Re: Gamba subsector

timothy k istian soholt [email removed] writes:
>
> A few of my own thoughts on Gamba subsector:
>
> Adrian Hurt writes:
>
> > > 0105  Fantasia      A99A522-8           NI         Y
>
> > This is another one of the classic Traveller worlds.  Will someone please
> > explain to me how a TL 8 world can support a class A starport?  As I
> > understand it, a class A starport can, by definition, build and repair
> > starships, i.e. jump drives, i.e. must be at least TL 9.
>
> How about having a major shipping line set up a refit base here? Overall
> tech level is kept just high enough to assure some comfort to citizens/
> employees (government 2 _is_ corporation, isn't it? or is my memory
> going?), while starport facilities are top-of-the line, but not acces-
> sible outside the workplace.

That might work, but either your memory is going or mine is - mine says
that 1 is corporate government, 2 is participating democracy.  But the
locals might allow an outside company to set up a starport, and then
charge rent for it.  Or the starport may have all the docks, cranes and
grav vehicles of a class A starport, but you have to bring your own spare
parts.

> > >> 0705  Jenkins       E87A000-5           --         Y
> > >>
> > >> I'd drop the TL to 0.
> > >
> > >Represents the TL of the automatic distress beacon...(-:  (5 is the minimum
> > >to support broadcast radio, isn't it?)
> >
> > I define TL as "Maximum sustainable by local population".

Either there is one family living there, or the local population was wiped
out by something but some of the machinery is still around.  That class E
starport on a water world of TL 5 makes me wonder if an enterprising team
of adventurers might be able to pick up an aircraft carrier for free? :-)

Or, perhaps there are a few people there, survivors of a ship which crash
landed.  I can just imagine their faces when the survey team said "This is
a _survey_ mission, not a rescue mission.  But we've noted your presence -
a rescue team should be along some time soon" - just before the Imperium
collapsed. :-)

> > >> 0803  Weelkes       C112888-A  S        NA         Y
> > >>
> > >> Another of these punk worlds with huge populations.
> > >
> > >Yes, but luckily there's only one in this subsector to explain.  It doesn't
> > >stretch credulity too far to think that there is one world headed toward
> > >being industrial that started life as a mining colony, does it?
> >
> > No, but hundreds of millions? No mining colony needs that many people. IMO
> > these people's ancestors _couldn't_ leave, for whatever reason.

How about another race of aliens?  Either very small aliens, or something
like Star Trek's Horta.

- --
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

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