Robert S. Dean · 12 December 1991 · reply to #3286
Edmund writes:
>
> Subject: (3286) Re: General Traveller Questions
>
> Question 1
> Can you give me an extended description of planetary governments
No, not really. There is a slightly extended sequence in the World Builder's
Handbook, but it really doesn't tell you much more. It's one of the things you
pretty much have to make up if you want detail.
> The vilani / vargr and solomani / aslan books wont be ordered by my book
Hmmm...well, they're making a mistake, because they are quite good.
> So I dont suppose you have (very brief so as not to piss you off) any info
Not really. I mean, you could always just add +1 to Aslan Str and -1 to Aslan
Dex, and do the opposite for Vargr, and then run them through the normal
system, but that doesn't have much flavor.
> Question 7
>
> When does the imperium interfere in a member worlds affairs . So like when
> the mysterious strike assignment from the naval characters generation comes
> into it .
Only when they absolutely have to. There are not really any examples that I
can immediately think of in the existing Traveller literature to support
much more of an answer.
> Question 11
>
> Whose the guy who regards himself as an expert on military affairs in
> traveller (as in the one who has access to email)
Not me, really. Adrian Hurt, Marc Volovic, and Bertil Jonell are all vocal
on this topic (or have been in the past...)
> Question 12
>
> It took me an average 5 hours to make up a vehicle. How does Scott Kellogg
Scott definately uses a spreadsheet. However, since he just headed home for
Christmas, he won't be around for a few days to give details. I just use
a pad of graph paper and start putting things down in columns. You get faster
the more you do, and you figure out pretty soon which things can be safely
ignored, and how to plan ahead a little bit. I've got a set of 'guidelines'
I wrote up once before, which I'll dig out and repost.
>
> Question 13
>
> The power (in megawatts) in the vehicle creation system is really unclear,
> I dont suppose you have a clearer definition .
Probably I can, but you'll have to be a little more specific. The first thing
to do is to check out the very important little chart on the lower right corner
of the power plants page heade "Economies of Scale" or some such. Any large
fusion plant delivers three times the listed basic output, which is critical
in ship design although a little less so for vehicles.
> Question 14
>
> I tried to make a scout vessel (as the one from the encyclopedia) and
> absolutly nothing was acurate . As it turned out the power listed for vessels
> in the encyclopedia were on average 3 times the power I worked out for them
Regrettably the ships in the I.E. are full of flaws, errors, and typos.
Regarding the 3x business, though, might it have something to do with the
economy of scale chart?
> Question 15
>
> How different is the robot rules in book 8 different from the ones published
> in 79 in the best of traveller journal . (Which I have a copy)
As I recall, it's more of an elaboration than a replacement, with the exception
of the section on design of brains. Certainly as an approximation, anything
built using the rules from the old JTAS articles can be duplicated with Book 8.
> Star Vikings, based on Pipers space vikings ???
In a nutshell, yes.
> 5) Naval Bases and Scout Bases
>
> How big is a naval base (very roughly, like how many ships etc)
> How big is a scout base (as above)
>
> Do the staff at bases count as members of the population
Most scout bases shown in the literature have been quite small--no more than
four or five landing sites plus a repair/refueling facility. I figure that
most naval bases that are not located on high population worlds are also
rather small, with few ships permanently based there. Their refueling
facilities may be substantial, though, based on the Fifth Frontier War board
game rules.
> 8) What exactly are the official guidelines for vehicle creation . It
> seemed that all the creators in the archives (well the bundles) had thier own
> idea
There are no official guidelines, except for the design rules. You are right,
we designers all have our own pet theories and standard methods, but most all
the stuff posted here has been legal under the rules. I expect most work along
the lines of:
1. Consider what the vehicle needs to do.
2. Consider whether price or performance is more important.
3. Consider if any special features are needed due to intended use,
such as sonar for a sea vehicle, or heavier than usual armor for
corrosive atmospheres.
4. Start designing.
5. Evaluate completed design...was it fast enought, did it carry enough
cargo, or whatever.
6. If not, start over at step 4.
> 9) How far out are the vehicles in the encyclopedia from the truth ?
Pretty far in some cases. Sad but true.
Others have handled some of the other questions...
Rob Dean