       TRAVELLER Digest 22

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: System generation by Glenn Myers <gem188@swanson.com>

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Date: Sat, 27 Aug 94 17:03:31 EDT
From: Glenn Myers <gem188@swanson.com>
To: traveller%mpgn.com@swanson.com
Subject: Re: System generation
Message-ID: <9408272101>



Hi All,

Rob Miracle responded to my query about world generation:

>>Has anyone come up with a method of generating frontier systems.
>>Typical attributes would include lower human population, greater
>>chance of aliens, and lower overall tech level.

>pp190-192 in the Traveller: The New Era book is a set of World Building
>Charts titled: Collapse Effects Determination which gives guidlines for
>blasting down sectors.  It is pretty vicious, but then again, so was
>Virus.

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I am running a non-Virus campaign set on the farthest edge of human
explored space. I wanted to be able to tune the results to give it a 
lower population & TL. 

Blasting down the generated results is a good way of doing this. Up until
now, I've used a quick and dirty program to dump hundreds of UPPs to a 
file and selected the lower population systems. 
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>>What about unexplored systems. So much of GDW's rules concern
>>charted space. Should I just zero out the human population and
>>selectively place a few alien worlds?

>By the time Virus was released, almost every system within Imperial
>Borders had been explored.  Any interstellar society that had contact
>any of the Empire's neighbors, with the exception of the Zhodani and
>the Hivers are probably wasted as well.  Virus was not just for humaniti,
>it did not distinguish between man and K'Kree.

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The sector I'm developing is an effort to use the TNE rules in a 
non-post-Imperium campaign. I've set up a few human societies that trace
their origins to a misjumped Terran colonization cruiser. A minor human
race and minor alien races are filling out the sector. While I won't 
rule out running a Virus adventure, it would probably be a one shot deal.
Maybe a misjumped virus-infected starship?
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>>It seems these are all good candidates for World Tamer. Has anyone
>>heard what it will include?

>According to the Ad for it in the back of Star Vikings: Personalities of the
>Reformation Coalition, it will include two adventures, a boot strap
campaign,
>and a full colonization campaign, as well as rules for exploring, surveying,
>animals and plants, dealing with natives (xeno/techno-phobs) and colonists.

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This looks good. I've always hoped GDW would print more additions to TNE
that downplayed the Virus angle and centered on the rules system. I 
understand though that Virus is the plot device that separates TNE from 
every other SFRPG. Also, Virus is responsible for GDW reviving the 
Traveller game system. 

I think the rules systems have been very good. I like FF&S so much that
I would recommend it as a reference to any fan of science fiction in any 
form (novels, games, movies etc.). I hope World Tamer is as good.
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TTFN

Glenn

----------------------------------
| Glenn E. Myers                 |
| gmyers@swanson.com             |
| gem188@swanson.com             |
| QA software engineer (pest)    |
| Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. |
|  Soon to be  ...   ANSYS, Inc. |
| (412) 873-2913                 | 
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End of TRAVELLER Digest 22
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