Subj:	TRAVELLER digest 355
Date:	95-07-22 19:48:47 EDT
From:	traveller@mpgn.com
To:	traveller@mpgn.com

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			    TRAVELLER Digest 355

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Grandfater...
	by Bri <bri@teleport.com>
  2) Yaskoydray Strikes Back (Td#354)
	by Derek Wildstar <wildstar@qrc.com>
  3) RE: Grandfater... 
	by That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>
  4) Diaspora info: FTP
	by tnelson@interlog.com (Sean Nelson)
  5) weapons and damage
	by jmg141@email.psu.edu (john gardner)

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 17:49:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bri <bri@teleport.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Grandfater...
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950721174923.4881C-100000@linda.teleport.com>

 who is the Grandfather personage your refering to?

bri


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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 95 22:49:03 -0400
From: Derek Wildstar <wildstar@qrc.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Yaskoydray Strikes Back (Td#354)
Message-ID: <9507220249.AA09799@qrc.com>

john.bogan@asb.com writes:
> [The Virus and the Ancients]
> About the same effect as lemurs trying to conquer humans
> militarily -- it ain't gonna happen.

Exactly.  Grandfather (or one of the Kids) has undoubtedly been to
Cymbelline at some point in the last 200,000 years, learned all
there was to learn about the Cymbelline life forms, and filed away
incase there was ever any need for that data.

Who knows?  Maybe the central elements of his AI computers are derived from
Cymbelline life - "uplifted", and as you point out, about as far ahead of
their Vampire relations as humans are from the lesser primates.

> > And while we're at it, what does everyone think that Grandfather's
> > opinion is on this whole Virus thing?
> 
> Same as he (it?) reacts to anything.  Shrug, ignore it, but pinch
> a sample into a pocket universe to study later. :-)


Scenario Nugget: The Player Characters are locked in mortal struggle with a
Vampire when Grandfather's Acme Vampire-and-Virus Pocket Universe Pit Trap
is activated by the activity, and everyone (including, perhaps, the local
stellar system*) is sucked into a pocket universe for later scrutiny by The
Old Man ... er, Droyne ... himself.  Yaskoydray will drop in sometime in the
next couple hundred years to check on the Virus sample, but 'till then
housekeeping chores are in the hands of some of Gradfather's AI robots. 

Can the player characters subvert the robot's programming and get out of
their predicament before the Virus kills them?  Not a chance. 

On the other hand, they just _might_ be able to raise enough of a fuss for
the AIs to notice that the Virus sample was contaminated with some
biologicals, at which point the AIs will boot the PCs back out of the pocket
universe.  The AIs, because they are programmed as caretakers for living
samples, have a programmed dislike for solutions that involve the needless
destruction of life.  The referee should note, however, that in this
particular case Grandfather's AIs consider the Virus just as much "life" as
they do the PCs, and furthermore, it's the Virus that's Very Important
sample, and the PCs that are the contaminants.


* Extra-Sneaky Refs start here:

Alternate Scenario Nugget: One Of Our Stars is Missing - the player
characters are on a survey mission, and one of the stellar systems that they
just finished mapping dissapears on their way back home.  The players jump
in to where they thought their next stopover (and fuel source!) would be,
to discover that someone's stolen the whole solar system.  The PCs immediate
concern is where to get fuel - it's possible that Grandfather's Virus-sucker
left some debris around that could be scavenged for fuel, or that there's a
(possibly hidden) way to re-activate the trap, and get drawn into the
above scenario (their fuel problem is solved, but now how to get out
again?).


wildstar@quark.qrc.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   "A shining New Era is tiptoeing nearer
..."
                                                "... and where do we
feature?"


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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 23:58:40 -0400
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Grandfater... 
Message-ID: <199507220358.XAA21110@chopin.udel.edu>

In Reply to Your Message of Fri, 21 Jul 1995 20: 50:12 EDT
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 23:58:39 -0400
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>

:  who is the Grandfather personage your refering to?
: 
: bri
: 

Oh no!  Someone who is not familiar with the whole legacy of Traveller!
Yet another person who's been brainwashed by TNE!  8)

Grandfather is the Ancient!  Okay, who are the Ancients?  Well, there
are a mysterious race that averaged around TL26-27.  They existed over
300,000 years ago.  They are the ones who are responsible for creating
the Vargr race out of ordinary Terran canines.  They are also
responsible for transporting humaniti (notice the old-school spelling)
through-out the stars.

Well, they had a war and basically wiped themsleves out.  Grandfather
was the head honcho of the Ancients.  He was highly intelligent beyond
all belief.  Right now he just lives in a pocket universe and watches
the silliness that takes place (and yes, he's also probably waiting for
the way-too-much delayed Regency Sourcebook 8).

Pssst.  Don't tell this little secret to anyone, but the Ancients were
actually the Dryone!  Shhh....

And I'm sure that there's a whole bunch of stuff that I'm missing (it
sucks getting into such a great game during the MegaTraveller era and
missing out on a lot of the original source material for CT).

       --Jerry

8) Jerry Alexandratos                %  "Nothing inhabits my    (8 
8) darkstar@strauss.udel.edu         %   thoughts, and oblivion (8
8) darkstar@canary.pearson.udel.edu  %   drives my desires."    (8

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

Date: Sat, 22 Jul 1995 02:56:16 -0400
From: tnelson@interlog.com (Sean Nelson)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Diaspora info: FTP
Message-ID: <199507220656.CAA09209@gold.interlog.com>

>> Good morning!
>> Does anyone know where I can find maps of subsectors I, J, and K of
>> the Diaspora Sector?  My players are planning a voyage to the Spinward
>> edge of Diaspora, and I need to have some idea of where the trip will
>> take them.
>
>Delux Edition TNE (if you wan`t New Era Stats, or 1200 stats)
>Astroligers Guide to Diaspora Sectore (Mega Traveller, same 1200 stats as
>above ? I havn't cheaked).
>Also I think DGP stats are avalable somewhere on the net, if someone could
>tell the young gentalman were, cos I don't know.

As a matter of fact Diaspora's systems (and thousands of others) can be
found on a couple of FTP sites.  I downloaded about thirty sectors worth
from:

ftp.engrg.uwo.ca/pub/traveller/sectors

Now if you're using a windows operated machine (like myself), and you are
about as inept as I am at these type of things (something I genuinely doubt)
you should be warned that the sectors are in a UNIX compressed format (.z
files).  That means you'll need a U16.exe program to decompress them.  If
you have any trouble feel free to e-mail me (though I warn you it would be a
blind leading the blind situation - picture a vargr instructing an aslan on
solomani table manners).



>
>> Thanks,
>> Andy
>
>Only too pleased.
>
>Ewan

Have fun,

Sean


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

Date: Sat, 22 Jul 1995 16:11:30 -0400
From: jmg141@email.psu.edu (john gardner)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: weapons and damage
Message-ID: <199507222037.QAA23675@genesis.ait.psu.edu>

>I am a new Traveller TNE GM and I was helping my new players pick
>equipment.  When we got to weapons, it started looking like none of them
>were very good, except heavy weapons.  Almost all pistols do 1d6 damage,
>which means that it takes a half dozen maximum damage shots to the chest
>to hurt the average person.  At least that is the way that my
>inexperienced self reads it.  Am I missing something important?
>
I noticed that problem also.  I will make the following recomendation (which
i have used in my own campaign), please remember that this is by no means
"cannon":

use a d-20 for damage where the standard damages are used, keep the  d-6
where the tranq rounds are used.  this will allow most 2die pistols to
effectively "blow heads off".  be warned though, after i implimented this my
players became alot more cautious in combat.  (actualy, alot of them got
killed off very quickly.)

"Any society which is willing to surrender liberty for security . . . shall
have neither."
                                                           - Benjamin
Franklin.
"A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his
steps."
                                                           - Proverbs 14:15
"No matter where you go, there you are . . ."
                                                           - Albert Eienstien
"A chicken is nothing but an egg's way of producing more eggs"
                                                           - unknown



  


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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 355
***************************


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