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From: owner-traveller-digest@mpgn.com (Traveller-digest)
To: traveller-digest@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM
Subject: Traveller-digest V1996 #783
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Traveller-digest      Sunday, December 22 1996      Volume 1996 : Number 783



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Tech and Starports
Re: JTAS cost
Re: Central Supply Catalog Review
RE: JTAS cost
Re: Merry Christmas?
Re: Bell End
Re: Imperium Games, Future Product
Re: Central Supply Catalog Review
New IRC Campaign
Future IG products, etc.
Off-topic (really)
Re: Future IG products, etc.
Re: Future IG products, etc.
An opposing viewpoint on Starships
Re: Future IG products, etc.
CSC Errata
Re: Merry Christmas?
RE: JTAS cost
RE: JTAS cost
RE: JTAS cost
Bester's "The Stars, My Destination"...
The cost of JTAS
Why the Vilani Lost

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 22:09:44 +1100
From: "Phillip McGregor" <aspqrz@curie.dialix.com.au>
Subject: Re: Tech and Starports

> From: Andrew Boulton <aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk>
> 
> In-Reply-To: <199612200807.TAA24352@curie.dialix.com.au>
> 
> << Like I said, this makes my thesis 100% sure, there is *no* reason why
local
> TL means anything more than what they could (theoretically) produce if
they
> *had* to - it has nothing to do with what they *actually* have available!
>>
> 
> It's probably safe to assume that A & B starports have large supplies of
spare 
> parts (probably shipped for free by Imperial ships) - after all, this is
one 
> of their main businesses, and vital to the health of the Imperium. This 
> doesn't mean that the world has stocks of every product at every TL. 

"probably shipped free by Imperial ships" ... er, you *do* have T4? The
rulebook where it states quite plainly and specifically that "Everything is
Driven by Economics" (pg. 7). I would have thought that that makes it quite
plain that is, to put it bluntly, "no such thing as a free lunch" ... nope,
no "Imperial ships" ship one damn ounce of cargo for free. Certainly not on
the scale that we are talking about! Sorry, you have no argument on *this*
basis ... perhaps on others (but you have to come up with them).

And, consider this, the A/B Starport not only has to have the spares, it
has to have the diagnostic equipment and, unless the future is quite
different from the present, the replaced electronics modules (and even the
mechanical ones) will be refurbished ... just like the "new" gearbox you
get in your car when the old one "dies" ... its rarely "new", its rebuilt
with the few actual dud parts replaced. Even military aircraft avionic
modules are replaced on the spot, but then *repaired* for reissue later.
Since *everything is driven by economics* this *will* be done in Traveller,
and it will be cheapest to do it on the spot!

Why? Why not ship to some central depot? Well, think about it. You have all
that high tech equipment sitting there and (undoubtedly) not being used
100% of the time, and, just as importantly, you have all that high-tech
trained personnel sitting there who have to be paid regardless. So, to
minimise waste (economics drives everything, remember), you have them
repairing modules in their otherwise wasted "downtime".

And all those staff don't want to live at the local TL, so you have a built
in market for high tech goods - and its easiest to ship them in something
approaching bulk (to make a buck - remember, *everything* is driven by
economics) and make "volume" sales to the natives. Also, the starport will
have all these high tech services that it will be able to provide to the
locals for a good price - after all, for example, they *have* to have a
sophisticated computer network to run the Port, so why not defray operating
costs by time-sharing the computer capacity with the locals. This means
that there is a market for imported high-tech standalone computers etc.

Ditto power, you have these Fusion/Fusion Plus generators which probably
don't operate at full load anywhere near all the time, so you sell power to
the locals at prices that undercut their fossil fuel plants (or even make
it unattractive to build such plants if they have not yet developed them)
... and this means that you want them to have goodies that use that power.
So you sell them those as well. In fact, I would guess that a installing a
larger than needed Fusion plant would be a nice little revenue earner
through selling the power to the low-tech (relatively) locals. And that's
without even considering environmental factors

Sorry. Your argument won't stand. Doesn't even come close.

Phil
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip McGregor | aspqrz@.curie.dialix.oz.au
Have Game Designer, Will Travel

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 13:30:11 +0100 (MET)
From: Thomas Biskup <tb@saranxis.ruhr.de>
Subject: Re: JTAS cost

On Sat, 21 Dec 1996 Kagehira@aol.com wrote:
>      Apparently the cost for JTAS doesn't include shipping and handling, so
> if you see a charge for $11.20 from IG on your December invoice, that's
> probably for those charges (IG strikes again....)

Are you sure about this?  When I subscribed to JTAS I specifically asked
for this since I didn't want to pay additional shipping charges to Germany
and they told me, that shipping *was* included in the subscription price.
Now I know that almost everything they said at that time was rubbish, but
I hope that *this* is a misunderstanding.

Thomas Biskup.

- --
Thomas Biskup                               email to: tb@saranxis.ruhr.de
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Would you choose one life over one thousand?
 I refuse to let arithmetic decide questions like that."
                          -- Data and Picard, "Justice", stardate 41255.6

 

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 13:50:52 +0100 (MET)
From: Thomas Biskup <tb@saranxis.ruhr.de>
Subject: Re: Central Supply Catalog Review

On Sat, 21 Dec 1996, Joseph E. Walsh wrote:
[...]
> Greg has included a lot of extras in this book.
[...]

While all this sounds too good to be true (although I really believe in
Greg's talents :-) I still wonder about one information nobody yet
managed: how many pages does this supplement have?

> Things like rules for survival in extreme conditions 
> (cold weather, hot weather, exotic atmospheres, vacuum), useful 
> rules-of-thumb (such as for the game effects of tool use at various tech 
> levels), additions to T4's systems (vehicle combat, trade & commerce, 
> using locks), a method for designing non-self-aware robots with the 
> included Vehicle Design Rules, as well as how to use those same  Vehicle 
> Design Rules to design armor!

This sounds wonderful.  Finally someone from IG is remembering that we new
GMs want *information* :-)

> Overall, I give this book a 92% (revised down from my initial score of 
> 95%, due to spotting additional, minor editing errors).  I highly 
> recommend it - it will become one of the most-used volumes in your T4 
> collection.

Don't take this personally, but your ratings seem to be too high in
general (at least the ratings for the rulebook and Starships in one of
your previous postings were not very real).

Thomas Biskup.

- --
Thomas Biskup                               email to: tb@saranxis.ruhr.de
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Would you choose one life over one thousand?
 I refuse to let arithmetic decide questions like that."
                          -- Data and Picard, "Justice", stardate 41255.6

 

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 13:47:02 +0100 (MET)
From: Thomas Biskup <tb@saranxis.ruhr.de>
Subject: RE: JTAS cost

On Sat, 21 Dec 1996, Joseph E. Walsh wrote:
> Here's another answer from Courtney, this time about the cost of JTAS.
[...]
> From: Courtney Solomon <Sweetpea10@msn.com>
> Unfortunately, this is a problem we inherited from the previous 
> management.  They neglected to mark on the website that there would be a 
> shipping and handling charge of $1.95/issue for JTAS subscriptions or 
> single issues.

Ok, (remembering Ken Whitman :-), I'll stay as calm and friendly as
possible.  They not only neglected to mention this on the website but they
also neglected to mention this when I *specifically* asked them before
subscribing (sadly I really don't remember the name of the IG employee...
since I emailed them from my AOL account I wonder if there is any way to
get access to old email... does AOL backup them somewhere?).  They
*explicitly* told me that *no* additional charges where involved
(otherwise I wouldn't hav subscribed since now about as costly as directly
buying it over here in Germany >:-( ).

I really wish that Courtney would talk to the IG crew about this and maybe
he could slap them a little bit :-(  Now that I just have calmed down
about their previous blotches these i****s again manage to mess up things
>:-(

I guess I'll cancel my JTAS subscription.  Enough's enough.

I only feel sorry for Courtney who now probably will have to suffer from
some more unfriendly comments from angry customers.

Thomas "I really can't believe it!" Biskup.

- --
Thomas Biskup                               email to: tb@saranxis.ruhr.de
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Would you choose one life over one thousand?
 I refuse to let arithmetic decide questions like that."
                          -- Data and Picard, "Justice", stardate 41255.6

 

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 96 17:36 GMT0
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
Subject: Re: Merry Christmas?

In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.3.93.961221061403.32597A-100000@knet.knet.flemingc.on.ca>

Very good!

    ---------=========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: Sun, 22 Dec 96 17:36 GMT0
From: aboulton@cix.compulink.co.uk (Andrew Boulton)
Subject: Re: Bell End

In-Reply-To: <32BB1011.285E@well.com>

<< For example, Zhodani lovers and spouses are much prized (at least 
aloud) for their abilities to (1) know everything you want and (2) 
be able to touch you in ways you thought impossible (by telekinesis).  
On the other hand, with clairvoyance and teleportation, they can easily 
cheat on you and still know when you're on the way home and get there 
before you. >>

But no Zhodani would ever even *think* about cheating on you!

The two Zhodani in my game decided to compile a psionic edition of the 
Karma Sutra...(and another PC bugged their room and made a fortune 
selling the videos...)

    ---------=========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: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 10:44:06 -0800
From: "Stuart L. Dollar" <sdollar@goodnet.com>
Subject: Re: Imperium Games, Future Product

On 22 Dec 96 at 6:04, s.johnson107@genie.com spewed:

> > Thoughts?  Comments?  Flames?
>     Personally I'd like to see some more support material for the GM
>     in terms
> of worlds and the like.  I've been playing Traveller since the
> original three little black books came out and Book 4 Mercenary was
> a wild eyed new product. So I've got DGP World Builders Handbook and
> all the other stuff for a GM designing a world or Star System.  But
> T4 is intended for a new audience, and that new audience doesn't
> have access to any of that.  They need it and the GM's need it now. 

With all due respect, I think they need the campaign background for 
M0 first.  OTOH, I do agree that a world detailing book akin to WBH, 
WTH, or Grand Survey/Grand Census would be a good thing.  Believe it 
or not though, I GM'd for 10+ years without any of the above though, 
so it is quite possible to detail worlds without them.

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: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 11:55:19 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: Re: Central Supply Catalog Review

On Sun, 22 Dec 1996, Thomas Biskup wrote:

> While all this sounds too good to be true (although I really believe in
> Greg's talents :-) I still wonder about one information nobody yet
> managed: how many pages does this supplement have?

It's a 96-page supplement.  Take out 3 pages for advertisements though. 


- -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: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 11:56:49 -0600
From: "J.D. Burdick" <twolf@tfs.net>
Subject: New IRC Campaign

I am starting a new IRC campaign.

Channel: Meet at #traveller.  Campaign on #Altec
Time: Mondays 1830 hours CST.  6:30 pm for you civilians
Milieu: 0
Location: Altec Confederation, Altec Subsector (M), Fornast Sector.
To Apply: Contact Twolf on #traveller or email me.

*****New players are welcome.*****

JD
Twolf

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 09:59:36 -0800
From: "Peter J. Miller" <PeterMiller@youngmerlin.com>
Subject: Future IG products, etc.

One thing I thik IG needs to do is get publishing, 1) game background (that
is, M0) and second, ADVENTURES!  A lot of new GMs do not want to have to go
through the time of creating their own adventures.  Plus, published
adventures add a lot of canon (dare i use that word <g>) material to the game.

Joe, could you get a read from IG on whether or not _they_ will produce
adventure supplements or leave it to third parties such as CORE, DGP, Gold
Rush Games, etc.

Thanks,

/\___________________________Peter John Miller____________________________/\
||           "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night..."          ||
||     Traveller, IG materials and the Home of the Imperium Games FAQ!    ||
||            On Peter's World - http://www.dragonfire.net/~pm/           ||
\/------------------------------------------------------------------------\/
   Great graphics, and the LOWEST prices on the net - www.youngmerlin.com

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 13:11:02 +0000
From: Mused <marz@hotstar.net>
Subject: Off-topic (really)

Would one of the TML's linguistic experts be able to tell me what the following phrase 
means: "Die Gedanken Sind Frei"

Sorry, but this is the only place where I actually know German speakers
Sorry, once again for being non-Traveller, but this is driving me nuts


....wait, maybe I could use this for a ship's motto!
Well, there ya go, it IS Traveller related

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 12:01:21 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: Re: Future IG products, etc.

On Sun, 22 Dec 1996, Peter J. Miller wrote:

> One thing I thik IG needs to do is get publishing, 1) game background (that
> is, M0) and second, ADVENTURES!  A lot of new GMs do not want to have to go
> through the time of creating their own adventures.  Plus, published
> adventures add a lot of canon (dare i use that word <g>) material to the game.
> 
> Joe, could you get a read from IG on whether or not _they_ will produce
> adventure supplements or leave it to third parties such as CORE, DGP, Gold
> Rush Games, etc.

According to an email I received last night from Courtney, IG is 
currently in discussion with CORE to produce adventures which IG would 
then publish.  That is, CORE would take on the same function as AP&D, 
except it would be with regard to adventures rather than rulebooks.

"The Long Way Home" is included in these discussions, as well as future 
adventure products, of course.

Let's hope the talks go well. :)


- -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: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 10:23:16 -0800
From: "Peter J. Miller" <PeterMiller@youngmerlin.com>
Subject: Re: Future IG products, etc.

>According to an email I received last night from Courtney, IG is 
>currently in discussion with CORE to produce adventures which IG would 
>then publish.  That is, CORE would take on the same function as AP&D, 
>except it would be with regard to adventures rather than rulebooks.
>
>"The Long Way Home" is included in these discussions, as well as future 
>adventure products, of course.
>
>Let's hope the talks go well. :)

Definitely! That'd make what appear, from all accounts to be excellent
supplements on the part of CORE more easily available to us in North America.

Joe, does this mean though, that AP&D will NOT be producing adventures?  Or,
that their main function will be rulebooks?

/\___________________________Peter John Miller____________________________/\
||           "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night..."          ||
||     Traveller, IG materials and the Home of the Imperium Games FAQ!    ||
||            On Peter's World - http://www.dragonfire.net/~pm/           ||
\/------------------------------------------------------------------------\/
   Great graphics, and the LOWEST prices on the net - www.youngmerlin.com

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 12:33:10 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: An opposing viewpoint on Starships

CSC Review, by Lam Poon

This book is total garbage.  96 pages, and not a single color plate!  
It's almost completely text!  Like I have time to read!  I didn't get 
into role-playing to spend my day reading like some misanthropic geek.  
Every book should be patterned after the first half of _Starships_: lots 
of pictures, little text.

Although Mr. Porter pompously calls the last part of the book the 
"Vehicle Design System," the system presented is incapable of designing 
starships!  Hello?!?  Starships are vehicles, too!!  I think Greg 
Porter had better take a remedial English class.

For that matter, what about the title to the book?  "Central Supply 
Catalog."  Central to what?  The items detailed have almost no usefulness 
for my campaign (which I have cleverly centered on my novel-in-progress, 
"Smurfs in Space" - available at fine booksellers real soon now!).  The 
supplies listed are very poorly chosen.  How many times are you going to 
need a vac suit in space, anyway? Everyone knows space is filled with 
ether, which is just as breathable as oxygen!  Yet Mr. Porter spends two 
pages on vac suits of various designs.  And as for being a catalog - 
where are the models?  Every catalog I receive in the mail has really 
foxy models wearing the various pieces of clothing.  Mr. Porter could 
take some lessons from the _Victoria's Secret_ people!

Needless to say, I'm extremely disappointed with this volume.  I wouldn't 
recommend it to my worst enemy.  Two thumbs down.

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 12:34:24 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: Re: Future IG products, etc.

On Sun, 22 Dec 1996, Peter J. Miller wrote:

> Definitely! That'd make what appear, from all accounts to be excellent
> supplements on the part of CORE more easily available to us in North America.
> 
> Joe, does this mean though, that AP&D will NOT be producing adventures?  Or,
> that their main function will be rulebooks?

I have no idea.  I imagine that sort of thing will be worked out among 
the various parties involved.


- -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: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 14:19:05 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: CSC Errata

Hi, 

I found a few items in CSC that don't have Price or Mass information.  I 
asked Greg Porter if he had the figures, and he sent them to me.  Joe 
Heck has put them up on his web site, and they're available at the URL 
below: 

http://www.missouri.edu/~ccjoe/traveller/house/errata.csc.html

They are linked from his "Rules Modifications & Hard Science Discussions" 
page.


- -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.....



- -- 
 joe                          (573) 882-2000
 ccjoe@showme.missouri.edu    http://www.missouri.edu/~ccjoe
 PGP Fingerprint: E3 3F DF 08 BE 3E 44 A0  EE A9 80 7E 22 99 CD DF
 "with a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and
 impenetrable fog!" -- Calvin

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 14:31:09 -0600
From: sam thomas <sinbad@dfw.net>
Subject: Re: Merry Christmas?

lhadley@knet.flemingc.on.ca

That was a very good one.

Sinbad Sam
sinbad@dfw.net
>
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------------------------------

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 16:22:54 -0600
From: sam thomas <sinbad@dfw.net>
Subject: RE: JTAS cost

At 10:30 PM 12/21/96 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Here's another answer from Courtney, this time about the cost of JTAS.
>
>
>-Joe
>P. S. He also sent a message to me that said he would be meeting with Tim 
>Brown regarding the constructive criticism that was recently compiled 
>and shipped to him.  He expects to have a response for us after the first 
>of the year.
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.....
>
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sun, 22 Dec 96 03:07:54 UT
>From: Courtney Solomon <Sweetpea10@msn.com>
>To: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
>Subject: RE: JTAS cost
>
>Joe,
>
>Unfortunately, this is a problem we inherited from the previous 
>management.  They neglected to mark on the website that there would be a 
>shipping and handling charge of $1.95/issue for JTAS subscriptions or 
>single issues.  I do realize that it is our fault for not informing 
>everyone of the shipping charges sooner, and I apologize for that.  We 
>are hoping that the fans will stand with us on this as we cannot afford to 
>ship these issues without passing that cost on to our customers.
>
>Unfortunately, there is a very small profit margin on the magazine until 
>an advertising base is established.  At this point, the advertising base 
>is virtually nonexistant, since it is a new magazine that caters to a 
>niche market.  However, I nonetheless approved publishing the first 
>issue this month, at a substantial loss, because I didn't want to 
>disappoint the fans.  A letter will be included with that issue 
>informing everyone of the shipping charges that have been added.  Please 
>relay my remorse over this situation.  I wish it had been otherwise, but 
>we have attempted to deal with this as best we could under the circumstances.
>
>On a related note, all of the books are now being shipped via USPS Priority 
>Mail, and they are being packaged in bubble envelopes.  I apologize for 
>the shipping methods and packaging used for previous shipments.  We want 
>every customer to have the best possible experience when making 
>purchases of our products, and we're continuing to work toward 
>improvements in all aspects of our business.
>
>By the way, all of these issues will be addressed on the website after 
>it's updated.
>
>Courtney
>
Joe,

I ordered a single issue of JTAS, I paid at that time the S&H for the
hardcover and JTAS. I paid by check, and I will not pay anymore for shipping
or handling. If they made of mistake, then they pay for it, not me. If my
not paying or THEIR mistake causes IG or JTAS to go under, so be it!!! Being
a fan does not meant chump or sucker. Please if you would forward me
Courtney's email and/or phone number and I will enlighten her as to the
disposition of my order for JTAS, I will also inform her of the US Postal
regulation regarding mail order, yes I ordered and paid vis US Mail,
regarding FRAUD.

Thank you for atleast keeping us informed Joe.

Sinbad Sam
sinbad@dfw.net

>
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------------------------------

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 16:51:50 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: RE: JTAS cost

On Sun, 22 Dec 1996, sam thomas wrote:

> Please if you would forward me Courtney's email and/or phone number and 
> I will enlighten her as to the

Sam,

The telephone and email address information is on IG's web site, at the 
bottom of the main page.  But, anyway, email is at sweetpea10@msn.com and 
their phone number is 1-310-275-9934.

However, note what was said in the previous email: they're out of the 
office until January 2, so take that into account when attempting to 
communicate with them.


Regards,

- -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: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 17:02:16 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: RE: JTAS cost

On Sun, 22 Dec 1996, sam thomas wrote:

> Joe,
> 
> I ordered a single issue of JTAS, I paid at that time the S&H for the
> hardcover and JTAS. I paid by check, and I will not pay anymore for shipping
> or handling. If they made of mistake, then they pay for it, not me. If my

Sam,

On re-reading your note, I don't see the reason for your being upset.  
You paid by check - how are they going to charge you more?  Do they have 
your credit card number?  And you say you have already paid for shipping 
of the JTAS issue.  I just don't see what the issue is with your 
particular order.   I must be missing something, though.


- -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: 23 Dec 96 10:16:14 +1100
From: Michael.Barry@FINANCE.ausgovfinance.telememo.au
Subject: Bester's "The Stars, My Destination"...

     ...was also published as "Tiger, Tiger" in those rare places where 
     literary allusions aren't completely lost on the populace. 

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

Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 17:14:30 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph E. Walsh" <ransom@connect.iconnect.net>
Subject: The cost of JTAS

Hi,

Since the folks at IG are unavailable for comment until the 2nd, I'm 
trying to figure out what the latest announcement means.

From looking at IG's web site, it looks like they are indicating there 
would be a shipping charge on orders for individual issues - can anyone 
who ordered a single issue and paid by check, cash, or money order confirm 
that they were charged for shipping on that issue?  If so, how much were 
you charged?

IG's web site does clearly indicate, on the other hand, that those who 
ordered a subscription will not be charged for shipping.  At this point, 
that is the scenario Courtney's message seems to be talking about; it 
doesn't seem to be a change in policy on orders for individual issues.


- -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: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 11:04:55 +1100
From: "Phillip McGregor" <aspqrz@curie.dialix.com.au>
Subject: Why the Vilani Lost

I know that most of you disagree (often violently!) with my previous notion
that the Vilani lost the Interstellar Wars to the Terrans because the
Terrans outproduced them ... which I'm not (you'll all heave a sigh of
relief) going to rehash. But it just occurred to me that there is a more
fundamental (possible) reason for their loss - one which doesn't need the
so-called "explanation" of the Plague of Duskir (which most everyone agrees
happened *after* the Vilani collapse anyway).

What is it? Well, it's simple, its based on the assumption that the Third
Imperium is really an almost pure Vilani construct in a social sense (and
this seems to be undoubtedly the case) and that this indicates that the
conquering Terrans of the Interstellar wars were actually absorbed and
neutralised by their attempts to dominate and control the remnants of the
Grand Empire of the Stars (in other words, the Vilani did a China vs. the
Mongols sort of act). It's further based on the assumption that Marc
Miller's statement that *Economics drives Everything* in the T4 rulebook
is, quite literally, true, and was always true of the Vilani Empire.

Unh? You're no doubt "saying"! Well, consider this, it is my suggestion
that the Vilani Empire was always run as a business enterprise - which
makes sense given its organisation under the various Megacorps - and that
this had a direct effect on the way they expanded and, more importantly,
the way they fought their wars and organised all branches of their
military.

My suggestion is that the Vilani Military was run as a commercial operation
and that the wars that they fought were run according to strict economic
principles ... profit was the bottom line. Just think, for example, how
this would affect their ship design philosophy for warships!

The Terrans, on the other hand, coming from a more voracious (and only in a
sense) militaristic culture saw the Interstellar Wars *not* as an economic
conflict (though they recognised that it was that as well) primarily, but
as a war of survival! The Terrans therefore were building ship types,
undertaking military operations and utilising tactics that the mercantile
oriented Vilani military and government leaders could not make any sense
of. Thus, the Vilani were always (or for a long time) on the "back foot",
so to speak. This is, of course, supported by the classic pre-Traveller
boardgame from GDW, "Imperium", where the Vilani Governor has to appeal to
the emperor for extra finances and support for his "border action" against
those pesky terrans!

By the time the Vilani gained a real inkling of what on "earth" was
*actually* happening, they were (given the glacial slowness with which they
were able to undertake fundamental change in any aspect of their society)
unable to do anything effective about it in time (the size of their empire
and the consultative processes needed to "prove" the case to their ruling
class would have eaten up much of what time they had anyway!).

So, ultimately, the Vilani lost because they completely misunderstood what
the war was about *for the Terrans*.

While this idea hadn't actually hit me when I wrote it, you'll note that
the way that the Dark Star #1 article on "Vilani Noble Ranks" and the DS#2
article on "Vilani Military Ranks" actually supports this ... quite
unintentionally, of course :-}

Any comments?

Phil
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip McGregor | aspqrz@.curie.dialix.oz.au
Have Game Designer, Will Travel
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip McGregor | aspqrz@.curie.dialix.oz.au
Have Game Designer, Will Travel

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

End of Traveller-digest V1996 #783
**********************************

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