Traveller-digest      Wednesday, June 4 1997      Volume 1997 : Number 1402



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: plastic guns in the real world
Re: PE (was:Re: Jump troops (and then Joe goes off into left field))
Re: Babylon Five and More...
RE: My TL-15 Xboat Design
CORE: PE question
Re: Rings w/o moons
Traveller Magazines 4 SALE
Re: Progress
Re: What type B starports can build!
FS Atm Question
Re: Deneb and Corridor in Year 0
Re: The high tech offenders 
Re: The high tech offenders of FS
Re: FS Statistical impressions
Data on Sylea / Capital
Re: Trading Systems
Strange Weapons for Starships...
RE: Trading Systems

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

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 17:07:20 -0700 (MST)
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@Pharmacy.Arizona.EDU>
Subject: Re: plastic guns in the real world

On Tue, 3 Jun 1997, James Lindsay wrote:
 
> >    In the Clint Eastwood movie about the American Secret Service, the 
> > bad guys has a ceramic, double barreled pistol made.  He still has to sneak
> > in the very metal bullets.   
> 
> Probably would have had a better chance smuggling a bow and a quiver
> of arrows :)

"In the Line of Fire"

No actually, he was reasonably clever in how he did it, stuck 'em in the
hollow base of his lucky rabbit's foot keychain..which went into the
little plastic dish that everyone's keys, loose change, etc gets dumped
into when you go through a metal detector.

The gun he made was essentially a plastic (not ceramic) zip gun. There was
a fairly detailed sequennce in the beginning where he was making the
thing, and he's quite clearly mixing polymer and hardener materials
together, pouring them into the mold, etc. 

With the right materials, you could probably make such a thing relatively
easily. With properly down-powered rounds, you could probably even stand a
good chance of shooting the thing a couple of times without blowing your
hand off.

Remember, this thing was designed to be shot from _feet_ away, so you
really don't need that high powered a round, especially if you use dum dum
rounds, exploding rounds or something like those 'talon' things that there
was such a hooferaw about a couple of years ago. 

In Traveller terms, this would be very simple to make...they're called
body pistols ;-)

Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 10:34:30 +1000
From: Jason Anderson <midnight@kagi.com>
Subject: Re: PE (was:Re: Jump troops (and then Joe goes off into left field))

>4. This is just *begging* to be computerised - any possibility? (SimEmpire,
>anyone?)

I've been seriously considering it - although it would be Mac only. I'll
let people know if I go ahead (and get somewhere!)

Cheers,
Jason

- -------
Beyond Midnight Software                               <midnight@kagi.com>
                                      <http://www.vision.net.au/~midnight>

             If it's not on fire then it's a software problem.

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

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 18:00:41 -0700
From: Chris Griffen <cgriffen@cisco.com>
Subject: Re: Babylon Five and More...

Fred Kiesche wrote:

>Great stuff: Loved the drama, loved the story, loved the space battles.
>Wish there had been more and I wish I could have seen this on a big
>screen (B5: The Next Generation Movie anyone?).
>
>Anyhow--take a look at the "Lurkers Guide" B5 web page if you are
>interested in the show. Lots of news on the upcoming TBS made for TV
>movies (yes movies, two of them) as well a possible spinoff. And many
>hints on background, plot, questions, etc., etc., on shows seen and shows
>forthcoming...

It was a good one. B5 should be of particular interest to Traveller fans
because, like Traveller, it makes an honest attempt at being realistic as
far as what the technology might be like.

The show pays homage to the realities of physics!

Not to mention that it has a rich background, several interesting alien
races and an epic plot just like our favorite game.

Best,

Chris Griffen

===================================================
Keeper of the Flame. Traveller player since 1980.

http://www.cris.com/~Cgriffen/traveller/deneb.shtml




- --------------------------------------------------------------
Christopher Griffen                      Phone: (408) 527-7189
Cisco Systems, Inc.                      Fax:   (408) 527-0452
NMBU Technical Publications              cgriffen@cisco.com

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 08:08:14 +0400
From: Andy Long <andyl@icluae.co.ae>
Subject: RE: My TL-15 Xboat Design

>>>>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Bruce Johnson [SMTP:johnson@Pharmacy.Arizona.EDU]
> Sent:	Wednesday, June 04, 1997 1:46 AM
> [andy long]  <Snip> 
> OTOH, I never had a player who wanted to use an X-boat for anything,
> either.
> [andy long]  <<<<
> 
> But having been pointed out, it does make a strange kind of sense...
> Cheap J6, after all.
> 
> Andy
> ================================================================
> smtp Email:		andyl@icluae.co.ae OR
> 			andylong@x400.icl.co.uk OR
> 			A.G.Long@abu0101.wins.icl.co.uk OR
> 			andylong@emirates.net.ae
> x400 Email:		c=ae;a=emdan;p=icl;ou1=abu0101;
> 			s=Long;i=AG;
> 			o=International Computers Ltd;
> A.G. Long, c/o ICL	Phone:	+971 (2) 335200/338066
> PO Box 7237		Fax:	+971 (2) 338724
> Abu Dhabi
> United Arab Emirates
> ================================================================
> 
>  

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 00:28:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: John H Bogan Jr <jbogan@pipeline.com>
Subject: CORE: PE question

Starter scenario #8 on page 93 gives the stake as
250,000 colonists.  As far as I can tell, ANY action
taken to colonize or take over a world will require 
RU's (and also note these colonist have no initial
military units), but they have no RU's to spend
on colonization, military builds & actions, etc. 

What can they do?


Also, the authors and playtesters of PE doubtless
have some spreadsheets to aid play. I *strongly* 
recommend making the best of these available over 
the web. 

From what I've seen so far, PE has a lot right with 
it, but the biggest thing wrong with it is organization.
Nearly every sequence has a table, but since all the
tables were moved to the back of the book there
is a tedious need to flip back and forth (ESPECIALLY
since most of the table roll MODIFIERS are in the TEXT
section, rather than grouped with the table itself).
The problem grows exponentially as the number of worlds 
increases, and a GM might be keeping track of a subsector
or two's worth of worlds.  Without electronic assistance
it can be quite time consuming (perhaps a little *TOO*
time consuming, wink wink, nudge nudge, get my drift?).

How 'bout it?

JB

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

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 97 23:11:51 -0600
From: Glenn Hoppe <starcity@eagle.wbm.ca>
Subject: Re: Rings w/o moons

On 1997-06-02 15:33 thus spake Douglas E. Berry:

>>Is it indeed the case that I should expunge ring systems w/o little moons,
>>or should I just assume that either the moons are irrelevantly small, or
>>the ring sized crud is not in a ring if a moon is not present?
>
>Since the sheppard moons tend to be tiny, you can do anyone of four things:
>
>1> Assume the presence of the necessary sheppard moons.
>
>2> Add a size "S" moon in the next diameter orbit, or make note of it's
>presence in the same orbit as the ring.
>
>3> Consider the ring a recent phenonenon, which will disperse sometime in
>the next million years or so.
>
>4> Remove the ring.

According to the World Builder's Handbook, the minimum diameter of a size 
S world is 160 km. Most shepherd moons are going to be smaller than that, 
so I'd just assume the shepherd moons are present and just constitute the 
"biggest chunks" of ring material.

FYI, Using a diameter of 160 km as the lower limit for a size "S" world, 
and 800 the upper, in our solar system Jupiter has 2 (Amalthea and 
Himalia), Saturn has 5 (Janus, Mimas, Enceladus, Hyperion, and Phoebe), 
Uranus has 1 (Miranda), and Neptune 3 (Larissa, Proteus, and Nereid) with 
Galatea at a radius of 79 km just coming under the wire.

For the truly pedantic and retentive GM, may I suggest a new size digit, 
"P" for Planetesimal? This would encompass those natural satellites of 
diameter 8-160 km. That way, even Deimos and Phobos can get in on those 
navigation charts!

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

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 22:18:28 -0700 (MST)
From: Jerry Sanders <kalin@bambam.swlink.net>
Subject: Traveller Magazines 4 SALE

Hi. I've a few Traveller related magazines to sell. 
This WILL be a sale - NOT an auction.
All prices INCLUDE postage within US... 
 (Add $2 extra to total on orders outide of the US).
If you want something, email me and I will set it aside for you.
I've listed ONLY articles relating to Traveller.

Here is what I have:

MegaTraveller Journal #1 (DGP) Price: $15.00
 Circa: 1991, Pages: 56, Condition: Near Mint.
 Articles: 
  1. The Warden Enigma (Andrew Keith)
  2. A Concise History of the Rebellion
  3. Begineers' Luck: Guide to the Domain of Deneb
  4. Domain of Deneb Fold-out Map
  5. Worldguide: Enaaka (Andrew Keith)
  6. Deneb Dosiers Special: The Norris Interview (Marc Miller)
  7. Dressssed to Kill: An Intimate Look at Battle Dress
  8. DIS Newsbriefs

Far & Away #1 (PRPC) Price: $10.00
 Circa: 1990, Pages: 60, Condition: Mint.
 Articles: 
  1. Planetfall (Andrew Keith)
  2. The Complete Starport (Andrew Keith)
  3. Special delivery (William Keith)
  4. Eyes that See (fiction)

SpaceGamer #32 - Special Traveller Issue. (SJG) Price: $7.00
 Circa: 1980, Pages: 32, Condition: Excellent.
 Articles:
  1. Alternate Characters for Traveller
  2. Expanding Traveller
  3. Ithilien Class Scoutships
 
Voyages #7 (SP) Price: $7.00
 Circa: 1989, Pages: 27, Condition: Near Mint.
 Articles:
  1. Bird of Prey
  2. The Anatra Dora (star wars - deckplans easily convertible to Trav.)
  3. Carrier Asignment (adv. for Anatra Dora)
  4. Adventuring in the Shattered Imperium
 
Voyages #8 (SP) Price: $7.00
 Circa: 1989, Pages: 31, Condition: Near Mint.
 Articles: 
  1. Kfangu Classs Space Fighter (for use on the Anatra Dora)
  2. Cryogenic Surrender
  3. Hull Damage
  4. The ANCIENT Science of Shrinking
  5. Beyond the Looking Glass

Voyages #12 (SP) Price: $5.00
 Circa: 1990, Pages: 34, Condition: Excellent.
 Articles:
  1. MegaTraveller Stealth Craft
  2. Finders, Inc. (fiction)

Voyages #13 (sp) Price: $7.00
 Circa: 1990, Pages: 34, Condition: Near Mint.
 Articles:
  1. Exercise (fiction)
  2. Katlin C. Buchannon (with deckplans)
  3. Sanity In Space

Voyages #14 (SP) Price: $7.00
 Circa: 1990, Pages: 34, Condition: Near Mint.
 Articles:
  1. Solomani Space Fighters
  2. Corair Contention 

Voyage #17 (SP) Price: $7.00
 Circa: 1992, Pages: 34, Condition: Near Mint.
 Articles:
  1. Support Your Local Police


And lastly...a Traveller inspired book:

Tales o/t Concordat #3: Revolt & Rebirth (Jeff Sywcaffer) Price: $5.00
 Circa: 1988, Pages: 329, Condition: Near Mint.

- ----------------------------END---------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 17:01:11 +0000
From: aspqrz@curie.dialix.com.au
Subject: Re: Progress

> From: Brett Fishburne <bfish@atlantech.net>
> Subject: Re: Progress (was Re: FS Statistical impressions)
> 
> At 11:15 AM 6/3/97 -0400, Brett Fishburne wrote:
> >ACK!  Clearly I was educated by Jesuits...
> 
> Maybe I wasn't so wrong, please look below:
> 
> >At 11:38 PM 6/2/97 -0700, John R. Snead wrote:
> 
> <snip my Dark Ages reference>
> 
> >>If you are referring to Europe's "Dark Ages" you are entirely incorrect.
> >>Crop rotation, improved horse collars, windmills (borrowed from Central
> >>Asia) Stirrups (borrowed from Asia), Gunpowder (borrowed from Asia),
> >>mechanical clocks (the basic for modern gear technology) all were invented
> >>or brought into Europe from 500 AD-1300 AD.  In many ways, this era had a
> >>faster rate of technological progress than the Roman Empire. [1]
> 
> OK, you cite 3 inventions in 800 years.  I'll also give you the Heavy plow
> and use of horses instead of oxen.  The stuff borrowed doesn't count (it
> actually makes my point if that is stuff that brought Europe out of the Dark
> Ages) as in "The Long Night" there was no one to borrow from. 

OK, lets add a few --

Alcohol & Distillation, c. 1100 AD
Gothic Arch c. 1100 AD
Flying Buttress c. 12th Century AD
Cam c. 10th Century AD
Camera Obscura c. 1000 AD
Rooftop Chimney c. 1200 AD
Mechanical Clocks c. 1290 AD
Astronomical Clocks c. 1364 AD
Magnetic Compass c. 11th Century AD
Collars (on clothes) c. 1300 AD
Crossbow c. 10th Century AD
Fork c. 11th Century AD
Furnace (Catalan Forge) c. 700 AD
Stained Glass c. 12th Century AD
Crown Glass c. 14th Century AD
Hourglass "Medieval"
Cast Iron (using Water powered bellows) c. 14th Century AD
Jack c. 1250 AD
Wheel-driven Lathe c. 14th Century AD
Lenses & Spectacles c. 1280 AD
Treadle Loom "Middle Ages"
Musical Notation c. 800 AD
Coulterboard & Mouldboard, Wheeled Plough c. 10th Century AD
Keel c. 700 AD
Spinning Wheel c. 1300 AD
Tinplate c. 14th Century AD
Horizontal Axle Windmill c. 1180 AD

And that's just the obvious ones. It's generally unwise to make 
sweeping statements such as you have!

Of course, when you add in advances in the arts and scientific 
*theory* it gets even *less* "dark".

Phil
Phillip McGregor | aspqrz@curie.dialix.oz.au
Have Designer, Will Travel
(Co-Designer of Space Opera, Designer Rigger Black Book)

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

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 22:20:10 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: What type B starports can build!

In mail you write:

> Unless you contract DuFord Industrial, with its amazing (and fully
> equipped) portable shipyard to pop in a install one of their custom
> JumpTech 500 Jump Drives.
>
> Would that be possible - if you have the tools, the parts and the
> trained personnel then you should be able to install or fix anything
> anywhere that has the space and access.

Now that you mention it, such "floating drydocks" have to exist, just
to allow repair/salvage of ships that lose their jump drive at a C or
lower system.

I'd want to check the prices, but I suspect that either a "jump tug"
(much like a civilian version of a battlerider "core") or the jump
capable shipyard idea will be workable. Possibly *both* are workable at
some size ranges.

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

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 10:36:04 MET
From: "Volker A. Greimann" <GREI5001@uni-trier.de>
Subject: FS Atm Question

I just read in TD 18 that planets with insidious Atms could not be 
settled before 318 or so. Question to the people with the statistical 
programms: Are there any worlds with Atm C that are settled?
If so those worlds should be set to Pop, Gov, Law, TL = 0 !



Ad Astra,
V.A.G.       
- ------  Volker A. Greimann, also known as: Grei5001@uni-trier.de  ----
- -- Am Weidengraben 86,C6 - 54296 Trier - Germany - T+F: +49651148846 -
- ------- check out: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/4061 --------
- ---- Student of Law, Gamer, Illuminatus Primus, Slayer of Windows95 --

- -----  "Don't hold me up: I am just barely ahead of insanity!!!" -----

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 11:02:08 MET
From: "Volker A. Greimann" <GREI5001@uni-trier.de>
Subject: Re: Deneb and Corridor in Year 0

- -> >I think I disagree. I don't think the Vargr were a pushover, especially in
- -> >Corridor and the Coreward end of Deneb. Various CT and MT sources mention
- -> >the Vargr Pacification Campaigns which ran until the late 100s, early 200s
- -> >to ensure safe passage to the Marches. I can see a lot of the Imperial
- -> >fleet getting dragged behind the claw if the megacorporations started
- -> >screaming about raiders.
And don't forget: Corridor wasn't Corridor at first. In ther 
beginning it was called "Eneri" 

Ad Astra,
V.A.G.       
- ------  Volker A. Greimann, also known as: Grei5001@uni-trier.de  ----
- -- Am Weidengraben 86,C6 - 54296 Trier - Germany - T+F: +49651148846 -
- ------- check out: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/4061 --------
- ---- Student of Law, Gamer, Illuminatus Primus, Slayer of Windows95 --

- -----  "Don't hold me up: I am just barely ahead of insanity!!!" -----

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 01:50:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: "John R. Snead" <jsnead@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: The high tech offenders 

Bruce Johnson <johnson@Pharmacy.Arizona.EDU> wrote:

>Here is the complete list of worlds in the FS data that have a TL D or E. 
>Some are plausibly ruined sites, or research facilities, but there are a
>lot of them with huge numbers of people, and should be taken down a notch
>or two in TL level. I can see a few worlds at this level, but this is too
>many. A TL-E world in the CORE sector with 90 million people??? 

<snip>

I don't really have a problem with the TL D worlds.  In 1700+ years it
only makes sense that a few TL 11& 12 worlds would (after likely dropping
to TL 9 or 10) move up to 13.  I think it's naive to assume that the
Imperium won out due to higher technology alone.  They had better
organization, better planning, and they were actually trying to form an
empire and had been for hundreds of years (the Sylean Federation is
hundreds of years old).  As long as most of these TL D worlds are either
research bases or fairly isolated worlds with few designs for conquest or
expansion there is no problem.  Also, a number of these worlds may be
inhabited by non-humans whose technology is simply too odd or to difficult
to use to easily borrow. 

Also, the Syleans have Fusion+, and no one else does unless they buy it
from the Syleans.  This would make a major difference.  Everyone wants
Fusion+, since it is incredibly superior to batteries and fuel cells. The
Syleans have it and have too many ships for a single TL D world to safely
attack them.  End result: trade with the Syleans and join the new
Imperium. 

TL 14 does seem rather high for this era and those worlds should (IMHO) be
reduced to C or D (unless they are high tech ruins)


- -John Snead jsnead@netcom.com

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 10:47:21 MET
From: "Volker A. Greimann" <GREI5001@uni-trier.de>
Subject: Re: The high tech offenders of FS

- -> Here is the complete list of worlds in the FS data that have a TL D or E. 
- -> Some are plausibly ruined sites, or research facilities, but there are a
- -> lot of them with huge numbers of people, and should be taken down a notch
- -> or two in TL level. I can see a few worlds at this level, but this is too
- -> many. A TL-E world in the CORE sector with 90 million people??? 
My Canon sources (mostly TD)  also state on mentioning the Sylean 
Fed and beginning 3I that it was mostly it's technological edge over 
all surrounding empires and worlds enabled it to be as successful as 
it was. This leads me to conclude t hat there were (if there  were 
any) only very few higher TL worlds. I'd opt for none over TL C!

(examples snipped)
- -> So I did a little poking at my old DGP data too...here are the
- -> M0 values and corresponding M1100 values for many of the worlds
- -> (inexplicably I'm missing a few sectors of the data in the M1100 database)
Seemed to me that most of the worlds that in M:0 have high TL's had 
high TL's before as well, only that most of them also had a 
population. This strongly suggests, that the worlds with no pop 
should also be reduced to TL 0.
Ad Astra,
V.A.G.       
- ------  Volker A. Greimann, also known as: Grei5001@uni-trier.de  ----
- -- Am Weidengraben 86,C6 - 54296 Trier - Germany - T+F: +49651148846 -
- ------- check out: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/4061 --------
- ---- Student of Law, Gamer, Illuminatus Primus, Slayer of Windows95 --

- -----  "Don't hold me up: I am just barely ahead of insanity!!!" -----

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 02:08:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: "John R. Snead" <jsnead@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: FS Statistical impressions

Rupert Boleyn <gtrupert@iconz.co.nz> wrote:

>At 12:34 2/06/97 -0700, Bruce Johnson wrote:
>>
>>On Mon, 2 Jun 1997, Rupert Boleyn wrote:
>> 
>>> If that's the case, then how in all creation did the TL12 Sylean 
>>>Federation get to be the centre and prime mover in the new empire? One 
>>>High population TL14 system in the central region of the Empire(s) would 
>>>put an end to Sylea's Imperial ambitions real quick.
>>
>>Unless there was some compelling reason to join the Imperium...market
>>access, or perhaps they joined with the intentions of co-opting Cleon's
>>reign, maybe?
>>
>>Bruce Johnson

>My point was that it would be the Syleans joining the TL14 and its
>billions, not the other way round.

Why?  How about if the Imperium finds such a world around year 4.  OK,
well you now have a several sector wide Imperium meeting *1* world (with
maybe a few lower tech colonies).  The higher tech world joins the
Imperium, no the other way around.  The only problem arises if the higher
tech world has a large, expansionist, pocket empire.  (Also, I do agree
that TL E worlds in year 0 should be reduced to D, I see the TL D worlds
as much like the TL G worlds in 1117, a few exceptional worlds on the
absolute cutting edge of technology, TL E is too high for Year 0. 

Comments?


- -John Snead jsnead@netcom.com

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 10:32:32 +0100
From: Nick Munn <N.S.Munn@sheffield.ac.uk>
Subject: Data on Sylea / Capital

A plea for you canonists (and others):

I'm writing an adventure set on Sylea (which has the only UPP in T4 I 
don't want to change...) in M0.  If anyone has old Traveller's 
Digests or something which deal with Sylea, I'd be very interested 
in:

Brief outline of the solar system - moons, etc.
Number and extent of cities - are there country estates?
Anything on local legal customs

It would also be handy to know if no data exists on these things, 
since then I will use the details I've invented...

Thanks for your help,

Nick

Dr. Nick Munn, Dept. of Information Studies, University of Sheffield
Tel. (0)114 222 2673, email n.s.munn@sheffield.ac.uk

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 10:58:55 +0100
From: Timothy.Collinson@solent.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Trading Systems

Fred Kiesche asked:

>What system do you use for trading activities? Off of the top of my head
>I can think of:
>
>Classic Traveller system
>Book Eight: Merchant Prince system
>MegaTraveller System
>Traveller: TNE rules
>Rob Prior's home grown system on his web pages
>..any others?
I believe there was an article in Challenge 26 called Cargo: A Merchant
Prince Variant and there's, ah, wait, Pete's beaten me to it...

>Oh, and while we're on the subject, Jo Grant's 101 Cargos is simply a
>smashing supplement.  We had a shipment of "Grav Stabilized Stiletto
>Heeled Shoes" the other night that was the source of much jocularity.
...I have to agree - excellent supplement.

Don't forget it has tables for who is shipping what to whom and why and
wherefore etc.
Tables for creating a Standard Shipping Code as well as Universal Hazard
Profiles.

DO NOT think that JTAS 25 did justice to this supplement by publishing 100
of the cargoes!


Trivia quiz:  Wby was the US spelling of Cargos used for the UK BITS
publication and the UK spelling of Cargoes used in the US JTAS???   [I have
no idea]


tc
timothy.collinson@solent.ac.uk

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 97 05:54:43 -0400
From: FKiesche@concentric.net
Subject: Strange Weapons for Starships...

Greetings All:

I'm setting up a campaign and I'd like to something offbeat for the ship 
the PCs will be using. I want to start them off with some capabilities, 
but not a perfect ship...one that needs maintenance and upgrading.

One thought was to give them a ship that has multi-jump capability, but 
is under a severe need for repairs so that it is limited to J1 (something 
like the one "push" used in The Traveller Adventure to limit the PCs to a 
certain route).

Another thought was to weapons capability. I thought of giving them some 
decent defensive capability (sandcasters and the like), but very limited 
offensive capability...my memory went back to...

Triplanetary, First (1973) Edition

Didn't this version have ships equipped with .50 caliber machine guns? 
Now I don't pretend to be a Traveller Gearhead (I leave that to other 
members of the TML group), but this might be a interesting (and for the 
players frustrating...think of the attempts to get ammo!) way of gunning 
the ship...until they can make enough money to buy a "real" weapon like a 
laser!

So, the question is: Do any of the ship experts on the list have any 
thoughts along these lines to help out a non-Gearhead? Would machine guns 
be worthwhile at all as a weapon (even in scaring off Evil Pirates 
because you are shooting the heck out of their antennas, etc.)? Any 
chance at all of penetrating windows, areas, screwing up engine nozzles, 
etc.., etc., etc.?

Any help at all would be appreciated (and credited...want to be the NPC 
that sells this ship to my PC group?)



Frederick Paul Kiesche III
(FKiesche@concentric.net)
(Traveller since 1977!)

"For two weeks,then, preparations can be made...The characters should be 
heavily involved in such planning...after all, their safety will depend 
on the precision and coordination of the attacks they launch."

- --The Traveller Adventure, GDW, 1983

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

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 15:02:58 +0400
From: Andy Long <andyl@icluae.co.ae>
Subject: RE: Trading Systems

>>>>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Peter  H. Brenton [SMTP:pete@cummings.uchicago.edu]
> Sent:	Tuesday, June 03, 1997 10:22 PM
> [andy long]  <Snip>
>  Oh, and while we're on the subject, Jo Grant's 101 Cargos is simply a
> smashing supplement.  We had a shipment of "Grav Stabilized Stiletto
> Heeled Shoes" the other night that was the source of much jocularity.
> 
> 
> Pete
> 
> [andy long]  <<<<
> 
> Is this a commercial piece, or can I find it somewhere?
> 
> Andy
> ================================================================
> smtp Email:		andyl@icluae.co.ae OR
> 			andylong@x400.icl.co.uk OR
> 			A.G.Long@abu0101.wins.icl.co.uk OR
> 			andylong@emirates.net.ae
> x400 Email:		c=ae;a=emdan;p=icl;ou1=abu0101;
> 			s=Long;i=AG;
> 			o=International Computers Ltd;
> A.G. Long, c/o ICL	Phone:	+971 (2) 335200/338066
> PO Box 7237		Fax:	+971 (2) 338724
> Abu Dhabi
> United Arab Emirates
> ================================================================
> 
>  

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

End of Traveller-digest V1997 #1402
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