			    TRAVELLER Digest 472

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) RE: Jump flashes, Starship Ops Manl., etc.  by That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
  2) A few more comments... by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
  3) Re: Lewis by john.bogan@asb.com
  4) Robotic Arms by Lahtinen Antti Jussi <al76188@cs.tut.fi>
  5) LOLA, Commodore Boulton Replies, Fang SDB, Canon Morals by A.S.Lilly@bnr.co.uk (Andy Lilly)
  6) Re: Looking for TNE books by "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>
  7) Re: Jump Fields by Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
  8) Re: Looking for TNE books by Scott and Vivian Nolan <nolan@DGS.dgsys.com>
  9) RE: Lewis  by That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
 10) What Else? by That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
 11) Military Police Thread by BARTZ@emuvax.emich.edu
 12) Various... by Christopher_Griffen@DMCWAVE.COM (Christopher Griffen)

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

Date: Wed, 1 Nov 1995 21:15:23 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Jump flashes, Starship Ops Manl., etc. 
Message-ID: <199511020215.VAA21053@chopin.udel.edu>

In Reply to Your Message of Wed, 01 Nov 1995 20: 40:03 EST
Date: Wed, 01 Nov 1995 21:15:23 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>

: At 05:21 PM 11/1/95 -0500, you wrote:
: >In Reply to Your Message of Wed, 01 Nov 1995 15: 56:09 EST

: >Even with a ship grappled to yours, you could still jump.  Remember,
: >the jump grid was just supposed to create the energy signature required
: >to punch the hole from n-space to j-space.
: >
: 
:         Per the SOpM, the jump field formed about 1m from the grid, which
: would cut most attached objects right off ...

I thought that the jump grid normally formed a safety net of 1m around
the ship, but could be expanded to include an attached craft.

       --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: Wed, 01 Nov 1995 22:43:35 -0500 (EST)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: A few more comments...
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.951101212952.23365A-100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


***More minor errors for the Regency Sourcebook***

pg 69 Zaguki (Deneb: 0710) has an Aslan gov code of "G" in 1117, and a 
      Human gov code of 5 in 1202.  Highly unlikely, as only in 1202 did 
      70% of the pop become Aslan.

      Banskonno (Deneb: 0112), Aldaya (Deneb: 0212), and Helifil (Deneb: 
      0313) don't have this problem: their codes change from Alsan to 
      human, but they were originally Aslan in the first place.

***Aside***

The subsectors for Reft Sector haven't been changed, apparently.  This 
is different than the old drafts for the New Era Regency showed, which 
still can be found at deneb.cc.missouri.edu (I think).

***Comment***

O.K., so now the current regime now is going to strive to create a 
humanistic, interstellar metaculture for all, rather than focus on a 
developing an elite culture, and leaving everyone else alone.  I understand 
where the Regent is coming from: however, as a libertarian at heart, I 
still regret it.

Even so, it should be interesting to watch.  

Regarding government, it seems that the Regent/Emperor will end up 
becoming a constitutional monarch or an elected position.  And since 
elections are not necesarily 'one-man, one-vote', there's some wiggle 
room for all those non-democratic systems, too.

***Comment 3***

It seems that all Imperial nobles which retain their fiefs are all 
'elected for life' nobles.  If they can pass on their fiefs to their 
children, there children must first be elected from the population.

Hmmm.  Here in Canada, we have two governing houses, an elected Commons 
and an unelected Senate.  While the western parts of the nation want's to 
make the Senate elected, the Commons don't want to do so. If it's 
elected, then the Senate then gains some legitimacy, and can stop the 
Commons from doing exactly what it wants (the best it can currently do it 
slow it down.)

Because the surviving Nobility will all be elected (at least once), they 
would tend to be more powerful than the British House of Lords, but less 
powerful than either the House of Commons or the Imperial 
Senate (the popularily elected governing body).  

The real surviving power of the Moots is not control of the State, but 
more due to their lonegevity.  Senators are elected for three-year 
terms, which is rather short (esp. for an interstellar civilization).
Nobles are elected for life, but have no real power except speech, 
suggestions, and public awards or disgracing.

What happens to the Moots really depends on the actions of the Nobles.  If 
they really take on their new role, the Moots can easily become an 
unoffical power centre.  If they don't, they'll become the patrionage 
pigsty that the Canadian Senate is.

An aside: currently, the Moot's are thinning out, since most noble 
positions are being revoked now, or at the time of the noble's death.  
Eventually, there will be a stable level of nobles, mainly from worlds 
with higher law levels, autocratic governments, and higher populations.

Interestingly, it's quite possible for a "self-perpetuating oligarchy" 
(ie. classic, Terran-style noble governments) or a "feudal technocracy" 
(the unoffical government form of the Third Imperium) to retain their local 
nobility in powerful positions, and yet have no Imperial nobles.

***Comment 3***

One of the things I really like about the Regency (Besides the fact that 
they still consider themselves Imperials) is all those new faces, Aslan, 
Sword Worlder's, Vargr, and Zhodani, within Imperial borders.  More 
variety! More variety! 

Also, for those of us who take the long view of things, it's a great 
laboratory to develop the government of the revisied Third/Fourth 
Imperium.  If the Regency can somehow forge a nation of all these 
peoples - and satisfy the demands of classic Imperial culture - and 
adapt to the Great Land Rush of 1202 - what a very interesting place it 
would be!

***Comment 4***

It seems that it's going to take longer than expected for anyone - RC or 
Regency - to expand into the Wilds.  Sure, RC and Regency spaceships can 
meet each other by 1205 or so, but it's going to take a good bit longer 
to settle the area, even with Zho refuges and high birthrates.  

***A tip of the hat...***

That bit about Endup/Lucifer was among the more elegant pieces of 
antiImperial 'propaganda' ever done, a good bit more worthy than the 
ranting from RC.  And the Regent responded with real class, too.  Very 
nicely done, GDW!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alvin Plummer
Don't you already miss those "autocratic, arrogant, cynical" nobles? I do!

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

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

Date: Thu, 02 Nov 95 00:03:10 -0500
From: john.bogan@asb.com
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Lewis
Message-ID: <9511020003.002OK0R@asb.com>



Lewis Roberts said:

> I saw this world in the Regency Sourcebook and thought it would be neat
> to write up.

> RICE Paper Lewis/Armis [sic]
> Lewis  (3107 Armis [sic]/Spinward Marches) X-427344-8

I hate to break this to you, but Lewis/Aramis has been
done already.

Quoting from _The Traveller Adventure_, (c) 1983: circa 1105 Imperial

Lewis (0707 [Aramis subsector]-X427402-D) is a small world with a diameter
of approximately 6400 kilometers, a very thin, tainted atmosphere, and large
oceans covering three-quarters of the surface of the planet. A young world,
Lewis is one of several satellites of the only gas giant in the system.
       The world has a population of just over 73,000 persons, mostly farmers.
There is no government established on the world; among the farming 
communities family ties predominate -- a system which has worked well for
several generations. A D-class starport facility exists on the world (as well
as several smaller landing fields of even lower quality); this is controlled
by the Tukera family and reserved for their use.
       Lewis was, indeed, entirely owned by the Tukeras for quite some time, 
but, about 150 years ago, a Tukera baron in need of funds was forced to
sell off some family lands to outside settlers. This community 
flourished for quite some time; recently, the family has been attempting
to recover those lands and the ownership of the world. After several
unsuccessful efforts to force the independent settlers to sell out, Tukera
interests at Court (with the support of the Marquis of Aramis) have
managed to have the planet interdicted. A special dispensation allows
the family to come and go as they please, but all trade and outside
contact have been cut off, isolating the settlers. So far they have shown
an amazing degree of self-sufficiency, but the Tukera family still
believes that increasing the hardships of this isolation will eventually 
compel them to give up and sell their land.
       The Tukera estates at Inselberg on Lewis are isolated from the
main areas of settlement, surrounded by desert and protected by 
an excellent security organisation. The nearest town is some 100 km
away. Inselberg's facilities enjoy a tech level of D; the settlers are
limited to a much lower level of technology (7).

End quote.

This was from before the Rebellion and Virus, so there's plenty
of room for change, but this is the setting as so far established.

Note that I don't quite buy the assertion (made in the "Zila" entry
on RSB page 39) that "Tukera interests...abandoned the Domain."
The Domain by that time was already cut off by Vargr incursions,
and separated from Margret's faction by the Vilani and the other
"big three" Throne-seekers, so even if the Vilani megacorps
made a break for it, its much less likely Tukera would even 
recieve orders to do so, much less actually try it.

A more likely fate is : cut off from it's long-distance routes to
the rest of the Imperium, the Deneb splinter of Tukera Lines, LIC
was forced to compete more directly with Al Morai, Oberlindes, 
and other companies native to the Domain. Without the advantage
of its long-haul infrastructure, it started to wilt, and if it still exists
at all is only a shadow of its once-glorious self. (Norris may have
subtly encouraged this, especially after the return of Arrival Vengeance.)

John Bogan     

------------------------------------------------
"Aramanx? They LOVE us on Aramanx!"

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

Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 12:34:16 +0200 (EET)
From: Lahtinen Antti Jussi <al76188@cs.tut.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Robotic Arms
Message-ID: <199511021034.MAA10017@korppi.cs.tut.fi>

	Robotic arms

	I was not satisfied with the rules for robotic arms that were 
	presented in Vampire Fleets. The main reason for this is that 
	according to these rules the robotic arms do not improve with 
	higher TL, while vehicle suspension and transmission values 
	improve. Even though robotic arm is more complex device than 
	walker legs, they should have many similar problems and 
	solutions.

	One additional requirement for robotic arms is the Cybernetics 
	rules in FFS. According to the Peripheral Options table (FFS 
	page 86) prosthetic replacement limbs "Utility Arm" appears at 
	TL-10, and pseudobiologic "slick" versions appear at TL-12. I 
	think that it should be possible to build these prosthetic 
	limbs with normal robotic rules.

	According to human taxometry, the average displacement of man's 
	arm is approximately 7 liters. This means that TL-12 prosthetic 
	arm for the average man should displece 7 litres, and should 
	have at least AGL-6 and STR-6.

	Quick-and-dirty design fix:

	TL	AGL	STR	Price
	8	10%	1	100
	10	9%	1.5	150
	12	8%	2	200
	14	7%	2.5	250
	16	6%	3	300

	AGL:	The percentage of total volume used per point of AGL.
	STR:	The amount of STR gained per liter devoted to strength.
	Price:	The price of one liter of robotic arm. Pseudobiological 
		versions will have the price multiplied by 8. 
		Prostethic replacements will also have extra price for 
		surgery, calibration and rehabilation.
	Mass:	The mass of an arm in kilograms is its volume in liters
		multiplied by 2 (as stated in VF, page 74).
	Power:	The power requirement for robotic arms is its volume in
		liters multiplied by 0.4 kW.

	According to this table, TL-10 AGL-6, STR-6 robotic arm would 
	displace 8.7 liters, and similar TL-12 arm would displace 5.8 
	liters. 


	Powering Robots

	Thought VF has ignored the power usage of robotic arm, the arm 
	must be somehow powered (this is major problem in modren 
	prosthetic technology, and different power sources and 
	transmissions are beign developed). However the required input 
	power shown above is only the peak power usage, required only 
	when the arm is used to move its maximum load at full speed. 
	Full input power could be required for cargo loading arms, but 
	it is highly unlikely that other machines would need this much 
	power.

	In my designs I usually build robots with PNF power plant, and 
	allocate the robotic arms only 20-50% of the their maximum 
	input power. Additionally I install an suitable battery that 
	can power the arms for a short time at full power. This means
	that the robot will use its arms with full power only when
	needed, and in other times the surplus power is loaded into the
	battery.

	I have noticed that battery-powered robots can be quite tricky 
	to use. A re-designed TL-14 Zhodani WarBot will exhaust its 
	batteries in few days if it is fully powering all its 
	components at the same time, but the same WarBot can be in 
	sentry mode for a few months (that is, powering only its brain 
	and passive sensors).

-- 
        Antti Lahtinen    :     Justice is Only a Wish of a Weak
        al76188@cs.tut.fi :


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

Date: Thu, 02 Nov 1995 11:34:35 +0000
From: A.S.Lilly@bnr.co.uk (Andy Lilly)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: LOLA, Commodore Boulton Replies, Fang SDB, Canon Morals
Message-ID: <199511021052.FAA20449@Mithril.MPGN.COM>

L.O.L.A.

    "LOLA - Leave Our Lanthanum Alone - is a charity dedicated to preventing
valuable Lanthanum hull grids being thrown away and replaced with new
cheap-looking coils hidden away in the drive room. We are honoured to have
with us in the studio one of LOLA's chief exponents, Fleet Cmdr Farrar.
Welcome Cmdr. Farrar."

"Hi Andy."

    "So, tell us about LOLA."

"Well Andy, hull grids have been working successfully for years in MT and
could easily be adapted back to CT or onwards into TNE. So why do those
jerks have to come up with a new system? I ask you... what with the
Rebellion, Hard Times and then Virus, I'd say this was just another one of
their silly 'Let's change as much as possible to make people think it's a
new game' sort of things."

    "So you'd prefer to have Lanthanum hull grids..."

"You betcha."

    "And anything beyond 1 metre of the ship is 'cut off' when entering jump."
"Hell yes. It never worried anyone before, so why change it now? What's more
logical: a contained hull field which is naturally adapted to any hull
configuration because it _is_ the hull, or some dicky doohah in the engine
room which just sorta throws out a field at a specific distance from it with
no peculiar effects inside and somehow magically matched to any sticky-out
bits on the ship - I mean Hell, I know all about beam-steering theory,
adaptive antennas and all that e-war stuff, but this is plain silly. Can you
say the word 'Continuity'? Well, _they_ don't seem to be able to..."

    "So you feel quite stro..."

"You bet I do. Kill 'em all, that's what I say. Yo! Yo! Hut! Hut! Men, forward!"

    "Thank you Cmdr. Farrar."

"Kill, kill, whites of their eyes..."

    "Yes, thank you Cmdr. Errr, security?"

"Blast, burn 'em. Give me Lanthanum, lots of it, yummy hull gri...argh
mmmmfff." 

    "Thank you security. Yes, just get him out of the studio and give him
another of those little white pills he was popping before the interview."

COMMODORE BOULTON REPLIES...

    "And now we turn to our sixty second round of Answer Andrew Boulton's
questions. This week our contestant is Griff Turnpike Ricotta, chief
scientist at the Regency institute for growing turnips. Straight into the
questions, Griff."

"Go for it Bob... I mean Andy."

    "Do Black Globes emit Hawking Radiation?"

"I'll say 'No' simply because canon Traveller sensors can't detect them."

    "What happened to Fast and Slow drugs in TNE?"

"I'll say 'lack of consistency', please Bob... I mean Andy."

    "Can Nuclear Dampers be used to detonate nuclear warheads stored aboard
an enemy ship?"

"Ah, probably not - hence the usage of the word 'damper' - I think dampers
can only discourage a reaction, not encourage detonation."

    "And can they be used to do something unpleasant to a ship's fusion
reactor, or Jump Drive?"

"I'll guess yes - they could try to 'subdue' the ship power plant or jump
drive. But the damper fields should be fairly easily detected by the ship
being affected."

    "And can they be used as an anti-personnel weapon?"

"I don't think so Andy, although they might stunt the growth of turnips."

    "What's the damage for being "hit" by active sensors or communicators,
(e.g. can you use them to microwave someone to death)?"

"Most definitely Andy - very nasty too, since you cook from the inside out
and it tends to be the wet bits that cook most, like your eyes, for example.
We have quite stringent rules to prevent unauthorised microwaving of our
turnips."

    <glancing worriedly at Griff> "How big a bang does it make when you
overload a ship's fusion reactor, or Jump Drive?"

    "Well, when a turnip goes to pieces, it's pretty nasty, Andy - bits
every... oh, sorry, yes, err... well, recent discussions have indicated that
a fusion system going haywire tends to melt down a bit and then die off
pretty quickly because the reaction isn't very good at sustaining itself. I
think more important is the likely release of a huge cloud of vapourised
hydrogen fuel which would likely ignite in a big fireball when combined with
an oxygen atmosphere. There used to be lots of worries about ships taking
out whole starports but I think that now you'd really only damage the ship
itself - and probably irradiate it a bit so it can't be used for a while.
Did you know that all our turnips are irradiated?"

    <winking meaningfully at the returning security guards> "Ok, Griff.
Nearly out of time. FF&S says you need a seat on the Bridge of a starship
for every Command crewmember - surely this can't be right?"
"Well, there was a big discussion on that recently. Some members could have
'portable' stations instead, while realistically on a big ship perhaps only
one third or half the command crew would actually be on the bridge. It might
also be that some of the space allocated for these 'seats' is actually just
space for control systems to 'link in' data from the appropriate command
crew's position rather than them actually being physically present on the
bridge..."

    "It's been implied that it's impossible for an observer to tell where a
ship has Jumped to. However, by measuring the energy released when a ship
Jumps, and comparing it to known characteristics of that class of ship,
shouldn't you be able to calculate how far it has Jumped, (and so make a
pretty good prediction of where it was going)?"

"Tricky one, Andy. Well, as that clever Cmdr. Lilly has mentioned before
jump actually uses multiple dimensions, so yes you should be able to tell
how far the ship is jumping. And thinking logically, the only time the ship
can affect its destination is in the configuration of the jump field
_before_ entering jump - we know you can't alter things once _in_ jump. So
if you can observe and interpret the jump field, yes I believe you can tell
fairly well where the ship is jumping to. Only military ships would have
such sensors, though and you need a damned powerful computer. And the
military might be quite coy about the fact, so maybe that's why most people
don't know you can do it."

    "Ok Griff, does a gun doing only 1D6-1 damage still do blunt trauma?"

"I don't think so. But it would badly bruise a turnip, Andy."

    "How do you design a beam laser, (e.g. a targeting laser)?"

"I just tend to make it up as I go along, Andy. Maybe as per a pulse laser
but multiply the power by the pulse length (in fractions of a second) and
then reduce it a bit to allow that a beam would overheat the laser
components more quickly, etc."

    "Do Psionics work through a Black Globe?"

"I've never seen it done, although inter-stellar psionic communication seems
to be possible at faster-than-light speed, so maybe that's using an extra
dimension a bit like jump, in which case maybe you can use psionics
'through' a globe."

    "So does gravity, (artificial or real) work through a Black Globe?"

"No. Because canonically, densitometers can't detect ships in globes. But
perhaps the effect is limited to low levels of gravity. Strong gravitic
pull, like in a Black Hole might involve enough energy that the globe
becomes overloaded."

    "So communication through it by using pulses of artificial gravity is a
no-no?"

"I'd have thought so, Andy."

    "Using aperture synthesis, could you combine the data from several ships
flying in formation to improve the performance of their sensors?"
"Definitely Andy, although they would need to have _very_ accurate knowledge
of their relative positions at any instant. TL8 technology can do that sort
of thing using multiple satellite passes over a given location. Even if the
passes aren't exactly over the same spot, data from each pass can be
combined to give ridiculous resolution. Just imagine two turnips spinning...
mmmf"

    "Thank you again security... Griff, you scored one canonically correct
answer, 4 'probablies', 3 'I thinks' and the rest were 'wild guesses'. That
means you'll be back tomorrow to answer yet another round of "Commodore
Boulton Replies..."

FF&S DESIGN ROUND

    "Now we have back with us Lt. Hangdog Wildebeest from the Naval Office
of Designing Non-Canon Starships and Altering Official FF&S Designs to
Confuse Readers. Well, Lt., we have a few quick questions for one of our ace
watchers - YES, 'Frances A. McLaughlin', THIS IS YOUR MOMENT! Frances is a
bit worried about the Fang SDB, Hangdog. First is the Configuration problem..."

"Don't let all the FF&S stuff confuse you, Frances. Design the ship
_components_ first then worry about fitting a hull _around_ them. Hell, all
these 'length' rules for different shapes is just for _standard_ designs.
Here at the NODNCSAOFF&SDCF, we know the basic formula for the volume of a
cylinder so if it's a given volume and we need a certain length, we just
alter the radius accordingly. Hell, who cares about 'Lmod's!"

    "Thanks Lt. And on the Power question - i.e. the Fang has a 372 MW
fusion plant but needs about 410 MW to power everything at once?"

"Been there, seen it, done it. Few ships ever turn on every single light
bulb at once, so a bit of leeway is always allowed. Remember, we're talking
about peak powers, mean powers, rated powers, etc. That PA casing might say
'Min pow feed 109 MW' but the manufacturers _always_ allow a little leeway."

    "What about EMM, Lt.? Are the pods masked or do they carry their own EMM?"

"Sorry, Andy, but that's classified information."

    "You can't tell us, then?"

"Nope."

    "Aw, Go on."

"Ok. I don't know, actually."

    "Hmmm. The passive EMS is supposedly a fixed array with 120,000 km short
range but FF&S says this ought to be 20m diameter and thus a folding array?"

"That's just like the P.A. power thingy above. Damned designers are always
boasting about performance then you buy the ship and damn you if it doesn't
have a 10 kk short range or some damned huge folding array out the back
which - naturally - didn't happen to appear on the publicity photo."

    "Couldn't just be the usual design cock-up, then?"

"Well, okay, I'd say that's probably the real reason."

    "Thank you, Lt. Hangdog."

CANON

    "And, last but not least, we ask our 'moral' question of today. Given
that the Starship Operator's Manual was approved by GDW and therefore its
section on Jump drives is cannonical, what should our response be to a quote
such as: 'Not according to our friend, Dave Nilsen. He and his co-authors,
quite rightly I think, have changed the rules as listed above. The coils are
now the focus, not the grid (which doesn't exist anymore). Therefore a
slight change of "canon" has been enacted.'"

    "Perhaps we should examine the dictionary definitions of 'quite
rightly', 'slight change' and 'total lack of continuity as usual'?"

Cmdr Lilly, PITS (Political Intelligence Team, Scout)
PITS Team motto: "We are never outgunned."
* Nothing I say or do in any way reflects the views of my very kind
  and generous employers who have no interest in outgunning anyone. *


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

Date: Thu, 02 Nov 1995 09:47:26 -0500
From: "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Looking for TNE books
Message-ID: <s0989374.074@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>

Drake Gearhart writes:

>  Well after much searching at Borders, Hastings and Barnes &
>Knowbles  I'm going to have to ask for more details because NONE of
>them have the  trilogy by Paul Brunette on their listings.  They have
>other books by GDW  but nothing under his name or the three titles
>someone was kind enough to  provide.  Also _Survival Margin_ and
>_Hard Times_ are not listed either.   I was told to get the ISBN numbers.

>  Could someone be kind enough to  provide me one for the first book in
>the trilogy? 

   All you have to do is ask....

The Death of Wisdom by Paul Brunette - ISBN 1-55878-181-1

   Also....

Survival Margin - ISBN 1-55878-139-0

Hard Times - ISBN 1-55878-085-8

   I believe that both Survival Margin and The Death of Wisdom are still
in print.  Hard Times is I believe, out of print, but GDW may still have
copies of it available for sale.

>  I'd rather not order the accessories books from GDW since I don't
>know  if I'm going to run TNE or not.  I have a lot of reservations so far. 

   I am curious as to what you have problems with, the new game
mechanics (based more on the T:2000 System) or the story
development.  Which would you say is causing you the most problems
conceptually?

Regards,

Harold



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

Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 10:23:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Jump Fields
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951102101849.154A-100000@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>

Hi.  So, people are in disagreement as to whether the jump flash is 
canonical because the lanthanum grid "canon" has been changed between 
CT/MT and TNE, have I got that right?  Would one then assume that jump 
flashes are canonical for CT/MT campaigns?  For those of you who don't 
know, a similar discussion is happening on the xboat list.

As for the field happening "a meter from the hull" and thus cutting off 
attachments, this is only a problem for ad hoc adjustments.  One can 
assume that droppable fuel tanks have their own lanthanum grid which 
plugs in to the ship's.  For those wanting to carry ore strapped to the 
outside, you need a big lanthanum net (I remember seeing an illustration of 
this somewhere...).

Charles

	<0>       "Perfection is not a place, but a direction."         <0>
	<0> Charles Collin (charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca), 		<0>
	<0> Psychology Department, McGill University.  			<0> 
	<0> 1205 Dr. Penfield, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1B1.  	<0>



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

Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 12:47:02 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott and Vivian Nolan <nolan@DGS.dgsys.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Looking for TNE books
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.951102124517.18693A-100000@DGS>



On Thu, 2 Nov 1995, Harold D. Hale wrote:

> >  I'd rather not order the accessories books from GDW since I don't
> >know  if I'm going to run TNE or not.  I have a lot of reservations so far. 
> 
>    I am curious as to what you have problems with, the new game
> mechanics (based more on the T:2000 System) or the story
> development.  Which would you say is causing you the most problems
> conceptually?

I don't know about Drake, but I have always thought the GDW House System 
to be overly complicated and lacking in any possibility of character 
development after creation.  

But I love the TNE setting.  I have plans to run TNE using the HERO rules.

Scott

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

Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 13:07:58 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Lewis 
Message-ID: <199511021807.NAA11524@chopin.udel.edu>

In Reply to Your Message of Thu, 02 Nov 1995 00: 08:04 EST
Date: Thu, 02 Nov 1995 13:07:57 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>

: Note that I don't quite buy the assertion (made in the "Zila" entry
: on RSB page 39) that "Tukera interests...abandoned the Domain."

Well, Blaine did marry Margaret...  8)

       --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: Thu, 02 Nov 1995 13:22:14 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: What Else?
Message-ID: <199511021822.NAA13857@chopin.udel.edu>


First, a question.  Where am I missing this?  I haven't seen any
mention that the lanthanum grid doesn't exist anymore.  Yet, everyone
else here has.  So, what pages am I skipping over that I should be
reading?

Second, a suggestion.  For people interested in beam lasers, melee
weapons, and a whole bunch of other stuff, I highly recommend Guns,
Guns, Guns! (3G^3) by BTRC and it's companion piece More Guns.  It not
only provides weapon creation rules, but it also provides conversion
notes between various game systems (GDW House, GURPS, Torg...).

Between 3G^3 and FFS I can crank out an arsenal of goodies.  8)

        --Jerry
   
ps-I'm not affiliated with BTRC in any way.  I am just a satisfied
   customer with these products...

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: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 13:25:06 -0500 (EST)
From: BARTZ@emuvax.emich.edu
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Military Police Thread
Message-ID: <951102132506.20a0d2b4@emuvax.emich.edu>

As some of you may recall, I was going to have a Military
Police thread for my players.
I started by having their shadowy patron, some kind of government
person, send then to the base with false PCS orders as
senior Sgts in the MPs. They were issued gear, such as a headset
radio, auto snub pistols with 2 reg and 1 tranq mags, a 
'stun baton' that did stun only damage, a 'super' vibro knife,
PRIS goggles, a terminal/dispatch screen/ticket book (w/hard copy
for offender)/form writer. They also had flak type armor
and as this world had a lot of TL 10+ ground cars they were in 
cars alot, as well as covered air rafts (because they were
senior Sgts).
I had some fun expecting them to know things they didn't,
and sent them out to work with only one days training
because they were 'old hands' on their fake records.
(The terminal was also a map, and dispatch points were high lighted)
They started out with a ticket, and then went to a spouse abuse
that was really a fight, with the hidden child the real victim.
The DD turned violent, and they got to try out their stun batons
(The provost ordered only strength 5, even though they would go
to 10).
I ran them through a few more of these (just watch cops for
ideas, I used what really happened to me this summer
when my National Guard MP unit did LE on a base),
and then sent them into MPI as dicks on a case of what seemed
to be a case of AEA (the patron got to the Provost, and their
fake records showed past MPI time).
To amke all this more real I kept harping on how short staffed
the MPs were.
It turned out that the guy that was dead was the same guy
they were undercover to get something from in the first place
(they still don't know what). (Only 2 were actually assigned
the case).
They followed the clues (mostly) and found the dead man's
girl friend in a "Slum Town" strip bar outside the gate,
just ahead of the bad guys, who came in guns blazeing.
As it happened, they wern't doing too good, so the female
recruits there to see "Marc" the male stripper in action
took one of them out. They think that they recovered the item,
and are ready to unass the planet.
The whole thing seemed to go well. The biggest problem is that
they wanted to investigate everything first, and then follow up
clues.
Gary

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

Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 13:24:07 -0800
From: Christopher_Griffen@DMCWAVE.COM (Christopher Griffen)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Various...
Message-ID: <09937750@MailXFER.DMCWAVE.COM>

Responding to Alvin Plummer:

>>It's odd that the Nobility has never attempted to 'redesign' itself to be 
more effective governours.  Of course, you don't know what the goals of 
such engineering would be.  Had I been present at the Regency creation, 
I'd have explored this possibility, rather than destroy the nobility.  
Still, it may have been necesary for GW to do so: had such a nobility 
been created, we'd either have a master race ruling over everyone or have 
a profoundly noble elite, rendering the Regency as safe as Hometown, 
U.S.A.<<

There's something that I just recently reread in Rats and Cats about how 
GenAssist tried to genetically engineer supermen of some sort, but that 
fear of the program's portents ultimately led to its downfall.  It seems a 
prominent genetic engineer had been experimenting with the hyperevolution 
of several species of primate, like orangs and chimps.  Apparently the 
project was swept under the rug and the uplifted apes were let alone 
somewhere.  

I was inspired enough by this little piece that I was thinking I might 
write a RICE paper on a wilds world somewhere in Aldebaran or Neworld 
Sector that is solely inhabited by several species of these uplifted apes.  
Can anyone say, "Planet of the Apes," Traveller style?  Hmm.  Better get to 
work on that one.

At any rate, the general hysteria about producing genetically superior 
humans is probably why the nobility never got away with really widespread 
projects of this sort.


Responding to Jerry Alexandratos:

>>Okay, now I've got a question.  Where does it say that the lanthanum
grid doesn't exist anymore?  Are you sure that you're not remembering
in some sort of RPN fashion?<<

I'm sure, alright.  I gleaned this information in a phone conversation with 
Dave Nilsen, just before the RSB came out.  He said he didn't like the 
lanthanum grid thing and that the PTB are redoing the technicalities of 
jump.

They may not have published anything yet, but I think I recall something 
that hinted at this development in the Regency Sourcebook.  I just can't 
remember exactly where it was.  Nothing like convenient memory lapses! <g>

--Chris

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 472
***************************
