Subj:	#1(2) TRAVELLER digest 296
Date:	95-05-24 21:58:33 EDT
From:	traveller@mpgn.com
To:	traveller@mpgn.com

From:	traveller@mpgn.com
Sender:	traveller@mpgn.com
Reply-to:	traveller@mpgn.com
To:	traveller@mpgn.com (Multiple recipients of list)


			    TRAVELLER Digest 296

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Meson gun, man-portable ?	by Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
  2) Ship crew program, fuel cells	by Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
  3) Inertial compensators as anti-hijack	by Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
  4) Battledress & Fuel Cells	by adou01@cs.auckland.ac.nz (Andrew Richard  Doull)
  5) [T294] Bankruptcy	by jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
  6) Re: Ship crew program, fuel cells	by "Rehan N. Ahmad" <af255@ccn.cs.dal.ca>
  7) RICE Paper #AWP-0207 (appendix): Iper'mar Nomads	by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
  8) RICE10.ZIP at ghoss.cc.missouri.edu, /PUB/Incoming	by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
  9) Math problems	by myhre@oslonett.no
 10) TL C Dishukhash Goranig-class Imperial Liner	by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>

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

Date: 24 May 95 16:12:57 EDT
From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
To: <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Meson gun, man-portable ?
Message-ID: <950524201256_100326.446_BHG45-1@CompuServe.COM>

>>  'David' class Heavy Battle Dress  [...]  0.16Mj Meson 
Rifle, 15 EPG cartridges  3km Beam pointer for above <<

3G may have made it possible, (and BTW did FFS carry a 
credit for the original design of Guns Guns Guns that seems 
to have been "borrowed" and passed off as GDW having a good 
idea ?), but I was never happy with the idea of 
man-portable meson guns. The effect on personnel; not just 
"three-dice-damage" (or even 300), but radiation and so on. 
Just doesn't sit right.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
| Hugh Foster [100326,446]                                      |
|                                                               |
| Life is like a dogsled team.  If you ain't the lead dog, the  |
| scenery never changes.                                        |
-----------------------------------------------------------------



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

Date: 24 May 95 16:13:04 EDT
From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
To: <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Ship crew program, fuel cells
Message-ID: <950524201303_100326.446_BHG45-2@CompuServe.COM>

>>  Did you upload the program yet?  I am very intersted in 
seeing it.    Please let me (and anyone else on the list 
know) when and if you do <<

No, I didn't upload the program; just a result. I can't 
upload files to the Internet from here. And judging from 
the shellacking I got for my creative efforts, I don't 
think I'm going to do it again. BTW, It's a MT/CT, not TNE 
program.

[A.D.Venturer re battledress]

>>  Why?  I install fuel  cells rather than batteries, <<

I came to a similar conclusion with robot designs. However, 
fuel cells are much more prone to go bang if mishandled - 
and battery-battledress can be charged at any wall socket. 
At high enough TLs, though, neither of these are a problem.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
| Hugh Foster [100326,446]                                      |
|                                                               |
| It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be      |
| there when it happens. (Woody Allen)                          |
-----------------------------------------------------------------



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

Date: 24 May 95 16:13:09 EDT
From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com>
To: <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: Inertial compensators as anti-hijack
Message-ID: <950524201309_100326.446_BHG45-3@CompuServe.COM>

>> , what's to stop you from cranking your 6G Grav 
comsators on  full bore (after, presumabely, disabling the 
built in safety features) and  smashing everthing into the 
wall at 6Gs? <<

Most ship walls have delicate consoles, etc, against or 
built into them. In a ship with grav compensation, you can 
bet your bottom dollar that not everything will be bolted 
down with bolts six times stronger than required. Add to 
that the actual victims slamming into the walls, and this 
idea could reduce the ship to a derelict - especially as 
your putative hijackers will be in or heading for the most 
sensitive areas of the ship (computer central, bridge, drives).

>> , what's to keep you from using this to make either 
mass-driver weapon <<

Nothing. They're called "repulsors" and "tractors".


-----------------------------------------------------------------
| Hugh Foster [100326,446]                                      |
|                                                               |
| The reason people blame things on previous generations?       |
| There's only one other choice!                                |
-----------------------------------------------------------------



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

Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 10:05:20 +1200 (NZST)
From: adou01@cs.auckland.ac.nz (Andrew Richard  Doull)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Battledress & Fuel Cells
Message-ID: <199505242205.KAA17047@cs26.cs.auckland.ac.nz>

Somewhere along the line, my previous message to this digest got mangled about
10% into the document.  If this message does not successfully get 100% through
the second time, could people please mail me if they want the listing of battle
dress designs which use fuel cells rather than batteries.


Battle dress designs 

Someone asked me about battle dress designs using fuel cells.  Here are the
statistics  for  such designs.  The following table gives design statistics
identical  to  those in the basic Fire, Fusion & Steel book, extended up to
TL  17.   They are fully powered up to their maximum mass, which also gives
their  listed  fuel consumption (However, see fuel consumption note below).
Note in all cases except TL 10, excess power is generated which may be used
for  other  purposes,  but  decreases  the  listed  endurance.   At TL 14+,
doubling  the  size  of the fuel cell provides enough input energy to power
one  shot  every  10  phases  of  the  meson gun listed on the David design
submitted  to this list earlier.  The difference between the total mass and
maximum  mass (listed as ExcessM) may be loaded with any equipment desired,
without  overloading  the  frame or fuel cell.  In fact, in TL 12+ designs,
the  fuel  cell  provides enough power to overload the frame up to 30%, but
this also reduces fuel endurance.


TL  SM   AV AM    MW     FCM    End  FC     FM    TM      MM      TMcr      
 10 0.23  4 0.042 0.0059 0.0118   10 0.0018 0.017  0.3014    0.42    0.1140 
 12  0.1  6 0.054 0.0032   0.01   10 0.0008 0.008  0.1721    0.23    0.1453 
 12  0.2 12 0.108 0.0056   0.01   10 0.0014 0.014   0.332     0.4    0.2105 
 14 0.05  8 0.036 0.0042   0.01  100 0.0008 0.084    0.18     0.3    0.2169 
 14  0.1 16 0.072 0.0081   0.01  100 0.0016 0.162  0.3444    0.58    0.2637 
 17 0.04 10  0.03 0.0050   0.01  100 0.0010 0.100  0.1808    0.36    0.2674 
 17 0.08 20  0.06 0.0098   0.01  100  0.002 0.196   0.346     0.7    0.3145 

AV: Armour Value 
AM: Armour mass          (tonnes) 
MW: Required MW          (mw)   
FCM Fuel cell mass       (tonnes) 
End Endurance            (hours) 
FC: Fuel consumption     (kl/hour) 
FM: Fuel mass            (tonnes) 
TM: Total mass           (tonnes) 
MM: Maximum mass         (tonnes) 
TMCr: Total cost         (credits)

TL  ExcessM   ExcessMW  
 10    0.1186         0 
 12    0.0580    0.0043 
 12     0.068    0.0019 
 14      0.12    0.0108 
 14    0.2356    0.0069 
 17    0.1792    0.0125 
 17     0.354    0.0077 

ExcessM: Excess mass allowed.
ExcessMW: Excess mw allowance.



Some actual designs 

These designs are optimised for their listed mass.

TL  SM   AV AM    MW     FCM    End  FC     FM    TM      MM      TMcr      
 10 0.23  8 0.084 0.0124 0.0248   12 0.0037 0.044  0.3518  0.3518    0.1711 
 12  0.1  7 0.063 0.0102 0.0137   12 0.0026 0.030  0.2247  0.2247    0.2032 
 12  0.2 13 0.117 0.0125 0.0167   12 0.0031 0.037  0.3886  0.3886    0.2684 
 14 0.05 24 0.108 0.0112   0.01   48 0.0022 0.107  0.2928  0.2928    0.2872 
 14  0.1 40 0.288 0.0149   0.01   48  0.003 0.143  0.5585  0.5585    0.3606 
 17 0.04 42 0.138 0.0120   0.01   60 0.0024 0.143  0.3492  0.3492    0.3497 
 17 0.08 72 0.408 0.0168   0.01   52 0.0034 0.174  0.6895  0.6895    0.4532 

These designs include:   Mass        MW           MCr     
EMM                        0.01       0.001        0.0005 
Decoys (5)                0.005           0          0.05 
WSV equipment            0.0001      0.0001 (12+)   0.005 
Laser (3 km)              0.002       0.005        0.0012 
Radio (30 km)            0.0002       0.001        0.0003 
Total                    0.0173      0.0071        0.0570 

TL  10  armour  instead  uses  an Image Intensifier scope.  Electromagnetic
masking  is  rated  for 1 cubic metre, which exceeds the maximum volume the
armour is ever likely to occupy.

Because  the  laser  communicator uses so much power, it is usual to have a
weapon  which  uses  input  power equal to the 0.005 MW plus any excess MW,
which  prevents  the laser communicator being used simultaneously.  This is
typically  a squad level gauss weapon.  Additionally, many designs will not
use  decoys,  because  of  their expense and mass requirements.  The listed
number  of  decoys  is  individual decoys rather than one shot of decoys of
every type.

                        No Laser
TL  ExcessM   ExcessMW  Excess MW
 10         0         0 0.005
 12         0         0 0.005
 12         0         0 0.005
 14         0    0.0038 0.0088
 14         0         0 0.005
 17         0    0.0055 0.0105
 17         0    0.0007 0.0057


Fuel Consumption Note

Fire,  Fusion  &  Steel does not give any rules concerning determining fuel
consumption  beyond the cryptic "Given in kl/hour per MW of output".  There
are at least two possible ways of handling this.

   *  Fuel consumption is determined from maximum output only.  This is the
least realistic and most inefficient.  However, for nuclear powerplants, it
is probably sufficient.

   * Fuel consumption is determined from required output.  This is the most
efficient, and nearly realistic.  Determine two states of fuel consumption,
per  4  hour  period.   Firstly,  determine  the  kl/hour  consumed  by all
continuously  running  systems  except  that  required for the transmission
(Movement)  and  multiply  by 4.  This is the operational fuel consumption.
Then  determine  the  kl/hour  consumed  by the transmission (Movement) and
multiply  by  2.   This  is the travel move fuel consumption.  Don't forget
that up to two travel moves may be made per 4 hour period, also that travel
move  is  computed at half maximum speed.  Additional one shot systems such
as anything requiring a homopolar generator may either be rated for maximum
shots,  and  have  fuel  set  aside  for  their  use, or have a listed fuel
consumption per shot.  This is (input MJ /3600) * Kl/hour.

   * Twilight:  2000 implies that many powerplants, in particular, the fuel
turbines  used  by  the M1A1 tanks, consume large amounts of fuel even when
idylling.   Determine the minimum output from the minimum powerplant volume
as  listed, and determine minimum fuel consumption in kl/hour.  Multiply by
4  to determine minimum consumption per 4 hour period.  The following table
gives the minimum consumptions for chemical power plants.

		         Minimum
TL  Description   MW    Kl/Hour Kl/Period
3   Early steam   0.025 0.005     0.020
4   Steam         0.03  0.0045    0.018
5   Int Comb      0.015 0.003     0.006
5   Steam turbine 0.35  0.0525    0.210
5   Imp Int comb  0.004 0.001     0.004
7   Gas turbine   0.25  0.075     0.300
8   MHD turbine   0.60  0.12      0.480

The  above  battle  dress  designs  have  a fuel consumption based on their
required  power  usage, not their powerplant maximum output.  With point 3,
use  the  following  minimum  fuel cell consumptions, which also gives fuel
consumption for maximum output if the design is rated this way.

		         Minimum
TL  Description   MW     Kl/Hour
7   Fuel cell     0.005  0.0015   
12  Fuel cell     0.0075 0.001875
14  Fuel cell     0.015  0.003
16  Fuel cell     0.0175 0.0035

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

Date: Tue, 23 May 95 18:18:00 -0500
From: jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
To: TRAVELLER@MPGN.COM
Subject: [T294] Bankruptcy
Message-ID: <8A9E44A.010004C1AB.uuout@execnet.com>


T::>In warfare, one of the major problems is actually financing all that
 ::>equipment.  In my own universe, I'm planning to arrange a military
 ::>buildup of naval fleet's, and I'd like to know how to model the problems
 ::>of debt and inflation in the traveller setting. (Use either the TCS rules
 ::>as a basis, or the Economic rules for TNE's World Tamer Handbook (ugh!
 ::>Is there anyway to make them less complex?))  How much debt can I get
 ::>into before inflation becomes serious... 1 times Gross World Product? 5
 ::>times?  How should I model interest rates?  And inflation?  And how much
 ::>debt is two much? (a la the Soviet Union?)

T::>Detailed data is fine, but what I'm really looking for is handy rules of
 ::>thumb.

 More than anything else, your bankruptcy level must be based on 
 both your _actual_ ability to eventually pay off debts, and your 
 _perceived_ ability to eventually pay off debts.  Consider:  The 
 United States is close to a trillion (US usage) dollars (US) in 
 debt.  Nearly one-fifth of tax receipts go to pay the interest on 
 that debt.  Additionally, the Government runs a chronic deficit of 
 hundreds of millions of dollars annually.  The currency is 
 strictly fiat, and even _those_ dollars are "Federal Reserve 
 Notes", borrowed from the Federal Reserve Bank System, which is an 
 organization of 12 regional "superbanks", each controlled by
 members who are also banks, and which are totally outside the 
 control of the Treasury Department of the United States.  If 
 considered rationally, an individual that ran his budget the way 
 the United States does would be considered bankrupt and a bad 
 risk, and probably couldn't borrow at any price - even the loan 
 sharks wouldn't touch him.

 On the other hand, there is a lot of confidence that the US will 
 continue to exist (I don't share it, for a variety of political 
 reasons irrelevant to the question at hand, or even to the list 
 except as an intellectual exercise concerning planetary 
 government), and thus that any bonds issued will be paid off 
 (probably by issuing new ones...).  The dollar is considered a 
 strong currency, a safe haven from national economies that are 
 prone to super- or hyper-inflation (former Soviet republics, most
 of the smaller countries in Latin America, most of Africa, etc.), 
 and it is a "standard" currency, against which other currencies 
 are measured.  Because of this, the US is _not_ bankrupt.

 In the interstellar setting, much of the same thought process must 
 be undertaken.  Is the planetary government stable, and is it 
 likely to repudiate its debts?  What shape is its economy in?  
 What's the basis of its currency, and what is the inflation rate?  
 How reliable are its collections, both in quantity and timeliness? 
 Etc.?  Etc.?  Etc.?

 Basically, there are no real rules of thumb.  There can't be; 
 you're dealing with human (and possibly non-human) perceptions, 
 and they're going to decide when to revoke your American 
 Express(tm) Card.

 Remember also that the investors' outlooks determine how you're 
 rated.  A rock-solid investment to a Sylean or Solomani might look
 a tad risky to a Vilani...
---
  OLXWin 1.00a  I have to stop now.  My fingers are getting hoarse.

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

Date: 	Wed, 24 May 1995 20:50:30 -0300
From: "Rehan N. Ahmad" <af255@ccn.cs.dal.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Ship crew program, fuel cells
Message-ID: <Pine.3.88.9505242012.A23920-0100000@ccn.cs.dal.ca>

On Wed, 24 May 1995, Hugh Foster wrote:

> >>  Did you upload the program yet?  I am very intersted in 
> seeing it.    Please let me (and anyone else on the list 
> know) when and if you do <<
> 
> No, I didn't upload the program; just a result. I can't 
> upload files to the Internet from here. And judging from 
> the shellacking I got for my creative efforts, I don't 
> think I'm going to do it again. BTW, It's a MT/CT, not TNE 
> program.

<stuff snipped>

I'ld really be interested in the ship design program.

						Rey
						delurking for a minute

      -----------------------------------------------------------------
      |     No matter where you go,    |    Rehan N. Ahmad            |
      |      there you are.            |     rnahmad@is.dal.ca        |   
      |                                |     af255@ccn.cs.dal.ca      |
      |---------------------------------------------------------------|
      | Engineering Dept., Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, |
      |  Planet Earth, third rock from the Sun.                       |
      -----------------------------------------------------------------



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

Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 20:02:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RICE Paper #AWP-0207 (appendix): Iper'mar Nomads
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950524150451.7254A-100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>

207-1202

There is some debate in Scout circles on whether Iper'mar nomads should be 
treated as a world, as a cultural group or as an Imperial client state: I 
propose to treat them as a cultural group, but with their own appendix in 
the RICE papers.  Even though they are not a world per se [although they 
DO have terrtory: see following] the Regency Institute for Cultural 
Education has decided that this culture is important and unique enough to 
merit a paper on them, especially considering the value of their work as 
unsung but important members of the Regency community.

In Person:

The Iper'mar ('Refugees' in Old Kurae) can be found throughout the Regency, 
but are noticable in Querion, Vilis, Lanth, Lunion, Five Sisters, 
Plankwell, Glisten and Trin's Veil subectors, as well as throughout the 
Regency portions of the Trojan Reaches.  Most casual tourist will meet 
them around starports, public functions or supervising and designing the 
operation of high-tech equipment on low-tech worlds.  

Often, the Iper'marion (singular of Iper'mar) will be wearing the uniform 
of his contractor -- often a large, Regency-wide corporation, or local 
clothing.  On their own ship's and installations, they prefer simple 
short-and-shirt overalls, often in some dull shade of khaki or grey, but 
with bright accessories (flashy jacket's, oversized jewellery, and high 
boot's for women; aviation helmets [with engraved family glyphs], 
humongous capes and complex, everchanging TL D-E bodypaint illustrations for 
men).  They don't use deorderants, but do use sonic showers.

They're Anglic is quite clear, but somewhat high-pitched.  About 
one out of five can still speak Old Kurae, the mother tongue.  Many of 
the upper and upper-middle classes can speak 3 or more human languages: 
they're somewhat racist, and avoid dealing with Vargr, Aslan, or other 
non-humans when possible.  However, they are absolutely fascinated with 
the Zhodani, not so much for their psionics, but with their culture.

The Iper'mar are proud of their technical expertise, (they consider TL E 
items as beneath them, and absolutely adore little TL G trinket's), and 
tend to be condensending to those from worlds below TL F.  Many have a 
'colonial master' attitude to low-tech commoner's thay they are in 
charge of, but can respect low-tech rulers and merchants... if they are 
*good*.  They will never demean a low-tech client to their face, but 
if tested, have subtle ways of letting their feelings known.

Within the Regency, Iper'mar business pratices are ethically impeccible: 
they realise that the Regent won't stand by and let High-tech nomads rip 
off Low-tech locals.  Moreover, they like to have long-term 
relationship's with their clients, relationships that flurish best 
in an atmosphere of trust.  Finally, they value their business 
reputation: they have been nomadic for over 450 years, and interstellar 
traders for another 200 years, and know what doors a good rep can open.
  
Outside of the Regency, their pratices are somewhat more... flexible. 

Government within the Iper'mar is by neo-tribal democratic method's, 
similar to that of Tausus (Spinward Marches/1138: B584620-A), but with 
greater reliance on AI (non-viral).  The Archon -- or the top ruler of 
the tribe -- is little more powerful then his fellow tribal lords, but 
has the Noble rank of Marquis.  Intergration with the new democratic 
element's of the Regency is going quite smoothly. 

Because of their support (above and beyond the call of duty) of the Imperial 
government within the Empty Quarter they were granted certain legal 
priveleges, rendering their ship's effectively immune to searches by 
system governments, by Emperor Garvin.  The Iper'mar remain rather 
civic-minded for interstellar nomads, and will support the Regency when they 
can.  They generally want the rest of the Imperium to be re-intergrated, but 
CAREFULLY and SLOWLY and with CAUTION ... the Iper'mar use the best 
anti-viral technology on the market, but still deeply dread any kind of 
outbreak. (Iper'mar ship started to revisit Trin only 7 years ago!)

The religious attitudes of the Iper'mar is rather bland, generally 
worshipping as the locals do.  They have no real strong religious 
feelings, and -- on their ship's and bases -- prefer to philosophise 
about the gods rather than pray to them.  The dead tend to be simply 
buried on some world or other (according to local custom), and is eventually 
forgotten.

Most Iper'marion's are of "Imperial" descent -- that is, of 
Solomani/Vilani mixture, but also have strains of four different minor 
races (including the Darrians... oops, Daryens).  On the tall side, but 
can easily function in one gee: their ship's are set to 1G largely 
because they have to go dirtside so often in their line of work.  There 
were at least four different "races" of Iper'mar pre-Rebellion, but the 
only known surviving one -- the Deneb branch of the culture -- is of light 
complexion, with brown to sandy blond hair, large facial features, and 
dark eyes.

There are 8.34 million Iper'marion's within current Regency border's 
(down from about 30 million, Imperium-wide, before the Rebellion/Collapse).
Roughly 5 million is in two deep space bases, Laro Dif ('The Twilight Star'
in Old Kurae) and He'seme ('Gentle Starlight').  While their location is 
known to the Regency Navy, the Iper'mar is secretive regarding their 
location to outsiders.  Only 500,000 are on the roughly 1400 starship's 
that the Iper'mar own at any given time: most of the rest are on 'ground 
assignment' helping to design, maintain, and sometimes build high-tech 
items for their low-tech clientele (or low-tech items using high-tech 
knowledge or methods).  Outside of the Regency, roughly 72,000 are known to 
reside within the Zhodani Consulate: roughly 1.2 million operate spinward 
of the Spinward marches, mainly in The Beyond and Far Frontier's sectors.

Insistent rumours about 'the lost clans' somewhere in the Wilds are 
generally discounted by the Iper'mar themselves: because of their 
procivility towards high-tech equipment, they were probably more 
vulnerable to the AI Virus then the free traders.

History:

The Iper'mar are interstellar nomads, originating from the Great Dimurik 
Miim War of 740.  Essentially, the Iper'mar are the decendants of a 
number of powerful trading families from Kurae, a once-notable world that 
suffered through a impoverishing and destructive series of wars from 723 
to 792.  As their wealth was being seized by the government's involved in 
the Dimurik Miim War, the merchant's choose to flee the system, surviving 
first as a merchant line, but by 800 their livelihood was earned as a mobile 
professional knowledge elite, trading on their technical expertise.  

>From Zarushagar sector, they spread throughout the Imperium coreward of 
Zarushagar, and were especially prominent in comparatively low-tech regions 
of the Imperium like the Spinward Marches and the Empty Quarter. 
Specializing in providing workable high-tech solutions to low-tech systems, 
the Iper'mar was (and in the Regency, remains) one of the binding forces 
of the interstellar community.

The Kurae system is located in Zarushagar sector, hex 0503: UWP 
fell from A66794B-D in 700 to X667872-A by 800; the UWP was D667989-6 
just before the Rebellion.  By 930 the Republic of Haasii, the government 
of Kurae, was attempting to lure the Iper'mar back to Kurae: about 418,000, 
or 7% of the total Iper'mar population, was residing on Kurae by 1100.

As an interstellar business and as a culture, they suffered bitterly 
during the Rebellion.  Their stock-in-trade need's safe starlanes in 
order to work: without it, they were forced to stay dirtside, 
trying to survive in an unfamiliar, deteriorating enviroment. 

Even in the Spinward Marches, where the Iper'mar both had semi-safe trade 
routes [Thanks to the Domain Navy] and a solid economic enviroment [the 
Archduke often used their services in order to save damaged and doomed 
worlds within the Domain], they still had to suffer heavy draft's -- both 
military and otherwise -- and a skyrocketing tax rate.  Afterward's, in 
the wake of Virus, the Iper'mar had to cope with virusproofing their 
installations and ship's, a very expensive endeavor. (They are still 
paying off the cost of it.)    

Economics:

First arriving in the Marches in c. 820, the Iper'mar rapidly gained 
prominence within the hostile-enviro branch of the construction industry 
as low-cost producers, eventually becoming so successful as to become a 
favoured subcontractor for several megacorps working in the region.  They 
espanded to the starport construction industry in the 940s, and 
invested in both planetary weather management (designing and overseeing 
controlled weather systems for poor and low-tech governments) and 
experimented briefly in mass robot construction gangs from the 1090s to  
the Rebellion period.

In the post-Collapse period, the Iper'mar specialized in helping low-tech 
governments (up to TL D, in some cases) virus-proof starport's, 
communication equipment, etc. -- largely under the Regency aegis.  They 
also made some real money, rebuilding the rimward Regency border regions 
from Aslan attack. 

Currently, the Iper'mar are in a great debate on whether they should expand 
into the Wilds.  As TL F people, they are extremely vulnerable to Virus 
infections, but the scale of the money to be made is simply mind-boggling.
The Iper'mar are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce their 
vulnerability to the AI Virus: they will pay any price for a reliable,  
broad-spectrum "vaccine" for Virus.

Starship Plilosophies:

The classic, instantly-recognizable ship of the Iper'mar is the Or 
Viasic liner, built to a closely-guarded design on Rhylanor.  Built to 
house 84 field specialists and their families, it's a common sight's on 
low-tech starports and the poorer worlds.

With an extensive communication suite, it can be used as a orbiting or 
space-borne operations and control platform for a variety of projects.
The ship below is meant for Regency operations: for out-of-Regency 
projects, starmerc's are usually hired for protection.  Note the lack of 
cargo space: Iper'mar clients usually either arrange cargo 
transportation seperately or the Iper'marion clanlord will outsource 
this to non-Iper'mar traders.  Note the main deficency in this design: no 
small craft capasity.  This is considered "a waste of space" by the 
Iper'mar: the same people who installed 123 apartments on their ship, 
of 400 kl each!   

Non-Imperial Iper'mar use the same design, but routinely make extensive 
modifications, adding internal armour, lasers, sandcasters, MFD's, and 
extensive cargo space. (No, they don't have docking bays: they prefer to use 
the cargo bay to store vechiles.) This cut's down on living space 
drastically:  Non-Imperial Iper'marion are considered the 'poor 
cousin's' of the Iper'mar due to the routine  indignities they have to 
put up with, from having to sleep four to a small stateroom (vs. the 
small *apartments* on the ship below) to having to actually use the 
'repair facilities' (snort, snort) of a TL C, Starport D world, to 
having to actually use Inferior Equipment (anything below TL F) to 
repair their ship.

The thing that Non-Imperial Iper'mar have to worry about most is adding 
or repairing their ship with Strange Tech. ("Strange Tech" includes any 
electronic item, hard or software, that isn't of Regency [or, in a 
pinch, Zhodani] manufacture, still untouched and shrink wraped).
The legends and tales surrounding Strange Tech is a sure party-pleaser in 
most starport bars. 

Powerful and wealthy Clanlords tend to drastically cut the amount of 
personnel on their ship's, using the space for park's, gym's, pool's, 
etc.  The Archon's ship is pratically a jump-capable party, as he 
"liasions" with subsector-to-Regency notables, and the occasional 
visiting Zhodani: Aslans and Vargr are never invited.

Important Note: NonImperial Iper'mar have no problem with using robots on 
   their ship's: however, these robots are never permitted to 
   communicate to the outside world, never leave the ship, and
   are forbidden to handle Strange Tech until the owner has O.K.'ed it.

Or Viasic Nomadic Starship: standard configuration

Disp    8000         Hull Armour   20   Power Plant  4500 MW  (11 MW surplus)
Len       90 m       Volume    112000   Jump         4
Price   2329 MCr     Tech           F   G-Rating     2
Config  Dome USL     Size           M   G-Turns     43.8
Mass 34263/30959 mt                     Maint.    1369

Computer   TL F x 3 (st)
Commo      1 x  Maser (1000 AU)  10 x Radio (3000 km)  10 x Laser (300000 km)
Sensors    A-EMS (30 000 km), P-EMS (30 000 km)
Avionics, Terrain (190 kph)

Extended L.S. w/ AG
Crew - 492              Maintenance  - 5   "Family"    -  369
   Engineering - 14     Troops       - 5
   Electrical  -  5     Command      - 6
   Maneuver    -  2     Specialists  - 84
Accomo: Sm. Apartments x 123
   [ Sm. Apartments: Vol 400, Mass 30, MW .01, Mcr 1, Hit 7 H ]
   [      Each apartment holds an Emergency Low Berth for four]
No Cargo
Air Locks x 80
Scoops: refills all in 10 hr 4 min, jfuel in 6 hr 15 min,
        maneouver fuel in 4 hr 11 min
Fuel Purification: all jfuel in 12 hours
8 additional Emergency Low Berth's
20 extra regular workstations

Combat  21/21                Travel 450/675

************************************************

Surface Area 
  1          1      1 - 19  Radio, Laser Ant
                    20      Maser, A-EMS ant
           2 - 20   Hull
2 - 20    Hull

Damage Area
  1       1 - 5   Elect
          6 - 10  Quarters
         11 - 20  Hold (fuel)
2 - 9    Hold (fuel)
10 - 17  Hold (fuel)
18 - 19  Engineering
20       Quarters

System Damage
  Electronics 
    Maser, 10 x Radio, 10 x Laser, A-EMS, P-EMS (1h) Ant (1h)
  Hold
    (fuel only)
  Quarters
    Sm. Apartments   7 H x 123
    L.S.            44 H
    E.L.S.          22 H
    A.G.            23 H
    Emg. L.B. (extra) (1h) x 8
 Engineering
    Jump Drive     112 H
    HEPlaR           3 H
    Power Plant     15 H
    Fuel Pur        56 H
    Contra Grav     16 H


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

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

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




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

Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 20:10:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM, xboat@MPGN.COM
Subject: RICE10.ZIP at ghoss.cc.missouri.edu, /PUB/Incoming
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950524200927.13544C-100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>

Title says it all.

Alvin Plummer, Unsigged.

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

Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 02:39:41 +0200
From: myhre@oslonett.no
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Math problems
Message-ID: <199505250039.AA11493@oslonett.no>

I have never been good at number crunching and now I have met the wall. I'm 
making a spreadsheet for gauss weapon design. The problem is to calculate 
the muzzle velocity of the projectile.

Rather than following the design sequence I start with diameter and damage 
capability of the projectile. From there I calculate the Muzzle Energy, but 
from there to get the Muzzle Velocity has stumped me. 

If you look at page 102 in FF&S the formula for Muzzle Energy is mentioned 
there. What I try to do is to use Known values as Muzzle Energy and 
Projectile Mass to get the Muzzle Velocity.

Could someone reply to me by e-mail as I only read the digests at work, and 
I'll not be there for a few days, and I need the formula before the weekend.

I would be grateful for any help I receive.


 Roger Myhre               .
  StarWolf                / V\        "Life Sucks, I rule the world,
 myhre@oslonett.no      / `  /         but I still have to do the
 roger.myhre@niva.no   <<   |          dishes!"
                       /    |                     - Djengis Khan
 HIWG member:        /      |
   142             /        |
                 /    \  \ /
                (      ) | |
        _______ |   _/_  | |
      <__________\______)\__)


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

Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 21:24:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: TL C Dishukhash Goranig-class Imperial Liner
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950524201153.13544D-100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


Ever thought that the liners that GDW provides are just a *little* too 
small?

Where, here's a rather larger liner, just right for those populous star 
system's.  This particular liner was considered a "high-tech" liner in 
the Empty Quarter: first built at 902 on Saree Tio (1129/Empty Quarter, 
A210522-C in 1100), it became a fairly popular model, making the small 
Akigaa-Zhihang Starship Company a steady source of revenue.  About 14 of 
these ship's were registered in the Domain at 1116: only one, The Hope of 
Dawi Screen, is still operational at 1200, plying the Jewell - Kakege - 
Louzy - Efate route.

The ship is somewhat longer than "standard form" requires, at 84 m.
Recently overhauled (treat ship as with Wear Value 3), the Dawi Screen is 
currently the only ship of the Dawi Screen Line (owned, of course, by 
Sir Dawi Screen, a highly successful stock speculator on Jewell).

The Hope of Dawi Screen is unique in Jewell subsector by being the first 
non-high passenger craft to 'waste space' by providing gardens, gym's, 
cafe's, stores' a observation lounge with a stunning "glass-bottom" 
view, and a garden to passenger's.  While other Liner captions are 
willing to admit that 'customer care' is very nice on the Hope of Dawi 
Screen, they think that the ship is still a white elephant: the space, in 
their view, should have gone to extra cargo.

This ship is designed as an attempt to test out the concept of 
'Value-added shipping': that is, prices for the Middle Passengers are 
increased 25% in return for increased facilities and a more plesant trip.
Moreover, the usual heavy medical supervision needed for so many Low 
Berther's has been 'outsourced' to planetary medical establishments, 
reducing payroll drasically. 

The Jewell government (which has a 10% stake in the ship) has managed to 
convince the Regency government to loosen standard price restrictions and 
medical regulations regarding shipping as a 'one-time' exception.

As adventures, most Travellers would be working on-board as crew:
this senario would provide a good intro for beginning Travellers, 
providing variety and moderate adventure with the benefit of having a 
'safe base' and deep pockets when need be.  As the ship's fortunes rise, 
so can the range of adventures and the importance of the ship grow.  

(I mean, how many Imperial liner's do you know have an observation deck?  
With additional Stewards, the ship can easily be converted to an High 
Passenger enviroment, but the problem is, those passenger's are much less 
likely to be sent in harm's way... and you don't want to cusion your 
players to much, now do you?)

Experienced Travellers may instead be given the challange of playing Sir 
Dawi Screen (or his direct representatives), attempting to manage the 
ship, interact with the bureaucracy, wheel and deal with the port 
masters, and satisfy the smallest complaint of his passenger's: all the 
while trying to get (or increase) the profit's.  The opportunity exists 
to make serious money... or make powerful enemies.

TL C Dishukhash Gorangi-class Imperial Liner

Disp            2500   Hull Armour  10   P.P. 1500 Mw, 1 year duration 
Len             84 m   Volume    35000   Jump       3
Target             M   Tech          C   G-Rating   2
Config   Cylinder AF   Price  692.3 MCr  G-Turns   35; 51.6 w/ jfuel
Mass   11 365/10 725                     Maint    530

Computer   3 * TL C (st)
Commo   1000 AU Maser, 30 000 km Radio
Avionics TL 8+    Terrain 160 kph
Sensors A-EMS  3000 (long range in same hex), P-EMS 30 000

Extended L.S. w/AG
Complement  1050  - 50 Crew, 400 Middle Psg, 600 Low Passengers
   Eng   17  Maneuv  2  Command    4  Medical  9
   Elect  1  Main    4  Stewards  13
Accomo  Sm. Stateroom x 450
        Low Berths x 600
Cargo      46 kl  [234 kl passenger storage]                  
Airlocks   25
No fuel Scoop's, purification

Frills: 1100 kl Activity Room/Observation Deck
         234 kl's worth of cafe's, club's, lounges
         174 kl observation lounge
         201 kl Garden

Combat: 575/22
Travel  12408/960

*************************

Surface Area
1      1-2 Maser Ant
       3-4 Radio
       5-9 A-EMS
       10  P-EMS
     11- 20 Hull
2-17 Hull
18  1 Sm Cargo Hatch
   2 - 20 Hull

Damage Area
1  1 - 3 Electronics        17  Hold (fuel)
   4 - 20  Quarters       18 - 19  1 - 14 Hold
2 - 14  Quarters                  15 - 20 Engineer
15-16   1 - 11 Quarters     20  Engineering
       12 - 20 Hold (fuel)

System Damage

Electronics
  Maser, Radio, A-EMS, P-EMS + Ant's : (1h)
Hold
  Cargo 1 H
Quarters
  Sm. Staterooms  (2h) x 450  L.Bths (1h) x 600  Gym  10 H  
  Observation Deck 2 H, Garden 2 H
  ArrtiGrav  7 H
  L.S       12 H
  E.L.S.     6 H
Engineering
  Jump      35 H
  HEPlaR     1 H
  Fusion P. 30 H
  Contra G   8 H

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

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

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



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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 296
***************************



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