Vanya say:
> My only problem with this change (and it is a DRASTIC change
>when your players move about a system) is how to explain the
>transmogrification of the starship to the players when they finally
>thaw from their 60+ year sleep. Telling them it takes weeks to travel
>a distance a distance it only took days to travel in the old system
>does not contribute to campaign realism and consistency (not to
>mention the disappearance of the triple-beams). Of course, according
>to Mr Nilsen's rant from january, were should all just throw pixie
>dust out the back of our ships.
I've ranted about this before, but here's some constructive help
I've rationalized from my Campaign:
HOW TO EXPLAIN MAJOR CHANGED IN TRAVELLER TO YOUR FRESHLY THAWED PCs
In my campaign, they had to have the Hivers of Spica (the Six Hexed
Nest) do a major refit of their Azhanti High Lightning Class Ship.
They did the following:
Replaced the (now useless) Particle Accellerator Bays with more
splufty Laser Bays for political reasons (they couldn't repair PAs).
Replaced all the "worn out" turrets with new ones: they replaced
triple turrets with Barbettes.
Replaced the Mysterio Drives (whatever powered CT M-Drives) with less
efficient (but less potentially dangerous) HEPlaR Thrusters. Y'See,
at the OLD velocities, the E-VIL Virus could pulp everyone in the
ship... and, um, these drives don't need as much computer control...
see?
If you do a direct conversion of CT ships to TNE ships, they have
about 50 g-turns of fuel WITH THE SAME FUEL CAPACITY AS THE CT SHIPS
because of the way PP and JD fuel consumption has changed.
They are slower though. Don't have any scientists in my group,
though (whew!)
"Ship go real fast ZOOOOM!!"
"How far away is the other ship?"
"6,000 kilometers. No WAIT, _60_000 kilometers..." says I.
Vanya say:
> What this also does is almost completely eliminate the strategic
>usefulness of gas giants for military operations. No longer will a
>system haveto scatter its now-crippled SDBs amongst the system
>covering gas giants, they can orbit a primary planet shoulder to
>shoulder and wait for the enemy to come to them. But, when the enemy
>gets there, they'll be short on fuel.
One of the cool things about TNE (and I don't know if this was true of
MT) is that there's all sorts of economical ways to defend a system.
Lots of teeny-tiny mines hooked into a sensor grid patiently waiting
to blow up anything that doesn't meet a well defined list of
parameters... but I think this issue has been pretty well covered.
Your point though, that the STRUCTURE of space defence has changed, is
ab-o-solutely right.
> Why not? Since the physics of the universe has change for TNE,
>why not the history of it as well? This time, GDW has shown that it
>doesnt care about the established history of Traveller, much less my
>TL13 'just add water' mercenary unit. (Fusion gun *ammo*? Geeeze..)
You can STILL do a "Just Add Water" unit, you just have to shift
gears from Fusion to Lasers. The end result (enemy go BOOM!) is
still the same, and you still don't have to worry about making ammo.
I've completed a Tank design along these lines, I just need to pretty
it up for ASCII transport...
Mark Urbin asks:
>Challenge 72 Has anybody seen it?
Nope, not me, and I have a subscription...
Matt