			    TRAVELLER Digest 80

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) AHL Comments	by "Mary E. Poynter" <3I4KQ7X@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
  2) The Traveller Chronicle	by A.S.Lilly@bnr.co.uk (Andy Lilly)
  3) Re: TRAVELLER digest 79	by Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
  4) Desperately Seeking.... ghost.cc.missouri.edu!?!	by Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
  5) Traveller Minatures	by Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
  6) Virus and the Black Curtain... PROOF!	by Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
  7) Borgoids	by "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
  8) re: Stutterwarp questions	by Ted7@world.std.com (Mitchell K Schwartz)
  9) supernovae and stutterwarp II	by Glenn Myers <gem188@swanson.com>

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

Date:         Sun, 23 Oct 94 22:00:19 EDT
From: "Mary E. Poynter" <3I4KQ7X@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: AHL Comments
Message-ID:   <941023.220019.EDT.3I4KQ7X@CMUVM>

Geez, tear apart my AHL write-up whydoncha! Now wonder you're a TML terrorist
:)
  Seriously, that was a conversion from the AHL done on the GDW-Beta list some
time ago, run through the conversion system in the BR rulebook, and is by no
means official or even accurate. As for the fight we staged, we didn't use any
fighters or the like as we didn't have any rules for them. Your point about the
ability of the lasers to penetrate AHL's armor is well-taken; the fatal hits
were done with a spinal mounted meson gun . I also erred in not pointing out
that these were Maggart class ships; the "stretch" Auroras mentioned in the
PATH OF TEARS books. Still, the victory did require a healthy dose of dumb luck
and the use of the d20 table in lieu of the damage markers.

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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 10:24:05 +0100
From: A.S.Lilly@bnr.co.uk (Andy Lilly)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: The Traveller Chronicle
Message-ID: <199410240928.FAA06242@Mithril.MPGN.COM>

I tried sending this post a week ago but it doesn't seem to have appeared, 
so here goes again...

In response to those who asked about the Traveller Chronicle (TTC):

***** THE TRAVELLER CHRONICLE *****

A short review of the contents of issues 1-5:

TTC1:
Rules - Martial Arts for Megatraveller
Adventure - White Wolf (Learning Vargr biker culture the hard way...)
Planetary profile - Zila/Aramis
Story - The Trap of Triton (Cmdr Ridpath saves the day)
Astronomical Index - Neptune
Adventure - Again, Oytritsyu'a (Negotiate with nasty Droyne? Or send in the 
troops?)
Robot - Engineering/Gravitic Operative Robot
Rules - Adding Suspense and Strategy to Megatraveller's Starship Combat

TTC2:
Sector data - The Far Frontiers (Antideluvia, Alsas subsectors)
Story - Mercury Quest Pt 1 (A mysterious death puts Cmdr Ridpath on the 
trail...)
Rules - How to Annoy an Aslan in Two Easy Steps
Adventure - Count or Country (Help a Count regain his noble standing)
Rules - Money Makes the Worlds Go 'Round (Currency, banking, loans, savings, 
exchange rates)
Adventure - Zhodanian Brain (Chainsaw massacre at Research Station Beta!)
Sector data - Astrogator's Update to Diaspora Sector (Narquel, Libert, 
Sufren, Khavle subsectors)
Rules - But I Wanted My Character to Have... (Easy stat/skill selection for 
your ideal character)
Adventure - A Solomani Safari (Collect animals in Diaspora sector)

TTC3:
Sector data - The Far Frontiers (Taermerlyk, Inverness, Wulfek subsectors)
Adventure - A Bonnie Mess (Help get a disabled ship back to base... but 
someone else is out there, too!)
Ship - Lady Charlotte class yacht (details and deckplans)
Story - Mercury Quest Pt 2 (Ridpath solves the case)
Sector data - Astrogator's Update to Diaspora Sector (Shadigi, Kushga 
subsectors)

TTC4:
Sector data - The Far Frontiers (Cabala, Jungleblut, Mnemosyne subsectors)
Sector data - Astrogator's Update to Diaspora Sector (Alurza, Pasdaruu, 
Ebasha, Iusea, Blight, Promise subsectors)
Starport Notices (throughout the magazine)
House Rules - Generating a starport's Traffic levels and Facility
availability
Adventure - Runner (Help someone off planet - but why all the fuss?)
Planetary Profile - Skold/Deneb
Contact - The Mermani
Rules - Advantages and Disadvantages (Want your character to be lucky? Have 
perfect memory? Walk with a limp?)

TTC5:
A Pilot's Guide to the Caledon Subsector (subsector of Reaver's Deep; 
extensive individual world descriptions)
Starport Notices (more handy events to throw at your players)
House Rules - New TNE Governments (generation of Relic Powerbases, 
refereeing isolationist worlds, etc.)
Sector data - Astrogator's Update to Diaspora Sector (Hijiri, Shumisdi, 
Madoc, Khulam subsectors)
Adventure - The Mermani Descent (RCES mission to investigate an underwater 
research facility)
Imperial Fragments - Useful TNE Contact NPCs
FF&S Design - Goose Class Amphibian Fixed Wing Aircraft
List of Traveller Products prior to TNE
Sector data - The Far Frontiers (Detsiaiem, Ienji subsectors)
Adventure - Raid on Lobok! (Join the Vargr looting and pillaging!)
Company - Strasse Weapons Systems (includes FF&S machine-pistol design)
 
TTC 6...
Aoreriyya:  Adventures in the Reaver's Deep3 (an indepth description of the 
Aoreriyya section of the Reaver's Deep
GUESS - The Grayln Union Exploration and Survey Service for the Grayln Union
The Grayln Union - A pocket empire for Aoreriyya
House Rules - Career limitation charts for TNE
Field Test: Grayln, 1197 - A short adventure for Grayln Naval characters
A Pilot's Guide to the Caledon Subsector - Continuing the Caledon subsector 
information
Credit Where Credit Is Due... A listing of all those who made the TNE Pocket 
group possible
The Far Frontiers - Subsector listings for C, D, & E subsectors
Far From Home - An amber zone adventure in Diaspora
A Matter of Sovereignty - An amber zone adventure in Diaspora
Ref's Bits - An expansion of the starport news bulletins

Prices...      NA                 Surface       Airmail
  TTC #1 - $3.00 (reprint)        3.50         5.00
  TTC #2 - $3.50                  4.00         5.50
  TTC #3 - $6.00                  6.50         7.50
  TTC #4 - $6.00                  6.50         7.50 (colour cover)
  TTC #5 - $5.00                  5.50         7.50 (new large page size & colour cover)
  TTC #6 - $5.00                  5.50         7.50 (new large page size & colour cover)
1 year's subscription currently costs $18.00 (North america), $22.00 
(Overseas surface), $30.00 (Overseas air). Please make all payments in US 
funds drawn on a US bank or the US Post Office. Visa and mastercard accepted.
TTC is published quarterly by Sword of the Knight Publications, who can be 
contacted as follows:

SNAIL MAIL:     Sword of the Knight Publications,
                2820 Sunset Lane #116,
                Henderson, KY42420,
                (USA)
PHONE:          502-826-1218
E-MAIL:         sword.knight@genie.geis.com

***** SUMMARY REVIEW *****
TTC is pretty good value, giving you a wide range of subject matter with 
some neat scenarios (which have TNE stats but are usually quite suitable for 
CT, MT or TNE). The new colour cover and increased page size (issue 5+) 
really gives it a professional look.
***** CURRENT ISSUE *****
TTC6 is OUT and seems to be getting rave reviews
***** BACK ISSUES *****
Available at the prices noted above
***** CONTACTING KEVIN *****
Obviously Kevin would love to take your subscriptions this very instant! 
Please minimise your e-mail though since he has to plough through a lot of 
messages each day!

PLEASE do not address any mail to myself (A.S.Lilly); Kevin merely asked me 
to prepare this e-mail for him - I have no other connection with TTC 
magazine (other than as a contributor).
Commander Lilly, PITS (Political Intelligence Team, Scout)
Nothing I say or do in any way reflects the views of my very kind and
generous employers.


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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 11:00:02 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: Multiple recipients of list <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 79
Message-ID: <Pine.3.87.9410241059.C28997-0100000@pasta>


 
> Date: 23 Oct 94 14:45:09 EDT
> From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
> To: "INTERNET:traveller@mpgn.com" <traveller@MPGN.COM>
> Subject: TRAVELLER digest 78
> Message-ID: <941023184509_100326.446_BHB84-1@CompuServe.COM>

 
> >> Is the ENTIRE PREMISE behind TNE that the intelligent-chip-things from
> Signal GK take over the universe??? Sheesh. What next, hivers posing as
> SolSec agents??? <<

Ethan, the whole purpose of TNE is to rebuild society after the collapse. 
Virus caused the collapse, and Virus is still running around (otherwise 
the Regency would have opened its borders by now). And if, in the process 
of rebuilding you come across a "Dark Sphere" in space, approx 40 parsecs 
across, centred on Core Sector, into which anything sent does not return, 
you begin to ask questions. Virus is alive and kicking. Surely youve 
wondered about what is behind the Black Curtain?

> Yeah, I thought it was a load of dingo's kidneys as well. > 

Mr Foster, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Maybe you would like 
to speculate as to what is behind the Black Curtain...?


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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 11:16:07 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
To: Traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Desperately Seeking.... ghost.cc.missouri.edu!?!
Message-ID: <Pine.3.87.9410241107.A29695-0100000@pasta>

Anyone know what has happened to ghost.cc.missouri.edu ftp site? Ive 
tried logging in all weekend, and Ive been getting strange messages. I 
just tried this morning, and got the message "Unknown Host.".

_________________________________________________________________________
|"To me cool is about knowing who you    |  Mark Fletcher,              |
| are and liking who you are and walking |  University of St Andrews,   |
| without fear of who you are, with no   |  Scotland.                   | 
| baggage, no mask."                     |  (mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk)      |
|                      Bono.             |                              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------



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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 13:58:47 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
To: Traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Traveller Minatures
Message-ID: <Pine.3.87.9410241347.F2196-0100000@pasta>

Any Brits out there on the list who could tell me where I could buy 
Traveller minatures?

_________________________________________________________________________
|"To me cool is about knowing who you    |  Mark Fletcher,              |
| are and liking who you are and walking |  University of St Andrews,   |
| without fear of who you are, with no   |  Scotland.                   | 
| baggage, no mask."                     |  (mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk)      |
|                      Bono.             |                              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------



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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 14:04:47 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mark Fletcher <mf1@st-andrews.ac.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: Multiple recipients of list <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Virus and the Black Curtain... PROOF!
Message-ID: <Pine.3.87.9410241445.G2196-0100000@pasta>

Further Proof that the Black Curtain and Virus are interconnected. 
Somehow I dont think its a lot of Dingo's Kidneys anymore...

On Thu, 13 Oct 1994 traveller@MPGN.COM wrote:

> 			    TRAVELLER Digest 69
> 
> Topics covered in this issue include:
> 
>   1) Library World Gen Program 	by alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
>   2) Talk Adventure! 	by alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
>   3) Pros/Cons of TNE; Colony philosophies... 	by alvin plummera <plummera@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>
>   4) RE: Battle Rider Question 	by "Mary E. Poynter" <3I4KQ7X@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
>   5) Armour factors 	by "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
>   6) GDW Lives! 	by jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
>   7) "Cyber-Lucan" 	by Steven Gott <sgott@u.washington.edu>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 22:37:58 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Steven Gott <sgott@u.washington.edu>
> To: traveller@MPGN.COM
> Subject: "Cyber-Lucan"
> Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9410122256.A16036-0100000@hardy.u.washington.edu>
> 
> 
> According to FGMP-16 the thrid imperium is alive and well behind the 
> black curtain.  It is ruled by some sort of dead yet alive through the 
> magic of Virus.
> 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do I get my hands on FGMP-16???



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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 94 11:09:17 ADT
From: "Les Howie"  <lhowie@cpx.Prograph.Com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Borgoids
Message-ID: <9410241409.AA26283@Prograph.Com>

> Yep, according to the TNE Referees Screen, there were "Creatures" that 
> sounded alot like the Borg to me. Whether or not they come from the Black 
> Curtain remains to be seen.....
> 
It certainly is interesting that GDW decided that it was more important to 
include Cyborg design rules in FF&S then features like robots that had a
history in traveller.

Anyone running 'borgs in their games?

Les Howie
Technical Architect (Database)
Prograph International


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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 12:50:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ted7@world.std.com (Mitchell K Schwartz)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (Traveller:TNE mailing list)
Subject: re: Stutterwarp questions
Message-ID: <199410241650.AA04439@world.std.com>

Glenn Myers asks:
>On another thread entirely, why is stutterwarp used in Trav2300 but not
>in CT, MT, and TNE. Has a plausible reason been published for why SW
>technology disappeared? I don't have 2300 but I've been playing with
>FF&S. None of my homebrewed designs converted very favorably to TNE.

For starters, they are completely different timelines. T:2300 only shares 
the name "Traveller" with CT, MT, and T:TNE. There is no stutterwarp 
drive for the same reasons that there are no warp drives or phasers, or 
hyper-drive in CT or MT: they are artifacts that belong to a different
reality.

>I figure TNE really is a new background so why not add a few more retcons.

Is that add or cause? Actually, stutterwarp would cause a lot of problems 
since it is limited to 7.7 ly for a travel hop: slightly more than J2. J3 
distances would cause the drive to emit major radiation killing the crew 
and damaging its electronics (according to T:2300).

What is called when you CAUSE a future reality discontinuity that would 
require some future retcon? (If there isn't such a term, I'd go for 
furdis...) Certainly GDW created enough furdis (plural same as singular;
like sheep or sh*t :-) with the introduction of T:TNE...

					Ted7


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

Date: Mon, 24 Oct 94 16:03:11 EDT
From: Glenn Myers <gem188@swanson.com>
To: traveller%MPGN.COM@swanson.com
Subject: supernovae and stutterwarp II
Message-ID: <9410242000.AA17958@fea1.swanson.com>



Hi All, 

Stewart (spe@jb.man.ac.uk) wrote:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I'm even less sure of the effects on the surrounding systems.  Generally
> not good,  suppose, although I'd be suprised if they were physically
> catastrophic.  Even the closest system would probably have about 3 years
> warning (assuming the SN was a regular destination, and the change in
> traffic is noticable).  As I said before, if the SN was previously in an
> important economic, politcal, or social position, the collateral effects
> would probably be far more damaging.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually, the timeline I had composed is summarized as follows;
(All names ommitted to prevent confusion)

Terran colonists, fleeing the impending collapse of the Terran Empire, are 
transported very far from their intended colonies due to a jump mishap. 
Over the next thousand years, an interstellar civilization matures with 
a single strong technical and military power controlling most of a sector.
The single power is overextended and the supernova is the herald of a new 
age of independence for clients of the empire. 

The supernova occurs at a critical jump point for trade with many new
colonies. The supernova has a far companion with a gas giant, however the 
radiation has disturbed the atmosphere, making skimming difficult/deadly.
Some amount of stellar material is captured by the companion as well.  

The radioactive wave travels into the core of the empire, disrupting 
communications and generally causing chaos. Many client seize their
chance for independence while the empire is paralyzed. The result is an
empire one third its original size surrounded by hostile new powers 
and a radioactive waste in the middle of a promising trade route.

Over the next five hundred years, several new powers contest the dominance
of the sector. The lost colonies have tried to survive on their own, but
most have been conquered by a new expanding alien civilization. 

Present campaign time is just prior to the rediscovery of the lost colonies
and first contact with the new territorial neighbors. The empire is awakening
and has realized the value of the star system which triggered its downfall. 
The ex-supernova system is going to be the staging point of new expeditions
into the unknown, new industrial opportunities, and future conflicts.

Whew! I don't think I gave too much away to any of my players that might 
read this. This should give you an idea of the kinds of details I'll 
need to provide over the next few months.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I'm even less sure of the effects on the surrounding systems.  Generally
> not good,  suppose, although I'd be suprised if they were physically
> catastrophic.  Even the closest system would probably have about 3 years
> warning (assuming the SN was a regular destination, and the change in
> traffic is noticable).  As I said before, if the SN was previously in an
> important economic, politcal, or social position, the collateral effects
> would probably be far more damaging.  Just thought of a reason why some
> people would be eager to return to the system quite soon after the SN; a
> (relatively) large amount of rare, star processed, elements would be
> blown out by the explosion, and these could be gathered by a clever and
> courageous prospector.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly what I was looking to accomplish. Similar to Anderson's Mirkheim,
except that it would also be a choke point for trade and war. A system worth 
fighting over if I ever saw one.

BTW, I heartily reccommend the TNE rules for use in a non-VIRUS setting. 
FF&S and WTH are great resources for the creating a detailed original 
campaign. 

I previously asked about stutterwarp because I was looking to include it
in my campaign, though with some modifications. I saw it as a replacement
for jump drives. Maneuver drives would remain the same and the 10D and 100D
jump limitations would apply to stutterwarp.

Well, what do you think, sirs?

TTFN

Glenn


-------------------------------------
| Glenn E. Myers   gmyers@ansys.com |
| Numerical Verification Group      |
| ANSYS, Inc.  (412) 873-2913       | 
-------------------------------------

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 80
**************************
