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

Date: Wed Jul 24 21:00:10 PDT 1991
From: traveller-request@metolius.wr.tek.com (TML Administrator)
Subject: TML Bundle #217: Table of Contents

-AMN- --Date--- --Sender--------- --Subject-----------------------------------
2641  19-Jul-91 jimv@ucrmath.ucr. Traveller Tales - 5 of 5 << Before pummeling 
2642  19-Jul-91 KELLOGG@ducvax.au Staffe Grav Bike << Staffe class Grav Bike TL
2643  19-Jul-91 Shannon D. Appel  MegaTraveller Journal #2 & DGP's new AI Game 
2644  19-Jul-91 KELLOGG@ducvax.au Grav bike << Hi folks, I sent off a grav bike
2645  19-Jul-91 arizona!naucse!we Re: (2629) Jaymin's utilities << I finally fi
2646  19-Jul-91 SULAIMAN@ecs.umas Freight/Passenger rules << Its the monster of
2647  20-Jul-91 MacGyver          Re: (2643) MegaTraveller Journal #2 & DGP's n
2648  20-Jul-91 Mike.Metlay@ORGAN On planetary invasions << I'm a historian, no
2649  21-Jul-91 d9bertil@dtek.cha Re: (2621) Rock&Roll << > From: "Mark Power" 
2650  21-Jul-91 d9bertil@dtek.cha Rock&Roll addition.... << Note that all those
2651  21-Jul-91 teets@frith.egr.m RE:(2621) Autofire << Although many TMLer's d
2652  19-Jul-91 Marc Alexandrovic YACOPI (Yet Another Comment On Planetary Inva
2653  21-Jul-91 KELLOGG@ducvax.au Man, you gotta be kidding... << Hi, Here's on
2654  21-Jul-91 KELLOGG@ducvax.au Design Clarification Post Script << In the de
2655  21-Jul-91 KELLOGG@ducvax.au Another Robot Design << Hello, Here's an idea
2656  21-Jul-91 KELLOGG@ducvax.au Unrefined Fuel Availability << Steve and Cynt
2657  21-Jul-91 George William He Naval and Ground Force strengths << Striker s

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2641
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 14:19:02 PDT
From: jimv@ucrmath.ucr.edu (jim vassilakos)
Subject: Traveller Tales - 5 of 5


Before pummeling you with the last installment of my alternate
history for Traveller, I'd better give fair warning that some
of this isn't too easy to follow without a map. Thus, here
is where you can get a few maps along with the LaTeXed/PS
version of Traveller Tales.

The Place: watnxt2.ucr.edu  (192.31.146.189)
       or: watnxt1.ucr.edu  (192.31.146.188)
       or: watnxt3.ucr.edu  (192.31.146.125)

The directory: pub/ucrgg

The files you may or may not be interested in nabbing:

- - -rw-r--r--  1 ftp      sys        84103 Jul 19 21:54 thist.ps.Z
- - -rw-r--r--  1 ftp      sys        32283 Jul 19 21:54 thist.tex.Z
- - -rw-r--r--  1 ftp      sys        11133 Jul 19 21:48 tmap1.ps.Z
- - -rw-r--r--  1 ftp      sys         9454 Jul 19 21:48 tmap2.ps.Z
- - -rw-r--r--  1 ftp      sys        23612 Jul 19 21:49 tyber.xwd.Z

tyber.xwd was put together via Mark Cook's Subsector Viewer for
X Windows. The two tmap files were put together via idraw and
may be finicky with some printers. I got them to churn out on a
NeXT, but that's proly not saying a great deal.

As a few of you might have guessed, the history and maps fall
right in with the Harrison Chapters which are being net-published
in Quanta and The Guildsman. If any of you get the compunction to
write stories within this setting, feel absolutely free. That's
what the net is all about. Now on with the show.


                       Traveller Tales

        being an encapsulated history of future time

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

            S.I. 0-656  *  The Second Imperium


     0-359  Challenges to the Young
   359-491  Good King Richard
   492-499  The Civil War
   500-656  The Modern Era



0-359  Challenges to the Young

Although the marriage of the Solian and Omicronian heirs brought
about the existence of the 2nd Imperium, the splendid coronation
of year zero lacked one vital ingredient of Empireship, that
being a central ruler. The prenuptial agreement between Anastasia
and Frederick, which served effectively as articles of interim
confederation, left the actual reigns of authority to their
grandparents until a child should be born, later centralizing
authority and stabilizing the Empire. This, however, was
unlikely, for although the young couple met under fair
circumstances, family differences quickly tore them apart.
   Remaining married for political purposes, Frederick returned
to Omicron shortly after the "ordeal" in order to oversee
industrial growth and reaffirm his family's power in the region.
Mangled during the Dim Time, Omicron's primary agenda focused on
centrality of control with limited growth. Sol, on the other
hand, pursued a policy of exploration and conquest, spreading its
dominion across the stars and claiming more territory than it
could effectively administrate. Therefore, Omicron maximized a
policy of focused industrialization, while Sol spent its
resources on traditional priorities such as colonization and
expansion; and while a compact Omicron was easily controllable,
Sol's colonies, primarily in the Perseus Arm, became increasingly
rebellious. 
   Anastasia set up two strong rival governorships in order to
handle the situation locally in the interests of Capitol. Her
idea was that neither would rebel because of the other's
existence, yet both would be very capable of quenching internal
rebellion because they would both be close to their problems. The
outcome proved disastrous for the untested Empire. Neither of the
two governorships recognized any rivalry. They held the mutual
interest of independence against a common enemy, and through
intensive cooperation they realized their interests with the 341
Declaration of Independence of Persei and Cassiopeiae, beginning
fleet maneuvers to prove the sincerity of their intentions.
   Angered that her hand-picked governors had turned traitorous,
Anastasia began recalling naval forces from the far reaches of
the Empire back to Sol to be overhauled, refitted for battle, and
sent off to punish the traitors and reincorporate the
governorships. However, the entire process of preparing for a
major war took far too long to implement, and as soon as the
local guard was pulled off other worlds, they too began to talk
of independence. A new Draconian Front slowly emerged, calling
for the cessation of Imperial domination of outworld states.
Although the name was no longer suppressed, it did serve as a
reminder of the Reign of Blood, eliciting support from otherwise
neutral parties. 
   Anastasia was forced to withdrawal her plans of attack and
shift the focus of the war campaign toward the solidification of
her rule. The Draconian Front was eventually stamped out, but
only with the realization that the Solian half of the Empire had
drastically over-extended itself. The Omicron half of the Empire,
on the other hand, was compact and stable, and in the interest of
preserving failing relations, Frederick ventured to Sol to make a
rare visit with his wife in 354. The visit, scheduled to last one
quarter of a standard year, ended up lasting three, and a prince
was born by the name of Richard. Frederick left to settle affairs
back at Omicron, but two years later he returned to stay. With
this decision, the seat of Omicron's government had been moved to
Sol, and with this act the two kingdoms became fused into one
Empire more-so than ever before.


359-491  Good King Richard

Throughout the remaining years of their reign, the happy couple
did very little in the area of their administrative
responsibilities. Leaving the reigns of government to Richard,
their son, they spent the following years taking adventurous
incursions into the outer sectors. In 383, their convoy was
raided by pirates, and both were killed in the resulting battle. 
   Richard assumed the throne as soon as word reached Capitol,
and continued the work he had already made himself accustomed to.
His reign can be characterized by the overall leniency with which
he ruled and by his great charisma which won victories in a more
peaceful fashion than those of his predecessors. He was probably
the most well-loved Emperor ever; certainly, he has been the most
missed. 
   Richard turned over even greater Imperial power to the
Archdukes, further decentralizing the Empire and making its
administration more practical and convenient. He formed a Senate
of advisors which took actual power in the detailed planning of
central goals, and he refocused the energies of government to
rebuild the agricultural worlds' production capacities especially
along the Betelgeuse and Spica fringe which had still not
completely recovered since the Dim Time. He reformed the
relationship between big business and the state, allowing greater
corporate independence from Imperial strictures on noble
ownership and anti-monopolization, but less freedom on
stakeholder reparation issues and matters concerning
technological development.
  Richard conducted the first complete census of the 2nd Imperium
and published the data in the Encyclopedia Galactica which he
created as a permanent storehouse for all knowledge. He opened
diplomatic relations with Persei and Cassiopeiae which flourished
into a trade partnership and later a cooperative alliance.
Perhaps most importantly, he allowed more states on the Imperial
periphery to attain practical independence, and he granted
independence to the Archduchies of Caprissa, Tigris, and Epsilon
Aurigae, emphasizing the need for peaceful cooperation between
states, rather than warlike competition.
   Richard was also somewhat of a scholar and philosopher of the
other social and political systems which had suffered to exist
along the Imperial periphery during his reign, and in 490, he
became so enthralled with democracy that he outlined a plan which
would have over the course of the next two-dozen standard years
gradually formed the Empire into a democratic republic while
simultaneously granting independence to the Archduchies of
Scorpio, Herculese, Athens, and Nu Cephei. His "Grand Plan"
outlined seven free Duchies and seven Democracies of the new
Imperial Republic (Sol, Omicron, Betelgeuse, Spica, Rigel, Deneb,
and York). In effect, he was offering to step down from the
throne for what he believed would be the long-term good of his
people. However, his plan was never put into effect, as he died
the following year in a starlanes accident leaving the Empire to
his oldest son, Stephan.

492-499  The Civil War

Stephan, saw things very differently from his father and often
argued openly with Richard on matters of state and the
suppression of inevitable rebellions. He vowed that if he should
come to power he would militarily strengthen the Empire rather
than weakly submitting to colonial demands. When he finally
became Emperor, he attempted to do just that; however, the moment
was already lost and the power of his office, greatly diminished
during Richard's reign, proved too weak to take control of big
industry and wrestle back the periphery for direct Imperial rule.
   During his first year, Stephan was always at odds with the now
powerful Senate. He dared not dissolve the body, or he would risk
rebellion from every front, but he did take the privilege of
retiring senators and replacing them with his own friends, a
practice very much set against the tradition instated by Richard.
   By the middle of 492, the seven "Free Duchies" sent identical
statements to Stephan, demanding a continuation of Richard's
Grand Plan. Stephan flatly denounced the plan as an old man's
folly and began preparing his military to reincorporate the lost
territories including Cassiopeiae and Persei. Nu Cephei invaded
Deneb and Epsilon Aurigae invaded Spica later that year.
Caprissa, Tigris, and Scorpio quickly organized their defenses as
Athens invaded York with all her forces during the early quarter
of 493.
   Sol organized a defensive front along the Scorpio border where
her forces stood for the remainder of the war facing the enemy
but not attacking while Stephan called for Omicron to send
reinforcements to help defeat the rebels. While not participating
herself, Omicron allowed Betelgeuse to send minor reinforcements
to aid the effort in Spica; but the assistance was far too little
to be of substantial benefit to the Imperial cause, and Spica
eventually fell into rebel hands. 
   Rigel invaded rebel Caprissa in the late of 493 as Deneb
halted the Nu Cephei invasion, and by the end of 494 Deneb was
chasing the remaining Nu Cepheian rebel forces all the way back
to Tigris. In 495, Herculese having just finished quenching
internal uprisings, entered the war on the side of the Empire and
invaded Athens from her back door. The Athenian forces were
immediately recalled to a defensive front as York and Herculese
pounded them from both sides. 
   In 496, reinforcements from York relieved the Deneb forces and
carried on the war in Nu Cephei and Tigris. Deneb moved its
attention to the defeated Archduchy of Spica, still in rebel
hands. Another year of fighting only produced a stalemate; but in
497, Deneb's remaining border forces attacked Epsilon Aurigae
directly. The shock produced a rebel withdrawal from
three-quarters of Spica. 
   By the middle of 498, Athens had fallen, but Persei,
Cassiopeiae, and the Outworld Coalition (at Herculese) were
preparing to enter on the side of the rebels. Both sides were
weary of war, and Omicron still hung on the sidelines like a
vulture waiting for the best moment to enter and snatch its prey.
Afraid of losing the upper hand, Stephan called for a peace
conference to get out while he was ahead. 
   In 499 the conference met and signed a peace resolution.
Scorpio, Epsilon Aurgigae, Caprissa, Tigris, and Nu Cephei
suffered a rearrangement in their borders which was to an
Imperial advantage in return for Stephan's recognition. The
empire suffered the severance of large regions of space from the
Archduchies of Spica, Rigel, and Athens for the purpose of
creating independent states and buffer zones in return for the
rebel states' denunciation of Richard's plan toward
democratization. Despite the fact that war could have been waged
by both sides for several more years, the conference settled on
this compromise, as victory for either side seemed too uncertain.


500-656  The Modern Era

After 500, Stephan began an industrial reconstruction,
particularly in Rigel, Deneb, and York which were all hard-hit by
the war. Appointing his son-in-law as the new Archduke of Athens,
he executed the old family in 504 and paid a special visit to the
Archduke Constantine of Herculese a year later, personally
thanking him for not turning traitor as did the other six of the
"seven free Archdukes" and for playing so critical a role in the
defeat of Athens. He then visited Omicron in 509, supposedly to
admonish the Archduke there for restraining the requested aid. To
the surprise of the citizenry, he had the Archduke executed but
allowed the family to live with its eldest son instated as the
new ruler.
   The trade agreement with Cassiopeiae and Persei, which was
discontinued at the start of the war, was reordered and extended
to the border states. In 510 he had Omicron funnel aid to help in
military reconstruction as he began reinforcing the borders along
Sol, Deneb, Rigel, and York to protect the coreworlds from rebel
invasion.
   In recent years, Stephan has gained a strong hold over the
Imperial Senate's sub-bodies and has moved toward a large
military build-up in the Imperial Core primarily around Sol,
Rigel, Deneb and York heavily taxing or seizing control of the
megacorporations in order to finance his projects. Anti-Imperial
sentiments have risen especially high along the Imperial
periphery as both sides prepare for resumed armed conflict.


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


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

Archive-Message-Number: 2642
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1991 16:38 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Staffe Grav Bike

Staffe class Grav Bike TL 14

	The Staffe grav bike is used by the Imperial Army and Marines
for light scouting and courier duty.  Easier to requiisition than a
speeder, and faster than an air/raft.  It is a common sight at
garrisons, and noted for it's reliability.  At TL14 it fits along
side the Trepida grav tank as a companion.
	It is open topped but streamlined in such a way that the driver
and passenger are shielded from the elements and hostile fire.  The
fareing in front allows much higher speed than an ordinary unstreamlined
grav bike.

CraftID:	Staffe Grav Bike, TL14, Cr209,940
Hull:		(1/2) Disp=.185, Config=4SL, Armor=10G, Load=3.7,
		Unload=3.2
Power:		(1/2) Fusion=1.5MW, Dur=10/30
Loco:		(1/2) StdGrav=7t, Top=1000, Cruise=750, NOE=180
		Agility=1, MaxAccel=.9G
Comm:		Radio=FarOrb, Maser=Cont
Sensors:	P-EMS=VDist, A-EMS=VDist, Headlight*1, EMMask
		ActObjScn=Dif, ActObjPin=Dif, PasEnScn=Form

Off:		HPt=1, (Fixed mount installed for rifle type wpn
		FGMP, Laser, Gauss, External Power required)
Def:		DefDM=+3, Smoke*1, Prismatic Aerosol*2

Control:	Comp=0*2, HUD*1
Accom:		Seat=open*2, Inertial comp
Other:		Fuel=.9Kl, Cgo=.2Kl, ObjSize=Sm, EMLevel=Faint

Note:	The bike is not normally armed, but a troopers weapon may be
clamped to the front of the bike.  The driver must wear any power pack
for the weapon.  It is a clumsy arrangement, but suitable for an
unarmed craft.  If two fully armed troopers are carried, the cargo
capacity is reduced to 87Kg if performance is not to suffer.

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2643
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 15:06:17 -0700
From: Shannon D. Appel <appel@soda.berkeley.edu>
Subject: MegaTraveller Journal #2 & DGP's new AI Game

Well, MTJ#2 finally made it to Berkeley.  I almost choked when I saw the price
tag ($5.95) on a 56 page magazine.  What are they planning to increase to
when they go to 104 pages?

However, my biggest question is about DGP's new game, AI: Roleplaying Adventure
in a Technofantastic Age.  It's set 1500 years in the future in a "decayed
human civilization" held together by AI machines.  Anyone know anything more
about this project?  I don't recall seeing it mentioned here before.

Shannon

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2644
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1991 17:04 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Grav bike

Hi folks,

I sent off a grav bike design, 
(I assume it will follow below)
	Basically, it was inspired by watching old Indianna Jones Flicks.
The scences with the german army chasing him all over the place on motor
cycles.  It occured to me that there is no equivalent to the german bikes
in trav.  So enjoy.

Mr. Scott

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2645
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 14:16:34 MST
From: arizona!naucse!wew@uunet.UU.NET (Bill Wilson)
Subject: Re: (2629) Jaymin's utilities

I finally figured it out too.  What a mess.  The filename should be changed
so that a Z is at the end.  Duh...


- - -- 
Let sleeping dragons lie........                    | The RoleMancer 
- - --------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Wilson (wew@naucse.cse.nau.edu | ucc2wew@nauvm | wilson@nauvax)
Northern AZ Univ  Flagstaff, AZ 86011

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2646
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1991 16:32 -0500
From: SULAIMAN@ecs.umass.edu
Subject: Freight/Passenger rules

Its the monster of freight/passengers rules again. First of all the
rules were written for old Traveller and definitely should be
redone. My interpretation of the rules is that it cost 1000Cr/t for
freight, Cr10000 per High passenger, Cr 8000 per Middle pass etc
only for a Jump-1 in any direction. For longer distances I use a
sliding scale of (0.5*Jump distance) * J-1 + J-1 cost. So a J-2
freight costs twice as much as J-1 , while J-3 costs 2.5 times J-1,
while J-4 costs 3 times J-1 and so on. The TAS high passage
compensates you for only the first Cr10,000 of your journey.
Consider it a frequent traveller support service instead of a
freebie. It makes more sense to me that way.  

Again consider the charge rates a guideline and players could
charge within +/-50% and could be given a +/- modifier in the
amount of passengers/freight they generate. It makes trade a little
more profitable and sensible. I also use the passengers rules
differently. I assume that a middle passenger will have to share
his stateroom with another middle passenger. It makes more sense in
that how would you undo a High passage room to a Mid Passage?
Besides a Stateroom is capable of holding two people so it makes
sense in that a High Pass is travelling 1st Class while Mid Pass is
travelling a little cramped in Business Class. Low is well...
Economy. 

Looked at this way a J-4 ship gets to a location 4 parsecs away
atleast 4 times as faster as a J-1 ship and costs 3/4 of what a J-1
ship would charge. Thus there is some economic sense to upgrading
jump drives from the shippers point of view.

Ameer


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

Archive-Message-Number: 2647
From: MacGyver <macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: (2643) MegaTraveller Journal #2 & DGP's new AI Game
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 91 0:13:23 EDT

> Well, MTJ#2 finally made it to Berkeley.  I almost choked when I saw the price
> tag ($5.95) on a 56 page magazine.  What are they planning to increase to
> when they go to 104 pages?

I think they've stopped taking new subscription now. They've decided
to sell the journals as sourcebook type thing, it will be published
bi-annually. each cost something like $10.

> However, my biggest question is about DGP's new game, AI: Roleplaying Adventure
> in a Technofantastic Age.  It's set 1500 years in the future in a "decayed
> human civilization" held together by AI machines.  Anyone know anything more
> about this project?  I don't recall seeing it mentioned here before.

AI isn't mentioned much here, because this is after all, a Traveller list. :){

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2648
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 91 12:13:46 EDT
From: Mike.Metlay@ORGAN.MUSIC.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: On planetary invasions

I'm a historian, not really a rules guru. As far as the makeup of naval
and ground forces are concerned, Fifth Frontier War and the Spinward
Marches Campaign sourcebook are the only references I know of, and they're
quite vague below the "see the pretty outline" level. I'll see what I
can look up.

metlay

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2649
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell)
Subject: Re: (2621) Rock&Roll
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 91 11:23:40 MET DST

> From: "Mark Power"  <MARK@gsb2.his.uab.edu>
> Subject: (2621)  
> 
> 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.

> 2) Increase the damage.

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

> 4) Determine to hit normally, and then determine a percentage of shots that
>      hit the target.

> Does anyone have any suggestions or strong feelings on this?

  My *current* (there has been many:) favourite is the way Twilight2000 handles
it: Roll a d6 for every shot fired on full auto, every 6 is a hit on the target
for that burst, halv the remaining dice and roll, every new 6 is a hit on a
secondary target, roll the remaining non-6 dice from this last roll, every
6 in this roll is a hit on someone *moving*. Range is treaded as decreasing
the number of rounds.
  (Twilight allows for multiple bursts in the same phase, but at penalties.)

  All in all, except for the way it handles the to hit rolls for single shot
fire and the unearthly amounts of damage everyone can absorb (The average Joe
can take *a number* of average 9mmP rounds in the head before dying...) it
would be really nice...

> Mark

- - -bertil-
- - -- 
"Some people almost never think. They just reshuffle their prejudices."

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2650
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell)
Subject: Rock&Roll addition....
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 91 11:26:26 MET DST

  Note that all those d6'es are rolled as a lump, not separately one after the
other:) 

- - -bertil-
- - -- 
"Some people almost never think. They just reshuffle their prejudices."

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2651
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 91 11:44:18 -0400
From: teets@frith.egr.msu.edu
Subject: RE:(2621) Autofire


	Although many TMLer's do seem to have military experience for those that
don't there seems to be some misunderstanding of autofire.  When a weapon is 
fired on auto many people believe that only a percentage of the bullets will hit
the target.  This is true but probably only a percentage of the FIRST few bullets will hit.  I will give the basis for this below:

	When a weapon is put on auto and fired at a target the weapon will tend 
to "junp" (for lack of a better word).  Once it has started to jump in one 
direction it will tend to continue to go in this direction as long as it 
continues to fire.  This is why most rifles made for armed forces around the
world now have a "burst" selection instead of "auto".  Case in point the M16A2
has a 3-round burst setting.  This is because after the first 3 shots the weapon
is usually so far off its intended target as to make the following shots "useless".  Although in the future gyrostabalization will probably compensate somewhat
for this, it will still continue to be a problem in projectile weapons.  So I
will show you the rules I give for this particular situation.

	First: Determine the number of rounds fired on auto-fire during the
combat round.  For those that wish to truly represent realism, if a player 
wishes to stop before all the ammo is used up add some randomness.  For any
amount of shots over 10 if the player wishes to stop have them roll 2d6.  One
to determine whether they stopped before or after they wanted to, and one to
determine the number of shots high or low.

	Next:  For very shot over the first the to-hit roll is at -1 cumulative.
for stabalized weapons, or -2 cumulative for non stabalized.  This really 
represents how hard it is to keep an auto-firing weapon on target (known from
3 years of experience).  Continue to roll until there is NO chance for a hit.
Occasionally they won't hit until the first or second time but this can easily
be explained as poor aim at first.  Example:  Bob fires at Jim but shoots a bit
to the right, however the weapon travels left and hit him on the 2nd and 3rd 
shot.
	Now we get into those nasty missed shots.  These can be discarded in an
open field but not a crowded area.  Although some players might think of this as
simply gore and boredom added to the scenario, in campaigns, players who are too
messy with their "hit" jobs will get a lot more heat.  Not only will the players
be in trouble for the murder (or maybe assault) or the target but also of the
people standing around them.  Killing a known pirate will probably get the 
players a little sympathy but not if they also accidently killed 7 by-standers
and wounded 12 others.  Oops, sorry about that, back to the rules.  Roll for the
missed shots against another target normally.  If it hits go back to the auto
fire rules but after a miss don't roll again.  After all it is unlikey the 
player is trying to bring his aim back on them.  As for missed shots, when an
area is pretty empty simply roll once any more than that and roll more times up
to 5 or 6 rolls for a really crowded area. 

	I added these rules simply because a lot of times players think it is
easier than it is to shoot at a crowd and only hit one person than it is.  
Firing into a crowd, even to hit only one target, will 90% of the time will 
bring multiple deaths.  This works the same with grenades.  Although these rules
may seem tiresome they tend to make the players much more careful about wielding
weapons with such zeal.  And make enemies who do use them as such seem much more
villainous, making them much more important to hunt down.  Thank you.
Matt Teets

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2652
From: Marc Alexandrovich Volovic <mav@cs.huji.ac.il>
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 91 04:46:07 PDT
Subject: YACOPI (Yet Another Comment On Planetary Invasions)

 
Adrian Hurt <adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk> writes:
>Marc Alexandrovich Volovic <mav@cs.huji.ac.il> writes:
>>   The very fact that spending is limited would favour an attacker or
>> defender who balances the quantity of medium priced combat vehicles with
>> a quality of high priced combat vehicles (be these vehicles TL9 grav
>> tanks or TL15 super dreadnoughts). There may be 5 Atlantis battleships
>> (Robert Dean's Prize Baby :-) in a star system, but a mixed force can
>> outmaneuver it and perform a planetary landing.
>
>Perhaps, but there had better be something that can take out those 5 Atlantis
>class battleships, or at least keep all 5 occupied for a long time, or else
>at least one battleship will come and make the invasion very costly.
 
  Granted, partially. However, it may be possible to take out the Atlantis
sized ships with ramming drones. Does it matter how much damage the Meson-T
can do on it - anything short of "Ship Vaporized" will still propel a drone
at a high speed into the ship. Black globes MAY be the answer, but the
arguments about these were held and held and held. Say about 40 unmanned
20 displacement ton drones would do the trick?
 
>>   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.
 
  I assume the following - Steve Kellog suggested a possible way to
obliterate (or, at the very least, heavily damage) any planet by a single
Type S scout. This is a tactic employable by any starfaring nation. The
only possibility is to have it mutually proscribed, the same going for
planetary bombardment to destruction. Otherwise - better not speak, eh?
 
 
>>   If the above comments hold true the deciding stage in an invasion
>> would be how much of the attacking force can the defender destroy before
>> an engagement on the world surface, but without making him desperate
>> enough or hurt enough to bombard and jump outsystem. This may or may not
>> be the fine art of generalship in the future.
>
>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.
 
  See comment above. Otherwise, granted.
 
>>   The future battlefield itself depends very much on the concept of
>> anti-gravity. If it is invented (and within Traveller it is assumed so),
>> field artillery and infantry will rapidly decline in importance. Indeed,
>> infantry is losing importance even now, long before even air-cushion
>> combat vehicles have appeared.
>
>Why?  There are reasons why the infantry has to get out of the vehicles
>and fight on foot.  The only way anti-gravity will put an end to fighting
>on foot is if every soldier gets a grav-belt, and anyone with Striker will
>know what that will do to the unit's maintenance costs!
 
  With the widespread usage of rapid-firing laser guns (say, the Traveller
equivalent of the 10Mw pulse laser) infantry - mounted, dismounted or with
grav-belts - shall become very vulnerable. A phalanx arrangement of ten or
so vehicles, carrying three to five such guns will probably deny the area to
anything but other vehicles.
 
>>   Infantry shall continue to be used in city assaults, police and
>> security work, shipboard actions and heavily broken areas combat.
>
>The first and last of those come under the heading of "Getting stuck in
>and capturing the real estate".  Assuming you actually want control of the
>planet, you're going to have to take control of the cities, which means
>city assaults.  If the cities have been bombarded, it means broken areas
>combat.
 
  Granted, see above.
 
>> Artillery shall probably lose all almost all use except for the most
>> rapid-firing cannon in light anti-vehicle combat.
>
>Certainly it is true that at higher tech levels, you can build vehicles which
>are invulnerable to any practical conventional CPR or mass-driver round.
>So long as the infantry stay in their heavily armoured APC's, or in their
>bunkers, they are safe.  (And so long as someone doesn't let off some nuclear
>rounds.)  Artillery will still be a good way of keeping their heads down, and
>weakening their morale.
 
  Area denial is granted, space denial is not. If there is precious little
infantry, artillery shall almost disappear.
 
 
Marc A. Volovic
 

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2653
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1991 16:00 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Man, you gotta be kidding...

Hi,

Here's one I did just for fun.  Just to see what you can do with the system.

Niagara Class Capsule TL5

	The Niagara class multistage rocket is designed to have surface to
Low orbit capability,  With the 200 ton booster stage it can reach low
planetary orbit.  The service module acts as either a retro rocket to
bring the capsule back down for re-entry via parachute or to kick the
capsule up to stable planetary orbit.

CraftID:	Space Capsule TL5 MCr 11.17273
Hull:		(9/21) Disp=9, Config=2AF, Armor=40A, Load=322.2,
		Unload=282.8
Power:		(1/2) Batteries=.817MW, Dur(life Supp Only)=51hrs
		Dur(Full Draw)=1hr
Loco:		Parachute
Comm:		Radio=Planetary
Sensors:	Headlight*1
Off/Def:	HPt=1,  DefDM=+2
Control:	Computer=Model0, Basic Mech=36
Accom:		Crew=2(Pilot, Copilot) Seats=Roomy*2, BasicEnv, BasicLS
		ExtendLS
Other:		Cargo=28.6Kl, ObjSize=Avg, EMLevel=Mod

CraftID:	Service Booster TL5 Cr 16,470
Hull:		(9/23) Disp=10, Config=3SL, Armor=1A, Load=337.8,
		Unload=2.1
Loco:		(9/18) Solid Rocket Booster=675t, MaxAccel=2G, Dur=1min
Other:		Cargo=Space Capsule, ObjSize=Avg, EMLevel=None

CraftID:	Main Booster TL5 Cr 463,500
Hull:		(180/450) Disp=200, Config=3SL, Armor=3A, Load=782
Loco:		(180/360) SRB=4655t, MaxAccel=7G, Dur=2.9
Other:		Cargo=Capsule+Service Booster, ObjSize=Avg, EMLevel=None



CraftID:	Niagara Multistage Rocket TL5 MCr 11.6527
Hull:		(198/493) TotalDisp=219, Config=2AF(Staged) Armor=(varies
		see above) Load=782
Power:		(1/2) Batteries=.817MW Dur=(see above)
Loco:		(180/360) SRB=4655t, Dur=2.9min, MaxAccel=7G
		(9/23) SRB=675, Dur=1min, MaxAccel=2G
Comm:		Radio=Planetary
Sensors:	Headlight*1
Off/Def:	Hpt=1, DefDM=+1
Control:	Computer=0, BasicMech*36
Accom:		Crew=2(Pilot, Copilot) Seat=Room*2, BasicEnv, BasicLS,
		ExtendLS
Other:		Cargo=38.6, ObjSize=Avg, EMlevel=Faint

	The Niagara is so named because of its questionable survivability.
The craft is mainly used by the nobels of TL5 planets seeking thrills,
such as going over the falls in a barrel...

Mr. Scott

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2654
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1991 16:09 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Design Clarification Post Script

In the design appended below subtract 1 from MaxAccel while operating in
a gravitational field.  The listed values are for microgravity.  Thus, the
Service Booster would have an acceleration of 2G's while in orbit, but the
main booster would have only 6G's on take off.

Sorry, I sent it and then remembered the clarification.

Scott Kellogg

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2655
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1991 17:25 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Another Robot Design

Hello,

Here's an idea I tried just to see if it could be done.  A Tech 8 robot.
All the elements and programs are manufacturable at TL8, but I ran into
trouble when completeing the design.  The maximum robot intelligence at
tech eight is negative 3 according to the design evaluation tables.

So this robot is assumed to have it's brain architecture designed at
tech 12, but built using local materials at Tech Level 8.  If you don't
like that idea, the unit is equipped with a slave unit allowing external
control.  The ECM would make certain that it remains under control
provided that the attacker is not too sophisticated.


Picadore type Warbot

RobotID:	Warbot, TL8, Cr 25,076
Hull:		(1/2) Config=4USL, Disp=.037, Armor=14B, Load=702Kg
Power:		(1/2) FuelCell=70kw, Dur=18/54
Loco:		(1/2) Tracks, Road=132kph, OffRoad=40kph
Comm:		Radio=VDist
Sensors:	Visual*4, (ActIR*1, LI*1) Audio*2, Olfactory, VideoCam*1

Off:		Light Assault Gun
Def:		Smoke*1

Control:	Brain CPU=13, Storage=19, Low Data, Limited Bas Command,
		Light Assault Gun-1, Close Combat-1, Ground Infantry
		Combat-1, Tactics-1, ECM
Other:		Fuel=150liter, Mag=150rnds, HeavyRobotArm*2,
		VLightRobotArm*2, ObjSize=Sm, EMLevel=Avg,
		UPP=S9x12x (S=125)

	The Picadore warbot is more properly classified as a remotely piloted
vehicle.  As such it is used by artillary spotters.  Though many would doubt
its intelligence and not trust its target verification programming, it has
been sucessfully used along side troops as fire support.  In such cases, the
friendly forces must wear an infrared transponder.  The active IR detector
in the Picadore interrogates human targets for a correct code before opening
fire.  Friendly vehicles must be programmed into the unit or they will be
fired upon.
	Because of its low intelligence, it is rarely used in such cases and
is more often used as a raider to cross the lines and cause havoc.  As such
it accels.  It is as well armored as a man in battledress, much stronger,
much cheaper, and Much more expendable.
	It has been known to be used by Special Weapons arms in police forces.
In such cases its actions are overseen by a trained operator.  Though it has
no demolition skills of it's own, it is often used in bomb disposal, again
overseen by a trained operator.
	Designed at tech level twelve for manufacture at tech eight, The
Picadore was mass produced in the Spinward Marches by several small
manufacturing firms during the Fifth Frontier War.  They saw limited use in
that conflict.  At the conclusion of the war, the existing models were sold
to low tech planets as artillary spotters.  Though manufactured at tech eight,
few tech eight planets have existing maintainace facilties for the repair of
robots and they fell into disuse and were finally abandoned by many such
planets.
	Then the black market got a hold of them.  Mercenary Companies are
known to have Picadores in use, and there are several cases of armed robbery
committed by Picadores under criminal control.  While they are not outright
illegal, their use is heavily restricted and liscenced.

Mr. Scott

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2656
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1991 18:01 CDT
From: KELLOGG@ducvax.auburn.edu
Subject: Unrefined Fuel Availability


Steve and Cynthia have pointed out just how testy customs and airtraffic
control can be about ocean dipping.  Well, I don't have my books in
front of me, but I seem to remember that most planets will allow ocean
dipping.

	Admittedly there may be cases of what I call 'UltraLaw', where
the starport either has been bribed by the fuel refining companies, or
the port is a company and needs to show a profit in its fuel selling
account books.  Or maybe the government is just excessive.
	In these cases ocean dipping will not be allowed, but I would
say, that if you call the tower and request a vector for ocean dipping,
they will allow access.  At higher law levels they may require the ship
be searched first in case of smuggling, but remember that the vector is
to be assigned by the tower, not the ship, they may be allowed to dip
fuel from a location just off the bow of a coast guard cutter.
	The US is not a case of 'UltraLaw' yet.  You can still fly without
a flight plan, land anywhere you want to, refuel from anywhere you want to.
Admittedly, there are Coast Guard planes out there watching for 'special
cargo' DC-3 Dakotas headed north from Columbia, but once they land in the
US they can pretty much do as they please.  Thus, I would say, that once
your cargo has gone through coustoms, chances are you can land anywhere
you want to if you clear it with the Tower.  (I seem to remember a planet
in the Trav Adventure that required special forms to do so, but the planet
was a Huge Beaurocracy ie 'UltraLaw').
	There is also the case of desert or near desert planets.  I believe
the old Spinward Marches Supplement said Dipping was not allowed on planets
with a hydrographic percentage of 30% or less.  (It might be 40%)

	I think that the Soviet Frontal Aviation and the attendant Soviet
Beaurocracy is a good example of 'UltraLaw'.  (I'm not sure, but the last
I heard that young German pilot who landed in Red Square is going to be
there for life...)

Scott S. Kellogg

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

Archive-Message-Number: 2657
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 91 23:26:09 -0700
From: George William Herbert <gwh@ocf.Berkeley.EDU>
Subject: Naval and Ground Force strengths


	Striker sort of started out explaining how strong various military 
organizations were.  The _Rebellion Sourcebook_ does have a list of pop. vs.
tech level listing how many battalions of infantry are probably present.
	Combining information from Rebellion Sourcebook ('_RS_') and from
Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium, we can get some good estimates of
fleet sizes.  Quoting from para 1, pp. 27 of Rebellion Sourcebook;
	"FLEETS
	Each sector of the Imperium theoretically has a group of
fleets numbering about 1000 ships.  This number includes combat 
vessels such as cruisers, carriers, battlesships, and some
escorts; it does not include auxilliaries, support ships, and scouts.
	...
	NUMBERED FLEETS: The Imperium has about 320 numbered
fleets (Approxomately one for each subsector within the empirt).
A numbered fleet, depending on its mission, may have
between two and 10 squadrons amounting to between 50 and 200 ships. ...

	Note the listing of combatant squadrons only.  The 'some escorts'
descriptor in the first paragraph above indicates that they mean the 5-20kton
escorts from FSSI, not minor sub-kiloton escorts.  Presumably, if you include 
the smaller ones, they number about as many as larger vessels do.
	So, now we need to determine what makes up a 'Squadron'... looking at
FSSI, we find a BatRon (Battleship Squadron) normally contains 4 Battleships,
or a battle tender and four riders.  A CruRon has about five cruisers and about
as many escorts.  A carrier-type CruRon (fighters) usually just has the
carrier itself.  These are not hard and fast rules, but generally accurate.
	There is also mention that they tend to collect like-typed ships into
squadrons.  Having done a bit of organizational work, it looks to me as if most
squadrons will have been more mixed than that suggests.  I can bet that they
are organized along lines of similar jump capability and similar maneuver
capability.  (It makes little sense to put a J-3 BB-12 with a bunch of J-4
battleships, but a J-6 BS-15 might make sense.  Simmilarly, if most of your
major warships are M-2, a M-1 one will slow the rest down, but a M-4 one will
add a bit of flexibility.)

- - -george william herbert
gwh@ocf.berkeley.edu

(next week I'll post a fleet I've been developing in detail for some work
I'm sending GDW.)



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

End of TML Bundle
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