I'm excited to hear that GDW is planning a revision of Traveller, and they are
(somewhat? remains to be seen) interested in our input.
I wish I could go into details, but here's my basic two cents worth for the
moment:
Vehicle Design: use real world units, it makes reality checking a lot easier.
Use a realistic building block approach where each component has a fuel, power,
size/weight, etc. None of this 'power plant code dependant on hull size' stuff.
Use a compatible system for all vehicles. Allow for multiple power plants,
etc.
Conversely: try to simplify the MT Vehicle data used in play; I still find it
unreadable.
Computers should have power, size/weight, Cpu, Memory, Storage, IO, Display &
Senser/Input ratings. Or maybe just Input=Workstation_Input+Sensor_Input and
Output=Workstation_output+Systems_control_output.
TL: I'm somewhat disenchanted with Earth Based single digit Tech Level
assessments. This does not describe realistic situations where you have a
camel chase with lasers being fired. Perhaps a TL rating for each important
TL aspect of a society would be feasible?
Base the TL code on certain technologies IE:
Weapon Systems: 0=Bare Hands, 1=Wood&Rocks, 2=Metal&Wood, 3=Siege Engines,
4=Early Firearm, 5=Modern Firearm, 6=Laser, 7=Gauss, 8=Plasma, 9=Particle,
10=Meson...
Power Systems: 0=Biological,1=Fire, 2=External Combustion, 3=Internal
Comnbustion, 4=Turbine, 5=Solar, 6=Fission, 7=Fusion, 8=Anti-Matter
Transport: 0=Biological, 1=Wind, 2=Wheeled EC, 3=Wheeled IC, 4=Lighter Then
Air, 5=Heavier Then Air, 6=Subsonic, 7=Supersonic, 8=Orbital, 9=Planetary,
10=Stellar, 11=Interstellar
Armor: 0=Natural, 1=Metal Personal, 2=Metal Vehicle, 3=Hardened,
4=Composite, 5=Environmental, 6=Radiation, 7=Point Defense, 8=Magnetic
Screen, 9=Nuclear Damper, 10=Meson Screen, 11=Black Globe, 12=Force Field,
13=Stasis
...
I realize I'm getting carried away here, but you could also add another layer
of description:
Organization: 0=Personal, 1=Animal, 2=Vehicle, 3=Combined Technology,
4=Vehicle Mounted, 5=Portable, 6=Long Arm, 7=Hand Weapon, 8=Vessel, 9=Fleet
You could have a O3T4P5 with a W7P4O5 and W6P4O4A7!
Just a few scatter brained thoughts... got to go!
Jim.