Jumps, energy and black globes

>The energy is shunted through these crystals (name escapes me) which puts the
>energy into a grid which is around the hull of the starship.

Does this mean that if the ship sustains so much as one hit, it can't jump?

>I got that from Digest Group's Starship Operator's Manual which explains
>(probably for the first time) the rational for the various technologies
>in Traveler.

Ah yes. These fellows also think gauss guns are silent. Which they are, if they
fire projectiles at subsonic velocities, and so have penetration comparable to
airguns - or if they fire in vacuum, in which case anything is silent.

>[energy absorbed by black globe screens,] - nope.  You can't use this energy.

Yep. You can use this energy. At least, according to High Guard, which I quote:
"If a ship absorbs enough energy to make a jump, and is supplied with
sufficient fuel, it may jump at the end of the turn."

Any energy absorbed by the black globe goes into the ship's capacitors. These
are usually the jump capacitors, which mass .5% * Jump no. * ship's mass. You
can install additional capacitors if you wish.

Energy absorbed by the capacitors may only leave the ship while the globe is
off. The globe may be "flickered" to permit this. The energy may be used in
addition to, or instead of, energy from the ship's power plant.

You may also switch on the black globe during jump, so that you enter the
destination system with the globe on. This makes you invisible. By arranging
your velocity carefully before jumping, you can drift up to the main world,
drop the globe and give the world a nice surprise (like a nuclear missile).
This tactic also comes straight from "High Guard", and also appears in the
board game "Fifth Frontier War". (What happened to the PBM, by the way?)

 "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  [email removed]
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   [email removed]