GMT
From: Jo Jaquinta <jaymin@maths.tcd.ie>
Subject: How messages get from star to star

>Senario:
>  Dr. Sigmund Starpuppy, noted Sophontologist, wishes to send a manuscript
>  to his friend in a system 6 parsecs distant.

	When you have a condition where the fastest mode of communication
is by hand you have a situation quite unlike our own. In fact it most
closely corresponds to the middle ages. Using that as a source one can draw
several posibilities.
	Nobles and guilds had their own messengers. If they wanted something
sent, they sent it themselves, by their own servant. The cost of several
high-passages is certainly comparable to what was paid on trains of relay
horses. For those who would have gone the whole distance, but on one horse,
there is always low passage.
	Those not of such high finances usually sought out a traveller who
was journeying towards where they wanted the message delivered. They would then
pay them to deliver the message when they reached their destination often
with the promise of further payment by the recipient. Far traders are excellent
choices.
	In Traveller one can have further possibilities, the most notable
being the courier. An individual from a responsible company is entrusted
with the item and seeks passage to the destination. Cost? Well it will be at
least the middle passage fare to the destination (and back if a reply is 
desired) plus the salary of the individual (500Cr). If security is a concern
just charge 500Cr per basic skill rank in what they require. If you want
someone with Streetwise-1 Handgun-2 that's a basic salary of 1500Cr.
	Liners with fixed routes probably allocate a ton or two of cargo
to reserved mail. Costs would be based on the price for a ton of freight
divided by the volume and weight, a (probably hefty) handling charge and
of course, the cost of postage at the far end.
	I assume X-boats don't necessarly use all their data space for
imperial intelligence and messages. The scouts can sell excess data space
to private customers on a standby basis (high mail vs middle mail?). Of course
no individual would wish to send sensitive information this way.
	I wouldn't think there would be enough call for interstellar main to
justify an actual mail network (poni express notwithstanding) but as always
it depends on your actual universe...

					Jo Jaquinta
					jaymin@maths.tcd.ie





-------- TML Message #1163 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1163
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Out-of-Print GDW Sources
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 90 10:35:31 PST

While this will have all the appearance of blatant advertising, I have
absolutely no connection with the Weekend Warrior, to than that of an
extremely satified customer.

Regarding acquiring out-of-print GDW products (Traveller and otherwise)
the Weekend Warrior, in Los Angeles, is without a doubt the best bet
you've got.  Here are just a few examples from their latest GDW catalog:

                                         Used     New
        Mercenary (Book 4)              $5.00   $10.00
        High Guard (Book 5)             $5.00   $10.00
        Scouts (Book 6)                 $5.00   $10.00
        Merchant Prince (Book 7)        $5.00   $10.00
        Robots (Book 8)                 $5.00   $10.00

There are also entries for all the Supplements (1 thru 12) except no. 5,
most of the adventures, and a good number of the Alien Modules.  They also
carry a lot of the boxed games (Snapshot, Beltstrike, Azhanti High Lightning,
and others).  Most of what's available can be purchased new, or used at a
reduced price.  Last week I actually got a mint (still shrinkwrapped) copy
of Striker, for $20.00!

So, if any of you folks are looking to fill out your Traveller paraphernalia,
this is definitely the place to try.  The address and phone are:

        Weekend Warrior
        8116 Van Noord Ave.
        N. Hollywood, CA 91605
        (818) 988-1441

Most of the time, a phone call will get you an answering maching asking for
your order (just like DGP! :-)), but occasionally you will actually get
a real person who can answer any questions you may have.

BTW, if any of you are in (or going to be in) the L.A. area and are thinking
about stopping by, Don't.  This isn't a retail shop, it's strictly a mail-
order business.  I made this mistake and discovered that 'Mike' (the owner)
is an LA County Deputy Sheriff and just does this out of his garage as a
sideline (a very successful one at that, since he's been in business for
6 years and has no plans to quit).  You may have seen ads in Challenge magazine
for the place.

One final note: Mike told me that he just made a 1-shot deal with GDW to
re-print 1000 copies of the K'Kree Alien Module, since they're currently
100% un-available and the demand is so high.  I've already got MY name on
his waiting list!

FYI, Weekend Warrior also carries a large line of old SPI products as well.
If you call or write, you might want to ask for ALL of the catalogs, not
just the GDW one.

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

-------- TML Message #1164 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1164
Subject: Please separate by content
Date: 29 Mar 90 11:00:13 EST (Thu)
From: William Ricker <wdr@wang.COM>

To: UUNET!BOBMAH@PSC.BITNET 
Orig-To: Bob Mahoney <BOBMAH%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Xboats (again), GDW, Barbarians, and stuff
Newsgroups: 

In trav.out you write:

>Well, now that we are "digested", there doesn't seem to be much point in
>separating messages by content, so engage your ramble screens...

Please continue to separate by content; many of us have un-digestifying
mailers that allow us to read by topic in mail just like we do in News.

>This weekend, ignorant barbarians entered my car and stole my suitcase full of
Sorry to hear of this; at least the illiterati's abandonment of the Trav
stuff provides some mitigation.  We've got one GM here who has twice lost
his backpack when it contained "the campaign", *ouch*.

Bill Ricker

-------- TML Message #1165 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1165
Subject: On the subject of old traveller books...
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 90 10:16:20 CST
From: Chris Olson <chris@ssbell.imd.sterling.COM>

While we're on the subject of old books, let's change it slightly.

Anyone out there on the TML willing to part with the origional Journal
issues 1-4.  I have all of them, except for 1-4.  I have the best of 1-4
that was published, but am desparatly looking for these first four issues...

Your's hopefully,
chris

BTW,
	This group has been a fountain of information, let's keep up the
class!
- -- 
     /// Chris Olson (chris@ssbell.Sterling.IMD.com)|  [My post, my opinions]
    ///       (ssbell.Sterling.IMD.com!lvkeep!chris)|"Death to the unbelievers!
\\\///                                              | Join me or die!"
 \XX/ Amiga - The computer for the best of us...    |   - Me, playing Talisman.

-------- TML Message #1166 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1166
From: wilson_m_liaw@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Update
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 90 20:11:16 EDT

	More update on "Black Duke", the size of this book has been cut from
a 96 pages campaign source book down to a 48 pages source book. All future
domain arhduke campaign source book have been canceled. Apprently, it has to
do with GDW's surpirse plan for 1991 on MegaTraveller & Rebellion. What plan,
you ask. I have no idea. 

			Mac

-------- TML Message #1167 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1167
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 90 10:35:31 EST
From: Chris Bartlett (Mouser) <cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: X-mail


Hey ho,

>From the Library Data section of _The Traveller Adventure_ :

	X-mail costs:

		Cr 10 per 20 kilobits per parsec
		Cr 20 for a 200 x 200 bit matrix picture

At it's destination, X-mail is sent via the world's mail system.

Actually, I don't know if this is reasonable or not, since the players never
wanted to send a message by X-Boat in my game, so it just never came up.
Opinions?  Should it be more expensive?

P.S.:  Has anybody seen GDW's _Imperium Fighting Ships_ yet?  Are the
numbers all wrong in regard to the vehicle design rules, as we've seen in
other publications?  

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christopher Bartlett			Warning! - Disgruntled Optics major
cdba_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu		"I've got a chip on my shoulder about
(somewhere in western New York)		the size of a mental block" 
(actually, the U. of Rochester) 			- Indigo Girls


-------- TML Message #1168 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1168
Date: Mon,  2 Apr 90 12:34:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Neil Harris <rh1i+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Black Globes

In Supplement 9: Fighting Ships one class of Imperial battleship or
heavy cruiser was equipped with them.  I do not have my books with me so
I am not sure of specifics.  The class name for the cruiser is either
the Atlantic or Pacific.  If its the battleship it would be the
Koriack(sp)  The description goes on to say that a good portion of the
globes have broken down and have not been replaced.  This class of ship
is fairly old and I think was being phased out of the line.  I think its
the cruiser that has the globe, but then I could be completely wrong. 
The cruiser is 75ktons while the battleship is 100+ktons.
Hope this is of some help.  

Rob Harris rh1i+@andrew.cmu.edu

-------- TML Message #1169 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1169
Subject: Re: Traveller PBM
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 90 19:41:41 PST
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!agora.hf.intel.com!richard@tessi.UUCP (Richard Johnson)

> > I'd like to know more about this.  Esp. how many people, how
> > often, are you taking on more people, etc.
> > 
> 
> 	Number of people:  lots and lots
> 	How often:	   constantly
> 	More people:	   probably, ask the GM, address below
> 	Etc.:		   it's fun
> 	Information:	   here is the GM's address.  A carbon
> 		copy is going to him as well...
> 	
Well, I currently know of 41 (!) people who have applied for the 
PBEM.  About 33 have approved characters.  About 18 or so are active.
About 12 are *really* active.

I have not turned away anyone who has asked to play.  Some people have
dropped out for various reasons, some have not played at all.  I would
entertain more requests, but might put some constraints on the player/
character since the game is already underway.

I get about 50 - 80 messages every day.  This is a lot of work.  Well
worth it though.  Most of my time with the PBEM is spent collating
information, weeding out the secret stuff, and generating a turn.  Other
than that, I forward mail for some who cannot get through, and 
generally cause confusion where it is least needed.

I imagine that the E-mail load I have is typical for all the people
on the Command team, who are fileding a lot of character interaction
for me.  I like this, BTW.  It adds to the game to have the *characters*
doing things, thinking things through.

Several players have told me that this PBEM is one of the best they've
played.  I prefer to be humble here - this is my first shot at it.
Besides, the ones who don't like it will or have quickly dorpped out.

For this game - be prepared to do a lot of chracterizing.  We haven't
gotten much blood and guts yet, but there has been considerable
brain work and organization work from the characters.  For example, I'm
building a really good file of *usable in the real world* ringworld
engineering specs!  (Thanks to the physical scientists.)

Other than that - this game is a chaotic anarchy with occasional input
from a benevolent oligarch (me).

Hope that helps

Richard


-------- TML Message #1170 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1170
Subject: re: 2000 Black Globes?
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 90 22:09:11 PST
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!agora.hf.intel.com!richard@tessi.UUCP (Richard Johnson)

Capital: INN


Today, admiral Ghervan of the Imperial Navy said:
"We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any
cloaking technology on any ship currently in service.
Cloaking technology has been, and is being, investigated
for it's potential use in the fleet."

He refused further comment.

(Now you'll have to wonder whether they'll use BG's
if they start chasing you PBEM'ers around, heh heh.)
Richard Johnson.

-------- TML Message #1171 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1171
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 90 01:52:05 -0400
From: wilson_m_liaw@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: good news!


	The MegaTraveller Computer Game for IBM PC will be released on
May 1, 1990!!!!!

	1991 will be a good year for MegaTraveller. At least six products are
planned for MegaTraveller. GDW has decided to increase its support on MT.

	the six products are

	an unknown adventure module by Mike Stackpole, who is a really nice
guy and a good writer. I believe he has written a few novels for BattleTech
by FASA, and two short stories for ShadowRun Anthology. (Yes, by FASA too. 
Hey, ShadowRun, along with 2300 AD and Traveller are three of my favorite 
games! grin) In fact, next issue of Challenge (#44), you'll get to see a
ShadowRun short story by him.

	A boxed set of player materials and deck plans.

	"The Rebel's Tale" by Joe Fugate & HIWG

	a world source book by J. Andrew Keith

	2nd survey data! Yes, finally!!!!

	And something called "Star Viking", appearantly miniature rules.

By the way, MegaTraveller now has Spanish, German, Japanese version. Talk about
internation gaming! 

	I don't really know what "The Rebel's Tale" is. I have a few guesses,
but I don't like to make guesses on the mailing list. Anyway, more on this
as the info arrives from my secret Scout service. (grin) 

	Anyway, this is what's in 1991 for MegaTraveller.

	Oh, once again. The standard disclaimer. All info are provided by
Marc Miller and Joe Fugate. Various game titles are copyright by various
companies. You know what belongs to whom. I don't work for FASA, I don't work
for GDW, I don't work for DGP, I don't work for anybody. :) 

				Mac, who just completed his good deed of the day

-------- TML Message #1172 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1172
Date:     Tuesday 3rd April 1990 09:15:07 BST
From: Alan Huscroft <ASSHUSCR%cms.am.cc.reading.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject:  Linguistics/communications robot

A passing reference to 'powerful linguistics robots' in the World Builder's
Handbook inspired me to design one.  Here are the stats...
 
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +
| The Makhidkarun 'OmniCom' linguistics/communications robot  |
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +
 
URP:  530xF-02-PN324-FFC4(L)      Cr 1,977,200     59.5 kg
Fuel = 46     Duration = 19.2 days     TL = 15     Thrust = 100 kg
hits = 20/50 (MegaTrav 7/17) (mesh)
 
2 light arms                      odor emitter
basic sensor package              video display
touch sensors                     radio (regional range)
voder                             brain interface
acoustical speaker                language translator
 
emotion simulation
grav vehicle - 1
linguistics - 4
communications - 3
 
Notes
~~~~~
The OmniCom can be extremely useful in all sorts of situations - exploratory
expeditions, diplomatic missions, trade negotiations, etc.  It is an expert
in matters relating to language, translation and communication.
 
Although it doesn't have artificial intelligence in the strictest sense
(lacking 'creative thought'), it is an extremely smart machine.  It has 40%
synaptic and 30% parallel processing.  The apparent intelligence of 12 is
the maximum that can be achieved at TL 15.  It also has a large learning
capacity - indeed, some of the more experienced models have been known to
become highly opinionated (which can be great fun for the referee,
especially in conjunction with the emotion simulation).  It is quite
capable of grasping some difficult concepts like tact and diplomacy ("The
Aslan is not very happy that you have parked your ATV on his foot...").
 
The robot has a variety of equipment to help it do its job.  A language
translator is installed, which is similar to those described in the MT
Imperial Encyclopedia or the World Builder's Handbook.  There is a video
display which can be used to depict written text or pictorial images.
Some models have even learned to imitate facial expressions.  An odor
emitter is very useful for communicating with K'kree.  The two light arms
can be used for a number of purposes such as communicating by touch or
gesture, or just changing the memclips.  The OmniCom can also interface
with almost any sort of communications equipment.
 
Physical description: The OmniCom is a spherical, grav-propelled robot
about 0.5 metres in diameter with 2 light arms and numerous sensors,
peripherals and interfaces.
 
............................................................................
: Alan Huscroft              : Janet:    A.Huscroft@uk.ac.reading          :
: Reading, England           : Internet: A.Huscroft@reading.ac.uk          :
: 6-G takeoffs AND landings! : X-boat:   A.Huscroft@terra.sol.solomani_rim :
:............................:.............................................:
 
"Are you *sure* you want me to ask the K'kree if they want hamburgers
 for lunch?"

-------- TML Message #1173 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1173
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject: X-boats
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 90 12:14:59 BST

Bob Mahoney writes:
> No one ever answered my question about the costs to characters of using X-boat
> communication.  (I was deeply hurt)  To recap:  "What is the cost of sending a
> message to a friend several parsecs distant, and what procedures do you use in
> your campaigns?"  (You aren't letting them do it for *free*, are you?)

Here is what I charged:

Per page of text:	Cr10
Per page of picture:	Cr20

Civilian cipher:	*5
Military cipher:	*10

Distance:		*(1 + log(no. of jumps))

The old Supplement 12, "Forms And Charts", gave two forms for X-boat messages.
IS Form 6 was for text, IS Form 7 was for images.  So a Form 6 costs Cr10, and
a Form 7 costs Cr20.  Both forms say "The message/image will be optically
sensed and transmitted to the addressee above" and also had entries for date
of preparation, addressee and destination.

"Civilian cipher" is a fairly simple code, really only useful against casual
inspection.  Its best use is against nosey postmasters.  "Military cipher" is
more secure, and difficult (but not impossible) to crack. However, if the
client can prove to the IISS that the message was decoded by unauthorised
persons, they get their money back and the IISS changes its code.  Unscrupulous
senders could try to fake "proof", but the IISS checks claims quite thoroughly.
Some money is lost that way; it is covered by the higher cost of the more
secure cipher, and the money-back guarantee is one way of detecting leaks.
"Unauthorised persons" doesn't include Imperial authorities.  Never mind
morality here; there's no point in the IISS guaranteeing security against
them - in fact, to do so is probably illegal.

The "log" in the distance factor is base 10.  Thus, 1-9 jumps has a factor of
1; 10-99 jumps has a factor of 2; etc.  The number of jumps includes the
scout/couriers which may be involved at either end.

So, to send this message (3 pages, text only) up to 9 jumps away (enough for
most purposes) using civilian cipher (don't want it read by USENET, do we :-)
costs 3 * 10 * 5 * 1 = Cr150.

The time between sending and receiving is worked out as follows:

Per X-boat jump:	7 days
Per scout/courier jump:	4D days (minimum 7 days)
Miscellaneous transition delays (calculated for each jump):
			2D - 6 days (minimum 0 days)

Assuming an X-boat is ready, there is no delay at either end of its jump.  All
its mail is dumped into the tender's computer and re-assigned to other boats
within the hour.  There may be a delay involved if no X-boat going the right
way is available, or if the tender is somewhere else, or if any of hundreds of
other minor delays crop up.  Scout/couriers aren't always present; in fact,
the message almost always has to wait for one to arrive.

This all assumes, of course, that everything is working as it should be.  It
is up to the referee to deal with the effects of the civil war.

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

-------- TML Message #1174 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1174
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: Interstellar Law
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 90 9:27:14 PDT


In the last couple of weeks, Nick Sylvain, Dan Corrin, and I have
been discussing interstellar justice.  What are the mechanics of
formal "justice" in MT?  How is the term defined? and similar
questions have come up.  we've been mainly discussing military
systems, but the question is starting to bloom.

This very question has also occured in other campaigns, so I figured
we could move it out here where we could all poke at it.    RDJ


A Few assumtions I've made:

	It is really difficult to maintain judicial consistency
	throughout a widely separated empire.

	Imperial justice is not at all similar to that of other species
	or even of Humaniti (Vilani, Solomani, etc.) in smaller domains
	such as subsectors.

	Military justice systems are different from civil systems.

	Accepted use of psi-probe methods does not radically alter any
	court proceeding. (If it is accepted/used.)

	"Crime" is subjective, and varies from planet to planet and
	sector to sector.

	"Imperial" courts are almost always appelate.  That is, if you
	don't like being railroaded by that LL13 religious oligarchy,
	you can, in theory, appeal for imperial intervention.  What
	heppens then, is of course game material.

Well, there's lots more to say, but that's why it's here: to start a
conversation :-)
Have at 'er folks.

- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1175 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1175
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: Spacesickness
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 90 13:24:43 EDT

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

Last weekend I got into a round of swapping "sea-stories" with some
other veterans of the US Navy, and the subject of seasickness came
up.   We all had tales to tell of some unfortunate soul or another
who fell into the the clutches of this inner ear affliction in one
form or another.

The question that came to my mind is this:   Is there an equivilant
to this in space travel?   I definitly could see it in a zero G
environment, but what about in a ship with grav compensators?

This problem could have some definite effects on play within the
Traveller universe.    For instance, a spacesick character in combat
would not be as effective in a fight as someone who is not.  Spacesick
navigators could end up screwing up the calculations for a jump and
that could result in a misjump.

Any thoughts folks?


**********************
Another quick way to die:     Serve Milk Bones to your Vargr
passengers on your Free Trader!
**********************

- -- 
- ------------------------------> Peter L. Berghold
        ----------------------> AT&T, HRSAG, +1 (201) 615-4419
             -----------------> INTERNET: plb@violin.att.com 
                    ----------> UUCP: {uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb

Trust: But carry a loaded gauss pistol!

-------- TML Message #1176 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1176
Date:     Wed, 4 Apr 90 02:16 EDT
From: SYLVAIN$%DAYTON.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu
Subject:  Imperial Justice

My thanks for Richard for putting this thread onto the TML so that we
can clog more mailboxes! :-)

I have an old Journal issue (not currently at hand) which had some
interesting things to say on this issue, with one article on police forces
and another entitled "High Justice." It made some points that I think will
help this discussion.

As an aside, this article made Admin the skill which makes one a lawyer -
which I find a bit strange, especially since the new Legal skill seems to
make it quite clear that it doesn't qualify one to be a lawyer. The question
then is, what does? If PCs can be doctors, engineers, bureaucrats, et al, why
not lawyers too? (I can see it now -- "If you've been injured in a spacecraft
accident, don't let your rights go unprotected! Call the firm of SETTLEMENTS
R US!") :-)

>       "Crime" is subjective, and varies from planet to planet and
>       sector to sector.

        On a planetary scale, I'd agree. However, at least as far as the
old Journal article goes, after the local justice are the Subsector (Sector?)
courts and then the Imperial courts. As the "level" of the court increases,
the variation in law decreases.

>       "Imperial" courts are almost always appelate.  That is, if you
>       don't like being railroaded by that LL13 religious oligarchy,
>       you can, in theory, appeal for imperial intervention.  What
>       heppens then, is of course game material.

        This is a good point. It is likely that appeals of planetary cases
would only make it to the lower levels of the Imperial courts, such as the
Subsector courts, barring truly unusual circumstances. (What follows is my
ramblings about how the Imperial courts might work.)
        At the Subsector (Imperial) level, the courts would have original
jurisdiction for inter-planetary ordinary crimes (fraud, unlawful flight,
smuggling, etc.) and minor Imperial crimes (Violating planetary interdiction,
forgery of Imperial documents, bribery, etc.). Appellate jurisdiction of all
major planetary crimes (i.e. substantial jail/civil damages or capital case),
though at this and higher levels, a review is not at all assured.
        At the Sector (Imperial) level, the courts would have original
jurisdiction for more serious Imperial crimes (illegal weapon trading,
violating the Imperial Rules of War, slave trading, murder of Imperial
officials or nobles, ecosystem destruction, etc.). Appellate jurisdiction of
Subsector cases, and if you've got connections or money or both, perhaps even
a planetary case.
        The highest, true Imperial courts, would likely only have original
jurisdiction for the most henious Imperial crimes -- such as high treason,
sedition, or murder of an Archduke or the Emperor. Appellate jurisdiction of
Sector cases, a few Subsector cases, and a one in a million planetary case.
        Given the nature of planetary law, the punishments and procedures
are highly variable -- especially at the higher levels (like the religious
dictatorships) I'm sure they can be quite creative... (All you have to do
to prove your innocence is fight little (ha hah) Og here. To the death.
With a butterknife. He gets a battleaxe. Questions?) :-)
        At least at the Subsector level, trial by jury seems like a good
possibility. At higher levels, it's still possible, but a tribunal of
judges seems more likely - as befits the gravity and/or political stickiness
of the case. As for punishment, well, it's not a pretty sight. As the TAS
article suggested, for Imperial crimes it's generally measured in decades
in an Imperial prison (anyone remember the ex-Kinunir class ship, the Gaesh,
used as a prison hulk?) or a nice clean execution. For the WORST Imperial
crimes.... I doubt you'd last long.
        That's enough of my ramblings for now. You'll have to excuse me,
I'm a lawyer-to-be. (William & Mary, here I come!)
        One last ramble -- a particularly enjoyable game of classic Traveller
of mine was based on the "Prison Planet" adventure, which had PCs "visit" a
dreadful Imperial prison mining operation on a desert planet, which was a LONG
way from the only major city. (And only a class D starport to boot). If you
survived this prison, you were LUCKY or nearly dead...

- --
Nicholas Sylvain (sylvain$n@dayton.bitnet)

"Give me ten chocolate sundaes. I'm in a BAD mood." -- Q, Star Trek:TNG

-------- TML Message #1177 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1177
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 90 08:39:07 EDT
From: Fiver Toadflax <09nilles%cuavax.dnet@netcon.cua.edu>
Subject: re: Space sickness

Peter L. Berghold asks if anyone has any ideas about space sickness.  I read
reciently read an interesting article in the Smithsonian Air & Space magazine. 
It had to do with the plane they take future astronauts up in to see how they
react to 0g.  So it may come in handy for people who want to know a little more
about what it feels like.

I don't know how the internal grav compensators would affect it, but now you
can inflict the full penalty for not keeping engineering 100% up to specks.

                 Dave

+-----------------------------------------+
|          09nilles@cua.bitnet            |
|  09nilles%cuavax.dnet@netcon.cua.edu    |   Nuke 'um Till They Glow
| uunet!cua.bitnet!09nilles@uunet.UU.NET  |       Then Shoot Them in the Dark
| Fiver.Toadflax@f329.n109.z1.FIDONET.ORG |
+-----------------------------------------+

-------- TML Message #1178 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1178
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: Here we go again...
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 90 16:22:33 EDT

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 1F138
Phone: (201) 615-4419
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]

I remember that a while back there was some discussion concerning
the glombing of some files from GENIE and reposting them on the TML.


What was the final outcome of all the discussion?

- -- 
- ------------------------------> Peter L. Berghold
        ----------------------> AT&T, HRSAG, +1 (201) 615-4419
             -----------------> INTERNET: plb@violin.att.com 
                    ----------> UUCP: {uunet!allegra|att}!violin!plb

-------- TML Message #1179 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1179
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 90 21:33 EST
From: News and Views from the Void in Boyd <BRUCER%PSC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Tranqs, a lot!

        A question for other players out there... How do you handle
Tranq effects? It seems that tranq rounds are a very popular ammo for
several different firearms (gauss, snub nose, blowgun, etc...). I
guess my basic questions are, 1) Assuming a hit, how fast does a tranq
dart take effect (instantly? 1 combat round?), 2) Is a tranqed person
totally unconscious from the start (or can they overhear you say bad
things about them....), 3) Are there different kinds of Tranq (from
instant knockout to disable higher functions?), and 4) How long is the
tranq-ee out for??
        Those questions refer to a tranq dart that actually penetrates
the skin (such as is used today). The same questions would, I assume,
have different answers for a tranq-gas shell, that breaks on impact and
and creates a "danger space" situation. How are those handled?
        Well, thats it for now. Again, tranqs a lot!
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
        Bruce T. Ritchie (Brucer@PSC.Bitnet)
        Plymouth State College
        Plymouth, N.H. USA

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
            "A day without fusion is like a day without sunshine"

-------- TML Message #1180 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1180
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: TML Conventions
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 90 13:15:34 PDT

{For thos of you just joining in on this - Mark Cook and Richard
Johnson are talking about the ongoing PBEM.  Richard is the GM, and
Mark is playing a journalist.  Richard speaks first here.}

> Are you keeping records of all these interviews?  Might be fun to
> get together when this is all over and compare notes.
 
I've kept everything, from everybody, that I've received since the beginning
of the game.  For purposes of my 'story', I don't dare delete the stuff!
 
>                                                 ... I'll have to
> see about some excuse to rent a plane to some mutually agreeable
> place to fly us west-coasters to though.  Nick Sylvain and Dan
> Corrin are also keeping some extensive records (Dayton and Waterloo,
> respectively.)  Hmm - I'll give that one some thought.  This game
> aught to take a *lonnnng* time, the way it's been going.  :-)
 
Man!  If the price is right, count me in!  I'd kill small populations just
to get to meet everybody (or most of everybody) face to face!  I can just
see us all now: milling around in a rented hotel conference room, holding
plastic cups of fruit punch, each wearing a sticky-tag with the words,
"Hi! I'm _Adrian_Bishop_", or "Hi! I'm _Count_Ger_", or "Out'a my way,
PinkStink!" in Mike's case. :-)
 
=================

So how 'bout this bizzare idea, folks?  A Mailing-list or a PBEM
convention somewhere, sometime?  Since I started it, I must say that
I like the idea.  There's a lot of stuff to think about first
however:

	Where would we meet?  GDW's home town?  (I forget where that is)
	When?
	How would we distribute the expenses of such a venture?
	Could we talk Marc Miller and/or Joe Fugate into showing?
		 (would we want to?)
	What would we do?

Here's my initial answers to the above questions:
	Where: I like Wisconsin (think that's where it is) but that
	       might make it too expensive for most folks, both
		   east-coasters and west-coasters.  A secondary choice I
		   would like is mid-west somwhere, like maybe Chicago area.
		   Of course, to be fair to everyone, including those on
		   other continents we should meet somewhere like, oh,
		   Tahiti :-).

	When:  My first preference (a strong one) is sometime within a
	       week or so of Labor Day (Sept. 3).  That (long) weekend
		   would be almost ideal for me (at this tme).

	Expenses: Ugh.  We don't need no stinking expenses.  Having
		   never tried this before, I don't know.  Probably share
		   out the location fees and personals are personals?

	Guests: There are others who might want to show - like our SO's?
		   Should we tell them to go fly a kite?  Anyone else have
		   any good ideas for guests?  Anyone want to ask Herr
		   Miller or Herr Fugate?

	What:  Depends on who wants to do this, and a host of other
		   factors.  I think we should table that discussion until
		   we decide *if* we really want to do this.



- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1181 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1181
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 90 17:57 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: On tranqs, from the guy who wrote the book (literally)


Funny you should ask about tranq rounds, Bruce... the one section of
the MegaTraveller and Trav-Classic rules to which I can lay undisputed
claim, aside from one version of the Autoshotgun (a superior version
than the one in the current rules IMO) and the stats on Roup/Spinward
Marches, are the rules on tranqs, which appeared in their entirety in
JTAS #23 and were sadly chopped for the MegaTrav rule books. I really
wish I had the JTAS article here in Tennessee with me, but I'll try
to pass along the basics of my rules:

1. Tranq rounds are instantaneously effective and produce total
   unconsciousness in less than two seconds at any TL above 8 ('cause
   that's where we are now, and that's how fast they are now). The 
   primary difference between current tranquilizers and the ones at
   TL 9 or better is that the latter are metabolically linked; they
   maintain the body at an exact level of unconsciousness until used
   up. This means that the one fatal danger of current tranqs (overdoses)
   and its associated danger (underdoses--"Well, I put what I *think*
   was the right dose in the needle, but I didn't want to overdo it and
   kill the poor critter. Not enough? Well, stay out of the cage until
   it takes effect....") is not a concern any longer; you can't give someone
   a fatal dose, so you load each round with enough beetlejuice to stop
   a Virushi in a bad mood.

2. You do NOT have to penetrate the skin to tranq someone, just hit exposed
   skin. A little DMSO mixed with the tranq and it just sucks itself right
   into their pores, no problem. That's the true nature of tranq rounds,
   at least in the original rules... no gases, no injections. Skin contact
   is all that matters, not inhalation and not penetration. This means that
   neither gas masks nor non-sealed armor do any good, if the round splashes
   hard enough to touch any exposed skin.

3. Tranq rounds are not really gas rounds per se, they are atomized tranq
   vapor rounds, effective on contact. This gives them a fairly small danger
   space in comparison to true gas rounds, but still more than one target,
   even on a snub pistol shot. The exceptions to this rule are true gas 
   rounds or grenades (used at lower TLs, generally, or in enclosed spaces
   where there's cover but the air is close) and true penetrating rounds
   (for subduing armored foes; these rounds do some real damage as well as
   tranq effects, and are usually loaded in Gauss weapons).

4. Tranqs are to some extent species-specific; a human-based tranq will stop
   ANY type of humaniti, or a Vargr, but will not faze a K'Kree or a Hiver,
   will KILL a Droyne in its tracks, and drive an Aslan into a psychotic
   frenzy. In other words, know thy enemy!

5. At lower TLs where such drugs are not available, things are messier. It
   takes anywhere up to 30 seconds for a properly measured dose of tranq
   to knock out a man, and even longer for an angry animal. There are side
   effects, and the possibility of overdose is very real. That's why police
   still use tear gas to dispell crowds, rather than tranqing them.

Astute readers may note that I've added a few things to what originally 
appeared in the JTAS article; I am planning a piece for either CHALLENGE
or the TRAVELLERS' DIGEST reiterating some of this stuff, and outlining
design philosophies for nonlethal weaponry at higher tech levels, as an
extension to my original article (which has never been reprinted) and as
an improvement on the vague and occasionally unimaginitive rules in the
books. (Whaddaya mean, they're still using tranq gas at TL15?!) If there's
interest in this topic, let me know, and I'll push the Nonlethal Alternatives
article to the top of my "pending" list....

metlay

PS> The implications of this technology are staggering, if one thinks about
    it for a while. Just as two examples, it's possible for a society to
    simultaneously eliminate accidental gun-related deaths and decriminalize
    gun ownership, and the nature of police response to threat will also
    change drastically (they're much more likely to go in shooting)....

-------- TML Message #1182 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1182
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 90 18:09 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Designer tranqs (or, pharmaceuticals by SPECIAL delivery)


As for the duration and type of effects, that's open for a wide degree
of latitude, by the way. There will be paralyzing agents, motor control
disconnectors, and so forth, in addition to sleep inducers. And that's
only on the RIGHT side of the law! Consider a compound like LACE (lysergic
acid crypto-ethylene), a nifty little chemical that combines the
best features of LSD and DMSO; get a little on your skin, and in
less than thirty seconds you're tripped out of your gourd.

Sound like sci-fi? Abbie Hoffman was using it on cops in the 1960s.

metlay

-------- TML Message #1183 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1183
Subject: Re: Here we go again... 
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 90 19:16:00 PDT
From: James T Perkins <jamesp@metolius.WR>


> I remember that a while back there was some discussion concerning
> the glombing of some files from GENIE and reposting them on the TML.
> What was the final outcome of all the discussion?

Well, I said I'd get something out on this, but I didn't....  You're
still all waiting on me.  I PROMISE I'll have something for you all to
chew on by the end of next week.

James

-------- TML Message #1184 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1184
Subject: TML Convention
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 90 19:44:48 PDT
From: James T Perkins <jamesp@metolius.WR>


Wonderful idea, as long as it's in Oregon or Washington :-).

Seriously, not to cast aspersions, but these things can get expensive,
what with plane fare and all.  I'd ask a travel agent what seasons are
best for rates on airfare, and we could book a few rooms in a Motel 6 or
something (I call for the Embassy Suites out here in Beaverton :-) I can
see it, along with most of the southwestern part of the Tualitan Valley
out my back window :-).

I suppose the most important question to ask is, how many of you would
be willing to pay something like:

	Round Trip Air Fare		$300.00
	Lodging (3 nights @ $50)	 150.00
	Food (3 days @ $25)		  75.00
	Miscellaneous			  50.00
					-------
					$575.00

And that doesn't include the trips to Mt.  St.  Helens, the Pacific
Ocean, Beer, or wild gaming spending sprees at The Military Corner.  As
for myself, I'd love to meet you guys, but costs can be hard on the
pocketbook....  I must note that the two "TML Lunches" I tried to throw
did not come out as well as I'd hoped.

The TML has about 205 listees, about 10-15 seem to be wildly avid gamers
silly enough to have a "convention".  Throw in another 5 that are local
to the convention area and that gives us 15-20 people.  Still enough to
play a lot of fun Traveller, see the local sights, and get a tour of
your host's workplace.

Some other silly ideas:

	have local micro-con attendees put up two or three long distance
	vistors.

	spread the costs around to help reduce the airfare for those
	flying in, and stay with local attending TMLer's.  We should
	call this the "communist TMLer's con", or "TML commie con" for
	short.  If half flew and half hosted/drove, the costs would come
	down a little, although its still pretty pricey.

	if our con is very close to DGP or GDW headquarters, we may be
	able to pitch in enough to make one or more official dignataries
	show up, like Marc Miller, Joe Fugate, or Gary Thomas.  I'll bet
	they're pretty busy people, though!

	abandon our own con idea and develop a contingent of TMLer's at
	an existing and preplanned Con.

James

-------- End of TML Messages --------

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