Traveller-digest    Saturday, September 4 1999    Volume 1999 : Number 1055



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

RE: GURPS Design: Missile
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048
Re: Testing the Waters
Re: Vargr Noses (Was RE: standards of beauty)
Re: AKUS MOBY Update...
Re: Nuclear War
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048
Re: Sailor Moon (OT)
Re: Nuclear War
Re: Re TAS
Re: GT Missile
Re: Nuclear War
RE: request for URLs with Traveller pictures
RE: THUDDD anyone?
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1051
Re: Testing the Waters
Re: Nuclear War

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

Date: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 01:40:20 -0400
From: Thom Jones-Low <tjoneslo@together.net>
Subject: RE: GURPS Design: Missile

> Armament: 30mm .001 kiloton micronuke (0.108lbs, .0022cf, Cr9,003). 
> Power: Power cell stores 2,269,152kWS (63.53lbs, .64cf, Cr6,354),
>   good for two hours of operation.

    The micronuke looks about right. Personally I prefer M.A. Lloyds
alternative
nuke rules (Check the GurpsNet Archives). 
    The 1 ton micronuke does 12d x 2,000 concussion. *But*, the armor
counts as the square of the DR, meaning the DR100 scout/merchant
effectively has DR10,000 against this toy. If this is is what you
intended, great, otherwise you may need to increase the yield, a lot. 
    Second, keep in mind the Imperium restricts the uses of nukes (even
micronukes), and any players who start using (or selling) this item will
find themselves in a great deal of trouble.

    I also like using full rechargeable E cells rather than building my 
own (randomly sized) power cells (20 pounds, 0.4cf each)

    Lastly, I would recommend trying to build this into the 6cf/300lbs 
for the standard missile launcher. Just my thoughts.

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

Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 00:39:16 +0100
From: "Matthew Bond" <mgb@akira.swinternet.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048

- -----Original Message-----
From: Phil Kitching <postmark.design@btinternet.com>

>At 17:06 02/09/1999 -0700, Kiri Aradia Morgan <tiamat@tsoft.com> wrote:
>
>>I think the worst Denny's situation was when Rich Starnes was declaiming
>>to me (this was Arduin, where paladins could be any alignment so long as
>>they matched their god and did everything to serve their god) as to
>>exactly how good a paladin of Lucifer he was going to be and all the
>>wonderful things he was going to do for his master.
>>
>>The little old ladies a table or two away did NOT understand that this was
>>a game.  (It was my campaign, where the Luciferian Gnostics were a potent
>>political force to be reckoned with...)
>
>Imagine, if you will, a train. In one corner of a carriage sits an innocent
>bystander. His journey will be several hours but he has a good book to read
>and a table to put his lunch on.
>
>Elsewhere in the carriage, three friends recognise each other and decide to
>join up - choosing the table of our innocent bystander.
>
>One of them suggests a game to while away the journey. The unfortunate in
>the corner tries desperately to read his book whilst the three friends play
>through a game of "Nuclear War". (All expansions and a full population
deck.)
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic nuclear
war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match"?

Matthew Bond
mgb@akira.swinternet.co.uk
www.akira.swinternet.co.uk
- --------------------------------------------------------------
"To strike a man who insults you is one thing...
...To run him through with a sword is quite another!"
- --------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:01:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kiri Aradia Morgan <tiamat@tsoft.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048

On Sat, 4 Sep 1999, Matthew Bond wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phil Kitching <postmark.design@btinternet.com>
> 
> >At 17:06 02/09/1999 -0700, Kiri Aradia Morgan <tiamat@tsoft.com> wrote:
> >
> >>I think the worst Denny's situation was when Rich Starnes was declaiming
> >>to me (this was Arduin, where paladins could be any alignment so long as
> >>they matched their god and did everything to serve their god) as to
> >>exactly how good a paladin of Lucifer he was going to be and all the
> >>wonderful things he was going to do for his master.
> >>
> >>The little old ladies a table or two away did NOT understand that this was
> >>a game.  (It was my campaign, where the Luciferian Gnostics were a potent
> >>political force to be reckoned with...)
> >
> >Imagine, if you will, a train. In one corner of a carriage sits an innocent
> >bystander. His journey will be several hours but he has a good book to read
> >and a table to put his lunch on.
> >
> >Elsewhere in the carriage, three friends recognise each other and decide to
> >join up - choosing the table of our innocent bystander.
> >
> >One of them suggests a game to while away the journey. The unfortunate in
> >the corner tries desperately to read his book whilst the three friends play
> >through a game of "Nuclear War". (All expansions and a full population
> deck.)
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic nuclear
> war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match"?
> 

Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.


******************************************************************************
Kiri Aradia Morgan					 93!  Thou Art God 
tiamat@tsoft.com

"If time passes, everything turns into beauty
If the rains stop, tears clean the scars of memory away
Everything starts wearing fresh colors
Every sound begins playing a heartfelt melody
Jealousy embellishes a page of the epic
Desire is embraced in a dream..."              -- X-JAPAN 

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:08:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048

Matthew Bond writes:

> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic nuclear
> war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match"?

No.  Nuclear war is an amusing (if cheesy) little cardgame where you try to kill off the other players with a combination of propaganda (which steals people, but doesn't work during war), nuclear weapons (which kill people), and a wide variety of special event cards.  Due to the mechanics of fighting, it is possible for everyone to lose.

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:10:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048

Kiri Aradia Morgan writes:

> > Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic nuclear
> > war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match"?
> > 
> 
> Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.
 
Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game (ogre?  Dunno).

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 99 17:40:15 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Testing the Waters

On 09/03/99 at 06:59 AM,  "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com> said:

>> >Seriously, I would have preferred a different solution than Virus, but
>> >can suspend disbelief far enough to swallow it...if I have too.

>>         Well, if what was "required" was The Cosmic Reset Switch,  its
>> either going to have to be a genocide war, a biological virus/microbe or,
>> well, Virus.

>Thing is, the Rebellion was already a genocidal war.  Virus really
>wasn't  needed, except to slamdunk *all* the Major Races in one swell
>foop.

Yeah, but that's the point.  They wanted *everybody* brought down
several pegs.  If the Solomani had retained their power, for
example, they would have rolled over the former Imperial area.  If
the Solomani, Aslan, Vargr, etc had survived intact they would have
just split up the old Imperium territory.  To keep a level playing
field everybody had to be affected.  

The Zhodani didn't get the Virus, they got the Empress Wave.

>>         Back when TNE first came out, someone posted a really interesting
>> alternate time-line piece that involved two stars in the capital sector
>> going collapsar at the same time...  which in turn deformed Jumpspace
>> enought that planets no longer "were" where people thought they were for
>> jump calculations...

IMTU, that would happen naturally.  Jump plots wander over time, so
once a few years passed without updates every route would have to be
completely refigured anyway.

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

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 99 18:19:54 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Vargr Noses (Was RE: standards of beauty)

On 09/03/99 at 01:25 PM,  "Thing" <gduke@orca.esd114.wednet.edu> said:

>On Friday, September 03, 1999 1:04 PM
>Eris reddoch said,

>> IMTU, Vargr are also quite scent oriented.

>So do you have Vargr scent tech?

Yes, but I haven't tried to define it too well, and I don't want to give too much away seeing as everybody in my game is on the TML. ;->

>I would imagine Vargr scent markers for some things, similar to
>carving your name on a possession.  Or because there color vision is
>not as acute scent coding of documents similar to color coding.

>A scent based alarm could be interesting too.

>I would imagine a Vargr that was forced to wear a vacsuit or
>filtermask would feel allot more cut off from the world than a Human.

Yep, I'd agree with all the above.

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

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 99 20:14:38 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: AKUS MOBY Update...

On 09/03/99 at 06:37 PM,  "Kurtis Rodgers" <kurtis@fastlane.net> said:
X-Mailer: MR/2 Internet Cruiser Edition for OS/2 v1.44 b44 


>> In my AKUS MOBY game, the PC's have finally gotten the ship they
>> inherited.
><...snip, etc.>

>Dude, you ROCK!  :)  (heheheh)

>I've been lurking on and off the list for years, but only had a vague
>idea what your celebrated campaign was like.  Despite missing out on
>the 'story so far', however, I have to say: bravo!

Why, thank you!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  I know I certainly have.

Most of the fun has been created by the crew of excellent players in
the game. Mostly I've just given them situations and let them lead
where we go.  

Of course, the McGuffin for the story so far has been "Get the Ship"
and their focus has been on getting to where the ship was supposed o
be and then finding it.  My part was providing a cast of NPC's and
situations to delay, distract and entertain them along the way. 

Now that they *have* the ship the McGuffin will have to change.  I'm
not giving away any secrets when I say it is going to be "Keep the
Ship", and if Keven is right "find Xtce!"  <g> 

>The whole 'ship as an inheritance' plot element strongly reminded me
>of (the late, lamented) Brian Daley's Hobart Floyt & Alacrity
>Fitzhugh novels. Hadn't thought of those books in quite a while...,
>lots of good material for idea mining there.  Hmm...  :P

No, I haven't read those books.  More material to find and read!  <g> 

I set the connection up as "heirs to a ship" because I wanted the
PC's to have a common connection and goal, but not know each other
when the game begins.  A big part of the game has been the
characters learning about each other while they travelled.  It's
been an interesting trip so far and it has hardly begun.

>Anyway, thanks for posting the story update.  Although I usually find
>gamer's enthusiastic tale-telling of their own games is often like
>showing strangers your home movies, I have to admit I'm impressed. 
>Quite the ripping yarn, indeed!

Thanks again.  I don't post game updates here often.  I know some
people don't like them too much so I try to keep my updates short
and very occasional.  Personally, I enjoy reading about other
people's games...on occasion and in small doses...so I try to do the
same.

As for my yarn, I kept it as neutral as I could.  I suspect the
story told from the viewpoints of Ricardo, Arvitis, Woof, Shawn,
Jaren, Cory, Kelly, Martan or Mira would all be different and
equally interesting.

>I will mercilessly rip you off, of course.  ;)

Please do! 

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

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 99 20:19:15 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Nuclear War

On 09/03/99 at 05:10 PM,  Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com> said:
X-Mailer: MR/2 Internet Cruiser Edition for OS/2 v1.44 b44 

>Kiri Aradia Morgan writes:

>> > Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic nuclear
>> > war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match.

>> Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.
> 
>Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I
>saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game
>(ogre?  Dunno).

No, it's Nuclear War, but I think it's a version that predates the "card game" incarnation of the game. IOW it might be a *different* Nuclear War game. 

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

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 20:29:05 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048

Anthony Jackson wrote:
> 
> Kiri Aradia Morgan writes:
> 
> > > Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic nuclear
> > > war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match"?
> > >
> >
> > Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.
> 
> Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game (ogre?  Dunno).

IIRC, it was NATO, a late '70s wargame from SPI.  I'm _pretty_ sure that
Greg Costikyan was involved in the game's design and/or development. 
(Readers of "Murphy's Rules" may recall Greg Costikyan's game "Nuclear
Winter.")


- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 99 20:44:47 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1048

On 09/03/99 at 08:29 PM,  Black ICE <wombat@premier.net> said:

>> Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game (ogre?  Dunno).

>IIRC, it was NATO, a late '70s wargame from SPI.  I'm _pretty_ sure
>that Greg Costikyan was involved in the game's design and/or
>development.  (Readers of "Murphy's Rules" may recall Greg
>Costikyan's game "Nuclear Winter.")

Hum, you might be right, I vaguely remember SPI's NATO game.  But I
really think there was a game called Nuclear War from the 70's that
had a "rule" that if the game reached a certain point you were
supposed to fricassee the map and all the cardboard pieces.  <g>
Maybe I'm just remembering wrong...the ravages of time do that to
you, you know.

Eris

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

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 21:57:13 -0400
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Sailor Moon (OT)

- -----Original Message-----
From: Terry Carlino <carlino@home.com>
To: Traveller Mailing list <traveller@mpgn.com>
Date: Friday, September 03, 1999 6:05 PM
Subject: Re: Sailor Moon (OT)


>Boy, I thought most people get out of the "attack the position, not the
>person" stage when the graduate high-school. I guess I was wrong.


If the position were at all worthy of lengthy discussion, I'd be the first
to do it. As it stands, I lump it with racism, sexism, or just about any
nastiness that's along those lines: judging people not by their actions, but
by what they look like.

I'll gladly judge people by their actions, like the comment that Mr. Earl
made, and I won't feel bad about it.

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 19:29:24
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Nuclear War

At 08:19 PM 9/3/1999 -0500, you wrote:

>>> > Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic 
>>> > nuclear war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match.
>
>>> Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.
>> 
>>Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I
>>saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game
>>(ogre?  Dunno).
>
>No, it's Nuclear War, but I think it's a version that predates the "card
>game" incarnation of the game. IOW it might be a *different* Nuclear War
>game. 

The card game Nuclear War has been around for at least twenty years, and
has never had a map.  It's always s been a strategic game.

The game with the amusing rules for Global Thermonuclear Armageddon was the
SPI mega game _Central Command_, which covered a theoretical WW3 in the
V/VIIth Corps areas.

- -- 

Doug Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com
Web pages temporarily unavalible

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 19:58:14 -0700
From: "B. Mallory" <bmallory@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Re TAS

"William F. Hostman" wrote:
> 
> >Dates may be wrong, as this is done from memory.
> >
snip

Hello to all.  This is my first post for this group so I will keep it
brief.
Adventure 3 Twilight's Peak page 46, a little below the middle of the
page
mentions the following:

Octagon Society established in 342.
It was the first major distressed spacefarer assistance operation for
Spinward Marches.
Thrived in public contributions and some tax revenues for 150 years.
It collapsed in the late 400's over scandals re shelter quality and
disposition of funds.
Society disolved in 499 and assets sold at auction.

I hope that this helps.
bmallory@earthlink.net

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:09:19 -0700
From: "Bruce Macintosh" <bruce.macintosh@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: GT Missile

>Armament: 30mm .001 kiloton micronuke (0.108lbs, .0022cf, Cr9,003).
For 100 pounds you get a warhead that's equivalent to 1 ton of TNT?
Hardly worth the effort (compared to the kinetic energy), I would
think...

Bruce

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

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 99 23:16:30 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Nuclear War

On 09/03/99 at 07:29 PM,  "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@mindspring.com> said:

>At 08:19 PM 9/3/1999 -0500, you wrote:

>>>> > Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic 
>>>> > nuclear war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match.
>>
>>>> Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.
>>> 
>>>Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I
>>>saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game
>>>(ogre?  Dunno).
>>
>>No, it's Nuclear War, but I think it's a version that predates the "card
>>game" incarnation of the game. IOW it might be a *different* Nuclear War
>>game. 

>The card game Nuclear War has been around for at least twenty years,
>and has never had a map.  It's always s been a strategic game.

>The game with the amusing rules for Global Thermonuclear Armageddon
>was the SPI mega game _Central Command_, which covered a theoretical
>WW3 in the V/VIIth Corps areas.

Well, maybe it's my memory playing tricks on me, but what I'm
thinking about is well over 20 years ago...1999-20 = 1979...yeah,
*well* over 20 years.  Somehow, I'm connecting it with something
from Flying Buffalo, that I saw in the old Koby's Hobbies when it
was on South Palafox...that had to be early to mid seventies, but I
admit it might be a false memory.

Ah, well! My brain is probably just playing tricks on me.

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

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 22:10:50 -0700
From: "Jesse DeGraff" <fenris@slip.net>
Subject: RE: request for URLs with Traveller pictures

I think that shot's on Dave Golden's site.  Keep meaning to track down that
artist myself...

Jesse





> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
> [mailto:owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com]On Behalf Of Smart, David
> J (David)
> Sent: Friday, September 03, 1999 8:17 AM
> To: 'traveller@mpgn.com'
> Subject: Re: request for URLs with Traveller pictures
>
>
> I was going through my laptop's collection of Traveller
> graphics and found one I'd completely forgotten about.
> It's a *beautiful* shot of two Imperial Planet-class
> armored cruisers moving past the moon of a blue, ringed
> gas giant. The focus is on the closest ship which almost
> fills the entire screen and just screams "badass warship".
> The overall graphic is rather dark but this just adds to
> the threatening tone.
>
> The problem is I can't remember which site I grabbed it
> from and it doesn't have the artist's name on it! Can
> anyone help me find the artist/site? I'd love to give
> him credit (I remember it was a "him") and hopefully
> find some more of his art. I'll be happy to send the
> .jpg to those who want a copy; its resolution is
> 1028x800.
>
> David
>

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

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 22:13:14 -0700
From: "Jesse DeGraff" <fenris@slip.net>
Subject: RE: THUDDD anyone?

Maybe two different divisions?
Jesse




> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
> [mailto:owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com]On Behalf Of Anthony
> Jackson
> Sent: Friday, September 03, 1999 9:02 AM
> To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
> Cc: ISBA2; ISBA; Trav Tech; traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
> Subject: Re: THUDDD anyone?
> 
> 
> Andrew Moffatt-Vallance writes:
>  
> > I love the seeing THUDDD revived. Just one minor point.
> > Since GURPS is now a valid design system, might it not
> > be an idea to give the TLs on the website in both Traveller
> > and GURPS terms?
> 
> Given that the designs are generally FF&S (or systems based on 
> it) and that there are no conversion rules between GT and FF&S, I 
> somewhat fail to see the point....
> 

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

Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 00:50:33 -0500
From: "John Majer" <jsmage@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1051

>
> >...It also depends on what you are trying to acheve;
> >seeding clouds is one thing...
>
> Don't ignore the value of seeding clouds.
>
> I recall a TV interview a couple of years ago the the man resposible
> for stopping (or at least minimising) the rain during Mayday parades
> in Moscow.
>
> Phil Kitching

Actually we are getting to the same point.  I am by no means dismissing the
power of seeing clouds.  I was trying to point out how there are simple
weather control procedures, and then ones not so simple: i.e. you can make
it rain, and you can make it rain somewhere else so that it doesn't rain
where you are, or earlier so it doesn't rain later or whatever, but just get
rid of the rain altogehter?  A little more insidious.
- -J.S.

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

Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 01:09:59 -0500
From: "John Majer" <jsmage@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Testing the Waters

As long as this entire list seems to be tending towards the verboten, might
as well toss my bit in.
<snip>
> > >Seriously, I would have preferred a different solution than Virus, but
> > >can suspend disbelief far enough to swallow it...if I have too.
> > >
> > >Eris
> > >
> >         Well, if what was "required" was The Cosmic Reset Switch,  its
> > either going to have to be a genocide war, a biological virus/microbe
or,
> > well, Virus.
>
> Thing is, the Rebellion was already a genocidal war.  Virus really wasn't
> needed, except to slamdunk *all* the Major Races in one swell foop.
<snip>
Okay, so I think that some of this has to do with the perspective I come
from, namely that I only *cowering in shame in a darkened corner* started
playing Traveller with TNE (and after GDW went belly up, to boot), so I
never saw it as the aforementioned "cosmic reset switch" that everybody in
their right mind did, but rather as one of the most creative and frigtening
enemies that has been brought forward in a long time.  Just an issue of POV,
I suppose.
And as an odd side note, after a hiatus in our session when I brought
forward the proposal of playing GT to my group the outcry was amazing.  They
thought that playing without an empire to rebulid, an implacable foe to
conquor, and the intense moral complexities of just what the RC was doing
would be (quote) "boring as hell."
Oh well, still trying to convince them otherwise.
- -J.S.

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

Date: Sat, 04 Sep 1999 02:36:38 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Nuclear War

Eris Reddoch wrote:
> 
> On 09/03/99 at 07:29 PM,  "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@mindspring.com> said:
> 
> >At 08:19 PM 9/3/1999 -0500, you wrote:
> 
> >>>> > Is that the tactical nuke game that said "To simulate a strategic
> >>>> > nuclear war, soak the map in lighter fluid and apply match.
> >>
> >>>> Yes.  And it's one of the only "card" games I'll play.
> >>>
> >>>Bog.  Nuclear war doesn't have a map, and isn't tactical.  I know I
> >>>saw that line about lighter fluid, but I think it was another game
> >>>(ogre?  Dunno).
> >>
> >>No, it's Nuclear War, but I think it's a version that predates the "card
> >>game" incarnation of the game. IOW it might be a *different* Nuclear War
> >>game.
> 
> >The card game Nuclear War has been around for at least twenty years,
> >and has never had a map.  It's always s been a strategic game.
> 
> >The game with the amusing rules for Global Thermonuclear Armageddon
> >was the SPI mega game _Central Command_, which covered a theoretical
> >WW3 in the V/VIIth Corps areas.
> 
> Well, maybe it's my memory playing tricks on me, but what I'm
> thinking about is well over 20 years ago...1999-20 = 1979...yeah,
> *well* over 20 years.  Somehow, I'm connecting it with something
> from Flying Buffalo, that I saw in the old Koby's Hobbies when it
> was on South Palafox...that had to be early to mid seventies, but I
> admit it might be a false memory.

Well, circa 1980 (I don't know the exact release date), there was a
board wargame from Yaquinto, called "Ultimatum", which was designed to
simulate nuclear saber-rattling.  Of course, wargamers being what we are
(yes, I am a card-carrying grognard), most games ended with nuclear
strikes being exchanged.  While Ultimatum didn't have the "lighter fluid
and match" rule, it usually ended up with a similar result.

BTW, if any TMLers have a spare copy of Ultimatum, I'd happily part with
some of my accumulated currency to purchase it....

ObTrav:  While the 3I has pretty well prevented the use of Weapons of
Mass Destruction against civilian targets in interstellar conflicts (at
least within the 3I), what about WMD use between nation-states on
balkanized worlds?

<<snip>>

- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1055
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