			    TRAVELLER Digest 207

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: TRAVELLER digest 204	by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
  2) Traveller WWW pages	by ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu (Joseph Heck)
  3) Re: TRAVELLER digest 197	by aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
  4) Re: TRAVELLER digest 204	by aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
  5) Re: Starship Design	by "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com>
  6) traveller's aid society	by "fireplug" <pmm118@email.psu.edu>

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Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 09:39:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 204
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950227085730.18530B@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


From: "fireplug" <pmm118@email.psu.edu>
> 
> 1) People from the Terran Empire (what the subsector calls itself) don't
> like the phrase "Solomani". The Imperium gave it to the Terrans, and, to the
> Terrans, the Third Imperium meant suppression and conformity.

It seems that the Solomani gave the term to themselves... however, you 
can keep your understanding of the term, it sound's cooler than the 
offical version.

In a post-Collapse enviroment, it's possible that the Solomani returned 
to their Terran root's (remember, the homeworld is still named Terra); 
also, the empire may be centred on Terra.

What did you do with the Solomani doctrine of racial superiority/destiny?

Did the Imperium mean "suppression and conformity"?  Well, to the 
Terran's, yes -- the solomani sphere was a federation of individual 
interstellar government's, centred around the doctrine of Solomani 
superiority and the Rule of Man (the ideology, not the Second Imperium).
Single worlds could fight against each other, and have minor trade scraps 
that would be forbidden in the Imperium.

> 2) The Terrans cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy in 1120, 4
> years after the Imperium fell. Also, Terran ships never had the little
black
> boxes (transponder suites). So, when Virus hit around 1130, the Terrans
were
> better able to survive Virus.

In your universe... in the offical universe, the Solomani were busy 
grabbing some border regions, abnd having a difficult time fighting the 
Daibei and the Vegans.  They was also internal dissension regarding a 
`softening' of Solomani doctrine.

[Does anyone here know why the Solomani didn't conquer much mopre than 
'border regions'?  Apparently, GDW consider's them to be military 
incompetents - after all, due to tech level's and population alone, they 
should have never lost the Solomani Rim in the Rim War.]

Major question: why did the Terran Empire cut itself off from the Third 
Imperium during the Rebellion, instead of grabbing everything it could?

You'd need to justify how the Terran's managed to recover so quickly.  
Four point's on your side: they have a treasure trove of stuff and old 
info on Terra, which would help relearning everything quickly; The 
Terrans were more into biotech than the Imperium, which would both reduce 
their dependence on electronic technology and give them experience to 
deal with a carbon-based, electronic lifeform like Virus much quickly; 
there were a variety of widely differing tech standard in the Solomani 
confederation, which would slow Virus' spread; and the Hivers managed to 
recover quickly, showing that it _can_ be done.
 
> 3) Right now, Virus is more like the Barbary pirates. There's a lot of
> vampire ships out there, and you never know when they're gonna attack - you
> just know they will. Hence, Terran ships are armed to the teeth. Any sign
of
> a Virus-infested ship is grounds for immediate destruction.

This is a good description.  Tell your guy's to be more careful as they 
go closer to th e Black Sphere, though -- up there, Virus is *organized*.

Question: what happened to the rimward portion's of the Solomani 
confederation?

> Also, any info on the Second Imperium (the "Rule of Man") and
> theories on the Solomani will be appreciated.

Someone with "Solomani and Aslan" aka Rats & Cats help this man!

The only thing I can say is 
   A) The Rule of Man lasted 400 years
   B) It was founded by Hiroshi I (who never crowned himself) who 
condicted a peaceful coup, with naval support
   C) It fell due to poor economic management: the Old Earth Union, 
however, survived until the coming of the Imperium
   D) The Solomani were part of the Imperium from 550? to after the First 
Civil War, when the Emperor (until then, always a pureblood Solomani) 
married into a wealthy Vilani industrialist family.  Soon thereafter, the 
Solomani were allowed to seperate.  The Rim War was fought (offically) to 
retake Terra, and weaken (alleged) Solomani racism.

There are a series of good post's on the sublect, and Ranke (?) wrote up 
an article on this subject, where slip's me right now.

From: "David A. Nelson" <34TYHPE@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>

>   1. armor is your friend. most warship want a armor values around 100.
>     the few Cubic meter you lose will be made up for with the protection
>     gained.

Armour values of 100???                     <giggles of Zhodani glee>

Sir, there are quite a number of ship's our there with armour of 1700, 
last time I heard!

I *think* that Booneviles' Anzanhi High Lightning, a typical 
Imperial cruiser, has armour of 600.

> 2. One big hole is better to many little holes. <Critical damage note>

Yep.
 
> 3.  If you ship's mission is to 'lie in the line' keep the small craft to 
> the smallest number possable.  Unless you design is going to carry a large
> number of troops, or be used for police/coast guard type duties a good
deal,
> forget the small crate use the space something mission related (i.e., 
> firepower)

Yes: but don't forget the power of fighters as reusable missiles and 
sensor pads.

> 4.  I allways use lazer turret/barrbet insted of nuclear dampers turrerts/
>     barrbets;a lazer is more flexible.  A lazer allow you to stop a missle
>     from you, but tne can be used to hit the person who fired that missile
>     at you.

Don't forget that most Imperial Campagin capital ship's use meson gun's 
and Particle Accellerators as the main gun.  PA's cause radiation damage, 
and only nuclear dampers will help here.

[NOTE: if you chech the number's, massive lasers as the main gun gives 
the most bang for the buck: this isn't what the Offical Version calls 
for.  Someone DID post a fix...]

> 5. no MFD = DEAD

Very, very true.  Don't forget that MFD's can usually control multiple 
missiles, but only one laser/meson/PS weapon.

> I still have not come up with a good answer a few question like these.
> 
> what is a good g-rating for a war ship of given size?

Standard Imperial Doctrine calls for jump-6, maneuver-4 ships as a minimum.
Fighter's NEED maneuver-6.  Battleship's and dreadnaughts are 
occasionally built with less maneuver, down to maneuver-2.
 
> how long should a ship design to work with a fleet take to purify it fuel?

No offical doctrine here, but I recomment keeping the number below five
hours: three may be idea.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alvin Plummer
"Preserve what we created, Norris, and remember what we stood for."
                               - Strephon, 179-1126

Reply to: alvin.plummer@SHERIDANC.ON.CA

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



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

Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 10:01:42 -0600 (CST)
From: ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu (Joseph Heck)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (TML Submissions)
Subject: Traveller WWW pages
Message-ID: <9502271601.AA99175@showme.missouri.edu>

Howdy,

Lurking in the background, I've finally gotten around to updating the 
WWW pages at "http://www.missouri.edu/~ccjoe". They're in a little 
different format...

I've also gotten down to publishing some more information about my 3D space
campaign that I've been running - and more will come out as I create it
for the game.

I'm publishing the documents in pdf format - which I know isn't completely
universal, but it gives me more control over formats than HTML... One of the
files is a deckplan for a 400ton MM Sloop (The RCS Meretzky) that I'm 
using within our game.

I'll create more information and such as I have time, but take a look and
see what you all think.
-- 
 joe                          (314) 882-5000
 ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu    University of Missouri - Columbia  
 "with a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and
 impenetrable fog!" -- Calvin
 <A HREF="http://www.missouri.edu/~ccjoe">ccjoe</A>

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

Date: Mon, 27 Feb 95 19:24 GMT
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 197
Message-ID: <memo.727158@cix.compulink.co.uk>

In-Reply-To: <199502180323.WAA27646@Ambassador.MPGN.COM>


  > From: "KMCCARTHY" <KMCCARTHY@QMGATE.OSC.HQ.NASA.GOV> To: "New TML
  > Subject: Non Lethal Weapons in Trave 
  >  
  > I can just see a band of Star Vikings/Lancers/Traders stumbling across
  > a culture that abhors violence but is willing to defend themselves

If it's a fight between one group armed with stun grenades and rubber
bullets, and another armed with gauss rifles and FGMPs, then I know which
group I'd bet on...

  > Also, these types on weapons would be good for anti-hijacking devices.

Or for boarding parties who don't want to trash the ship in the process
of capturing it, or in hostage situations.

  > --wooden and rubber pellets fired at the ground in front of unruly
  > crowds from 12-gauge shotguns and 40mm hand grenade launchers, which
  > ricochet into legs and cause bruises; 

Ah, the good old rubber bullet (aka baton round). They can still kill you
if they hit you at close range or without ricocheting.

  > --and a backpack that feeds a nozzle gun to lay down another type of
  > crowd barrier, this one a thick, sticky foam that constrains the
  > movement of individuals trapped in it. " 

I saw this on the news last night - it's absolutely disgusting stuff!

There are quite a few non-lethal weapons being developed atm, including
anti-vehicular weapons (sprays that stop engines working, slippery liquids
to make steering difficult, etc), sonic weapons, flash grenades to
temporarily blind, lasers to *permanently* blind, non-nuclear EMP-bombs
to fry electronics, etc. 

---
Andrew Boulton

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

Date: Mon, 27 Feb 95 19:24 GMT
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 204
Message-ID: <memo.727168@cix.compulink.co.uk>

In-Reply-To: <199502251440.JAA01614@Ambassador.MPGN.COM>


  > From: "fireplug" <pmm118@email.psu.edu> 
  > Subject: The Terrans/Solomani 
  >  
  > 1) People from the Terran Empire (what the subsector calls itself)
  > don't like the phrase "Solomani". The Imperium gave it to the Terrans,
  > and, to the Terrans, the Third Imperium meant suppression and
  > conformity. 
  
I thought the name was invented by the Terrans during the 2nd Imperium?

  > 2) The Terrans cut themselves off from the rest of the
  > galaxy in 1120, 4 years after the Imperium fell. 
  
Surely they were still at war when Virus hit?

  > Also, Terran ships
  > never had the little black boxes (transponder suites). So, when Virus
  > hit around 1130, the Terrans were better able to survive Virus.
  
AIUI, most people used the black boxes - Aslan, Darrians, Vargr, Solomani,
etc. They were too useful *not* to use, and Imperial law required traders
to have them.
 
  > 3) Right now, Virus is more like the Barbary pirates. There's a lot
  > of vampire ships out there, and you never know when they're gonna
  > attack - you just know they will. Hence, Terran ships are armed to
  > the teeth. Any sign of a Virus-infested ship is grounds for immediate
  > destruction. 

That's not Terran-specific - everyone feels like that.

  > From: "fireplug" <pmm118@email.psu.edu> 
  >  
  > Any info on the Zhodani and Zhodani Consulate you can give me will
  > be highly appreciated. Also, any info on the Second Imperium (the
  > "Rule of Man") and theories on the Solomani will be appreciated. 

'Any info' is a bit vague - what in particular do you want to know?


---
Andrew Boulton

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

Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 17:27:07 -0500
From: "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Starship Design
Message-ID: <sf520b0f.085@smtpwpo.dayt.tasc.com>

Hugh Foster says:

>> and don't mind blowing up the ocassional ship who's  communications
array isn't working. <<

>So you blow up the  occasional ship whose transponder isn't  working.
>No difference. I always thought the transponder  bit was pretty feeble,
>m'self. 

   Hope I don't have to fly through your airspace anytime soon....

   Perhaps that's why many air forces use them to keep from shooting
down their own aircraft.  IFF interrogators (which is what they use) are
essentially transponders that tell friendlys on the ground and in the air
that you're one of the good guys.  Without them, air control on a modern
battlefield is virtually impossible.  Speaking of air control, on the
commercial side of things, various types of transponders are used by
aircraft and ground stations to speed up the landing process and
assist air traffic controllers in keeping straight who's who on the
radar screen.  Those of you who have seen the movie "Die Hard II"
saw just how dependent airports (and airplanes) are on transponders
(and what happens when they give the wrong information).  Without that
technology, you have to cut way back on the number of airplanes (or
starships) you have in the sky (or in orbit) at any given time.

   I think as the RC continues to expand and increase its star and space
ship population, some kind of transponder system will have to be
introduced.  Certainly the civilized portions of the Regency continued
to have transponder systems (of a different type, no doubt) after the
Collapse and up to the New Era.

Cynthia says:

>Considering the ease with which I can design a laser that will trivially
>punch thru several hundred points of armor, I think 100 AV is so low as
>to be useless.  Why pay the weight penalty for no gain?  Either  use
>really heavy armor (500+ points) or don't bother with armor at all.

   Why is the return on your investment better at 500+ points?  From
my perspective I'd rather have more senors, weapons, and fuel.

>It shouldn't.  Fleet Tankers and Fuelers should be designed to handle
>scooping/slurping fuel and refining it.  A warship shouldn't have the
>extra clutter of a fuel refinery and scoops, unless it has a heck of a lot
>of spare space available.  

   We are in complete disagreement here, for reasons I stated in my
previous post.  In large scale actions, the first things that people tend
to shoot at are the support ships (battletenders, etc.).  No refueling
capability is even deadlier to a ship than no MFD, IMHO, since a ship
without a MFD can still shoot but a ship without fuel is a drifting target.

>As for the Fleet Fuelers, how often do you want the fleet to be able to
>move?  That determines how fast they should be able to  process fuel. 
>One constraint: obviously, they don't need to process it any  faster than
>it can be scooped or slurped.

   We agree here.  Fleets that rely on tankers for their primary refueling
capability need to be able to get their tankers in and out fast, since a raid
by enemy defense boats can ruin a tanker's day (even its whole
week).


Harold D. Hale
Advisor for Naval Affairs to her Holiness Priestess Shoshanna








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

Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 19:28:28 -0500 (EST)
From: "fireplug" <pmm118@email.psu.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: traveller's aid society
Message-ID: <70110.pmm118@email.psu.edu>

I've decided to play around with the concept of the Traveller's Aid Society,
which is mentioned in the "The New Era" rule book. First of all, finding a
Traveller's Aid Society is a test of Streetwise * 1/2, unless a character
has a Soc of A of above. Then finding one will be a test of Streetwise * 1.
Second of all, there's the cost. I suggest:

             Lifetime Member: cr 55,000
             Yearlong Member: cr 20,000
             One-Month Member: cr 1,700

A Traveller's Aid Society Card is recognized in all A or B-class starports.
One entitled a character to:
           A two-week stay at a ritzy hotel, with a maximum of one guest
           A rental vehicle for 2-weeks
           A cr 5000 charge limit

Traveller's Aid Society card are recognized at most fine restaurants in the
galaxy.

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 207
***************************
