			    TRAVELLER Digest 92

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Generating Planet Profiles	by Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
  2) Re: PEMS Fixed/Folding Arrays	by bonn0015@itlabs.umn.edu (STEVEN M BONNEVILLE)
  3) Brain/Brawn ships systems	by "Bruce Johnson" <JOHNSON@tonic.pharm.arizona.edu>
  4) RE: CARDS IN BR	by john.bogan@asb.com
  5) LA area game stores	by erich@bush.cs.tamu.edu (Erich Schneider)
  6) Gov codes vs. population	by erich@bush.cs.tamu.edu (Erich Schneider)

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Date: Fri, 4 Nov 1994 17:17:52 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
To: Traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Generating Planet Profiles
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9411041720.A22753-0100000@brahms.udel.edu>


Jim Vassilakos made some interesting comments about Classic Traveller 
world generation, and I think his suggestions have some merit on a 
logical basis, but I do think he neglects a couple of factors.

First of all, his basic assumption seems to be that all worlds are 
populated by Humaniti.  If you assume that alien races are included in 
population stats, many of the problems Jim cites are easy to solve.

For example, he cites Sonthert/Lanth as making no sense - Thin, Tainted 
atmosphere and a 19th century Tech Level.  Since this is a red zone 
system, the solution is clear - a developing society of aliens with big 
lungs and a taste for sulfer.  Under the protective eye of the Scout 
service, they're being prepared for contact with the Imperium sometime in 
the future.

Alternatly, the rabid survivors of a war-devestated higher-tech society 
cower in the ruins of their bunkers.

The second factor is economics.  Jim feels that, all things being equal, 
people will move to "nice" worlds.  If that were true, why would anyone 
live in Chicago when they could move to Hawaii?  The answer is 
economics.  People are too poor to move, don't have skills, have family 
ties.  Moreover, if there are no jobs at the new planet, who is going to 
move there?

Finally, the world profiles don't tell the whole story.  Just because a 
place has a "nice" profile - average size, average atmosphere, average 
hydro - doesn't mean the rest of it is fun.  The planet could be too hot, 
too cold, inhabited by vorpal bunnies, whatever.

For example, Jim cites La'Belle/Lanth as an example of a "nice" world with
a low pop.  The world is corporate owned, which might account for the lack
of pop (a world held in reserve for later exploitation).  Aside from the
above too hot, etc. explanations, we could assume the low pop is the
permanent staff of an eco-tourism operation.  "Come vacation on scenic
La'Belle and see nature in its pure form.  Our J3 luxury liners from
Rhylanor and Porozlo will whisk you there in style and comfort."  Hey,
that sounds good; I'll have to use that in the campaign I'm running now. 

Overall, while the generation system for Classic Traveller might result 
in some seemingly odd results, a bit of logic and imagination can explain 
it all.  Frankly, I like all those wierd world profiles.  For me, they've 
been the start of many interesting adventure ideas.


Mark "If you think my worlds are wacky, check out my starships" Clark


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Date: Fri, 4 Nov 1994 16:29:56 -0600
From: bonn0015@itlabs.umn.edu (STEVEN M BONNEVILLE)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: PEMS Fixed/Folding Arrays
Message-ID: <199411042229.QAA16250@diatom.itlabs.umn.edu>

Lewis Roberts <lewis@chara.gsu.edu> wrote:

>        (This is all from memory, but I think it is right)  First you
>get a array diameter, this determines if you need a folding array or
>not. Then you determine the area, by looking at the value for a given
>range, then multiplying by a tech level modifier.  But when you change
>the area, you are also changing the radius.  [...]

If the "lens" of the PEMS were solid, this would be true.  But since
the sensors are a synthetic aperture array, they are a collection of
smaller sensors set up so that they are spaced in an area of a lens
of the radius needed to get a high enough resolution to see objects
that are very far away.  I'm not explaining this well -- see the 
diagram on page 50 of FF&S.  To put it simply, the radius has to
stay fixed in order to keep the range fixed -- the reduction of area
consists of using sensors that don't cover the entire area of the
synthetic lens.  This reduces *sensitivity* compared to using a solid
disk, but the *resolution* stays high.

For instance, I have a 20 million d-ton ship design which mounts a
10 hex PEMS -- it's a 1600 m synthetic array consisting of about
sixteen 8 hex PEMS arrays.  It's meant to be an astronomy research
instrument; EMS arrays can image visual light, and at 1600 meters,
this instrument has a resolution of 0.000008 arc-seconds; it can
resolve a 1 cm dot at one-tenth light-second, and can just manage 
the Earth at *one parsec* -- assuming that it has enough sensitivity,
which I don't know.  Consider that TNE starships with even 2 hex 
PEMS arrays are carrying around the equivalent of a five meter
telescope....

According a comment somewhere in the rules, in space combat the
frequencies used to observe bogeys are in the IR band, which would
worsen the resolution and so require bigger lenses.  I did some
figures, and it looks like at first glance that the dish sizes
were selected to just resolve a small craft at the stated range
in the IR region of the spectrum.

I heard about one real-life proposal to construct a 10 *kilometer*
IR-optical-UV telescope on the far side of the Moon using synthetic
apeture techniques using 42 1.5 meter telescopes in two concentric
rings.  It could have many possible scientific applications beyond
looking for Earth-like planets around nearby stars and trying to
analyise their atmospheres spectrographically, but they are two 
of the exciting possibilities.

  Steve Bonneville
  <bonn0015@gold.tc.umn.edu>
 

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

Date:         Fri, 4 Nov 1994 17:00:34 MST
From: "Bruce Johnson" <JOHNSON@tonic.pharm.arizona.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Brain/Brawn ships systems
Message-ID: <MAILQUEUE-101.941104170034.288@tonic.pharm.arizona.edu>

Knight Hawk sez:

>Also as a twist to the Virus I have 3 Alien Crafts which I am planning 
>on using as soon as I can get them finished that have both a Human and 
>Computer part of the control systems.  The control systems are more 
>or less CYBORGS in nature I took the Idea from a Sci Fi book I read 
>which had Ships called B&B's (Brains & Brawns) the Brains is a Human 
>component of the Ship and Can't leave since it is built as part of the 
>ship.  While the Brawn does all the work the Brain can't.  Any Ideas as 
>to how the Virus would react to this combination since the computer 
>is already Inteligent in Nature?

	Anne McCaffery's The Ship Who Sang, actually part of a series 
now.  That's quite interesting concept, since the ship actually had very 
primitive computers or no computers, just cyborg links to the various 
ship's controls.  I don't know if Virus, once in a ship could cause much 
more than a low grade infection, since the 'computer' is the brain of the 
cyborg, not electronic circuits.  As I understand it, the Virus needs 
realtively complex computer circuitry to take over before it became 
intelligent; using a biological brain as the CPU will block any takeover.

	Of course, the Brains in these stories had been cyborg'ed, 
essentially from birth, into these systems.  

	Hmmmm....a ship PC....could be lots of fun, especially as 
McCaffery went into the things that could happen to you if, say, you 
made your ship jealous, or pissed off, or the ship went catatonic or 
paranoid.  Oh, yes LOTS of fun for those poor humans stuck inside ;->


Bruce Johnson
Information Technology/College of Pharmacy
The University of Arizona
johnson@tonic.pharm.arizona.edu 

My opinions, All Mine! Bwahahahahah! 

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

Date: Fri, 04 Nov 94 19:51:25 
From: john.bogan@asb.com
To: uunet!mpgn.com!traveller@uunet.uu.net
Subject: RE: CARDS IN BR
Message-ID: <9411041951.A1997wk@asb.com>


Another way to use dice is to take the listing of the
cards on the last page or so of BR and use it as
as d100 chart, rerolling the couple of rolls that
would be off the chart.

John Bogan

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Date: Sat, 5 Nov 94 03:54:10 CST
From: erich@bush.cs.tamu.edu (Erich Schneider)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: LA area game stores
Message-ID: <9411050954.AA12225@ bush.cs.tamu.edu>

>Gamesmanship at South Coast Plaza down by Newport Beach/Costa Mesa in
>Orange County...full line of traveller/GDW gear - no miniatures.

I second the recommendation - my father and I make a yearly pilgrimage
to this store when I'm home - a two hour drive, so it must be good.

>Sounds interesting but never been there:
>Something Unusual - 4448-East Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.

Admittedly, it was two years ago, but this store was kind of dinky the
last time I visited, and I don't think it's worth the trouble.

You might stop by The Last Grenadier in Burbank, in the outdoor mall
next to the big Ikea store on San Fernando. (I think it's called the
"Golden Mall" - it has many good used bookstores, too.)

Also, The Weekend Warrior has its headquarters in the LA area - good
for those out-of-print rarities.

-Erich

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Date: Sat, 5 Nov 94 04:10:02 CST
From: erich@bush.cs.tamu.edu (Erich Schneider)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Gov codes vs. population
Message-ID: <9411051010.AA12258@ bush.cs.tamu.edu>

IMHO, Marc Miller must've been on a Rousseau binge when he designed
the world generation rules - specifically, the secion of _The Social
Contract_ which claims that the best government is inversely
porportional in size to the governed population (democracies for small
states, republics for medium-sized, and monarchies for large ones.)

Also IMHO, gov type should have a more complex relationship with the
other world parameters. Working off the cuff:

- Poor environments (bad atmospheres, no water) would probably
encourage the more authoritarian government types - the "necessity of
unity in the struggle for survival" etc.

- Asteroid belts should tend towards the more anarchic/balkanized
systems (don't like where you're living? hop in your ship and go!)

- Tech level has an uncertain relationship to government; high
technology can probably promote both more democratic and more 
centralized governments. In fact, it might produce more "extreme"
government types than lower tech levels.

- Surely there must be some argument for dictatorships on worlds
with 10^10 people, but they elude me. The sheer problem of watching
that many people all the time is staggering.

-Erich

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 92
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