Robert S. Dean · 9 July 1991 · reply to #2531
> Date: 07 Jul 91 14:36:28 EDT
> From: Leonard Erickson [email removed]
> Subject: (2531) Planetary invasions, Tech "smuggling"
>
> Advanced sensor suites may not be as much help as you might think. For
> instance, in Dean McLaughlin's "Hawk Among the Sparrows" we have a TL7
> or 8 fighter/recon plane against TL 5(?) biplanes (think of an advanced
> version of the SR-71 getting thrown back to WW I).
>
> The pilot discovers to his horror, that his radar & heat guided
> missiles are useless. There's so little metal in the biplanes that the
> radar rejects them as static or decoys. And as for heat seeking, there
> are several orders of magnitude difference between a jet turbine and a
> primitive internal combustion engine.
"Hawk Among the Sparrows" is a great story--I tracked down and purchased
the appropriate 1968 issue of Analog one time to be sure to have a copy
to show to people. I'd be hesitant to use it as a model for cross TL
interaction in Traveller, though, because many of the problems cropped up
because there was no anticipated _need_ on the part of the aircraft's
designers to allow for meeting biplanes in combat. A TL14-15 naval architect
in the Imperium _knows_ that his creations might be used against low tech
forces, and can plan accordingly.
> As for guerillas needing to hide weapons, it all depends. What you can
> do with common household items is astonishing. If you allow "safe"
> industrial items the list grows even more. A certain type of fuel and a
> certain agricultural chemical combine to make an explosive rather
> better than dynamite, if somewhat less stable. This is why the Army
> has *long* lists of materials that must be controlled if sabotage or
> guerilla warfare are expected.
Well, I'm backing off of my earlier comments on guerilla warfare operations
until I think the subject over a bit more.
> BTW, a trebuchet makes a nice, hard to detect, indirect fire artillery
> piece. It's got quite a range if you are using high TL projectiles.
Yes, I have a warm place in my heart for Anderson's _High Crusade_ too.
> Now as to getting things past TL restrictions, allow me to suggest
> reading "King David's Spaceship" by Jerry Pournelle. To someone at
> TL14, the difference between TL3 & TL4 may be insignificant. To the
> mercenaries on the ground, it is *quite* a difference.
>
> Also, given the benefit of a few extra TLs of knowledge, you can do
> some amazing things at the low TLs. I and a friend once drove a GM
> nuts. He'd dropped "us" complete with our knowledge into a fantasy
> medieval world. In short order we were raking in lots of cash with
> things buildable with our knowledge, but that TLs tools. Even with
> medieval "chemistry", things like nerve gas are possible, if you know
> some *real* chemistry.
>
> I strongly suspect that some players with a pocket computer containing
> the imperial encyclopedia and some reference works could make
> themselves indispensible on a low TL worldm. And with a bit of luck,
> make it low like "native" breakthroughs.
>
True enough. As it applies to the planetary invasion discussion, I don't
think it would make much difference, except to give an invader an occasional
slight surprise. If modern U.S. forces invaded Anglo-Saxon England, they
might be surprised by nerve gas once, but they already have worked out the
countermeasures, so hopefully the AngloSaxons will make the most of their
one opportunity.
Rob Dean