Subject: TRAVELLER digest 237
Date: 95-03-28 21:06:52 EST
From: traveller@mpgn.com
Sender: traveller@mpgn.com
Reply-to: traveller@mpgn.com
To: traveller@mpgn.com (Multiple recipients of list)

			    TRAVELLER Digest 237

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: TRAVELLER digest 236	by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
  2) Reply to Michael Ryan	by "Bob Brown" <Robert.Brown@newcastle.ac.uk>
  3) Re: From the Core; the Zhodani Nemesis?	by E.D.Quibell@bton.ac.uk (Ewan D Quibell)
  4) Re: Domain Expansion and Recent History	by Michael Ryan <mryan@foop.mit.edu>

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

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 22:28:51 -0500 (EST)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 236
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950327212207.11005A@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


From: Derek Wildstar <wildstar@qrc.com>
> wildstar@qrc.com
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                                     Di!  Ecce hora!  Uxor mea me neccabit! 
> 

Wildstar (and Sister Hildegard, of _Vision_ fame) makes me regret dropping 
university Latin 

>   What I'd like to see is Aliens of the Marches, Volume I (Vargr & Aslan).
> That would do me the most good personally.   

So, you are one of the many who missed out on the glorious Digest Modules?
Welcome the The Latecomer's Club!

  (Actually, I actually had a copy of both modules, but...
   well, I'd rather not discuss it, the pain is too great!)

===========
Someone Else (sorry, I snipped your name) said: 
 
> 
>   Another book on my wish list is FF&S II.  This is the manual that covers
> some ot the vital stuff that the first one missed.  "Wet" ship design,
> robots, primitive transport & genetic engineering are the topics that leap
> to mind.  A good add on would be "liftwood" rules for "wet" ship design and
> Ether Proppeller rules.   That should please the pith helmet crowd with
only
> a page or two.

Loren, are you listening? 
And don't forget disintergraters (not covered in FF&S) and unusual 
weapons (monofilament swords is my personal hobby horse)!

(To the writer) 
Don't worry toomuch about Robots, it's coming round with Vampire Ships, 
coming out... sorry, I don't have a clue.


>    Imperial uniform designs.  This has been covered in sources before, but
> could use a recap in an offical GDW publication.  It would be real darn
> handy for GM's like me and Rebellion types.   It would be useful for the
> TNE/RCES types as good detail filler on reclaimed relic equipment.

  Yes indeed. (sorry, Mr. Bonnevile, but I can't get my hot little hands on 
the necessary Traveller Digest's!)
  And, whoever is doing the graphics for this dream supplement, don't 
forget noble dress & court uniforms!
  Additional comment: if RC uniforms, dress, and badges are included, and 
some other neato stuff (the premiere merc outfit in the wilds, say), I 
believe that it would sell.  
 
>    Critters.  A few pages on some basic animals.  Herd animals, work beasts,
> luxury pets, riding animals, etc.  A good spot for an artist with sketchpad
> full of animal beasts to provide colour to the article.

Well, this would be best included in a monster adventure/supplement.
One of my daydreams involve a single book, giving detailed info on four 
worlds. Say, Mora of the Regency, Aubaine in the RC, Kaggusious (the 
capital of the HubWorlds, and Capital (it makes Cold War Moscow fell 
like the sweet breath of summer!)

I hope that the new Hiver soursebook has the capital of the Hivers detailed.

> 
>   Standards for non-Imperial governments.  The RCES types are going to run
> into old Solmani stuff sooner or later.  A page or two on their standards
> can put GM's to work churning out some basic equipment.  For example, the
<snip>

Fine (although I'm not a weapons man myself).
I'm more interested in naval warship standards.

>   That's enough for a start.  Any suggestions?

Any other books?  Well, lbefore I begin, I'm going to try and keep in 
mind that GDW has a delicate financial situation, and cannot afford to 
produce "Dream books" like the MT "Referee's Companion", or even my 
"Atlas of the Imperium", (updated).   Book's produced has to sell.

Well, I'd think that my "four capital supplement" would sell as a 
standalone, but my uniforms are better handled either as an addition to a 
military-angle Traveller book [maybe "The Traveller Military Sourcebook", 
including a lot of meaty stuff on the Regency military and (more) 
interesting equipment from the Wilds, the Black Sphere, and the Hivers.]  
or as articles of Challange.

The Alien Modules need to continue.

Outside of this, I really need nothing more from the Post-collapse New 
Era.  Strictly speaking, I need nothing but FF&S expansions (I don't use 
the New Era), but I am curious to see how high-tech societies operate in 
the Offical Universe.

========

> 
>         David Nelson
>                   "It's o.k. we're staff"
> 
> ps next up i'll designe my room mates cat with FFS

Please.  In the pre-Collapse TML (back whem Mr. Perkins was in charge), 
there were MegTraveller designs for floating, guided pizza boxed and 
starships which run on coal.

Of course, if FF&S II has genetic engineering, you may get your wish...

======= 

From: "Bob Brown" <Robert.Brown@newcastle.ac.uk>
> 
> I don't think the Zhodani are going to be in any position to stop 
> Norris from doing anything. According to MJ4 The Zhodani core 
> expedition encounters the Sparklers (Primordials), have a fiailure to 
> communicate, promptly launch their Core Fleet at the new arrivals and 
> get exterminated for their troubles, well what do you expect, 
> considering the Sparklers tech level. This Coreward threat leads to 
> the Zhodani pulling much of their fleet from the Domains borders,
> why else do you think that during the Rebellion 
> the Zhodani didn't capitalise on the Domains weakness?

If this is really canon (and the Megatraveller Journals have never been 
considered otherwise), then the Zho's are going to be Very Busy by the 
time of the New Era... I'm now wondering why they still exist.

Depending on the damage the Sparklers cause, they may be in a worse 
position than the Imperium is!

==============

> 
> >>>  Sir George Anonymous  <<<
> 
> **************************************************************************
> **                                                                      **
> **  The Imperium is not a supernatural force.  The Imperium is not an   **
> **  exhibit in a museum.  The Imperium is us.  And the Imperium isn't   **
> **  over until we say it's over.  - Norris Aella Aledon 1125            **
> **                                                                      **
> **************************************************************************

A man after my oun heart!!

From: Mike Basinger <dbasinge@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>
> 
> I have been toying around with an idea I have for my local
> Traveller:TNE campaign. I never played much Traveller before The New
> Era was released, so I was not as bothered by The Reformation
> Coalition like most of the Traveller old timers were. The one thing
> that has bother me is that the RC has not expanded since the release
> of Traveller:TNE. Going from 11,000 star system to 15 is a major
> difference.

  Don't you worry!
  In "Path of Tears", the Coalition has plans to incoroporate all of 
Diaspora Sector by 1205!!!
  They are rushing because they are in "a race against time" before 
reuniting charted space becomes impossible, due to xenophobia and 
alternate, unnice pocket empires arise.

> The idea I'm thinking about is having the RC making contact with a
> pocket empire/coalition that has ideas and goals similar to the
> RC. This group would be ask would be asked to join the RC, since it
> has a large amount of raw material and one of the planets of this
> group has a Class A or B starport.

Maybe.  I _think_ that the Convenant of Suffern is to take the place of 
"Stout Ally" of the RC.  They'll need all the allies they can get, if 
they start bumping into the Black Sphere -- or Regency Fleets.

> 
> The main problem is that this group (lets call them the Reformation
> Expansion, or RE for short) is not close to the main body of the RC,
> but is 12-18 jumps (at Jump 2) coreward and counter-spinward. There are
> of course a few usable jump path to get to the RE, but main one that
> is the safest to use is called The Corridor, or the Gauntlet (the
> slang term, running the Gauntlet could mean making a run between the
> RC and RE).
> 

The main barrer between the Convenant of Suffern and the RC is the 
Promise main (which runs between them), currently dominated by jump-capable 
Vampires all drifting towards the Black Sphere for reasons unknown.

If you want to establish the RE in your own campagin, go right ahead!! (as 
if you needed my permission)

> Contacts with other races: My original idea was if it was coreward and
> counter-spinward, the RE may have made contact with the K'kree. But I
> think I'm maybe off on where the K'kree empire/nation is located. What
> maybe another idea is to make the RE spinward and slightly
> rimward. Maybe the have made contact with the Aslan and Terra.
> 

The RE seems a lot like what I'm expecting in the Hinterwolds (If you 
look at your TNE New Era Map of Charted space, you'll find a fair number 
of pocket empires in that area.  And they're even closer to the Hivers 
than the RC.

> "Not speaking for Indiana University"
When _do_ you speak for Indiana University?
Does your university have a offical Traveller policy?

========

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arnold Palmer
"Preserve what we cremated, Morris, and remember where we parked."
                               - Streptcoccus A, 666-1998

Reply to: alvin.chipmunk@SHERBERT.ON.TOAST

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




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

Date:          Tue, 28 Mar 1995 10:11:32 +0000
From: "Bob Brown" <Robert.Brown@newcastle.ac.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Reply to Michael Ryan
Message-ID: <199503280911.KAA01744@cheviot.ncl.ac.uk>

The reason the Zhodani were not bothered by the Domain was because 
they had other problems internally, this is alluded to in many of the 
Mega-Traveller publications, it is only wken The Mega Journal spill 
thre beans in their final edition do we get the whole story about the 
Primordials, and thus the inability of the Zhodani to deal at all 
with the Domain. However, as early as 1120 Norris was conducting 
negotiations with the Zhodani, rumours were rife that the Zhodani 
were to allow the Domain to annex Distict 268 (sounds pretty much 
like expansion to me). In an interview with Norris, late in 1120,
we learn of his vision of the future and a day when both the Vargr
and the Aslan are part of a new Imperium (for want of a better word). 
Clearly Norris has plans even then for future, when asked about his 
demise, he pointed out that the Domain was run by a beurocracy, which 
will continue to run long after he has gone, he also points out that 
his true-daughter Silandrian will be his Heir (this boy has big 
plans). So what is the future for the Domain? Collapse is unlikely, 
the size and the economic base is too great for that, to suggest that 
The Domain would collapse with the removal of Imperial markets is 
rather like suggesting civilisation would collapse if the USA sank 
into the sea overnight, I think The Domain is independant enough to 
survive. Finally there is still the Foreven Sector, largely ignored 
by both the Imperium and The Consulate, to date, however this is the 
new markets that Domain will concentrate on (Imperial Lines 1, GDW).
The point is The Domain WILL expand, but rather by deplomacy (and a 
subtle show of strength), rather than by force, and probably in 
conjunction with Aslan and Vargr elements.
Your views are welcome on this subject.

Bob.

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

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 09:43:20 +0100 (BST)
From: E.D.Quibell@bton.ac.uk (Ewan D Quibell)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: From the Core; the Zhodani Nemesis?
Message-ID: <9503280843.AA02029@diamond.bton.ac.uk>

G'day ...

How about an adaption of the MTJ#4's Zhodani's "Baddies for the Core" into
TNE.

Norris closes boarders, informs everyone else ...

DoD and Aslan fleets meet Virus crossing the J5 root.

Say 5 years later ? the Zhodani core fleet returns, with information about
the sparkers, who follow them back and appear in Zhodani space. The Zhodani
emidiatly lanch a massive strike against the Sparkers, with the concequence
that all the command and control staff of the Zhodani fleet are killed. They
die from Psionic collective mind. WIth 90% of all the Zhodani fleets dead,
the Zhodani, call on all nieghbours to help stop this comman enemy.

DoD, Vargr, and Aslan, combine with elements of the Zhodani fleet, and stop
the Sparkers. A band of adventures (non-psionic) board a Sparkers ship, and
communicate with the Primordials, after which hostilities stop.

With 90% of the Zhodani fleet destroyed, and all psionics of the systems
visited by the Primordials dead, Zhodani space sprinks from 7 to 3 sectors,
as the quariteen boarders can't be patrolled. The three sectors left start to
rebuild, while protecting there borders with the remaining fleets. Nobals
without psionic ability start to apear in Zhodani space.

The worlds left behind perish to the Virus, and in a few years, psionic
strains appear on the Zhodani boarders.

The Primordials bod about chartered space for a bit, destroying the odd
vampire fleet olong the way, untill they find the black currtain, where they
are repelled. Having suffered heavy losses they go searching for something
more interesting else where in the Galaxy.

Grandfather pops up to find the Zhodani crushed, and the Primordials bodded
off again (with no records of there course), and gose looking for them.

What do people think ?

Ewan


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- E.D.Quibell ------------------------------------ Thought is just about----
-- Data Communications Technician ----------------- the hardest thing a----
-- University of Brighton ------------------------- human can do - which----
--------------------------------------------------- probably explains why----
-- Email  e.d.quibell@bton.ac.uk ------------------ so few seem to do it.----
--        quibez@essex.ac.uk -------------------------------- Henry Ford-----
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Who me ? Na, I didn't say that. My Employers ? They don't say anything---
----- My spelling is entirely due to dyslexia, typos, and poetic licence-----
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 17:02:59 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Ryan <mryan@foop.mit.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Domain Expansion and Recent History
Message-ID: <199503272203.RAA02998@foop.mit.edu>

Erm...I knew about the Sparklers, but it always sounded kinda "rabbit out
of the hat-ish" to me, but that's only my opinion. :) I have to admit that
I'm rather fuzzy on the recent (i.e. New Era) history of things, so I'll
just shut up and stop quoting bits and pieces of history. :)

One thing that was brought up that I'm not sure about is the comment about
the Regency's strength in comparison to its neighbors (I forget who it was).
Yes, the Regency still has its local fleets, but I don't think that they're
in a position to exercise gunboat diplomacy.  Although, as Bob Brown pointed
out, a properly placed frontier cruiser could work wonders in a diplomatic
negotiation.

Incidentally, in my defense :), I was merely pointing out another explanation
as to why the Zho's were leaving the Domain alone.  As I said, the Sparklers
never really sat well with me.

As far as the independence of the Domain's economy, I must agree that it's
not in any danger of imminent collapse.  Yes, things may have been hard
when the Vilani megacorps pulled out, but nature has a way of filling in
vacuums (besides, didn't the Vilani sell of their assets?  Someone must
have bought them...).  Also, the Domain has been semi-independent for a
while, anyway.  Even when the Corridor was open, it's a long way around the
Great Rift.  Anyway, this is all IMHO.

Mike Ryan
mryan@foop.mit.edu

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 237
***************************
