       TRAVELLER Digest 33

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Karaguuka by Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
  2) DNI by Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
  3) water by Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
  4) Re: Virus vs. deckers by Quibell E D <quibez@essex.ac.uk>
  5) Battle Rider - Fighters and Designs by "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
  6) Re: DNI by Quibell E D <quibez@essex.ac.uk>
  7) Re: Aldebaran, "Syleans" by bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu (Steven M Bonneville)
  8) 4mm TL14 "IISS" Gauss Carbine by bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu (Steven M Bonneville)
  9) Hypothetical copyright questions by "Martyn J. Wheeler" <sasmjw@unx.sas.com>
 10) New TML ftp Archives by David Johnson <david@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
 11) Re: New TML ftp Archives by Rob Miracle <rwm@MPGN.COM>
 12) Neural Speed by Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
 13) TRAVELLER digest 32 by Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
 14) More Battle Dress stuff by eclipse@world.std.com (Mark Urbin)

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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 11:39:45 +0200 (EET)
From: Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Karaguuka
Message-ID: <199409070837.EAA12864@Mithril.MPGN.COM>

As my first adventure with TNE I run this sample adventure Once and for
future emperor which was situated in Karaguuka. My players liked it very much
althought they didn't like the great distance and time that was necessary
to go to and back just for one adventure.

I can say that it was maybe even best published adventure (of that lenght)
I have ever run. But it had some illogical parts also.

1. Me and my players never figured out that how it was possible to get
that kind of marks and bodies with that amount of people (I think there 
should have been at least one more NPC) in Benghin's home.
2. How Commda's men were able to figure out what PCs were up to? My players
suspected that Brynhild Markuss was a traitor.

Anyway the adventure went well and party got back to Aubaine.

After that they took 2 missions to Seliga bone yard. Which I can mail if
there is enough interested replies. And now they are in Lebherz trying to get
back from smuggling mission. In fact I am planning to send them back to the
Karaguuka. 

One of my friends who don't actively play TNE is going to play TNE officials
in Karaguuka who are in charge of upgrading Karaguuka etc. and party is in
fact in his command. One other friend of mine is going to play some TED who
happens to run a planet quite near to Karaguuka and he has some relationship
with the Guild. That TED knows that some interstellar govenrnment is trying
to get hold of Karaguuka and takes it as a threat to him. So I suppose there
is going to be some interesting plotting between these two players and my
poor party is between them. To make thinks more interesting, one of PCs is
originally from that TED planet but the TED don't know it yet.

Because of this, I'd like to hear if GDW is going to publish anything that
supports Karaguuka based campaigns like news or adventures. My party is in
year 1202 so I'd like to know also if GDW is interested in knowing what 
happens in case they want to include part of it in news.

P.S. I'd like to know the names of the planets of Diaspora sector I have most
     of the pre-collapse UWPs but almost no names. I need them desperately
     so please help me if you can.

Joni Virolainen
jonimv@evitech.fi



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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 11:40:16 +0200 (EET)
From: Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: DNI
Message-ID: <199409070837.EAA12867@Mithril.MPGN.COM>



quibez@essex.ac.uk writes:

>Yes I agree, charachters go into fire fights all the time, and I expect that
>they don't appreciated haveing boadily parts blown off or dying, but there
is
>something in human psgology which is different about, going blind, going mad
>and dieing by battlefield fire. This is one reason that GW has no blinding
>rules for lasers in TNE. As you said as well charachters are not suicidle,
you
>have a relativly good chance of surviving a firefight, especialy if your
waring
>battledress .... while decking into virus infected cyperspace would be
suicidle.

Okay, you are right about going blind (in game), about all my players would
suicide or at least retire their characters if they got blind or severely
handicapped. That is of course if they can't get replacements. About going
mad
well that depends in fact insanities were the spice of Warhammer FRP as it
gave personality to characters and people really played them and enjoyed it.
But you are right that no one likes that their character goes raving lunatic.

BTW my players don't use battledresses!

>Agreed the decker will have reaction times approching that of the virus, but
>they would still be slower. Signals of the Virus will be faster, because they
>have no messy chemicals signal carriers which we have to deal with. I would
>think that there would still be reaction times, admitidly small, between the
>thought or instinct of the decker and the opperation of the DNI, as the
>thought or instinct is reacted to by the DNI, convertion of the chemical
>signals, and understanding of what is needed to be done (the interface, and
>there would have to be an interface ...).

Agreed

>As for the virus reacting to new computers, that dosn't come into it untill
>all the deckers defences are down, and the virus tries to infect the deck or
>carbon cyberspace (the human brain), through the interface of the DNI. 
>Once the DNI is encounterd the virus will have a better understanding of how

>to get past and into carbon cyperspace the next time, and of course it might

>just tell all it's other virus friends about it as well (most early strains 
>of the virus are gone).

That's what I mean, the deck is a new design, so the Virus is slow(er) when
trying to infect it. That means the deck have time to automatically log jockey
off line or at least warn the poor bastard that all the defences are down and
he/she/it should log out. That means you have time to save your ass before
the Virus infects you or your deck. So it's not a suicide! As you said the
Virus knows more about deck and decker next time someone tries to attack it
via cyberspace, but I doubt it usually won't tell what it knows to other
viruses because they compete for space to live. That might of course be 
different in Vampire Highway or someplace where Viruses have united or are 
same strain.

And what if Virus tries to infect human brain, do you think human brain is 
completely defenceless? Computer system is different, usually stupid system,
but human brains have one advantage, they are usually sentient. Besides brains
use only fraction of their capacity, so who knows what capabilities Virus
invasion awakens. 

>As to the virus trying to infect new systems, how about the decker ... each
>system which is home to the virus will be uneque, a one off, as the virus makes
>it's computer it's home by rewireing the chips and recoading it's procedures
>to work just haw the virus want's it to. This would nessesitate the decker 
>working by thought and not on instinct as each system would be new, not totaly
>different but significaly so. The decker would not be able to rely on any
>assumptions, as they might work in some systems, but the virus might have
>changed these to sute it's self in others. Speacking in todays terms, each
>system would be different at microcode, BIOS, system, interface, and
>application level .... give that to your decker and have him eaten. The decker
>wouldn't even know if his defence programs would work outside his deck, it's
>not like there is a standards boady for virus infected computers .... this is
>the reason that they mutated ... (say in a realy sarcastic voice ..) to the 
>realy nice creatures they are now (in TNE).

But don't you think the decks of TL 12 would be sophisticated enough to 
recognice the differences and alter decker's "universe" ie. cyberspace so
decker could comprehend the cyberspace quite similarly as any other system's
cyberspace. Of course decker have to work by thought when exploring the system
but when he/she/it has to fight the Virus with combat programs and defence
programs then I suppose the decker acts by instinct, like good professional
driver or soldier.

>Yes it's possible to slow the computer down, but do you realy think that the
>virus is going to let you .... ?

I made this suggestion for cases where this is possible, of course Virus
tries
to prevent that.

>In cyberpunk the systems and cyperspace would be specified by standards boadies
>which is why you can deck in the first place, the interface and communication
>protacols to systems would be the same everywhere, only the systems would be
>different, like an IBM to a DEC or an ICL, so when you go AI hunting all your
>assumptions would work, and you would be able to act on instinct. Not so with
>the virus, although computers and comms were once based on standard
>authoritys, presumably something like IEEE today, that was 70 years ago,
>and 70 years with no standards is a long long time .... 

See above.

>In the light of all that I still think it would be total suicide ....
>but probably a nice quick death ....
>not too much pain ....
>and that's "if" you die ....

How about it now?

What about this? Have you thought about controlling vehicles or hooking
one member of the strike team to a radar or EMS? I think vehicles (like
tanks)
can be considered safe nets because Virus can infect them only via
communicators,
but if you connect the decker to comms by normal means like headset phones
and
microphones then there is no risk to get infection.

That would enable lower crew requirements. That would enable panzers like
in novel Hard Wired. 

Joni Virolainen
jonimv@evitech.fi


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 11:40:39 +0200 (EET)
From: Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: water
Message-ID: <199409070837.EAA12870@Mithril.MPGN.COM>

Fusion reactors are great! They don't pollute and use water as a source of
power, it's almost miracle. But what happens to planets where is lots of
interstellar traffic? How much water can be drained from a planet before
it's hydrosphere alters? What kind of ecological problems that can arise?
How do you think Schlli likes the idea that humans are draining Schalli's
environment to use in humans machines?

I think there would be lots of ecological problems with excessive use of
planets water resources because as far as I know water of planets just
recycle. I mean if you get one drop of water away from a planet, it is never
replaced. I think this is the case at least in the quanties which are needed
to operate starships.

Any comments, opinions?

Joni Virolainen
jonimv@evitech.fi


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 94 14:39:09 BST
From: Quibell E D <quibez@essex.ac.uk>
To: traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Re: Virus vs. deckers
Message-ID: <9332.9409071339@cscf12.essex.ac.uk>


Hans Rancke (rancke@diku.dk) writes ..

> I haven't gotten so used to the TNE battle rules that I can say wether a
> character has a good chance of surviving a firefight in a battledress.

Well if read the previous digests you`ll find it's increadably dificult to
kill someone in battle dress ....

> I
> will say that if any SF game portrays weapons in a remotely realistic
> way then going into a firefight with properly equipped adversaries is a
> really, really dangerous thing to do. This is, in fact, one of my main
> problems with SF games: If I give my players the kind of weaponry they
> could reasonably expect to be able to get hold of, then I either have to
> let them walk all over the opposition (which is boring) or give the
> opponents equivalent equipment, turning any firefight into a 50/50
> survival chance (And players don't appreciate rolling up new characters
> every other day  -  at least, mine don't, YMMV).

No one said that life was fair, even in the far future, characters should,
have
enough knoledge to know how to conduct themselves in a firefight, and if they
don't they soon learn (by rolling up new characters) ...

Worked for my characters and missjumps too ...

> >while decking into virus infected cyperspace would be suicidal.
> 
> How do you know? We have no real idea about how a true omputer/brain
> interface would work. That leaves us delightfully free to define our
> own rules to provide maximum fun and entertainment. Unlike with weapons,
> where we can reasonably extrapolate from know data (and where we come
> up with instant-death-no-saving-throw pocket cannons at TLs only slightly
> beyond what we have today (or even AT our present-day TL)) we really
> don't know enough about how such an interface would work out to rule out
> anything.

I'm sorry to say that we do know enough about this kind of technology to make
"reasonable" assumptions about how it would work. If you look into a
phsycology
book you'll find nice electronic brain maps, showing which pit of the brain
dose what. Artificial arms and hands can be maid to move using mussle
movement
or electrical stimulation, and after a while the person only has to think
about
picking something up and the artificial hand will pick it up, just like a
real
one. This shows that a human can affectivly forget that they have an
artificial
limb, showing that an interface attached to the brain, although somewaht
different would still be excepted to be, and after a while, used with only a
little thought .... Advances in Virtual Veality, paralle processing, object
orientation and command interfaces which use the position of the eye as a
mouse with no keyboard commands means that we can have cyberspace NOW, as
long as
someone sits down and writes it ... replace the VR interface with a neural
jack,
and there we have it ...

That`s why there is decking in cyperpunk games, cos we understand in enough
to
know that is probably the next stage of computing ....
 
> So instead of arguing about the difference between chemical and electronic
> reaction times I'd simply ask one question: What is the most fun? A virus 
> that makes decking totally impossible or one that makes decking dangerous,
> but survivable?

So ... we know enough to sit at our keyboards and argue about it, or throw
idears back and forth, so we can make the bits we don't realy understand more
beleivable ....

Traveller is a Hard Science games, that`s what FFS was all about, it bases
it's
rules on things we know about, to make the future realistic, and make playing
traveller more fun, by being realistic, appart from when grandfather pops up
with TL31 laser gloves, but that is stil beleivable because we know what type
of effect a laser of today would seem like to someone from the stone age ...
magic ...

What makes it fun for me is that it's beleivable, so when something isn't
beleivable it becomes, a game macanisum, and for me detracts from the game.
I can emagine myself, fighting the virus to reconcer the stars, with the
equipment that has been presented to me in TNE (apart from the fact that GW
totaly forgot about fiberoptic light switching computers, which virus could
infect but not hard wire it's self to, cos although they have silicon (glass)
it's not in the right form for the virus to live in .... no silicon chips
...)
 
> Assuming you agree that the second option has considerable more appeal
> than the first, I'd suggest that we turn the argument around and approach
> it from the other direction: Given that we want human deckers to have a
> fighting chance against the Virus, what rules and assumptions do we have
> to make? 

You assume wrong, I don't find the second option considerably more appealing,
I find the fact that decking against a virus, would not be impossible, if
someone wanted to try it no one could stop them, it would just be suicidle,
instant death (to the conciuosness, if not actual death).

What I do find appealing is what would happen to the human when the virus
infected this suicidle decker, and that for me would have to be believable as
we know little or nothing about the virus and if it could send it's code into
the human brain ....
 
> You know, this could be a whole new approach to virus-proofing and virus-
> protecting your systems. A computer/human combo with the human providing
> the intelligence that we're told is the Virus' main advantage over 
> conventional computers. Gives a whole new luster to the profession of
> Computer Operator.

Very nice idear to give your computer operators greater controll over there
systems, fast info access etc ... in nice safe computers ... but the computer
operators wouldn't last long enough to disconnect themselves if the system
was infected with a virus.

So rules for decking against other human and alian deckers I would like, but
to deck against the virus would be suicidle ....

Ewan

p.s. someone stop me .... (from going on and on and on)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- E.D.Quibell ------------------------------------ Thought is just about
----
-- Data Communications Technician ----------------- the hardest thing a
----
-- University of Brighton ------------------------- human can do - which
----
--------------------------------------------------- probably explains why
----
-- Email   edq@unix.bton.ac.uk -------------------- so few seem to do it.
----
--         edq@vms.bton.ac.uk
-----------------------------------------------
--         quibez@essex.ac.uk  ------------------------------ Henry Ford
-----

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Who me ? Na, I didn't say that. My Employers ? They don't say anything
---
----- My spelling is entirely due to dyslexia, typos, and poetic licence
-----

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

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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 94 12:02:29 ADT
From: "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Battle Rider - Fighters and Designs
Message-ID: <9409071502.AA00391@Prograph.Com>


alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca> writes:
> Can anyone here converted fighter wings for use in Battle Rider? 
> 
> (the rules in FASA's _Levathian_ Renegade Legion's game may be of some
> help...)

I've not, yet, but to step back a bit -- what could fighters be useful for in

BR?  Does anyone have a design for a fighter that could make itself felt
against
capital ships in a fleet action, either singly or in groups?  They look kinda

useless, except perhaps as EW platforms or for picking off missiles.

On the other hand, some form of abstraction for other light combatants might
be 
handy when the big boys are at play.

What are the Leviathan fighter rules like (roughly)?

As another topic, does anyone know if GDW has published complete designs for
the
ships in BR  -- especially the old friends from the CT Fighting Ships
booklet?

Les Howie
Technical Architect (Database)
Prograph International


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 94 16:02:49 BST
From: Quibell E D <quibez@essex.ac.uk>
To: traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Re: DNI
Message-ID: <9370.9409071502@cscf12.essex.ac.uk>

 
Joni Virolainen (jonimv@evitech.fi) writes :

> That's what I mean, the deck is a new design, so the Virus is slow(er) when
> trying to infect it. That means the deck have time to automatically log
jockey
> off line or at least warn the poor bastard that all the defences are down
and
> he/she/it should log out. That means you have time to save your ass before
> the Virus infects you or your deck. So it's not a suicide! As you said the
> Virus knows more about deck and decker next time someone tries to attack it
> via cyberspace, but I doubt it usually won't tell what it knows to other
> viruses because they compete for space to live. That might of course be 
> different in Vampire Highway or someplace where Viruses have united or are 
> same strain.

So you plug your deck into the computer, as soon as you do the virus tries to
infect, by inserting it's code, not rewriting it's chip (just yet), the deck
them informs you that it has a virus in it, which means you have to
disconnect,
before the virus tries to send it's code into your brain, in probs just a bit
less than the speed of light. The virus only has dificulty controlling and
understanding the new systems, not actualy infecting them ....

This would be simmilar to how a cannarie works in the Equipment guide, the
deck
would be rather simmilar .... and if your not quick enough to disconnect your
head from the deck quickly enough ....

If the deck was to process and strip all incomming data, so as it wasn't a
virus
the decker wouldn't be quick enough to go past his deck into the infected
computer, which would make decking usless ....

It's still suicide ....

I'd agree with you what only the vampire fleets would cooperate in the
passing
of the info .... maybe the sexual repuducing one's as well ... but once
learned
it would never be forgotten, so after one attempt to deck a virus infected
computer decking would become usless .... and then suicidle ....
 
> And what if Virus tries to infect human brain, do you think human brain is 
> completely defenceless? Computer system is different, usually stupid
system,
> but human brains have one advantage, they are usually sentient. Besides
brains
> use only fraction of their capacity, so who knows what capabilities Virus
> invasion awakens. 

I have no idea, this is what I would like to find out, cos once one of my
players decides to deck into a virus infected computer I want to know what,
will
happen to him. I do think though that the brain wouldn't stand a chance, as
we
have no experiance of infecting or disinfecting our own brain, as well deal
with
out of boadly invfections with white blood cells, and that's the only whay
the
brain knows how, enless your a psionic ...... This is were I get completly
lost cos I can't even emagine what psionics is about, although it's a
belivable
aspect of the game and I use it ....

> But don't you think the decks of TL 12 would be sophisticated enough to 
> recognice the differences and alter decker's "universe" ie. cyberspace so
> decker could comprehend the cyberspace quite similarly as any other
system's
> cyberspace. Of course decker have to work by thought when exploring the
system
> but when he/she/it has to fight the Virus with combat programs and defence
> programs then I suppose the decker acts by instinct, like good professional
> driver or soldier.

TL12 v the virus .... no .... although the computer might be suffisticated
enough to find out the changes and present the decker with what he's used to
seing in cyperspace, by the time it's done that the virus is in your head,
cos
it's had enough time, to do the same thing as the deck, and add to the fact
that the virus is intellegent, and it would do it much faster than the deck,
and if the decker tried to do it the virus would be 3*10^5 times qiucker at
least .... see other posts on human brain speeds (thanks guys for the speed
clarification) .... you still stand no chance (I`ll pinch someone elses
phrase)
The decker it tost ....

A decker using defenceve programs ? he wouldn't even know if they would
work outside his deck, so although he might act on instinct, the programs he
uses might not work, like pointing a gun at someone and finding it won't fire
cos your under water, or it's frozen, or the barrel has warpped in the heat.
Pick a different analogy for each computer system you come accross, and you
should get my meaning. That's if the decker lasts more that the split second
the virus would take to infect him ....
 
> I made this suggestion for cases where this is possible, of course Virus tries
> to prevent that.

Right, assume you get to the computer to slow it down .... slow it down by
3*10^5 and you are on equal terms, and slower and you have the advantage. If
you could do this then it would be like a human trying to fight a shark with
spear gunns, which had the intellagence of a dolphin, and it's speed, in the
ocean .... not nice but possible, you found something that gives you about
the same chance as a firefight .... so decking on ### REALY SLOW ### 
computers against the virus, is not suicidle .... by the by, defecive progs
still might not work ....

> How about it now?

Still Suicidle ....
 
> What about this? Have you thought about controlling vehicles or hooking
> one member of the strike team to a radar or EMS? I think vehicles (like tanks)
> can be considered safe nets because Virus can infect them only via communicators,
> but if you connect the decker to comms by normal means like headset phones and
> microphones then there is no risk to get infection.
> 
> That would enable lower crew requirements. That would enable panzers like
> in novel Hard Wired. 

Like it, now this is the decking in the game that would be safe, fun and worth
reffing, although the poor TED's wouldn't stand a chance. Jack into a laser or
plasma mount, find and pinpoint with EMS, put the laser sight on his head, fire
a cupple of rounds, and he's dead all in about 0.1 of a second. YES. You'd only
have to think about putting the sight on his head and the stabalisers on the
gun mount would keep it there ....

Ewan


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- E.D.Quibell ------------------------------------ Thought is just about
----
-- Data Communications Technician ----------------- the hardest thing a
----
-- University of Brighton ------------------------- human can do - which
----
--------------------------------------------------- probably explains why
----
-- Email   edq@unix.bton.ac.uk -------------------- so few seem to do it.
----
--         edq@vms.bton.ac.uk
-----------------------------------------------
--         quibez@essex.ac.uk  ------------------------------ Henry Ford
-----

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Who me ? Na, I didn't say that. My Employers ? They don't say anything
---
----- My spelling is entirely due to dyslexia, typos, and poetic licence
-----

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

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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 10:43:37 -0500
From: bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu (Steven M Bonneville)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Aldebaran, "Syleans"
Message-ID: <199409071543.KAA09230@morayeel.micro.umn.edu>


"Harold D. Hale" <HDHALE@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com> writes:

>. . . As to whether Aldeberan should be closer
>angle-wise to Capella, I don't know that's actually the case, but I have
>friends of the astronomical persuasion who I can check with.

Just so you know, I came to my conclusions from a star chart I have --
if you take the plane of the Milky Way as the plane of the 2d hex grid,
Aldebaran is in the same line-of-sight as the Hyades open cluster, and
on the other side of the Milky Way from Capella and Castor & Pollux.

>   Now see here, Mr. Bonneville.  Are you actually trying to say that the
>map of known space we currently use for Traveller is <gasp> riddled with
>errors?  That the maps only list at best half the stars (and that's being
>generous) that are actually out there?  Are you implying that all those
little
>DM (white dwarf type 'M') companions we have all grown to ignore aren't
>really there (or probably should be 'M' main sequence)?  What are you
>saying?!  Oh God, do you realize that you have just said the Traveller
>equivalent of "there is no Santa Claus"?!! . . .

Who me?  I'd *never* imply that the map could be silly -- why they might
sic Grandfather on me, or worse yet, hand out a revised map that is
more accurate and three dimensional, and make us all do trig to figure
out jump distances (like another "Traveller" product that comes to
mind...).  

Seriously, normally it's no big deal, especially since it is only a two
dimensional map and the best we can usually do for a star is a general
direction and *very* rough range.  But it would be nice if Aldebaran
were a bit better, even though I'm confident that explanations can be
made as to why it isn't in the Aldebaran sector-subsector.  And it
really shouldn't be too hard getting other objects like supergiants,
type W and O stars, and the like, near a sector at the rough range and
angle it should be at -- there aren't many of them nearby. It really
won't wound me too badly if they aren't there...but it would be cool,
and that sort of thing can add atmosphere to an area.


Steve Charlton writes:

>In reference to GDW's response to Steve Bonneville's refutation of my
opinion
>about Sylean racial status:
>
>Foolish mortals!  You would dare try to refute my opinions with mere
>documents?  Your pathetic literary references are as nothing compared to the
>power of massive cash bribes to GDW.  I am invincible!

Boy, I seem to be getting stomped on today! :)  Ok, Steve, you win this
one.  You can stop frothing now. :)


  Steve Bonneville
  <bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu>

"In the old days, there were no rules; just a referee with a whip and
  a chair."  --Dave Arneson


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 10:57:51 -0500
From: bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu (Steven M Bonneville)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: 4mm TL14 "IISS" Gauss Carbine
Message-ID: <199409071557.KAA09265@morayeel.micro.umn.edu>

With all the talk about gauss weapons in the list lately, I 
figured that I'd try to make one.  It worked out really well.
Concept is from an article in Traveller's Digest.  Fits at
a diagonal into an attache case.  Standard FF&S rules as 
printed are used.


4mm TL14 Gauss Carbine (IISS)

The "IISS" Gauss Carbine was a high-tech, short-barreled weapon which
was apparently used by the Scout Service for certain special missions,
in particular by the Imperial Protection Detail (the "IISS Guard").  
Firing its' half-gram round at 3800 mps, this weapon is similar in
performance to the standard tech-12 4mm gauss rifle in service with 
the Imperial armed forces, but with reduced range.

Interstellarms tried to interest the Scouts in a more modern 4500 mps
carbine, but it was rejected for wide-spread use on two major grounds.  
First, the older weapon is able to use standard gauss rifle magazines 
in a pinch, although it does not need all the power available in the 
magazine battery.  Second, the newer weapon was longer, too much so  
to meet a very specific and stringent length specification set by the 
Service.

TL:    14
Ammo:  4x20mm/36-14
Muzzle Energy:  3610 joules (2170 J tranq), req. energy: 5776 joules
Weapon Length:  51.3 cm
Weapon Weight:  2.895 kg loaded, 2.875 kg empty (incl. empty magazine)
Weapon Price:   Cr 937
Mag. Weight:    0.957 kg loaded, 0.937 kg empty
Mag. Price:     Cr 2
Ammo Price:     Cr 0.01 (Dart); Cr 0.02 (HE, Tranq); Cr 0.03 (HEAP)
Ammo Weight:    0.5 grams ea.
Features:  Optic sights, gyroscopic stabilization; laser sight optional.

                                                --Recoil--
Round           ROF  Dmg. Pen Rtg  Bulk  Round  SS   Burst  Short Range
4mm/36-14 Dart  5/10  4   1-2-Nil   3     40    1     3/6     80 (66)
4mm/36-14 HE    5/10  5   Nil       3     40    1     3/6     60 (50)
4mm/36-14 HEAP  5/10  5   2-2-2     3     40    1     3/6     60 (50)
4mm/36-14 Tranq 5/10 -1*  Nil       3     40    1     2/4     50 (40)
*1d6-1 plus tranq effect

DESIGNER'S NOTES:
  1.  Watch out in the range determination rules not to choose both 
      "bullpup" and "two-handed".  This seems to be incorrect.
  2.  I found no clear instruction on how to reduce recoil for the
      tranquilizer rounds.  Estimates were made on how to do it from
      the existing weapons designs.  (Note that substitution of a 
      tech-12 gauss rifle magazine doesn't increase weight enough 
      to change the recoil figures.)
  3.  I believe all roundings have been done properly, but in many 
      cases, FF&S gives no clear guidelines.


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 15:04:13 -0400
From: "Martyn J. Wheeler" <sasmjw@unx.sas.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Hypothetical copyright questions
Message-ID: <199409071904.AA14740@laverda.unx.sas.com>

Loren K. Wiseman says:
> If it contains any of our copyrighted material (tables, charts,
> etc.), yes. Writing the utility and using it yourself is
> evidently OK (to the best of our legal advice), but selling,
> conveying, or giving it to anyone else is a definite no-no (and
> this includes putting stuff in FTP sites, BBS libraries, "I just
> put it on a disk and left it on a table" gimicks, and the like).

This is all perfectly reasonable, of course.

Now, in the interests of being able to share computer aids, how about
these hypothetical situations:

   1) Let's say I write a programme for (e.g.) TNE vehicle design.  I
      want to distribute it freely, so I make the programme
      table-driven and require the user to provide a flat file
      containing the GDW tables.  This way all players can benefit
      from the programming and interface expertise, but at the same
      time it distributes no GDW material, requiring each user to buy
      that themselves and type it in.

   2) Let say I write a programme for (e.g.) TNE vehicle design,
      containing information from GDW copyright tables.  In the
      absence of an official GDW equivalent, how amenable might GDW be
      to distributing or licensing that, under the right
      circumstances?

   3) Say I OCR the GDW material for my own use for an on-line aid
      during my game.  If this is not distributed to anyone else, is
      this acceptable?  What if I personally have two computers, and
      put it on both -- one for access by players, one by me, during a
      game session -- is that still considered for my own personal
      use?

   4) What about freely distributed "Imperial encyclopedia" software
      that contains no data, but requires the user to OCR (or type in!)
      pages XX-XXX from their own copy of the GDW books?

Obviously hypothetical questions can't have definitive answers.  I'm
just really throwing out some ideas -- Traveller (in whatever form) is
a game that is greatly enhanced by the availability and ease of use of
information aids, and if we could find an acceptable way to spread the
time and expertise around without infringing on copyright I think we
would all (GDW included) benefit.

Martyn
 -------------sasmjw@unx.sas.com----(Martyn Wheeler)----DoD #293-------------
SAS Institute, Inc: (919) 677-8000 ext.7954    H: (919) 839-0092 (Raleigh,
NC)
    "We live in the short term and hope for the best" -- Finitribe

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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 16:22:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: David Johnson <david@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: david@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (David Johnson)
Subject: New TML ftp Archives
Message-ID: <199409072022.QAA17984@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>

Has anyone figured how to reach the new TML archives
through ftp if you're not a subscriber?  It seems now
you have to have a UID and password.  On the old TML
you could access the ftp sites anonymously.

Any help would be appreciated.

David Johnson
<david@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Wheaton, Maryland, USA


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 16:36:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rob Miracle <rwm@MPGN.COM>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: New TML ftp Archives
Message-ID: <199409072036.QAA24239@Central.KeyWest.MPGN.COM>

> Has anyone figured how to reach the new TML archives
> through ftp if you're not a subscriber?  It seems now
> you have to have a UID and password.  On the old TML
> you could access the ftp sites anonymously.

You access ftp.mpgn.com anonymously.  There are two reasons why
you might not get on.  First and the most likely, is that the 
system was busy.  The site is one of the biggest gaming archives
in existance.  The other reason was if your name server was not
able to figure out who you were.  When you connect, we check with
your name server to verify your address, if it doesn't respond with
what you sent, you are not let in.

Rob

-- 
Rob Miracle
Tantalus Inc.
rwm@mpgn.com
"You have a problem?  I have a plan!" -- Anton Devious

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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 12:25:33 -0400
From: Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Neural Speed
Message-ID: <94Sep7.164613edt.95320-4@mail.uunet.ca>

Joni writes:
>Let's assume that Virus acts with about speed of light. 
>That is about the speed the signal moves in human nerve cells also.

Actually, neural signals are passed by electro-chemical reactions.  These are
a _lot_ slower than lightspeed.  If course, electricty in copper wire is also
slower then lightspeed.  Even light in fibre-optic cables is slower than
light in a vaccuum (but still faster by several orders of magnitude than the
speed of signal propagation in nerves).

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

Date: 07 Sep 94 03:21:13 EDT
From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
To: "INTERNET:traveller@mpgn.com" <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: TRAVELLER digest 32
Message-ID: <940907072113_100326.446_BHB68-1@CompuServe.COM>

>You know, this could be a whole new approach to virus-proofing and virus-
>protecting your systems. A computer/human combo with the human providing
>the intelligence that we're told is the Virus' main advantage over 
>conventional computers. Gives a whole new luster to the profession of
>Computer Operator.

If I have to plug my damn head into my employer's computer system, I'm going to
want more than 23p a mile travel allowance because we've got a _lot_ of
cabling... Also, given our level of user expertise, someone's bound te delete me
as an unwanted file. I can see the phone messages: "Sorry, he's not at his disk,
he's out of his head." 

It seems to me that deckers and cyberspace fits much better into
Classic/Rebellion Traveller than NE, because in the New Era everyone tries to do
without computers as much as possible. But think of the Imperial systems...!

Hugh Foster


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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 21:30:03 -0400
From: eclipse@world.std.com (Mark Urbin)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: More Battle Dress stuff
Message-ID: <199409080130.AA12923@world.std.com>


Shouldn't the powered skeleton in Battle Dress absorb some of the `blunt
trauma' effect?  The wearer isn't supporting the suit, the powered 
skeleton is.  Of course, a big enough blow should knock the Battle Dress
over and cause damage (the XXIV Legion's catapult for example).  A decent
set of Battle Dress should be able to shrug off 9x20mm pistol rounds
though.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Urbin eclipse@world.std.com Opinions are Mine!  All Mine!
Catapultam habeo.  Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
immane mittam.
( Tr. "I have a catapult.  Give me all the money, or I will fling an
enormous rock at your head." )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 33
**************************
