RECENT TML DISCUSSION
Bertil's Tranq Rounds
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interesting, and I like the idea very much, but perhaps too powerful to be let
loose in the hands of player characters. For my own games, I'd make a few
changes. First off, make combined add-ons have a minimum TL of one higher than
the highest TL of any of the add-ons singly. Secondly, Coctail would be TL13
for two races, TL14 for three, TL15 for four, and so on. By the way, Humaniti
and Vargr count as one race for my purposes.
The example given: DoseControl; Coctail vs Humaniti/Vargr, Aslan, Droyne,
Hivers, K'Kree, Ael-Yel, Prt', and Newts; and BroadSpectrum 90% would be a TL20
item (TL19 for Coctail vs 8 races, plus 1 for combined add-ons) and a price
modifier of x54. A more reasonable round might be DoseControl, Coctail vs
Humanaiti/Vargr, Aslan and one other (Droyne?), and BroadSpectrum 50%, for a
TL15 round with a price modifier of x30.
Fleet Tactics
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Correct; Fleet Tactics is only available via the Enhanced Naval Characters
character generator. It can be rolled on the "Staff Officer" or "Special
Assignment: Command College" tables.
Artificial Gravity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my campaigns, there is a very complicated piece of equipment called a "Grav
Generator" (sort for Para-Gravitic Field Generator), which is connected to
"Grav Plates" (for Para-Gravitic Field Emitter Plates). Logically enough,
these devices create and emit a Para-Gravitic field (or "Grav Field" for
short). The design, operating parameters, and power of the generator and
plates determines the volume and shape of the resulting Para-Gravitic Field.
Within the field, a mass (anything from an air molecule to a starship) behaves
EXACTLY as if it were under the infulence of gravitation due to the presence of
a mass of finite size at some finite distance. In Grav engineering, this mass
is known as the "Virtual Mass", and it is located at a "Virtual Origin"
relative to the grav plates; the virtual mass and virtual origin are also
determined by the design of the grav generator and grav plates. Inside the
field, the gravitation produced by the virtual mass follows all known physical
laws (like the inverse-square law) that affect the gravitation of normal
masses. Outside the grav field, there is no effect; the virtual mass is quite
literally not there. The edge of the field is not precisely defined, and there
are some "fringe effects"; these fringe effects affect a relatively small
volume in comparison to the total volume of the field. In most practical
applications of grav technology, the field is only as large as needed; within
or underneath the vehicle in question.
As far as removing the atmosphere of a planet, it could be done, I suppose, by
building a grav generator and installing plates such that a column of air would
be inside the grav field, and by arranging the virtual mass and origin such
that it experienced no net gravitational force. On the other hand, this
approach would require a very large grav field with lots of power input to the
generator, and a large array of plates. Not exactly the sort of thing you
could hide, and quite vulnerable to damage. In theory, a grav field can be any
size, but in practice, the farther away from the plate, the more nebulous and
ill-defined the field becomes. As a referee, I would say "It might work, but
it would probably be impractical. Have you thought about dropping rocks on
them instead? A couple of tons of rock moving at a good clip can make quite a
decent bang, you know." ;-)
Robert Dean's Random Encounters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Running a free-form game requires a good amount of direction from the players;
in my most recent game, the two primary players decided (all on their own, and
with no prompting from me, no less) that they wanted to cross the entire
Imperium (we were playing in a pre-Rebellion setting) all the way from Regina
to Terra! I personally like free-form games, both as a player and as a
referee; but there are players who don't do well in this situation.
For players who can't (or won't) do this kind of goal-setting for themselves,
probably the best way to proceed is to get them accidentally swept up in a
large, intricate plot. The Traveller Adventure is almost a textbook case of
how to do this; for me, I normally don't plot in that kind of detail, its
enough to stay a jump or two ahead of the players. Some players seem to like
to sit around and wait for the universe to "do it to them"; in such cases I
have been known to do case-studies about why it is BAD to let the other folks
have the strategic initiative (in other words, construct scenarios in which
doing nothing is the worst possible action). Making a NPC their commanding
officer or a NPC ship owner/captain is another good way to get things moving.
Retaining players: this is more of a problem in a pick-up game (like at a
convention or a game-store) than a regular game. My best device for
stimulating out-of-play interest and conversation (not to mention a good bit of
anticipation for the next session) about the game is actually a very old one. I
simply arranged to have each session end on a cliffhanger.
Example: "Well we got what we came for; let's get out of this damn cave and get
back to the ship!" ... "OK by me, let's go!"
"OK, you make your way back to the clearing where you left the ship; the
inertial locator makes the task Simple, even in the dark. Who's leading off?"
"OK, you arrive at the clearing, at least you think its the right clearing, but
the ship is gone!"
"I look for the indetations the landing gear would make in the forest floor."
"OK, you find them without too much trouble; the marks are relatively fresh.
Well, that's all we have time for tonight, I need to get my sleep. See all of
you next week?"
Role-Playing: Perhaps the most effective way to get players to role-play is to
do it yourself. If nothing else, adopt two different tones of voice, one for
giving game mechanics, and other mundane information, and another voice to act
as the "narrator" of the story that describes all of the scenes and action.
Even better (although I will be the first to admit that I can't do this all the
time) is to role-play as many NPC's as possible. Judge the results by the
things the players say in response, instead of the die rolls (I frequently use
my judgement of the player's role-playing instead of the dice as the other half
of "uncertain" interpersonal tasks).
Another strategy is to get the players to talk about their characters right
after generation. Ask questions like "How does your character feel about his
parents? ... the service he just left? What does he want to do next?", and so
on. If nothing else, questions like this will get players thinking about how
their characters feel about what they are doing. I also like putting the
characters in a moral dilemma, and seeing how they react.
All in all, I don't think you did anything "Wrong"; you and your two regular
players should have been the center of the plotting for the game, and it sounds
like you are used to more player direction than you got. I keep a notebook
with my current plot outline, and vague notes on what the players do and don't
know of it. This way I can replot the game halfway through to create a plot
twist, and be sure I haven't changed anything the players already know. I also
keep notes on the NPC's they have met, and a list of people from the
character's "past" (in general, one or two per term; these can be close friends
that have lost touch, ex-lovers, ex-spouses, professional rivals, or whatever).
Sergi Haut-Oberlindes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sergi is Marc's son; Marc Haut-Oberlindes is the owner of Oberlindes Lines at
the time of "Rescue on Ruie". The below is from the Traveller Adventure
library data (Marc and Sergi figure prominently in that book). The Traveller
Adventure happens over a period of approximately 1105 to 1107.
"Oberlindes Lines: Imperial trade and transport corporation of the Spinward
Marches. Founded in 487 in the Regine subsector, and still strongest there,
Oberlindes has recently expanded its service into many other portions of the
Marches and the Vargr Extents."
"Emissary: Ex-Imperial Navy Fleet Intruder of the Azhanti High Lightning class
(60,000 tons) currently in Oberlindes Lines service in the Vargr Extents.
Somehow, Oberlindes managed to purchase the ship with its weaponry intact,
which violates Imperial regulations. Thus, the ship is unable to return to the
Imperium. However, the Emissary has operated successfully as an Oberlindes
flagship in the Extents and has proven effective, by the implied threat of its
presence, in protecting Oberlindes shipping from piracy. The Emissary is armed
with a large spinal mount particle accellerator and considerable secondary
weaponry."
At the time of the Traveller Adventure, Serti was the commander of the
Emissary. It was mentioned in the NPC bio data that several months agoSergi
was injured when the Kforuzeng attempted to capture the ship. This action is
described in one of the scenarios for the Azhanti High Lightning game. In the
scenario notes for Azhanti High Lightning, it is mentioned that Sergi and his
wife were rescued from a prison camp several years previously by a group of
adventurers. While it is certainly possible for Sergi to have taken his
father's place by the "current" Imperial date, it seems unlikely to me
(although I may have missed Marc's obituary, though).
NOT THE HORDE, THE HOARD!
What follows is the contents of my hoard of materials; all items that were
otherwise ready to go, but for one reason or another I have not sent to the
list. As always, comments and critizism are welcome.
Patrol Cruisers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are my best design for the hypothetical opponent ships that the combat
efficency calculations of the frigates (Oh, no! Not the frigates again! Run
Away!) were based on. Can anyone improve on these designs?
CraftID: PA-Gun Patrol Cruiser, Type=CPP, TL=15, MCr=9,499.670.
Hull: 8550/21375, Disp=9500, Config=1SL, Armor=40G (ArmorDM=0).
UnloadedMass=150,064 tons, LoadedMass=152,250 tons.
Power: 1721/3442, Fusion=464,430Mw, NominalDuration=20/60.
Locomotion: 1454/2908, Thrusters=6, Agility=6.
257/514, Jump=2.
NOE=190kph, Cruise=750kph, Max=1,000kph.
Communications: MesonComm=3xSystem, RadioComm=3xSystem, LaserComm=3xSystem,
MaserComm=3xSystem, RadioJam=3xSystem.
Sensors: Densitometer=3xHighPen-1km, Neutrino=3x10kw,
ActiveEMS=3xSystem, PassiveEMS=3xInterstellar,
EMSJam=3xSystem.
ActObjScan=Simple, ActObjPin=Simple, PassObjScan=Routine,
PassObjPin=Routine, PassEngScan=Routine, PassEngPin=Routine.
Offense: PartAccel=H00, Missiles=xx7
Batteries 1 3
Bearing 1 3
Defense: DefDM=-15.
SandCaster=xx9
Batteries 4
Bearing 4
Control: BasicEnv, BasicLS, ExtLS, AirLocks=9, Gravity, InertialComp.
(BasicLS and ExtLS include Accomodations and Controls only).
Computer=3xMod-9/Fib, Panel=14xHoloDynamic,
Special=7xLargeHolo, HUD=7xHoloHUD.
Accomodations: Sections=10, Crew=108, (12xBridge, 23xEngineer, 15xCommand,
1xMaintainance, 3xSteward, 52xGunner, 2xFlight).
Bunks=93, SmallStateroom=15.
Subcraft=2xAir/Raft.
Other: Cargo=145kl, Fuel=29,166kl, Scoops, Purifier=24 hours.
ObjSize=Large, EMLevel=Moderate (EM Masking).
Magazine=30 bty-rnds.
Endurance: 14 days Cruise (MDrive=1, Agility=0, Consumption=11.301 kl/hr);
6 more days On-Station (No Maneuver, Consumption=4.651 kl/hr);
1 more day at full combat power (Consumption=232.215 kl/hr);
and 1 Jump-2 (Consumption=19,238kl for Jump-2).
One hour at full thrust uses 5.41 hours of Cruise Duration.
One hour of Combat Power uses 20.55 hours of Cruise Duration.
Notes: Cost is for Prototype, and includes architect's fees (but not
the cost of the subordinate craft. Production cost would be
MCr 7,524.412 (without subordinate craft). The cost of
subordinate craft have not been included, because standard
craft are assumed to be procured locally. Note that all areas
of the ship, including the cargo bay, and except the controls
and crew accomodations, are maintained in a hard vacuum; no
provision for life support has been made.
CraftID: Meson-Gun Patrol Cruiser, Type=CP, TL=15, MCr=10,889.802.
Hull: 8550/21375, Disp=9500, Config=1SL, Armor=40G (ArmorDM=0).
UnloadedMass=157,886 tons, LoadedMass=160,966 tons.
Power 1953/3906, Fusion=527,173Mw, NominalDuration=30/90.
Locomotion: 1454/2908, Thrusters=6, Agility=6.
257/514, Jump=2.
NOE=190kph, Cruise=750kph, Max=1,000kph.
Communications: MesonComm=3xSystem, RadioComm=3xSystem, LaserComm=3xSystem,
MaserComm=3xSystem, RadioJam=3xSystem.
Sensors: Densitometer=3xHighPen-1km, Neutrino=3x10kw,
ActiveEMS=3xSystem, PassiveEMS=3xInterstellar,
EMSJam=3xSystem.
ActObjScan=Simple, ActObjPin=Simple, PassObjScan=Routine,
PassObjPin=Routine, PassEngScan=Routine, PassEngPin=Routine.
Offense: MesonGun=J0x, Missiles=x07, BLaser=xx7
Batterys 1 4 1
Bearing 1 4 1
Defense: DefDM=-15.
SandCaster=xx9
Batteries 4
Bearing 4
Control: BasicEnv, BasicLS, ExtLS, AirLocks=9, Gravity, InertialComp.
(BasicLS and ExtLS do not include the Cargo Bay or Hangars).
Computer=3xMod-9/Fib, Panel=15xHoloDynamic,
Special=8xLargeHolo, HUD=7xHoloHUD.
Accomodations Sections=10, Crew=112 (12xBridge, 25xEngineer, 15xCommand,
1xMaintainance, 3xSteward, 54xGunner, 2xFlight).
Bunks=97, SmallStateroom=15.
SubCraft=(Launch, Air/Raft).
Other: Cargo=343kl, Fuel=39,096kl, Scoops, Purifier=24 hours.
ObjSize=Large, EMLevel=Moderate (EM Masking).
Magazine=60 bty-rnds.
Endurance: 27 days Cruise (MDrive=1, Agility=0, Consumption=11.437 kl/hr);
3 more days On-Station (No Maneuver, Consumption=4.788 kl/hr);
2 more days at full combat power (Consumption=263.587 kl/hr);
and 1 Jump-2 (Consumption=19,238kl for Jump-2).
One hour of full thrust uses 5.36 hours of Cruise duration.
One hour of Combat Power uses 23.05 hours of Cruise duration.
Notes: Cost is for Prototype, and includes architect's fees (but not
the cost of the subordinate craft. Production cost would be
MCr 8,625.586 (without subordinate craft). The cost of
subordinate craft have not been included, because standard
craft are assumed to be procured locally. Note that the cargo
bay and vehicle hangars are maintained in a hard vacuum; no
provision for life support has been made.
Package Power Plants
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Package power plants are are available in a wide range of ouptut capacities at
all tech levels. These packages are self-contained, consisting of a fusion
power plant, fuel tankage capable of sustaining the plant for 24 hours of
maximum output, a control computer with custom software for operating the power
package, and a full set of control panels for manual operation of the plant, or
diagnostic use. All of the components are mounted on a rugged open frame for
durability and ease of shipping and handling. All of the units have lifting
rings, forklift slats, and hold-down attachment points for easy handling.
Designed for temporary or semi-portable use in various environments, these
plants are typically used by industrial or mining concerns, construction firms,
for emergency response or disaster relief, and by exploratory teams. The
computer automatically adjusts the power output to the demand, providing fuel
efficency and trouble-free operation. The sizes listed here are the largest
in production; many smaller units (from about 100kW on up) are also available.
These power systems are being installed in an increasing number of starships as
auxiliary power systems; typically to provide additional power for weapons
systems. The shipping hardware allows easy installation in a standard cargo
bay. Once connected to the ship's power grid, maintainance and operation is
easy. The self-contained computer and controls do not burden the ship's
control systems.
TL 09
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 46.693 170.330 8.610
500 94.401 340.611 17.363
750 140.590 510.285 26.109
1000 186.769 679.863 34.766
1250 232.938 849.491 43.379
1500 279.037 1019.105 51.295
1750 323.067 1188.905 60.214
2000 368.906 1358.069 68.672
2250 414.755 1527.729 77.135
2500 462.275 1698.448 86.636
3000 553.964 2037.691 103.556
3500 643.776 2377.709 122.365
4000 735.144 2716.908 139.275
4500 826.512 3056.095 156.189
5000 916.481 3394.819 173.037
6000 1098.837 4071.922 206.854
7000 1281.394 4750.070 243.300
8000 1463.491 5427.223 277.112
9000 1645.598 6104.902 310.924
10000 1827.704 6782.581 344.736
TL 10
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 47.433 170.907 8.617
500 95.871 341.927 17.377
750 142.820 512.254 26.069
1000 189.729 682.582 34.657
1250 236.658 852.880 43.230
1500 283.467 1023.176 51.326
1750 326.527 1191.893 60.230
2000 372.856 1361.534 68.693
2250 419.185 1531.619 77.160
2500 467.215 1702.745 86.660
3000 559.874 2042.877 103.594
3500 648.956 2382.025 122.392
4000 741.054 2721.792 139.308
4500 833.172 3061.640 156.228
5000 922.391 3399.496 173.063
6000 1105.927 4077.658 206.886
7000 1288.294 4755.559 243.321
8000 1471.371 5433.557 277.136
9000 1654.468 6112.032 310.951
10000 1837.544 6790.498 344.766
TL 11
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 47.593 170.990 8.621
500 96.211 342.103 17.385
750 143.320 512.512 26.082
1000 190.409 682.932 34.675
1250 237.498 853.312 43.252
1500 284.487 1023.700 51.352
1750 327.307 1192.294 60.249
2000 373.756 1361.995 68.716
2250 420.205 1532.142 77.186
2500 468.335 1703.319 86.688
3000 561.234 2043.574 103.628
3500 650.136 2382.629 122.421
4000 742.414 2722.489 139.342
4500 834.692 3062.418 156.266
5000 923.751 3400.192 173.097
6000 1107.547 4078.486 206.927
7000 1289.874 4756.364 243.361
8000 1473.191 5434.484 277.182
9000 1656.488 6113.061 311.002
10000 1839.804 6791.648 344.822
TL 12
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 47.773 170.929 8.625
500 96.551 342.013 17.393
750 143.840 512.426 26.075
1000 191.089 682.837 34.663
1250 238.338 853.214 43.236
1500 285.507 1023.600 51.373
1750 328.107 1191.988 60.264
2000 374.656 1361.713 68.733
2250 421.225 1531.822 77.206
2500 469.455 1702.959 86.710
3000 562.574 2043.135 103.655
3500 651.316 2381.968 122.443
4000 743.754 2721.732 139.368
4500 836.212 3061.565 156.295
5000 925.091 3399.123 173.121
6000 1109.167 4077.372 206.956
7000 1291.454 4755.181 243.388
8000 1474.991 5433.215 277.212
9000 1658.528 6111.643 311.037
10000 1842.064 6790.070 344.861
TL 13
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 33.518 86.544 5.817
500 68.054 173.063 11.775
750 101.055 259.150 17.457
1000 134.087 345.170 23.302
1250 167.118 431.216 29.066
1500 200.120 517.203 34.816
1750 229.764 601.074 40.951
2000 262.256 686.747 46.667
2250 294.717 772.421 51.940
2500 328.835 858.897 58.631
3000 393.848 1029.946 69.961
3500 455.711 1199.723 83.123
4000 520.244 1370.765 94.438
4500 584.747 1541.844 105.751
5000 646.840 1710.835 116.966
6000 775.336 2052.540 139.576
7000 902.900 2393.489 164.754
8000 1030.976 2734.356 187.352
9000 1159.052 3074.969 209.953
10000 1287.128 3415.304 232.554
TL 14
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 33.638 86.297 5.821
500 68.294 172.742 11.783
750 101.385 258.674 17.469
1000 134.537 344.663 23.317
1250 167.688 430.634 29.085
1500 200.810 516.565 34.840
1750 230.274 600.180 40.969
2000 262.886 685.784 46.689
2250 295.377 771.320 51.962
2500 329.585 857.677 58.656
3000 394.778 1028.695 69.992
3500 456.491 1198.060 83.149
4000 521.144 1368.886 94.468
4500 585.767 1539.723 105.786
5000 647.770 1708.445 116.997
6000 776.416 2049.657 139.613
7000 903.950 2390.083 164.789
8000 1032.176 2730.714 187.392
9000 1160.402 3071.209 209.998
10000 1288.628 3411.553 232.604
TL 15
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 19.308 29.887 2.934
500 36.407 58.287 5.815
750 55.859 87.772 8.930
1000 73.793 116.778 11.771
1250 91.727 145.772 14.612
1500 109.661 174.776 17.453
1750 127.655 203.833 20.429
2000 145.619 232.828 23.332
2250 163.554 261.829 26.215
2500 181.518 290.862 29.100
3000 214.030 346.602 35.241
3500 249.358 404.235 40.950
4000 284.596 461.805 46.244
4500 321.462 519.964 52.922
5000 356.790 577.420 58.582
6000 424.156 690.628 71.719
7000 494.242 805.506 83.028
8000 564.298 920.393 94.335
9000 631.824 1033.230 105.540
10000 701.551 1147.881 116.834
TL 16
Power
Output Volume Mass Price
(Mw) (Kl) (Tons) (MCr)
250 16.996 13.664 2.525
500 31.933 26.024 5.005
750 49.162 39.295 7.713
1000 64.844 52.143 10.147
1250 80.557 65.022 12.583
1500 96.269 77.900 15.019
1750 111.952 90.742 17.454
2000 127.724 103.659 20.025
2250 143.437 116.495 22.519
2500 159.150 129.357 24.993
3000 190.575 155.080 29.924
3500 218.400 178.382 35.243
4000 249.315 203.759 40.135
4500 280.110 229.055 44.618
5000 312.585 254.915 50.485
6000 374.355 305.469 60.191
7000 432.669 353.911 71.699
8000 493.929 404.285 81.388
9000 555.189 454.688 91.077
10000 613.889 503.024 100.662
Referee's Notes on the Above
Normally, players would encounter these units at a construction site, during
disaster relief efforts, or as part of the equipment for an exploratory mission
or mining colony. They are not normally produced at shipyards.
The characters can learn that these "industrial" power units are adaptable for
shipboard use in a number of ways. One of the most obvious is to see such a
unit installed on someone else's ship. They could also find out from an
aggressive heavy-equipment salesman (perhaps when they go to purchase a
replacement for that gravitic load-lifter that the rookie deckhand totaled) or
by hearsay.
Unless helped by someone with experience in integrating these things into
starship power systems, the characters will have to figure out installation on
a trail and error basis. Mechanically, it is trivial (no task roll is
required) simply load the unit into the ship's hold, and secure it to the deck
like any other cargo. Connecting it to the ship's power distribution system is
time consuming, however.
To Install an Industrial Power Unit in a Starship:
Routine; Engineering, Int (uncertain); 2 hours.
Referee: On a result of No Truth, the unit is not connected and obviously will
not work. Have the characters check their determination, and try again (it is
possible that they may never be able to get it to work). On Some Truth, the
unit is connected, but the automatic load sensing feature will not work right.
In this case, the unit will appear to operate normally if under manual control;
under automatic control it will not reliably self-start when power demand
increases, and will power down randomly when it is operating. The problem is
minor, and once diagnosed will be relatively easy to fix. If the result is
Total Truth, the unit is installed properly, and will correctly operate in
manual or automatic modes.
The unit is relatively maintainance-free, although it should receive annual
maintainance (usually when the rest of the ship undergoes annual maintainance).
Damage and repairs should be handled in the same way as the ship's main power
plant.
Shops and Labs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following are estimates of the volume, mass, and power requirements for
various types of labs or shops. These are just estimates, based on what seems
about right to me, and are not really based on any real-world figures (well,
almost; the prices are based on the average real-world price per square foot
for that general type of scientific research lab). I came up with these
numbers because a group of players was very interested in medical research.
Rather than figure out all of the different kinds of equipment they would need,
I simply gave them a "Large and Well-Equipped" general medical research lab,
and a bunch of smaller special-purpose labs.
For game effects, any lab over the minimum size has all of the absolutely
critical equipment and supplies needed for a particular type of work; certainly
enough to avoid any negative DM for equipment or supplies. A "Large" lab has a
larger variety of specialized or labor-saving supplies and equipment. Large
labs make any type of work easier; the referee should work out a positive DM or
other bonus which will apply. In my campaign, a "Large" lab made all tasks one
entire level of difficulty easier (in other words, Impossible became
Formidable, Routine tasks became Simple, and so on).
For example, a minimum-sized technical lab has all kinds of small hand tools,
electronic and electrical assembly equipment (like soldering irons and
wire-wrap guns), basic test equipment (meters, scopes, and the like) and a
store of spare parts. A large technical lab probably has a circuit design
workstation with an attached automated fabrication machine, lots of specialized
parts and replacement modules, and all types of special-purpose test equipment
not found in smaller labs.
Type of Power Mass Price Min "Large"
Lab or Shop Mw/Kl Tons/Kl KCr/Kl Vol if over
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~
Scientific Labs
Engineering or R&D 0.001 0.080 11.000 54.0 216.0
Physical Science 0.005 0.090 8.750 27.0 432.0
Biological Science 0.002 0.100 8.250 54.0 324.0
Social Science 0.001 0.075 11.250 27.0 216.0
Other Sciences 0.002 0.080 9.750 40.5 216.0
Technical Shops
Vehicle/Equipment 0.003 0.125 9.000 54.0 324.0
Machine Shop 0.005 0.250 11.500 40.5 108.0
Electronic Shop 0.001 0.090 10.250 27.0 108.0
Find the type of lab or shop on the chart which most closely matches the
desired facility. The values on the chart are per kiloliter of lab or shop
installed. A lab may not be smaller than the minimum volume (in kiloliters)
given in the "Min Vol" column. The power requirement is in addition to any
environment or life-support costs; it represents the power required to run the
equipment installed in the facility. A minimum-sized facility can accomodate a
single worker (two could use it, but the crowded conditions would reduce
productivity). To find out how many workers could use a larger facility,
divide its volume by the minimum (drop fractions), and subtract one; the
minimum is always one worker.
A brief guide to type types of work is presented below. This list is by no
means exhaustive. The exact purpose of a lab, and its Tech Level should be
mentioned in the description when it is purchased or installed. In general, a
lab can be used only for that field, or for closely related fields (referee's
judgement always applies). In the case of Technical Shops, the supplied
equipment is typically Tech Level specific; again, the referee should judge
when the shop can no longer aid (typically at +/- one Tech Level).
Type of Lab or Shop Suitable For
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Engineering or R&D Engineering Design and Research, Materials Analysis,
Standards, Testing, Quality Control, R&D, etc.
Physical Science Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Meterology, Astronomy, etc.
Biological Science Biology, Zoology, Botany, Medicine, Genetics, etc.
Social Science Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Psychology, etc.
Other Sciences Most other sciences which do not seem to fit above.
Vehicle/Equipment Vehicles, Spacecraft, and their components.
Machine Shop Build, Modify, or Repair Mechanical equipment.
Electronic Shop Build, Modify, or Repair Electrical/electronics.
In addition, to be considered "Large and Well-Equipped" a technical shop must
be large enough to accomodate the vehicle or equipment to be worked on. This
is usually not a problem with hand computers, but could be for starship repair
bays. Although this gets expensive, it is certainly convenient to have a shop
with an overhead crane capable of lifting the power plant bodily out of a
scoutship.
T R A V E L L E R
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Science-Fiction Adventure
"I think we'd better stop playing."
"Why, Mike?"
"Because I'm so tired I can't read the dice anymore ..."
"How long have we been playing, anyway?"
"Oh, let's see ... about 18 hours."
"Great! The dealer's room should be open; I can by my own Traveller set!"
"Yeah, right ... see ya later ..."
Wildstar --------------------------------------------- [email removed]