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Subject: TML Bundle #215: Msgs 2620-2627
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Date: Sun Jul 21 21:00:08 PDT 1991
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Subject: TML Bundle #215: Table of Contents

-AMN- --Date--- --Sender--------- --Subject-----------------------------------
2620  17-Jul-91 jimv@ucrmath      Traveller Tales - 3 of 5 << Greetings & Saliv
2621  17-Jul-91 "Mark Power"       << I've been working on my combat system, an
2622  17-Jul-91 "Robert S. Dean"  Re: (2617) starship prices & economics << Cyn
2623  17-Jul-91 "Robert S. Dean"  A few more designs... << I'm gradually workin
2624  17-Jul-91 "Sleep...what a c Re: Random Alien Generation << I think random
2625  18-Jul-91 matth@earth.njit. Random Alien Generation << I think that the D
2626  18-Jul-91 Adrian Hurt       Combat rules << "Mark Power" <MARK@gsb2.his.u
2627  18-Jul-91 bolo%garfield.cs. Re: more planetary defences << (Warning: I te

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2620
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 91 10:04:52 PDT
From: jimv@ucrmath (jim vassilakos)
Subject: Traveller Tales - 3 of 5


   Greetings & Salivations!
         from your friendly & faithful Vargr historian
                         (woof woof)
               Hereby presenting the hump episode of...

                       Traveller Tales

        being an encapsulated history of future time

               Copyright 1991 Jim Vassilakos
                 (for whatever it's worth)

            A.D. 2568-3516  *  The Corporate Era

 
   2568-2597  The Beanstalk
   2597-2663  Unearthly Plunder
   2663-2710  Foundations of Anarchy
   2710-2741  Open Defiance
   2741-2872  The Corporate War
   2794-2911  War Technologies
   2887-2969  Post-War Exodus
   2969-3130  Total Producer Monopolization
   2981-3210  Age of Wonder
   3210-3223  The Tomorrow War
   3223-3309  Mutant Rebellions
   3309-3516  Period of Recovery



2568-2597  The Beanstalk

With the 2568 U.N. creation of a standard-human zone around
Earth, advancing biogenetics was effectively forced off-planet,
causing the displacement of tens of millions of highly educated
corporate personnel. With the sudden influx of out-world traffic,
combined with the industrial, service, and clerical personnel who
were sure to follow, the U.N. stepped up plans for the renovation
of the world spaceport, culminating in the construction of what
was to become popularly known as the Beanstalk, a ground to space
station over seventy thousand kilometers in overall length.


2597-2663  Unearthly Plunder

With the beanstalk's finalization in '97, space imports grew at
an alarming rate, flushing out entire earth-bound industries as
the use of "mutant" labor gave off-world firms a competitive
advantage. Mitsubishi invested heavily in offworld trade and
transport, sinking considerable assets into a major corporate
gamble. During this period, samples of alien bacteria and
primitive lifeforms began appearing on earth. Some were sold for
research, but others were distributed through the black market to
wealthy collectors for exorbitant prices.
   Although most of these organisms proved less hardy than their
Terran equivalents, wide-spread outcry resulted concerning the
public's protection. Following the discovery of an advanced
ecosystem on Darwin IV, the U.N. instated the Orbital Quarantine
Command as a protective measure against the infestation of alien
organisms. However, the passage of the Nakamura Resolution in '63
caused the OQC to evolve into a protectionist trade barrier,
crippling off-world industry from doing business in the Terran
market.


2663-2710  Foundations of Anarchy

With the close of the Terran market in '63, competition between
off-world corporations intensified eventually forcing the
interstellar conglomeration of what was to be known as the big
three: Mitsubishi, Aster, and Femm. By the turn of the century,
the tensions of trade competition threatened to spill over into
open conflict. Fleets of war vessels were built, and each
conglomerate controlled its offworld business as though it were a
separate nation-state, creating it's own laws and effectively
ignoring the edicts of colonial governments. The ice finally
broke with the Martian ultimatum of 2710, when the Aster
Corporation charged Femm with contract violations in the joint
terraformation project. Due to political interests, both parties
refused U.N. arbitration, but instead set-up a private
arbitration council consisting only of non-Terran interests.


2710-2741  Open Defiance

With the success of the Martian accords, the terraformation of
Mars, Venus, and Titan which all began in the early 23rd century
neared the completion stages. However, the inner-system
importation of "mutants" in the early part of the 28th century
led the U.N. to threaten police action for the violation of the
standard-human zone. Aster and Femm agreed to submit the issue
for arbitration, but only to a non-Terran arbitration council.
The U.N. refused to agree to this condition, and sent warships to
enforce its will. Before they arrived, however, Femm's public
affairs office, on Earth, threatened the release of undisclosed
biological contaminants if the Terran warships reached their
destination. The threat was later proven a bluff, but it gave the
big three time to organize fleets within the solar system,
resulting in the 2nd Martian accords of 2741.


2741-2872  The Corporate War

The 2nd Martian accords saw a cessation of U.N. domination of the
solar system and a loosening of quarantine restrictions with a
corresponding collapse of Terran trade barriers. However, the
accords also brought Mitsubishi to its knees with the
domestication of its Earth-bound facilities which came under the
control of the newly formed Terran conglomerate. Despite this,
however, Aster and Femm continued to grow in power, waging a
trade war against the untested Terran Corporation until
Mitsubishi managed to claim reparations for it's domesticated
facilities. It was, thus, clear that the megacorporations were
acting as a single economic entity.
   The quasi-peace was short-lived, however, as within a decade,
news arrived from Durhael, one of Earth's most distant colonies,
that the shattered core of a nova had been discovered. This news,
though unheralded by the mass-media, carried extreme weight with
the scientific community, as it was hypothesized for several
centuries that the eka-metals (heavy elements) to be found within
such an astronomical find could be used to tear the "fabric" of
multi-dimensional space at the subatomic level, in effect,
opening the possibility for faster-than-light travel.
   Although technically owned by the Terran Corporation under the
2741 accords, the Aster corporation was in a far better position
to claim the find as it's own, and this is exactly what it did.
In order to protect its position, however, Aster began a conquest
of the entire arm leading to Durhael. Noting the opportunity to
rid Terra's influence in corporate space, the Mitsubishi and Femm
conglomerates jumped to Aster's side, their offensive sweeping
the entirety of Terra's immediate colonies, culminating in the
decisive corporate victory in the battle of Osgiliath in 2872.


2794-2911  War Technologies

The Corporate War led to the hastened development of mutant
technologies, when in 2794, Femm geneticists located the psi-gene 
and later incorporated psionic attributes and biocybernetics in
its infamous line of mass-cloned Okuma war-mutants of the early
29th century. The 2830's saw major breakthroughs in artificial
sentience, and various degrees of self-aware computers were
deployed in Aster's Shambler series of self-replicating predator
vessels akin to the Von Neumann robotic miners of the 23rd
century. The discovery which ended the war, however, came in
2852, with the Mitsubishi-AI's derivation of the famed Deagol
equation which, utilizing Eka-metals, actualized hyperspace
travel as a technical hypothesis. In a joint venture with Aster,
Mitsubishi developed the technology during the late 50's, and
actual starships were in deployment by the middle 60's.
   Several spin-off sciences were either invented or
serendipitously arrived at during the following decades,
including the rudiments of matter transportation during the late
80's, genetic reconstruction of the 30th century's first decade,
and the anagathics discovery of 2911.


2887-2969  Post-War Exodus

After the conclusion of the Corporate War, the big three began
consolidating the conquered territories, driving out the smaller
independents and monopolizing huge chunks of the colonial
economy. Psychohistorians predicted a future war far bloodier
than the Corporate War, this to be fought between the big three
with a sharp trend toward political-economic centralization
during the interim. A symposium of wealthy industrialists met on
Terra in 2887 to discuss these economic developments and
psychohistorical prognostications, and a coalition of
independents was formed the following year, the focus of the pact
turning toward a mass-exodus of the colonized regions.
   Plans were made, and the exodus began with the departure of
the Ash in 2909, which carried over a million cryogenically
suspended colonists. Other vessels departed over the following
six decades for various systems in the Persei and Cassiopeiae
clusters. The project finally failed in '69 due to the bankruptcy
of its sponsorship.


2969-3130  Total Producer Monopolization

With the failure of the Exodus Fund in '69, it became apparent
that the ultimate goal of the big three was total market
monopolization. By the 80's, even Earth was not exempt from the
trends, the Terran corporation finding itself slowly crushed and
later purchased at bargain rates by Mitsubishi in 3010. Standard
human labor was largely replaced with mutant slaves from the
frontier, and by the turn of the millennium, billions of Terrans
were effectively selling themselves and their families into the
same corporate institution which had deprived them of their
livelihoods.
   During the next hundred and twenty years, the Aster-Femm-
Mitsubishi conglomerate carried out a meticulous campaign of
isolating and destroying the millions of smaller independent
firms which still remained, finally officially merging into the
AFM Corporation in 3130. The three controlling families became
intertwined by a series of arranged marriages, and the ancient
institution of nepotism became a model for ensuring the future
peace.


2981-3210  Age of Wonder

The era of peace gave rise to many new sciences as AFM's separate
components competed against each other without traditional
government restraints. Thus, although there were tremendous
technological advances, the median standard of living actually
declined during the period, leading to urban unrest which was
largely contained via brute force techniques employed by the
corporate authorities.
   During this period, teleportation and hyperspace projection
technologies became widely utilized as forms of transportation.
Communication technologies evolved to encompass a wide host of
FTL-particles, making interstellar communication next to
instantaneous. Finally, the first Tau-fields and pocket universes
became realities.
   However, with the rapid pace of technology, a great deal of
power fell into the hands of those with the most direct control
over scientists and knowledge-based resources. Thus, corporate
power became more and more decentralized as individual upper
managers and groups of middle managers combined resources in
several ill-fated attempts to overthrow the ownership and seize
control of AFM or to create breakaway divisions under independent
ownership. As always, the corporate response was as ruthless as
it was decisive.


3210-3223  The Tomorrow War

What followed the Age of Wonder is perhaps the least understood
period of history. Apparently, an era of terrible warfare between
the corporate divisions erupted sometime in the 35th century, but
spread backwards in time, to the year 3210. This was the year to
which the Mitsubishi Division, in its dying gasp, sent a
prototype starship capable of travelling through both space and
time. The starship, named the Mitsubishi Maru, was expected to
arrive before the discovery of alternate temporal realities and
to destroy Asterian and Femm research centers, thereby creating a
timeline in which Mitsubishi might rule all of humanity.
   However, another vessel followed the Maru backwards through
the temporal continuum, this one named the Asterian War Dragon.
The two vessels met several times in battle until 3216 when they
destroyed each other in a fiery climax. The captain of the War
Dragon, nicknamed "Draconius" by the war's spectators, survived
the final battle and was appointed admiral of the Asterian fleets
a year later. With the war now ignited, the corporations
continued to fight until 3223 when Mitsubishi was finally forced
to submit unconditionally.
   Returning to Terra, Draconius turned against corporate
ownership in a surprise bombardment of his own victory parade,
assassinating each member of the ruling family in a single
stroke. The attack left a vacuum of power, to which Femm's
management could only have a single response.


3223-3309  Mutant Rebellions

The Femm Corporation had never had large war fleets. Instead of
technical hardware, it concentrated on the manufacture of
biological organisms. However, within each organism it produced,
it created a sort of emergency-lever which could be pulled via
the application of trace amounts of a specific chemical. Once
pulled, the organism would be psychologically transformed from an
obedient slave into an insane killing machine.
   Thus, the 3223 assassination of Femm's ownership saw the
beginning of the Mutant Rebellions and the corresponding
breakdown of corporate government into total anarchy. Over half
of the human population perished during the first ten years of
the rebellion as Draconius used his fleets to crush one outbreak
of violence after another. It wasn't until the middle of the
century that the cause of the rebellions was even understood, and
not until the 80's that antidotes were synthesized. The fighting
finally ended in 3309, with over nine-tenths of the human
population slaughtered during the interim.


3309-3516  Period of Recovery

The next two centuries saw a slow period of recovery as Draconius
"entitled" old AFM executives and their families with large
provinces while charging them with various duties including
social welfare, economic recovery, maintenance of the peace, and
the administration of justice. This policy saw the foundations of
Imperial bureaucracy and the caste system within which it became
rooted, resulting, ultimately, in the coronation of Draconius as
Emperor in 3516.

           _   /|
           \`o_O'
             ( )     <---  jimv@ucrmath.ucr.edu
              U            ucsd!ucrmath!jimv (uucp)
          Aachk!
        Phft! Ftp!


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

Archive-Message-Number: 2621
From: "Mark Power"  <MARK@gsb2.his.uab.edu>
Date:     17 Jul 91 13:08:28 CDT
Subject:  

I've been working on my combat system, and I need to make a decision about
automatic weapons.  There are several ways to handle auto fire weapons.

1) Increase the chance to hit.
     This is how Azhanti High Lightning and Striker handled them. Since
     these form the basis of ranged combat in my system, I'd been planning
     to use this.

2) Increase the damage.
     To simulate the effect of multiple hits.  A popular way of handling
     automatic weapons in other games systems.  Tends to make them very
     deadly.

3) Allow multiple hits on the target, rolling seperately for each one.
     This is perhaps the most accurate way, but you pay a cost in playing
     time.  It can also unbalance the game -- if you allow a player to roll
     10 seperate attacks for a burst from a gauss rifle, the target is
     almost always going to be chopped into hamburger.

4) Determine to hit normally, and then determine a percentage of shots that
     hit the target.  This could be done with a seperate roll, or as part of
     the to-hit roll.  Mark Cook and Iain Fogg use this in their Firefight
     rules.

None of the above inherently disallow some mechanism for hitting multiple
targets, either deliberately or accidentally.  Shotguns and flechettes might
or might not be handled the same way as automatic weapons.

Play testing has resulted in some mild dissatifaction in the current system.
Does anyone have any suggestions or strong feelings on this?

Mark

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2622
Date:     Wed, 17 Jul 91 15:02:38 EDT
From: "Robert S. Dean" <rsdean@crdec8.apgea.army.mil>
Subject:  Re:  (2617) starship prices & economics

Cynthia and Steve:

     Another meaty post...I wish I had the time this week to respond to
everything, but I don't.  As a result, I'll just hit a few high points.
Is there any possibility that you could upload your ship designs including
the price both with and without variant calculations?   That would make
life easier on everyone, as those of us who might be inclined to use some of
them can do so without needing to refigure the cost.  Similarly, I try to
make sure that all of my uploads contain enough information to allow people
to undo my variations in the designs without extensive recalculation.  As
someone who doesn't do these things on a computer (except for the word
processing part) avoiding recalculations is always a high priority..(-8.

     Personally, I try not to get too worked up over some of the lacunae
in the design system.  Clearly, things like computers ought to get better
as TL increases, on about the same scale as communicators.  But as long as
all vehicles are designed with the same handicaps, I don't worry about it.
Now something like Scott's Indianapolis series fusion rocket fighter planes
are another matter entirely...COACC doesn't fit in well with the Ref's 
Manual, and we're still casting about for easy fixes that allow previous
work to be used (and new work to be submitted in the 'standard' format for
the benifit of those who disagree with our changes.)

     Regarding starship economics (and business economics in general):  It's
my impression that lots of people in the US currently go into business 
despite the high failure rate of small businesses because of a (misplaced?)
confidence in their ability to 'beat the odds'.  I can see this factor 
potentially at work in interstellar shipping too, although clearly the banks
would not give you such an advantageous interest rate on ship loans...

     If everyone followed the 'ship on other people's ships' for spec trade,
the demand for cargo space would probably exceed the available supply.  A
lot of the problems with Traveller trade in my opinion come from trying to
keep the system simple enough to use...which I'd bet is why they rejected the
notion of variable costs for shipping and passages.  As it is, some of my
players from other games have informed me that their GMs didn't bother with
detailed trade at all...he/she apparently just rolled dice once in a while
and handed out the money.

     When you advise against a fuel purification plant, are you taking into
account the limited availability of refined fuel and the concurrent dangers
of using unrefined fuel?  This would seem to indicate that you either don't
perceive a need to go to a starport of less than class B (or is it C?).

Rob Dean


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

Archive-Message-Number: 2623
Date:     Wed, 17 Jul 91 15:53:13 EDT
From: "Robert S. Dean" <rsdean@crdec8.apgea.army.mil>
Subject:  A few more designs...

I'm gradually working through my project of providing TL9-TL14 versions of
all 'standard craft'.  Following are the latest entries:


Launch TL13

     This standard design launch is produced throughout the Imperium, pri-
marily as an auxiliary for cargo ships requiring some self-contained shuttle 
capability for use at ports where the ship is not able to land.  As such, it 
is not optimized for atmospheric travel.  The twelve cramped seats which are 
available for passenger transfer are designed to fold down flush with the 
floor of the cargo bay when not required, which increases cargo capacity to 
184kl.  At 160kl with seats extended, the cargo bay can hold 2 Imperial 
Standard 4 ton cargo containers, or 11 standard 1 ton containers. 
     No armament has been provided, nor has space been reserved for the 
installation of weaponry at a later date.  
 
  CraftID: Launch, TL13, MCr7.3
     Hull: 18/45, Disp=20, Config=4SL, Armor=40F, Loaded=382t,
           Unloaded=221t
    Power: 1/2, Fusion=135MW, Dur=10days
     Loco: 2/4, Maneuver=3 (Thrusters=1040t), MaxSpeed=1000kph, 
           Cruise=750kph, NOE=170kph, Agility=2, TrueAcc=2.72G
     Comm: Radio=System, LaserComm=FarOrbit
  Sensors: EMS Active(Planetary), EMS Passive(Substellar), ActObjScan=Rout, 
           ActObjPin=Rout, PassEnScan=Routine
      Off: Hardpoints=1 (no weapons mounted)
      Def: DefDM+3
  Control: CompMod0bis*3, HeadsUpDisplay*1, HoloLink*30
    Accom: Crew=2 (Pilot, Copilot), Passengers=12, Seats=ExtOccRoomy*2,
           Cramped*12, Env=basic env, basic ls, ext ls, grav plates, inert
           comp, air lock
    Other: Fuel=18kl, Fuel Scoops, Cargo=160kl (11.8t), ObjSize=Avg,
           EmLevel=Faint

Wyvern Grav Fighter TL13

     The Wyvern is a dual purpose design intended to serve as a fast attack 
vehicle and a limited duty near orbit fighter.  It is fully space rated and 
can be ground or ship based.  The Model 3 computer is intended for targetting 
and combat, but the craft can still be flown as long as at least one of the 
Model 0 computers remains functional.

  CraftID: Wyvern Grav Fighter GFV, TL13, MCr10.342
     Hull: 3/7, Disp=3, Config=1AF, Armor=40F, Loaded=132.6t, Unload=130.9t
    Power: 1/2, Fusion=126MW, Dur=24hours
     Loco: 2/4, StdGrav=770t, Max Speed=4560kph, Cruise=3420kph, NOE=170kph,
           MaxAccel=6.5G, Agility=6
     Comm: Radio=Planetary, MaserComm=Planetary
  Sensors: EMS Active(FarOrbit), EMS Passive(Interplanetary),
           ActObjScan=Rout, ActObjPin=Rout, PassEnScan=Rout
      Off: Hardpoints=1

                      Pen/          Max     Auto   Dngr
                      Attn    Dmg   Range   Tgts   Spc    Sig   ROF
         Fusion-Y Gun  71/5    30  VDist(21)  2     45     H     40

      Def: DefDM+11
  Control: CompMod0*2, CompMod3*1, HeadsUpHoloDisplay*1
    Accom: Seats=NoAccess*1 (Pilot), Env=Basic env, basic ls, extended ls,
           grav plates, inert comp
    Other: Fuel=1.8kl, Cargo=0, ObjSize=Avg, EmLevel=Moderate

SIE Athelstan Class Merchant TL11

     The Athelstan class merchant ships are presently being built by SIE at 
their corporate facilities at Grote.  The unsettled situation in the Imperium 
has left SIE unable to procure ships from their usual suppliers at Glisten.  
The Athelstan is a modified Type R2 design, and is fairly typical of ships 
built in frontier areas with an integral refueling capability, a maneuver 
drive capable of making a landing while fully loaded on any inhabitable 
planet, and a full armament package.
     Unlike many other SIE vessels, the Athelstan does not ordinarily carry a 
robotic crew supplement since the supply of cheap robots has also dried up.

  CraftID: Athelstan class Merchant (Type R2 mod), TL11, MCr157.06
     Hull: 360/900, Disp=400t, Config=4SL, Armor=40E, Loaded=5828t,
           Unloaded=4296t
    Power: 20/40, Fusion=1800MW, Duration=30days 
     Loco: 18/36, Maneuver=2 (Thrusters=13000t), 11/22, Jump=2,
           Max=1000kph, Cruise=750kph, TrueAcc=2.23G, Agility=1
     Comm: Radio=System*2, LaserComm=System
  Sensors: EMS Active(Planetary), EMS Passive(Interplanetary),
           ActObjScan=Diff, ActObjPin=Diff, PassEnScan=Rout
      Off: Hardpoints=4

                Missile=x02     BeamLaser=xx3
           Batteries      1                 1
           Bearing        1                 1

      Def: DefDM+4

               SandCaster=x04
           Batteries        2
           Bearing          2

  Control: Computer Mod2*3, 8*HeadsUpDisplay, 665*DynLink
    Accom: Crew=11 (2 bridge, 2 engineer, 4 gunners, 1 command, 1 steward, 
           1 medical), Staterooms=20, Passengers=9, LowBerths=20,
           LowPassengers=20, Env=basic env, basic ls, extended ls,
           grav plates, inertial comp
    Other: Fuel=1460kl (1 jump-2+30 days), Cargo=1424kl, Missiles=60 (20b-r),
           Fuel Scoops, Fuel Purifier (24hr), ObjSize=Avg, EmLevel=Moderate

Launch TL11

     This standard design launch is produced throughout the Imperium, pri-
marily as an auxiliary for cargo ships requiring some self-contained shuttle 
capability for use at ports where the ship is not able to land.  As such, it 
is not optimized for atmospheric travel. No weapons capability is provided.  
Endurance is limited to four days as long duration missions are not antici-
pated.
 
  CraftID: Launch, TL11, MCr6.05
     Hull: 18/45, Disp=20, Config=4SL, Armor=40E, Loaded=432.5t,
           Unloaded=232.2t
    Power: 1/2, Fusion=90MW, Dur=4days
     Loco: 1/2, Maneuver=2 (Thrusters=650t), MaxSpeed=600kph, 
           Cruise=450kph, NOE=40kph, Agility=1, TrueAcc=1.5G
     Comm: Radio=Planetary*2
  Sensors: Radar=Planetary, ActObjScan=Diff, ActObjPin=Diff
      Off: Hardpoints=1 (no weapons mounted)
      Def: DefDM+3
  Control: CompMod0*3, HeadsUpDisplay*1, DynLink*60
    Accom: Crew=2 (Pilot, Copilot), Passengers=4, Seats=Roomy*6, Env=basic
           env, basic ls, ext ls, grav plates, inert comp
    Other: Fuel=4.32kl, Cargo=200kl (14.8t), ObjSize=Avg, EmLevel=Faint

River class Merchant (Type R) TL11

     The River class merchant conforms to the basic Imperial Type R standards 
with no enhancements.  Designed to be produced and maintained by worlds of 
average technology, it is not really suited to the difficult conditions 
imposed by our current political difficulties.  The base model, as shown 
below, is produced with no fuel purification plant and no weapons package.  
Either can be installed (and often both are), but at a cost in cargo space.  
The control system is sufficient to allow up to MCr9 of weapons to be in-
stalled. The minimal thruster installation does not permit takeoffs or land-
ings on most inhabitable planets while the ship is fully loaded.  As a re-
sult, a launch is carried to provide some limited integral shuttle capabili-
ty.  When sufficient cargo has been offloaded by the launch, the ship may 
land.  Frugal captains usually run the ship with the launch's cargo bay 
loaded if possible, which adds an additional 200kl of cargo capacity.

  CraftID: River class Merchant (Type R), TL11, MCr100.07
     Hull: 360/900, Disp=400t, Config=4SL, Armor=40E, Loaded=6125t,
           Unloaded=2820t
    Power: 11/22, Fusion=960MW, Duration=30days 
     Loco: 8/16, Maneuver=1 (Thrusters=5200t), 8/16, Jump=1,
           TrueAcc=0.85G, Agility=0
     Comm: Radio=System*2
  Sensors: EMS Active(Planetary), ActObjScan=Diff, ActObjPin=Diff
      Off: Hardpoints=4
      Def: DefDM+2
  Control: Computer Mod1*3, 4*HeadsUpDisplay, 860*DynLink
    Accom: Crew=6 (2 bridge, 2 engineer, 1 steward, 1 medical),
           Staterooms=12, Passengers=6, LowBerths=9, LowPassengers=9, 
           Env=basic env, basic ls, extended ls, grav plates, inertial comp
    Other: Fuel=886kl (1 jump-1+30 days), Cargo=2810kl, Fuel Scoops,
           ObjSize=Avg, EmLevel=Moderate

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2624
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1991 18:13 CDT
From: "Sleep...what a concept." <ANANDA%BSU.DECNET@MSUS1.BITNET>
Subject: Re:  Random Alien Generation


I think random alien generation would probably make about as much sense as
random dungeon generation -- okay for bare-bones framework or perhaps
inspiration, but not for serious use without a great deal of additional work
and application of common sense.  (I _did_ say the results were rather
amusing...well, they were the last time I looked at it, which was probably a
good eight years ago.  I remeber the issue 'cause I liked the short story.) 
But someone asked about it, so I answered; what anyone does with the
information is up to them.  

As far as GURPS stuff goes, I can't comment, since I have no first-hand
knowledge of the system.  


- - -Ananda 

ananda%bsu.decnet@msus1.msus.edu  /ananda%bsu@msus1.msus.edu \__if the .decnet 
ananda%bsu.decnet@msus1.bitnet    \ananda%bsu@msus1.bitnet   /  causes problems



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

Archive-Message-Number: 2625
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 91 01:53:17 -0400
From: matth@earth.njit.edu
Subject: Random Alien Generation 

I think that the Dragon Magazine version of Random Alien Generation was 
a bit insufficient. I think that Randomized Alien Generation is very 
important however. Consider the many millions of worlds that you have 
to deal with in the MT universe. While many of the worlds will be 
dominated by the Major Sentient races, there are still the creatures
encountered with the random encounter system. In addition, using Random 
Alien Generation will cause creatures to come into being which are not 
a mix of dog and human or cat and human, or centaurs or dolphins, all 
of which are humanocentric aliens. You can develop something really 
ALIEN with a random system. Of course you can't depend completely 
on randomness for your aliens. You should do alot of work filling in 
things like lifestyle, culture, ideology, etc. 

Matt

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2626
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk>
Subject: Combat rules
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 91 10:05:12 BST

"Mark Power"  <MARK@gsb2.his.uab.edu> writes:
> 
> I've been working on my combat system, and I need to make a decision about
> automatic weapons.  There are several ways to handle auto fire weapons.
> 
> 1) Increase the chance to hit.
>      This is how Azhanti High Lightning and Striker handled them. Since
>      these form the basis of ranged combat in my system, I'd been planning
>      to use this.

Striker does two things.  You get a bonus on the to-hit roll, and for every
2 by which the roll exceeds the required number, you get an extra hit.  For
example, to hit with an ACR at effective range requires a roll of 8+.  If you
fire on full automatic, you get a +2.  I roll the dice and get a 9; with the
bonus, that's 11.  This is 3 above the required number of 8, so I score two
hits.

> 3) Allow multiple hits on the target, rolling seperately for each one.

As I say, Striker allows multiple hits without separate rolls.  What I would
then do is roll again for any shots that missed, to see if they hit the next
nearest character in the field of fire.  In the above example, the ACR fires
a burst of 4 rounds, of which 2 have been accounted for; the other 2 roll
again if there's anyone standing near the main target.  This is effectively
a burst of 2 rounds, not 4, so I'd give it a +1 DM instead of the +2.  Striker
has a table listing the bonus for a given number of rounds in a burst; it's
normally used to find the auto-fire bonus for a user-designed auto-cannon,
but can equally well be used here.

Striker also allows you to specify a group as a target, rather than a single
individual.  In this case, you roll once to hit the group; any hits are
divided as evenly as possible between the members of the group.  I don't
recall any bonus for aiming for a cluster of people rather than a single
person, unless you allow the one for target size - in which case a large,
spread out group makes an easier target than the same number of people in
a tight cluster.

>      This is perhaps the most accurate way, but you pay a cost in playing
>      time.  It can also unbalance the game -- if you allow a player to roll
>      10 seperate attacks for a burst from a gauss rifle, the target is
>      almost always going to be chopped into hamburger.

That's the whole point of using a gauss rifle!  >:-)

- - -- 
 "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: 2627
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 91 10:51:55 -0500
From: bolo%garfield.cs.wisc.edu@cs.wisc.edu (Joe Burger)
Subject: Re: more planetary defences


(Warning: I tend to use traveller as an idea source for other games,
so don't end up actually playing or running trav that much, but ...)

>>   On another hand - a planetary assault may take place WITH THE CONSENT
>> of the defender - if an attacker finds himself faced with an apparently
>> impenetrable defence belt, he may just give up the idea of an assault
>> and accelerate a few medium sized asteroids at the target planet. Thus a
>> situation similar to a battle of Maldon may arise - the defender
>> granting battlespace to the attacker.

>The whole assumption in this discussion is that for some reason, the attacker
>can not/does not want to destroy the defender totally in this manner.  (Why
>was such a tactic never used during any of the Frontier Wars, by the way?)
>Otherwise, if the attacker finds himself faced with an unbeatable defence
>at any stage, he can just give up, take off and nuke the planet from orbit.

>> ...

>Fine art?  Either the attacker wins, or the defender wins.  If the defender
>wins, the attacker brings up the asteroid.  End of defender's story.


  Wars have been fought for many reasons, but history often tends to
show that the underlying causes of the conflicts are often economic.
The other reason can probably be summed up as "ethical" reaons.
A better way to examine most warfare in the imperium might be to
consider it as economic warfare.
  By this I mean that a war is fought to gain the economic
capabilities of the target system/planet; such capabilities as
manufacturing complexes, mining sites, more advantageous jump-route
position, a better starport etc.  At this level, the war might be
considered more of a "extremely hostile" corporate takeover, rather
than a war over (say) ideological differences.  Massive
planet-bombardment assaults wouldn't work too well, as they would
destroy what the attackers set out to acquire, or turn the people who
know how to run the equipment against the attackers.
  IMHO, this type of warfare precludes the "take off and nuke the
planet from orbit" solution because it will not be be advantageous to
do so.  Trade embargos and other loss of revenue to the attacking
planet/system might be the result of such action, as nearby systems
are apalled by the attacker's action.  Even non-ecomomic (aka
"ethical") military action might be taken against this system
in an effort to prevent such an occurence from happening again.  Even
this action can be considered economic to an extent -- other systems
don't want to be nuked.
  
  I'm not so sure as to what form an actual "economic" war would take,
but I rather think it would be preceded by vast intelligence and
sabotage operations against the target system's military and ruling
organizations, followed by a strike to remove remaining defense
installations.  This would be followed by troops and intra-atmosphere
craft to mop up remaining forces and to hold the ground.  Resistance
by the populace would tend to be determined by the differences between
the two cultures -- if the attackers operate their systems as giant
slave-chains, I would forsee massive resistance and guerilla activities
taking place.  (Hmm, I wonder if this means that the type of
war (economic/ethical) to be fought depends upon the difference in
goverment between the two groups -- the wider the difference, the more
harsh the war will be???)
  
This has gone a bit behind my original economic/ethical warfare debate,
and I'm starting to get into a gray area, so I'll stop here and
see what people think about this.

bolo
Joe Burger      University of Wisconsin-Madison     Computer Systems Lab
                arpa: bolo@cs.wisc.edu    uucp: {backbone}!uwvax!bolo	

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End of TML Bundle
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