       TRAVELLER Digest 35

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: _Battle Rider_ Fighters by bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu (Steven M Bonneville)
  2) back again by cs5025@wlv.ac.uk (L.T.Bryant)
  3) BATTLE RIDER FIGHTERS by john.bogan@asb.com
  4) A House Rule Idea: Trials for Ship Designs. by "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
  5) Excel FF&S Spreadsheets by "Peter H. Brenton" <pete@biochem.uchicago.edu>
  6) Imperial Navy Forces by Steve Charlton/Avalon Software Inc
  7) Traveller T-Shirt? by ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu (Joseph Heck)
  8) Re: Traveller T-Shirt? by Shalom Zaidfeld <cs911408@red.ariel.cs.yorku.ca>
  9)  by gdw.support@genie.geis.com

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

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 02:07:13 -0500
From: bonnevil@mermaid.micro.umn.edu (Steven M Bonneville)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: _Battle Rider_ Fighters
Message-ID: <199409090707.CAA20693@seaotter.micro.umn.edu>

"Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com> writes:

>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.

They *are* missiles.  You don't expend them, but they could be used in 
combat much as missiles are.  They have some advantages, too.  You can
give them heavier armor and more g-turns for maneuverability.  Missiles
may make 12G acceleration, but they only have 12 g-turns using the 
standard designs.  Furthermore, fighters are reusable, not just from
combat to combat, but from *turn to turn* in combat -- they can fire
many times.  They can also usually fire from greater ranges, which 
helps to offset the size disadvantage they have.  They're a bit more
flexible -- you can use them as air cover for ground troops, which is
harder to do with a disposable nuclear missile.  

The disadvantage is that they are manned and also more expensive.  But
they may be somewhat safer from "Virus" infection because of the human
oversight.  They are also in a bigger size class than missiles.
Another minor problem seems to be that launch and recovery times for
launch tubes seem to have gone up from High Guard in FF&S.

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

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

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 09:41:07 +0100 (BST)
From: cs5025@wlv.ac.uk (L.T.Bryant)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: back again
Message-ID: <m0qj1W7-0003u4C@ccub.wlv.ac.uk>

Hi again all
 A short note to let you all think on a question that  got
me,  why  has  the scout only have jump 2 engines  as  this  only
gives  a  reliable j 1 range as the entered system may  not  have
any  accessable fuel. My reply to the problem was to  design  two
new  ships with jump 4  , a 300 dispton and a 800 disp ton  ship.
ill post them soon , but any sugestions.

L Bryant
-- 
oh rose thou art sick
               the invisible worm that flys by night.....STEEL


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

Date: Thu, 08 Sep 94 22:45:42 
From: john.bogan@asb.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: BATTLE RIDER FIGHTERS
Message-ID: <9409082245.A7186wk@asb.com>



 "Les Howie" writes:
> 

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.

Well, the use that comes to mind right away is as missile launcher/guidance
platforms.
Some of the Imperial Navy carriers carried hundreds of fighters.  Imagine 
a few hundred missles heading RIGHT FOR YOUR SHIP! ;-)

Of course, I'd love to say "P'shaw, the dampers will take care of that", but
thus far GDW has been operating as if the only dampers are the "same-hex, 
only-good-versus-one-missle" turret- and barbette-mounted dampers, ignoring:

     1) Brilliant Lances explicitly stated that the dampers on larger ships
        could make damping attempts against all incoming missles, but the
         rules in BR makes no provision for this;

      2) using FF&S, you can make dampers with whatever range you want,
         say, for example, ten hexes.  However, in neither BL nor BR are
there
         any rules for actually USING dampers with that kind of range.

<gnash, gnash>

John Bogan

----------------------------
ANIMEast '94, the East Coast Anime and Manga Convention
November 11-13 at the
East Brunswick Hilton and Towers, East Brunswick, NJ

Japanese Guest of Honor: Koichi Ohata, director of GENOCYBER, mecha
                                         designer for Macross II, Gunbuster,
and more!

For more info email:

ae-info-request@whitebase.ukp.com

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

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 94 09:55:19 ADT
From: "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: A House Rule Idea: Trials for Ship Designs.
Message-ID: <9409091255.AA03601@Prograph.Com>

One fact of life with the way the design process works in FF&S is the way 
several of the tables are step functions.  With ship size, for example, a
ship 
of 99,999 tons is L (-3 in BR), while one more ton makes you VL (-4).

In a strategic campaign, the first ship of a class could be put through a
trials
process which will determine how well the design works out.  For each step 
function table (as decided by the ref)  the followins task is resolved when
the 
ship is submitted for trials:

To Round a value in designers favour: Average, Ships Architecture

Value is following % to next value     shift diff up or down as required by:
       25%                                        -1
       50%                                         0
       75%                                         +2
       99%                                         +3

Success: round as player desires (up or down) (99,999 ton ship is L (-3) or
(-4)
as designer wishes).

Critical success:  ship two levels as desiger desires (eg - 99,999 ton ship
is M
(-2), L(-3), VL(-4) or G(-5) as designer wishes.

Failure and catastrophic failure: Shift opposite to designer's wishes.  

This could use some refinement, but at least it brings some uncertainty to
the 
design process which reflect the world.

The effect of ship size is a complex one: for example, it effects (in BR) the

number of batteries, the target attributes for detection and firing, and the 
ability to absorb damage.  These could be rounded independently.


In a strategic game, having a brilliant designer is a real advantage -- and 
that, I think, reflects realiy: look at the importance of aircraft design
teams 
on WWII aircraft, or of British naval architects on the leadup to WWI.

comments, please.

BTW: A month or so ago I proposed a TCS PBeM.  Four folks signed up, and I
then 
disappeared on them.  I am terribly sorry, but I had a severe attack of 
deadlines and could not put in any time on anything else.

Are you still out there, are you still interested?  Is anyone elese
interested. 
If so, things are saner now and we can try again.   BR will be used for
combat 
resolution, which simplifies ship design (surface locations and damage
locations
need not be assigned).  With all the fuss about copyright, I think it would
be 
best if you have a copy of the TCS and FF&S rules.  Then I can just send TNE 
related mods to the TCS rules. 

Les Howie
Technical Architect (Database)
Prograph International


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

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 94 09:12:46 CDT
From: "Peter H. Brenton" <pete@biochem.uchicago.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Excel FF&S Spreadsheets
Message-ID: <9409091412.AA20942@biochem.uchicago.edu>

I originally posted some spreadsheets rendering the simpler design processes in
FF&S into a "fill-in-the-blanks" type form.

I have been asked (thanks Kevin!) to update them in light of certain
rules clarifications.  I will do this (in time) but thought it might
be a good idea to welcome any other suggestions for improvement
of those tools.

Comments can be mailed to pete@biochem.uchicago.edu.   I will try to
incorporate any ideas which are practical, useful, and possible within
a limited timeframe (in other words, no promises).

I wish someone would clarify the state of the Traveller FTP site.  I got on
to engrg.uwo.ca, but there were no directories listed.

Anyway, if you want to see the spreadsheets look either there (?) or email
me.
the original file was called ffsxl1.zip or something like that.

Pete

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

Date:  9 Sep 94  9:17:49 MS
From: Steve Charlton/Avalon Software Inc
To: traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Imperial Navy Forces
Message-ID: <9409091521.AA01764@khan.avalon.COM>

This is in respone to John Banagan's request for info on Imperial
Navy structure.  The following in a section of a "White Paper"
I did for my PCs describing military structure, doctrine and
strategy for the Imperium, the Solomani and the Zhodani.  My
version of Imperial doctrine seems to differ from the GDW canon
in two repects; Subsector fleets are called Groups, and the Imperial
Army is a National Guard formation.  The Marines are the regular
Imperial ground force, while the Army exists only as some 
corps-level HQ units.  When the Duke needs more firepower, he
has to mobilize planetary army units to fill out the Imperial Army
forces.  Note that the ground units also include specialized COACC
and wet naval forces.

Imperial Naval Doctrine
The Imperium has the largest fleet in known space, 
with more than 1,000 squadrons organized into 50-plus
fleets and independent entities.  Imperial fleets are
made up of 1 or more Groups, each of which is made up of 
3 or more squadrons.  In smaller or less-populated Sectors, 
there might be a small fleet, made up of one Group with 
three Squadrons.  In Sectors that are likely to be attacked, 
there are often 3 or more fleets, each with 3 or 4 Groups 
of up to 10 Squadrons each.  Each Sector has at least 1 
Fleet assigned to it.

A Squadron generally consists of 8 to 12 ships.  Some of the 
ships are support or communications vessels, and the rest make 
up the 'line' of the Squadron.  For example, a typical Heavy 
Battle Squadron (HBatRon) would consist of 1 Dreadnaught, 2 
Battleships, 4 Battlecruisers, 2 Fleet Couriers and 1 Squadron 
Tender.  The Fleet Couriers and Squadron Tender would be the 
support element, while the Dreadnaught, Battleships and 
Battlecruisers would be the Squadron line.

A Group is a collection of Squadrons, usually organized around 
some large ship or important Squadron.  For example, a Battle 
Group would be formed around a HBatRon, while a Carrier Group 
would be formed around a Fleet Carrier Squadron (FCarRon).  The 
Imperium also has Assault Groups, Raid Groups, Patrol Groups, 
Transport Groups, Support Groups and even a few Recon Groups.  
Each Group will have its own Group Support Squadron in addition 
to its component Squadrons; this unit would have a number of 
couriers, tenders and perhaps troop transports or hospital ships.  
Squadrons are often reassigned to other Groups at various times, 
or even to other Fleets.

A Fleet is a collection of Groups, usually organized along mission 
lines as necessitated by the needs of the Sector the Fleet is based 
in, or on the conditions around the Sector.  In some sectors, the 
Fleet might consist of a Patrol Group of only three Squadrons.  A 
Fleet generally has a few Squadrons of attached elements, with 
couriers, tenders and some troop transports, but this varies by Fleet.

All Imperial Depots house a Reserve Fleet, made up of overage and 
reserve vessels stored there.  Reserve Fleets are generally used 
for training activities and to support Depot operations, but in the 
event of a crisis they could be used to provide replacements for 
regular Fleets, or could be mobilized into action as a Regular 
Fleet in its own right.  

Many worlds of the Imperium field military starships.  These ships 
are all subject to mobilization in the Colonial Navy, an ad-hoc 
organization formed when the Sector or Domain Duke mobilizes 
non-Imperial starships and mercenary warships.  In general, most 
of these ships tend to be patrol ships or smaller combatants, so 
mobilized Colonial Squadrons are most often used to form a single 
Sector-wide Colonial Fleet, which would usually be used for 
rear-area security.  Those mobilized ships which are stronger 
combatants will either be used to support Colonial Fleet operations, 
or may be combined into Colonial Squadrons attached to 
combat-oriented Imperial Fleets.

Imperial doctrine has changed over the past 200 years.  Formerly, 
the Imperial Navy was geared toward offensive actions.  Imperial 
fleets were configured for rapid raiding operations, with enough 
heavy firepower to tie down defenders while the raids were 
undertaken.  The goal was to cripple an enemy's economy and 
military infrastructure to the point that it collapsed, leaving 
the enemy frontier defenseless.

This began to change in the face of wars with the Zhodani 
Consulate and other foreign powers.  The Imperium had been 
successfully attacked in the past, but these were minor 
raids by pirates and small splinter groups within the Imperium.  
The new situation was that the Imperium had an active, hostile 
enemies on several borders (Zhodani, Aslan) and rebellious 
elements within another border region (Solomani Autonomous 
Region).  This new reality caused the Imperial Navy to realign 
itself towards a more defensive role.  The Imperium did not 
give up its offensive capabilities; but offense was no longer 
the focus of Imperial design.  Large, high-jump vessels were 
replaced with large, high-firepower vessels.  Lighter raiding 
ships remained part of the Imperial Navy structure, but these 
were no longer supported by larger ships in their penetration 
raids.

The Solomani Rim War caught the Imperium in the midst of this 
change.  The Solomani fleet, made up of former Imperial personnel 
and equipment, shared a similar doctrine, but was more oriented 
towards offense due to Solomani cultural biases, and due to the 
inability of the Solomani economy to support a protracted 
attritional defense.  The Solomani sphere was badly hurt by 
small-scale Imperial raiders, but the rimward portions of the 
Imperium were even more devastated.  The result was a tie; both 
sides withdrew in the hopes of rebuilding enough strength to 
finish the job, but the horror of the conflict made the armistice 
a more permanent treaty.  To the Vilani-dominated Imperial Naval 
Staff of that time, this only proved the need for a more 
defense-oriented military structure, and spelled an end to the 
Solomani-influenced emphasis on raiding tactics in the Imperial Navy.  
Thereafter, raids would be but minor sideshows in Imperial Navy 
thinking.

The modern Imperial Navy philosophy is to use overwhelming 
firepower and numbers to break any attack, and to then counterattack
against the now-disorganized enemy forces.  This is made possible 
by the fantastic logistical advantage of the Imperium.  The Imperium 
is three times larger than the other interstellar states, and has a 
huge industrial and manpower potential the other states can only 
dream of.  This means the Imperium can send fleets from quiet 
Sectors to trouble areas, and rapidly build replacement ships or 
even fleets.  Obviously, the Imperial Navy cannot be at all border 
points at once, so the philosophy envisions a defense in depth, 
buying time until sufficient forces are gathered to make a stand, 
after which the lost territory will be regained (with possibly more 
territory being claimed in the process).

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

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 18:07:31 -0500 (CDT)
From: ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu (Joseph Heck)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (TML Submissions)
Subject: Traveller T-Shirt?
Message-ID: <9409092307.AA07268@showme.missouri.edu>

Evening,

I was looking through GDW's price list, and noticed a "Traveller T-Shirt".
 **
 0316 $17.00 Large Traveller T-shirt
 0317 $17.00 X-Large Traveller T-shirt
 **

What's on it? Anyone seen these?
-- 
 joe                          (314) 882-5000
 ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu    University of Missouri - Columbia  
 "with a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and
 impenetrable fog!" -- Calvin
 <A HREF="http://www.missouri.edu/~ccjoe">ccjoe</A>

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

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 23:29:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: Shalom Zaidfeld <cs911408@red.ariel.cs.yorku.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Traveller T-Shirt?
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.90.940909232248.23164A-100000@blue>

On Fri, 9 Sep 1994, Joseph Heck wrote:

>  0316 $17.00 Large Traveller T-shirt
>  0317 $17.00 X-Large Traveller T-shirt
> 
> What's on it? Anyone seen these?

There is an ad in Challenge 74 about the shirts, with the artwork that's 
on the shirt.  I asked GDW if they have any other designs, but Loren said 
that the design featured in Challenge is the only one currently available.

It's on page 20, Challenge 74:

On the left, there is a man's head in a battledress, under him there is a 
the front part of a RCES clipper, above the clipper there is a group of 
RCES (what looks like RCES marines...) in BD.  to the right of the RCES 
group there is a a big design of eyes in the dark (like the ad for the 
vimpare Source book style)  above the eyes, there is the Traveller: The 
New Era logo...

Hope I helped, take a look at Challenge 74 for a better desciption..

 -Shalom Zaidfeld
 -Toronto, Canada


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

Date: Sat, 10 Sep 94 03:43:00 UTC
From: gdw.support@genie.geis.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Message-ID: <199409100412.AA038470342@relay2.geis.com>

 traveller@mpgn.com
 
 Sorry for the length of this post, but I haven't responded in
 several days, and a lot of stuff has built up.
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 27
 
 Django
 > Also are there any other "little changes" that GDW
 > would like to share with the rest of us about any TNE
 > products?
 
 Where do I begin? For FF&S, as I said, there is a complete "1st
 printing to 2nd printing" update to appear in Challenge.Brilliant
 Lances has an eratta sheet. Battle Rider does not yet have one,
 but it is in preparation.
 
 Jeff Zeitlin:
 > Question (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) to GDW: How
 > many computer jockeys went stark raving looney,
 > or had radical personality changes, between Release
 > and Crash on any particular planet?
 
 Since the ICDC (Imperial Centers for Disease Control) records
 went south along with most other things, I have no clue.
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 28
 
 Ewan
 
 P Proefrock, in Digest #29, provides an answer which is pretty
 much in-line with the GDW position, which is: No, while the MFD
 is operational, you don't need gunners, but if you don't have
 gunners, a single hit (on the MFD) can effectively wipe out every
 turret.
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 29
 
 P Proefrock: Your feelings on gunners are pretty much our
 feelings.
 
 David Johnson:
 >... the ever-increasing insistence on "ownership"
 > of Traveller material (I thought copyrights protect
 > *words*, not *ideas*?)
 
 Exactly! And the *words* are what we (GDW) are talking about
 protecting. (see answer to M. J. Wheeler, below).
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 30
 
 > Dave Nilsen was reported to have said "Regency sourcebook
 > in the first quarter of 1995! So let's all call it quits
 > and go back to our hotel rooms." to begin the TNE GenCon
 > seminar. (Report thanks to Clay Bush.)
 
 He did indeed say it, and the date is accurate. The seminar
 began at 8 PM, and all of us had been on our feet since about 10
 AM in the booth, demos, or other seminars. Everybody laughed at
 the joke, and the seminar went another three hours. A great time
 was had by all.
 
 To Lahtinen Antti:
 
 > Note that heavily armored troopers will still take
 > _Blunt Trauma_ damage from any projectile that
 > hits their armor, and troopers can be killed with
 > multiple non-penetrating hits. This is explained
 > in TNE rulebook, in page 285.
 
 Exactly! And it would also pay for referees to re-read the rule
 on stun vis-a-vis head hits on page 288. Pop Quiz: What happens
 when a PC with a CON of 6 takes a single gauss rifle round in the
 head? Work out your answer for no armor, AV 1 and AV 12, and at
 short, medium, and long ranges.
 
  James M. Kelleher
 
 > it is Scott - Irish or Irish - Scottish Scotch
 > is what you drink!
 
 Some prefer "Scots" and "Scots-Irish" (or vice versa)
 
 Myself, I prefer Glenlivet or Glenfiddich, or (when I can get
 it) Laphroaig, neat. If forced, I'll take Johnny Walker (Black
 preferred, Red tolerated), J&B, or Cutty (over ice). All of this
 assumes that someone else is buying...
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 31
 
 Ted Kim :
 
 > What official errata has been issued for GDW TNE
 > and related products?
 
 >Is there more than the slips of paper in the BL
 > and BR boxes and the FFS Upgrade Booklet?
 
 Not yet. Dave is working on one, but there always seems to be
 something more important that has to be done yesterday.
 
 Roger "StarWolf" Myhre
 
 > hoping for head hits are just too silly.
 
 You don't _hope_ for head hits...you _aim_ for head hits. Aimed
 shots are not too tough if you have a high enough asset and a
 laser sight...
 
 > I want a HiTech (tm) weapon that kills or incapacitates
 > the user on a hit or two. And it should be portable.
 
 I want a steamer trunk full of $100 bills and a tall, good-
 looking blonde who likes fat guys in their 40s. : )
 
 *Ahem...*
 
 IMHO, I think there are several weapons that fit this criteria,
 but you have already pronounced them unsuitable for other
 reasons.
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 32
 
 PBJuzyk:
 
 > The RC 7mm Advanced Combat Rifle has its ammo,
 > magazine bttys, & laser sight imported but the
 > rest of the weapon is capable of being manufactured
 > on Oriflamme.
 > Now this arrangement seems to make little economic sense.
 
 That's because it is a political decision, not an economic one.
 A close reading of the various RC materials will reveal that
 technological uplift programs are indeed underway, but these take
 time and resources, neither of which is available to the RC in
 unlimited quantities.
 
 Lahtinen Antti:
 
 > Reality Check: Bullpup Rifles
 
 The essay was intended to be a quick and dirty "words-of-one-
 syllable" explanation of the general principles for those who are
 not firearms enthusiasts, not a complete set of blueprints on how
 to build one.
 
 Steve Charlton
 
 > 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!
 
 Steve: The check bounced. Send us a certified one, or we will
 be forced to retract our previous statement and agree with Mr
 Bonneville. : )
 
 David Reed
 
 > BTW, did GDW ever do any serious demographics research into
 their audience?
 
 No. Only companies like TSR can afford full-dress demographic
 research. What little demograph studies get done in companies
 like GDW consists mainly of looking around us at game
 conventions...this can be frightening, and is probably why gaming
 professionals drink so much at conventions...: )
 
 Re: Joseph Heck Library Data and Deckplans
 
 Joe called me to volunteer to pull this material until we can
 work out some legal questions regarding propriatary rights vs the
 infobahn. I'd like to thank Joe for his cooperation -- as he
 says, it is temporary, and I will keep everybody posted here as
 soon as I have anything I can say.
 
 If anybody just can't live without this information, give me a
 call (309 452-3632, or EMail GDW.SUPPORT@GENIE.GEIS.COM) and I'll
 see what I can do.
 
 From TRAVELLER Digest 33
 
 Joni M Virolainen:
 
 > I'd like to hear if GDW is going to publish anything
 > that supports Karaguuka based campaigns like news
 > or adventures.
 
 Right now, we have no plans to do so.
 
 >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.
 
 We might interested in including it. Send it in, and we will
 let you know.
 
 > 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.
 
 Pre-Collapse and Post Collapse names and other data for
 Diaspora sector are available on the two Briefing Folders that
 came with Deluxe Traveller (Pre-collapse on the Players' Folder,
 Post-collapse on the Referee's folder). There is also a poster-
 sized Sector Map. EMail me which ones you want, and I'll tell you
 what overseas shipping charges are.
 
 Re: water
 
 This has come up a few times before. We feel that in most
 cases, the amount of water starships remove is insignificant to a
 world's total supply. There would be some political problems with
 refueling on Desert worlds, I would think, simply because the
 natives would not want a single drop removed. Consider how many
 ships it would take to use up a cubic kilometer of water, and
 what a vanishingly small percentage of the total water on earth
 that would be.
 
 Les Howie:
 
 > (D)oes anyone know if GDW has published
 > complete designs for the ships in BR
 
 We have not done so, except for the ships that were in BL. Some
 of the ships may appear in upcoming products, but I can make no
 guarantees as to which ones or when.
 
 Martyn J. Wheeler
 Some hypothetical answers to your hypothetical copyright
 questions, purely my own (Loren K. Wiseman) opinions.
 
 >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.
 
 Every reasonable person I've talked to agrees with you.
 
 BTW, I am informed that "publish" can have some interesting
 meanings in the context of copyrights: For example, if I buy an
 original manuscript of Heinlein's _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_,
 it would be mine as a physical object. I could read it, keep it
 in a glass case in my living room, I could use it as a doorstop,
 but I couldn't publish it without permission from the copyright
 holder. I couldn't print 100,000 copies and distribute it to
 bookstores, I couldn't run off a few photocopies for personal
 friends, I couldn't read it onto tape, and (here's where it gets
 interesting) I couldn't even put it on public display _because
 that, too, is considered publishing_. The intricacies of the law
 are a continuing source of wonder to me.
 
 > 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.
 
 IMHO, this would be OK.
 
 > 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?
 
 GDW is currently talking with several companies about
 electronic licenses, including play aids of various kinds. This
 is one reason why we must be conservative about who we let do
 what with our copyrights.
 
 > 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?
 
 This one is kind of murky. Some software companies demand that
 you buy a separate program (word processor or DTP set-up for
 example) for each computer that the program will be used on,
 others do not. GDW occasionally grants "copy for your own use"
 privileges for things like character generation sheets and forms
 of various sorts, but these are always specifically spelled out
 in writing. I'm not sure exactly where something like this would
 fall, but my own (non-lawyer's) opinion is that it would be
 considered your own use provided you didn't put it on something
 like a 10-20 machine network at your place of employment, or that
 the second computer you "own" happens to be at someone elses's
 house.
 
 > 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?
 
 Another murky one. I'm inclined to say this would be OK, but I
 don't know for certain whether it would be or not.
 
 > 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.
 
 We agree.
 
 A very similar problem has been plaguing science fiction
 writers for years -- the casual hi-jacking of characters and
 backgrounds by fans who write stories using these characters and
 backgrounds and publish them in fanzines, APAs, or (more
 recently) post them to various electronic media. The authors'
 position (and one that has been upheld by the courts, I am told)
 is that a character or a background represents a substantial
 proprietary asset, which the author has a right to control.
 
 -Mark Urbin
 
 > Shouldn't the powered skeleton in Battle Dress
 > absorb some of the `blunt trauma' effect?
 
 This argument could be made, and referees who wish to implement
 some kind of rule to this effect are free to do so.
 
 We wanted users of battledress to be able to survive combat
 relatively intact, but we did not make them totally unbeatable.
 We feel that the blunt trauma rule combined with the rules for
 knockdown and stun add an element to combat (with battledress, it
 is tough to kill you outright, but you can be rendered _hors de
 combat_ for a few turns under the right conditions) that is worth
 keeping.
 
 Loren Wiseman
       for GDW,Inc.

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 35
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