On tranqs, from the guy who wrote the book (literally)

Funny you should ask about tranq rounds, Bruce... the one section of
the MegaTraveller and Trav-Classic rules to which I can lay undisputed
claim, aside from one version of the Autoshotgun (a superior version
than the one in the current rules IMO) and the stats on Roup/Spinward
Marches, are the rules on tranqs, which appeared in their entirety in
JTAS #23 and were sadly chopped for the MegaTrav rule books. I really
wish I had the JTAS article here in Tennessee with me, but I'll try
to pass along the basics of my rules:

1. Tranq rounds are instantaneously effective and produce total
   unconsciousness in less than two seconds at any TL above 8 ('cause
   that's where we are now, and that's how fast they are now). The
   primary difference between current tranquilizers and the ones at
   TL 9 or better is that the latter are metabolically linked; they
   maintain the body at an exact level of unconsciousness until used
   up. This means that the one fatal danger of current tranqs (overdoses)
   and its associated danger (underdoses--"Well, I put what I *think*
   was the right dose in the needle, but I didn't want to overdo it and
   kill the poor critter. Not enough? Well, stay out of the cage until
   it takes effect....") is not a concern any longer; you can't give someone
   a fatal dose, so you load each round with enough beetlejuice to stop
   a Virushi in a bad mood.

2. You do NOT have to penetrate the skin to tranq someone, just hit exposed
   skin. A little DMSO mixed with the tranq and it just sucks itself right
   into their pores, no problem. That's the true nature of tranq rounds,
   at least in the original rules... no gases, no injections. Skin contact
   is all that matters, not inhalation and not penetration. This means that
   neither gas masks nor non-sealed armor do any good, if the round splashes
   hard enough to touch any exposed skin.

3. Tranq rounds are not really gas rounds per se, they are atomized tranq
   vapor rounds, effective on contact. This gives them a fairly small danger
   space in comparison to true gas rounds, but still more than one target,
   even on a snub pistol shot. The exceptions to this rule are true gas
   rounds or grenades (used at lower TLs, generally, or in enclosed spaces
   where there's cover but the air is close) and true penetrating rounds
   (for subduing armored foes; these rounds do some real damage as well as
   tranq effects, and are usually loaded in Gauss weapons).

4. Tranqs are to some extent species-specific; a human-based tranq will stop
   ANY type of humaniti, or a Vargr, but will not faze a K'Kree or a Hiver,
   will KILL a Droyne in its tracks, and drive an Aslan into a psychotic
   frenzy. In other words, know thy enemy!

5. At lower TLs where such drugs are not available, things are messier. It
   takes anywhere up to 30 seconds for a properly measured dose of tranq
   to knock out a man, and even longer for an angry animal. There are side
   effects, and the possibility of overdose is very real. That's why police
   still use tear gas to dispell crowds, rather than tranqing them.

Astute readers may note that I've added a few things to what originally
appeared in the JTAS article; I am planning a piece for either CHALLENGE
or the TRAVELLERS' DIGEST reiterating some of this stuff, and outlining
design philosophies for nonlethal weaponry at higher tech levels, as an
extension to my original article (which has never been reprinted) and as
an improvement on the vague and occasionally unimaginitive rules in the
books. (Whaddaya mean, they're still using tranq gas at TL15?!) If there's
interest in this topic, let me know, and I'll push the Nonlethal Alternatives
article to the top of my "pending" list....

metlay

PS> The implications of this technology are staggering, if one thinks about
    it for a while. Just as two examples, it's possible for a society to
    simultaneously eliminate accidental gun-related deaths and decriminalize
    gun ownership, and the nature of police response to threat will also
    change drastically (they're much more likely to go in shooting)....