> But, in searching through I find that I'm a couple of Alien
>modules behind. Did GDW pull them because of the release of
>MegaTraveller? Also, the last book I was aware of was Book 6, but I saw
>a reference for Book 8?
There are Alien Modules 7, "Hivers", and 8, "Darrians". Book 7 is "Merchant
Prince", which gives a "High Guard" standard character generation system for
Merchants, as well as a flawed trade system (see below). Book 8 is "Robots",
and deals with robots as vehicles, giving a design and combat system; and as
characters.
Has anyone else noticed that the "Merchant Prince" system makes it almost
impossible (economically) to go from a low-tech world to a high-tech world?
Just how do high-tech industrial worlds like Efate get their food?
Speculative cargos:
Efate : A-D In Hi Cr2300 (4000 (Base)-1000 (In)-1000 (Hi)+1300 (TL-D)-1000)
(A-class starport)--------------------^
Knorbes:E-2 Ri Ag Cr7200 (4000 (Base)-1000 (Ag)+1000 (Ri)+200 (TL-2)+3000)
(E-class starport)-------------------^
Regular trade:
Efate (Pop 9, TL D) -> Knorbes (Pop 7, TL 2)
High passages: 3D-1D+13-2 = 8 (Minimum), 18 (Average)
Mid passages : 3D+13-2 = 14 (Minimum), 21 (Average)
Low passages : 5D+13-2 = 16 (Minimum), 28 (Average)
All probably going to teach the ignorant (TL2) natives how to use the high-tech
machinery they just bought! :-)
Major cargos : 1D+5+13-2 = 17 (Minimum), 19 (Average)
Minor cargos : 1D+6+13-2 = 18 (Minimum), 20 (Average)
The major companies jumping on the bandwagon.
Knorbes -> Efate
High passages: 3D-2D+3+2-13 = 8 (Maximum), -4 (Averaeg)
Mid passages : 3D-1D+3+2-13 = 9 (Maximum), 0 (Average)
Low passages : 3D+3+2-13 = 10 (Maximum), 3 (Average)
Maybe the 3 low passengers got mugged.
Major cargos : 1D+3+1+2-13 = -1 (Maximum)
Minor cargos : 1D+4+1+2-13 = 0 (Maximum)
All the food Knorbes produces is now feeding the mass of immigrants.
And note that this system encourages mass migration from high tech worlds to
low tech worlds, whereas on Earth, now, the reverse is true, with Third World
immigrants coming to high(er) tech U.K. (for example).
"Keyboard? Tis quaint!" - M. Scott
Adrian Hurt | JANET: [email removed]
UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian | ARPA: [email removed]