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Subject:   Traveller-digest V1996 #298
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Traveller-digest           Tuesday, 30 July 1996       Volume 1996 : Number 298

(R)1996. Traveller is a registered trademark of FarFuture Enterprises.
All rights reserved.

The following topics are covered in this digest:

         1. RE: Traveller-digest V1996 #290
         2. Re: Nitpick, nitpick, nitpick...
         3. The Many Faces of Canon
         4. Substitute TELSTAR
         5. Re: FF&S 2: Hulls (aka the G thing)
         6. meson stuff
         7. Re: Announcement and request for help
         8. Re: More paid political announcements....
         9. Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #296
        10. GDW board games
        11. Re: J-drives and spewing ?

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

From: "HOWLIN'....." <94038589@STUDENT.ucc.ie>
Date: 29 Jul 1996 13:18:59 +0100 (BST)
Subject: RE: Traveller-digest V1996 #290

    Ummm, I seem to be having quite a problem in trying to unsubscribe from the
Traveller mailing list. I follow the instrutions exactly, but according to
"Majordomo", I am not a member of the mailing list, and yet every time I log
on, my account is flooded with digests. Help?
- -Brian Caball

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

From: "Gerald S. Williams" <gsw@aloft.att.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 09:56:37 -0400
Subject: Re: Nitpick, nitpick, nitpick...

shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) writes:
> > I might have read the Guiness Book of World Records wrong, but I think 
> > that it's the other way 'round.  Plutonium is the most toxic material 
> > known (or at least was in 1985 or so).
> 
> Plutonium's *chemical toxicity* is 1/30th that of Arsenic. The much
> vaunted "most toxic material on earth" bit is based on what the
> radaition does if the plutonium gets into your bones and sits there for
> a long time.

I believe they also based the numbers on lab results with animals
which may not be applicable to humans (something about particle
size and how much the human body will actually retain).

I think there used to be a scientist that had a long-standing
offer to drink a beaker-full of a plutonium solution if anyone
else would drink an equal amount of caffiene. As far as I know
there were never any takers.

- -O Gerald Williams / Bell Laboratories - PAI830 55E-224 O-
- -O gsw@lucent.com /   1247 South Cedar Crest Boulevard  O-
- -O (610)712-3370 /          Allentown, PA  18103        O-
- -O -------------/ "Innovations for Lucent Technologies" O-


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

From: Steve Charlton/Avalon Software Inc <Steve_Charlton@khan.Avalon.COM>
Date: 29 Jul 96  8:55:13 MS
Subject: The Many Faces of Canon

A small list of interesting spellings of canon from the past few months:

1. canon
2. cannon
3. coanon
4. conon
5. koan
6. Bhoutros-Bhoutros
7. kanon

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

From: "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 13:17:57 -0400
Subject: Substitute TELSTAR

   Fifty years ago in Scientific American, from their Web site:

JULY 1946 

"Radio transmission between two points on the earth after
reflection from the moon may enter the realm of practicality,
now that it has been demonstrated by radar that the space
surrounding the earth is not impassable to radio waves. If an
ultra-high-frequency pulse was beamed at the moon from
an antenna, the receiver could be located at any place on
earth where the moon could be 'seen' at the same time as at
the transmitter. Hence, the blocking action of the earth's
curvature to high-frequency line-of-sight transmission would
be eliminated, and nation-wide television broadcasts from a
central station might become practical."

   Of course we went on to develop artificial satellites that can do the
same thing, but this has interesting implications.  A TL 5-6 culture could
have world-wide video communications system which relies upon the
signal bounce provided by one or more moons.

Regards,

Harold



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

From: "David J. Golden" <goldendj@usa.net>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 14:41:16 -0600
Subject: Re: FF&S 2: Hulls (aka the G thing)

At 12:19 am 7/29/96 -0700, Wes Payne wrote:
>Thus spake "Matthew K. McLaughlin" <mkm@umr.edu>:
>
>> David J. Golden wrote:
>
>[snip]
>
>> >         YES! I was afraid I'd get slammed as TOO detailed for suggesting a
>> > merchant probably couldn't maneuver as quickly as a military vessel. But
>> > this has been on my mind for some time. Say, several different levels of
>> > "ACS packages" -- wallowing pig up to hummingbird.
>> 
>> This definitely needs to be looked at to some extent - it's the key to
>> the whole fighter vs dreadnaught maneuverability thing.
>
>[big snip]
>
>> Even if the maneuver drive necessary to impart this energy and the
>> structural reinforcement necessary to take the acceleration in varying
>> directions is ignored, the energy output will obviously limit the
>> maneuverability (agility) of large ships.  Particularly since the
>> fighter can afford to burn all its fuel in a couple of hours and refuel,
>> while the ships of the line need to be able to hold out for a while.
>> 
>> There is a drastic need to put an agility fix in the rules.

>that doesn't require wattage (such as chemical rockets).  The "Starship 
>Operator's Manual" (also for MT) paid some lip service to internal gyro 
>systems that were used to rapidly change a ship's orientation, but these 
>gyros were not factored in anywhere in the design or combat rules.  
>Where, for instance, does the immense damage caused by a free-spinning 
>and errant gyroscope come into play?
>
>Anyway, I hate to throw this in now that at least two versions of the 
>ship design rules have been finished, but how 'bout this:  Put gyroscopes 
>back into the rules which affect a ship's agility depending on the amount 
>of energy input.  After all, the SOM stated that the gyro used gravitic 
>generators which imparted rotational forces on the ship by pushing 
>against the spinning gyro mass.  A more agile ship would have a greater 
>gyro mass (relative to the ship's total mass) than a less agile ship, and 

        "Gyros" (or as I know them, Reaction Wheel Assemblies -- I've been
through two simulator rides already where our RWAs started overspeeding)
don't make sense in Traveller. You're not worried about fuel, so just use
your attitude control thrusters. And you ARE going to have to have ACS.

        We use RWAs on Milstar and other three-axis stabilized satellites
because our fuel is obviously a very limiting factor, as for any satellite.
You can use an RWA to keep a vehicle pointed stably, or to change the
orientation. But since your attitude changes are generally NOT going to be
perfectly symmetrical (i.e. change 5* one way, then change exactly 5* back
later), you're going to wind up with residual momentum on the RWA -- in
other words, you'll eventually get a very high speed built up on it. Then
you have to "desaturate" it, which means you fire ACS such that you can
counteract the momentum as you brake the wheel back down. What it does gain
you is that you only have to counteract the _residual_ momentum -- if you
turn 5* about +X, 6* -X, then 4* +X, then 4* -X, you only have to burn fuel
for 1* instead of 19*.

        So you've got to fire thrusters anyway, and those thrusters can
probably spin you faster than you can spin up/spin down an RWA. Gyros don't
make sense, and they didn't last more than 5 seconds in my version of
Starship Operators Manual (there's still a yellow sticky with words to the
effect of "BS" in it).
- --________________________________________________________________
   Dave Golden                           PGP Public Key available 
   goldendj@usa.net     http://www.usa.net/~goldendj/default.html

 "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his
  enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes
  a precedent that will reach to himself" -- Thomas Paine


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

From: AMLINDT@UCBEH.SAN.UC.EDU
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 17:38:01 -0500 (EST)
Subject: meson stuff

This may be an idiotic querry, but could someone please give me some info on:
meson screens, guns, communications, sensors?  I am not interested in the
numbers aspect [covered very well in BL, I think], but I want the theory on how
it/they work.  Any advice is always welcome.
						Doug Amlin

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

From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 17:31:59 -0700
Subject: Re: Announcement and request for help

At 03:20 AM 7/29/96 -0400, Larry Hadley wrote:

>  Cover fire (overwatch) and suppression fire are an absolute necessity.
>Any system that doesn't take that into account is nothing but an arcade
>shoot-em-up. I like to see a system where realistic tactics work.

I'm using something called "tactical movement" for this.  Regular movement
is walking along normally, tactical is carefully moving, watching,
listening, and tracking your barrel with your eyes.

ACQ will use a Face-off Bid.  Whenever two parties come into sudden contact,
both can use as many APs as they want from their pool to get the first shot
off.  Make sure to leave one or two to fire the weapon!  Remaining
motionless and covering a specific area would give +5 "free" points towards
first shot in the covered area.  (i.e., "I'm kneeling behind the barrel and
watching the corridor to engineering").  Tactical movement grants a +3.  If
you can't see you opponent, BTW, you can't bid!

My early thoughts on supressive fire come from Twilight: 2000.  The
person(s) doing the fire desiginate how many rounds will be fired into the
danger zone.  Anyone passing into that area is attacked, at a *low* to-hit
number, by half the rounds used.

I'm basing the games on my own experiences, from the Army, to paintball, to
(believe it or not) playing Doom.

Somebody asked how APs are generated.  Answer:  Average of INT and DEX.
There are modifiers for being on active duty, and Tactics Skill gives an
equal number of APs.  Elite troops also get a bonus.  

Note:  This is why the Imperial Marines are NOT TO BE MESSED WITH.  The
average ImpMar starts with 9 AP.  +3 for active duty, +2 for elite force.
They have, on average, twice as many AP as civilians do!

>  Make people predeclare their AP usage before following up. eg: "I'm
>firing a burst and ducking behind the barrel" 

Starting from the lowest total AP character on up, each player expends
his/her APs.  If another character is in posistion to hinder the first, he
can interrupt.  Also, if you have AP remaining at the end of your phase, you
can use them at any time for the rest of the turn.



+--------------------------------------------+
| Douglas E. Berry         dberry@hooked.net |
|    Professional Driver - Traveller Guru    |
|          Third Shift Kramer Krony          |
|  http://www.hooked.net/~dberry/index.htm   |
|********************************************|
|  "A mountain is something you don't want   |
|   to fuck with"  -Frank Zappa              |
+--------------------------------------------+


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

From: jbogan@nyc.pipeline.com (John H Bogan Jr)
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 00:44:53 GMT
Subject: Re: More paid political announcements....

On Jul 24, 1996 11:13:31, 'Jeffery.M.Miller@Dartmouth.EDU (Jeffery M.
Miller)' wrote: 
 
 
>can someone tell me if stomach fluid is bad for keyboards? After the Eneri

>the....<urp> gotta run.... 
 
 
Yah, all that bread pudding would make anybody queasy ...  ;) 
- -- 
 
John H Bogan Jr       jbogan@pipeline.com 
 
No building is so tall that even a small dog  
can't lift it's leg on it. 
                                  --- Jim Hightower

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

From: "David C.. Broussard" <broussa@connecti.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 20:26:23 -0500
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #296

> From: "Glenn M. Goffin" <sudet@well.com>
> Subject: ***!!!! ID4 SPOILER !!! ****
> 
> That's right, David uploads Windows95.
> 
Unfortunately there is one MAJOR problem with this theory.  There is no way
David could have uploaded Win 95 in that short amount of time.

DCB
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!
- -----------------------------------------------------------------

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

From: Larry Hadley <lhadley@knet.flemingc.on.ca>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 22:46:04 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: GDW board games

Just a short note to let people know I found some stuff in the basement
some of you guys might want. Check out my homepage under the "Traveller
stuff for sale" header.

Notably: Imperium and Invasion: Earth

- -- DLH "Warhammer"                           lhadley@knet.flemingc.on.ca
   Traveller stuff for sale/trade.
   http://www.knet.flemingc.on.ca/~lhadley/Profile.html

"...I do my job the best way I know. I'll keep on doing that. If somebody
gets killed, OK. Nobody lives forever, and I don't have any friends on the
other end of the muzzle"
  - Danny Pritchard


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

From: Paul Kestner <pjwk@erols.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 00:11:21 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: J-drives and spewing ?

Quoted from: "Stuart L. Dollar" <sdollar@goodnet.com>
       Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 18:02:02 -0800
         in: Traveller-digest V1996 #296
         Re: spewing ?
>
>On 28 Jul 96 at 19:44, Paul Kestner spewed:
>
   Do I 'spew' ???  What is 'spewing' ???
   Is that like spitting, but with some drooling thrown in for class ???
   Well I don't spit, or spew, and I drool very little...
   (But I always use a napkin.)  ;)

   now with that out of the way ---
   --- on to Re: J-drives


    <snip>
>  And define a major bank...  
    <snip>
   A finance group or network of banks with reciprical aggreements to
facilitate background checks, information validation (are you on the trade
routes you said you would be in the loan app.), and tracking / repo
operations.  To foster a climate favoring economic growth, the imperium
provide facilities, clearing houses of information, (data banks), training
and licencing of investigators, etc...
   All of these groups, institutions, and individuals involved would tend to
support the status quo.   The Imperium is their bread, butter, and
livelyhood. (except maybe the repo end of the industry, some scum get there
foot/tentical/psodopod in the door by being good at that sort of work.)
Anyway, this bunch of conservitives would react badly to antisocial /
antiImperial upstarts asking to be given a multi- megacredit starship, and
to just trust them... please....   
   And, a J-6 ship is so-much more expensive than a J1 or J2 ship.   Your
background had best be squeky clean, even if you do have a solid business
plan that shows you can make the bank payments.
   After you find >> Fred's community bank on Australia << willing to make a
loan, you go thru the entire mess again for the inssurer of the ship/loan
package.

   There is not some central committee that says yes to this loan and no to
that one.
   Instead, think of it as 'peer pressure' on the intersteller scale.

   Unlike in the Solomani Rim, where the loan officer had better get SolSec
approval.

   <snip>
>Of course, going back to my economic argument... 
   <snip>
   I agree, economic pressure will keep most of the rift-raft scum down.  It
is that small percentage of rift-raft scum with a large enough down payment,
and that wild gleem in their eye blinding them to economic reality,  that
must be held in check.

   <snip>
>Actually, everything I've seen of the Imperium tells me that they 
>wouldn't interfere in such matters unless they perceived them to be a 
>grave threat to internal/external security...
   <snip>
  Your a bank manager reading a late arriving report, detailing how the PC
group meet and worked a short time for person and/or persons under
survalience because of suspected underworld/psionic institute ties.  Sure..
It was a long time ago, and many parsecs away... and now there is no proof.
And the loan has already gone thru and construction started.  Your thinking
that if they start pulling jobs with that ship, and you become identifyed as
the money man, that you will be suspected of having underworld/psionic ties
yourself.  NO... NO... NO... There must be some way to siderail this deal....


   <snip>
>If Earth is any example, the Imperium will be very reluctant to sell 
>their best technology to any but the best of friends under most 
>circumstances...
   <snip>
   True, and the PC group seemed such fine up-standing citizens when you
first meet them.  They were ex-war heros with fine military carreers, and
their spokesperson had such impressive charisma.  And as a group they have
some very well placed social contacts....

  
   <snip>
>The Imperium could probably give a rip about whether a PC group owns 
>a J-5 or 6 ship, as long as they pay the bills, and don't engage in 
>piracy...  But if they start buying lots of them, and begin running a J-6 
>Fed Ex style service???  Then things would get sticky...
   <snip>
   True, just pointing out the trials and tribulations a PC group should
have to go thru to get a J-6 ship.

....
Paul Kestner  a.k.a.  pjwk@erols.com
parting remark: "The Devil hides in the details."
....


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

End of Traveller-digest V1996 #298
**********************************

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