			    TRAVELLER Digest 183

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Ship's Locker 1: The Schloobie	by Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
  2) TCS:TNE Game Annoucement	by CyHiggin@aol.com
  3) Re: TRAVELLER digest 181	by aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)

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Date: Sat, 4 Feb 1995 14:19:33 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Ship's Locker 1: The Schloobie
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.950204133946.11211E-100000@brahms.udel.edu>

One of the most difficult probles aboard a starship is keeping things 
clean.  Dirt, dust, and waste products can clog filters, line ductwork, 
and generally make the ship look and smell like a pigpen.  Ship's with 
sub-standard life support systems, such as the standard type S Imperial 
scout, are even more prone to problems of bad smells and mold growth.

As an aside, one of the biggest problems is the ship's crew and passenger
complement.  Humans sweat, cough, and most notably, slowly shed their hair
and skin.  In a starship, as in dirtside dwellings, as much as 90% of dust
and grime is human hair and exfoliated human skin, which is a lovely food
source for microbes. 

The schloobie, a genetically engineered animal first produced in the 
Solomani sphere but now generally avalible in Imperial space, is one 
solution to this problem.  Looking rather like a furry rug, the schloobie 
has no bones - it moves by a rythmic motion of its hair.  It can flow 
into the smallest spaces, and eats a wide range of organic materials, 
including dead human skin, mold, and other organics.  It keeps ductwork 
and crew quarters clean, eliminating the need to dust most surfaces.

Schloobies mass roughly 2 kilos, and come in a wide variety of colors so 
that one can match them to a ship's decor.  They live from three to five 
years.  They do not reproduce - they are in effect manufactured by 
biotech companies.

A typical ship will carry one schloobie for every 10 persons on board - 
luxury liners often carry more to insure higher standards of cleanliness.

Shloobies can also be used as a substitute for showers or baths.  When 
rubbed over the body, they remove dead skin and dirt, though care must be 
taken to avoid removing hair, since a schloobie left on too long will 
digest it.  As a result, schloobies are common on desert worlds and other 
places where water is scarce.

Schloobies work best with Human or Vargr waste, since they are designed 
to digest organics based on Terran biology.  Vargr do not care for 
schloobies, however, since they often will eat a vargr's fur while he sleeps.

Cost: 100 CR

Avalibility: Starport A or Hyd 0  -  4+ on 2d6
	     Starport B or Pop 8+ -  6+ on 2d6
	     Otherwise		  - 10+ on 2d6

	     DMs: +2 in Solomani Sphere, -6 outside Imperial or Zhodani Space

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

Date: Sat, 4 Feb 1995 20:58:47 -0500
From: CyHiggin@aol.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: TCS:TNE Game Annoucement
Message-ID: <950204204230_13149473@aol.com>

I am forwarding this for Steve Higginbotham.  Interested parties please reply
to: JSHiggin@aol.com
------------------------------------
    This is a proposal for a TCS game, which I will referee given
that enough interest is shown.

    My purpose is twofold:
        1)  to learn something about the formation of interstellar
governments in a power vacuum,
        2)  to learn something about what works using FF&S technology.

    Hopefully, the players will have a chance to
        1)  learn something about what works using FF&S technology
        2)  have a good time pounding each other with advanced
technological weaponry...


    The game will require four or more players, each running an
"empire", plus any others that are interested in playing the parts
of admirals/generals/governors subordinate to the main players.
    Note that this game is primarily strategic and operational, NOT
tactical, despite what "TCS" may imply...

SETUP:

    The Imperial Era ended about 700 years before the present, with
the complete collapse of the human-dominated Third Imperium and 
surrounding interstellar states.
    You (the players) have just recovered Jump technology, placing
you in the forefront of the return to space.  You have no contact 
with anyone else at this point.  You have no clue whether there IS
anyone else left, in fact.  Think of yourselves as like the RC, but 
not as stupid...:-)

    There will be two types of initial position to choose from:

        1)  You start with one planet, population between one and
two billion, TL-10 with TL-11 J-drives.
                            or
        2)  You start with one country on a balkanized world,
population between 200 million and 300 million, TL-11 across the
board.

    I am willing to listen to other setup ideas anyone is
interested in playing, though handicaps will be put in place to
prevent any player from having an overwhelmingly superior start
position (assuming I can spot the advantage, anyway).  Note that
_absolute_maximum_starting_TL_ is 12.  Don't even bother asking
for higher...
    Those of you who choose to be on a balkanized world are the 
leading technological power on your world.  Note that secondary
powers on your world may begin space exploration/exploitation as
soon as you lead the way by launching a ship (that is, they start
building a ship on "turn 2").

    A little free information for the players, that your personas
in the game will not have:

        1)  there are three or more other players, which means 
three or more other interstellar states.
        2)  IMPORTANT:  There are also two spacefaring "NPC"
races - both unpleasant.
    One will do its best to conquer you if you contact them.  The
other will do its best to obliterate you.
    The first of the above will not have Jump until/unless they
can take it away from one of you (or another spacefaring NPC).
The second will have Jump, but will be restricted from leaving its
"home space" till they discover your presence...
        3)  all other NPCs will have minimal spacefaring capability
at the beginning of the game.  They will begin working on Jump at
the moment of contact by an interstellar power.


TECHNICAL DETAILS:

    This game will use FF&S design rules for equipment, with
modifications.  Interested parties will be informed of the mods
being used.  Economic rules will be based closely on WTH, ditto
the ground combat rules.
    Build rates will be straight out of TCS to start.

    Each player will be issued a listing of all stars within ten
parsecs of your homeworld.  Note that you will all be using a 
coordinate system based on your homeworld, so hex numbers will
not give any clues about the "big map".
    The "big map" will be used by me to track players and NPCs.
It will be a 30 parsec radius circle (well, hexagon, actually),
which covers pretty close to two sectors worth of space.  Note
that the "big map" will be centered either in the Spinward 
Marches or the Solomani Rim, for those who  like to amuse them-
selves by finding out where they are, and what lies beyond the
edge of the map...
    In addition, each player will be expected to either:
        1)  be a minor human race,
                            or
        2)  generate his/her/its own homesystem.

    Note that in the latter case, there will be no insystem 
development allowed until the game begins.
    Note that in EITHER case, you will be allowed to choose your
own government types and law levels.  The referee (me) will then
use your choices to harass you endlessly, no matter what they
are...;-)

    "Victory conditions" will be up to each player.  You tell me
what "victory conditions" you wish to work toward.  I will
determine final "victory" based on the extent to which each of
you achieved your "victory conditions", and the difficulty of
achieving those conditions.
    This way, you will not be locked into achieving any specific
conditions, whcih specific conditions may not fit with either
your personality or your strategy...

    In any case, starting fleets will consist of one (1) ship of
400T or less per player.  This will represent the first starship 
built by each player since the end of the Imperial Era.  Note that
cost of this ship is irrelevant, except for maintenance purposes.
    Starting armies will be based on Striker II guidelines, with
any player starting on a balkanized world considered "warlike",
and any other player considered "peaceful".  Starting armies will
be pretty generic, but you may tailor them to your tastes once 
the game begins...

    During the initial period of the game, each player will be
operating asynchronously.  That is, I will process each (one year)
turn as fast as it is sent to me.  As soon as you make contact
with another player (or an NPC), you will become synchronous with
that player/NPC and anyone HE/SHE/IT is in contact with.  This will
continue until all players are in contact.
    Any new players that are added will also operate asynchronously
until he/she/it is in contact with someone.  This includes players
who are knocked out of the game and who wish to return to the game
under a new guise.

    R&D will operate similarly to that in my previous game - you
describe to me the desired result of the program, and throw money
at it till I tell you that you have something.  Note that ANYTHING
described in FF&S can be researched in this game.  Further note
that everything that doesn't fit the "standard Trav" picture will
be MUCH harder to achieve (things like Stutterwarp, for instance).



    The game will begin as soon as four people have chosen to become
players.  I already have one (she won't be Sir Reginald this time,
though ;-) ).  At that point, I will begin accepting turns just as
fast as you can send them in....

                                        ---Steve




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

Date: Sun, 5 Feb 95 15:23 GMT
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 181
Message-ID: <memo.295726@cix.compulink.co.uk>

In-Reply-To: <199502031727.MAA24708@Ambassador.MPGN.COM>


  > > 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? 
  >  
  > Of course, if you want real fast transport, you have to cut out the
  > gas giant altogether and go to the xboat system's tender approach,
  > where you bring the fuel out to the ship.  
  
This is similar to an idea that occurred to me recently. The system works
like this:

You have a set of space-stations (well, Starports, really), at the 100-d
limit of the main world. All interstellar traffic goes via these. Each
station has its own tugs, fast shuttles, fuel tankers, etc. This allows
ships to pretty much forget about a manoeuvre drive. 

When a ship jumps, the chances of a misjump are slim, (it's using refined 
fuel, outside 100-d, jump program is very accurate (known, fixed, start
and end points)). It will come out fairly near to one of the stations.
Passengers and cargo can be transferred via fast shuttles, whilst tankers
can fly out to refuel the ship - which need never actually visit the
station, (unless it needs repairing, in which case a tug will bring it in).
Fuel can be brought to the station either from the main world or gas giant
using large, slow, bulk tankers (there's no hurry, and it can be refined
en route).

Advantages? Jumps should be safer. Actual travel times should be faster,
since the in-system travel is done in fast shuttles. Starships are cheaper,
(no m-drive). Passenger/cargo ships are more economical, (all that space
that would have been taken up with m-drive and fuel can be used for cargo
or staterooms.

Disadvantages? If you *do* misjump, you're in trouble. Needs a lot of time,
money, and resources to set up.

Comments?

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 183
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