Traveller-digest    Thursday, September 30 1999    Volume 1999 : Number 1146



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Another graphics link
Re: Versions (I will not)
Re: 3I vs WoD (was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143)
Mineable Gas Giants?
Technology Catching Up With SciFi
Re: 3I vs WoD (was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143)
Re: 
Re: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
Re: Linux question
Re: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
Re: Another graphics link
Re: Redshift 2 software (OT)
Re: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
Re: Interesting theory...
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
Shiont(h)y Belt
Arrrggghhh!
Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143
SEC: UNCLASSIFIED RE: J-O-T

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 12:48:00 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Another graphics link

> There are some nice SF ships here, especially if you like CJ Cherryh's work.
>
> http://www.valint.net/chp/imcr/real/shipyard.html

Awesome pics! Well, not Jesse's, but real cool. This is how I envision
starships in the TL A-C range. What do you suppose those long struts are on
the first ships aft section? I thought first solar collecters, but on the
zoom I noticed they seem to be square rods. Heat sinks?

////////////////////////////////////////
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: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:55:44 -0400
From: "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net>
Subject: Re: Versions (I will not)

- ----- Original Message -----
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
> Ahem. If you're going to claim Traveller has six versions (actually *7*)
> with 2300 included (CT, MT, TNE, T4, GT, T2300, 2300AD) then I feel


No, no, no, no, no.  A thousand times no.  I will not even entertain the
thought that 2300AD is Traveller.  I'm still not sure about TNE!  I only
accept MT because it was done by DGP whose CT stuff was excellent.  I move
that we adjust the names of the versions so that they comply with the truth
in advertising laws:

Not "CT", just Traveller
Not "MT, but Mega Digest Group Publications
Not "T:TNE", but Chadwick's Virus
Not "T4", but Marc Miller's Imperium Gamble
Not "GT", but Evil Stevie's Pocket Universe
and certainly not "T5".... no matter what you call it, it won't come

Swordy

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:02:00 -0600 (CST)
From: "Jason Kemp" <Jason.Kemp@tdh.state.tx.us>
Subject: Re: 3I vs WoD (was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143)

From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>

> > We all love
> > Traveller, others can't understand why we like this game and not White
> > Wolf's World of Darkness.
> 
> I love both. White Wolf has done a fantastic job, even with the terrible
> editing. Anyone know where page xx is? 

Of course, Malkavian Clan Book, page xx.  Where else would it be?  
;)

> And then there are the paragraphs that are not completed on the
> following page. But I did get a look at SJG's Werewolf, and Steve
> apparently knows how to hire a team of editors. I wish the
> mechanics of GURPs was more enjoyable, but they drive me nuts. The
> Storyteller system has great potential, but it seems that the
> designers are not aware of some of the possibilities in the way the
> dice protocols work. I have fiddled with extended contests,
> factored successes, and scads of other tweaks. The pips are handy
> for newbie gamers too, making it fun to learn.

I like the Storyteller system, myself, and have enjoyed discussing 
William Hostman's conversion of Traveller under the ST system with 
him this last week.  It might make for an interesting experiment 
sometime, tweaked, of course, to reflect my own interpretations of 
such a translation.  (Kidding, William; you've done a great job.  
Please let me know when you reach the completed state you were 
looking for.)

ObTrav:  Yet another gaming system to play Traveller in...

In Service,
Jason

=============================
Jason Kemp, ADS Programmer IV
(512)458-7111 ext. 3375

Internet Address: jason.kemp@tdh.state.tx.us
==============================

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:10:36 -0500
From: "Smart, David J (David)" <dasmart@lucent.com>
Subject: Mineable Gas Giants?

Greetings, all

ABC is running a story on their website about Uranus and
Nepture as possible sources of natural gems and hydrocarbons.
This could also apply to similar small gas giants throughout
the Imperium.

Go to:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews

and, under "Other News" heading at the bottom, click on the
"Gassy Planets Jewel Factories " link.

An excerpt follows.

- --- quote ---

S A N   F R A N C I S C O,   Sept. 30 - Uranus and
Neptune may be giant diamond factories,
pressing out millions of the precious stones
under the pressure of billions of tons of
hydrogen, researchers said today. 

Experiments that aimed to re-create the heat and
pressure on the two planets produced tiny diamonds - and
what looked a lot like oil, Robin Benedetti and colleagues at
the University of California at Berkeley reported in the
journal Science.

- --- endquote ---

ObTrav:  Rather than gas giants being just huge fuel depots,
they may also have "mineable" resources. Don't know if it
would be worth the effort, though.

David

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:23:35 -0500
From: "Smart, David J (David)" <dasmart@lucent.com>
Subject: Technology Catching Up With SciFi

ABC has also posted snippets on some health aids of the future.
These devices are actually under development now.


The bone-density enhancement device, which has been
shown to increase bone mass, could help the more than 50 million
Americans who suffer from osteoporosis. 

New medications build bone mass, but a mechanical device is in
development that seems to be just as effective. NASA has shown
interest in it for its astronauts, who lose bone mass in the
weightlessness of space. 
- ---------------------

Bone-fracture healer. It takes roughly six months for a broken
bone to heal completely. Now there's an ultrasonic device available
that accelerates the healing. The Exogen 2000, approved last year by
the FDA, has been shown to promote a faster healing by up to 40
percent. 

Experts say they believe this works because the low-intensity
ultrasound creates micromechanical stress to the fracture, which
increases blood flow and releases calcium. The battery-operated
device is strapped to the fracture area for 20 minutes a day. 
- ---------------------

Low-vision glasses. It's called the "Jordy," a pair of high-tech
glasses for people with extremely low vision. It provides the patient
with the ability to magnify an image to as much as 24 times its size. 

There are stories of mothers who see their children for the first
time, grandparents who can now recognize family members, nearly
blind students who now can read a book, fathers who can sit in the
living room on a Sunday and watch TV. 
- ---------------------

The insulin inhaler would help those who need to take insulin
injections every day. It should be available in the next two years. The
same company is working on other inhaled medicines as well for
hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, growth deficiencies and others. 
- ---------------------

Painless shots. A handheld drug device can painlessly deliver
medicines and vaccines, providing an alternative to needle and
syringe. The PowderJet System works by accelerating microscopic
drug particles to supersonic speed within a helium gas jet and
propelling the drug particles into the skin. In testing thousands of
people, the company says no one has reported pain.
- ---------------------

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 13:57:19 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: 3I vs WoD (was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143)

> William Hostman's conversion of Traveller under the ST system

That sounds awesome, how far is he on it? I find that players realy like
rolling /lots/ of dice, and ST is great for that. Plus the inclusion of the
"Rule of One" and compounding successes as in Shadowrun makes for great dice
doodling. I like some of the dicing conventions in GURPs as well, and would
love to see them added. I know, I'm usually down on GURPs, but there are
many strong points to the system. I just want more attributes, less derived
scores, less math, and better terminology. I do not like the way GURPs
handles tech levels or components like fuel cells and reactors. I also
prefer the CT style of Chr Gen, as templates seem so AD&D class-like. I know
it is just to start the Chr, but it seems like ship construction, not life
experience. I like the fact that I can *die* during Chr Gen. OK, I'm wierd.

////////////////////////////////////////
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: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 17:08:07 EDT
From: Sethkimmel@aol.com
Subject: Re: 

In a message dated 9/30/99 7:38:51 PM !!!First Boot!!!, aramis@gci.net writes:

<< GT is making steady and subtle (oft hidden) changes to
 canon. >>

Such as.... (I'm not trolling; just dense...)

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 14:17:50 PDT
From: "Brandon Cope" <copeab@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

>From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>

>what MT, T2300, and others do for Traveller. BTW, what is the difference
>between T2300 and 2300AD? I am only familiar with CT, although I have
>browsed through others at the store.

Aside from some minor (major?) rules changes, the game was renamed to 
eliminate confusion with Traveller -- apparently, many Traveller fans (later 
_angry_ Traveller fans) bought Traveller 2300 thinking it was just an 
expansion for (Classic) Traveller.

A generous and sadistic GM,

Brandon Cope

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

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 17:35:13 -0400
From: Jeff Zeitlin <jzeitlin@cyburban.com>
Subject: Re: Linux question

On Thu, 30 Sep 1999 10:50:47 -0400 (EDT), "Andrew
Moffatt-Vallance" <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz> wrote:

>I making a version of my Pocket Empires sheet for Linux. At the moment
>I've converted it to StarOffice on my PC, but I don't know what compression
>formats linux will support. Anybody got any suggestions, and will a PC
>file translate to linux?

Linux should support any of the widely-available unix formats -
that would be tar and gzip almost universally; you may also be
able to get a PKZIP-compatible program.

As far as StarOffice files moving from Wintel to Linux, my
understanding of the goals of StarOffice was to make exactly that
possible, without needing to go through obscure interchange
formats.

- --
Jeff Zeitlin
jzeitlin@cyburban.com

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 22:32:30 +0100
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

"Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com> writes:

>BTW, what is the difference
>between T2300 and 2300AD? I am only familiar with CT, although I have
>browsed through others at the store.

Traveller: 2300 was the first edition. 2300AD was the revised, expanded and
renamed game. Thinking back; the core task system remained the same (and
had more in common with MT than TNE), there may have been a few changes to
the combat rules, but the big change was more background material on the
universe. 2300AD is also more flimsy than T2300 as it did not have a card
cover. The rename also distanced it from Traveller....

Both are cracking games and supplements like:

Aurore Sourcebook
Nyotekundo Sourcebook (may be mispelt)

Are easily usable with Traveller for plots.

The Keith's influence shows. It is a harder SF game than Traveller, and
shares more flavor with Aliens (style). Again, it is a game of growth and
expansion and uses a drive system favoured by heretics ;-) It is set in the
Twilight 2000 universe, 300 years on where the French Empire is the
dominant power.

I really like the game and would recommend it.

There was a good review of it in Dragon many moons ago.

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: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 17:34:59 -0400
From: Michael Peters <travelleri@home.com>
Subject: Re: Another graphics link

Ben

In C. J. Cherryh's universe (any number of books but 'Downbelow Station'
is one of the longest to mine, if not the best), her shipd use Jump
vanes. Kind of like Travellers lanthium grid, but the vans are "cycled"
into the proper orientation when a ship goes into jump to determine it's
breakout location.

Mike

Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella wrote:
> 
> > There are some nice SF ships here, especially if you like CJ Cherryh's work.
> >
> > http://www.valint.net/chp/imcr/real/shipyard.html
> 
> Awesome pics! Well, not Jesse's, but real cool. This is how I envision
> starships in the TL A-C range. What do you suppose those long struts are on
> the first ships aft section? I thought first solar collecters, but on the
> zoom I noticed they seem to be square rods. Heat sinks?
> 
> ////////////////////////////////////////
> 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+

- -- 
Mike Peters
travelleri@home.com

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 16:49:18 -0500
From: Charles R Hensley <hensley.cr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Redshift 2 software (OT)

Douglas E. Berry wrote:

>Hi, I recently got the Redshift 2 CD as a gift.  Anybody know how to shift
>the skyview to due west from north?  My usual stargazing point looks out
>over the ocean.

On the settings panel, the center on subpanel,  set the AZM to 270
degrees.

Charles

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 18:01:02 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

- -----Original Message-----
From: SD Mooney <dom@cybergoths.u-net.com>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Thursday, September 30, 1999 6:40 PM
Subject: Versions was Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143


>AD&D 1st (cover set 1)
>[AD&D 1st cover set 2 (IIRC)]


Absolutely no changes at all from the first cover to the second cover. A new
cover does not a new version make.

>AD&D 2nd Edition (cover 1)
>AD&D 2nd Edition (cover 2)


Different covers, different interior artwork (in fact, there were two
different runs of the second cover AD&D Player's Handbook with different
interior artwork). Although there were some changes in text, 2nd edition
with the first set of covers and 2nd edition with the second set of covers
are functionally the same.

>AD&D 3rd Edition (powergamer's wet dream due August 2000)



>D&D - original (probably more copies here)

>D&D Basic - Blue book
>D&D Basic - Red Box


Once D&D settled down in about 1980, TSR didn't have much interest in
changing it. Later rules editions had different authors, different
pagination, etc, but the rules were, as far as I can remember, completely
compatible.

A different cover, different artwork or different formatting for the same
rules does not put a game into a new edition. Such a concept is simply
absurd. If that was the case, Traveller went through many editions before
MegaTraveller ever came out:

Traveller LBBs (two different covers, if I remember correctly, so possibly
two versions)
The Traveller Book (hardcover)
The Traveller Book (softcover)



>D&D Introductory Game....
>
>And that ignores Expert, Companion, Immortal etc...


As well it should. After all, most people wouldn't include Book 4: Mercenary
as a new edition of Traveller, even though it was an official expansion to
the rules of Traveller. Same with Book 5, Book 6, etc.

>The real difference was TSR is the only publisher of (A)D&D.


No, the real difference is that TSR has always worked to keep different
versions of D&D as standardized as possible. They do this by adding new
rules on top of the existing rules, which is why quite a few people complain
bitterly about how the game feels like a patchwork.

The core mechanics of D&D and AD&D have stayed pretty much the same. Spells
have always followed the same framework, the core classes have been
maintained, combat has always been conducted in the same fashion using the
same terms.

There has not yet been a jump with any aspect of the D&D the way that
Traveller jumped to MegaTraveller (there were major changes in the way
combats were resolved as well as a fundamental change from a simple skill
resolution system to a completely different task system). Neither D&D nor
AD&D ever made a jump that was at all like the one from MegaTraveller to
Traveller: The New Era in which nearly everything about the game was changed
from the ground up.

For the record: I consider that there have been only 4 versions of Traveller
so far. I don't count Traveller: 2300 nor do I count 2300 AD, as they were
never really intended to fit into the timeline of the Traveller universe.
Further, I don't count GURPS: Traveller as a distinct version of the game,
because it's not. It's merely the application of a part of Traveller's
background to another game system, and it's merely a licensed product.

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 18:12:54 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

- -----Original Message-----
From: Stuart Ferris <stuart.ferris@virgin.net>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Thursday, September 30, 1999 1:34 PM
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143


>Traveller version and for that to be around for several years. It isn't a
>problem with the core rules. What the players need is are decent
 >sourcebooks

It *is* a problem with the core rules though! Every time a new Traveller
version comes out, it's different enough that everything has to be redone. I
don't mind buying supplements if they add to things I already have. I do
mind buying supplements that are intended as replacements for things I
already have.

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 18:20:39 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

- -----Original Message-----
From: Douglas E. Berry <gridlore@pop.mindspring.com>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Thursday, September 30, 1999 4:51 PM
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143


>If you count the various releases of D&D, rules expansions, Player Option
>books, etc., AD&D has been through more "versions" than Traveller.  It's
>one of the reasons I stopped playing D&D some years ago, and am looking
>forward to the new edition.


Really? Not all that different from all of the extra Books a player had to
buy for Traveller, no? Book 4: Mercenary... Book 5: High Guard... Book 6:
Scouts... etc. In fact, GDW pioneered the concept of adding rules after the
game was "done." ;)

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:30:42 -0700
From: "David P. Summers" <summers@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Interesting theory...

Wed, 29 Sep 1999 12:57:54 -0700 (PDT), Craig Berry <cberry@cinenet.net>
Subject: Re: Interesting theory...

>> While watching the Discovery channel, I heard a very interesting theory
>> about the link between communication and the advancement of technology.
>>
>> Basically, this guy (forgot his name and what show, I was dealing with a
>> medication change) states that great leaps in technology always follow
>> leaps in our ability to communicate.  First writing, which set off the
>> Bronze age, then the printing press, which allowed faster dissemination of
>> written materials, etc,.  All the way up to the revolutions in
>> communications in this century, in which we've also made other giant leaps.

>This isn't a new idea, and it's one I very much support.
[snip]

>> ObTrav:  It explains the sudden slowing of TL growth after about TL10.
>> Once a society is entrenched as an interstellar entity, with communication
>> limited to the speed of travel, the possibility of the commo revolution
>> drops.  Things slow down.

>It's a neat picture, but I'm not sure I buy it.  The speed and density of
>communication on any planet should continue up to the point of an
>'infosphere' a la Dan Simmons, in which anything anyone cares to
>contribute is instantly available to everyone, with helpful semi-AIs to
>make searches actually useful.

>The trouble is that in game terms this very rapidly warps off into
>"indistinguishable from magic" territory.  That's why Traveller has always
>artifically (in my view) damped down the rate of tech change (*especially*
>where computing/communication/info-processing are concerned), and turned
>up the tech disparity knob as well.  It makes for a better (more
>comprehensible) society for gaming.  This, like the momentum/energy
>bookkeeping headaches of reactionless drives, is just One of Those
>Handwaves.

It always ammuses me that most people have that attitude that we
"know" how technology will develop.  While it is comforting to think out
modern society will be the basis for all society in the future, the fact is
that we have no idea how representative, or unique, or society will turn
out to be.  (We don't, after all, all have air cars, vacations on the moon,
and nuclear airplanes as envisioned in the 50's)

In fact, most of this is based off of some extrapolations of how
technology is developing.  However, many of these extrapolations
produce results that we can't even imagine in a short period of time
(if you include any sort of curvature to the extrapoltion, you can reach a
point where advances start coming so fast you reach a "technological
singularity).

The fact is that we really have no idea how easy it will be to progress in
the future.  The vision presented is as good as any....
______________________________
summers@alum.mit.edu
(This is the net.  My e-mail address may be in Boston, but I'm in California.)

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:37:56 -0700
From: "Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella" <xrp@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

> I do
> mind buying supplements that are intended as replacements for things I
> already have.

I agree, and the /best/ supplements are the ones with *no* reference to
rules-set. I have a book called "Aliens in Space", and it makes no reference
to any "Universe" or rul-set. I doubt it was written for gamers, it reads
more like a travel guide. I used it in a Star Wars campaign, and it was
wonderful. Added a lot of texture.

////////////////////////////////////////
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: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 16:43:47 -0700
From: "Kelly St.Clair" <kellys@efn.org>
Subject: Shiont(h)y Belt

>>> Sinothy Belt/Regina has large chunks of antimatter in it.
>>
>>Antimatter? Is this plausible? Or is Yaskodray to blame?
>
>It's in the vicinity of Yaskodray's toy universe, so perhaps the large
>amount of antimatter is an artifaxct of the pinching off of that pocket
>universe.

I always figured that Shionthy Belt was a result of either Grandfather or
one of the Kids pointing a big-ass Charge Reversal Ray(tm) at a planet
(call it Shionthy) and turning it on.  Presumably only a portion of the
planet's mass flipped from matter to antimatter... but the resulting global
reaction was more than sufficient to blow Shionthy into fragments.  Some of
these fragments later met up with their opposites and became smaller
fragments, accompanied by a nice flash of hard gamma.

Locating antimatter chunks in Shionthy Belt shouldn't be too hard.  Just
look for the strangely eroded-looking asteroids (due to interaction with
the solar wind) giving off radiation (ditto).  I hope you have good
radiation shielding, especially if there's a collision-flare nearby, and
for god's sake don't try to land on one.

This, of course, ignores an entirely different sort of risk - that of
"Imperial entanglements."  Aside from the obvious safety hazard, it seems
the Navy doesn't like the idea of people carting off pieces of the most
powerful explosive known to humaniti.


- --------------
Kelly St.Clair   "The Jigglypuff's trilling seems to have a 
kellys@efn.org    tranquilizing effect on the human nervous system.
                  Fortunately, I am... immune..."
                            -- Mr. Spock, THE TROUBLE WITH POKEMON

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:45:14 -0700
From: Bruce Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
Subject: Arrrggghhh!

NASA Thinks they know why the Mars orbiter did a dirt plant into mars
last week:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/news/mco990930.html

Gist: One group was using metric, another was using english units.

oBTRav: Need I state the obvious? Be careful with your Gurps designs,
boys, they might just blow! ;-) Hmmm, maybe we should enter the Mars
Orbiter into the THUDD competition...that's pretty much what it did. 
<ba-dump!>

<ducks>


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

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

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 20:13:17 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143

- -----Original Message-----
From: Benyamene' ZeAbe' Akella <xrp@sierratel.com>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Thursday, September 30, 1999 10:41 PM
Subject: Re: Traveller-digest V1999 #1143


>I agree, and the /best/ supplements are the ones with *no* reference to
>rules-set. I have a book called "Aliens in Space", and it makes no
reference
>to any "Universe" or rul-set. I doubt it was written for gamers, it reads
>more like a travel guide. I used it in a Star Wars campaign, and it was
>wonderful. Added a lot of texture.


I'm not a big fan of generic supplements by any stretch of the imagination.
For some reason I can't stand using anything like that in my campaigns. My
reasoning is sort of like this: if I want something that is suitably
generic, and not rules specific, I might as well hit the library or
bookstore and get something unrelated to gaming, something like a book by
Freeman Dyson for the social effects of technology, or any one of several
hundred theorists, philosophers and wannabes for governments and political
leanings, or a decent overview sci-fi book to spur my imagination for
aliens.

What I was trying to get at is: each new version of Traveller means I have
to buy all new books, but more importantly it means that people have to
*write* all new books, and do all of the work of tweaking new designs for
common weapons, items, ships, vehicles, etc.

It's ultimately self-defeating.

>
>////////////////////////////////////////
>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, 1 Oct 1999 09:30:39 +1000 
From: "Hughes, Michael" <Michael.Hughes@cbr.defence.gov.au>
Subject: SEC: UNCLASSIFIED RE: J-O-T

		

		Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 19:49:15 -0700
		From: "Shawn Campbell" <shawn@electricstitch.com>
		Subject: Re: Re MT JoT.

		> William F. Hostman  wrote:
		> Arrghh, no! JoT is about Resoucefulness, not Munchinism!
If you let him
		get
		> away with that, then he's a monster! Think about the
ramifications,
		> especially in combat... JoT 4... hmmm roll 4 times and
take the best to
		> hit...nonono...
		>
		> If you want to add more utility
		> To Get a Temporary Level 0 in another skill
		> Difficult, Int, Jack, instant, fateful, safe.
		> Success results in temporarilty having the level 0 skill
desired,
		> and being elligible to obtain an at towards that level
upon success at the
		> use of that skill. Skills recieved this way go away within
an hour of not
		> using them, or when redered unconscious.
		>

		Would it make more sense to make it a uncertain task? Since
it's JoT, they
		"think" they know their doing it right... but they wouldn't
be sure until
		they tried. That's when they'd learn if they were right...
just a thought.

		Shawn Campbell
		shawn@electricstitch.com
		IMTU tc+ tm+(++) !tn t4 ru+ ge>+ !3i+ c+ jt au+ st+ ls(+)
pi+ ta he+(++)


		IMTU the standard unskilled de-fault DM is -3 (assuming it's
conceivable an unskilled person could attempt the task, eg. tick for gun
combat for a tech 6+person, cross for pilot aircraft) and is modified
thusly. J-O-T reduces this default, so having more J-O-T is definitely
better (and not as 'powerful' IMHO). 

		J-O-T-1		-2
		J-O-T-2		-1
		JO-T-3+	0

		And of course since I use the MT det. roll, then higher
levels continue to mean good things. I really like the temp. skilled roll
idea though (does a person get bonuses for re-rolling against the same skill
at a later date if successful at least once previously?)

		BTW, in Australia we got inundated with 'Christian cartoon
cast-offs' during the 80's, one of which was the morally troubled Jot.
Thanks to this discussion, it's all coming on back. 

		Thanks a WHOLE bunch <that's right Jot, stealing is bad . .
. mom, I'm so ashamed>

		Arrrrrghhhhh - I feel like Rod/Tod Flanders. 


		Michael

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1146
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