			    TRAVELLER Digest 164

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Traveller errata	by HANS-CHRISTIAN PRYTZ <92HANSC@kihelektro.kih.no>
  2) re:rocks (againt)	by Ted7@world.std.com (Mitchell K Schwartz)
  3) Ooops	by Ted7@world.std.com (Mitchell K Schwartz)
  4) Heat effects	by "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
  5) Ship minis	by merrick@RT66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)

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Date: 16 Jan 95 13:24:20 MET-1
From: HANS-CHRISTIAN PRYTZ <92HANSC@kihelektro.kih.no>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Traveller errata
Message-ID: <MAILQUEUE-101.950116132420.320@kihelektro.kih.no>

In the last couple of digests several people have mentioned a new
errata sheet for traveller (FFS?). As my local hobby shop takes VERY
long to get Trav. stuff, I haven't seen this yet. Could somebody
please post this or mail it to me??

Thanks in advance

---
____________________________________
|Hans-Christian Prytz              |
|e-mail <92hansc@kihelektro.kih.no>|
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Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 09:03:49 -0500 (EST)
From: Ted7@world.std.com (Mitchell K Schwartz)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (Traveller:TNE mailing list)
Subject: re:rocks (againt)
Message-ID: <199501161403.AA13776@world.std.com>

count sez:
>well Im just remembering the quote from CT and I think MT that reads
>loosly '...ships usually jump at low relative velocities...as when they
>exit from jump they cannot determine what their _vector_ will be with
>respect to the target planet...'

That was true. However, welcome to TNE. Read it. Ships USUALLY jump with 
the aproach vector they want to use at the target planet, and pop it close
to on target. lucky ones only need to turn on the engines to land. So, 
corrections upon exiting will not need to be large.

>however if you want to get too picky just realise that every star system
>is moving relative to every other and you find that exiting from jump
>into a (for example) transient system (one moving through the galaxy at
>high speed) would result in a high velocity with respect to the target
>system.  So...may solve problem of rock velocity!!

A good point! All this is of course known data used in astrogation 
calculations, so it isn't a secret. Just pop a rock moving in a vector 
opposite the planet's orbit.... and you get an earth-shattering kaboom.

>You may not find a suitably sized rock that can withstand
>multiple 10-megaton charges going off on it within 1 jump of the target...

Considering the number of systems that have a belt or gas giant (which 
tend to collect space junk in their leading and trailing trojan points),
I'd say finding one is easy. Also, note the above comment about TNE 
jumping - few corrections would be required.

The comments about catching such a weapon while it is being devised 
raises it own problems - your stealth vessels jump into the system, turn 
on the densimeters - and note several planetary masses and hundreds of 
smaller planetoids. Not to mention a variety of ships. THEN they have to 
begin searching for them (engine use is detectable). Plus, with TNE's
fuel rules, they cannot cruise about changing vectors very long without 
needing fuel. ANyone that chlose to the enemy should at least watch if 
not guard fuel carefully....

Pluswhich, given TNE, if you are going to the expense of sacrificing a 
jumpdrive for a massive object anyway, its not that much more expensive 
to put in a multi-parsec junp drive - which makes finding ity still more 
difficult...

Hans sez:
>Normal astrogation also gives you a sizable variation in the time it takes
>to do a jump (6-8 days). Why not assume a comparable variation in location
>arrived at?

Does it say that this is randomly determined, or is this known based on 
the distance traveled and various aspects of the fabric of space in the 
region? If it is randomly determined, then that is a general problem with 
astrogation, and it means that most merchant traffic does NOT make it near
the 100 diameter sphere.

(For those of you saying huh? consider: 93 million miles (1AU) from the 
sun, the earth travels in excess of 280 million miles per annum - or 
about 750,000 miles a day. Just about Earth's 100 diameter limit. If you 
can't be sure where within those three days you will arrive, then you 
need a decent safety factor to ensure you are outside the 100 diameter 
limit for anywhere during those three days!  Otherwise, you may re-enter
normal space deep within the gravity well - or not re-enter at all. 
Normal traffic will avoid this region like the plague.  People arriving 
above or below the plain of the ecliptic can use a smaller safetyu 
margin, but may well  be more than 100 diameters out on appearance - and 
re-enter space with a bad vector, that requires fuel expenditure to correct.)

(Either this is a screw up of TNE (hardly a surprise) or this doesn't happen,
and jumps take a known period of time.

>So why not impose a limit to how fast things can move in jump space?

Rules state there is none; veolcity vector is conserved from the entry 
point into jump space to the exit point back into normal space with no 
effect on jump. Unless you want to create a set of rules varying the 
ability to get into jump space based on (what? size, weight? speed? total 
energy?) and make some reasonable explanation for it, skip it. And be 
nicer to your neighbors so they don't drop rocks on your planet.

				Ted7

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Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 09:08:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Ted7@world.std.com (Mitchell K Schwartz)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (Traveller:TNE mailing list)
Subject: Ooops
Message-ID: <199501161408.AA16265@world.std.com>

Your pardons, all. That last (re:rocks) was supposed to go to xboat.
Please ignore it.

						Ted7

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Date:          Mon, 16 Jan 1995 16:15:21 EET
From: "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Heat effects
Message-ID: <9E6D363024@operoni.helsinki.fi>

Howdy folks,
I have been wondering how to reflect the effects of high temperature. 
Especially when PCs wear armor and helmet and are travelling in a 
steaming jungle or blazing desert.

I remember reading about the effects of cold from Challenge a time 
ago. I suppose the effects should be likewise. So if some of you have 
generated some rules/guidelines for this and/or converted those 
Farenheits to Celsius degrees that are shown in the Challenge 
article, I'd be glad to know. Otherwise I have to generate those 
myself.

"I'll be bag"
- An unknown alligator

Joni Virolainen
virolainen@operoni.helsinki.fi


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Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 09:25:02 -0700 (MST)
From: merrick@RT66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (traveller)
Subject: Ship minis
Message-ID: <9501161625.AA26924@RT66.com>


Howdy,

I calculated the displacement of the new Free Trader mini at 206 tons at a
scale of 1:1000.  In doing so (I had to copy one to do it) I calculated the
density of the white metal used to cast the original.  It is about
5.46g/cm^3.
So in the future I will figure out the scale as soon as I get the mini to a
scale :)

(BTW, the 206 tons is well within what it should be based on the rules (and
is a good little mini (aside from mold tears))

-Merrick

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 164
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