I just managed to lay my hands on Challenge 64.
I realize that the dreaded "Cymbeline virus" is old news to all of you, but
I thought I should point out an example of the abject stupidity of the lads
who are desparately reaching out to find an excuse for TNE: the trip from
the Solomani Rim to the Zhodani border. I notice in the article "When
Empires Fall" that the trip is described as 920 parsecs. Pretty good
guess. But wrong. Getting out my Imperium map, I notice that the straight
route is about 240 parsecs. Going the scenic route through Home/Aldebaran
stretches the trip to 350 parsecs. If you go by way of the Hive homeworld,
you might get up to 500 parsecs. If you go 90% of the way there, decide
you are too tired to make it, and turn back, and then when you are 90% of
the way home you decide you can make it after all, and so turn back again,
that trip is only 880 parsecs. COME ON, you GDW studs. Get it right.
I also notice that all the wonderful things they ascribe to the "Cymbeline
transponders" are things that we can do quite well without resorting to AI.
And they back-dated the discovery at Cymbeline by 40 years.
Are the guys at GDW even making an ATTEMPT at consistency??? It seems not.
<sigh>
I also notice the first hints of the method they have decided on to shift
old campaigns into the future: their sleeper clubs are now offering
people a chance to sleep past Hard Times. A remarkable idea, that.
WOULD YOU TRUST your life to a stranger during Hard Times???
Most everyone I know is too paranoid to trust their life to their friends,
much less a total stranger. "Yes sir, we can guarantee that you won't be
broken up into spares for the body banks during your 70 year sleep."
---Steve