Traveller-digest      Friday, October 8 1999      Volume 1999 : Number 1176



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

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians
RE: Traveller Versions
Re: Traveller Versions
Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians
Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians
Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians
Firing two guns at once
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Metric System & GURPS
Re: Survivor kids (Was: Annic Nova)
[none]
Re: Annic Nova (canon)
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Annic Nova
Re: Ammo Conservation ( was Re: Firing two guns at once)
Re: Annic Nova (longish)
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Annic Nova (canon)
Re: Battledress/Battlesuit Protection (GT)

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

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 20:39:34 -0400
From: Bill Rutherford <worj@erols.com>
Subject: Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians

At 06:52 PM 10/08/1999 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 10/8/99 10:28:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
>alanb@elf.brisnet.org.au writes:
>
><< 
> "The undiscover'd world, from whose bourn
> No Traveller returns," >>
>You mean "undiscovered country" don't you? ;)

Not in space...


Bill Rutherford
worj@erols.com

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 17:42:12 -0700
From: "David P. Summers" <summers@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: RE: Traveller Versions

>Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 18:33:08 -0500
>From: Charles R Hensley <hensley.cr@worldnet.att.net>
>>Lets be clear about this.  This is true if "complete" means "not just
>>like MT".  Otherwise, one could say that MT doesn't have a "proper"
>>task system because it, for example, doesn't have a way of
>>rating how some skills are harder than others.
>>
>>The fact is that people have made such rating systems.  They
>>are fairly trivial.  I've had one for years and it hasn't attracted
>>much attention because it just isn't a big deal.  Such things
>>can be convenient for new GM's, but to say the lack of one means
>>you don't have a task system (or a "proper" task system) is
>>just hooey.

>My intent was to say that the skill system by default rates the average
>difficulty, and what both CT and GURPS lack "IN MY OPINION" is the game
>designers intent of how different difficulties of tasks should be
>handled, these should be given as examples so that the GM can have a
>basis to judge other tasks.  NO game system can have a task system that
>is completely developed so that ALL possible tasks have been defined.

Well, what has been anoying me is the round of snipping at GURPS
by all those for whom it is some sort of heresy.  I wouldn't have any
problem with posts saying they liked the rating of task difficulty
in MT and stuff.  But instead we get this junk about GURPS "lacking"
a "task system" and other junk trying to imply it has some sort of
inadequate game mechanic.

I really wonder if there isn't a faction out there that thinks
they need to try and do their best to weaken/kill GT to "make
space" for some other version of Traveller.  Ironically, if GT
dies, I think publishers are going to be very leary of touching
Traveller after two failures in a row.
______________________________
summers@alum.mit.edu
(This is the net.  My e-mail address may be in Boston, but I'm in California.)

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 21:16:40 -0400
From: "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net>
Subject: Re: Traveller Versions

- ----- Original Message -----
From: David P. Summers <summers@alum.mit.edu>
> I really wonder if there isn't a faction out there that thinks
> they need to try and do their best to weaken/kill GT to "make
> space" for some other version of Traveller.  Ironically, if GT
> dies, I think publishers are going to be very leary of touching
> Traveller after two failures in a row.

For all of my "Crusty" comments about various non-CT versions, I am actually
very happy to see so much material available and such a diverse following.
The fact that I have so far failed to catch on with the GURPS mechanics is
nobody's fault but my own.  The quality of the material is at least as good
as any other version and there seems to be a balance between editorial
prudence and perfectionism, which allows product to be published at a fair
rate.

There are two ironies in my own situation, first that, no matter what the
rules set, I don't play.  Probably contributes to my nostalgia for the CT
rules.  The second is that, when I did play, I disliked the "canonical"
background (preferring a more Asimov/Piper "post-collapse" galaxy) *and* I
made a mish-mash out of the rules.  So, no matter what the version, I'm
happy to see Traveller material being published because I enjoy acquiring it
and talking about it and dreaming that someday I'll game again.  All
Traveller material is good, for the edifying of the body of gamers.

Besides, I'm still fuming over the beating we took in the FFW.  Until the
Border Worlds are liberated I'm just gonna be a grumpy and impossible to
please Sword-Worlder :-p

Crusty

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 21:22:19 -0000
From: "Chris Seamans" <semo@pil.net>
Subject: Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians

- -----Original Message-----
From: Bill Rutherford <worj@erols.com>
To: traveller@lists.imagiconline.com <traveller@lists.imagiconline.com>
Date: Saturday, October 09, 1999 12:40 AM
Subject: Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing
intocivilians


>> "The undiscover'd world, from whose bourn
>> No Traveller returns," >>
>>You mean "undiscovered country" don't you? ;)
>
>Not in space...
>
>


In space no one can hear you quote Shakespeare.

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

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 20:57:54 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians

Chris Seamans wrote:
> 
<<snip header>>
> 
> >> "The undiscover'd world, from whose bourn
> >> No Traveller returns," >>
> >>You mean "undiscovered country" don't you? ;)
> >
> >Not in space...
> 
> In space no one can hear you quote Shakespeare.

That's what laser comms are for.... ;-)

~wondering how Shakespeare sounds in Vilani~

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 22:50:57 EDT
From: RnLschaefr@aol.com
Subject: Re: Hamlet in Space was: Re: falkenbergs legions firing intocivilians

In a message dated 10/8/99 8:42:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, worj@erols.com 
writes:

<< 
 Not in space...
  >>
.uhhh.....why not?Why can't a world be a country?
BobS...

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

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 21:56:21 -0500
From: Alex Ingram <ingram@airmail.net>
Subject: Firing two guns at once

As a former Army pistol team member and long-time combat USPSA-IPSC shooter it
makes no sense to fire a pistol in each hand unless you like wasting alot of
ammo. The chances of actually hitting your target is low, maybe 20% and that's
if you're experienced.. Only an rank amateur or movie rambo would ever do this.
It makes more sense to buy a high quality carry weapon and load up with
additional magazines for the same amount of weight. If you want volume get a
submachine gun like an MP5K.

Alex Ingram

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 23:19:41 -0400
From: "Jory Earl" <j-man@iname.com>
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

>As a former Army pistol team member and long-time combat USPSA-IPSC shooter
it
>makes no sense to fire a pistol in each hand unless you like wasting alot
of
>ammo. The chances of actually hitting your target is low, maybe 20% and
that's
>if you're experienced.. Only an rank amateur or movie rambo would ever do
this.
>It makes more sense to buy a high quality carry weapon and load up with
>additional magazines for the same amount of weight. If you want volume get
a
>submachine gun like an MP5K.

Its been my understanding that a man with a semi-automatic pistol who can
change magazines fast is a lot more deadly (and effective) than a man waving
a submachinegun around.


___________________________________________________________
 J-Man
 ICQ# 2843475
 New Hampshire - U.S.A.
 Email : j-man@iname.com
 Home Page : http://www.geocities.com/~jman037/
___________________________________________________________

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

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 21:13:14 -0600
From: cos 90 <cos90@powersurfr.com>
Subject: Re: Metric System & GURPS

>Personally, GT should have used metric as well, to keep the same scientific 
>feel as the other Traveller versions 

But since the rest of GURPS (N.American editions anyway) uses the US-Imperial
system, it makes sense for GURPS Traveller to do the same, to maintain
continuity with the rest of the GURPS line.

>(OTOH, I would never use metric in a 
>non-modern fantasy game, since it would have the wrong feel as well).

Heck, even using modern-day US measurements doesn't sound right. The distance
between two towns in a fantasy game should be measured in "leagues", not
"miles" or "kilometres". Similarly, other odd-sounding, outdated measures
should be used: bushels, pecks, rods, firkins, demijohns, and so on. Mind
you, converting them can be a pain... I could never remember how many 
farthings there were in a hogshead...)


     Glenn St-Germain  Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 
cos90@powersurfr.com  http://plaza.powersurfr.com/glenn
        "There is no longer any normal to be"
                                 -- Gary Numan

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 23:24:37 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: Re: Survivor kids (Was: Annic Nova)

>I am right in thinking that breastfeeding acts as an (effective?)
>contraceptive aren't I?

As a man I'd have to say I'd be suprised if the pain of child birth wasn't
an effective contraceptive. :)

Terry C

All that is Gold does not glitter
Not all who travel are lost

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 23:40:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: "William F. Hostman" <aramis@gci.net>
Subject: [none]

>GURPS TL 11 = Traveller TL 14
One thing to remember: The average result on a d6 is 3.5, not 3... over
multiple dice, multiply dice x 3.5 rather than x 3 to get the statistical
average.

>
>Classic Traveller
>Numbers: A FGMP-14 is +6 to-hit someone in battle dress (no TL given)
>     at a range of 50 meters.
>Evaluation: The person in battle dress will almost always get hit and
>     will almost always (average damage 42 vs average person with
>     21 "hit points") get fragged

actually average damage will be about 49, but in this case, a quibble.

>MegaTraveller
>Numbers: Battle dress-14 has armor value 18, FGMP-14 has penetration
>     34, damage 14, task is Difficult at 50 meters.
>Evaluation: Person in battle dress will not get hit very often,
>     damage most of the time will be 7, which will not kill an average
>     person (note: I haven't actually played much MT, so my
>     understanding of it's combat system, which I hate, is limited).

Actual damage, assuming skill one, att DM +1, will range from 3 to 14,
TYPically 7. These 7 MT damage points become 7 dice to attributes (STR,
DEX, and END), at an average of 3.5 for 24.5 points to atts, vs 21 average.
0-out  3, you're dead... in most cases the FGMP-14 WILL reduce two atts to
0, and thus render the victim quite unconscious... and in need of major
medical attention, and soon.

>Traveller: The New Era
>I don't have the basic rules for this game, so can't make an
>evaluation. However, the TL12 4.7cm fusion gun cannot penetrate
>the TL12 heavy battle dress in the RC equipment guide. The TL14
>fusion gun has better penetration, but I have no idea of the armor
>value of TL14 battle dress.

The TL 14 FGMP, versus a Vargr in Combat-Armor, was ineffective due to not
hitting the head. The main shot is reduced quite a bit, and unless you hit
the head, you will merely inconvinience a character... I know from
experience. (I was using d10's for damage, BTW). The fragments were safely
ignored. The Vargr took a total of 7 point blank shots WHILE HE KICKED TO
DEATH the zhodani marine in Cbt armor 14 (Stats for the armor were from
Striker II).

>GURPS Traveller
>Numbers: TL11 FGMP does 525 points damage average, TL11 battle dress
>     has DR 240 (doubled vs energy attacks).
>Evaluation: At 50 meters, a hit is very likely. On average, 45 points
>     of damage will get through, forcing 6 death rolls for an
>     average person.
>
>In Summary
>     GT battle dress seems to be reasonable close to the CT version with
>respect to FGMP/PGMPs, and the MT version for other weapons. FYI, the 6mm
>assault rifle in CT is -6 to-hit someone in battle dress at 50 meters (-2 if
>autofired), a little bit better than the chance to
>penetrate the armor in GT (nil without a critical hit, but about the same in
>MT). This change may not keep the "feel" of CT, but is makes more
>"real-world" sense. Also, a LAG with DS, which has a good chance to hurt
>someone in BD in CT, has virtually no chance of doing so in GT (the odds are
>a bit better against TL 10 than TL 11 BD, but still pretty low).

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

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

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 21:42:24 -0600
From: cos 90 <cos90@powersurfr.com>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova (canon)

>> construction of the capacitors. It seems that the storage capacitors
>> used plates of an unknown element. No material known to Imperial science
>> could be used and still duplicate the storage efficency.
>
>*Please*. Do not use "unknown elements". That's Star Trek BS.

Star Trek and a great huge number of other works of SF in print and
in visual media. First example off the top of my head: Babylon 5's
"Quantium 40". Yes, Star Trek did overdo the technobabble and the
"Particle of the Month Club", but please don't single out one SF
program for something done many times before and since.


     Glenn St-Germain  Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 
cos90@powersurfr.com  http://plaza.powersurfr.com/glenn
        "There is no longer any normal to be"
                                 -- Gary Numan

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

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 22:43:05 -0500
From: Alex Ingram <ingram@airmail.net>
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

I hope to never have to proof this thesis, but having fired a number of full
auto weapons
(from rock' n roll auto or even using 3- or 5-shot fire select modes) you can
use up a lot of ammo very fast. The training and discipline of the SMG shooter
would be critical here. If I were out in the open a SMG would be my weapon of
choice since I could lay down suppression fire and hope to get to cover fast. If
already behind cover I would most likely prefer an auto-loading high capacity
9mm, 40 S&W or .45 Cal weapon with plenty of magazines loaded with Hydra-shok
JHPs.

Alex Ingram

J-Man wrote:

> Its been my understanding that a man with a semi-automatic pistol who can
> change magazines fast is a lot more deadly (and effective) than a man waving
> a submachinegun around.

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 17:03:47 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Annic Nova

In mail you write:

> "Required Items
>
> "An operating jump drive requires several basic components which, when
> operating together, make jump possible.
> "Power Source: Jump uses large amounts of energy to rip open the barriers
> between normal space and jump space. Normally, only a fusion reactor can
> supply this energy. Some alternate systems make use of solar power
> generators (which operate much more slowly), or anti-matter power systems
> (rare and very high-tech)."
>
> "Jumpspace", Marc W. Miller, JTAS#24, p. 35. 
>
> "Annic Nova", JTAS#1, pp. 16-32, was also by Mr. Miller.
>
> I concede the point, and withdraw the request.
>
> I must admit to being totally at a loss at this point for why anyone would
> waste so much economically useful space on LH2 tankage, if it is not a
> requirement for jump (the only mention in the article is related to power
> production).

LH2 is (as far as I know) the highest density *long term* power storage
avialable to the imperium.

And I'll also state that just because something cranks out *huge*
amounts of power doesn't mean you can easily convert that power to some
other use. As an example a big rocket engine generates more power than
most power generating plants. But converting to to anything other than
thrust is a *royal* pain. So why can't the part of the jump system that
converts LH2 to huge amounts of power for the jump drive be converting
it to something that the jump drive can use, but is really difficult
to convert to power usable for things like weapons.

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 18:07:18 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Ammo Conservation ( was Re: Firing two guns at once)

In mail you write:

> The *woosh* these little rockets make (each one is about the size of a
> rolled up magazine and weighs about 1lb (.45kg)) is indistinguishable from
> that made by the much brighter illumination flare.  Lots of fun to be
> caught in the middle of an empty draw and hear one of these things go off.

I recall a 4th of July a few years back when a friend had an
illumination flare he'd gotten somewhere. This was *just* the flare
part, pull the pin and watch it go. I think it was originally intended
for hooking up to tripwires so that the enemy infiltrators would light
themselves up for you.

Anyway, we were out in the country at a friend's farm. We set it out in
the road and set it off. Sheesh! talk about *blinding*. And it lasted
such a long time too. 

I can truly understand how it'd seem like *forever* in combat. And just
how well backlit you'd be if you tripped one of these.

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 18:13:17 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Annic Nova (longish)

In mail you write:

> Leonard Erickson writes:
>
>> If the ship is "at rest" with respect to the star, you don't *need* to
>> do anything. It'll fall into the star (eventually, as I recall, free
>> fall from Earth orbit to the Sun is around 90 days).
>
> Hm.  I'm sure its a direct multiple of the time of an orbit, but not sure 
> what that time is.

The period of an orbit depends on the semi-major axis (ie half the
length of the ellipse). For a circular orbit, this is the radius. For a
"degenerate ellipse" (ie straight line with perhelion and focus at one
end, and aphelion and the other focus at the other end) it's half the
length of the line.

Thus, the time it'd take to fall to the center of the sun would be 1/2
the orbital period (because you only complete half an orbit) of a
circular orbit with a radius half as great. 

Periods of orbits relate by a 2/3rd or 3/2 power, I forget which. That
is:

P1^2   R1^3         P1^3   R1^2
- ---- = ----    or   ---- = ----
P2^2   R2^3         P2^3   R2^2

I just don't remember which. 

> In any case, this is true, but with traveller thrusters all you need
> to do is accelerate in a direction which is the reverse of your
> orbital movement for about 1 hour/Gs.  This is the kind of navigation
> problem you could solve with 1940s technology.

The problem isn't so much killing the vector as it is killing it
*exactly*, and making sure that the new vector points straight at the
sun. It takes very little side vector to mess things up.

Aha! From part 4 of the sci.space faq:

	For circular Keplerian orbits where:
	    Vc	 = velocity of a circular orbit
	    Vesc = escape velocity
	    M	 = Total mass of orbiting and orbited bodies
	    G	 = Gravitational constant (defined below)
	    u	 = G * M (can be measured much more accurately than G or M)
	    K	 = -G * M / 2 / a
	    r	 = radius of orbit (measured from center of mass of system)
	    V	 = orbital velocity
	    P	 = orbital period
	    a	 = semimajor axis of orbit

	    Vc	 = sqrt(M * G / r)
	    Vesc = sqrt(2 * M * G / r) = sqrt(2) * Vc
	    V^2  = u/a
	    P	 = 2 pi/(Sqrt(u/a^3))
	    K	 = 1/2 V**2 - G * M / r (conservation of energy)

	    The period of an eccentric orbit is the same as the period
	       of a circular orbit with the same semi-major axis.

So...

P = 2 * pi/(sqrt(u/a^3))
P * sqrt(u/a^3) = 2 * pi
P^2 * (u/a^3) = 4 * pi^2
P^2 * u / a^3 = 4 * pi^2
P^2 * u = 4 * pi^2 * a^3

drop u & 4pi^2 as constants, and we get 

P^2 = R^3

So from earth orbit to the sun as a free fall is sqrt(.5^3)/2 years or
64.6 days.

I have this image of a ship with disabled drives (pirates?) taking this
long fall and hoping that somebody else jumps in system soon enough to
save them. 

Brrr. Can you imagine sitting there, watching the star get bigger and
bigger... <shudder>

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 18:33:36 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

In mail you write:

>> The one that got me thinking was the comment about dominate eye and
>> hand.  See, I'm very righthanded, but left eye dominate.
>
> That post intrigued me as well, Jesse was the author, wasn't he? How common
> is this cross-dominance? I have never heard of such a thing, but it brought
> to mind the way I shoot. For firearms and bows I am right handed, but when I
> shoot a wrist-rocket slingshot I am left-handed. When I first noticed this
> quirk (actually a friend pointed it out) I tried to train myself to shoot
> right-handed. I couldn't hit a tree that way, much less a ground squirrel.
> Switched back to my left and could flip a squirrel at fifty paces.

As I recall, it's normal to be right-handed and left-eyed. Has to do
with the way the eyes and brain are wired. The eyes are wired like this:

        left-eye            right-eye
                 \        /
                   \    /
                     \/
                    /  \
                  /      \
                /          \
left-hemisphere              right-hemisphere

There is some "cross connection" where the bundles cross, but for the
most part the signals go to the opposite hemisphere. 

Nobody ever said that evolution came up with optimum solutions, just
*workable* ones.

Anyway, eye dominance is almost always based on which hempisphere is
dominant. I *think* I recall that handedness is also *mostly* based on
hemisphere dominance. But without the crossover.

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 18:42:20 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

In mail you write:

> As for actually firing two pistols at once (notice I didn't say
> rifles, smgs, machine pistols, or *heaven*forbid* shotguns) I *know*
> the only reason for that is filling the air with lead as fast as
> possible and hoping something will stick. Or failing that at least to
> make everyone duck for cover. <g>

I'm reminded of the gun a friend once described. A turn of the century
"riot gun". Short barreled, double-barreled *4* guage. Standard load
being one barrel birdshot, one barrel rock salt. 

If that doesn't disperse the crowd nothing will. :-)

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 18:45:13 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Annic Nova (canon)

In mail you write:

>>Why? Because there's something about it that their current technology
>>can't even *detect*, much less duplicate.
>>
>>An example would be someone from the 30s trying to duplicate a
>>transistor, or worse yet an IC. As far as *their* technology can
>>determine, the transistor is *absolutely pure* silicon or germanium (or
>>gallium arsenide, or whatever). Their technology isn't up to detect the
>>parts per *trillion* doping that makes it work. 
>
>
> Great post. Leonard, you rock! ;)

I have to confess, I stole it from a couple of editorials by the late
John W. Campbell. He pointed out that most authors (including himself)
made assimilating alien tech *way* too easy.

He then did a "thought experiment" involving a nuclear blast dropping a
ramjet powered recon drone through a time warp to 1930 (this was
written about 1960-1965) and landing at an airbase (I think he picked
Midway or one of the other Pacific Islands we owned back then). 

He then proceeding to describe the fun they'd have trying to figure it
out. One of the other goodies was trying to figure out the ramjet
engine. It's just an open tube with a ring of ignitors & fuel injectors
part way down it. It won't even *work* until you hit an airspeed of
over 400 mph. Which was about 150 mph *faster* than anything flying at
the time. Try lighting it off below that speed and you get a nasty
fire. 

Sort of like what would happenm to us if we had a captured alien ship
with a jump drive and tried running it inside the 100 diameter limit. :-)

Another article tackling alien technology from a different viewpoint
was written back in the 50s by Poul Anderson. He pointed out that
there's not only no reason that aliens would use the same unit's of
measurement as we do, but that the base "dimensions" of their units
might be different, making duplication messy even with their help.

The "dimensions" bit has to do with how units are specified. For
example is the SI (metric) system of units, the "base" dimensions/units
are:

	  Length	meter
	    time	second
	    mass	kilogram
Electric current	Ampere
     Temperature	Kelvin
   illumination		candela

All other units/dimension are rendered in terms of these. For example,
electric charge is Amp-seconds (aka Coulumbs). Area is meters squared.
Density is kg/m^3. Etc. 

Try considering things from the point of view of aliens who may have
sense such that they consider other units more important. One of the
examples Anderson gave was trying to find out what the alien unit of
length was and finding out that it was the length of the side of a cube
of some substance the had a capacitance of ....

You get the idea. Until you have a conversion table for the alien
units, and know which ones they consider significant, you can know if
that 3.58723 megohm resistor has that value because it *has* to, or
because that was a "standard" value, and worked well enough that they
didn't bother with a custom value that'd do better. Which is how the
values of most resistors an capacitors in most electronics are
determined. Except when the value *is* critical. :-)

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

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

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 19:07:45 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Battledress/Battlesuit Protection (GT)

In mail you write:

> Leonard Erickson writes:
>  
>> Silly question. What will a LAW or higher TL equivalent do to BD?
>
> In what system?  In GT a TL 9 brilliant micro-missile does 6d*10(10), which 
> won't get through the commando battledress (due to laminate armor; avg 
> penetration is 1050 DR laminate), but will kill anything an FGMP can kill, 
> and weighs something like 2 lb.  
> A TL 8 DRL/120 will do 6d*20(10) and oneshot just about any battledress (not 
> to mention punching through frontal armor on an M1 tank), but is closer to 
> bazooka sized; the TL 9+ equivalent does half again more and is effective on 
> TL 10- tanks, let alone battlesuits.

So the "poor bloody infantry" still has a chance. :-)

Hmm. I just had a flashback on a *classic* system crossover article
from the *early* days of RPGs...

            Strumgeschutz and Sorcery
                        or
"How effective is a panzerfaust against a troll, Heinz?"

In other words, D&D meets Tractics (for those who remember Tractics :-)

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

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

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1176
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