			    TRAVELLER Digest 127

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: Converting Systems to New Era	by Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
  2) Meson Gun	by Derek Smith <Derek_Smith.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com>
  3) TRAVELLER digest 126	by Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
  4)	by gdw.support@genie.geis.com

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Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 13:16:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Converting Systems to New Era
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9412091251.A9120-0100000@brahms.udel.edu>

Thanks for the info on converting star systems - I'll keep that on file.

As to the material in the New Era manual, I should have said I wasn't
really happy with it - that's why I wanted to roll my own.  In
particular, the tables given there don't seem to take some of the
peculiarities of the Rebellion and Virus into account (i.e. that more
starhips survive in the Wilds than in Safe areas, since transponders are
more likely to be turned off).

I suppose I should have pointed out my underlying assumptions before
listing the changes I'd make.  Here they are:

1) The impact of the Rebellion, at least as modeled in Hard Times, is
primarily an economic one.  The war destroys starships, starports,
and some biospheres (the last being fairly rare).  As a result, trade is
reduced, the economy falls apart, and the population and government
changes are knock-on effects.

2) Since economics is fundamentally a matter of markets (comsumers to
consume), high population planets have an advantage on three counts.
First, more consumers.  Second, more expertise, reflected in more
surviving technical experts.  Third, low transport costs (in-system is
much cheaper than interstellar).

3) The Virus is the monkey wrench variable.  However, high tech cultures
are more vunerable, due to increased use of computer controls.  The lower
the population, however, the more likely a Virus-caused accident will
kill off a large percentage of the population in one spectacular accident.

4) The best place to be when the virus comes is a place like Earth in the
1960s.  That is, a high pop, tech level 6/7 garden world, where computer
failure, while slightly disruptive, would cause little economic impact.
Higher tech worlds, especially in non-friendly environments, would be
much more vunerable to the Virus due to the widespread use of computer
systems.

Hope this helps explain what I'm trying to get at - comments welcome.


Mark Clark

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Date:  9 Dec 94 12:25:47 ES
From: Derek Smith <Derek_Smith.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com>
To: traveller <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Meson Gun
Message-ID: <9412092116.AA01651@internet1.lotus.com>

Hans-Christian Prytz <92hansc@kihelektro.kih.no> writes:
>Yesterday I was designing a 2000 tonner with a spinal mount meson
>gun. As I haven't played BL with any meson gun ships before, I had
>some trouble finding an apropriate DE (or DV that is) the one i tried
>constructing had a DE of 3000 Mj (DV approx. 190) is this to little?


Yes and no.  (Helpful, huh?)

It depends upon what your ship is intended to do.  This gun isn't
even going to warm up the meson screens of a large (or even medium
sized) ship.

But against escort/destroyer sized vessels (say, 400 tons up through
5000 tons maybe (?)), it should do quite well.

Of course, I would just pack the ship with kick-ass lasers, but saying
too much about that will just get me beat about the head and shoulders
with arbitrary 25*TL or 50*TL Laser DE limits...  8^)

So - If the killer laser isn't the weapon that has evolved into the
"weapon of the times" at your tech level, the gun you designed is
probably ok in the "pick off the small fry" role.

To attack a capital ship, you probably want a DE of something on the
order of 50,000 Mj (which is probably larger than your whole 2000 dt
ship!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Derek Smith - Lotus Development Corporation - Release Engineering

"Homicide Division:  Our Day begins when yours ends."

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Date: 10 Dec 94 05:28:04 EST
From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
To: <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: TRAVELLER digest 126
Message-ID: <941210102803_100326.446_BHG26-4@CompuServe.COM>


>>Subject: Re:World Stats: Megatraveller to New Era<<

Harold, that was a really kind way of saying RTFM...




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Date: Thu,  1 Dec 94 03:52:00 UTC
From: gdw.support@genie.geis.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Message-ID: <199412101318.AA061495534@relay2.geis.com>


 traveller@mpgn.com

 From TRAVELLER Digest 110

 Joni M Virolainen:

 > I asked this question once before, but I didn't get an answer.
 > How much effect armor has against concussion damage
 > for example from grenades?

 Open armor (ordinary flak vests, helmets, etc) doesn't protect
 against concussion. So far, so good.

 Rigid, completely-sealed armor (battle dress and combat armor)
 does -- according to the rules as writtten, concussion doesn't
 damage anyone inside a vehicle or behind hard cover (and BD/Cbt
 armor counts as hard cover) There is a problem with this, namely
 when does the force of an explosion overwhelm the protective
 value of the cover (be it concrete wall, tank hull or battle
 dress). We (GDW) have been debating this question off-and-on for
 a while now, and haven't come up with a satisfactory answer.
 Joni is only the second person to ask, so it either doesn't
 come up in play very often, or referees have no problem
 improvising solutions.

 Note that rigid armor cannot protect its wearer from the
 effects of knockdown.

 The formula mentioned by David Hoey (TRAVELLER Digest 111)
 deals with cases where the explosive charge is in direct contact
 with an object (where you want to use an explosive charge to
 breach a wall, for example).

 From TRAVELLER Digest 114

 Hugh Foster
 > Here's a thought for you. "Modern" Traveller weapons are
 > bullpup design, yeah ? Now, if the receiver's back behind
 > the level of the trigger guard, that's pretty close to the face,
 > hmm ? Isn't that gonna mean that a leftie is going to get an
 > earful of hot brass everytime he pulls the trigger ?
 Already thought of it, Hugh. Check out page 60 of the RC
 Equipment guide, where it says (and I quote): "The rifle's
 features are either duplicated on both sides of the rifle for
 use by both right- and left-handed soldiers, or can be switched
 to whichever side the individual chooses by the unit
 armorer...the ejection port and bayonet lug are examples of the
 latter."
 FWIW, even a rightie firing a conventional weapon can
 occasionally get a hot case down his shirt front. I speak from
 personal experience.
 Loren K. Wiseman
 GDW,Inc.

 PS. Fletch: GDW is in no danger of going under in the forseeable
future. Why do you ask?
         LKW

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 127
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