Traveller-digest     Tuesday, September 7 1999     Volume 1999 : Number 1068



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Reavers' Deep webring 
Re: Technology Demographics
Re: The Big Button
Re: The Big Button
Re: UpPorts (was AKUS MOBY Update (was Ship Damage...Oh my!))
Re: UpPorts (was AKUS MOBY Update (was Ship Damage...Oh my!))
Reavers Deep Webring graphic
Re: Reavers' Deep webring
Re: request for URLs with Traveller pictures
Reavers' Deep Webring - I couldn't wait
Re: Vacuum tube computers...
Re: Re: Imperial military and PR
Getting the Word Out (was Re: Re: Imperial military and PR)
Re: Acceptable Battle Losses...
RE: Standards of Beauty
FW: request for URLs with Traveller pictures
Re High Pressure Areas
Re: The Big RED Button (was Re: The Big Button)
Re: diseases and quarantine
Re: Inter species relationships

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 20:45:03 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: Reavers' Deep webring 

> On 09/06/99 at 06:59 PM,  Mark Urbin <eclipse@ultranet.com> said:
> 
> >Given all the renewed interest in one of my favorite places, I
> >created a  Reavers' Deep webring to allow quick access and focus to
> >sites dedicated to  RD.   Is there any interest in this, or should I
> >scrap it?
> 
> I suspect there is some interest, but if you don't tell us where it's located...

*chuckle*

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: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 20:04:48 -0500
From: "William Barnett-Lewis" <wlewis@mailbag.com>
Subject: Re: Technology Demographics

Home 
PowerMac 8500/180 (604e) (104mb/1gb+1gb+2gb/21"single frequency 1152x870/56k
modem/1.2gb tape)
PowerBook 5300 (603/100mhz) (640x480,thousands/32mb/750mb/lapis Ethernet
&video out card) Currently down for broken screen hinge.
Mac SE/30 (8mb/700mb) Running NetBSD 68k and in need of Ethernet
Dell Dimension P75 (32mb/1gb/15") In storage. Last had Linux on it.
IBM RT-PC 6151-115 (antique RISC workstation from 86-88 or so. 16mb/12" PC
monochrome console running AIX 2.2.1 needs an Ethernet card)
Motherboard for a SUN 3/60 waiting for me to scrounge the rest of the parts.

Work:
Noname Clone P133 (128mb/2gb/17")
Mac Centris 605 (68040lc 16mb/310mb/Radius page monitor)
Plus as sysadmin I consider the servers mine, but I won't bore with those
details.

What can I say - I like functional antiques... :>

I really think this list would frustrate most marketing drones though

William

> "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net>
> Subject: Re Technology Demographics
>
>>
>> "Jesse DeGraff" <fenris@slip.net> started:
>>
>>>Well, if you're going to start collecting the demographics ;)
>>>
>
> Home: Mac PPC 6100/60, (24/160+260 megs 15" mon.)
>  Mac Performa 640 (68040, no monitor, 12/160)
>  Mac Color Classic (68030, 9"mon, 10/80)
>  Powerbook 520 (B&W, 16/160)
>  Apple IIGS, 1/0 Rev1 2x3.5", 2x5.25" drives, IIGS Screen
>  Compaq Portable III x86
>  Compaq Desktop III x86 (Not booting right, trying to run SCO)
> Work: Performa 6400, 15", 16/1200megs
> Everywhere: Newton MP 120, base ram, no PC cards (has slot), no modem...
(Sigh)
>
> 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+
>



- --
Live without fear; your Creator loves you     | William Barnett-Lewis
as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good   | mailto://wlewis@mailbag.com
road and may God's blessing be with           |
you always.                                   |
St. Claire                                    |

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 99 19:26:18 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: The Big Button

On 09/06/99 at 12:25 AM,  "Nick Bradbeer" <nickb@ndirect.co.uk> said:

>>So, how about we modify Virus just slightly and say it can't produce
>>these eggs in anything that it can't actually "live" in?

>Modify all you want. You operate the same rules I do - GM is the boss
>in his own universe.

Right. <g>

>(But if it can live in a system, then why would it be in egg form in
>the first place?)

Right! <bg>  

Therefore, in this version, Virus doesn't produce eggs. It attempts
to infect everything, but only develops in complex systems.  Still
makes it deadly, because lots of TL15 comsumer products probably
have electronics complex enough for mini strain of Virus.

What it would do is make exploring boneyards a *little* less
dangerous.

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

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 99 19:37:24 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: The Big Button

On 09/06/99 at 09:03 PM,  Michel Vaillancourt <misha@empire.atlantic-online.ns.ca> said:

>>Would that be dangerous enough, short term, but a little more benign
>>long term?

>        Yes.  That is a foe you can beat.  The "flare up" problem
>still has the potential to destroy millions of sophonts, but it won't
>be happening Forever More.

I think I like it better too.  I'm interested in having a nice open
universe to explore, Virus can give me that.  I don't mind there
being occasional monsters out there either, but I'd prefer that
almost all the monsters walk on two legs and breath oxygen.  Diablo
ex Machina should be exceedingly rare. <g>

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

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 99 19:45:39 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: UpPorts (was AKUS MOBY Update (was Ship Damage...Oh my!))

On 09/06/99 at 07:12 AM,  Suz Dollar <websuz@worldnet.att.net> said:

>>Eris
>>   ps.  Does anyone find these MTU posts useful?  I know they don't
>>   always match published sources, but I hope is some folks might be
>>   able to use (or spark off from) my ideas in their games.  When I
>>   post things like the above I hardly ever hear *any* comments.  If
>>   I'm just wasting everybody's bandwidth I guess I should just stop.
>>   <sigh>

>Arrrrghhhh. No, don't stop!  This just became AKUS reference
>material....  Its amazing how much I learn about the game/universe
>I'm playing in from  the TML...Suz

>        <sounds of Eris being gratutiously slapped around>  =)

>        OF COURSE these posts are useful!  It is always interesting
>to see how other ref's are handling "gargon" and "tech" issues that
>are so much of the day-to-day stuff of being a Traveller.  In some
>cases, your posts illuminate things I hadn't even *thought* of
>having a description for! Please, do continue....Michel

Okay!  Okay!  Thank you, everyone that posted to me, and thanks for
cheering me up too.  

I was feeling down yesterday when I posted.  One of my excellent
players had just withdrawn from the AKUS PBEM, I'm just about
certain another who is currently AWOL won't be back, and to top it
all off two others are on vacation! <grrr> 

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

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 21:44:30 -0400
From: Michael Peters <travelleri@home.com>
Subject: Re: UpPorts (was AKUS MOBY Update (was Ship Damage...Oh my!))

Hey Eris,

If you ever need a PBEM newbie let me know! 'Course I realise that the
waitng list for  a Heretic(tm) game must be a mile long but keep me in
mind. 

I haven't played since we did one on a BBS (What we used before the web
for you youngsters;>) but it looks like my game may have to go that
route. Of the four players I have left 2 are moving out of state in the
next couple of weeks, and one is going back to school shortly. 

That said I'd really like to catch up on how the PBEMs are run. It looks
like the only alternative right now.

Mike

Eris Reddoch wrote:
>
> I was feeling down yesterday when I posted.  One of my excellent
> players had just withdrawn from the AKUS PBEM, I'm just about
> certain another who is currently AWOL won't be back, and to top it
> all off two others are on vacation! <grrr>
> 
>  -----------------------------------------------------------

- -- 
Mike Peters
travelleri@home.com

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 22:08:02 -0400
From: Mark Urbin <eclipse@ultranet.com>
Subject: Reavers Deep Webring graphic

I'm open to entries, 275 wide by 50 high.

The ring will be up and running in a day or two.


- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
eclipse@ultranet.com -- These opinions are mine, no one else wants `em.
It was a typical net.exercise -- a screaming mob pounding on a greasy spot
on the pavement, where used to lie the carcass of a dead horse.
                  http://www.ultranet.com/~eclipse/
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 22:09:43 -0400
From: intrepadv <intrepadv@geocities.com>
Subject: Re: Reavers' Deep webring

Definatly some interest, i personally like the EA subsector

Keven R. Pittsinger wrote:

> > On 09/06/99 at 06:59 PM,  Mark Urbin <eclipse@ultranet.com> said:
> >
> > >Given all the renewed interest in one of my favorite places, I
> > >created a  Reavers' Deep webring to allow quick access and focus to
> > >sites dedicated to  RD.   Is there any interest in this, or should I
> > >scrap it?
> >
> > I suspect there is some interest, but if you don't tell us where it's located...
>
> *chuckle*
>
> 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: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 19:21:43 +0000
From: Bradley L Houston <brhoust@juno.com>
Subject: Re: request for URLs with Traveller pictures

Sys 1(Home)  P-100, 40 meg, 2 gig, 15" monitor 33.6 modem
Sys 2(home) PII-266, 64 meg, 4 gig, 15"monitor 56k modem
Sys 3(work) Compaq PII-350, 64 meg, 5 gig, 19" monitor dunno connection
(LAN/T1)
Sys 4(where ever) Dell  Lattitude CP, PII-233, 64Mb, 4Gb (laptop)

On Mon, 6 Sep 1999 18:01:03 +0100 SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
writes:
>  "Jesse DeGraff" <fenris@slip.net> started:
> 
> >Well, if you're going to start collecting the demographics ;)
> >
> >Sys1 (Home):  Acer / Frankenstein PII-266, 160meg, 10gigs, Acer 
> 17in monitor
> >Sys2 (Work):  Acer PII-350, 148meg, 10gigs, Acer 21in monitor
> >Sys3 (pieces, waiting to build:  Dual PII-333, missing ram, missing 
> hdd,
> >same 17in.
> 
> Sys1 (Home) Apple PowerMac 6400 / PPC 603e-200/56 Mb/2.3 
> Gb/OS8.5/15in
> Sys2 (Home) Apple PowerBook 190 / 68LC040-66 / 20Mb / 500 Mb /
> OS7.5.2/640x480 LCD
> Sys3 (Work) Dell Lattitude CP / PII-233 / 64Mb / 4Gb / WinBlows NT4 
> / 21"
> 
> 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: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 22:36:01 -0400
From: Mark Urbin <eclipse@ultranet.com>
Subject: Reavers' Deep Webring - I couldn't wait

Ok, it's up, but not pretty.

http://reaversdeep.homepage.com/

The ring graphics are mondo cheesy & I don't have it set up to auto deliver 
proper ring code, so early achievers will have to cut and paste the ring 
code from the first site.


- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
eclipse@ultranet.com -- These opinions are mine, no one else wants `em.
"Blend 'B', meanwhile, is a PROUD blend, defiant yet petulant...a blend
that grabs you, shakes you by the collar and cries, 'ACCEPT me, damn you,
or turn me away-BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T POLLUTE ME WITH NON-DAIRY
CREAMER!'" - Tripp Biscuit while coffee tasting.
               http://www.ultranet.com/~eclipse/
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 13:26:39 +1000
From: "The Roc" <roc@kewl.com.au>
Subject: Re: Vacuum tube computers...

- ----- Original Message -----
From: John Palmer <jpalme2000@digitalsomething.com>
To: <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 12:47 AM
Subject: Re: Vacuum tube computers


> From: RnLschaefr@aol.com <RnLschaefr@aol.com>
> >:::de-lurking::: Has anyone ever figured out how many acres of vac-tubes
it
> >would take to replace One pc ?...never mind an Imperium system...
> >:::lurkermode on:::
> >BobS.
>
> Vacuum tubes could be make significantly smaller with advanced
manufacturing
> techniques. Supposedly, quite sophisticated Soviet technology relied on
> miniaturized vacuum tubes computers.
>
> Vacuum tubes on a chip, very interesting gaming concept. We could power
them
> with Sterling Engines! hehehe and design them on Babage supercomputers.
>

Hmmmm...  Ever play a CRPG by the name of "Fallout," and the sequel,
"Fallout2"?  In fallout, you have to seek out the Water Purifier computer
chip.  It looks just like and PC expansion card with several vacc-tubes in
place.  Reminiscent of this thread :^)

"Fallout2" has the same technology with some cards found having the same
"expansion card + tubes" look to it.  The idea was that, after the big ones
came (and the did come!), the country --USA-- would be alive and functional.
If you haven't played, I'll say no more.

- -- The Roc

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 23:20:05 -0400
From: jmaclean@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: Re: Imperial military and PR

John Majer wrote:
>> 
>> Potentially there is no other Imperium wide communication system. >>I can
>> conceive of a local system of couriers that might serve a >>subsector.
>> MegaCorps almost certainly use a message transport system of their >>own to
>> carry vital company traffic. Only the X-Boats go to every Sector >>in the
>> Imperium. Any magazine, news vid, or editorials not sent by this >>method
>>will
>> be of local distribution only and not likely to effect Imperium >>policy.
>Okay, so it is a fact that under an empire the local populace >doesn't care
>who is in charge, or what they do because it has little relavance >on their
>lives.  Second, in TU, the Imperium controls the only means of mass
>communication, and even so, it's not all too effectivly mass.  All >true.

     Not necessarily.  Trade routes and shipping lines span the Imperium, and there's no reason a private news organization (like TNS) can't ship news where ever they choose aboard them.  There isn't a ton of canonical information about regular shipping routes in the OTU, but in researching Far Trader we found in the Traveller Adventure maps of Aramis subsector that showed that every non-Amber Zoned world in the subsector was served by a shipping line and that Naasirka maintained regular shipping to and from Aramis to Vland.  Given that Aramis is a pretty lightly inhabited subsector way out on the edge of the Imperium, I think it's safe to say that their is private, regularly scheduled shipping service available just about anywhere in the Imperium.

Jim MacLean
Co-Author GT:Far Trader

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

Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 00:30:23 -0300
From: Michel Vaillancourt <misha@empire.atlantic-online.ns.ca>
Subject: Getting the Word Out (was Re: Re: Imperial military and PR)

At 11:20 PM 06/09/1999 -0400, you wrote:
>     Not necessarily.  Trade routes and shipping lines span the Imperium,
and there's no reason a private news organization (like TNS) can't ship news
where ever they choose aboard them.  There isn't a ton of canonical
information about regular shipping routes in the OTU, but in researching Far
Trader we found in the Traveller Adventure maps of Aramis subsector that
showed that every non-Amber Zoned world in the subsector was served by a
shipping line and that Naasirka maintained regular shipping to and from
Aramis to Vland.  Given that Aramis is a pretty lightly inhabited subsector
way out on the edge of the Imperium, I think it's safe to say that their is
private, regularly scheduled shipping service available just about anywhere
in the Imperium.
>
>Jim MacLean
>Co-Author GT:Far Trader
>

        Hi, Jim!
        One of my favorite Book-2 "gimmes" for starship revenue was the
ubiqutous "5 tons allocated to mail".  All you needed was a cannon and a
gunner and it was KCr25 per trip.  You can cram a lot of DAT cartridges and
envelopes into ~67m^3....
        I don't see the 3i being able to choke news.  There are too many
Free Traders and Sub Merchants trucking around...

        --Michel
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	Michel R. Vaillancourt	misha@atlantic-online.ns.ca
				ICQ # 31172292
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	    NET-City Communications....
	         Providing "Solutions for the Common Company"
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-
	***REMEMBER - Always virus-check your emails ***
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 14:12:26 +1000
From: "The Roc" <roc@kewl.com.au>
Subject: Re: Acceptable Battle Losses...

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Walter Smith <SmithW@HARTWICK.EDU>
To: 'TML' <traveller@mpgn.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 6:49 AM
Subject: re: Acceptable Battle Losses



>
> If you knew the Short Sunderland Flying Boat, you know that a cargo
> plane had enough agility to attack it. ;-)
>
> The Ju-88 was a light-medium bomber that was adapted (due to
> its ruggedness, availability and reasonable range) for a variety of
> roles - maritime patrol, night fighter, pathfinder, even low-level ground
> attack (with underslung cannon pods). Some were even equipped
> with air-to-air rocket pods and air-to-air bombs for use against allied
> mass bomber squadrons - a flight of Ju-88's would fly above and
> ahead of a B-17 squadron dropping bombs, or fire rockets at them
> from beyond the range of defensive machine guns.
>

The Short Sunderland flying boat was reputed to be a rather robust machine
and heavily armed.  It was called the "Flying Porcupine" do to it's
capability to see off most attacking aircraft it encountered, mainly I
believe, Ju-88's on daytime Maritime Patrols (a common use for Ju-88's in
the guise as a "fighter/bomber").

- -- The Roc

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

Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 02:55:50 -0400
From: Thom Jones-Low <tjoneslo@together.net>
Subject: RE: Standards of Beauty

	While Vargar may be more smell oriented than humans, they still have
their visual requirements of beauty, like humans. I would think that the
Vargar beauty standards would always be most healthy, thick fur, bright
eyes, good teeth, etc. 

	Uncle Thom's tips for Merchants: When hiring Vargar as crew, make sure
your health plan include Dental coverage. 

	Another odd though. Because of the presence of odd alien proteins and
differing concentrations of minerals or metals, there would be worlds
where you would get some odd combinations like orange skin or green hair
or yellow eyes. And given the nobility's quest for the new standard of
beauty, wouldn't this introduce some strange dietary habits. Not that
aren't such strange diets already.

	Thomas Jones-Low
	tjoneslo@together.net

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 17:35:26 +0800
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: FW: request for URLs with Traveller pictures

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
[mailto:owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com] On Behalf Of Jesse
DeGraff
Sent: Tuesday, 7 September 1999 4:09
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
Subject: RE: request for URLs with Traveller pictures


Yep, it's good ta' be the king!  :)
Jesse



> 	If I were king (and it's good to be king ...), all cool graphics
> would be available at about 12,800 x 10,240, and peasants could use
> their favorite image program to reduce the size to what fits on their
> desktop without having to worry to much about resizing artifacts ...
> :-)
> -- ------------------------------------------------------------ --
>    Dave Golden                  http://www.pcisys.net/~goldendj
> I'm sorry citizen king, you are under arrest, please report to the nearest
guilotine for re-education.

Antony

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 17:35:22 +0800
From: "Antony Farrell" <Skaran@bigpond.com>
Subject: Re High Pressure Areas

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
[mailto:owner-traveller@lists.imagiconline.com] On Behalf Of Eris
Reddoch
Sent: Tuesday, 7 September 1999 5:41
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1051


On 09/06/99 at 12:33 PM,  Michel Vaillancourt
<misha@empire.atlantic-online.ns.ca> said:

>>Does anyone have any ideas on how to produce a localized and persistant
>high pressure ridge? Idea being to eventually change the course of a
>jet stream, creating an El Nino type effect in some part of a world.

>        Orbital mirrors and a big patch of ground.
>        Or get crazy and orbital microwave stations and a big patch of
>charred ground.

Hee! Any ideas for something less obvious?  Something that could be hidden
on the surface, or underwater, and be covertly causing problems?

Eris

Well on one of the worlds in MTU the cooling fins for an antimatter reactor
were buried beneath the surface, they were quite large and operated below
red heat, but the heating of the ground produced a persistant updraft above
them hence a high pressure area.

Antony

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 01:16:09 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: The Big RED Button (was Re: The Big Button)

In mail you write:

>
>>Oh, every gamer in the whole world knows that feeling.  Imagine being a
>>"Gamma World" player.  Or, even worse, the hot potato of the gaming
>>industry, "Ars Magica."  And AD&D third editon.  Why, why, why?  Does
> anyone
>>but some confounded WOTC exec think this is a good idea?  Wait a minitue,
>>don't answer that, I already know the answer.
>
> Hey I'm a Gamma World player!  I resemble that remark!  :)

What? Are they bringing out a *fourth* (or is it fifth?) edition of
Gamma World?

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

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 01:18:34 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: diseases and quarantine

In mail you write:

>>    From: "Doug wilder" <doug_wilder@hotmail.com>
>  
>> With all this talk of diseases parasites and vermin of all sorts. I got to 
>> wondering about what sorts of quarentine proceedures would be needed at a 
>> starport. It seems to me that in every game i ever played nobody ever 
>> instituted quarenteen proceedures. I mean even here on good old earth 
>> countries dont allow plants or animals to travel from one country to the 
>> other with out them.
>
> You're right; Traveller just doesn't address this issue (so far as I
> know), not even with a handwave.  I did read an article in I think
> Challenge Magazine dealing with quarantine and decontamination
> procedures experienced by interstellar travellers in the 2300 AD
> universe.  I'd expect that the procedures would be less invasive and
> delaying at Imperial tech levels.  On the other hand, many worlds are at
> very low tech levels and have only rudimentary starports.  Those worlds
> are at great risk of all sorts of disease and ecological problems if
> they don't institute appropriate procedures.

Well, not many cargos are live animals/plants, so the quarantine is
easily "handwaved" as being handled at the destination. 

For most human diseases, the week in jump is a nice quarantine period,
as it gives enough time that many diseases will start to show. 

BTW, if you want to scare the *hell* out of your players, have a
passenger get *spectacularly* ill just after they enter jump. Say,
bleeding from all over the place (look up the symptoms of ebola Zaire).
And have the most likely diagnosis be something that goes from exposure
to death in less than 7 days. With it being a virtual certainty that
everyone on board has been exposed.

Maybe it's something else with similar symptoms. Maybe some of the PCs
have acquired an immunity due to something *else* they've had in the
past (which, btw would be *valuable* information!). Or maybe the GM is
going to let them all die. 

Highports and isolated downports are best for quarantine purposes.
Though I'd expect that anybody shipping live animals or plants, or
"unprocessed" animal or plant materials (stuff that could act as a
vector for diseases) will need special permits, and/or be required to
dock at a quarantine station rather than the regular port. 

A good location would be on an airless world with decent gravity,
though with CG and the like, gravity isn't a likely problem. Asteroids
are another good location, with seperate orbital facilities around the
mainworld being an ok, though not as good choice. Lower tech worlds may
have an isolated island, or a facility in a "wasteland" as the
quarantine facility. 

I'd think that having the facility in a different orbit than the
mainworld would be a plus. Why? Because it'd take yet another week for
anything to get to the mainworld from there. And it'd mean that you'd
have to jump in to a point where yyou *couldn't* "accidentally" skip
quarantine. 

Any cargo requiring quarantine is a real *pain*. Which is why they
aren't seen often, but can command *high* rates when they are seen. 

For passengers, and more normal cargos, the exit controls at the
extrality boundary of the port are *usually* adequate. Though sometimes
there will be a bit of a panic when a newly arrived ship bears the news
that the previous ship from its port of origin may have carried people
getting out one step ahead of a declaraction of an epidemic. 

If an epidemic/pandemic is sweeping a planet, the port will usually
seal the boundary until it can be determined if anyone in the port is
infected. Also, ships that have departed, but haven't jumped yet will
be called back as part of the quarantine measure. Failing to heed the
recall is illegal, but many a ship has claimed to have not heard the
recall if they were close to jump. 

Ships will be kept in orbit until either the incubation period of the
disease has passed, or everyone on board has been tested (assuming a
test exists). The highport and other space facilities will be isolated
as well. So will the downport. Though if disease breaks out anywhere,
that facility *can* contact or\ther infected facilities. But doing so
extends the quarantine, until there have been no cases for (incubation
period + X) days in *any* of the facilities that have been in contact. 

There *are* methods for transferring food and other supplies without
breaking quarantine. But even so, due to nasty incidents in the past,
they count as "contact" for the vessel/facility *receiving* the
supplies. So they are restricted to emergencies. Basicly, you "drop
off" a load (in orbit) or use some sort of rentry kit like method (for
orbit to ground). So the senders can't get anything from *you*, but you
are still at risk from *them*.

BTW, this is a good use for the variation in jump duration. Have the
players' ship leave just before quarantine is declared, and take a
longer than usual time for jump (say 8 days), and have a ship carrying
news of the quarantine make a "fast" passage (say, 6 days). So the
players' ship arrives top a rather "warm" reception. :-)

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

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 01:54:30 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Inter species relationships

In mail you write:

> Lets face it, here and now, there are cultural groups in Europe and the US
> with sharpened teeth, diamonds set in their teeth, gold, silver, smiley
> faces, whatever.  The 3I with it's technology would have some wicked dental
> options I'm sure!

LEDs built into the tooth, giving a whole new meaning to "sparkling
smile". 

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

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1068
***********************************

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
