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To: Dan Corrin <dan%engrg.uwo.ca@RELAY.CS.NET>, jamesp@metolius.WR
Subject: TML Bundle #162: Msgs 2012-2026
Reply-To: TML Administrator <traveller-request%metolius.wr.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET>
Precedence: bulk
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 13:52:41 PST
From: James T Perkins <jamesp%metolius.wr.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET>
Status: RO


TML Bundles come from the archives of the Traveller Mailing List,
maintained by James Perkins, traveller-request@metolius.wr.tek.com.

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

Date: Tue Feb 12 13:52:37 PST 1991
From: traveller-request@metolius.wr.tek.com (TML Administrator)
Subject: TML Bundle #162: Table of Contents

-AMN- --Date--- --Sender--------- --Subject-----------------------------------
2012  20-Dec-90 f3w@mentor.cc.pur Re: Space Habitats << [This mail came to trav
2013  20-Dec-90 d9bertil@dtek.cha Re: Deckplans << > From: Dan Corrin <dan@engr
2014  20-Dec-90 Adrian Hurt       Happy Christmas << Around here, it's the cust
2015  20-Dec-90 "Robert S. Dean"  Robot Designs << The following two robot desi
2016  20-Dec-90 "Robert S. Dean"  One More Vehicle << Got bored today and start
2017  21-Dec-90 al646@cleveland.F Holidays << Happy Holidays everyone! Here's y
2018  21-Dec-90 Mark F. Cook      TML Survey results delayed << Rob Dean writes
2019  21-Dec-90 richardt@Legato.C @! party at WesterCon << I will be cohosting 
2020  24-Dec-90 mcknight@tusun2.m Character Generation Query << Hi all, I'm wri
2021  25-Dec-90 f3w@mentor.cc.pur Character Generator Programs << I wrote a cha
2022  25-Dec-90 Rob Miracle       Re: 2020: Character Generation Query << In Me
2023  27-Dec-90 Richard Johnson   Telegram! (Actually PBEM News) << :Date: Tue,
2024  27-Dec-90 Richard Johnson   (2019) @! party at WesterCon (fwd) << The oth
2025  27-Dec-90 Richard Johnson   PBEM Turn 10.5 Admin << OK the turn is immine
2026  27-Dec-90 Richard Johnson   My Address is Changing! << My address is chan

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2012
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 90 01:15:03 -0500
From: f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis)
Subject: Re: Space Habitats

[This mail came to traveller-request, so I fixed the subject line and
forwarded it to the TML -- James]

The comments regarding space habitats are well considered, but I must
disagree for several reasons.

Earth-like planets will not be common.  One per one thousand solar
systems is an optimistic estimate...it may be as low as one per one
million.  Planets that can be terraformed will be much more common,
but this is an even larger venture than building a habitat.

Habitats will be expensive to build, but not incredibly so.  In two
hundred years, or less, we will have cheap solar and fusion power, and,
more important, intelligent, self-replicating machines.  These will
be the key to space industrialization, as it will allow much of the
labor to be done by machines, vastly reducing the expense of any
industrial venture.

The resource base for habitats is enormous.  Realistically, you might
be able to put twenty billion people on an Earth-like planet with the
support of high technology.  (Personally, I think more than two billion
is a mistake at any tech level.)  The asteroid belt alone in our solar
system will be able to support two or three HUNDRED billion, and that
is using my very conservative estimates.  Shatter a few of Saturn's
medium-sized moons and the resource base jumps by an order of magnitude.

Why space habitats?  First, one must distinguish between a habitat and
a base.  A base is designed to be temporary, or at least the crew is not
expected to spend the rest of their lives there.  A habitat will be,
literally, a microworld, a self-contained island; the designs suggested
by O'Neill and others make this clear.  People do not simply work here;
eventually, these habitats will be permanant communities, similar to
the Pacific islands in "geography" and to the Greek city-states in
socio-political structure (although here Athenian democracy will have
robots for its slave caste).  

Second, and more important, evolution.  Consider our own solar system,
perhaps two hundred years in the future.  There are a few million people
living in L5 space cities in Moon-Earth space, and a few hundred thousand
living in the asteroid belt.  Many of them were born in space, some are
even second or third generation spacers.  To them, living in habitats is
NORMAL.  And they form a large enough seed population--if you assume
high technological support--to start building more colonies, which will
then build even more.  (Small gene pool?  Hey, guess what becomes Earth's
newest export item!) 

Why would the initial population leave Earth?  Why would anyone in
their right mind leave England in 1620 for the cold, unfriendly shores
of North America?  Or why leave the pleasant towns of New England for
the wilderness of (gasp!) Ohio in the early 1800s?  If the technology
of travel and colonization is available, and people live in a society
that is free enough to allow space colonization, it will happen.  With
five billion people on Earth, there are enough crazy people to form a
whole bunch of colonies in space.  The wilderness, whether it is Ohio
or Ganymede, speaks to something in many of us.  Adventure.  Fortune.
Freedom.  Open skies.  The chance to start over.  

Ask yourself a simple question.  If it was 2190 A.D., and we had the
technology, and you knew that most habitats were pretty safe and pretty
comfortable (a small Pacific island with a medium-sized town on it, 
and a HUGE cable TV receiver)...you know you have a 10% chance of getting
rich, an 80% chance of at least doing well, and only a 10% of getting
killed or going broke...wouldn't you be tempted?



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

Archive-Message-Number: 2013
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se
Subject: Re: Deckplans
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 90 9:55:08 MET

> From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
> 
> Problems with the deckplans? I usualy don't put things in the ftp area
> unless I have tested them out first. I just printed out a copy of
> deckplan.TypeEL15.1.ps and except for an acute angle in the middle of the
> tolerances section, it prints just fine.

  <Sigh of relief>
  It looks like it was printer incompatibility after all. I have had problems
with the <cr> and <lf> characters when transferring things from mac to net, so
I thought that the problem lay there and had corrupted the plans when I moved
them to the sun. 

- - -bertil-
Famous last words: 
Player: "I'll attack the sailing vessel all alone!"
Me:     "WHAT?"
Player: "Yup. I've got battle and gravbelt and a gaussrifle, they can't touch
	 me!"
Ship:   "<BAROOOOM!>" (Broadside from 40+ guns, one got lucky and hit...)

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2014
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk>
Subject: Happy Christmas
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 90 12:34:31 GMT


Around here, it's the custom to give people either nice presents or silly
cards at Christmas.
^L
Guess which one you're getting?
^L
		+-------------------------------+
		|				|
		|	   !samtsirhC		|
		|				|
		|		*		|
		|		*		|
		|	   ***********		|
		|	    *********		|
		|	    *********		|
		|	     *******		|
		|	     *******		|
		|	      *****		|
		|	      *****		|
		|	       ***		|
		|	       ***		|
		|		*		|
		|		*		|
		|	       ***		|
		|		*		|
		|				|
		|	      yppaH		|
		|				|
		+-------------------------------+

- - -- 
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2015
Date:     Thu, 20 Dec 90 15:37:53 EST
From: "Robert S. Dean" <rsdean@crdec8.apgea.army.mil>
Subject:  Robot Designs

The following two robot designs are further examples of the new format for
robots.  Someone said robots were of more general usefulness than large
starships, which is probably true.  Add either of these to your typical
small starship crew in anticipation of those inevitable crises of the
Shattered Imperium.

Rob 
- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  ConTech Model 15 General Purpose Robot TL15
  
       The ConTech Model 15 is intended as a general purpose starship crew 
  robot.  On a small ship it can provide skills to complement the operator, and 
  on a larger one it can fill for mising crew members in a variety of 
  situations.  The brain interface allows reprogramming with standard memory 
  crystals when necessary.
  
    RobotID: CT Model 15 GPbot, TL15, Cr482,300
    Chassis: 10/25, Disp=150L, Conf=HUSL (Humanoid), Armor=1G, Weight=268kg     
      Power: 1/2, FuelCells=30KW, Dur=8.5days
       Loco: 1/2, Legs=2, P/W=112, MaxSpeed=145kph
       Comm: Voder
    Sensors: 2 Visual, 2 Audio, 1 Olfactory, Radiation Sensor, Taste Sensor,
    Devices: Power Interface, Brain Interface, Holorecorder, Electronic tool
             package, Mechanical Tool package, Medical Instrument Package, 
             2*medium arms, 2*very light tentacles
        Off: -
        Def: -
      Brain: CPU=4 Synaptic, 20 Parallel, 36 Linear, Storage=50 Standard
    Program: High Autonomous, Full Command, Steward-4, Mechanical-3, 
             Electronic-3, Medical-2, Engineering-1, Gambling-1, 
             Grav Vehicle-1, Ship's Boat-1, Emotion Simulation
      Other: Fuel=40.6L, Profile=NFC5

  Madhidkarun Type 1115 Ship Maintenance Robot TL15
  
       The Type 1115 ship maintenance robot is capable of repairing almost any 
  piece of starship equipment.  With its array of 12 appendages it can handle 
  multiple operations from a central location, as well as lift and cary weight 
  of up to 500kg.  A state of the art brain with synaptic memory allows the 
  robot to profit from experience.
       
    RobotID: Type 1115 Ship Maintenance Robot, TL15, Cr531,800
    Chassis: 14/33, Disp=200L, Conf=3USL, Armor=1G, Weight=470kg     
      Power: 7/14, FuelCells=270KW, Dur=4.4days
       Loco: 2/4, StdGrav=1t, MaxSpeed=300kph, Cruise=225kph, NOE=190kph,
             MaxAccel=2.1G
       Comm: Voder, Radio=Dist(5km)
    Sensors: 2 Visual(+telescopic), 2 Audio, 1 Olfactory, Radiation Sensor,
             Magnetic Sensor
    Devices: Power Interface, Holorecorder, Electronic tool package, Mechanical
             Tool package, Spotlight, Zero-G Maneuver package, Laser Welder,
             2*heavy arms, 4*medium arms, 6*light tentacles
        Off: -
        Def: -
      Brain: CPU=4 Synaptic, 15 Parallel, 20 Linear, Storage=50 Standard,
             4 Synaptic
    Program: High Autonomous, Full Command, Gravitics-3, Mechanical-3, 
             Electronic-3, Engineering-3, GravVehicle-2
      Other: Fuel=40.6L, Profile=VFB5(9) (V=198)

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2016
Date:     Thu, 20 Dec 90 15:42:38 EST
From: "Robert S. Dean" <rsdean@crdec8.apgea.army.mil>
Subject:  One More Vehicle

Got bored today and started reading MILTARY REVIEW.  After thinking about
air deployable forces for a while, I drew this up.  I know nobody needs
military vehicles.

Rob
- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aki Exports Ranger LAV TL9

     The Ranger LAV (light armored vehicle) is designed for light reconais-
sance and security work.  Manufactured by Aki Exports, it can be found serv-
ing with low tech level military and police forces throughout the Glisten, 
District 268 and Trin's Veil subsectors.

  CraftID: Ranger LAV, TL9, Cr85700
     Hull: 3/6, Disp=2, Config=4USL+turret(20%), Armor=16D, Unloaded=12.6t
           Loaded=16.0t
    Power: 1/2, MHD=3.2MW, Dur=15hrs
     Loco: 1/2, Wheels=6, P/W=200, Road=309kph, Offroad=93kph
     Comm: Radio=Regional(500km)
  Sensors: 2*Headlights, Light Amplification, Passive IR
      Off: Hardpoints=1, Weapon stabilized, 100kph

                         Pen/         Max      Auto   Dngr
              Ammo  Rds  Attn   Dmg   Range    Tgts   Spc    Sig   ROF
 12cm Mortar  HEAP  60    48    12  Dist(7km)   -      -      M     21
               HE    -    20    16  Dist(7km)   -     35      M     21
              KEAP   -    29    12  Dist(7km)   -      -      M     21
             Illum   -     -     -  Dist(7km)   -     95      M     21
              CBM    -   10/7    6  Dist(7km)   +1    35      M     21 
     HMG       -  1000   6/3     3  VLong(1.5)  3      -      H     80

      Def: -
  Control: Elec*16
    Accom: Crew=4(Commander, Driver, Gunner, Loader), Seats=Roomy*4,
           Env=basic env, basic ls
    Other: Fuel=2.1kl, Cargo=0, ObjSize=Small, EmLevel=Moderate

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2017
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 08:00:28 -0500
From: al646@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (T. L. Hayes)
Subject: Holidays



Happy Holidays everyone!  Here's your task for the X-mas holidays:

     To think of a juicy MT discussion topic:
     Routine, INT, Traveller Skill, 1 day (safe)

     Referee:  This task is used to enliven the TML discussion following
an extended holiday.  Traveller Skill is the number of years you have
been involved with Traveller (and remember the is a maximum DM of +8 for
all of us who have been at this a long time).

I personally plan to sleep late, eat till I'm stuffed, drink till I'm
dizzy, and play till I pass out.  Now what should I do for my second day
of vacation...

Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, Happy Hanuka, Happy/Merry (Fill in your
favorite late December/early January holiday) to all the TML.

TLH

- - --
T.L.Hayes                  |  General Mail : al646@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
MIT/Lincoln Laboratory     |  Personal Mail: hayes@ll.mit.edu
Lexington, MA              |  (Personal Mail Address is in Beta Test!!!)

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2018
From: Mark F. Cook <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: TML Survey results delayed
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 10:46:17 PST

Rob Dean writes:

> Lastly, Did I miss the results of the TML survey or what?  Wasn't that 
> supposed to be out in early December?

*Sigh*.  No, you didn't miss it, I'm just taking a lot longer to process
the results then I said I would.  We got 53 responses out of a total TML
readership of about 260 (at the time of the survey).  Unfortunately, I've
been temporarily moved to a new job inside HP (until the end of January,
then I get my old job back).  As a result, I'm acting as a defacto manager
(all the responsibility, none of the rewards) and it's really cutting into
my recreational time (no more spending 50-75% of my workday on TDR-related
stuff; Damn!).  Also, I've been fighting the flu for almost a week now and
that's not helping either.

Oh, well.  Enough excuses.  My current plan is to (hopefully) have the
survey results ready for the TML by mid-January.  Until then, Merry
Christmas everybody (and a belated Happy Hanukkah, Mike!).  Have a
fun (and SAFE) New Year!

Later,

        - Mark F. Cook (overworked TDR Archivist)

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2019
Subject: @! party at WesterCon
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 12:16:41 PST
From: richardt@Legato.COM


I will be cohosting the @! party at this year's Westercon (July 4th
weekend, Vancuover, BC, 1991).  All TML subscribers (as well as any
other netfolk or not-yet-netfolk) are invited.

Please send me mail if you wish to attend.

RichardT
Have you considered the significance of chocolate covered manhole covers?

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2020
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 90 09:44:55 CST
From: mcknight@tusun2.mcs.utulsa.edu (Chuck McKnight - Law)
Subject: Character Generation Query



Hi all,

I'm writing a MegaTraveller character generator and need some input from
other referees regarding the 'serves as' skill subclassification.  I have
been treating multiple occurrences of the same skill as increasing the level
of proficiency (i.e., if the character gets a 'serves as' skill that is a -1
twice, I treat it as bringing the skill up to a 0).

As I want to distribute these programs to the TML, I'd like to know how
any other refs handle this point.

All help is appreciated and many thanks in advance.

Chuck McKnight
Internet: mcknight@tusun2.mcs.utulsa.edu
Fidonet:  1:170/104.0@fidonet.org


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

Archive-Message-Number: 2021
Date: Tue, 25 Dec 90 00:37:00 -0500
From: f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis)
Subject: Character Generator Programs



I wrote a character generator some time ago...it is very helpful to not have
to spend two hours rolling up a character that, because of random rolls, might
not be what someone really wants.  For NPCs, I cheat; I just assume that they
are +1 or +3 characters, etc., and can do anything they need at that level;
chief bad guys get planned out in more detail.  For players, however, the
program is useful.  It creates a template that assigns values for stats,
how many terms they were in what career, etc., and it generates of number
of "skill points" that they can use to build characteristics, buy skills,
etc.  This way, I save a lot of time on dice rolling, and people can build,
within some limits, a character that they like, with the skill specializations
that they want.  In other words, a good technique is to NOT generate skills
for players, just give them a number of skills that they can buy, based on
the character's depth of experience, and let them build whatever character
they want (this is kind of a fusion of the Traveller system, and the 
Hero system--by the way, I must recommend the Hero system as one of the
best General Role Playing systems I have ever seen...my biggest complaint
is that their combat system uses a weird curve that gives totally 
unrealistic results for anything above personal combat, and their personal
combat system can take a LONG time to get something done because they use
different phases within a combat round, so "fast" characters can do more
stuff...my compromise for handling fast characters is that I let everyone
do the same number of actions in a combat round, but people with higher
dexes get pluses, and trying to do more than one thing--firing more than
one bullet from a semi-automatic pistol, etc., which IS possible in a
combat round, I've seen speed shooters who can pull off six rounds in
four seconds with good accuracy--gets minuses...it's possible, just
harder.)

 

Enjoy.

Mark

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2022
Date: Tue, 25 Dec 90 21:36 EST
From: Rob Miracle <RWMIRA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Re: 2020: Character Generation Query

In Message 2020, mcknight@tusun2.mcs.utulsa.edu (Chuck McKnight - Law) writes:

>I'm writing a MegaTraveller character generator and need some input from
>other referees regarding the 'serves as' skill subclassification.  I have
>been treating multiple occurrences of the same skill as increasing the level
>of proficiency (i.e., if the character gets a 'serves as' skill that is a -1
>twice, I treat it as bringing the skill up to a 0).

First, the rules declare two types of "Serves As"  Relative which is (by
example):  Pilot-4 Serves as Ships Boat-3   and  Absolute which is
Navigation-5, serves as Sensor Ops-1.  See Players Handbook Page 30.

Now, I think you are reading all skills as absolute.  Where the skill reads:
Serves as skill name MINUS 1 means, it serves as the skill listed at a level of
1 less than the skill that gave them the default.  Maybe the following
conversation may help:

GM:            "Starhunter, make a Steward roll."
Starhunter:    "I don't have a Steward skill, but my Carousing is a 4."
GM:            "Ok, you can use your Carousing, but since you don't know all
               the ins and outs of being a Steward, make your Carousing Check
               at a -1 to your Carousing skill."


If you are generating characters with this program, I wouldn't automatically
give every Pilot-4 a Ships Boat-3.  If you read further on Page 30, there is a
limit to the maximum skill levels that a character may possess.  If the
character is allowed to have 15 skill levels, then that Ships Boat-3 that you
just gave them may push them over the limit early.  Also avoid putting skills
with a -1 skill level in there.  If you put 10 skills as such "Chemistry -1"
then your math toward calculating the maximum skills will be thrown off.
Remember there are no "negative" skills in traveller.  If your skills is below
a skill level of Zero, then you are unskilled.

>As I want to distribute these programs to the TML, I'd like to know how
>any other refs handle this point.

I wouldn't mind a copy.  How about the rest of the list?

Rob Miracle

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2023
Subject: Telegram! (Actually PBEM News)
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 90 11:31:17 PST
From: Richard Johnson <richard@agora.UUCP>


:Date:         Tue, 11 Dec 90 20:46:27 EST
:From: Nick Sylvain <NPSYLV%WMVM1@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU>
:Subject:      Telegram!
:To: Richard Johnson <richard@agora.hf.intel.com>
:
:How goes the war? :-)
:
:nps
:

Evolution is over.  We won.  :-)
I actually have spent several hours reorganizing and re-timing all
of the PBEM turn stuff.  With any luck (tm) I should have something
out this weekend (unless the ... or the ... etc.  :-)

A word of warning to all -- One weekend in January (the sysop does
not know which yet) agora will be down for a software upgrade to
the release version of SysV/386 R4.0 (now running Beta).  Consequently
your mail might bounce.  *Don't Panic*, just send it through again 
(sounds like what I tell all my creditors. :-).

Richard

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2024
Subject: (2019) @! party at WesterCon (fwd)
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 90 21:16:56 PST
From: Richard Johnson <richard@agora.UUCP>

The other Richard said:
:I will be cohosting the @! party at this year's Westercon (July 4th
:weekend, Vancuover, BC, 1991).  All TML subscribers (as well as any
:other netfolk or not-yet-netfolk) are invited.
:
:Please send me mail if you wish to attend.
:
:RichardT
:Have you considered the significance of chocolate covered manhole covers?


Disclaimer!

I am *NOT* Richard T. Johnson in Vancouver.  Although going up there
next July sounds like one He** of a lot of fun.  Mark Cook (on the spot
again) has been designing some TML name badges for just this sort of
affair.  (No, not chocolate-covered name badges.)

Richard, if you're listening, drop me a line.  I'm interested in all
manner of stuff like child care, customs, actual dates, parties,
local pubs and brews, and why Canada on July 4?

Richard Johnson
	richard@agora.rain.com  <---  note new address!


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

Archive-Message-Number: 2025
Subject: PBEM Turn 10.5 Admin
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 90 21:24:56 PST
From: Richard Johnson <richard@agora.UUCP>

OK the turn is imminent.  Here are the rules for the next:

1) send no more than _two_ public messages.
2) send it/them before Jan 10 or so 
   (I want to do the turn that weekend)
3) send no more than _three_ private messages.

You folks are in a serious time-bind right now (as you will
shortly discover) and we need to keep close tabs on everyone.
I don't want to spend another two weeks re-syncing the players.

Aslan, get ready.  You'll pop back into "normal" space as
soon as Alcyon gets jumped.  Should happen next turn, or very
close to it.

Turn 10.5 take place over about two hours.  All but five minutes
of it befor GQ is sounded...

Richard

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2026
Subject: My Address is Changing!
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 90 20:30:00 PST
From: Richard Johnson <richard@agora.UUCP>

My address is changing immediately.

Old address:
	richard@agora.hf.intel.com

New address:
	richard@agora.rain.com
or:
	richard@agora.uucp


Please adjust your mailer accordingly.  Sorry for any incomvenience.
If you have real trouble, notify James Perkins or Mark Cook, who know
more nefarious ways to contact me, or try richard@oresoft.com and I'll
fend off the bean counters.

Richard


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

End of TML Bundle
*****************

