Traveller-digest       Monday, August 2 1999       Volume 1999 : Number 913



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

World Builder Deluxe Answers
Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....
Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....
Re: Icelandic Babelfish?
Re: World Builder Deluxe V5.0
Test
Re: Spacecraft Combat ratings questions 
Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....
RE: Xenology 101
Re: Book Reviews Requested
Re: Yet more filk
Re: Test
Re: Book Reviews Requested
Re: Xenology 101
Re: Book Reviews Requested
Re: Yet more filk
Millenial Project
RE: Spacecreaft Combat ratings questions
Re: Spacecreaft Combat ratings questions
Re: FW: Average Density of Cargo?
Re: Book Reviews Requested
Re: Book Reviews Requested
Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....
Re: Book Reviews Requested
Re: Book Reviews Requested

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 17:27:45 +0100
From: "Stuart Ferris" <stuart.ferris@virgin.net>
Subject: World Builder Deluxe Answers

Okay, I am actually on holiday and had hoped for a week away from WBD, but
here is a few answers to some of the queries that have been raised:-

Brian Howard wrote:-

>O.K. I switched on the mapping function, but where is the map of the
system?

Jens Maskus:-

>I'm not able to create system maps!

I assume your trying to generate system maps for single worlds. The system
mapping function only works when a system is generated (Kinda makes sense?)
The system map can be viewed by selecting the 'View' menuitem or by opening
the GIF file in the System folder once the system has been generated.

SD Mooney wrote:-

>World builder deluxe is really good, but I must be missing something for it
>insists that every main world UPP I enter belongs to a satellite of a gas
>giant, even though I specify that the world is not a moon.
>Perhaps the program could also accept a name for the world being done?

WBD uses MT system generation rules. If a gas giant is present in the
habitable zone of a system then the mainworld becomes a satellite of that
gas giant. I was quite surprised myself to find out just how frequently this
happened.

Tony Randall wrote:-

>I keep running into a file path error when I'm switching between generating
>one world and generating a whole system (or vice versa).  It will unstick
>after a while, but I don't know what I've done to make it disappear.

The problem is that WBD is trying to create a World/System folder which
already exists. The best way to resolve this is if you are going to
duplicate the generation of a World or System rename the previous files.

>What I'd like to see is a "now that I've got a nice world, generate a
system
>that this fits into" and "now that I've got this nice system, show me all
the
>separate worlds stats".  It looks like you should be able to save one and
>generate the other from it, but I'm evidently not doing it right.

The System Generation routines only accept input from a WBS file. The only
way to actually input unique data would be to create its own WBS file. I
will probably introduce input of UWP data for System Generation in a later
version.

Hope this explains everything.

Stuart Ferris
stuart.ferris@virgin.net
http://freespace.virgin.net/stuart.ferris/index.htm

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 17:28:57 +0100
From: Phil Kitching <postmark.design@btinternet.com>
Subject: Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....

At 08:56 02/08/1999 -0700, Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com> wrote:

<snip>
 
>> So assuming *no* absoroption, you've delivered 3-6 Mj. For reference, a
>> "kilo of TNT" is 4.2 Mj. 
>
> No, for starters he's delivered 300-600 MJ (100 MW * 3-6 seconds),
> equivalent to maybe 100 kilos of high explosive.  However, he isn't
> delivering the energy fast enough for explosive vaporization (unless
> he happens to hit a coolant tank) so the damage is even less efficient
> than a comparable amount of high explosive.

I've always assumed that the laser "beam" was actually a pulse only a few
nanoseconds long, fired every couple of seconds.

(You don't need a high ROF due to the see it, hit it principle.)

Otherwise you'd have problems trying to keep the laser focussed on the same
point on the target.

Phil Kitching
- --
  http://www.btinternet.com/~salvo/
  Postmark Design Bureau, Emerging Technologies Division.
 "Microwaving half-baked ideas from across the Galaxy"

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 09:50:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com>
Subject: Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....

Phil Kitching writes:
>> 
> I've always assumed that the laser "beam" was actually a pulse only a few
> nanoseconds long, fired every couple of seconds.

Doesn't need to be that short, and probably extremely difficult to make it that sort.  I'd guess at around a millisecond for most designs.

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 12:56:30 -0400
From: "Paul Schirf" <Paul@Schirf.com>
Subject: Re: Icelandic Babelfish?

The Icelandic Babelfish give us:

http://www.perkworks.com/traveller/Goodyear.html
Gur r af Verslun Class
1000 Ton Swordworlder Frontier Merchant (Erlendur Markaur)

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 10:01:22 -0700
From: "Legate Legion" <legate@futureone.com>
Subject: Re: World Builder Deluxe V5.0

From: Jens Maskus <1141-504@onlinehome.de>
Subject: Re: World Builder Deluxe V5.0

>>5) System Maps may be generated.
>
>I'm not able to create system maps!


    I have, but it wipped out all the other data.

Legate Legion
ICQ # 8973001
legate@futureone.com

"A man may fight for many things; his country, his principles, his friends,
the glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child. But personally, I'd
mudwrestle my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock, and a stack of
French porn." - Edmund Blackadder

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 99 17:42:12 +0000
From: igor@truserve.com
Subject: Test

Sorry for this...but my posts don't seem to be making this, so I'm testing if anyone 
sees this...

Andy

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 18:31:50 +0100
From: "Nick Bradbeer" <nickb@ndirect.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Spacecraft Combat ratings questions 

>> A Billion credits doesn't buy many SDBs.  You would only get about 2-4 of
>> them, I suspect.  Anything cheaper wouldn't be able to fight.
>
>Supplement 9 says they're about 254.5 MCr each at TL15.  Obviously, a
>customised design would let you build 5 for 1 billion.


For the TNE 2 cents, the TL-12 Shukugan SDB (the 400-tonne one with 2 laser
turrets and 2 missile turrets) costs in at 166.59 MCr. That's almost exactly
six for a billion. (A spare 60,000 credits...about a tank of fuel.)

Gosh, it's almost as if there was a game about Billion Credit Squadrons....

NB

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 18:38:33 +0100
From: "Nick Bradbeer" <nickb@ndirect.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....

>I've always assumed that the laser "beam" was actually a pulse only a few
>nanoseconds long, fired every couple of seconds.
>
>(You don't need a high ROF due to the see it, hit it principle.)


True. The problem is that as you shorten the firing time you dramatically
increase the power you're putting out, which strains the design of certain
parts of the laser. Chemical lasers need to up the combustion rate (which is
quite tricky to do without dramatic increases in combustor/collector size).
Flashgun lasers can pull that kind of firing time off, but they're a lot
harder to build big. And whatever type of generation system you use, the
high power requires you to get clever with the optics, otherwise you
heat/melt/generally break stuff. MIRACL, the USA's satellite-whacking laser
uses ten mid-IR lasers on different bands firing out of the same hole to
help offset this, but there's a limit to how clever ou can get there before
the different wavelength beams start to behave differently.

Nick
- --
Engineer in this universe,
Gearhead in the others.

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 13:47:08 -0400
From: Thad Coons <Sapience@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: Xenology 101

Robert O'Connor wrote:

>* Ecosystems and the Koppen classification system.
>(examples kindly provided by Leonard Erickson)
>An ecosystem can be defined as a 'spatially explicit unit that 
>includes all of the organisms, along with all components of the 
>abiotic environment within its boundaries'.
>    A synonymous term for ecosystem is biome.

>Variation in temperature (available energy) and precipitation
>ranges (nutrient flows) are the most important determinants of
>what types of biome will appear.
>One descriptive system used in geography is the Koppen
>classification based on temperature and rainfall.

This looks a lot like something I posted about 6-8 months ago,
which I adapted from a graph published in Encyclopedia Brittanica
("Biosphere" article). The Temperature/Rainfall categories with
associated biomes are as I gave them. I had simpler definitions
of the conditions, though.

Mean annual Temperature (degrees C)
 Below -15 Polar
 -15 to -5  Arctic-Alpine
  -5 to  5  Cold Temperate
   5 to 15  Warm Temperate
  15 to 25  Subtropical
  25 to 35  tropical
  35 to 45  Supertropical
  Above 45

Mean annual Precipitation (cm)
   50 or below  Arid
   50 to 100    Dry
  100 to 200    Moderate
  200 to 300    Humid
  300 to 400    Wet
  400 to 500    Very wet
  Above 500     Drenched
  Any           Wet Soil (Discontinuous or seasonal areas of 
                shallow water)

  I should note that these assume a standard atmosphere.
The maximum possible humidity of the atmosphere is determined by
the vapor pressure of water; and the vapor pressure of water
rises with temperature. In practical terms, cold air can contain
less water vapor, and cold climates are inevitably drier (above
the ground, that is) than warmer ones can get. Warmer climates
aren't necessarily wetter: there's just more room for the
humidity to vary.
  The boiling point of water is the temperature where the vapor
pressure of water equals the atmospheric pressure: Water vapor at
greater than atmospheric pressure has a temperature above the
boiling point, requires a container, and is called superheated
steam.
   Thin atmosphere worlds have a lower boiling point and a lower
range of possible humidities and thus precipitation, so they will
be limited to, perhaps, the bottom half or 2/3rds of the tables.
Dense atmosphere worlds have a higher boiling point for water,
and a wider range of possible humidities and rainfall.
  Since this behavior is typical of liquids and gases in general,
not just water and water vapor, beware of published information
on freezing and boiling points: these usually assume a certain
standard atmospheric pressure.
  The range of conditions is the approximate livable range for
humans (unaltered Solomani, anyway) without artificial assistance
such as environmental suits and heated or cooled shelters.
   The correspondence between temperature/humidity categories is
not one-to-one. One temperature/humidity category may have
several possible ecosystems associated with it, and one ecosystem
may fit several temperature/humidity categories; and neigboring
communities tend to grade into one another.  The variability is
accounted for by different soil types, distributions of
temperature and rainfall, and the biological history of the
region.

Descriptions of Terrestrial Ecosystems

1. Barrens               Bare rock or sand (Ice, in cold areas). 
                         No visible life.
2. Arctic-Alpine desert: Scattered lichens on rock or ice
3. Tundra:               Lichens, mosses, grasses, some shrubs
4. Semidesert scrub:     Small shrubs and grasses (widely
                         scattered in more arid regions)
5. Temperate shrub:      Diverse shrub community; like stunted
                         forest
6. Taiga                 Evergreen needle-leafed forest.
7. Elfin woodland:       Dense evergreen thickets, heavy lichen
                         and moss growth
8. Warm Temperate Desert Small leaved or Spiny shrubs (e.g
                         Cactus)
9. Temperate Grassland   Plains, prairies, Pampas
10.Temperate woodland    Small trees in open spacing, much
                         undergrowth
11.Temperate Forest      Evergreen or deciduous
12.Temperate rain forest Giant trees or smaller evergreens in wet
                         temperate climates
13. Tropical desert      Sparse grasses.
14. Thorn scrub          Dense communities of spiny shubs and
                         small trees
15. Savanna              Tropical grassland, scattered trees
16. Thorn forest         Larger spiny trees
17. Tropical seasonal forest 
                         Monsoon forest, with wet/dry rather than
                         warm / cold cycles
18. Tropical rain forest
                         Large forests, many species, unrooted
                         plants supported on trees, vines

Wet-soil communities
19. Bog                  Cold climates. peat. Frozen much of the
                         year.
20. Marsh                Principally grasses and shrubs, few
                         trees.
21. Temperate swamp forest    Freshwater (e.g. Everglades) 
22. Tropical swamp forest     Freshwater
23. Mangrove swamps      Salt tolerant swamp forest 
 

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 10:51:23 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

First In is essentially a combination of Book 6 (The Scouts sourcebook)
and WBH. Of course the completist in me says to get both ;-) but given a
choice I'd recommend First In.

Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella wrote:
> 
> I was looking through the web catalogs for what I might buy next, and T4
> Central Supply Catalog really caught my eye. So did the Alien Archive,
> regardless of its Newt infestation. I am, as previously noted, highly CT
> oriented, but open-minded too (I hope ;) ), and was wondering if any one had
> any strong opinions here. Additionally, when T5 comes out, what books out
> now are likely to not be covered in that material and/or highly compliments
> it? I like what I here about T5, so I'll be avoiding core rule stuff till
> then as I have enough CT to get by there. Still debating between World
> Builders Handbook and First In, opinions there?
- -- 
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 10:52:58 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
Subject: Re: Yet more filk

Douglas E. Berry wrote:
> 
> Since my last attempts weren't greeted with death threats, allow me to
> inflict this one on you:
> 
>        The Traveller Saga
>    Douglas and Kirsten Berry
> (music: American Pie, by Don McLean)

<snif>

wipes eyes

Wow, that's _good_! 

- -- 
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 19:02:13 +0100
From: "Nick Bradbeer" <nickb@ndirect.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Test

>Sorry for this...but my posts don't seem to be making this, so I'm testing
if anyone
>sees this...


You're alive.

NB

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 11:37:19 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

> I like Central Supply Catalog and Aliens Archive because they fill a gap in
> my Traveller collection ;)
>
> I haven't seen First In, but I am very happy with World Builders Handbook.
>
I haven't seen either, I have a three mile driveway and live over an hours
drive from the nearest hobby store. Despite the name, does the WBH cover
system generation too? First In seems to cover orbital dynamics, steller
types, etc., all things I would like. But maybe WBH does too?
BZA
////////////////////////////////////////
Akella 0609 C654474-6 S kk+ hi++ as+ va+ dr+ da+ so@ zh- vi+  A523
IMTU tc++ ?t4 ru@ 3i+(-) c+ jt au@ st- ls+ pi+ ta@ he+

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 15:09:48 -0400
From: "Jory Earl" <j-man@iname.com>
Subject: Re: Xenology 101

This thread is providing EXCELLENT information.  Please continue!
___________________________________________________________
 J-Man
 ICQ# 2843475
 New Hampshire - U.S.A.
 Email : j-man@iname.com
 Home Page : http://www.geocities.com/~jman037/
___________________________________________________________

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 12:27:02 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella wrote:
> 

> I haven't seen either, I have a three mile driveway and live over an hours
> drive from the nearest hobby store. Despite the name, does the WBH cover
> system generation too? First In seems to cover orbital dynamics, steller
> types, etc., all things I would like. But maybe WBH does too?

Yes, WBH does cover that. But...there's a big caveat....it's likely that
when you make that hours journey, your nearest hobby store _will_ have
First In. World Builders Handbook is long out of print.

- -- 
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 21:19:10 +0200
From: Volker Greimann <volker@greimann.de>
Subject: Re: Yet more filk

At 10:52 02.08.99 -0700, you wrote:

>>        The Traveller Saga
>>    Douglas and Kirsten Berry
>> (music: American Pie, by Don McLean)
Excellent work (wiping tear from eye),
I was touched!

Volker
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Volker A. Greimann --- http://www.greimann.de --- volker@greimann.de

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 21:24:15 +0200
From: Volker Greimann <volker@greimann.de>
Subject: Millenial Project

Hi all,
some while ago, someone on this list recommended the book
"The Millenial Project" by Marshall T Savage. I forgot who, though.

Anyway I ordered the book, received it last week and all I can say is "wow"!
It describes a possible (?) way for humanity to go about seeding the stars
and 
fulfilling its destiny.

Having come a quarter of he way (through the book) now, I started to wonder
what parts 
have been proven wrong, if the Millenial Foundation still exists and how
far they have come
till now. I distantly remember someone said he was a member, so maybe you
could enlighten us?

Thanks, 
Volker
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Volker A. Greimann --- http://www.greimann.de --- volker@greimann.de

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 16:32:08 -0400
From: Thad Coons <Sapience@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: Spacecreaft Combat ratings questions

Alan Bradley wrote:
Subject: RE: Spacecraft Combat ratings questions

>A Billion credits doesn't buy many SDBs.  You would only get
>about 2-4 of them, I suspect.  Anything cheaper wouldn't be able
>to fight.  

>I suggest your fudge factor should be about 10 billion.  That
>would match the 1/100 of a PE ATT/DEF point figure too.

>ISTR some figure in Invasion Earth, or somewhere like that,
>quoting SDB wings as being around 50 SDBs.  The 10 billion
>figure would give you something in that order of magnitude.

  Hmm. A tortuous chain of reasoning gave me an estimated average
of 1 "major" combatant (over 1000 dtons), and 3 "minor"
combatants (under 1000 dtons) per squadron. IS says a
billion credits buys a "small" squadron of 100-300 dton ships or
maybe one battle cruiser, which fits roughly with your 2-4 ships,
and with the thousands of SDB squadrons allowed for a high
population world. I haven't designed or even used any SDBs, so I
don't know. I'm not familiar with Air force structure: How many
craft are typically in a squadron, and how many squadrons in a
wing?
   Using the conversion of 5000 MCr per RU, and 200 RU at TL-11,
1 PE point is 1 million MCr. 1/100 of this is 10 billion credits,
as you observe. 
  The last time I worked out conversions between PE and IS
military forces, I looked at starships and got the same kind of
discrepancy. If I converted directly from PE costs to MCr, I got
10 times the forces that IS gave for the planet I was working on.
My intuition screamed that IS was about right, and PE was giving
me 10 times what I wanted. I decided to assume that only 10% of
PE's RU costs for adding fleet capacity is the construction price
of the ship. The rest goes into parts, supplies, munitions,
salaries of crew and support personnel, recruitment and training,
support craft, base capacity, and other military overhead
required to support the new unit. IS costs include none of these.
   The grumbling and headscratching had something to do with the
breeze generated by all the handwaving I did. I'm more
comfortable with the 1 Billion credit per SDB squadron fudge
factor, but 2 billion works just as well if not better.
 

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 22:05:27 +0100
From: "Nick Bradbeer" <nickb@ndirect.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Spacecreaft Combat ratings questions

>   The grumbling and headscratching had something to do with the
>breeze generated by all the handwaving I did. I'm more
>comfortable with the 1 Billion credit per SDB squadron fudge
>factor, but 2 billion works just as well if not better.


I'd go for the 2 billion. Four 400dt SDBs are almost worthless as a fighting
unit. Even with half as many squadrons, eight is a decent sized unit, able
to engage most opponents if using the right tactics. Or at least, that's my
view.

Nick

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 16:51:30 -0400
From: "David J. Golden" <goldendj@pcisys.net>
Subject: Re: FW: Average Density of Cargo?

I wrote:
>	I've always assumed balance taken into account in loading the
>starship, and that you could (and did) compensate in flight by
>shifting fuel around between different tanks. In fact, that's one of
>my "stock" malfunctions: something goes wrong with the automatic
>balancing system; all piloting tasks are +1 difficulty (trying to
>compensate). More of an annoyance than a life-threatener.

And you replied:
>I don't know it could be a life threatener on vessels without contra
grav or
>inertial compensation such as TL9 merchants. Or even at later TLs
where
>compensation may be inadequate.

	True. However, I usually didn't assert the most severe form of any
malfunction unless the engineer had rolled a crit fail for
maintenance or repair tasks. IMTU, for TL15 ships shifting fuel was
only part of the mass properties balance; 
- -- ------------------------------------------------------------ --
   Dave Golden                  http://www.pcisys.net/~goldendj 

   Fight Spam! Join CAUCE! == http://www.cauce.org/

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 14:15:12 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

> Yes, WBH does cover that. But...there's a big caveat....it's likely that
> when you make that hours journey, your nearest hobby store _will_ have
> First In. World Builders Handbook is long out of print.

Good point, I was figuring I'd have to find it on e-Bay or something, plus I
know of one store nearby (to my perspective ;) ) that often has out of print
stock. Is it rare though? The only concern I have with First In is how
GURPsafied it might be. I have *no* GURPs material, and don't like the
system much, however I really want better steller system construction
guidelines as I know squat in that area. I am competent in biology, so it is
more the orbital dynamics stuff I am looking for than the Xenobiology. And
the Xenobiology 101 thread has been wonderful. I do often twiddle with
rules, and that is what I liked about CT. So if the GURPs is not, gee, how
do I say this? Filled with proprietary jargon? Would I find obscure acronyms
that are system specific alot? Or is the book fairly stand-alone in nature?
I have currently been fiddling with Renegade Legionaire's orbital dynamics
rules, but the are very, um, skeletal. The wording is unclear on min/max
distances of orbital zones, motion mechanics seem a little arbitrary, etc.

Thanks!

BZA
////////////////////////////////////////
Akella 0609 C654474-6 S kk+ hi++ as+ va+ dr+ da+ so@ zh- vi+  A523
IMTU tc++ ?t4 ru@ 3i+(-) c+ jt au@ st- ls+ pi+ ta@ he+

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 14:36:12 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella wrote:
> 
>The only concern I have with First In is how
> GURPsafied it might be. I have *no* GURPs material, and don't like the
> system much, however I really want better steller system construction
> guidelines as I know squat in that area. I am competent in biology, so it is
> more the orbital dynamics stuff I am looking for than the Xenobiology. And
> the Xenobiology 101 thread has been wonderful. I do often twiddle with
> rules, and that is what I liked about CT. So if the GURPs is not, gee, how
> do I say this? Filled with proprietary jargon? Would I find obscure acronyms
> that are system specific alot? Or is the book fairly stand-alone in nature?

Oh, it's quite stand-alone. Basically, the ship specificaions are in
GURPS terms, but quite easily converted to CT, the player chargen stuff
is, obviously, GURPS, but the rest is easily used in just about any
game. The only thing is that since GURPS uses American uniits, so does
this book, meaning a fair bit of metric conversions.

- -- 
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 19:55:16 +0100
From: Phil Kitching <postmark.design@btinternet.com>
Subject: Re: Ground To Space Laser Fire....

On 02 Aug, Nick Bradbeer <nickb@ndirect.co.uk> wrote:
> >I've always assumed that the laser "beam" was actually a pulse only a few
> >nanoseconds long, fired every couple of seconds.
> >
> >(You don't need a high ROF due to the see it, hit it principle.)


> True. The problem is that as you shorten the firing time you
> dramatically increase the power you're putting out...

<snip reasons why my idea doesn't work>

Ok, so lots of very short pulses or fewer longer ones, but I still
reckon that just turning the laser on for 3 seconds won't work
against the sort of armour and radiator tech that Trav uses (although
even this should make the Hubble very unhappy).

Hmmm, do I detect a basis for the 50MW*TL limit for lasers handwave in T4?

Phil Kitching

- -- 
Postmark Design Bureau, Emerging Technology Division
"Microwaving half-baked ideas from across the galaxy."
http://www.btinternet.com/~salvo/traveller/deckplans/

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

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 15:09:55 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

> Oh, it's quite stand-alone. Basically, the ship specificaions are in
> GURPS terms, but quite easily converted to CT,

I don't even really like all of CT/HG ship design (ducking), but I like
looking at pictures, and deckplans are somewhat universal.

> the player chargen stuff
> is, obviously, GURPS,

Same as above, I am very free-form in chargen.

> but the rest is easily used in just about any
> game. The only thing is that since GURPS uses American uniits, so does
> this book, meaning a fair bit of metric conversions.

Well, I guess I can stand American units, however, do they use miles for
steller scale measurements like orbital zones, etc.?  Or do they use light
secs, mins, AUs etc.? Speaking of which, is there any unit of measurement
that is *not* Sol-centric? As I understand, even parsecs are calculated by
Terra's orbit, right? Just curious...
BZA
////////////////////////////////////////
Akella 0609 C654474-6 S kk+ hi++ as+ va+ dr+ da+ so@ zh- vi+  A523
IMTU tc++ ?t4 ru@ 3i+(-) c+ jt au@ st- ls+ pi+ ta@ he+

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

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 22:51:03 +0100
From: Mark Watson <markw@antares.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Book Reviews Requested

On Mon, 02 Aug 1999, you wrote:
>
>Good point, I was figuring I'd have to find it on e-Bay or something, plus I
>know of one store nearby (to my perspective ;) ) that often has out of print
>stock. Is it rare though? 
Fairly rare, but there's other stuff that's rarer still. You'll see it on ebay
every few weeks or so.

>The only concern I have with First In is how
>GURPsafied it might be. 
Character generation/skills stuff for Scouts is GURPS
Vehicle & starship stats is GURPS
Starport classes and tech levels are GURPS (this is the area where I really
think they ought to include CT stats as well)

One of the other downsides to the GURPS material in general is that they don't
follow the Miller/Fugate rules of including all the tables/formulae on a couple
of pages so that you can follow the process without the verbiage, once you've
read the book.

Whatever, the world/system generation stuff compares fairly well to WBH. I
prefer WBH but there is some nice stuff in First In and I'd definitely
recommend it. The generated system data can be used independently of GURPS -
only the starport classes and tech levels need conversion.

Some examples of stuff in First In that wasn't in WBH:
- - stellar age
- - settlement history (similar tables can however be found in Pocket Empires)
- - weather (some rules could however be found in Grand Survey)
Also note that the extra level of detail in WBH often has the effect of making
most of your "garden worlds" (by UPP) less attractive by introducing
temperature extremes - First In is more relaxed and in that respect at least
it's more true to Traveller.

Couple of things I noticed when I was going through First In in some detail
last night:
- - you can only generate class III, class V or class D primaries. Several of the
planetary systems. Admittedly a) they're all single planets and may
conceivably be brown dwarfs and b) if they are planets they're all Jovian gas
giants. Whatever I'm no astrophysicist and I'd like to know how class IV stars
are so easily discarded.
- - the settlement tables make it quite difficult for a planet to have been
settled in the First Imperium. Was the First Imperium so sparse?

- --
Mark Watson, markw@antares.demon.co.uk

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #913
**********************************

To unsubscribe to Traveller-Digest, send the command:

unsubscribe traveller-digest

in the body of a message to "traveller-request@lists.imagiconline.com".
If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is
coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that
address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe
"local-traveller":

subscribe traveller-digest local-traveller@your.domain.net

A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to
subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "traveller-digest"
in the commands above with "traveller".

Multi-Player Games Network http://www.mpgn.com
