			    TRAVELLER Digest 140

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re:Planet III Update	by "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com>
  2) Re: Laser penetration	by "Upton, Django" <DUpton@VTRNNTOV.TELECOM.com.au>
  3) Grav Ball/TNE world updates	by b.borich@genie.geis.com

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Date: Thu, 22 Dec 1994 16:30:59 -0500
From: "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re:Planet III Update
Message-ID: <sef9a949.032@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com>

>Just thought I'd pass this this on to all interested parties.  I wrote to Jeff
>Davies the other day to confirm the rumor that Planet III was gone.   He
>replied that this is nothing more than a rumor and Planet III is alive  and
>well.  They are at the end of the first year of a multi-year license  with
>GDW.  Nothing more or less.
>
>It seems the rumor of their death was premature.

Kevin,

   That being the case, why would an unimpeachable source like Loren
Wiseman report that their license had expired?  Loren could of course
be mistaken....I think maybe he (Loren) needs to clear this up.

Harold

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        * It is an axiom of Christmas that people shop. *
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Date: Fri, 23 Dec 94 13:40:00 AES
From: "Upton, Django" <DUpton@VTRNNTOV.TELECOM.com.au>
To: tml <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Re: Laser penetration
Message-ID: <2EFAE5DF@msmail.trl.oz.au>


Liam_McCauley@qsp.co.uk writes:
 ---------------------------
     Laser Penetration
     -----------------

     I posted a suggestion to this list a couple of weeks ago that lasers
     should be allowed to have non-fractional, non-nil penetration ratings
     (e.g. PR of 3).

     Given the messages that had been appearing about dis-satisfaction with
     the effects of TNE SA lasers (c.f. MT or CT), I kind of expected some
     comments / ridicule.  The only person to say anything on this thread
     has been Tariq Rashid (any chance of you mailing the laser you
     designed with the PR of 6?), since then.

     I am quite keen to receive some more feedback, since I don't fancy
     designing the McCauley Arms range of Lasers if my thoughts about IPRs
     < 1 are flawed.

     Has anyone at GDW noticed my original message (tml digest 115)?  Is
     the rule in FF&S about IPR >= 1 a mistake, or does it model some real
     effect (it seems to imply that powerful lasers can penetrate really
     well - the fractional PR - but as the energy is reduced, there is a
     point at which penetration drops drastically - where IPR is about 1)?
     A brief comment would be most appreciated.
 ------------------------------------

Lasers with PR > 1 do not occur because of the relationship between PR and 
Damage used in FF&S.
If a laser is designed as per FF&S with an intensity less than 0.390625 
Mj/cm^2 it will have a PR >1 and a Damage Value of 1or less  which will not 
penetrate any armour! Thus it makes more sense to rate lasers as PR=0 in 
this case.
The two things that I think GDW have missed are:
 - It is assumed that lasers cannot be focussed on an area less than 1 cm^2
(solution? "R" in the intensity formula may be <1 for IPR ONLY)
 - If damage is not rounded then a fractional amount may be left after 
penetration which would be sufficient to cause 1 or more personnel damage 
dice. This is important at the intensities common for small arms lasers. 
This is particularly evident if the IPR is not rounded and the above 
focussing rule is used.

I hope that this will be of use to laser small arms designers.

A happy fire festival to all,

Django.

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Date: Fri, 23 Dec 94 08:40:00 UTC
From: b.borich@genie.geis.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Grav Ball/TNE world updates
Message-ID: <199412230848.AA206162484@relay2.geis.com>

 
    <Grav Ball> Written up in one of the Ttech fanzines. Of which I think I
have a copy on disk.
 
    <updating sector worlds> Someone made a post on what methodology to use
to bring sector data up to date (i.e. from 1117 era to 1200 era).
    Such an article is finally available c/o Mark Gelinas. A hard copy
can be purchased from Clay Bush (C.Bush3@genie.geis).
    I'll see if I can get an electronic version to post now that it's done.

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 140
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