TRAVELLER Digest 536

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) RICE Paper JZ-03002: Nutema by jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
  2) DC and T2K2 Pages by broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
  3) Utility Extravaganza by HA282PMR01@ntu.ac.uk (Paul Radford)
  4) GDW Closing Down (fwd) by Joseph Heck <ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu>
  5) GDW Closing Down by "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>

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

Date: Thu, 04 Jan 96 19:38:00 -0500
From: jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RICE Paper JZ-03002: Nutema
Message-ID: <8B8349A.0100065023.uuout@execnet.com>


Hey, cool!  I started receiving TMLs again!

Now I can post the RICE Paper I've been saving...

RICE Paper #JZ-03002: Nutema

Nutema (Rhylanor: Spinward Marches/3112)
A864543-A N Ag Ni           822Re M3V   (RISS 1201)
g=1.0600 day=23:03:00; year=51d 00:29:05.37 std/53d 02:50:05.37 lcl
atmo=1.00, natural weather
temp=+6 (7/lat +27 to -43) (season -23 to +14, 16 deg lat)
daily temp range 15
Agri, Crys, Comp; AgriProd, Met, NonMet; Parts, Dur, Cons; Docs
Prog/Adv; Comp/Neut; Har/Xphil
Legal 3-34432, Tech AA-AAAAC-AAAC-BB-D

Nutema's claim to fame in the Spinward States is as an exporter of
meats and meat products that are without equal on any known Spinward
planet.  Everyone knows of dragon steaks by reputation, and many are
lucky enough to have had the opportunity to eat some in a luxury
restaurant.

The traveller to Nutema will notice a significant difference between
Nutema and the nearby worlds as soon as he debarks from his ship.
Starports on planets that have direct commerce with Nutema are all
strongly influenced by Vilani and Sylean attitudes.  They tend to be
orderly places, with a clear demarcation between administration,
security, and service personnel.  Not so on Nutema.  Administrators
are likely to be directly interacting with passengers and carrying
bags or teamstering cargo, service personnel shout out orders to each
other with abandon, and there are no security guards anywhere in
sight. That's not to say that your arrival will be chaotic.  The
efficiency of the Nuteman system is surprising, and you'll be ready
to depart the starport for the planet's surface within a standard day
- including processing by CHI (Customs - Health - Immigration).  The
apparent lack of security at Nutema Skyside (the _only_ starport at
Nutema - there are no "dirtside" facilities for starships) is also no
reason for concern - each and every Nuteman you see will be armed (an
effect of Nuteman attitudes toward government, and of the needs of
the ranching industry), and they all know how and when to use their
weapons.

Nuteman Startown is right there in the Starport.  The organized chaos
of the port area extends here as well, with commercial, governmental,
and residential units intermixed in whatever way the various owners
felt was most immediately useful, and people doing whatever needs to
be done whenever it needs doing, without regard for whether they are
the "proper" person to be doing the job.  Note that although the
entire starport is considered to be the extraterritoriality zone,
Nuteman notions of what is right and proper are the ones that are
enforced, not those of the interstellar powers.  The result is a much
more anarchic atmosphere, where the cardinal rules are to look out
for oneself, expect others to do the same, and be careful to avoid
giving offense.  For this reason, travellers are advised to contact
the Imperial Tourism Bureau office before exiting their ship.  This
office has the de facto status of Consulate, but its ability to
intervene on behalf of an offworld citizen is limited.  The office
maintain close contact with personnel based planetside, and the
traveller who remembers to file an itinerary with the Bureau will
find that almost any unexpected problems can be quickly cleared up.
The exception to this is encounters with the legal system, where the
most that can be done by the Bureau is to arrange for competent
Nuteman legal assistance, and "affairs of honor", where the Bureau's
ability to act is limited to ensuring appropriate medical attention
and legal assistance, or, in extreme cases, arranging for the
traveller's body to be shipped back home, along with timely and
appropriate notifications to next-of-kin and other designated
persons.

Conducting business on Nutema is a matter of "let the buyer beware",
and of contracts where "every piddling detail" is spelled out in
full.  Regardless of the respective addresses of the parties to a
contract on Nutema, disputes over contractual matters are always
settled according to Nuteman protocols, which means plenty of
negotiation and arbitration, optionally assisted by third parties
(for a fee) before it gets to a Nuteman court.  The court will look
only at the language of the contract and the facts of the case;
"intentions" not spelled out in the contract count for as much as the
color of the sky - which is to say, not at all.  That's not to say
that Nuteman businessmen are out to fleece the unwary; rather, they
bend over backwards to ensure that any contract is fair to both
parties - doing otherwise is, in general, a sure way to get called
out in an affair of honor.

Beyond that caveat, doing business on Nutema is very much a social
activity.  Count on "working lunches" and "working dinners" in which
little work and much "schmooze" gets done.  Nuteman are willing to
exchange anecdotes about various occasions in their lives at the drop
of a hat; be prepared to do the same - Nuteman businessmen want to
"know who they're doing business with", and won't be satisfied with
the arm's-length relationship common on most worlds.  Also, it is
considered entirely proper on Nutema to address an acquaintance,
either business or social, by his/her first name, or by an unadorned
family name, omitting any titles or honorifics.  Deadlines are less
important than agreement on the essentials; expect that an attempt to
pressure a Nuteman businessman to be counterproductive.

Most business with Nuteman concerns can be conducted at the Starport,
and there are definite advantages to doing so - for example, no taxes
or import/export duties are levied on transactions at the Starport,
and many businesses receive subsidies from profits from berthing
fees, allowing prices on goods and (non-berthing-related) services to
be relatively low.  The down side is that many courtesies that are
provided free of charge at other starports are available only for a
fee at Nutema - shuttle service to the surface is one such.
Nevertheless, you'll be encouraged by your Nuteman business contacts
to "c'mon down and visit", and such a visit is not to be missed.

In spite of the hustle and bustle that you'll find at the starport,
and on the planet's surface, the pace of life on Nutema is relaxed.
Things get done "when they're done", and firm schedules are viewed
almost as an imposition on personal freedom.  You'll find that proper
care is taken on all matters, however, and that includes quick
completion of a task when appropriate.

Nutema uses two calendars and two clocks - one of each is
synchronized with the standard Imperial time measurements; the second
calendar is synchronized with the local revolutional periods. The
second clock (the "decimal" clock, in Nuteman terms) is a strictly
Nuteman invention; the Nuteman day is divided into 100 "centads",
each of which is divided into ten "mills". Each "mill" is thus 83
seconds long.  The Starport operates according to the Imperial clock
and calendar, as does the local government in terms of financial
matters and interaction with the Imperium.  Most other matters are
handled on the basis of the local calendar, measured in local days.
Note that a local day, when described using the standard clock,
starts at 0000 (midnight) and ends at 2302 - 2303 is the same as
midnight, and starts the next day.  The decimal clock starts at 000
(midnight) and runs to 999 - one "minute" later, it is 000 again, and
the next day begins.  The distinguishing factor between the clocks is
that decimal time is always written with three digits, while standard
time is always written with four; when speaking, standard time is
always suffixed by "standard" or "hours", and times before 1000 are
always pronounced with a leading "oh" - "oh-six-hundred standard"
refers to six hours after midnight; "six hundred" refers to a time
nearly eight standard hours later (13 standard hours and 50 standard
minutes after midnight).  It is highly recommended that the traveller
become familiar with the decimal clock, although many clocks on the
planet give times in both the decimal form and the standard form.

There is one shuttle port at each of Nutema's 82 cities, with both
commercial air-raft (the "bus", in local parlance) and maglev
("train") service from the shuttle port (Class F, universally) to the
nearby smaller towns and larger ranches, and commercial air-raft
("bus") and shuttle service between the shuttle ports.  Most shuttle
ports are also bases for fleets of chauffeured air-rafts ("taxis")
that provide reasonably priced door-to-door service between any two
points within a certain distance from the center of the city, and
generally to other nearby cities as well.  Travellers should note
that the shuttle ports are not considered extraterritorial.

Nuteman cities are compact conglomerations of buildings interspersed
with parks and other recreational open areas.  Zoning, per se,
doesn't exist, any more than it does in the Starport, but unspoken
informal agreements have resulted in most heavy industry (meat
processing and manufacturing, mostly) being concentrated, usually a
short distance away from the city proper, and most of the more
raucous forms of commercial enterprise are concentrated in the center
of the city, away from residential concentrations.  While almost any
needs within a city can be met within walking distance, each city is
home to at least one, and most likely several, enterprising
individuals or organizations that provide the visitor - or resident -
with transportation (like "taxis") to more distant parts of the city.

When you visit a Nuteman restaurant, you'll be steered toward some of
the more exotic "special of the day" dishes, almost none of which use
dragon meat.  They're all good, but if this is your first visit to
Nutema, ask for "a slab, dressed", regardless of whether or not you
see it on the menu - it's available, and they'll be happy to prepare
it for you.  Even if you've had dragon off-planet, you're in for a
treat, and you'll realize that you've never really eaten dragon
before.  You'll get a slab of dragon, five centimeters thick and
easily twenty centimeters across, either grilled or roasted (your
choice), the latter in its own juices, served with a collection of
native fruits and vegetables.  The particular assortment of fruits
and vegetables varies, depending on the time of year.  Nuteman drink
beer with their dragon, and almost nothing else, but order an
off-world brand if one is available (usually) - by almost any
standards, a native Nuteman beer is as bad as the dragon is good, and
even the Nuteman drink it only to prove that they can.

Dress on Nutema is a matter of practicality, especially given the
climate.  Most of the time, ranch staff will wear a "body sleeve"
(really a space-suit liner) for routine work around the ranch,
getting into combat armor when direct action against one or more
dragon is needed.  In the cities, more attention is paid to "style",
but again, practicality rules - the long, flowing garments frequently
seen among Vilani traditionalists are nowhere to be seen on Nutema;
neither are the ruffs and frills of the various noble courts and
former noble courts.  In general, Nuteman expect their clothes to be
quite comfortable and to stand up to "normal wear and tear" for
whatever job they expect to be doing - generally no more than that,
but certainly nothing less.  This is not to say that wealth isn't
displayed when it is possessed - it most certainly is, but never in
forms that don't also have a "practical" purpose.  Generally, the
preferred mode of display is to take purely functional forms, and
render them in rare or difficult-to-work materials, or with
workmanship of extremely high quality.  Some examples: One rancher
is reputed to own (and use) a set of eight beer steins - each of
which was cut from a single clear (gem-quality) diamond.  A local
businessman and philanthropist had a four-meter conference table made
out of a single slice cut through a black mallorn (a tree that grows
only on Whenge, in the coreward area of Cronor subsector. When
polished, the wood has the appearance of black glass, with the
annular rings common to large trees.  An as-yet-unexplained optical
effect makes it appear as though the color is below the surface of
the wood).

Organized sports are arguably the most popular form of entertainment
on Nutema, with free rugby (rugby in a zero-g field) and baseball
being the most popular sports.  Most Nuteman can throw, hit, and
catch competently, and a "pick-up" baseball game is almost compulsory
at any large social gathering.  There are "company leagues" all over
the planet, but no professional organizations - the Nuteman feel that
it would spoil the sports.  Other sports are not unknown on Nutema;
generally favored are football ("soccer" in the local dialect) and an
amorphous form of seemingly violent entertainment called "rodeo"
which seems to have no fixed form. Most of Nutema's limited habitable
land area (basically the tropical zone around the seas - most
everything outside it is tundra or worse) is devoted to its primary
industry, dragon ranching.  No matter which shuttle port you are
headed for, your shuttle's route will be within easy sight of a
dragon ranch. One look at a herd of dragon will explain why Nutema
allows heavy military equipment to be owned and used by private
citizens - it takes a tank and its weapons to make an impression on a
25-tonne beast, and when that beast, or a herd of them, is angry or
confused, and stampeding, not even a tank can hope to do much.  In
order to manage the herds, each of the ranchers maintains enough
manpower and equipment to outfit a crack mercenary unit or three, and
keeps both in top condition.

Nutema has strong cultural institutions as well, all funded entirely
by admission and concession fees, and by private subscription, with
no government subsidies.  Almost every city is home to a symphony
orchestra, and many cities are also home to one or more opera,
theater, or dance companies.  Solomani works from the pre-(Second)
Imperial era (also called the Terran Confederation Era) are generally
favored, but more recent works do not lack for appreciation.  Museums
may also be found on Nutema; two of the most notable are the Stellar
Art Museum, with an extensive collection of art and literature with
space- and star-flight themes (including works with such themes
created before space flight was known on the artist/author's world),
and the Museum of the Expansion, noted throughout the Regency for its
unmatched collection of information and artifacts pertaining to the
expansion of stellar societies into the area "behind the claw".

Tourism on Nutema is managed by private organizations seeking to make
a profit.  Package tours can be arranged, or the visitor can hire a
private guide who will tailor a tour to the visitor's individual
interests.  Highly recommended are trips to the winter pole area,
where a near-constant auroral display can be seen; a trip to The
Plume, a geyser which erupts twice daily (The attraction is due to
the fact that the water is very definitely colored green, due to a
stratum of copper-bearing minerals that the geyser cuts through); and
Glacier Canyon (in the southern "temperate" zone), a canyon cut by
glaciation, presenting a vista that has been compared with such
legendary canyons such as the Grand, on Terra.  There are other
sights as well, and it is also possible to arrange educational and/or
business tours of many industrial plants and most ranches.

The maintenance of honor effectively mandates honesty and respect
between individuals; dishonesty or disrespect can be (and in the
opinion of most Nuteman, should be) construed as an attack on the
honor of the person lied to or treated with disrespect, and that
person has the right to demand satisfaction, in the form of a duel,
either to blood or death, depending on the perceived severity of the
attack.  A challenge to a duel is not given lightly, and refusal to
accept is tantamount to openly acknowledging that one knowingly
attacked the

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

Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 20:23:18 -0600
From: broussa@ConnectI.com (David C. Broussard)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: DC and T2K2 Pages
Message-ID: <9601050223.AA29687@ConnectI.com>

I would also be interested in any info on these two games (mailing lists etc.)
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, 5 Jan 1996 10:07:58 +0100
From: HA282PMR01@ntu.ac.uk (Paul Radford)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Utility Extravaganza
Message-ID: <96010510075871@newvax.ntu.ac.uk>

It's interesting to see so many people writing utilities for TNE although
they all appear to be aimed at subsector maps, collapsing world generators
and the like.

Has anyone written any programs that ease the burden of FF&S design sequences?

Paul Radford


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

Date: Fri, 5 Jan 1996 08:41:02 -0600 (CST)
From: Joseph Heck <ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM (TML Submissions),
Subject: GDW Closing Down (fwd)
Message-ID: <199601051441.IAA63452@black.missouri.edu>

Found this on the HIWG list...

c.bush3@genie.com said:
> From c.bush3@genie.com
> Date: Fri,  5 Jan 96 03:49:00 UTC 0000
> Subject: GDW Closing Down
>
> >From the Industry News topic in the GEnie Gaming Category:
>
> GDW is closing down. One of the oldest companies in the industry, founded in
> 1973 as Game Designers' Workshop, GDW has endured years of tough times. The
> company, which now consists of Frank Chadwick and Susan Schug (comptroller
> and print buyer), stops selling product January 19th and expects to be shut
> down by the end of February.
>
> GDW is NOT declaring bankruptcy, and will not be selling its products at
> discounts. Schug says, "We'll do the best we can to take care of everybody
> and find good homes for our games."
>
> Of these games, the licensed JOHNNY REB has reverted to its owner, Joh
> Hill, and HARPOON rights have reverted to Larry Bond. CLASH OF ARMS  will do
> the next edition of the HARPOON game. There are inquiries about the
> roleplaying lines, but nothing has been decided.
>
> GDW founder Frank Chadwick will now work freelance, mostly in historical
> games. Schug says he will probably remain in historical games he designed
> after they go to other publishers.

--
 joe                          (314) 882-2000
 ccjoe@missouri.edu           http://www.missouri.edu/~ccjoe
 "with a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and
 imprenetrable fog!" -- Calvin

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

Date: Fri, 05 Jan 1996 10:29:27 -0500
From: "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>
To: Christopher_Griffen_at_DMC-SJ3@DMCWAVE.COM, traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: GDW Closing Down
Message-ID: <s0ecfd73.020@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>

It's official:

>From the Industry News topic in the GEnie Gaming Category:

``GDW is closing down. One of the oldest companies in the industry,
founded in 1973 as Game Designers' Workshop, GDW has endured
years of tough times. The company, which now consists of Frank
Chadwick and Susan Schug (comptroller and print buyer), stops selling
product January 19th and expects to be shut down by the end of
February.

``GDW is NOT declaring bankruptcy, and will not be selling its products at
discounts. Schug says, "We'll do the best we can to take care of
everybody and find good homes for our games.

``Of these games, the licensed JOHNNY REB has reverted to its owner,
John Hill, and HARPOON rights have reverted to Larry Bond. CLASH OF
ARMS  will do the next edition of the HARPOON game. There are
inquiries about the roleplaying lines, but nothing has been decided.

``GDW founder Frank Chadwick will now work freelance, mostly in
historical games. Schug says he will probably remain in historical games
he designed after they go to other publishers.``

   We find ourselves in the same role as our fictional counterparts--as
Keepers of the Flame.  While the prospects for our full recovery are
better than the Regency's (at least in the short term), it is now up to us
to keep Traveller alive until a new owner can be be found.

Regards,

Harold

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 536
***************************
