			    TRAVELLER Digest 178

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Why refuel at gas giants?	by tonyz@eskimo.com (Tony Zbaraschuk)
  2) Gas giants and economy	by roger.myhre@niva.no (Roger Myhre)
  3) Call Signs	by "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
  4) Keipes	by "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
  5) Evil dictators	by "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
  6) Starfleet Battles (for the last time)	by Liam_McCauley@qsp.co.uk

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Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 14:43:05 -0800 (PST)
From: tonyz@eskimo.com (Tony Zbaraschuk)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Why refuel at gas giants?
Message-ID: <199501302243.AA04609@eskimo.com>

Alvin Plummer asked why one would bother to refuel at a gas giant at all,
given that the time lost doing so would totally outweigh any economic
benefit from not having to pay for the fuel.

The only reason I can think of is when you are jumping through a system
and want to refuel there but not stop there (e.g., a jump-1 ship travelling
between two wealthy worlds jump-2 apart with a colony of poverty-stricken
homicidal barbarians in between.)

Or, of course, during military maneuvers for secrecy (refuel at minor-
system gas giant, jump to target) or because there were no bases in the
area.  (Actually, given the size of Oort clouds, most powers probably have
them seeded with tankers, secret refuelling bases, and the like.  Yes,
this means that the Virus got through the Regency borders long ago. <grin>)


Tony Z

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Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 10:07:30 +0100
From: roger.myhre@niva.no (Roger Myhre)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Gas giants and economy
Message-ID: <d4ccabf0@smtplink.niva.no>

Alvin Plummer <plummera@SHERIDANC.ON.CA> wrote:

>Several people have pointed out that GDW's stress on Gas Giant 
>Refuelling is economically non-viable: as I understand it, the time 
>spent travelling from the gas giant to the mainworld destroy's any 
>benefit from free refuelling.

>Can anyone here come up with the *real* reason why starship's like to 
>jump to & from gas giant's?  Perhaps jump astrogating is easier from 
>their vicinity? 

I can't think of any real reason, unless the mainworld is orbiting the 
gas giant. But gas giants got more military significance in TNE than 
in MT when the fuel consumtion has sky rocketed. The capture of, or 
prevention of that, of gas giants is esential to manage to comitt 
fleetforces to a system, unless you will make yourself dependent on 
defenseless tankers.

I predict that gas giants will be the focus for battle before the 
siege of the mainworld begins.

comments anyone?


StarWolf

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Date:          Tue, 31 Jan 1995 12:57:00 EET
From: "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Call Signs
Message-ID: <203292D15FB@operoni.helsinki.fi>

Call Signs are no problem to our group. At first no one has any call 
signs, but other players invent them when something peculiar happens. 
I suppose it is a kind of thing that you have to earn that call sign.

One example. Andrew Strong tried to teach trauma aid to one of his 
friends. Unfortunately he fumbled with the needle and hurt his own 
arm. After that his call sign was Piikki (needle).

Joni Virolainen
virolainen@operoni.helsinki.fi

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Date:          Tue, 31 Jan 1995 13:01:45 EET
From: "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Keipes
Message-ID: <2033CDE2F94@operoni.helsinki.fi>

Hey, that sounds (looks) interesting. 
But where Keipes got all those spaceships and where that transporter 
came? I'm afraid that I don't remember starchart very well, but if I 
remember right there is no other (relatively high TL) planets nearby. 
So what chances you think the Keipes has against RC? That is if you 
think that there should be any conflict.

I'd like to see more.

Joni Virolainen
virolainen@operoni.helsinki.fi

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Date:          Tue, 31 Jan 1995 13:06:23 EET
From: "Joni Virolainen" <VIROLAINEN@Operoni.Helsinki.FI>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Evil dictators
Message-ID: <203514529B8@operoni.helsinki.fi>

It is a good excuse to attack those planets. Besides there is a good 
chance that some planets develope those kind of ruling systems. It 
has been just co-incidence that all those planets where PCs has gone 
have TEDs.

I mean that if there are evil TEDs in published adventures just let 
them be and generate more interesting ruling system of your own for 
those "free" planets.

Have fun.

Joni Virolainen
virolainen@operoni.helsinki.fi

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Date: 	Tue, 31 Jan 1995 16:00:06 -0000
From: Liam_McCauley@qsp.co.uk
To: traveller@MPGN.COM, xboat@MPGN.COM
Subject: Starfleet Battles (for the last time)
Message-ID: <f2e5fef0@pc173.qsp.co.uk>

     Thanks for your replies (private & on the list).  For anyone else who 
     may be interested, you can subscribe to the SFB mailing list by 
     contacting:
     
          Henry Cobb <hcobb@slip.net>
     
     and asking him very nicely.  The archives for the list are located at:
     
          ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/misc/sfb
     
     I promise my next mailing will be Traveller, whole Traveller, and 
     nothing but Traveller, so help me God (probably about TNE lasers, 
     actually {just for a change}).
     
     Cheers,
     Liam
     
     Liam_McCauley@QSP.co.uk

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 178
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