Comments on a few topics...

Hi,
A few ramblings and points to add to various discussions going on
currently.

1. For all of the tonnage  stats based on Earth states, were the
tonnages for oil tankers excluded? For most Terran nations oil
imports(or exports) form a significant fraction of the total
tonnage. I doubt if a similar situation exists for Traveller worlds
unless the data represents total tonnage including insystem traffic
which for a significant part could be hydrogen fuel tankers
resupplying all starports. My understanding was that the numbers
were trying to represent intra-system or jump traffic (paralleling
intra-nation trade on Earth). I think a significant portion of the
imports for Bangladesh and US (tonnage wise) will be oil.
Especially considering the average displacement of an oil tanker vs
a container ship.

2. I would think that one of the reasons for joining the Imperium
for a planet would be reduced defense expenditures. What Striker
presents may represent independent worlds trying to build an
independent navy. Most worlds I would think who are deep in the
Imperium would see little need for a large indigenous Navy (pre-
Rebellion era). They would pay the 0.3% of GNP to Imperium and the
Imperium would pay them a portion to maintain extrality defenses
etc for starport. Thus there would be little need for local
investment in system defenses especially if you are far from the
border.

3. I found Hard Times to be a very interesting product. Probably
the single best product to come out for MT. I found it lacking in
a couple of things. First of all it has absolutely nill value for
"new players" (something which GDW wants to attract). Secondly it
makes everything that GDW has put out so far for MT worthless. The
maps that are supposed to be a GM's aid are now worthless because
a GM has to find out for every world what the heck is really
happening. What are you supposed to do with the sector info on back
of Encyclopedia(never correct to begin with) or the alien modules.
Its aimed only at hard core Traveller players and even then it adds
little to improve the problems in MT and only adds additional rules
which most people find problematic to say the least.

4. Is it just me or are there other people out there who are
getting sick and tired of the gloom and doom setup in current
SFRPG. I think it started with Battletech and then Shadowrun. It
was great then because they stood out but now with the gloom and
disaster in every SFRPG I am kind of looking forward to something
that has a positive tone. Maybe the next version of Traveller
should be Traveller 3 : The Reconstruction (or the New Imperium!!).

5. Aslan invasions. First of all I agree that only with most
incredible luck and ability could the Aslans attack the Domain and
get to and CONQUER Glisten. However I found it even stranger that
the Commonality of Kedzudh (6-10 worlds pre Rebellion) has taken
over half of Aramis subsector. This subsector is adjacent to Regina
which is the home of the Archduke! Come on! As of 1120 they still
held it and the maps in Hard Times don't reflect a change.
According to some notes in Digest, this conquest was carried out by
only some fringe worlds of the commonality and not all of the
worlds are involved. Even more ludicrous!

Hard to believe considering that the Sword Worlds and the Outworld
Coalition, which incidently was prepared for war, managed to only
take a fraction of the worlds from the "unprepared" forces in the
Domain. And I don't buy the FFW weakened defenses bit either. FFW
did not effect Aramis subsector local defenses or those of the
Trojan Reach. Yet we are to believe that Hi-Pop worlds with the
capability of defeating capitol Zho fleets or atleast crippling
them (using just system defenses) can't beat a motley fleet of some
Vargr worlds.

6. Finally to Scott Kellog.... How much cargo do the cargo handlers
handle....???



Ameer