
-------- TML Message #581 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 581
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 89 15:41 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: A system for generating new TRAVELLER weapons (*LONG!*)



Hi gang! This one's for gearheads only, and it's kind of long, so bear with 
me, okay? You can always delete it if you get bored! |->

On the subject of fun gear for tech-heads, the various Traveller games I've 
run over the years have had more than their share of bizarre gadgets and odd 
weapons. It's become a tradition for players to fill out their characters and 
give them depth, not only by developing philosophies, religions, personal 
habits and beliefs, and so on, but also by designing and building or having 
built special items for combat and technical use. These included various odd 
technical gizmos, customized weapons, and a class of items that became ongoing
traditions in my campaigns and which may get added to the official rules if I
can get anyone at GDW or DGP to listen to me, so they'll have to wait a while.

It's amazing to see and hear the detail to which people will go to create 
weird and dangerous items to give them an edge over their foes. One of the 
most popular tricks I used was to allow characters weapons and gear that were
customized to the point of ridiculousness, based on the following set of
restrictions: 

1. Money, construction skill, and tech level and law level of the world and 
factory or weaponsmith's shop where the device was built would all control and 
limit the capabilities of the final device. 

2. In the case of weapons, the weapon design would be somewhat similar to an
existing weapon in the rules lists, with certain differences suggested by the
player and allowed by the ref. The weapon would either be: 

	a. Essentially identical to an existing weapon in terms of rules (i.e. 
	   the same range limitations, effectiveness against armor, etc.), but 
	   somehow unique in its operation (thus lending "flavor" to campaigns
	   where it was used), and/or

	b. A modification of an existing design, that would introduce certain
	   advantages to the user in exchange for disadvantages elsewhere. 
	   These would show up as adjustments to the rules and noted in the
	   description of the weapon.

3. The player and ref would agree on all of the device's capabilities and 
limitations to preserve game balance, and the ref would be the final authority 
in cases where it was felt that the devices was somehow being abused.

With these basic rules in mind, my players and I had a field day! Over the 
past eleven years, I've ran people with all kinds of strange stuff.

AN EXAMPLE: THE HUNTER
Consider one fellow who was running a bounty hunter in one of my more Space 
Opera-ish campaigns: he wanted a weapon that would give him a certain 
signature, one that was instantly recognizable to anyone who saw it, so that 
criminals would know that he was nearby and tremble (!). What we decided upon 
was to give him a weapon similar to the guns used in the film Logan's Run (NOT 
the design in the book; that was implemented elsewhere, for other reasons). 
These guns were the epitome of the evil, uncaring death that the bounty hunter 
carried with him: they spat green flame in four tongues surrounding the 
barrel, and the victim erupted in green fire and died. What did that become in 
terms of Traveller rules? Let's see:

1. First, the weapon's mode of operation had to be agreed upon. It was decided 
that the device was a Gauss pistol, firing incendiary rounds that ignited 
while still in the gun so as to be fully lit before impact (hence the flame 
vents). Thus it was limited to worlds with TL 13 or greater, Law level below 1 
(since the rounds were explosive) OR Law above 11 (then the gun would be in 
the hands of the Thought Police or some such), and oppressive or dangerous 
governments. I chose a suitable world, and told him that's where the gun was 
made. It's his only source of spare parts, ammo, and power packs, so he gets 
back there often or arranges for shipments to other worlds at a high cost.
If he runs low, getting to a supply source as his ammo supply dwindles becomes 
an adventure in and of itself! |->

2. The gun, as mentioned above, would come under option "a", as it was 
essentially an unusual design of Gauss pistol, with few, if any, major changes 
in terms of effects in the rules. The primary advantage, as mentioned, was 
psychological.

3. We agreed to run the weapon exactly as a Gauss pistol under the rules as 
given in TRAVELLER, and no questions or quibbles were ever raised. (I secretly 
noted the dangers inherent in shooting such a gun in areas full of flammable 
vapors, but he seemed to understand the risks and never did anything stupid.)

The end result: a nifty, impressive weapon, that didn't mess up game balance, 
but gave his character depth and recognition, both to NPCs and to his fellow 
players:

"The thug stands over you, one foot on your gun wrist and the muzzle of his 
pistol pointing at your face. He grins as he squeezes the trigger. Suddenly, 
he looks up at the sound of a tiny footstep from behind you, and screams, "NO! 
PLEASE!" There is an odd coughing noise, a burst of green fire, and he 
collapses in agony, writhing on the concrete. A figure in black steps out of 
the shadows; the Hunter has come through again."

Get the idea?

SOME MORE EXAMPLES: THE WEAPONS OF NEAR MISS
Near Miss, the characters of my GenCon adventures and the associated fiction 
stories, have been adventuring for decades, and rely on their weapons for 
their survival. Over the years, they've fine-tuned their own special needs, 
for weapons that cover all of the bases properly. Some of them were satisfied 
with traditional designs or minor alterations, while others had very specific 
needs. So:

CAPTAIN CRISIS was a Navy fighter pilot. He knew that he could be downed in 
hostile territory at any time, so he needed a weapon that would let him 
survive and defend himself over a wide range of situations (mostly military) 
yet be portable and easy to handle. The result was the Camberwell GP114, 
nicknamed the "Hammerhead," a special Gauss Pistol developed for fighter 
pilots. It was heavier and somewhat bulkier than normal Gauss pistols, but had 
a gyro unit and a laser targeting sight installed. RULES: treat as Gauss 
Pistol, but use "Scope," "Gyro," or "Scope+Gyro" task difficulties depending 
on what the firer chooses to use. Note that the firer must be braced and 
non-moving to use Gyro, and that Scope changes the weapon's signature to 
Medium (it's a low-efficiency laser, with lots of lens scatter) and may not be 
usable for snap fire (ref's discretion).

WINDY was a Scout Explorer. Her primary concerns were self-defense, hunting, 
and survival, and she couldn't be bothered to carry both a rifle and a pistol 
for field research. The Scout Exploration office issues, for such operatives, 
the Stenhauser MVACW, a weapon that provides excellent hunting and defense 
capability in a portable package. It's essentially a 9mm ACR with a very short
barrel and no shoulder stock, the bullpup-style magazine offset slightly to
allow the weapon to be held pistol-fashion. Long barrel and full stock can be
attached if desired. RULES: The Stenhauser, when fully set up with barrel,
scope, gyro and stock, is treated like any other ACR. However, the
barrel/stock unit (which is a one-piece device on a frame, not two separate
items) also contains the scope mount and the gyrostabilizer; when the action
and grip are detached from this, the gun uses the Handgun difficulty tables,
with no Scope or Gyro enhancements. Its maximum range is Medium due to the
short barrel, and damage and penetration are as normal for the type of ACR
ammo in use. Autofire is treated as for any other handgun with autofire
capability. (Use of both hands in controlling the weapon is advisable.)

COUNTDOWN specializes in explosives applications and demolitions. This makes 
the Snub Pistol (revolver style) and ARL essentially perfect for her uses, but 
there's an occasional need for something heavier. So she found an ARL with an 
underbarrel RAM grenade launcher. RULES: The RAM GL is a typical 3-shot TL 13
model, and the ARL runs by the same set of rules as always, but weight and 
encumbrance are slightly higher. The weapon may also be restricted at lower 
Law Levels than would be normal for an ARL.

MOTORMUTT doesn't fight for a living, and he never has. The less he uses 
weapons, the happier he is, so he limits himself to one single device that's 
there when he needs it and able to handle just about any situation in which he 
finds himself: a Stinger, essentially a TL 14 version of the Body Pistol using 
Gauss technology. Tiny, silent, and deadly. RULES: Treat as Gauss Pistol, but 
limit range to Medium, allow no autofire, and limit number of shots to five. 
In exchange, allow greater concealability and improved DMs for snap fire. 
Magazines and power packs are custom designs, and may be difficult to replace.
The weapon is not designed to avoid metal detectors.

DOCSHOCK specialized in psychoacoustic response science before SuSAG put him 
to work as a Field Operations Specialist (read, industrial spy). His research 
into nonlethal means of subdual led him to aid in the development of the 
Marovcenko Sonic Stunner. RULES: The MSS is built as a modular plug-in 
replacement for the flash tube of a TL 13 Laser Carbine, and can be converted 
back to use as a Laser in four rounds if the extra tube is handy. As a sonic 
weapon, it operates under the Neural Rifle rules, with no effectiveness in 
vacuum or Very Thin atmospheres and increased likelihood of damaging Mishaps.
Its signature is High, not due to flash but to operating noise (a piercing
shriek that ranges from skin-crawling behind the cone of effect to eardrum- 
shattering within it). Appicable skill is Lasers; he also carries an Integral 
Laser Pistol.

LIGHTS wasn't supposed to be a fighter for a living, but her Captain insisted 
on her at least learning to handle some weapon for ship defense, since Pursers 
must often be pressed into service for antihijacking work. So she chose the 
Shotgun, so as not to miss too often. The problem then became obtaining a 
suitable sidearm: her solution was to buy a second shotgun and cut it down.
RULES: Range limited to Long, difficulty as Pistol, no rapid fire, failure 
to stand and brace increases tasks by one level of difficulty, although a 
two-handed grip suffices for "bracing" in most cases; number of shots limited 
to five, and weapon falls under Handguns rather than Shotguns for Law Level 
limitations. No detachable magazine; must be reloaded by hand, one shot per 
combat round.

HUG was a warrior, plain and simple. He chose his weapons well, and used 
others only when neccessary. These days, his LAG and Snub AutoPistols are 
built by human gunsmiths to utilize easily available human-made spare parts, 
but are designed for Aslan hands and ergonomics: the Snub Pistols, especially, 
are strange-looking, as it is Aslan custom to mount the barrel UNDER the grip 
for better recoil control! (If you don't believe this, look in the annals of 
the NRA: A Soviet team was barred from rapid-fire pistol competition a number 
of years ago, because their "upside-down" guns gave them a massive advantage 
over the Americans and Europeans.) RULES: Increase repair tasks by one level 
for all devices; increase all attempts by humans to use weapons by one level 
of difficulty. No other changes, except for an optional Scope modifier for all 
weapons (either optical, as for LAG, or a laser pointer, for Snubbies.)
[Ref's note: this last bit is still being worked on, as there's never been a 
definitive statement on the ergonomics of Aslan tools and weapons as there has 
been for most of the other races (it's known that Vargr hands work well with 
the ovoid-cylindrical handles given to most human tools, and that Hivers
prefer to handle spheres of various sizes with their tentacles, for example).
This design may change after DGP gets through with the Aslan in their next few
issues; another possibility is a gun with two barrels, one over the grip and
one under it...the only worthwhile idea in the entire movie THE BLACK HOLE.] 

TINKER can't be bothered with weapons at all; she's a technician. But there's 
no law against modifying a Laser Welder for pulsed operation, is there? 
RULES: On Pulse setting, treat as Laser rifle, no real modifications. 
[A possible change to this character will replace the Laser with a device
that's more efficient both as a tool and as a weapon: a Powercutter, which
utilizes a plasma beam rather than laser light. A strong disadvantage to this
design, which has yet to be addressed adequately anywhere in the TRAVELLER
rules, is the weapon's signature: "High" is too weak a word. Plasma beams
(I've worked with a couple) are unbelievably bright; it's like staring into
the Sun! You can't get anywhere near them without going blind, unless your
eyes are heavily protected. And the waste heat in the vicinity is frightening;
I can't imagine using one of these without Battle Dress on.] 

Anyway, I've gotten amazingly long-winded here, and I'm sorry; the Near Miss 
gang are usually good models for anything you'll find in my campaign, and if 
nothing else you can consider the above a partial introduction to them. |->
I hope that these guidelines prove worthwhile for you in keeping your technoid 
players under control, and that your own campaigns can now bristle with 
bizarre techno-rubble without coming completely apart.

Have fun,

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #487:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| "Don't worry about it. We can start the Jump
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		|  Drive while skimming the gas giant, and be
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|  gone long before they can catch us!"



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-------- TML Message #582 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 582
Date: Sun,  1 Oct 89 20:26:46 CDT
From: (Vernon Lee) scorpion@rice.edu
Subject: Re: (576) New weapons for Traveller


[To the moderator:  I do not have any rules past the first hardback book,
so I am potentially completely wrong in some of my assumptions.  Feel free
to bounce this message back to me rather than posting it if you think I'm
too confused.  This is my first contribution!].

I had always assumed that laser weapons _did_ have a targeting beam of
lower power (unless specifically stated otherwise), that could be used
exactly as described.  I suppose that one might want to have a switch that
would disable the targeting laser, for surprise.  I didn't consider the
goggles for seeing the beam - I was assuming something like the Terminator
used in the movie of the same name.  The laser carbine and rifle have
tremendous hit probabilities already, right?


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-------- TML Message #583 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 583
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 89 09:43:34 EDT
From: givler@cbmvax.commodore.COM (Greg Givler - QA)
Subject: Re:  New weapons for Traveller


[This came to traveller-request@dadla.wr.tek.com; looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

>Assuming it works, how do you implement this in a game? What die roll do you
>need to hit, assuming you can take an aimed shot? The way I see it, it seems
>to be impossible to miss.
>
>
> Adrian Hurt			      |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
> UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

I would assume that the Hit would be automattic, but you would still have
to roll for aquisition. So I would run the first shot as normal just calling 
the to hit roll an aquisition roll. To reaquire, you may have to develop 
a system, like maybe the normal to hit +2 making it easier to reaquire the 
target. This however would be conditional to how much damage and did the
target after getting fried, decide that it is far better to hide than
get ones brains fried just for fun. 

Does this make sense?

Greg

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Givler                        Q-Link: GregGivler
QA Analyst                         CompuServe: Greg Givler 76702,647
Commodore QA (Software)            GEnie: G.Givler
215-431-9100                       INTERNET: givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Life is pain, Highness, anyone who says differently is selling something"
 - The Dread Pirate Roberts -- The Princess Bride
===============================================================================

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-------- TML Message #584 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 584
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 89 12:33 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: RE: New weapons for Traveller


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

Adrian:

It's a nifty idea, but there's only one problem: the fiber-optic cable itself.
I'm primarily involved with quantum optics on the theoretical level, and my
practical lab experience with lasers isn't as much as what I have with, say, 
magnetic steering and bottling, but I can guarantee this: the idea will only 
work (and this is a pretty lame caveat, I admit) if the next seven or eight 
Tech Levels beyond ours have some amazing breakthroughs in fiber-optic 
technology. Here's my reasoning:

For the novices, fiber optics works by designing a material that refocusses 
divergent light energy "gently" back onto its original path. What this means 
is that the light beam arrives at its destination in essentially the same form 
as it left its source, and there is very little loss along the way (which is 
why US Sprint is making such a big hooha about using them). The problem is 
that there's no such thing as a "loss-free" cable; if there's any 
quantum-level interaction between lased photons and the atoms of the cable, 
and there HAS to be for the cable to operate at all, there will be an energy 
loss in the form of waste heat. Now, for most applications, such as 
telecommunications etc., this loss will be minimal, perhaps even immeasurable. 
But when we start talking about the levels of power communicated by a good- 
sized battlefield laser, things become more complicated. 

At this point, we have to consider the problem of laser weapons themselves. 
They're the most dangerous non-nuclear weapons in the Traveller arsenal, and 
everyone likes to have one around, but how do they really work? It's 
impractical to merely shoot a hole through someone: the high heat causes 
instant cauterization of the wound, and if vital organs are missed the victim 
may not even feel much pain. The concept behind the laser's effectiveness 
comes in heat transfer and tissue trauma: the water in human cell tissue is 
enormously efficient at absorbing and dissipating heat energy from radiative 
input on the visible wavelengths, so when a human body stops a laser pulse, a
chunk of flesh about the size of a golf ball at the point of contact instantly
flash-heats into steam, rupturing cell walls, causing potentially fatal organ
hyperthermia, and exploding outward in a sudden burst that may take a great
deal of unheated flesh with it. The results are properly graphic for fans of
special effects  a la George Romero: a loud explosion and a burst of blood and
pink steam, with an action-reaction effect (since the exploding flesh acts
against the human body as a reaction mass) that can hurl the victim backward
as nicely as a high-velocity lead slug. 

Lovely to look at, but how does this relate to fiber optics? Simple: If that 
much energy is being output in a single impulse (to overload the body water's 
ability to conduct heat away from the impact point swiftly enough to avoid a 
steam-burst) down a fiber-optic cable, the cable will almost certainly melt 
from the waste heat. The tradeoff between flexibility and sturdiness under 
handling is a tricky one in fiber optics, and to the best of my knowledge no 
one has yet tried to add extreme heat-impulse resistance into the equation. If 
you shrug and say, "Well, at TL15 there'll be fibers that can handle it," then 
your problem's solved. Or rather, it's just beginning, because a proliferation 
of devices like this could make life difficult for both players and refs.

There are those who say that at high TL, personal lasers will be UV, X-ray, or 
even gamma-ray devices. This is bull: unless you're trying to kill a guy with 
radiation, these weapons are far more effective on inert metal objects than 
they are on humans. The problem, again, is the radiative-heat absorption 
properties of water. Water is dynamite at absorbing heat (hence cell damage) 
from visible light, but is transparent at shorter wavelengths. So a shortwave 
laser would pass through a human, causing severe radiation sickness but no 
immediate fatal trauma. (And fiber-optic cables can't work on UV or Xrays;
their wavelengths are on the subatomic level, so atomic structures can no 
longer bend or shape them. That's what makes Xray telescopes so difficult to 
design.) The Xray laser being worked on by the DOD these days, remember, is 
for shooting down missiles: metal have very different absorption properties 
than people, and more energy output per photon is possible with shorter 
wavelengths.

Anyway, those are my feelings on the subject. I'd get a bit twitchy on the 
idea of letting a box like this into my game; I had a similar design in an old 
campaign, rigged to a pointer glove rather than a pistol for aiming, and the 
people who were able to get them wreaked havoc.

Let me know what you decide to do.

metlay				| HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #327:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
				| Walk up to a Vargr Corsair and scratch his
metlay@pittvms.BITNET		| tummy to see if his hind leg starts kicking.
metlay@vms.cis.pitt.EDU		|

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-------- TML Message #585 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 585
Subject: Re: TML Admin invites locals to "do" lunch, RSVP
Date: 02 Oct 89 13:12:51 PDT (Mon)
From: jamesp



One of you has asked if you can tell/invite a Traveller friend of/to the
TML lunch who isn't on the list.  This is definitely generally okay, as
far as I am concerned.  Even people who aren't interested in Traveller
are welcome, as long as they can stand sitting next to people who are.
Don't invite anybody who might make lunch unappetizing, though (I
suppose that means that all the K'kree will have to stay home,
*pee-yew*).

I'm not planning any special program for lunch, just an informal
gathering and meeting.

James

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-------- TML Message #586 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 586
Subject: Targeting Lasers
Date: Mon Oct  2 16:13:10 1989
From: richard@agora.hf.intel.COM (Richard Johnson)



Adrian Hurt recently mentioned using laser target designation for 
laser pistols.

I have always allowed this in my campaign.  I even let characters use
these things in the fog (and try to figure out why they are so quickly
spotted) and underwater (and wonder why there are steam explosions...).

Laser target designation works its best with beam weapons; there is no
ballistic drop.  (I know, I'm assuming your on a planet.)  The earlier
postings alluded to sophisticated software that would automatically
calculate "drop" and "windage" and adjust the electronic sights of your
assault rifle.  Of course the latter costs a LOT more.

- -------------------------------------------------------------
Now, how about the space-borne equivalent: software that calculates
the shifting of the target and refraction (and focusing) of the beam
caused by, say, a gravity lens and feeds this information to the
targeting computer?

Imagine tryng to find a ship that fired at an oblique angle and 
literally bent the beam around a dense body to hit you.  

	Richard Johnson


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-------- TML Message #587 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 587
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 89 00:27 PDT
From: SELLSWORTH@hmcvax.claremont.edu ("Scott, part time fuzzy")
Subject: Re: Traveller Universe History and Background


[This came to jamesp@dadla.wr.tek.com, looks like it was meant for
traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com.  Watch those automatic reply headers! -- James]

  Hello all.

  This is actually in regards to the weapons debate, though I do have a
question for the list historian if he gets that far.

  In one of my previous games, we had a true point and shoot death beam in the
game.  We were all equiped to TL 17 or 18 before the DM knew what that meant. 
He gave the entire merry band "power gloves."  As the name implies, you pointed
an appropriate digit at the offending being, vehicle, or starship that annoyed
you, and an appropriate blast of power removed it from the game.

  While the actual implementation was kinda lame (I can see all of the pocket
computers translating furiously), the idea was handy.  We used a target system
where the thing to be vaporized was telepathicly implanted in the firer's mind,
along with a BIG crosshair.  This gave a major plus on any aimed shot
(Essentialy adding about 20% to your chances to penetrate armor, more if you
had any skill) PLUS making any future shots occur at about a ten percent boost. 
It was kind of fun in that it was both concealable and VERY nasty.  Applying
the idea to the proposed laser flashlight/ sword of Damocles, I would boost the
hit chance by a great deal on the first shot, possibly also upping the
penetration due to precision effects.  Later shots may get an advantage, but
the bad guy might decide to get the foo out of the way.

  For another view on this, see David Gerrold's creation in the Chtorr series. 
In traveller terms, it would be an upscaled Gauss rifle, perhaps due to law
level restrictions on portable energy weapons, that had full electronic scope
sights and easier precision targetting.  In essence, the rifle sent out a guide
beam that the helmet picked up.  The frequency shifted by a nasty random series
set by some switches in both the gun and the helmet, thuis allowing the fierer
to see instantly where his or her shots were going, while only lighting up the
gun to standard sensors for millisecond flashes.  Still worse than no active
systems at all, and easy to defeat with enough sensing gear and computer power,
but pretty effective against those facing it.

  Metlay: (first name not currently at hand, sorry) What information exists
about Sternmetal Horizons.  In my game, they seem kind of like a bloodthirsty
K-Mart.  Thier equipment is very good for the tech level behind where one is,
thier training is laughable, but thier people are very well trained and
effective.  Almost like thier legal staff.

  Thanks.

             Scott Ellsworth
            sellswor@jarthur.claremont.edu
Best bet -> SELLSWORTH@HMCVAX

ps I am still working on a more sensible equipment list by tech level and
function, indexed by Per Capita planetary product, etc, but I have not had the
time.  My playing group has gotten tired of lasers and wants to get back to
midieval era gaming.  Sigh.

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-------- TML Message #588 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 588
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 89 15:23:03 -0500
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!gslisa!gsliss!jcunning@tektronix.TEK.COM
Subject: crash start launch




Bennett, don't read this-- it concerns the adventure you will be
going through shortly thanks.

Hi. Any ideas about the length of time involved in going from a
ship with only its power plant running for essential services
(lights, some computer functions, etc.) to a launch in a real hurry?
Specifically, the end of Legend of the Sky Raiders adventure, which
I shall be running for the third time (its fun). The idea is that the
characters take the ship by force while it`s sitting at the landing
sight and wish to leave as soon as possible. In addition, the pilot
in question is probably not familiar with the far trader and is certainly
not familiar with the current panel configurations as customized by
the ship's normal pilot. Thoughts?



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-------- TML Message #589 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 589
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 89 20:19:32 -0400
From: (Palmer Davis) davisp@marina.scl.cwru.edu
Subject: Solomani fighters



Here are some fighter designs I've used a couple times in my campaign:

Solomani FM-44D "Phantom" space control fighter
CraftID: Missile fighter, Type FM, TL 14, MCr 33.885
Hull: 	18/45, Disp=20, Config=6AF, Armor=40G, 
		Unloaded=619 tons, Loaded=633.2 tons
Power: 	1/2, Fusion=834 MW, Duration=8/24, Drift=100
Loco: 	3/6, Manuver=6, NOE=180, Cruise=3150, 
		Top=4200, Agility=5
Commo:	Radio=System, RadioJammer=System
Sensors: PassiveEMS=Substellar, ActiveEMS=FarOrbit,
		EMSJammer=FarOrbit, EMMask, PassEngScan=Rout,
		ActObjScan=Rout, ActObjPin=Rout
Off:	Missile = x03, Magazine=24 Btty/Rds 
			Batt    1
			Bear	1
Def:	DefDM=+10
Control: Computer=3x1+1bisx2, Panel=HoloLinkx2,
		Special=HoloHeadsUpx2, Environ=basic env, 
		basic ls, extend ls, inertial comp,
		grav plates (in accomodations only)
Accom:	Crew=1 (operator=1), Seats=roomyx1, Bunks=1
Other:	Fuel=133,911 liters, Scoops, ObjSize=small,
		EmLevel=NONE
Notes: This is the "stealth" model of the popular Solomani
FM-44 fighter.  It is commonly deployed in system defense
squadrons or "intruder" squadrons designed to harrass enemy
shipping.

I used this little guy once in an adventure (my campaign is set in the
Spinward Marches) in the hands of a bunch of former Rachelites that SolSec
had sold them to.  They operated off a converted freighter (which I'll 
upload if I can find the file anywhere) and hid in asteroid belts, near
gas giants, and in major shipping lanes with their systems powered most of
the way down and their EM maskers (read: cloaking devices) on.  When a juicy
target passed their way they'd surface, jam its transmissions and order it
to surrender.  Took the PC's quite a while to solve the mystery of the
mysteriously disappearing freighters.  I figured that with everything shut
off except the passive scanners, the life support systems, and the EM masker,
a dedicated (read: fanatical) pilot can stay on station just drifting for
over three months.  Hence the 100-day drift endurance.  I rationalized this
design by saying that the Solomani use this class for long-term patrol duties
(suddenly surfacing in case of intruders) and for commerce raiding as above.
Hence the reason to put a bunk on a 20-ton fighter...

Solomani FM-44E "Phantom" space control fighter
CraftID: Missile fighter, Type FM, TL 14, MCr 33.845
Hull: 	18/45, Disp=20, Config=6AF, Armor=40G, 
		Unloaded=619.61 tons, Loaded=634.1 tons
Power: 	1/2, Fusion=1260 MW, Duration=8/25
Loco: 	3/6, Manuver=6, NOE=180, Cruise=3150, 
		Top=4200, Agility=6
Commo:	Radio=System
Sensors: PassiveEMS=Substellar, ActiveEMS=FarOrbit,
		PassEngScan=Rout, ActObjScan=Rout, ActObjPin=Rout
Off:	Missile = x03, Magazine=24 Btty/Rds 
			Batt    1
			Bear	1
Def:	DefDM=+12
Control: Computer=4x1+1bisx2, Panel=HoloLinkx2,
		Special=HoloHeadsUpx2, Environ=basic env, 
		basic ls, extend ls, inertial comp,
		grav plates (in accomodations only)
Accom:	Crew=1 (operator=1), Seats=roomyx1, Bunks=1
Other:	Fuel=137,911 liters, Scoops, ObjSize=small,
		EmLevel=Strong
Notes: This is the standard-issue navy model of the FM-44.

Nifty tricks like EM masking aren't really necessary in a straight up-and-down
fight, so I figured the Solomani would need a more conventional version better
optimized for ship-to-ship combat than the D model (which is more like a mini
spacegoing submarine).  Anyway, I don't know if either of these designs will
be of use to anyone, but I thought I'd share them just in case and to increase
the list's inventory of ship designs.

- -- Palmer Davis --
davisp@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu

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-------- TML Message #590 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 590
From: ("C. Harald Koch") chk@alias
Subject: Re: crash start launch
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 6:21:10 EDT


> Hi. Any ideas about the length of time involved in going from a
> ship with only its power plant running for essential services
> (lights, some computer functions, etc.) to a launch in a real hurry?

Consider the amount of time it takes to get your average airliner off the
ground, starting with everything off. The time is probably on the order of
an hour or so, more if you are unfamiliar with the ship.

A starship is still a very complicated piece of equiptment, and takes a long
time to start up. When your average jump takes 3 weeks, nobody really cares
that it takes a couple of hours to launch...

- -- 
C. Harald Koch                        Alias Research, Inc., Toronto ON Canada
chk%alias@csri.utoronto.ca      chk@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu      chk@chk.mef.org
"There is no problem, no matter how large or how small, that cannot be solved
 by a suitable application of high explosives."               -Leo Graf, 2298

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-------- TML Message #591 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 591
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 09:44 EST
From: METLAY@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: Preliminary work on Sternmetal Horizons, LIC



Scott:

No first name here. Just "Metlay." But thanx for the thought....

As for Sternmetal, they have a rather poor reputation in the GDW universe,
perhaps unfairly. Since the very first adventures, where the whole concept
of the megacorporations was still in its infancy and the GDW folx needed to
create a "big faceless corporate bad guy" entity, Sternmetal has been the 
butt of more than its share of villain roles, and incompetent ones at that.
This is sad, because there's no way they could have grown to the level of power
that they currently enjoy if they were always as incompetent as they've been 
made out to be. If you'd like, I can delve into my back issues of JTAS and my
old books and dig up some details about them; they're not really a merchan-
dising firm, but specialize instead in raw materials recovery and processing.
(This contributes to their bad reputation, as they have a tendency to leave
planets in unpleasantly befouled states.) If you want a K-mart for Average
Stellar Tech items (but one which is by NO means incompetent), I'd suggest
Ling-Standard Products.

Any other questions?

metlay

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-------- TML Message #592 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 592
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 89 12:15:03 -0400
From: (Palmer Davis) davisp@marina.scl.cwru.edu
Subject: Re: crash start launch



Two possibilities: the ship either already has its fusion plant online or it
doesn't.  Most ships with fusion plants leave them running if they park for
less than about a week or so (I haven't seen the adventure you're running, so
I don't know what circumstances this A2 is in) because it takes so long to 
bring the power plant up from a cold start.  In any event, the UTP for what
they're trying to do looks like this:

    To power up a parked starship and ready it for flight:
    Routine, Pilot, Dex, 30 sec (assuming warm start, 5 min otherwise)

If you're still using the old rules (the new ones are well worth it!), the pilot
needs to roll a 7+ to start the plant.  DMs: +Pilot skill, +1 if Dex 5+ or +2
if Dex 10+.  It will take 3d6x30 sec (an average of about 5 minutes) to start
if successful (or 3d6x5 min for an average of 50 (!) minutes if the A2 is 
powered all the way down).  MegaTraveller gives rules for unfamiliar technology
but since I don't know what background your pilot has I'd simply suggest about
a -2 DM or so heaped on top of this.  If he fails the roll, he'll have to take
another time increment and do it again.

Oh, and also: I'm assuming that since your PC's are presumably in a rush, they
will skip the usual safety checks and such.  In which case, when they start the
ship, you should make a roll along with them.  If you both succeed, everything
is fine but if they succeed and you fail, you should implement a "warning light"
event about halfway to orbit (i.e. a plant malfunction, fuel leak, or the like)
that will require a harder, fateful task to avoid a major mishap.

Finally, if things get hot and your PC's need to get out of there in a hurry,
they can try to rush things a bit.  Double the DM's applied to the startup roll
but instead of a 7+ they now need to roll an 11+.  And so do you.... :-)

- -- Palmer Davis --

Oh, and I almost forgot: if anybody has Engineering skill, it can be used as a
DM as well.

- -- PTD --
davisp@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu


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-------- End of TML Messages --------

