Subject: Calculating distances
GDW's Ref's Companion has a time formula and orbit table at various G's
Has anyone seen Digest Group's "Starship owners Manual vol 1"? It has
rather extensive rules (suggested only if you want the complexity) for
determining time and space calculations in both normal and jump space,
including various orbit calculations, geosynch orbit, to/from jump point, etc.
The rules are presented in a flow charts format called "T-charts" Its rather
amazing to consider that this book was done by the same people who edited the
rules books. The T-charts are *real* flow charts, rather than lists with
numbers pre-pended to them as in GDW's manuals. They have arrows. They look
nothing like computer flow charts but are instead offset boxes with clear
labels of where to go to for a different step. None of this "Oh, yeah. These
three steps only apply to vehicles, so I skip them" There are even examples,
right there next to the rule that they are about right there on on the flow
chart.
One of the intersting things about these rules are the "performance" tasks, by
which the person doing the task determines how difficult the task is. This
allows the navigator and/or engineer a greater chance of improving their
performance while piloting the ship or working the drives, thus shortening
the amount of time or length of journey. (Of course you can mess up and
make it take longer but thats life) Quite detailed and requires a calculator,
but if you want the complexity its there; which someone was the point of an
SF rpg, its a framework that expands to whatever depth you want to take it.
Fred Schiff ([email removed])