TRAVELLER Digest 494

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Comp Game: MT2 Need help by "V.A.G." <GREI5001@pcmail.uni-trier.de>
  2) drop tanks by toad@ugcs.caltech.edu (Benjamin Lane)
  3) Tirem by Rob Dean <robdean@access.digex.net>
  4) re: Drop Tanks by Eric Nolan <ericno@microsoft.com>
  5) Nanotech, etc. by "M.A. Trickett" <mat3@leicester.ac.uk>
  6) Re: TRAVELLER: Seven Ideas For TNE/The RC by alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca
  7) Re: TRAVELLER REVIEW: The Regency Sourcebook by alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca
  8) Monkey suits by topgenor@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca (Tom Opgenorth)
  9) Re: Gas Giants and Asteroid Belts. by Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
 10) Re: Addendum to Asteroid Belts and Gas Giants. by Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
 11) FF&S and 2300AD by igor@netins.net (Andrew Akins)
 12) Re: Addendum to Asteroid Belts and Gas Giants. by merrick@Rt66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
 13) Re: Addendum to Asteroid Belts and Gas Giants. by merrick@Rt66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
 14) re: Drop Tanks by Bill Currie <BILLC@teleng1.tait.co.nz>
 15) Web Page Update by broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
 16) Archive Address by broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
 17) Fuel tankage by broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
 18) Re: Planetoid Hulls by James Kundert <james@dumbcat.sf.ca.us>

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

Date:          Fri, 24 Nov 1995 11:23:40 MET
From: "V.A.G." <GREI5001@pcmail.uni-trier.de>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Comp Game: MT2 Need help
Message-ID: <3DC538B7803@pcmail.uni-trier.de>



I am sorry, i know it is kinda off-topic here, but i am in desperate
need of some help or hints for the MT2 Computer Game! For example i
can't get into the Universities on Rhylanlor and other planets! I
keep getting the message: " We can't go in! It's Closed!" The
buildings i try are speciallly marked buildings, are the
universities, but i can't get in. Also, i need to know which
artifacts the guy Beckett wants! I brought him Ancient batteries and
other artifacts, but he does not want em! So if anybody has some
files with clues or solutions, i would be very happy if he mailed
them to me!
Thank you very much
VAG
--------------------------------------------------------------
-What's the average airspeed velocity of an unloaded swallow?
An african or european one?
-I don't know that!!!.....Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------
-Don't hold me up: I am just barely ahead of insanity!!!!

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 02:46:14 -0800
From: toad@ugcs.caltech.edu (Benjamin Lane)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: drop tanks
Message-ID: <199511241046.CAA05052@avarice.ugcs.caltech.edu>


Hi all,
About drop tanks - you use them to carry the fuel to the jump
point. Then you burn the fuel to charge your HPG bank. Then you discard
your drop tanks,. that's why they're called "drop tanks" in the first place.
Finally -and with much lower displacement - you jump.
check out MT if you want "canon"...

Also, you needn't worry that some dishonest merchant is going to skip
out on you with rented tanks. since they're so big, the ship cannot jump
with them attached. If you still think in terms of jump grids in the hull,
realize that the tank bulges out a few metres and thus would prevent jump.
THe jump tanks would have to contain a lanthanum grid in order to sustain
the larger jump bubble - but then they would be expensive dismountable
exterior tanks.

I think the idea of rentable drop tanks is great - it allows for more
freedom for the merchant ., and he doesn't have to jump out into deep
space and trust that there will be fuel for him when he arrives. Ask yourself,
would you empty your tanks on a jump into deep space what with all the
pirates hangin' around? No, much better to have a full tank of gas when
you arrive - and you can pick your own spot to emerge. that way you're
not predictable, and you have the legs to run if you have to.

another point - drop tanks can be used to carry maneuver fuel too.
maybe a good range extender for fighters and ships that often end up
in the bingo fuel situation..

cheers,
/ben

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 07:44:31 -0500 (EST)
From: Rob Dean <robdean@access.digex.net>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Tirem
Message-ID: <199511241244.HAA01329@access5.digex.net>

He stirs in his long sleep, and awakens to say:

Tirem?  Have they changed the UWP drastically?  I've got my notebook of
semi-detailed (not RICE paper level) worlds of Glisten and District 268
handy, with most UWPs drawn from CT Supplement 3, which gives Tirem as:

C7B5975-B, a normal sized world with a corrosive atmosphere, and balkanized.

Rob Dean
robdean@access.digex.net

(I did a few Tiremese vehicles in the old days, for MT...)

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 95 12:42:58 PST
From: Eric Nolan <ericno@microsoft.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: re: Drop Tanks
Message-ID: <199511241310.FAA00293@imail2.microsoft.com>


> 3) Upon activation, the jump drive begins to consume fuel (to
> include fuel from the drop tanks) while charging the hull grid and/or jump
> coils (whichever... :-)

I interpret the Jump sequence in a different way to this.  The ship
powerplant runs up and begins dumping energy into the Jump capacitors.
When they have been charged completely, the drop tanks are dropped
(possibly using some sort of timy gas thruster to clear the 1m limit).
Then the capacitors are used to charge the jump grid and we're away.
Since at jump time the ship no longer has the tanks the solution is
calculated for the 'clean' ship.

> Furthermore, the tugboats are going to need more maneuver fuel than you
> may realize.  Consider that a ship (in BL or BR) must burn a G-turn just
> to close with another object IN THE SAME HEX!  (That's one G-turn *per
> object*!)  Even if the tugboat could maneuver within the hex free of fuel
> cost, it still needs to go from one hex to another to retrieve the drop
> tanks.  Even if we grant extremely proficient navigators, your customers are
> still going to usually arrive at "+/-10%" of the target distance to
the target
> world.  For the safe 100-diameter distance for a UWP Size 6 world, that
> works out to plus-or-minus two hexes in any direction (6 * 1600km diameter *
> 100 / 30,000km per hex = 16 hexes; 16 / 10 = 1.6, round to 2).  Counting out
> from the target hex, that gives us an area of 19 hexes to play in
> (1+6+12).  Therefore, I still believe that drop tanks are useful only for
> military ships...or para-military ones, at that (corsairs, anyone?).

The point about the tugs is a good one.  I, for one, never considered
the expenses of this before.  It gets a lot better if you assume, as I
do, that all the tanks will be left by departing ships, so they will be
in a fairly close group.  Maybe it still isn't economic to collect them
though . . . .

There's an idea for an interesting game element in this though. If tugs
are too expensive to operate.  Maybe a more efficient way to do it is
to move a fairly large tug into the general area and have workers in
vacc suits go out and bring the tanks to the tug using hand thrusters.
Boring dangerous work, but it could help to add more atmosphere to
starports in general.

Eric.



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

Date:          Fri, 24 Nov 1995 13:28:19 +0100 (BST)
From: "M.A. Trickett" <mat3@leicester.ac.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Nanotech, etc.
Message-ID: <160BCEC308F@daisy.le.ac.uk>

I thought the current vogue was to integrate so-called "cutting edge"
technology (i.e., nanotech, information theory, etc) as 'new
developments.'  What is the possibility of, say, introducing
nano/biotechnology into the Regency or somewhere like that.

--MARK

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 08:39:31 -0500
From: alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER: Seven Ideas For TNE/The RC
Message-ID: <9511241339.AA14049@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


This article was written by James KIley (tenzil@io.com), and posted on
rec.games.frp.misc.   Comments?

In article <4901qs$p7i@xanadu.io.com> you wrote:
: Seven Ideas For Traveller: The New Era

: Presented in no particular order.  Any TNE game I run will almost
: certainly involve at least half of the ideas below.

: I. Drop the UWPs.  Like, immediately.  The Universal World Profile,
: an eight-digit code to describe the basic characteristics of a
: planet, was a useful thing to a vast, impersonal Imperium which
: didn't care terribly much about its member worlds, nor about their
: inhabitants.  But the Reformation Coalition is not like that.  If
: anything, it's the opposite; it tries to be life-affirming, and to
: recognize the uniqueness and wonder of each person and each world.
: UWPs are a useful tool for gamemasters, but for the Reformation
: Coalition they should be seen as the dangerous, dehumanizing tool
: of the dead, dinosaurian Imperium.

: II.  Along the same lines, drop the sector/subsector designations.
: I don't like looking at the map of the RC and seeing it split
: down the middle between Oriflamme subsector and Aubaine subsector.
: It's silly.  Those designations were Imperial tools, and there
: are better designations now.

: III.  Change the AO strategy.  Sure, right now the Area of Operations
: strategy is to expand to core-spinward, and Oriflamme has managed to
: con them into limiting it to just seven parsecs, but I think that
: going just seven parsecs core-spinward is foolish in the extreme.  My
: reasoning is simple:  The Reformation Coalition has NO IDEA what
: is going on rimward of them, or trailing, either.  Okay, core-trailing
: are the Hivers, and they're theoretically safe, but from straight
: trailing to rim-spinward there could be enormous Vampire Aslan Vargr
: K'Kree Darrian Star Trigger fleets casually swooping toward
: our little republic.  And the RCES doesn't even seem to consider
: that doing a little reconnaissance into Alpha Crucis sector might
: be prudent.  Come ON.  Expand core-spinward, sure, but don't limit
: the reconnaissance AO that much.

: IV.  Push to Sol.  Sectorwise, the area immediately around the
: RC looks like this:

: Diaspora|Old Expanses| Hinterworlds
: ----------------+---------------+--------------
: Solomani Rim|Alpha Crucis| Spica

: I gather from old MegaTraveller source material that the
: members of the Solomani Rim Confederation were, before the Great War,
: fairly racist and xenophobic.  Okay, I can believe that.  But the
: RC takes up a small piece of Old Expanses near both Diaspora and
: Solomani Rim sectors; I cannot believe that it has never been
: suggested that sending some ships toward SOL, you remember Sol,
: right?  The one at the bright heart of Solomani Rim Sector, the one
: from which all human life originates, that Sol?  Probably with more
: relic technology and useful information than the RC could process
: in a year, that Sol?  But no, we'd rather expand into Diaspora.
: I would put forth that, if nothing else, we should see a
: semi-private effort to explore Solomani Rim sector and get to Sol
: before the Guild (or worse) does; it has a lot of symbolic meaning,
: if nothing else.

: V.  Internal Strife.  There is strife in the RC.  There just isn't
: enough for my tastes.  More fringe groups, xenophobic, luddite,
: or just with a bone to pick with the current leadership, should
: exist.  In another post I'll detail a few of these that I've come
: up with for my own use.  There's also little description of conflict
: between, say, business and government.  In fact, things seem awfully
: chaotic in that department, with the RC seeming to be quite willing
: to "nationalize" almost any private assets it wants to.  I don't know
: about anyone else, but if I had my starship nationalized and was told
: to go to Diaspora sector for the government, I would be just a little
: incredulous.

: VI.  Lon Maggart Must Die.  Is this guy just Mister Perfect Leader
: or what?  "Challenge" #77 has him addressing a hostile crowd on
: Oriflamme and removing his bulletproof vest in a gesture of solidarity
: and love.  Okay, I'll buy that, but wow, does the man have NO flaws?
: He seems to be set up to be the Reformation Coalition's George
: Washington, but even Washington did some things he later regretted,
: and occasionally took flak from his political enemies.  He's a little
: too perfect for my tastes, and the best solution I can think of
: for this is to have him be assassinated by an Oriflammie.  This could
: give us a really nice JFK figure that future leadership would work
: hard to replace.

: VII.  Expansion Timetable Changes.  The RC expansion timetable (the
: "coreward strategy", which the RC seems to be using, rather than
: the "consolidation strategy") looks like this:
: Phase I: Overt ops in the primary AO with deep covert ops
: in Diaspora sector.  Est. time 2 years, so, from New Era 1 - 3.
: Phase II: Diplomatic blitz to integrate Diaspora sector
: into the RC.  Estimated time 1 year.  NE 3-4.
: Phase III: Extension of main AO to Massilia Sector, continued
: consolidation of Diaspora. Estimated time 2 years.  NE 4-6.
: Phase IV: "Simultaneous Expansion Outward", estimated time
: unknown.  NE 6 onward.

: O-o-okay.  Let me see if I've got this right, looking over
: my handy map.  Let's assume that the typical RCES/RCN ship has
: Jump-2 ability, meaning they can get two parsecs in a week; thus,
: a two parsec trip would take two weeks round trip.  There are eighteen
: important targets in the primary AO, which extends as far out as
: seven parsecs from the RC border.  If we assume that each of those
: worlds is four parsecs from the border, on average, we're looking
: at two jumps per world; thus each mission to each of the worlds in
: the primary AO takes a month round-trip, six weeks if you include
: time spent on the world.  Twenty-seven ship-months, thus, for one
: mission to each world in the primary AO.  If we assume overlapping
: missions in some cases, and multiple-world missions, we are still
: looking at a big chunk of time.  Consider if you will the amount
: of time it has taken to get the Middle East to come to a peace
: agreement, or the remnants of Yugoslavia.  With a one-month minimum
: time lag on any treaties or agreements, I see a real hard time getting
: eighteen worlds consolidated into the coalition in two years.
: And Phase II?  Getting ALL of Diaspora sector into the RC
: in a YEAR?  At jump-2 you could barely REACH all of Diaspora sector
: in a year, much less get back.  And Diaspora is a hostile environment,
: between xenophobes, TEDs, Vampires, the Guild, and various pocket
: empires.
: I think the timeline should be extended to about a ten year
: plan, personally.  But then again I'm spending too much time
: sympathizing with the Oriflammen.

: November 22, 1995
: Jim Kiley

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

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

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 08:41:08 -0500
From: alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER REVIEW: The Regency Sourcebook
Message-ID: <9511241341.AA11271@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>


This article was also written by James Kiley.  Consider it a different
take on the RSB, by a perseptive RC fan.

In article <48vn17$jkp@xanadu.io.com> you wrote:
: _The Regency Sourcebook: Keepers of the Flame_, Regency
: Sourcebook #1 for Traveller: The New Era by GDW.  92 pages.  ISBN
: 1-55878-189-7.  $20.00.

: A month or two ago, it seems that a really irate letter
: arrived at GDW's headquarters in Illinois.  The writer of the
: letter was quite peeved about the _Hivers and Ithklur_ sourcebook
: released for TNE not long before this.  He liked some of the
: roleplaying notes, but was disappointed because the sourcebook
: didn't have any sector maps for Hiver/Ithklur space, it didn't have
: any "atlas" type information, it didn't have any sample technology
: from either, and it didn't present information in an omniscient
: third person style so as to provide the gamemaster with all
: necessary info (bear with me, folks, I'm making a point).
: Dave Nilsen, one of the GDW staffers, published this letter
: along with a very long reply in "Challenge" #77.  He said, in short,
: that providing all of that information in an atlas format was
: something that GDW didn't have any intention of doing with TNE.
: The TNE style was to be more storylike, with the tale of the
: Reformation Coalition being told over time, and the information
: necessary for that tale being revealed as the story was told.  So,
: first we had the main rules, and then some tech manuals, and then
: some info about the RC and the areas the Star Vikings like to raid,
: and so on, with more of the tapestry revealed as time went on.
: This makes good sense to me, from two perspectives.  As a
: gamemaster I like having some of the upcoming story be a mystery;
: it's harder for me to inject mystery into information that I know
: perfectly than it is to portray imperfect knowledge as just that.
: I know, I'm probably in the minority.  But secondly, it makes good
: marketing sense.  Why publish an Atlas of the Diaspora Sector when
: you can reveal bits and pieces of Diaspora as time goes on,
: piquing people's interest and taking their hard-earned money?  If
: the material is good it will sell, after all.  So I was pleased
: to see Dave Nilsen's response.  It was well thought out and
: interesting to read.
: It is therefore with the greatest of distaste that I present
: _The Regency Sourcebook_, which breaks with all of the principles
: that Nilsen went through so much work to describe in that editorial.
: It is published in an atlas format, which is to say that pages 35
: through 75 (!) are devoted solely to showing small maps of subsectors,
: one-line world descriptions for each world therein and longer
: descriptions for important worlds; the book attempts to do justice
: to the 994 worlds that are a part of the Regency in these forty
: pages.
: Each ethnic group, alien race and local sub-empire in the
: area gets a page or two that describes their history and culture.
: Again, the text is remarkably sterile and atlas-like, and reminds me
: of nothing more than the two old MegaTraveller sourcebooks I bought
: not long after buying TNE.  The information is useful to a gamemaster,
: but it is so dry and is presented as though it were an encyclopedia,
: rather than as a narrative, as sourcebooks like _Hivers and Ithklur_
: have done.
: I suppose a smidgen of background for those who've hiked
: through this review without the least knowledge of what I speak is
: due.  About a hundred years ago, there was a vast, thousand-year
: Imperium that comprised most of known space; it was surrounded on
: all sides by alien empires and thus was in something of a steady
: state.  Pressures arose and a civil war began.  Near the end of this
: civil war a weapon known as Virus, a computer hardware/software
: virus, was released; it found computer systems, "infected" them,
: sent out more versions of itself, and then crashed the host system.
: This being the 56th century, Virus was a devastating weapon which
: ended up killing (probably) a trillion people.  The only part of
: the Imperium which received advance warning of Virus's release was
: an area known as the Spinward Marches, generally thought of as
: something of a backwater because of its isolation from the rest of
: the Imperium.  This isolation, however, turned out to be the Marches'
: salvation, as a Quarantine Service was set up to prevent Virus-infected
: starships from entering the Spinward Marches.  As it became obvious
: that the Marches were the last remnant of the Empire to survive with
: an interstellar society, Archduke Norris renamed the area the Regency,
: and they keep the flame of Imperium burning.
: The Regency is not the "main" Traveller: The New Era setting;
: rather, I think it serves to appease those gamemasters who played
: old versions of Traveller and whose campaigns were set in the
: Spinward Marches (most were, apparently).  The main setting for TNE
: is the Reformation Coalition, a rag-tag collection of worlds trying
: to rebuild an interstellar society out in the Wilds, where the
: Imperium really did collapse.
: I suppose the Regency Sourcebook serves the purpose of
: providing "old-style" Traveller gamemasters with "updated" information
: for their games adequately; it seems to present the information
: in the same style that Classic Traveller and MegaTraveller used and
: as such should seem familiar.  Perhaps this can ease the transition
: for longtime referees.
: I never played CT or MT, however; being a child of the TNE
: generation, so to speak, I am very disappointed in the Regency
: Sourcebook and cannot recommend it to anyone currently involved
: in a "real" TNE game.

: November 22, 1995
: Jim Kiley

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

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

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 09:06:16 -0700
From: topgenor@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca (Tom Opgenorth)
To: Multiple recipients of list <traveller@MPGN.COM>, traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Monkey suits
Message-ID: <199511241550.PAA07372@bernie.compusmart.ab.ca>

Howdy Rowland.  I went and got fitted for the tuxedoes yesterday.  Walt's
Klothes Kloset.  Are you coming up any time soon?  If you are, then please
go there and get fitted.  If you are not, then go to either The Bridal
Shoppe or Classiques in Cowtown and get measured.  Call Walt's at 422-2458
and provide them with the information.  You will need the following
measurements:

Chest:
Sleeve:
Waist:
Outseam:
Shirt Size/Sleeve:
Exact Weight - round to nearest ton ;) :
Exact Height:

I chose not to get shoes and give myself massive savings.  I know this will
not be a problem for you as I know that you have shoes.

If you do come up, I have Hexen, and a copy of a games call MechWarrior 2.
You might be interested in these.  Anyway, talk to you later Dutch boy.


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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 11:51:04 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Gas Giants and Asteroid Belts.
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951124114632.14549B-100000@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>

Hi All.
Is it not possible that the destruction of a gas giant core could have
resulted in the asteroid belt?  While gas giants are mostly gas, as
someone pointed out, there's still a lot of solid mass inside them
somewhere (at least that's the theory I've heard).  Maybe the collision of
two gas giants?  I'm not sure how realistic this is, so any astrophysics
types can pound on my head if they like, but I think it would provide
enough mass.  Does anyone have any figures as to the total mass of the
asteroid belt and/or gas giants and/or gas giant cores?

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: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 11:54:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Addendum to Asteroid Belts and Gas Giants.
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951124115147.14549C-100000@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>

Sorry, just re-read where Alvin said that gas giant cores are "relatively
small".  But what does this mean?  Size 10?  Size 20?  There must be one of
you radio astronomer types out there who can calculate this?  :-)

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: Fri, 24 Nov 95 12:12:33 EST
From: igor@netins.net (Andrew Akins)
To: gdw-beta@qrc.com
Cc: traveller@MPGN.COM, xboat@mphn.com
Subject: FF&S and 2300AD
Message-ID: <199511241803.MAA14623@ins2.netins.net>

I know this is a little off topic, being about 2300AD, but since it
also deals with FF&S, I'll ask it anyway :)

Has anyone tried to re-design some old Star Cruiser 2300AD ships
using the alternative technologies section of FF&S? Unless I'm doing
it wrong, it appears like FF&S departs significantly from the feel of
the old 2300AD rules.

For example - the old rules based stutterwarp performance on mass
(which makes sense to me - the heavier it is, the harder to jump).
But FF&S now bases the performance on displacement -- so cargo
ships have the same performance no matter how full they are.

The new stutterwarp drives also seem to be quite power hungry. I
tried to re-design the Anjou class frieghter. Unless I totally screwed
up (which is possible) - the new Anjou would require around 180 MW
to achieve the performance that it is supposed to have...unlike the
3 MW that it used to need.

Any FF&S experts (or 2300AD players) out there have any opinions?

On a side note - what tech level would you guys set the 2300AD
universe at? 10? 11? - just curious...
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| Andrew Akins    | email: igor@netins.net                           |
| Igor Software   | www:                                             |
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| May your villages remain ignorant of tax collectors, and may your  |
| sons be many and ugly and strong and willing workers, and may your |
| daughters be few and beautiful and excellent providers of love     |
| gifts from eminent families that live very far away, and may your  |
| lives be blessed with the beauty that has touched mine.            |
|             -- Number Ten Ox, Bridge of Birds                      |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 12:14:32 -0700 (MST)
From: merrick@Rt66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Addendum to Asteroid Belts and Gas Giants.
Message-ID: <9511241914.AA08277@Rt66.com>


> Sorry, just re-read where Alvin said that gas giant cores are "relatively
> small".  But what does this mean?  Size 10?  Size 20?  There must be one of
> you radio astronomer types out there who can calculate this?  :-)

Last I checked the core of Jupiter was thought to be about 10-20 Earth
masses of iron and silicate.

-Merrick

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 12:26:33 -0700 (MST)
From: merrick@Rt66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Addendum to Asteroid Belts and Gas Giants.
Message-ID: <9511241926.AA09149@Rt66.com>

> Last I checked the core of Jupiter was thought to be about 10-20 Earth
> masses of iron and silicate.

Hey, I just took a look at CT Book2 and if we call the core 15 Mearth,
then we could make 7,500 size 1 worlds.

-Merrick



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

Date: Sat, 25 Nov 1995 12:20:24 +1100
From: Bill Currie <BILLC@teleng1.tait.co.nz>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: re: Drop Tanks
Message-ID: <2FD2715023@teleng1.tait.co.nz>

>
> There's an idea for an interesting game element in this though. If tugs
> are too expensive to operate.  Maybe a more efficient way to do it is
> to move a fairly large tug into the general area and have workers in
> vacc suits go out and bring the tanks to the tug using hand thrusters.
> Boring dangerous work, but it could help to add more atmosphere to
> starports in general.
>
> Eric.

Another idea would be to have powered tanks, with just enough Gturns
and brains to drop them to a lower orbit.

Bill
+--------------+-----------------------------------+
|Bill Currie   | "Watch that first step..."        |
|Christchurch  | Jump trooper motto.               |
|New Zealand   |                                   |
+--------------+-----------------------------------+

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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 22:03:30 -0600
From: broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Web Page Update
Message-ID: <9511250403.AA08863@ConnectI.com>

Sorry for the additional post, but there was a request for the address of my
Traveller Page it is

http:/www.connecti.com/~broussa/traveller.html

Thank you for your support, also if anyone has anything they want to see,
please E-Mail in to me.

David C. Broussard (broussa@connecti.com)
Home page: http://www.connecti.com/~broussa/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions represented herein are the sole responsibility of
the proclaimer, and should not be interpreted as dogma, doctrine
philosophy, or anything else other than blabber.  However, if you
REALLY like it, then gimme a dollar!
-----------------------------------------------------------------


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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 22:03:32 -0600
From: broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Archive Address
Message-ID: <9511250403.AB08863@ConnectI.com>

I had a request for the address of my Archive page, it is

http://www.connecti.com/~broussa/traveller.html

Sorry for the Mail Bloat.  If anyone has something they would like to see on
the page, please E-Mail it to me.

David C. Broussard (broussa@connecti.com)
Home page: http://www.connecti.com/~broussa/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions represented herein are the sole responsibility of
the proclaimer, and should not be interpreted as dogma, doctrine
philosophy, or anything else other than blabber.  However, if you
REALLY like it, then gimme a dollar!
-----------------------------------------------------------------


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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 22:37:57 -0600
From: broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Fuel tankage
Message-ID: <9511250437.AA09616@ConnectI.com>

>
>Commander X here
>
>I figured the fuel tanks on a starship were one large unit, comprising of
>both the reaction mass and the J-drive fuel.  Once a J-1 ship makes a Jump
[snip stuff about dagers of using reaction mass]
>
>But my Question to the TML is this.  Have I misread the rules?  Are Jump
>fuel and Maneuver fuel separate? Or is the rule above OK?
>
>My players and I have had this debate before, but I would like to know what
>the current concensus is on this.

If you read the main book, it clearly states that you can use J fuel for
reaction mass.  It lists the ship designs with G-Turns then following is
another value if you use J-Fuel.

Tankage can be set up anyway you want it.  Debates abound as to the actual
layout, but since it is all refined Hydrogen (supposedly liquid) you can use
it for Jumping since you can use it for maneuvering.  I would be much more
worred about not being able to maneuver than able to jump.  However if you
reserve at the very least a couple of G-Turns you can make it to a planet
albeit slowly.  You will not be able to land however!

Just throwing my $0.02 in.
David C. Broussard (broussa@connecti.com)
Home page: http://www.connecti.com/~broussa/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions represented herein are the sole responsibility of
the proclaimer, and should not be interpreted as dogma, doctrine
philosophy, or anything else other than blabber.  However, if you
REALLY like it, then gimme a dollar!
-----------------------------------------------------------------


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

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 95 23:44:48 PST
From: James Kundert <james@dumbcat.sf.ca.us>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Planetoid Hulls
Message-ID: <9511250744.AA16210@dumbcat.sf.ca.us>

>Planetoid hulls are on our list of things to do in the gdw-beta list.
>Stay Tuned!

Feh!  Most of what you need for planetoid hulls is already in FF&S, hidden
in the section on deep meson sites...

James Kundert <j.kundert@genie.geis.com>
              <james@dumbcat.sf.ca.us>

"If you don't care where you are, then you ain't lost."


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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 494
***************************