Traveller-digest     Friday, September 24 1999     Volume 1999 : Number 1124



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Census time: the Active Campaign Census
Re: An unfinished little Scout ship for GT (long)
Re: Non-Solomani Religions
Re: Software Data Formats
Re: Taxation and rank in William's TU
Re: Non-Solomani Religions
RE: Deckplans, lost messages and T5
Re: XML (Traveller data format)
RE: Ground Forces
RE: software data formats
Re: Religeon
RE: Ground Forces
RE: Limit of planetary authority (Was: Income tax for PCs)
RE: Limit of planetary authority (Was: Income tax for PCs)
Re:[BITS] Official answer on TLWH question
Re: One question answered, another asked...
Re: An unfinished little Scout ship for GT (long)
Re: software data formats
Another reason for PCs on the fuzzy side of the law...
RE: Religion
Re: One question answered, another asked...
Re: Jagannath?
Planet Sterilisation
RE: Census time: the Active Campaign Census
Classic Traveller Starship Economics Worksheet (Re: Merchant Ship Question)

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:08:29 -0500 ()
From: "Joseph R. Dietrich" <yikes@evansville.net>
Subject: Re: Census time: the Active Campaign Census

Since everyon else seems to be crossposting to the TML ...

Question. Does it have to be currently running, or does "Real Soon Now" count?

My location        : Evansville, Indiana
Campaign milieu    : Really Alternate MegaTraveller
Campaign ruleset   : FUDGE
Campaign health    : Beginning in November, most likely
Group has met since: Spring 1986
Frequency          : Every Sunday or so
Number of players  : 6 (currently)
Number of referees : 1
E-mail contact     : yikes@evansville.net
Campaign notes     : A space opera, Star Wars-style, using the Rebellion-era
                     setting as a background. Throwing concepts from Fading Suns
                     into the mix as well this time. PCs will be playing jedi
                     or the equivalent, opposing the forces of the evil Lucan.

Ciao,

Joseph R. Dietrich
yikes@evansville.net

On conformity:
"So if everyone else in the world jumped off the Empire State Building,
would you do it too?!?"
"Sure. By the time everyone else had done it, I could just step off onto
the pile of corpses."

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 12:49:13 +0100
From: Phil Kitching <postmark.design@btinternet.com>
Subject: Re: An unfinished little Scout ship for GT (long)

At 16:38 23/09/1999 -0500, "Joseph R. Dietrich" <yikes@evansville.net> wrote:
>Since I have so little time nowadays due to Real Life (tm), I'll never get
>this finished. So I thought I would post what I had -- maybe someone else
>can pick up. :-)

<snip>

>... Paint job comes in
>battleship grey, destroyer grey, or aircraft carrier grey (buyer's choice).
                  ^^^^^^^^^

would that be *Star* destroyer grey ?

;-)

(How much does it cost so far?)

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

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:30:52 -0500
From: "Robert Eaglestone" <eaglesto@nortelnetworks.com>
Subject: Re: Non-Solomani Religions

What does the 101 Religions book say?

I'd think Vilani religions may be very Vilani-centric, commanding some
austere rituals to those who are under Vilani rule, but not being so enthusiastic
about spreading like a virus to all cultures.  A political, cold religion is what
I think of when I think of Vilani... but I expect that their shugilii witchdoctors
are quite insufferable.

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:44:48 -0500
From: "Robert Eaglestone" <eaglesto@nortelnetworks.com>
Subject: Re: Software Data Formats

The nice thing about any of these extensible data formats
is that there is usually a mechanism by which you may
express *functions* or relationships as well as raw data:
in other words, these formats allow you to explain the data
in powerful ways -- maybe like having a data dictionary.

For example, the Traveller character generation rules
themselves may be encodable in XML... not that you'd
necessarily want to do it or parse it, but the simple fact
that it's do-able attests to the power inside these
representations.  No longer do we have to store data
that's completely separated from context or interpretation...

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:59:26 +0200 (METDST)
From: Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
Subject: Re: Taxation and rank in William's TU

William F. Hostman wtites:

>Imperial Taxation, IMTU, is based upon the following:
>	Army: Each world is required to use 3% of it's GPV on raising and
>maintaing the Imperial Army commitment forces. Any extra forces above this
>are "Colonial Forces".
>	Navy and Marines: Cr500 per sophont per year assessed to the
>planetary government, to be raised by any means. Cr 100 to the Imp Navy,
>Cr100 to the Imp Mar Corp, Cr 100 to the Sector Navy, Cr 100 to the
>Subsector Navy, Cr75 to the scouts, Cr25 to adminitration and overhead.

That's a rather large chunk of the planetary production (13% if average
GWP is assumed to be Cr10,000/citizen) sliced off for the Imperium before
the planet's own needs are addressed. A heavy burden. It also makes for a
humongous Imperial army and navy (and the scouts and marines won't be so
very small either). The Imperium IYTU appears to be a much larger factor
in everyday life than that of the OTU.


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk
- ------------
        "The referee should determine the nature of subsequent
         events based on the individual situation."
                                _76 Patrons_, p. 8

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:05:32 +0100
From: Timothy.Collinson@solent.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Non-Solomani Religions

>What does the 101 Religions book say?

>I'd think Vilani religions may be very Vilani-centric, commanding some
>austere rituals to those who are under Vilani rule, but not being so
enthusiastic
>about spreading like a virus to all cultures.  A political, cold religion
is what
>I think of when I think of Vilani... but I expect that their shugilii
witchdoctors
>are quite insufferable.


I must confess that the one thing the book is lacking is an index of
religions by culture.  Is there enough interest out there for me to compile
such an index?  I could try and get it done this weekend.  (Dom you haven't
already done this have you?)


tc

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:15:11 +0100
From: Timothy.Collinson@solent.ac.uk
Subject: RE: Deckplans, lost messages and T5

Someone, I've lost track of who, wrote:


>>I've never paid much attention to the little pocket organizers.
>>Have they gone past the toy stage to actually become useful for
>>getting anything done?


I was very unconvinced but have found it extremely useful.  I've even now
read and reviewed an e-book on my Palm IIIx.  Given how much I dislike
reading 'on screen' this was a breakthrough for me.

I can now much more usefully utilize commuting time - particularly with the
additon of a 'GoType' keyboard which makes it very easy to type text into
the beast.  I think they may finally have 'arrived'.


>>Palm OS organisers run using 68000's (IIRC) with a starting 2Mb RAM now
>>(mine has 1Mb).


Actually the IIIx comes with 4meg on board (useful if you store lots of
text like me - an entire Bible takes about half that).  I've just seen on
www.ugeek.com an 8meg expansion for $100.


Dom replied:

>Not toys.



Definitely not.  (but would someone please tell my wife that!)


OB Trav:  I have converted my bibliography into a document I can refer to
on the move (not pretty but the info is there) and I will probably start on
volume 3 (magazine articles) on the machine.  Also the dice rolling
programs available are brilliant for creating worlds, characters and so
forth *quietly* in a Library.


tc

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 11:42:04 -0400
From: "Jory Earl" <j-man@iname.com>
Subject: Re: XML (Traveller data format)

I loaded that XML post you made in Explorer 5.0 and it didn't do anything
special..Listed the guys' stats but the formatting was not good.
___________________________________________________________
 J-Man
 ICQ# 2843475
 New Hampshire - U.S.A.
 Email : j-man@iname.com
 Home Page : http://www.geocities.com/~jman037/
___________________________________________________________

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 08:57:02 PDT
From: "will richards" <willrichards@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Ground Forces

How about:

   GT:Huscarles

  Not sure if thats the correct spelling but I think its to the point.


Will



______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 12:45:57 -0400
From: "Paul Schirf" <Paul@Schirf.com>
Subject: RE: software data formats

> When it comes to choosing an extensable language
> to base it on I would think that it might be easier 
> to use XML on a Microsoft operating system than for 
> other operating systems to find a way to access the
> proprietary microsoft INI format. 

The INI format is a simple ASCII text file, and is
not going to be a problem for non-MS operating
systems.  There are a small set of "format" rules,
which could be described in a few paragraphs.

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 10:17:33 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Religeon

> I thought there were Messianic Jews now who have 'found' Christ?

Yes, Jews for Jesus is one group. As far as Islam,  you said you knew too
little to comment. I know only a bit, but from what I have read (theology is
a "hobby" of mine) I doubt you would see much of a change in their belief
system, except perhaps with the less traditional factions. The continuity of
Moslem culture is rivaled only by the Hebrews.

////////////////////////////////////////
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: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 10:08:24
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: RE: Ground Forces

At 08:57 AM 9/24/1999 PDT, you wrote:
>How about:
>
>   GT:Huscarles

Huscarles are house troops, and are covered (briefly) in _Star Mercs_.
- -- 

Douglas E. Berry       gridlore@mindspring.com
http://gridlore.home.mindspring.com/index.html

Embrace Fascism.    The uniforms look cool

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 11:15:21 +0100
From: John Buston <John.Buston@tesco.net>
Subject: RE: Limit of planetary authority (Was: Income tax for PCs)

>I think the term "atmospheric boundary" is  a  "slogan"  term  as
>atmospheres don't have boundaries but fizzle out (IIRC traces  of
>Earth's atmosphere have been detected on the moon, and very faint
>traces of Venus atmosphere are blown back by the solar wind  like
>a comet tail that stretches out  to  Earth's  orbit!).  I  prefer
>using "suborbital" as the boundary line for each world  or  major
>satellite (this gets around the problem with vacuum worlds), with
>standard approaches to/from starports also being  Imperium-owned,
>or goverened by local treaties.  

As far as I am aX-Mozilla-Status: 0009 vacuum world is when the orbit is so low
you start bumping into mountains. So their authority line stretches to the top
of their highest mountain?

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 11:15:21 +0100
From: John Buston <John.Buston@tesco.net>
Subject: RE: Limit of planetary authority (Was: Income tax for PCs)

>I think the term "atmospheric boundary" is  a  "slogan"  term  as
>atmospheres don't have boundaries but fizzle out (IIRC traces  of
>Earth's atmosphere have been detected on the moon, and very faint
>traces of Venus atmosphere are blown back by the solar wind  like
>a comet tail that stretches out  to  Earth's  orbit!).  I  prefer
>using "suborbital" as the boundary line for each world  or  major
>satellite (this gets around the problem with vacuum worlds), with
>standard approaches to/from starports also being  Imperium-owned,
>or goverened by local treaties.  

As far as I am aware, sub orbital on a vacuum world is when the orbit is so low
you start bumping into mountains. So their authority line stretches to the top
of their highest mountain?

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 18:29:33 +0100
From: John Buston <John.Buston@tesco.net>
Subject: Re:[BITS] Official answer on TLWH question

>>Without giving anything away, are the two extra adventures in the IG
>>version of The Long Way Home worth having?

Dom (BITS Webmaster) wrote:
>In answer to John's query, the two add-in scenarios were (hopefully) fun
>extra material rather than just being space-fillers!

Thanks. It's always nice to have a totally impartial and unbiased opinion ;-)

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 13:41:58 -0500 (CDT)
From: Steven Bonneville <bonnevil@ima.umn.edu>
Subject: Re: One question answered, another asked...

Tom Schoene wrote:

> > Right now I'm trying to work out the transportation "slice" required per
> > trooper.  How many total displacement tons of ship are needed to
> > transport one man and 2dt of equipment/vehicle through one Jump-4.  Once I
> > have that  number, I can figure how much tonnage is required for the
> > various units.
>
> I figure a J-4, 1-g bulk transport has about 40% of its displacement
> available for cargo (45% is J-4 and drive, 10% maneuver drive, and 5% crew
> spaces and miscellaneous).  A trooper needs 1dt for his share of a four-man
> bunkroom (assuming you don't overload them at 16 per 4dt module) plus your
> posited 2 dt of cargo/vehicle slice. Thus you need about 7.5 or 8 dt of
> ship to carry each trooper.  

I'm in agreement.  I've got a 500000-ton High Guard design for a fleet
tanker based on the TF-15 from MegaTraveller (J3/1G).  If excess fuel
(for distribution, not the ship and one jump-3) is converted to cargo
space, it has a payload fraction of 52.3% plus five 100-ton shuttles
and five 1000-ton lighters.  Increasing the ship to jump-4 (10% more 
ship fuel, 1% more jump drive, 1% more power plant, plus support) brings 
us down near 40% cargo payload.  Cost of the jump-3 version is around
GCr 140 in bulk; I'd expect a jump-4 version to cost more like GCr 170
after the discount, under High Guard.  Don't know what the GURPS version
would look like.

> Realistically, I would expect J-4 assault transports to be used only for
> Marine forces that accompany the battle force.  Army forces would generally
> travel in J-2 or J-3 merchant-type ships, which will have larger payload
> fractions.  The 20,000 dton J-2 bulk freighter in Far trader has a payload
> fraction of about 65% (13,000 tons).  The J-3 LASH carrier is down around
> 35% (8250) but has the advantage of putting that payload in streamlined
> craft instead of an unstreamlined bulk ship.  
 
All the regular Imperial AssaultRons in the 5FW board game were jump-4.
This was nice because they could keep up with the majority of Imperial
regular fleets, which were also jump-4.  Jump-3 could also be reasonable,
but I'd think that jump-2 would be much too slow. 

  -- Steve Bonneville
 

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 14:07:53 -0500 ()
From: "Joseph R. Dietrich" <yikes@evansville.net>
Subject: Re: An unfinished little Scout ship for GT (long)

>>... Paint job comes in
>>battleship grey, destroyer grey, or aircraft carrier grey (buyer's choice).
>                  ^^^^^^^^^
>would that be *Star* destroyer grey ?


Finally, some feedback! I didn't seem like anybody was going to get it! :-)


>;-)
>
>(How much does it cost so far?)


1,845,227.58 MCr. Less than one of Strephon's trademark "Down-Home BBQ
Festivals" ;-)

Tschuess,

Joseph R. Dietrich
yikes@evansville.net

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 14:16:28 -0500
From: Eris reddoch <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: software data formats

Paul Schirf wrote:

> > When it comes to choosing an extensable language
> > to base it on I would think that it might be easier
> > to use XML on a Microsoft operating system than for
> > other operating systems to find a way to access the
> > proprietary microsoft INI format.
 
> The INI format is a simple ASCII text file, and is
> not going to be a problem for non-MS operating
> systems.  There are a small set of "format" rules,
> which could be described in a few paragraphs.

The original INI format is ASCII and would be familiar to users of and
parseable by Linux, OS/2, Mac, DOS or virtually any other OS. IIRC, Jo
Grant used the ini format for config files for the old Dulinor
project...I could be wrong, but I seem to recall that was true. Heck,
even I have used ini's to hold data in configuration files for DOS and
OS/2 programs..and I'm certainly not a professional programmer. (I'm
too darn busy teaching programming to actually *do* much of it <big
sigh>.)  However, you *don't* want to compile it into a binary format
as that would quickly make it non-crossplatform.

OTOH, XML *is* a standard format that everyone from MS to the OSF is
supporting for describing data. People familiar with HTML will find it
pretty easy to pick up.  I believe there are free XML parsers for most
systems floating around.  XML, I think, is the future and probably the
way to go.

IAC, there have been similar discussions among GURPS software writers.
It would make sense for whatever we decide to coincide to whatever
they decide wouldn't it?

Eris

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 15:37:08 -0400
From: Mark Urbin <eclipse@ultranet.com>
Subject: Another reason for PCs on the fuzzy side of the law...

to keep moving.

In Traveller, you can move faster than the news if you try hard enough.

http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19990925/caughtonca.html
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
eclipse@ultranet.com -- These opinions are mine, no one else wants `em.
"This has the characteristic look and feel of a complete fiasco."
                 http://www.ultranet.com/~eclipse/
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:15:46 -0400
From: Ian Ferguson <ian@vax2.concordia.ca>
Subject: RE: Religion

Timothy Collinson writes:
<snipped>
>Ecumenical movements might gather some strength and momentum from the
>discovery of 'life out there' making denominations realize that they
>don't have that much between them after all.  (Indeed, locally a couple
>of very similar churches *are* merging but I can't recall if this is >just
in our town or nationwide.)
>
>Perhaps in the face of a whole galaxy to 'convert'  (though I found
>Leonard's remarks about the possibilities fascinating), various branches
>would actually come together.

	That is certainly a possibility, but religious institutions
	(especially big ones) are run by people in privileged
	positions, which they are unlikely to give up in the name
	of unity.  I could see some amalgamation, but IMHO the
	general trend would continue to be branching and
	diversifying, augmented by interstellar distances.

<snipped>
>I thought there were Messianic Jews now who have 'found' Christ?

	Yes, there are.  They have accepted that the Jesus of the
	Christians was in fact the messiah.  I was rather thinking 
	of Jews who still think that Jesus was a prophet, but that
	Jo Shmo (born in 2000 AD) is actually the messiah.

>>How about Christians who recognize the second coming of Christ?
>I'm a bit confused by this as I thought Christians do recognize the
>second coming of Christ?  (Or do you mean recognize an event that's past
>as the second coming - say the accession of Cleon I to the throne or
>something?)

	I meant the latter.

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 15:48:10 -0500 (CDT)
From: Christopher Thrash <thrash@io.com>
Subject: Re: One question answered, another asked...

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

Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 12:20:30
From: "Douglas E. Berry" <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: One question answered, another asked...

> Any source for a Lift-Infantry Battalion other than the 4518th.  Is
> there one in Striker II? (my copy disappeared many moons ago.)

Try the early TNS entries about the insurgency on Efate (c. 1105-1106).
There were several Imperial Army units mentioned by name, including a Lift
Infantry regiment (IIRC -- I'm away from my library right now). The
releases were quoted in the 5FW rulebook, and possibly in The Spinward
Marches Campaign, in addition to the original JTAS features.
        

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 17:08:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Prior <robert_prior@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Re: Jagannath?

>> Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 01:56:55 PST
>> From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
>> >
>> > Some Christians in the Phillipines crucify themselves in a festival.
>>(Which
>> > may or may not be yearly - my Tagalog wasn't up to reading the paper, and
>> > my translator didn't want to talk about it much.)
>>
>> That sort of thing goes in in Latin America too. Seems to be something
>> they picked up from the Spanish.
>
>Nope, it's indigenous.  Most of the mesoamerican cultures were fond of
>bloodletting as an aspect of religious practice, in a variety of ingenious
>and often terrifying forms.  The early Spanish friars made use of the
>image of Xipe Totec -- "Our Flayed Lord" -- as an analogy for the passion
>of Christ, and of the common practice of eating the flesh of humans
>identified with gods and then sacrificed in explaining the Eucharist.

What about the Phillipines? No Mesoamericans there, and I'm not aware of
any equivalent native beliefs requiring bloodletting (not that I'm an
expert).

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:10:02 -0500
From: "Smart, David J (David)" <dasmart@lucent.com>
Subject: Planet Sterilisation

The BBC has posted a story on how star systems with large
gas giants near the system primary may suffer from
"superflares" which can sterilise a planet (darn those
Darrians!).

This may actually be a fairly common occurrence (9 cases
have already been detected in nearby systems, 2 with star
types very close to our own).

The story is at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/

Scroll down to about halfway and look for the link
entitled "Planet Sterilisation".

ObTrav: Just some more "space weather" to keep PCs on
their toes and make Traveller otherworldly.

David

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:42:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steven Spiroff <sspiroff@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Census time: the Active Campaign Census

> My location        : Richmond, VA, USA
> Campaign milieu    : none
> Campaign ruleset   : none (GT?)
> Campaign health    : n/a
> Group has met since: n/a
> Frequency          : n/a
> Number of players  : 1
> Number of referees : 0
> E-mail contact     : sspiroff@yahoo.com
> Campaign notes     : Well if you know anyone in the area that wants to play
>                      then give me a holler, OK?



=====
Steven S. Spiroff - Richmond, Virginia, USA

"Heroes get pushed off buildings, exposed to vacuum,
electrocuted, infected, burned, drowned, poisoned,
and irradiated."  - page 57, Alternity Gamemaster Guide
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

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

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 21:23:07 -0300
From: Michel Vaillancourt <misha@empire.atlantic-online.ns.ca>
Subject: Classic Traveller Starship Economics Worksheet (Re: Merchant Ship Question)

CLASSIC TRAVELLER STARSHIP ECONOMICS WORKSHEET
Version 1.0
Friday, September 24, 1999
Michel R Vaillancourt (misha@atlantic-online.ns.ca)

Financing
	Total Cost:				MCr__________
	Down Payment:				MCr__________
	(1) Balance Owing:			MCr__________
	(2) Monthly Payment:  (Item 1 / 480)                  MCr__________

Operating	
	Fuel:	(Tons Fuel x2 x Cr500; Cr0 if scoops & purifiers)
				Cr__________ /month
	Salaries:		                Cr__________ /month
	Life Support Costs:  (Total Crew + Passengers * 2)
				Cr__________ /month
	Anunual Overhaul:   (Total Cost MCr * .02 * 1000000 / 12)
				Cr__________ /month
	(3) Total Operating:	Cr__________ /month

Passengers
	High:  (Passenger Capacity *.75 * 2 * 10000)
				Cr__________ /month
	Middle:  (Passenger Capacity *.25 * 2 * 8000)
				Cr__________ /month
	Low:  (Low Passenger Capacity * 2 * 900)
				
	(4) Total Passenger Revenue:	Cr__________ /month

Misc
	(5) Mail:  (If fitted for mail and armed ship, Cr25000 x2):
					Cr__________ /month

Before Cargo Balance:
	(6) Total Costs:  (Item 1 * 1000000 + Item 3)	                Cr__________
/month
	    Total Revenue:  (-1 * [Item 4 + Item 5])	                Cr__________
/month
	(7) Total BCB:					Cr__________ /month
	(8) Total dTons Cargo Bay * 2:			  __________ dtons
	(9) Price Per Ton (Break-point):  (Item 7 / Item 8):
							Cr/dTon__________ /month

**  Note:  Since it's pretty much agreed that the default cr1000/dton
frieght rules are broken, I use cr500 + cr500/jp/dton to calculate cargo bay
frieght revenues.  It makes for a more teniable situation.  IMTU, I further
apply multipliers based on the relative threat to shipping in the area with
x1 being for heavily patrolled core areas that no sane pirate would ever
consider operating in.  **

Cargo Freight Revenues:
	Vessel Jump Rating * Cr 500:		Cr__________
	Basic Transport Handling Fee:		Cr_____500__
	(10)  Subtotal Price Per dTon (Actual):	                Cr__________
	(11) Total Monthly Frieght Revenue:  (Item 8 * Item 10)
						Cr__________

Profit/ Loss Calculations:
	(12) Monthly P/L Total:  ([Item 10 - Item 9] * Item 8)		Cr__________
	(13) Yearly P/L:  (Item 12 * 12)				Cr__________
	(14) Annual Return On Investment:  (Item 13 / Item 1 * 100)	  __________%

**  Note:  I just realized this algorithim is slightly broken, now that I am
recreating it from a spreadsheet out into an accounting-style form.
Specifically, it erroneously handles both revenue and expenses on a 24 jumps
per year basis.  This is incorrect;  a starship spends 2 weeks - the
equivalent of one revenue period - in refit.  Thus, while expenses are on 24
periods per year, revenues are only on 23 periods per year.  This totals an
error of 4.2% on the PPdT (actual) value for item 10.  Ignore if you like,
or simply multiply item 10 by 0.958 to correct.  On one design I have, which
makes Cr4,493,907.23/ year for an ROI of 1%, applying this correction
results in changes Cr4,241,907.23 and an ROI of 1%. 
    Liners produce a funny result;  the value of item 7 is negative.  Which
means that you don't need to carry cargo to break even.  Any cargo carried
simply improves your ROI.  Which makes sense.  
    A vessel design should aim for an ROI of 3% - 5%.  As commented
elsewhere, these calculations are based on ideal conditions.  An ROI
expectation of less than 3% will eventually loose money as a result of light
loads, labour difficulties, battle damage, etc.  Allowing for an ROI of 3% -
5% essentially allows the ship to absorb the equivalent of a second annual
maintanence every year and still break even.
    Of last consideration is that, again commented elsewhere, small
independant ships are intended to make thier money on speculative trade, not
hauling boxes.  So, for a speculative trade design, a thinner ROI may be
permissible with the knowledge that the bulk of real revenues will not come
from "hauling boxes".  
    Please note that I am not an economist, nor do I play one on TV.  So if
I have twirped something, please let me know.  **

	--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 ***
	-+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+-

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1124
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