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From: owner-traveller-digest@mpgn.com (Traveller-digest)
To: traveller-digest@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM
Subject: Traveller-digest V1996 #721
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Traveller-digest     Thursday, December 5 1996     Volume 1996 : Number 721



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #719
RE: Rebellion: Diplomacy, Democracy and the New World Order (Long)
Re: Traveller Timeline (partial) now on web!
Re: Duke Craig
Re: I can hear You knocking.
Re: Ine Givar
Re: "Basic Traveller"
Re: Nuclear Dampers
Re: Death of Fools
The Commander's other  E-mail node!
Re: Landing ships.
Re: "Basic Traveller"
Re: Nuclear Dampers
Starships?
Re: Landing ships.
Traveller Timeline (again, didn't I see this already twice?)
Re: The Commander's other E-mail node!
The Grand Adventure 1
RE: Vaccuum fluctuations and Zero-G
Re: Democracy possible at interstellar distances
Re: Off Topic

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 09:52:32 -0800
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1996 #719

At 02:11 PM 12/5/96 GMT, alan wrote:

<much mea culpa-ing snipped>

So, How was the vacation?



+----------------------------------------------+
| Douglas E. Berry          dberry@hooked.net  |
|     Professional Driver - Traveller Guru     |
|        http://www.hooked.net/~dberry/        |
|**********************************************|
| "Life's a journey, not a destination."       |
|                                   -Aerosmith |
+----------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 09:52:26 -0800
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: RE: Rebellion: Diplomacy, Democracy and the New World Order (Long)

At 11:31 PM 12/4/96 -0600, K.C. Komosky wrote:

>Okay, we're completely agreed here. Of course, I don't think Strephon would 
>have to tell anyone "Don't let the Aslan run all over the place." I think 
>that would be assumed. And as well, if Strephon decides that Norris or 
>anyone doesn't follow any of his objectives as well as he would like, 
>they're gone.

Minor point:  up until early 1117, the Duchess of Mora was Sector Duke..
Norris was "elevated to Archduke in recognition of his leader ship during
the FFW (yeah, sure!).

>The Imperium would have to grant a great deal of latitude in how to 
>implement orders, some latitude in how to interpret them, and absolutely no 
>latitude on whether to follow them or not.

Exactly.  In 1990, George Bush gave an order to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
that amounted to: Get some troops to Saudi Arabia ASAP, follow on with the
heavy forces.  This filtered down through Army, Corps, Division, Brigade,
etc.., until you got to a Corporal getting his fire team on the damn plane.
The President didn't need to know the details, just that his orders were
being carried out.

>And it seems like quite a few Imperial political leaders did decide to 
>disregard orders. The Vilani, Craig, Brzk and Norris represent a good 
>portion of the Imperial sector leadership. But you can't expect every 
>single leader to disregard the man sitting on the Iridium Throne.

And each of the faction leaders had a "dirty tricks" team to either
discredit or remove stubborn nobles.  The Baron of an Industrial world
claiming Lucan isn't the Emperor?  A few photos of his sessions with a
professional domme, revelations of wide-spread embezzelment by his staff..
he's gone.  Or he just has a "hunting accident".

>Don't discount "Cuz  it came from the Iridium Throne". Lucan had the power 
>of tradition going for him. For 1100 years, when an order came from the 
>throne, people jumped. Thats why so many Imperial subjects followed Lucan, 
>even despite his increasing instability.

When I was in the Army, Ronald Reagan was President.  I hated that man, but
if he gave the order, I would have gone.  Why?  I had taken an oath to do
just that.  And that's with 200 years of tradition!  GURPS Space has a nice
sidebar on why good people support evil empires; the gist of it is that
compliance is the path of least resistance.


+----------------------------------------------+
| Douglas E. Berry          dberry@hooked.net  |
|     Professional Driver - Traveller Guru     |
|        http://www.hooked.net/~dberry/        |
|**********************************************|
| "Life's a journey, not a destination."       |
|                                   -Aerosmith |
+----------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 09:52:30 -0800
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller Timeline (partial) now on web!

At 08:27 AM 12/5/96 CST, Donald E. McKinney wrote:
>I'll be adding more Traveller stuff soon, but my Traveller Timeline (from
>everything I own) is now at "http://www.prairienet.org/~dmckinne/trav.html"

Excellent work!  I'll start scouring my stuff for anything you might have
missed...

+----------------------------------------------+
| Douglas E. Berry          dberry@hooked.net  |
|     Professional Driver - Traveller Guru     |
|        http://www.hooked.net/~dberry/        |
|**********************************************|
| "Life's a journey, not a destination."       |
|                                   -Aerosmith |
+----------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 09:52:22 -0800
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <dberry@hooked.net>
Subject: Re: Duke Craig

At 10:47 AM 12/5/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Douglas Berry wrote:
>>The leader I wanted to see come out of the Rebellion intact was Duke Craig
>>of Daibei.  A calm, competent man who withdrew into his borders and refused
>>to sentence his people to ruin because two madmen wanted the same shiny chair.
>
>Speaking of Duke Craig, does anyone know why in the Rebellion
>Sourcebook instead of his picture there was a picture of a lizard? 
>Never understood that

Even stranger, the lizard is standing in front of Antares' banner!  There is
a drawing of Duke Craig in the the "Arrival Vengence" module.. pasty guy,
but a great adminstrator.  I always wondered if he was funding the Verge
Seperatists to take some of Dulinor's attention off Daibei.

+----------------------------------------------+
| Douglas E. Berry          dberry@hooked.net  |
|     Professional Driver - Traveller Guru     |
|        http://www.hooked.net/~dberry/        |
|**********************************************|
| "Life's a journey, not a destination."       |
|                                   -Aerosmith |
+----------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 20:11:55 GMT
From: Carlos Alos-Ferrer <alos@merlin.fae.ua.es>
Subject: Re: I can hear You knocking.

Charlie <Brreclus@spectra.net> wrote:
>I am working on a Corsair, It all works out but I just cant pin down
>boarding. Is it lock to lock, through hull breaches or what. I worked up
>a 30 Ton specialty boat for boarding but it is just seems to make
>Corsairs too large for many occasions. What You think Folks.

        What do you mean by "boarding"? I assume that you mean "boarding in
combat", pirate style. I do not know if there are rules on this, but I can
tell you what pirates, corsairs and military do in _my_ universe, when
attacking another ship with the objective of getting into it:

        Possibility 1: Kill & Take a look. If they are not very worried
about the contents (e.g., they want to steal raw materials, or the main
objective is not pillaging), they extensively damage the enemy ship, making
sure to kill (almost) everyone on board but avoiding to make the ship
explode or fall into pieces. E.g., a couple of lucky shots disbling the
power plant so that the ship is energy-dead, or a sufficient number of
impacts to make sure that the ship is a derelict. Then, they board the easy
way: make the two vectors equal and connect lock to lock with some flexible,
extensible "tunnel", or tend a cable between locks and open both to space
(of course everyone uses a vacc suit).

        Possibility 2: True boarding. Used when the attackers want to steal
the cargo and not break it into pieces, or to kidnap someone, or to capture
the ship. When the objective ship is damaged enough so as to not being able
to avoid the attacking equaling vectors, then a boarding party is dispatched
to make a break in the hull (or, more likely, to make some lock explode) and
go into the ship: personal combat!. As auxiliary boats tend to be quicker
and more maneuverable, it would take less damage to the objective ship to
make the boarding from such small crafts. If the combat has produced some
hull breaches, the boarding party could probably use them as well.

        There was, time ago, a very Traveller-like (for me) SF comic called
"Alien Legion" (Epic) which featured, in the first numbers, a "True
boarding". I used the scenes a couple of times to illustrate the point to my
players.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Thu, 5 Dec 96 18:03 GMT0
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
Subject: Re: Ine Givar

In-Reply-To: <Pine.ULT.3.91.961203161524.15520A-100000@statler.cc.wwu.edu>

<< No, no, no!  It's SPELLED 'Ine Givar,' but it's PRONOUNCED 'throat 
warbler mangrove!'

Oops.  Sorry.  I'll come in again... >>

"And that's the last thing Wes said. All they ever found were a pair of 
smoking boots..."

    ---------=========oooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo=========---------
Andrew M J Boulton                  http://www.compulink.co.uk/~fubar/
 "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste"

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 96 18:03 GMT0
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
Subject: Re: "Basic Traveller"

In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSD/.3.91.961203211845.3059A-100000@connect.iconnect.net>

I assume this means the 3 little black books.

    ---------=========oooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo=========---------
Andrew M J Boulton                  http://www.compulink.co.uk/~fubar/
 "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste"

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 13:56:46 +0100
From: rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca (Roderick Darroch Elliott)
Subject: Re: Nuclear Dampers

        Stewart Eyres wrote:

>
>>OK: it's possible to dampen the Strong Nuclear Force... what about a
>>weapon system that has the _opposite_ effect?  Things go boom?
>
>Isn't an offensive weapons grade Nuclear Damper a Disintegrator? About
>TL 17 I think, in MT/CT.  Of course, this isn't the same as
>strengthening the SNF, which I guess would lead to the implosion of
>matter and little black holes.  It wouldn't go boom in a vacuum
>though!

        What I'm questioning (any physics wonks out there who truly grok
fission are invited to comment) is whether disintegration (target comes to
pieces on the atomic level), detonation (lovely big boom), or simply
massive amounts of radiation (slow glow) would occur if one tampered with
the force holding atomic nuclei together in the following manner:

        A field is created at the center of which the force holding the
nucleus together is completely nullified, causing the particles composing
the nuclei in the complete nullification zone to fly off at high speeds...
striking the nuclei farther out, where the force in question is
significantly weaker, whereupon these would be split, emitting more
particles causing more fission, etc.

        Comments?

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 12:57:50 -0600 (CST)
From: Steven Bonneville <bonnevil@itlabs.umn.edu>
Subject: Re: Death of Fools

<HDHale@aol.com> wrote:

>    Actually Strephon's best bet would have been to surrender himself to the
> Solomani.

<BLINK>  Harold, the *Solomani*?  Even if they were within fifty parsecs of
him, and Daibei and Ilelish weren't in the way, his own nobles would march
him out and lynch him! 

As it is, Strephon has already for all intents and purposes abdicated the
Throne.  Given a chance to sort out the situation, if the Moot is able to
determine that he *is* Strephon, they will force him to make this official.
(Styryx lost a few worlds to the Zhodani and kicked off the Rim War and was 
forced to abdicate -- but Strephon has lost entire *sectors* to foreign
powers, and has lost control over most of the Imperial military.) 

Lucan is dead, with no heir.  Strephon is out of the picture.  Margaret
inherits both of their claims.  For much of the surviving Imperial 
nobility, she is the One Clear Choice, dark IRIS and obvious Tukera
connections notwithstanding.  The other first-round claimants, Brzk
and Dulinor, are dead.  Does Dulinor's fleet (possibly commanded by his
brother, if he's alive) still control Capital, and will someone step
forward to claim the throne for Isis, for themselves "by right of fleet
control" (laughable, illegitimate, but precedented), or will they sue
for a cease-fire?

  Steve Bonneville
  <bonnevil@itlabs.umn.edu>

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 14:52:00 -0500
From: Bill Prankard <BPRANKARD@theiia.org>
Subject: The Commander's other  E-mail node!

Greetings,
I just wanted to tell eveyone that i have another e-mail adress, It has 
taken some time to get it straight but the new one is

bprankard@theiia.org

Yes, this is my buisness node, but thats ok, I practicaly live at work! :)
i can access this e-mail node weekdays from 8am to 5pm.

On weekends please use the old Aol account, or else I wond respond until 
monday.

I will be making adjustments to my web pages with these new addtions.

Ok enough about me, time for some trav stuff...

First of all, has anyone gotten that bloody starships book yet?  Last I 
heard was that the books were going to the distributors sometime last week. 
 Any more info on that?

Secondly,  XTech Industries(the Commander's Company) is looking for Techies 
and Engineers who would like to produce starships and/or equipment.  T4 is 
currently the main thrust, but XTech can accomidate other versions as well.

You ideas will be posted on my site, PlanetX, and you will be given full 
credit for your work.

Also any adventure ideas, stories, and even Trav oriented songs are welcome.

So come on into Planet X, lets keep the Flame alive forever!

Commander X

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 11:58:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Douglas <douglas@teleport.com>
Subject: Re: Landing ships.

On Thu, 5 Dec 1996, Robert Flammang wrote:

> Hi.
>
> > From: "David P. Summers" <DSummers@Mail.ARC.NASA.gov>
>
> > Now I have decided that the point is a) it takes a while to
> > properly get a ship ready for takeoff and b) since they
> > weigh a "lot" even grass over hard packed dirt can be
> > assumed to be sufficient to safely support a ship.
>
> > I was just wondering what other people's takes on this
> > were?
>
> Your points sound reasonable.
>
> My take has been that the obstacles to landing outside of a starport
> are (usually) purely bureaucratic. The interstellar government wants
> to keep control over interstellar trade. See the sub-adventure "Zilan
> Wine" in the Traveller Adventure for example.
>
> -Rob
>

Landing outside of an established starport, in my campaign, tends to be
much trickier.  Beyond what governmental regulations there are, there is
also pilot skill.  For example, establishing an orbit, or even landing at
the downport, is not very trying for the pilot.  Even a Pilot-1 can
handle the basic switch flipping (ie.  tell the on-board computer to
handle the landing by talking to the starport computer) involved there.
Landing without talking with the starport computer is more complex (requires a
routine roll), but is still facilitated by the telemetry supplied to the
ship by the starport (assuming, of course that they permit unassisted approach
and landing!).  'Hard' or solid surface landings,  with no information but
what ships' sensors provide is a 'difficult' roll.  Blind landings, with
no sensor data, (usually implying special circumstances) are taken case by case.

My campaign rule is that Class A Starports require ships  to
use starport computer-assisted landings.  This also implies that
ships MUST land at the starport!  Class B Starports support, but
do not require, computer-assisted landings.  Class C starports can only
provide telemetry to the ship.  With the amount of traffic supported by
Class C and Class B starports, the controllers will be very short with a
ship that does not respond to direction (ie. land where they tell them
too), and military response is very likely if the ship is detected trying
to sneak down! Class D and below do not provide information to the ships
computer, other than location.  As traffic control is, ahem, minimal,
there is a fairly good chance that a ship may land, if not undetected, at
least unremarked.

Some controls that I have in place are a requirement for starships to have
a licensed Pilot-1 or better aboard before they may leave a starport;
suspension or worse for pilots that endanger lives; orbital satellites
that record ship traffic; random ship boardings for inspections and to
check ships' papers.

This is not to say that players cannot make covert landings, they just
have to plan them!

- --------------------------------------------
Never anger a dragon, for you are crunchy and go well with Brie!

Douglas@Teleport.Com
http:\\www.teleport.com\~douglas\

MSPS: Windows95, Windows NT 3.51 Server, Windows NT 3.51 Workstation,
Networking
- --------------------------------------------

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 15:03:59 -0500
From: Thad Coons <104765.503@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: "Basic Traveller"

Zane Healy writes

> Now my question is did anything come with Starter Traveller besides the >
two books?  Also I've got the first printing, and it has simple black
> covers, like the little books.  Was there also a version with picture
> covers?  Did it come in any kind of box or anything?  I found them a
> couple years ago sold separatly in a used games box at a store, and
> have been wondering.

I picked up a Starter Traveller in a second hand thrift shop a couple of
years ago, apparently complete and not used much.
1) A box (pictures on it)
2) the two black books
3) two adventures: Mission on Mithril/Shadows
4) a card with GDW's Traveller product line as of 1984 or so which mentions

Basic traveller, a boxed set containing books 1,2, and 3.
  

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 13:14:13 -0700
From: Jon Goff <jongoff@et.byu.edu>
Subject: Re: Nuclear Dampers

Leonard Erickson wrote:
>> Such rulings *aren't* "unrealistic". Any such setup could be used to
> make smaller "pulsed fusion" powerplants. So you can't build a
> non-fission triggered fusion device that is *smaller* than a fusion
> powerplant of fairly high output.

Ummm, BZZZT.  Remember, tha tthe power plants include cooling systems,
control systems, and containment systems, plus fuel regulators and
access areas.  All of those would be worse tha useless on a missle that
is going to blow up, so they can be removed, thus significanly lowering
the size.

- -- 
Star Colonel Travis CSV	  []_[]	 "No plan survives first contact 
"All you people who you   /(_)\	  the enemy.  Heck, most plans	
know everything are      0 0 0 0  don't even survive first contact 	
annoying us who do."  	   O O	  with reality"--Hammer Lathrop

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 12:28:59 -0800 (PST)
From: "John R. Snead" <jsnead@netcom.com>
Subject: Starships?

So, does anyone who has Starships want to make any detailed comments 
about it.  How long is it, is it any good, are there actually any new 
ship designs in it?  Are they any PC useful new ship designs in it?
Deck plans for a 1000 ton light cruiser aren't [for me] very useful 
since I'd never give such a ship to PCs, plans for a 300 ton Merchant
vessel would be *very* useful.

My biggest fear (and the only reason I'd not buy it) is if the book is little
more than the same old deck plans + the SSDS.

Also, are there any TL 13+ ships in it? 


- -John Snead jsnead@netcom.com

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 13:32:16 -0800
From: "David P. Summers" <dsummers@mail.arc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: Landing ships.

Wed, 4 Dec 1996 23:58:48 PST, shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
[Regading ships landing on natural terrain....]
>My take (back when CT came out) was that you had to have this as the
>fusion drive exhaust made too much of a mess otherwise.

I too have the thruster kick up dust, etc.  I just didn't see
it as making as much a difference.  (I never liked the switch
over to thruster plates.)

>BTW, if grass grows there, it *isn't* "hard packed". *Especially* if
>it's "natural" growth, as opposed to a lawn. You could drive a car over
>it, but try a heavily loaded truck and watch the fun.

Dependes.  Praries and the like don't a generall "springier" surface.
However, the roots actually make the soil harder to break up.  Thus
the grass surface will give a bit but will be able to hold more
weight.  The only real difference will be if the grass holds in
enough water to keep the ground soft.

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 15:51:41 CST
From: Don McKinney <dmckinne@csci.csc.com>
Subject: Traveller Timeline (again, didn't I see this already twice?)

HELP!

My Traveller Timeline (http://www.prairienet.org/~dmckinne/trav.html) needs
information on GDW products I don't own, and, if anyone finds the timeline
useful, please report any perceived or referenced descrepancies...

My goal is to eventually have all Traveller licensed and non-licensed 
products' timeline info, as well as additions from various campaigns 
(please contribute, hint, hint).

The timeline basis is a Microsoft Works 3 database, with entries for
"Date (Imperial)", "Details", "Reference" (which is Publisher, Product and
Page Number), and "Priority".  All GDW products have a priority A, 
DGP products have a priority B, other licensees (except Judges Guild) C,
Judges Guild and HIWG documents D, and campaign contributions and 
discussion inferences E.  In the case of the last item, the "publisher"
and "product" will refer to the individual and origin - I can even include
IRC discussions in this format!

Oh - and for referees - the "starting dates" of all adventures I find
(including magazine adventures) are in the timeline as well!

Any way, that's the grand vision - and it's on the web, so EVERY Traveller
contributor can get to it.  However, I want to finish the classic Traveller
GDW materials first, and don't own the following:

Book 0		An Introduction to Traveller
Supplement 5	Lightning Class Cruisers
Supplement 10	The Solomani Rim
Adventure 0	The Imperial Fringe
Adventure 4	Leviathan (I did own this, it appears to have walked off...)	
		(and yes, I know some events in this may not be canon...)
Adventure 8	Prison Planet
Adventure 9	Nomads of the World-Ocean
Adventure 11	Murder on Arcturus Station
Adventure 13	Signal GK
Doub. Adv. 3	The Argon Gambit/Death Station
Doub. Adv. 4	Marooned/Marooned Alone
Alien Module 2	K'kree
Alien Module 4	Zhodani
Alien Module 5	Droyne
Alien Module 8	Darrians
Rules Set	The Traveller Book/Starter Traveller
Game 2		Snapshot
Game 3		Azhanti High Lightning
Game 4		Fifth Frontier War
Game 5		Invasion: Earth
Module 1	Tarsus
Module 2	Beltstrike

all JTAS issues (I own all four "best of" books, but apparently there's
stuff in the individual issues...)

Now, again, the format for timeline entries is just like it appears on the
web page:

Date (Imp)	Details (who did what to who)
		Reference (Publisher, Product, Page #)

Thanks!


PS:  Why didn't I post the timeline to the list?  Its only 94K long,
already...  Ugh. 
- --
=============================================================================
= Donald E. McKinney, Release Coordinator, Communications Industry Services =
= (217) 351-8250 x2365  Computer Sciences Corporation dmckinne@csci.csc.com =
= Official Kibitzer for Digest Group Publications   dmckinne@prairienet.org = 
= Winter War XXIV Convention Chairman, February 14-16, 1997, Champaign, IL  =
=============================================================================

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 15:53:35 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: Re: The Commander's other E-mail node!

On Thu, 5 Dec 1996, Bill Prankard wrote:

> First of all, has anyone gotten that bloody starships book yet?  Last I 
> heard was that the books were going to the distributors sometime last week. 
>  Any more info on that?

Apparently Shalom has received his (see his recent post for his 
comments).  I think the rest of us should start seeing them tomorrow, 
with the bulk of the U.S. orders delivered over the weekend/early next 
week - with, of course, foreign orders taking longer.


- -Joe
______________________________________________________________________________
Joseph E. Walsh      |  Atari 8-Bit User and Programmer Since 1982
ransom@iconnect.net  |  Classic Traveller Referee Since 1983
Stuck in the '80s    |  Microsoft-Free and Loving It! :)
       .....Official Reporter of Imperium Games Product Info.....

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

Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 00:19:17 +0000
From: "Kenneth Bearden" <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: The Grand Adventure 1

The Grand Adventure...a series of Traveller adventures spanning 23 
years, linking all of the published GDW adventures together.  

Starting in 1105, with the Traveller Adventure, an unlikey group of 
individuals is cast into a caldron of intergalactic intrigue, action, 
and politics that will take them through the Fifth Frontier War, thereafter, the 
Rebellion, and into Hard Times.

Utimately, the adventurers will be the catalyst of the destruction or 
survival of the human race.

I am their chronicler.

With this post, I start the log of these events.  The Grand Adventure 
will be a mish mash of game information, short stories, NPC bios, 
notes, thoughts, and adventure ideas.  It will be a magazine of this 
epic story, told from many view points in many ways.  It is a sharing of one 
gamemaster to many others.

This campaign is a collection of adventures, both home grown and 
published, both official Traveller and from other games, fleshing out 
the backbone laid out by the pivotal adventures in Traveller history: 
 The Traveller Adventure, Beltstrike, Tarsus, Adventures 1-12, The Double 
Adventures, Knightfall, Arrival Vengenance, Hard Times, etc.

Est. Imperial Yr.	Campaign Title 				.   
1105 - 1107		The Traveller Adventure
1107 - 1109		The Ancients 
1109 - 1110		The 5th Frontier War
1110 - 1111		Tarus & Beltstrike 
1111 - 1112		The Horde 
1112 - 1113		Leviathan
1113 - 1114		The Solomani
1114 - 1115		The Gateway Domain
1115 - 1119		The Flaming Eye
1119 - 1121		The Lords of Thunder
1121 - 1123		Knightfall
1123 - 1126		Arrival Vengeance
1126 - 1128		Hard Times

This ends the first transmission of the Grand Adventure. 

  

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 20:15:22 -0500
From: Eric Freitas <edf@atlantic.net>
Subject: RE: Vaccuum fluctuations and Zero-G

Gerald S. Williams wrote:

>Regarding anti-gravity:

I found an article from an old magazine that described a gravitic =
propulsion device similar to Thruster Plates (The American Mecury.  =
June, 1958, 86:77-82, "Another Step Toward Anti-Gravity", By G. =
Burridge).  The article gives a description of the device invented by =
one Thomas Townsend Brown.  I'll sum up the description as best I can. =20

	Background data:  Apparently one Dr. Paul Alfred Biefeld noticed that =
plate capacitors have a tendency to move toward the positively charged =
plate, when highly charged (say above 100,000volts dc).  Mr. Brown =
evidently took this idea and studied it for some thirty years, producing =
operating propulsion devices in the process.

	The Apparatus consists of a 24 inch diameter two-plate capacitor, =
charged to fifty thousand volts of direct current.  These discs, when =
tethered to a central mast (to fly around) achieved a speed of about =
12mph.  These discs pulled about 50watts of power to achieve this speed. =
 It says that 3 foot diameter discs reached even higher speeds.  When =
charged, a disc makes a slight humming sound, and glows lavender in the =
dark (Uh, don't touch it when it's charged...). One test of the device =
went as follows:=20
=09
	1. Place the device on one end of a balance beam, with the plates =
parallel to 	    the ground.
	2. Place enough weight on the other end to balance the beam =
horizontally.
	3. Apply power to the device.  If the positive plate faces up then it =
will appear to
                have lost weight and rise.  If the positive plate faces =
down, then it will appear
	    to have gained weight and descend.

	The device will return to the balanced position when discharged.

	I must also note that there is a documentary film of Mr. Brown =
explaining and demonstrating his devices in small (3-4 foot diameter) =
discoid craft.  I saw this with my own eyes in 1985, and it looked real. =
 The small craft hovered about two feet above the ground and had no =
wires holding it up.  You could walk up and push it and it would move =
away from you.  Mr. Brown did this.  It could not have been =
electrostatic repulsion, because he would have been wearing _very_ thick =
rubber shoes to prevent a short circuit through him.  It was very =
impressive in my own opinion.  I have reason to believe that this was =
not a hoax (course I could tell you, but...I'd have to kill you).  He =
goes on to explain how this could be used in a vehicle to provide low =
level flight.  Really neat, however I don't think anyone is required to =
believe what I just wrote ;)  If anyone cares to check, there is another =
article with pictures in the _Illustrated London Times_ of about the =
same time, and also makes a note about the film.  I haven't read it =
because I don't have access to that periodical.

Enjoy!

Eric Freitas

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

Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 20:50:31 +0000
From: Mused <marz@hotstar.net>
Subject: Re: Democracy possible at interstellar distances

TPeterAZ@aol.com wrote:
> but here in
> the States we've only got a quarter billion people to contend with, but
> acheiving a plurality, much less a majority, is turning into a major issue.

Actually, judging by the last election's turnout, getting people to give a shit seems to be 
more pressing (less than 50% turnout)

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

Date: 5 Dec 96 19:45:18 -0500
From: "Jeff Kazmierski" <odysseus@novia.net>
Subject: Re: Off Topic

	
>Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 20:37:19 +0000
>From: Mused 

<marz@hotstar.net>
>Subject: Off topic
>
>How does everyone pronounce the Vargr Archduke Brzk's name
>
>I pronounce it Bar-Zack
>

"We're coming in too fast!"
"Stay on topic..."

Actually, I always liked "burr-zurk", myself.  It fits with the Vargr
warmaking philosophy.

Jeff Kazmierski
Naval Architect, Sophontologist, Military Intelligence Analyst and 
Habitual Mispronouncer of the Names of Alien
Leaders
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                +
                |\      "Anyone got a Q-Tip?"
                | )      /  
                | )       _      
       _        | )      /@
        \ ______|/______/
_________\
@@@@@@@@@@@@/__________odysseus@novia.net

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

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

End of Traveller-digest V1996 #721
**********************************

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