Traveller-digest     Wednesday, August 11 1999     Volume 1999 : Number 941



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: PRB 
Re Berkeley [ot]
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #932
Re Radios
[none]
FW: First In 
FW: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)
TNE Aslan Governments
Re: Berkeley (fellow) Travelers
Re: Geonee & Vilani
Another Newbie
Re: PRB
Re: Explain to me how radios work
Comment on GT Stuff?
Re: Another Newbie
Re: [TML] A New Traveller.
Re: <no comment>
Re: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)
Re: <no comment>
Re: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 04:20:33 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: PRB 

> > > ObTrav: Any standard fast-food restaurants in your Traveller universe? My
> > > preferred characters' dining spot is Arg's Groat Burger, a Vargr-owned and
> > 
> > Well, my Traveller universe now has Arg's Groat Burger.  Thanks!
> 
> As a native St. Louisan, I always figured that White Castle would
> eventually become an interstellar franchise.  Gotta _love_ those Whitey
> One-Bites!  (Except for those maladjusted beings who _hate_ "sliders"
> with an equal passion....)

'Sliders' were my fave 'road food' on those winter trips between Salt Lake 
City and Laramie, Wyoming.  While you *CAN* find them in Cleveland (just off 
of the W 117th Street exit on I-90), it seems that Toledo has *yet* to be 
properly civilised.

On the plus side, there's a ****pile of drive-through Chinese restaurants 
here in Toledo, which Cleveland sadly lacks.  My favorite dtC?  Magic Wok, of 
course.
 
> For those of you from the Deep South, imagine Krystalburgers, but with
> dill pickles in lieu of mustard.  (%#&*!^@ barbarians down here....)

What's wrong with mustard?

Keven

- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 04:41:38 -0400 (EDT)
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net>
Subject: Re Berkeley [ot]

Three historical phenomena of note arose from Berkely:
	LSD
	UNIX
	Student Riots
you be the judge....

(sorry, couldn't resist this most standard historical joke about Berkely...)

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 18:35:55 +1100
From: Ian or Katts <ianw@orac.net.au>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #932

>From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
>Subject: Re: PRB 
>
>> Kiri Aradia Morgan wrote:
>> 
>> > You guys don't get over to Berkeley that often, or you'd know there's
very
>> > little about Berkeley that's "Free".  I've yet to eat lunch there for
under
>> > eight dollars.
>> 
>> Gotta finance the Revolution somehow, Comrade! Might as well soak the
>> capitalists ;-)
>
>But do they *HAVE* to use my tax dollars to finance their hobby???  <grin,
duck, & run>

No, thats the United States Navy you are thinking of, with it's
prediliction for very big, very expensive nuclear submarines and very big
very expensive aircraft carriers.

Ian Whitchurch

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 04:59:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net>
Subject: Re Radios

>>    ALso remember that if the planet has no atmosphere, then radio becomes a
>>line of sight communication device.   Hills and other obstructions will
>>block
>>radio signals and there is no atmospheric effect to bounce the signal around
>
>Surface wave? Or does this require an atmosphere?

All radio is *technically* line of sight. Some important bits:

1) certain bands of radio bounce off of the upper atmosphere, giving a
"Bounceback Circle" based upon clear LOS to the atmospheric layer at which
they bounce and the resultant angle of bounce. Not always circular (due to
local LOS problems), and sometimes has holes... AM and Ham both tend to
have some bounceback.

2) Certain frequencies bounce off of the surface (generally), espacially
HAM frequencies and shortwave.

3) Many modern constuction materials are merely translucent to radio
frequencies, not transparent...

4) some frequencies are abosorbed by some surfaces, and not by others.

5) all transmissions produce "Harmonics"... recievers tuned to 1/4th, 1/2,
1/8th, etc, the transmission pick up a fraction of the signal proportionate
to the harmonic fraction.

6) All a radio is is "vibration in a metal object" being turned into data
carriers, sound, &/or video. Strong enough signals create physical
vibrations; weaker ones merely electric energy.

Combine 2&1, and a cooperative atmosphere, and you get people in south
america picking up BBC from london on the Shortwave.

combine all four (and a few others) and you find out why people too close
to certain stations who broadcast from atop a skyscraper can't pick it up,
but people just a little further pick it up on their beds... and the whole
state can pick it up on their radios. (The building blocks the LOS when you
get close enough... metal building frames block much RF. A strong enough
signal on a harmonic frequency to a metal object at the correct angles will
vibrate.... AM is easy to pick up this way. AM bounces back down, and
sometimes bounces up again. Hand radios are far more sensitive than
bedsprings... by several orders of magnitude.)

William F. Hostman  |  "Smith & Wesson: THe original Point and Click
interface!"
Aramis 0602 C55A364-C S kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge-
533
Mailto:aramis@gci.net http://home.gci.net/~aramis http://www.alaska.net/~mhaa
ICQ:14640742          AIM:AKAramis	ARM 1.0: 3 R H++ P+
IMTU 1.0: tc tm++ tn- t4-- tt+ to- tg-- ru+ ge 3i+ c+ jt-() au+ st- ls
pi+() ta+ he+(-) kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge- pi+

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 04:59:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net>
Subject: [none]

>>I use Att/3:
[snip]
>
>And you don't vary the Task Difficulty numbers? (ie 3, 7, 11, 15, 19)

I increase them by 1 (now), and have added "Stagering" difficulty between
"Formidable" and "Nigh Impossible", and upped the DM limit to +12. So diffs
are:
4,8,12,16,20,24. Note that Nigh Impossible (I used to call it "Ridiculous"
before T4) needs MAX DM's and a max die roll to succeed.

William F. Hostman  |  "Smith & Wesson: THe original Point and Click
interface!"
Aramis 0602 C55A364-C S kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge-
533
Mailto:aramis@gci.net http://home.gci.net/~aramis http://www.alaska.net/~mhaa
ICQ:14640742          AIM:AKAramis	ARM 1.0: 3 R H++ P+
IMTU 1.0: tc tm++ tn- t4-- tt+ to- tg-- ru+ ge 3i+ c+ jt-() au+ st- ls
pi+() ta+ he+(-) kk+ as+ hi+ dr+ va++(--) so+ zh++ vi+ da++ sy- ge- pi+

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:22:45 +0800
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: FW: First In 

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
[mailto:owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com] On Behalf Of Keven R.
Pittsinger
Sent: Wednesday, 11 August 1999 10:09
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
Subject: Re: First In


> >Sounds like a Heretic in the making to me!!
> >
> I have been called this before.
>
> >Canon? Hell I use Vulcans myself!
> >
> I just wonder what the first contact scenario for Aslan and Kzinti would
be
> like...

Duelling hairballs?

Perhaps the Hani could referee with some Kif linesmen (lineskif)
AF

Keven

- --
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --
                                                     Science-Fiction
Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:22:32 +0800
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: FW: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
[mailto:owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com] On Behalf Of Eris
Reddoch
Sent: Wednesday, 11 August 1999 9:23
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
Subject: Re: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)


On 08/10/99 at 08:42 PM,  Walter Smith <SmithW@HARTWICK.EDU> said:

>Warning: P***** stuff ahead!!

>I've done some basic economic analysis on ethically challenged
>merchants, and IMO they can both survive and make a profit *if* they
>can find access to underpatrolled shipping lanes. This is even
>without stealing ships - a lifeboat, even sold at 20% of market
>value, is still over MCr2, and then there are vacc suits, cargo,
>spare parts, ship's safes, etc.

I haven't really done any economic analysis, but that's my take on
it too.

It's quite possible that a merchant finding himself in a situation
like this might drop a shuttle, or a couple containers of cargo,
while running for a jump point.  The *convention* might be for the
thief to take this tribute and let the ship go.  The conventions of
a TU could be very different from those of 20th century Earth.

- ----This would also make sense for ships in universes which use actual
thrust to mass ratios, dropping cargo would improve this ratio while also
giving the pirate something else to look at---
 AF

>The problem is finding these underpatrolled shipping lanes. Pirate
>prey almost needs to consent to be a target, by travelling into outer
>systems, unaligned frontier worlds, and other places where military
>presences are either absent or spread too thin. Systems undergoing an
>economic boom might also be a target - there may be traffic worth
>hunting there, but it hasn't been there long enough for the system
>government to establish a solid defense net.

I think piracy would be more likely in poor and low tech systems
that are fueling wayponts along routes.  Poor systems wouldn't have
the resources to finance adaquate system patrols and low tech systems
wouldn't have the technology to do so.

Obviously, if these systems were in a strong Empire there could be
Naval patrols.  Patrols would be rare (or nonexistant) in
underdeveloped areas and outside established polities.

>I think I figured that a pirate could survive on less than six subbie
>merchants or shuttlecraft per year, even if none of these ships
>provided unexpected big scores (like a shipment of gems or illegal
>weapons). The pirate will have to change his hunting grounds
>frequently, though - one destroyer escort flotilla can spoil the
>hunting over a very large chunk of a star system if the pirate gets
>too annoying.

>Of course, another problem the pirate has is if he's stealing six
>shuttlecraft per year, he's worth the price of that many shuttlecraft
>to catch. You can hire quite a few mercenaries/bounty hunters for
>that kind of creds.

>Nobody said being a pirate was easy...

Only Gilbert and Sullivan. ;-J

Eris
- --
- -----------------------------------------------------------
"Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>    using MR/2 ICE #245
- -----------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:22:47 +0800
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: TNE Aslan Governments

Since I havn't heard whether there were any official collapsed Aslan
government types - to replace those on the TNE collapsed government table I
guess it will be alright for me to put some together. Given the pride nature
of Aslan I would assume that this would still dominate?
Any comments?

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 02:22:24 -0700
From: "Kiri Aradia Morgan" <tiamat@tsoft.com>
Subject: Re: Berkeley (fellow) Travelers

>> The mainland and HK have different laws, even since the takeover.  The
Brits were no way no how going to permit the Chinese to eat dogs.
>Somehow I missed that you were referring to HK law.
>
'S okay.  I mentioned Cantonese, but that's spoken all across southern
China, and Kowloon, which is basically the red light district of HK because
it at one time didn't actually belong to either Britain or China and
effectively had a law level of 0.

I also mentioned my ex from HK but I didn't say this explicitly.  I think I
forget that this is one list where y'all don't know my entire life
history...

>That third person who seems to be a Goth -- I've deleted the digests
already.  Whoever you are, please email me.
>
This was the person who mentioned his g-punk friends tablediving and was
listing all the cheap restos in Berkeley.  Unfortunately, being a goofball,
I've lost the post.

Kiri

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 13:15:51 +0200 (CEST)
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Helge=20Hudel?= <h_hudel@yahoo.de>
Subject: Re: Geonee & Vilani

 What leads to the physiological differences between Vilani and Geonee
> who appear almost to look like dwarfs while the Vilani look merely a
> little bit stocky ?
> Anybody out there to explain?

My Cr 0.02 :-
1. The higher atmospheric pressure on Shiwonee (Vland's surface
atmospheric pressure is ~1.0) :- work of breathing is harder, so more
muscle mass is required to move air in and out - the Geonee will be
'stockier'.
You use Your arms and legs to assist in moving air in and out of Your
lungs - funny thing to imagine...Yet actually the partial pressure of
oxygen would be higher (given the same composition of atmoshere) which
should lead to lower respiraion requierments...that doesn't take the
necessarity for in/exhaling, ok!
1a. The higher pressure in itself could lead to a decrease in stature
(it's a more extreme environment compared to human normal, which will
lead to decreased vertical growth velocity - inferring from
anthropometric studies done on mountain dwellers).
Sounds funny but the Vland environs are also quite hard with no local
lifestock to be readily consumable.
2. The same process that leads to Great Danes and Dachshunds existing
on the same planet : selective breeding.
Another 'Ancient intervention' then? Doesn't please me much.
[3. Artistic or narrative license.]
That's always the last ditch, ain't it?
Guess I'll turn to possibility 3. - my problem is the large amount of
biologists in my group...
;-)



_______________________________________________
Do you yahoo!?
Gesendet von Yahoo! Mail - http://mail.yahoo.de
Yahoo! Auktionen - gleich ausprobieren - http://auktionen.yahoo.de

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 07:35:18 -0400
From: "DaveShayne" <daveshayne@email.msn.com>
Subject: Another Newbie

Greetings.

Allow me please to introduce myself,
my name is Dave Shayne, I've been a trav. aficionado
since the lbb days.

I am deeply gratefull that I stumbled accross TML.
Not only have I found the last few days worth of the digest informative,
it's also oneheckuvahoot.

I'll start off by saying that while I own significant parts of CT, MT, TNE,
and T4 I only just found out about GT. Is it worth plunking down a couple
hundred creds?
Not that it really matters, I'll have to get it just for the sake of
completeness anyway.

I do have a question that some among you may be able to help me out with. I
am planning on putting together an alternate universe traveller campaign and
want to evolve the setting from scratch using a model based on the PE book
from T4.

But I need info on stellar evolution. If I recall my college astro 101
course brighter stars burn faster.
But I don't know how fast this is. IE Sol is a main sequence yellow dwarf,
It will eventually balloon into a red giant, How long does this take, What
is the life cycle of Blue giants, etc.

I'm reasonably bright so I can usually bugger out technical stuff but if
there is a good non-technical treatment out there I'd like to know it.

By the way, I live in Ypsi, MI. If there's anybody on this list running a
game here or in A2 I'd be interested in playing. And if I ever get my Pocket
Galaxy together I'd definitely like to spring it on an apreciative audience.

The traveller stuff I've found on line is going a long way toward justifying
my having a modem in my computer. (For the longest time I didn't.)

Looking forward to the fun.

daveshayne@msn.com

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
No poor dumb Bug Eyed Monster ever won an interstellar war by dying for it's
species.
You win an intersteller war by making the other poor dumb BEM dy for his.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 07:42:58 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: PRB

"The Roc" <roc@kewl.com.au> writes:
>Once again, sorry about the private mail, didn't care to ask in public.

It's touching to know you consider us such close friends ;-) <black globe ON>

Dom

- ----------Dom Mooney---dom@cybergoths.u-net.com------------
                       MiB - Marines in Battledress
   "Protecting the Imperium from the Scum of the Galaxy"
Rob Prior's Mac software @ http://www.bits.org.uk/ 

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 09:10:35 -0300
From: Michel Vaillancourt <misha@empire.atlantic-online.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: Explain to me how radios work

At 06:51 PM 8/9/1999 +0100, you wrote:
>Michel Vaillancourt wrote:
>
>>        Correct again.  "Range" is a function of the *transmitter*, not the
>>reciever.  
>
>Not always so - a receiver with a higher sensitivity may be better able
>to reject noise or interference, and thus be able to give an acceptable
>reception at a greater distance than a less sensitive receiver, given
>the same transmitter.

        Hi, Matt.
        Yes, it is.  However, the request was for an explanation a 12-year
old could get his head around.

>>So, a 10km range transmitter can be heard by any reciever on the
>>same freq within 10km.  A 1000km range transmitter is heard by every
>>reciever on the same freq within 1000km, regardless of the range of the
>>recievers transmitter.
>
>This is an oversimplification.
>

        A monsterous one.  It fails to disucss about two years worth of
technical and practical savvy, starting with antenna design and wave
propagation, through to the effects of atmospherics and electronic warfare.
However, the original poster requested the reply be kept simple.

>>        A good rule of thumb (barring atmospheric Weird Sh!t) is that a good
>>electronic warfare operator will localize the transmitter at 3 times its
>>transmission range.  Once he's got it isolated from the background noise, he
>>can, with a big enough "ear", eavesdrop it.
>
>Note: A 10km range portable radio will tend to be a line-of-sight
>transmitter; unless the EW team is within line-of-sight they will not be
>able to intercept the transmissions.

        Incorrect on both points, based on current day technology.  Further,
the most obvious piece of kit in the TL12+ EW inventory would be EW drones;
CG-lifted, chamelion skinned, with COMM-4 and SENSOR-4.   Sit and listen,
pick up a signal, move a few times to triangulate, home in on transmitter,
designate with a laser and call in an MRL strike.  Repeat.  Put a dozen of
them out in the FEB and you'll have LOS on somebody's transmitter.  =)

        --Michel
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	Michel R Vaillancourt	misha@atlantic-online.ns.ca
				ICQ # 31172292
	"Reality Error in Progress....
			....Do Not Adjust Your Penguin"	
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	Into Cyberpunk?  Check Out:
		"http://www.atlantic-online.ns.ca/cp2020"
	Into Traveller?  Check Out:
		"http://www.atlantic-online.ns.ca/traveller"
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	***REMEMBER - Always virus-check your emails ***
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 07:38:09 -0500
From: Kenneth Bearden -- Walker Jane Productions <dreamer@brokersys.com>
Subject: Comment on GT Stuff?

My Star Wars game has come to its campaign finale, and now I'm looking
at picking up my Traveller game again.

I will use one of the Traveller rules sets (either Classic, MT, or T4),
but I'm curious about the GURPS stuff.

The question is:

If I'm going to use a Traveller rules set, AND I own just about
everything ever published by GDW for Traveller, will the GURPS stuff be
useful to me?

Or, is the GURPS stuff just repetitive information I already own using a
new rules set?

Thanks,

Kenneth.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 08:43:52 -0400
From: "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net>
Subject: Re: Another Newbie

- ----- Original Message -----
From: DaveShayne <daveshayne@email.msn.com>
> Allow me please to introduce myself,
> my name is Dave Shayne, I've been a trav. aficionado
> since the lbb days.

Yay!  Not that I don't appreciate the snot-nosed rookies... um, er, sorry...
younger crowd, but it's always nice to know that there are still plenty of
us CT types around.

> I am deeply gratefull that I stumbled accross TML.
> Not only have I found the last few days worth of the digest informative,
> it's also oneheckuvahoot.

You don't know the half of it, yet ;-)

> I'll start off by saying that while I own significant parts of CT, MT,
TNE,
> and T4 I only just found out about GT. Is it worth plunking down a couple
> hundred creds?
> Not that it really matters, I'll have to get it just for the sake of
> completeness anyway.

Ah, it warms my heart to hear the confessions of a fellow completist.

> I do have a question that some among you may be able to help me out with.
I
> am planning on putting together an alternate universe traveller campaign
and
> want to evolve the setting from scratch using a model based on the PE book
> from T4.

Uh-oh, gear head warning!  Time for a bit of snippage.

> The traveller stuff I've found on line is going a long way toward
justifying
> my having a modem in my computer. (For the longest time I didn't.)

Well, be careful you don't fall in.  There have been reports of alien
abductions via modem.  I suspect those Lesbian Aslan in Battle Dresses,
personally.

> Looking forward to the fun.

And we are happy to have you along.  Welcome.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The TRAVELLER Domain
http://www.downport.com
Colin Michael, Webslinger

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 12:50:59 +0000
From: Charles Prevatte <prevattec@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: [TML] A New Traveller.

At 08:29 PM 8/9/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Greetings all!  My name is Anthony Salter, and I just subscribed to the
>TML.  I've been a Traveller fan for a long time...I have at least the
>player's book for every edition of Traveller there is.  I've recently
>gotten back into the game due to GURPS Traveller, and thought I'd join the
>list.  Thank you for your patience :)
>
>Badman (Anthony Salter)
>
>

Email, Friend, and enter!

Welcome, and be sure and take KEYBOARD WARNING seriously on this list.

Charles L. "I lurk therefore I am (occasionally)"

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 08:08:36 -0500
From: Anthony Salter <badman@austin.rr.com>
Subject: Re: <no comment>

Actually, there were several different strings - the chance of a Virus
infection went up as more of them were scanned.  And of course, only the
minimal code for Virus transmission (the egg form) was encoded.  I'll admit
that this isn't THAT scientifically plausible - but it did make for a cool
(if harrowing) adventure for my players.

Badman

>No offense, but that's just a *bit* of a stretch for me.  Especially since 
>long-chain molecules would tend to sink in air and hit the ground
eventually. 
> The sheer *length* needed of the chain involved would make them almost 
>visible to the naked eye.  Remember, Virus is pretty big.  In small
machines, 
>it rarely developes, but stays in 'egg' form.
>
>Keven
>
>-- 
>tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---
>                                                     Science-Fiction
Adventure
>                                                     In Reavers' Deep
>
>
>
>

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 08:13:20 -0500
From: Anthony Salter <badman@austin.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)

>Yes indeed, this is the way I see it working in many cases. And don't forget
>that historically many pirates or privateers were actually subsidized by
>governments to prey on the ships of other countries.
>BZA

Ah.  Now privateering I can completely believe.  Especially if some naval
intelligence was made available to privateers...

Badman (who really emjoyed the Wing Commander: Privateer computer game)

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 08:18:08 -0500
From: Anthony Salter <badman@austin.rr.com>
Subject: Re: <no comment>

>Keven, while I agree with you that this is a _highly_ implausible means
>of Virus propagation (even in comparison with all the canonical
>highly-implausible means of propagation), I must salute a referee who
>could sell this method to the group's players.
>
>Anthony must have been a Paranoia ref at some point in his career....
>
><<snip sig>>
>
>-- 
>AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead

Very observant.  Of course, you now know far above what your security
clearance allows.  Please stand where you are - an IntSec interrogation
team will arrive shortly.

Badman (Trust the computer...the computer is your friend...)

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

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 10:28:18 -0300
From: Michel Vaillancourt <misha@empire.atlantic-online.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: Ethically-challenged merchants (was re: A New Traveller)

At 08:13 AM 8/11/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>>Yes indeed, this is the way I see it working in many cases. And don't forget
>>that historically many pirates or privateers were actually subsidized by
>>governments to prey on the ships of other countries.
>>BZA
>
>Ah.  Now privateering I can completely believe.  Especially if some naval
>intelligence was made available to privateers...
>
>Badman (who really emjoyed the Wing Commander: Privateer computer game)
>

        That's pretty much how my TNEC milieu works...  most "piracy" is in
fact "privateering".  Corp vs Corp skirmishes through deniable assets.  It
keeps the UN from sending a Peace Keeping fleet to the area.  In fact, most
Privateers are paid by the ton of kill...  they just flare the hull and
didi-mau.  
        The border areas, where there are a lot of "unofficial" colonies
starving for goods, are a different story.  A routine trick is for a
bonafide pirate to nail a ship while it is coming out of a gas giant gravity
well in a more established area.  Board, prize crew it, push the captured
out in a lifeboat or escape pod and then take the ship  and its cargo to a
border area and sell the lot where folks will turn a blind eye.

        --Michel


        --Michel
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	Michel R. Vaillancourt	misha@atlantic-online.ns.ca
				ICQ # 31172292
	"Reality Error in Progress....
			....Do Not Adjust Your Penguin"	
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	Into Cyberpunk?  Check Out:
		"http://www.atlantic-online.ns.ca/cp2020"
	Into Traveller?  Check Out:
		"http://www.atlantic-online.ns.ca/traveller"
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	***REMEMBER - Always virus-check your emails ***
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #941
**********************************

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