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Subject: Traveller-digest V1996 #716
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Traveller-digest     Wednesday, December 4 1996     Volume 1996 : Number 716



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: "Basic Traveller"
Re: Traveller Computer Wargame
Ken's T4 House Rules (Tactical Combat)
Re: Traveller Computer Wargame
Re: Alan's back!
chirpers as food
ZP Energy: trick
Re: chirpers as food
Re: Alan's back!
Drop Tanks
On Nuclear Dampers...
Re: "Basic Traveller"
Re: Democratic reforms?
Re: Nuclear Dampers
Extended Geonee Timeline available.
Re: On Nuclear Dampers...
Re: Nuclear Dampers
RE: Rebellion
Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #714
Aslan _ihatei_ fleets

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 05:17:07 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Re: "Basic Traveller"

On  3 Dec 96 at 21:26, Joseph E. Walsh wrote:


> The question comes when they list a fourth version: "Basic Traveller" - 
> to what are they referring?  Which version of the Traveller rules was 
> "Basic Traveler?"  

Basic Traveller is the first edition of Traveller, the little black 
books.

 
> Was it the three little black books (the products that list these 
> four are all from the era when TTB and the two-book (Rules, Forms & 
> Charts) verson were dominant)?  I don't believe I've seen a boxed set of 
> the three black books that is designated "basic traveller."  Was there a 
> third boxed set that I don't know about?  Or was this just something used 
> internally at GDW, but not on an actual product box?

No, there was not a basic Traveller designation on the box, but the 
reference is to the little black books.

Kenneth.

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 05:17:07 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller Computer Wargame

On  3 Dec 96 at 21:36, Armand Suarez wrote:

> All this talk of "what if" scenarios for the Rebellion made me decide to 
> resurrect my plea for somebody to consider making a computer wargame for 
> Traveller.  (I asked about it early this year, but no-one was interested.)

I'd buy it.

Kenneth. 

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 05:17:08 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Ken's T4 House Rules (Tactical Combat)

This is the last of the posts for my House Rules.

Here is a tactical combat system that I've put together from the 
rules in Azhanti High Lightning and Snapshot.  As usual, I threw in 
some of my own twists and adapted the game to T4, but little 
conversion was needed.

So, if any of you can still find large grid paper on which to draw 
you deckplans and building maps, and you still have some counters or 
minitures, here is a set of tactical combat rules that you might me 
interested.

Even if you don't play tactical combat in your Traveller games (I 
have a mix of free form and tactical combat situations), you can use 
these rules to figure out how long it takes somebody to do something 
based on the rules present here.

Many of the "Special Rules" listed in the back of the MT Player's 
Manual were taken from these rules.  If you've never used a tactical 
combat system before, it's easy.  Simply decide how many action 
points a character gets per round (note that these rounds are half 
the usual 6 second combat round).  In a tactical system, you are 
accounting for every action a character makes during the combat phase 
(unlike the regular free form system where characters are only 
allowed one attack per round).  The free form system allows average 
actions.  In the tactical system, you can attack several times in 3 
or 6 seconds depending on how many APs you have to spend (action 
points).

After you know how many APs a character gets for the phase, simply 
ask the player what he wants to do.  Each action will have a cost.  
Look this up on the chart below.  When the character runs out of APs, 
he can do no further actions that phase.

This tactical combat system uses 1/2 inch squares representing 1.5 
meters.  I use the 1/2 inch square die cut counters that came with my 
Snapshot set, but you can by blanks at the store or make your own.  
You can even use minitures if you want.

Kenneth.



TRAVELLER AHL Tactical Combat System


1.  How many action points do I get?  Calculation is:
   (Str + Dex + End + Int) / 5	(round up)

   This is the most APs a character can spend in an action phase.
   The cost of actions can be split between phases.

2.  Initiative?  When it doesn't matter, highest AP total goes first. 
When it matters, roll initiative as normal at the start of every
phase.

3.  Phase Sequence.			
	1.  Cover Fire		Each phase is 3 sec.
      	2.  Movement		
      	3.  Melee
      	4.  Aimed Fire
      	5.  Snapshots
      	6.  Throw

4.  How much does an action cost?  See cost chart below.

Action		Cost	Notes						.
Cover Fire (single shot)	3	Only 1 per phase
Cover Fire (auto)	8	Only 1 per phase
Cover Fire (high energy)	12	Only 1 per phase
Aim Fire		6	Only 1 per phase
Snipe		6	Requires 1 phase aiming;  Only 1 per phase
Snapshot (single shot)	3	No limit
Snapshot (auto)	4	No limit
Snapshot (high energy)	6	No limit
Throw (small sized item) 	4	Item 1 kg or less.  Grenades require 2 AP
			to arm, and 4 AP to throw.
Throw (med sized item)	6	Item up to Str rating in kg.
Throw (large sized item)	8	Item up to double Str in kg.

Walk (front)		2	per sq.
Walk (front diagonal)	3	per sq.
Trot (front)		1	per sq.
Trot (front diagonal)	1.5	per sq.
Run (front or diagonal)	2	per 3 sq. or portion there of
Turn 90o (stationary)	1
Turn 90o (walking)	1
Turn 90o (trotting)	2
Turn 90o (running)	2
Sidestep		4	Facing does not change.
Backstep (direct or diagonal) 4	Facing does not change.
Evade		6	May enter 1 sq., any facing, or same sq., and freely 	
      			change facing.
Stand up		6	

Enter melee		0	See max occupants in a sq. pg. 8 AHL.
Open/Close sliding door	2	Door opened/closed beginning of next phase.
Open/Close iris valve	2	Door opened/closed beginning of next phase.
Open/Close hatch	6	Door opened/closed beginning of next phase.
Passage Cost (sliding door)	0 
Passage Cost (iris valve)	0	If in bulky garb like vac suit, combat armor, or b-dress, 	
      			the cost is 1 AP.
Passage Cost (hatch)	2	If in bulky garb like vac suit, combat armor,
			or b-dress, the cost is 4 APs.
Climb ladder		6	per 1 meter climbed
Activate lift		2	Must begin the phase next to the lift controls. 
			Special rule for lift arrival time on pg. 6 AHL.
Cycle airlock		6	Must begin the phase next to the airlock controls. 
			It takes 6 phases before the lock can be entered.  6 APs, 	
      			in addition to the original cost, must be spent to close 	
      			the door.  The door is considered closed at the 		
      			beginning of the next phase after these APs are spent.  	
      			Another 6 phases are needed before the door can be 	
      			opened, and then another 6 APs are needed to open the 
      			door--which is opened at the start of the following phase.
Special situations	?	See this rule pg. 6 AHL.
Jump down 1 level	2	See this rule pg. 7 AHL.  2 APs are needed to
			start the action.  Another 2 D6 APs are needed to complete the 	
      			action.  There is a chance for a character to fall and take 
      			damage.
Swing down 1 level	6	See this rule pg. 7 AHL.  Additional 4 APs are
			needed to complete the maneuver.
Traverse close machinery	6	per sq.
Break down door	6	See rule pg. 7 AHL.  A throw is required.
Move through congestion	?	See rule pg. 7 AHL.
Drag/Carry person	2	Added to normal mvt. costs.  See rule pg. 8 AHL.
Carry		?	See rule pg. 6 Snapshot. 
Operate Control	1	This is something simple, like a light switch.  Effects, 	
      			like illumination, start at the start of the next phase.
Change weapon setting	1
Draw gun or blade	1
Re-holster gun	2
Re-sheath blade	6
Drop item		0
Pick up item		1 D6	Character may abort the pick up at a cost of 1 AP
			(but does not have to spend APs rolled).  Another pick up 	
      			action may not be taken without another action in 	
      			between (expletive).
Expletive		1	per execution.  Can be used to wait.
Draw short/long bow	2	per arrow
Re-load crossbow	5	per quarrel
Sneaking		?	Triple cost of actions.  See rule pg. 6 Snapshot.

Z-G Mvt (along wall)	4	per sq.
Z-G Mvt (free fall)	3	3 APs initial cost.  Then 1-2 APs per sq.  See
			rule pg. 10 Snapshot.
Z-G Mvt (walking with grips)2	per sq.  3 APs required for diagonal
			movement. 
Regain Control	6	6 APs required before attempt is made.



5.  How many people to a sq.?  No more than 4 active characters. 
Several inactive characters can be in the sq.

6.  How many active characters to a side in a sq.?  No more than 2
characters can fire through the same side of a sq.

7.  Enter an enemy sq.?  Must cease all mvt. for the remainder of the
phase.

8.  Minimum mvt.?  A character may always enter any adjacent
accessible sq. at a cost of 6 APs, even if the normal cost to enter
that sq. is greater than 6 APs.

9.  Covering Fire allows an immediate attack at no additional cost
against any who move through the area covered.

10.  Field of Fire.  This is indicated on pg. 9 AHL.

11.  Range.  Count squares at 1.5 meters through the center.  Count
diagonal squares as 2.25 meters.

12.  Adjacency.  Regardless of normal sequencing, a character is
allowed to defend himself.  If an enemy character moves adjacent to a
character during the movement phase, an immediate snapshot is allowed
at the moving character.  To take advantage of adjacency, the
attacking character can not be moving in the movement phase.  The
number of snapshots made is only limited by how many action points the
attacking character has (the first snap attack has a cost of 0, but
the others cost as per normal).

13.  Corners, consoles, close machinery, equipment explosions, and
collateral damage are all covered starting on pg. 12, AHL.

14.  Scatter diagram on pg. 14, AHL.

15.  Melee.  A character can start melee with another character only if
that character is in a front sq. with respect to the attacking
character.  This goes for both sides.  Within a sq., all characters
are considered to be in the front sq.

16.  NPC Morale rules.  These are on pg. 16 of AHL and are listed on
pg. 58 of T4.

17.  Easy rules for damage from vacuum on pg. 19, AHL.  Iris valves and
hatches may not be opened if there is a pressure differential.  Also
see pg. 13, Snapshot.

18.  Darkness and vision impairment.  This rule replaces the one on pg.
57, T4, and it is specifically designed for close quarter combat.  For
darkness or vision impairment, apply a -1 DM for every sq. between
attacker and target.  Use the T4 rule as an upper limit DM.

19.  Structural damage is covered on pg. 19, AHL.

20.  Wall breaches.  See rule pg. 13, Snapshot.

21.  Weapon length effects pg. 13, Snapshot.

22.  Effects of gas and tranq, pg. 13, Snapshot.

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 05:17:09 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller Computer Wargame

On  3 Dec 96 at 15:29, Christopher Weuve wrote:


> GDW released three strategic-level Traveller-based wargames.  they are:
> 1) _Imperium_:  Actually predates Traveller by a year, later reissued with an 
> Imperial backgound history booklet.  Terran Confederation versus the First 
> Imperium.
> 
> 2) _Dark Nebula_: Modified _Imperium_ system.  Don't remember the combatants. 

This is the Aslan Border Wars.  Solomani versus the Aslan.  I own it, 
and my local store still has a copy if anybody wants it. 

> 3) _Fifth Frontier War_: Very heavily modified _Imperium_ system, about the 
> (oddly enough <grin>) Fifth Frontier War.

I own this one too.  Great game.  Full of background detail about the 
war and very integrateble with the role playing game.  They even have 
rules for deciding the war as you play your role playing game. 
 
Kenneth.

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 05:17:07 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Re: Alan's back!

On  3 Dec 96 at 8:47, Roderick Darroch Elliott wrote:


>         But guess what!  It's Tuesday!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back,
> Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!
> Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome
> Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!
> Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome
> Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan! :).

I think we all--and I mean everyone on the TML--should send Alan a 
message like this.  Maybe, we should all send him a message like this 
everyday for a week!

:)

Kenneth.
> 
> 
> 
> 

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

Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 22:42:22 -0800 (PST)
From: "Glenn M. Goffin" <sudet@well.com>
Subject: chirpers as food

From: Carlos Alos-Ferrer <alos@merlin.fae.ua.es>

>        Chirpers and humans are the unique source of meat in this planet at
>the moment of the Collapse... in the first months, there is just not enough

Do you have a fix for the chirpers' psionic ability not to be seen when
they don't want to be?  See Adventure 2, Research Station Gamma.  It's set
on Vanajen/Rhylanor.  Vanejen has a big chirper population, and there is a
fair amount of description.  Alien Realms has a later adventure set on
Vanejen. 

- --Glenn

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

Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 22:42:32 -0800
From: nrunner@ix.netcom.com (Archie T.)
Subject: ZP Energy: trick

college....THING started. Zero point energy creates equal amounts of 
matter and antimatter, 2 particles at a time, and increases in rate in 
gravity. The two particles are drawn to each other, and destroy each 
other. Actually, the teo photons left are consumed into nothingness.
    Ok. Wait. This is how mini-black holes decay. I can give you the 
math, but they heat up as they get smaller, and ALL of the heat is from 
HALF of all the particle pairs created. the other half is swallowed by 
the hole: the gravity 'creates' the pairs, swallows 1 of each pair, 
sometimes lossing a bit of mass. This causes it to get smaller: and to 
heat up: a chain reaction. But, Black holes of 1 solar mass 'evaporate' 
in 10^67 YEARS. And other combo of particle/antiparticle reaction 
(there are only 3) causes it to loose/gain no mass.
    The temp (in K) of a black hole is 6*10^-8(1/solar mass of hole). 
Lifetime is 10^77 SECONDS*(1/sm of hole)^3. Yep cubed....hiesenburg 
goes crazy at ~10^16 kg. Calculs people wanted. Good luck. 

    nrunner@ix.netcom.com
- -- 
_____________________________________________________________________
Copywight - 1994 Elmer Fudd ink.  All wights wesewved.                                            

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 02:20:58 -0500
From: BrianMays@aol.com
Subject: Re: chirpers as food

In a message dated 96-12-04 01:48:23 EST, you write:

<< Do you have a fix for the chirpers' psionic ability not to be seen when
 they don't want to be? >>

Oh, wow, I'd totally forgotten about that!  How ya gonna catch em?
 Electronics would have to come in to play.  Robots aren't affected by the
invisibility.

Has anyone tried integrating the Book 8: Robots rules with T4?  If so, how'd
it go?

Brian ("Chirpers - the other invisible meat!") Mays

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

Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 08:28:39 -0800
From: Harald Budschedl <Harald.Budschedl@mag.linz.at>
Subject: Re: Alan's back!

Kenneth Bearden wrote:
> 
> On  3 Dec 96 at 8:47, Roderick Darroch Elliott wrote:
> 
> >         But guess what!  It's Tuesday!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back,
> > Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!  Welcome Back, Alan!

[snippe-di-doo-dah ...]

> I think we all--and I mean everyone on the TML--should send Alan a
> message like this.  Maybe, we should all send him a message like this
> everyday for a week!
> 
> :)

Come on. This might be a funny idea, but don't forget that human DO make 
mistakes.... (and some aliens may do too)
Don't punish anybody for things, that happend accidentially.

CyA
Buddy
- -- 
# Disclaimer: All opinions stated are only MY OWN.
# Harald.Budschedl@mag.linz.at 
# ADV - Anwendungsentwicklung
# Graphisch Technischer Bereich

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 09:26:59 GMT
From: Stewart Eyres <spe@astro.keele.ac.uk>
Subject: Drop Tanks

Hi there

Hans Rancke-Madsen wrote:

>per settler (even less if drop tanks can be used at both ends of the
>jump, but drop tanks are not invented until late in the 11th
>Century). The

Huh?  You are, I think, refering to the introduction of drop tanks by
Tukera & General Products announced in the pre-5FW news items.
However, Drop Tanks had been around longer than that, as they appear
on the TL 14 Close Escort design (the date of which isn't entirely
clear, but I would guess pre-Solomani Rim War - ie the 9th Century.) I
don't know if there are TL limits on Drop Tanks, but there was never
anything that suggested that the technology was especially difficult
or advanced.  It is just that the economic, strategic, and tactical
advantages are not very clear - ie. no one has bothered to do an
analysis (at least in the Classic Traveller setting) which has lead to
their widespread introduction.  I suspect they only make sense if they
are:

1) Reusable

2) Recovered

3) Readily available at all points on a ship's route

Hence, they may well be used by large merchant concerns.  To a large
degree, the military and other Imperial agencies would probably
consider the arrangement too vulnerable for heavy investment.
However, they do provide some vessels with a certain flexibility - the
Close Escort could retain its tanks to manage J-4, and keep with a
fleet, or drop them for J-5 if needed, and then manage J-2 until they
were replaced.  In my MT design, combined with "realistic" thrusters
(see http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~spe/Rules/Special/Thrusters.html), I
think my design could manage J-3 or J-4 without the tanks, so that it
became a relatively long-legged escort, perhaps capable of catching a
fleet, or being used as a reserve courier, or a fast-reaction vessel,
or a number of other possibilities.

Anyway, Drop Tanks are not exclusively 11th Century technology.

Stewart Eyres <spe@astro.keele.ac.uk>

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 08:14:02 -0500
From: rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca (Roderick Darroch Elliott)
Subject: On Nuclear Dampers...

        Perhaps it's because I used to play SFB a lot, but one thing that
has struck me about Trav is a relative paucity of different ship-mounted
weapons...  which got me thinking:

        OK: it's possible to dampen the Strong Nuclear Force... what about
a weapon system that has the _opposite_ effect?  Things go boom?

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 08:08:18 -0500
From: fenris@solon.com (Derek Dees)
Subject: Re: "Basic Traveller"

Joe :

>
>The question comes when they list a fourth version: "Basic Traveller" -
>to what are they referring?  Which version of the Traveller rules was
>"Basic Traveler?"

I've a black box with the Free Trader Beowulf message on the front. It
included the first 6 little black books (Characters & Combat through
Scouts). It doesn't say "basic traveller", but I suspect this might be what
they mean.  It's what I've always referred to as Traveller. Anything else
is a pale imitation.



Derek

fenris@solon.com
http://www.solon.com/~fenris


And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
                        M. Arnold "Dover Beach"

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 08:08:23 -0500
From: fenris@solon.com (Derek Dees)
Subject: Re: Democratic reforms?

Harry typed:

>(A very bad idea, how do you run a democracy in something the size of
>the Imperium? Long live the Nobility!!!)

Well, let's see. First, you form the Imperial Senate, consisting of two
members from each member planet. You then add members at large for
non-human species and belters. That should get a nice sized unmanageable
mob. You then give them the power to enact legislation with an Imperial
veto possible. Give them the authority to confirm any Imperial appointment
and treaty.

Very important also is that campaign contributions not be controlled at all
and put a ten year term with no limit on the number of terms.

That should about do it. :)

Give it a hundred or so years and you should have an excellent mixture of
backstabbing, revolution, and corruption. PCs should love it.


Derek

fenris@solon.com
http://www.solon.com/~fenris


And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
                        M. Arnold "Dover Beach"

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

Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 21:30:08 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Nuclear Dampers

In mail you write:

> It occurs to me that this could be quite a powerful weapon. If you want
> to keep a ship intact, and board it, shut down it's powerplant with your
> nuclear dampers (and hope it doesn't have missiles).
<snip>
> What kind of defence would there be against that?

Easy. There are any number of things that could be set up while a
damper is in effect that will go "boom" when it is turned off. So if do
that to me, I'll take you with me.

As an example, take a standard shipping container, place some *simple*
detectors in it, along with a bunch of subcritical masses of
fissionable material, all damped. If an *external* damper field
appears, the subcritical masses are brought together and surrounding
explosive charges armed. The charges will create an implosion to keep
the masses from scattering too soon.

When the external field goes away, then either immediately or after an
interval, the charges fire, and the internal damper switches to
*enhance* nuclear reactions. The result should be a blast that may
reach gigaton yeilds. 

Built a bit differently you'd get the mother of all neutron bombs. A
radiation burst that'd be lethal even through starship armor at
thousands of km.

You use the timer method as an anti-pirate measure. They take your
cargo, and after they get clear, the mother of all nukes goes off in
their ship.

As a self destruct, you don't use a delay, and you just blow the hell
out of both ships.

Also, there's the not so trivial detail that anything that'll
discourage fusion reactions will *encourage* fission reactions. So
emergency fission power units could be built that would only work if a
damper was strong enough to almost shut down a fusion plant. Of course,
Traveller ignores the reality of physics when it comes to dampers....


- -- 
Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow)
 shadow@krypton.rain.com        <--preferred
leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com     <--last resort

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 17:46:58 GMT
From: Carlos Alos-Ferrer <alos@merlin.fae.ua.es>
Subject: Extended Geonee Timeline available.

        I have sent a greatly enlarged version of the Geonee Timeline to the
people that I remember showing interest... I have not posted it because it
is kinda long and I think there is no generalized interest. If somebody else
wants to receive it, send an e-mail to me (not to the list).
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carlos Alos-Ferrer                          E-mail: Alos@merlin.fae.ua.es
Dpt. Fundamentos del Analisis Economico     Phn: (34) 6 5903400, Ext. 3226
Universidad de Alicante                          (34) 6 5903614
03071-Alicante (Spain)                      Fax: (34) 6 5903685
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 09:27:20 -0700
From: Jon Goff <jongoff@et.byu.edu>
Subject: Re: On Nuclear Dampers...

Roderick Darroch Elliott wrote:
> 
>         Perhaps it's because I used to play SFB a lot, but one thing that
> has struck me about Trav is a relative paucity of different ship-mounted
> weapons...  which got me thinking:
> 
>         OK: it's possible to dampen the Strong Nuclear Force... what about
> a weapon system that has the _opposite_ effect?  Things go boom?

That is a road you really don't want to go down.  Yes, it is physically
possible, it would drop the required critical mass, and you could focus
it into the reactor of a starship, and it would go nova, or detonate the
missles early,etc,etc.

BTW, according to the space time metric tensor started by Riemenn, if
you have at least 10 dimensions in our universe, all the forces of
nature fit inot the matrix. You should be able to make an algorithm that
changes the Strong Force using only Electromagnetism.  hmmmmm...........

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

Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 09:41:27 -0700
From: Jon Goff <jongoff@et.byu.edu>
Subject: Re: Nuclear Dampers

Leonard Erickson wrote:

<snip>

Good Ideas.....

> Also, there's the not so trivial detail that anything that'll
> discourage fusion reactions will *encourage* fission reactions. So
> emergency fission power units could be built that would only work if a
> damper was strong enough to almost shut down a fusion plant. Of course,
> Traveller ignores the reality of physics when it comes to dampers....

.....Actually, the Nuclear Strong force when amplified increases BOTH
fusion and fission, and when "damped" decreases BOTH.  Nuclear strong is
the force in ALL Nuclear Reactions.  Fuel Cells would work however, for
backup only, but they use LHyd also, so that would make it easier....

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 09:45:00 -0800
From: "Stuart L. Dollar" <sdollar@goodnet.com>
Subject: RE: Rebellion

On  3 Dec 96 at 13:01, K.C. Komosky spewed:
> p.s. is there anyone who believes that democratic reforms in the
> Third Imperium are NOT a good idea?

While romantic, its harder than hell to envision a democratic 
government whose communications range a couple of years from border 
to border becoming anything more than pure anarchy.  Perhaps concern 
about basic human rights on a local level would be a nice touch, but 
I can't see a democracy in the Western Civilization sense really 
working.

Stu
Stuart L. Dollar               sdollar@goodnet.com
Traveller referee since 1978, Official USENet 
spokesperson for Imperium Games
- ---------------------------------------------------
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." 
- -Thomas Jefferson

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 11:57:02 -0500
From: Thad Coons <104765.503@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #714

Wes Payne replies:

>> Has anyone worked out the ranges of the Nuclear Dampers in FFS (and by
>> default T4), I probably could, but am too lazy.

>The answer is:  "it depends."  Or, rather, it depends on the damper.  

Precisely. According to FF&S, The designer is free to choose the range of
the nuclear damper.  A range of 30,000 km is needed to intercept incoming
missiles. Apparently the damper has only a single range: it's either full
effect or none at all.
The limitations are having a beam pointer with a short range equal 
to the range of the damper, and having enough power to operate it:
15 MW per range band at TL-12 (the earliest they are available), decreasing
at higher tech levels.

[snip]

> In the absence of any 'canonical'  (there's that cuss-word again)
> statement of the conditions required to ' damper snuff' a fusion 
> plant, it's up to the referees to decide, I guess.

Indeed. FF&S does mention that "Higher" tech levels are needed to snuff
fusion reactions, but leaves it at that.
  

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 18:20:19 +0100 (MET)
From: Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
Subject: Aslan _ihatei_ fleets

Lewis Roberts writes: 
>Hans Rancke wrote:
>>A typical Aslan _ihatei_ squadron, for example, consisting  of  two IHATEI 
>>Class transports and two WEAKHTO Class cruisers (plus two scout ships not
>>accounted for in the price), will cost MCr45,900 and carry 20,000 colonists 
>>and 760 crew, which comes to MCr2.2 per individual  (Megatraveller design 
>>and prices;  things will propably have changed somewhat with T4, but I 
>>haven't done the calculations).
>
>If you were trying this Class 3 scheme, wouldn't you use old obsolete
>ships, ones that had been fully paid for and just need to be upkept. 
>That would lower the cost considerably.  


You're quite right and, in fact, the information we have tells us that Aslan
_ihatei_ does indeed use obsolescent ships. This would increase their number 
by some factor up to 10, but it is a bit tricky to calculate just how much, 
since the ships will have to be build and paid for somehow, so in order for a
ship to be available, the Aslans would have to need it for their clan fleets
in the first place. This is fine for the cruisers, but would a clan need
enough troop transports to furnish all the transports? I'd guess that at
least some of the transports has to be built from scratch. Secondly, the word
is obsolescent, not obsolete, so the cruisers propably aren't 50 years old
(the usual active lifespan I calculate with for a warship; I can't remember
if I saw it somwhere or made it up myself). Instead the Aslans may release
their 40 year old cruisers to their _ihatei_ which will mean that the
_ihatei_ budget will have to cover 20% of the price instead of just the
maintenance. Thirdly, the 10% maintenance budget from TCS is an average; I
consider it likely that the newer ships have a lower maintenance figure and
the older a higher maintenance figure than 10%.

Also note that this dosen't make the _ihatei_ 10 times as powerful, precisely 
because their ships are old. However, the rules dosen't give any negative 
combat modifiers for old age, so it's impossible to say just how much weaker 
that makes them. 

>It would be rather silly to build a ship for a single journey.  

Indeed, and that's why the ravening _ihatei_ hordes descending on the
defenseless (ha!) Regency are so unrealistic. It would be much more
ECONOMIC for the Aslans to conquer a neighbouring clan and use the ship
to go back and forth carrying MANY _ihatei_ for the same price (And, hey, 
that would also explain the need for all those troop transports mentioned 
above!). 

Or, if treaties with the neighbours prevent that (which would, alas, mean 
that they won't need many troop transports), at least fill out the broad
belt of neutral worlds in the Trojan Reaches first, so that the transports 
can go back for more _ihatei_ without worrying about enemy raiders. One of
the things I would do if I was defending the rimward Regency would be to 
target the transports.


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk
- ------------
        "The referee should determine the nature of subsequent
         events based on the individual situation."
                                _76 Patrons_, p. 8

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

End of Traveller-digest V1996 #716
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