Gentlesophonts:
Well, I seem to have developed some sort of mail reception problem and am
only getting my TML fix through ftp now so I apologize for the delay in my
repsonse time.
Alistair Langsford [email removed] writes:
> While they seem to have been stagnant in the past, the challenges of
> surviving through to the New Era might wake them up. This seems to be
> suggested by David Johnsons write up (which I liked, BTW). I don't see why
> you can't be optimistic and use the higher of the suggested tech level
> increases, and have SACNOTH go up to TL 13.
This is a good point. I'm something of a Sword Worlder though (I was in
the *JTAS* `draft' a long time ago and served in the Confederation Second
Grav Tank Corps during the 5FW) and decided to `be conservative' and choose
the lower TL choice in my modifications for TNE to avoid any suggestion
of partisanship. I'm curious what others think of this issue.
Steve Bonneville [email removed] writes:
> Subject: Why no GDW Regency Yet.
> Patience, folks. For now, you can make it up as you go!
I *thought* that's what we were doing! ;-)
Hans Rancke [email removed] writes:
> Bruce Pihlamae writes:
> > On the subject of tech level advances:
> >
> > A tech level advance is usually a fundamental breakthrough or addition
> > of knowledge to the society. Other advances are simply refinements or
> > incremental improvements on existing technology.
>
> This is true only on the cutting edge of technology, which for most worlds
> in the former Imperium (and all worlds in the Regency) is 16. Even if you
> assume that the newest discoveries are kept secret that still means that
> anything up to TL 15 is a question of economics: Can you afford to build
> and maintain the industry for a given TL.
I agree with Hans's point but I think this has major ramifications for the
Regency and other Spinward States in TNE. As Alistair suggests above one
would expect the Viral threat to serve as an important motivator for all
interstellar states to seek to overcome the economic and social obstacles
to the spread of their highest technological capabilites.
Just as the Regency is most likely sending scientists and engineers from
its TL 15 worlds to study on Vincennes, I would think the Sword Worlds
would be doing the same. They might even put aside their distaste for
Imperials and Zhodani in order to participate in technological exchange
programs with them.
It was in the interests of the Imperium to maintain the technological
diversity of its worlds - it made the lower-tech worlds easier to control
through advanced technology and the higher-tech worlds easier to control
through control of the means of transportation and communication between
them.
Such motivations become suspect in the face of Virus.
Finally, Bill White [email removed] writes a whole bunch
of good stuff on:
> The Political Economy of the Imperium
Ending with:
> The assumptions I am making here are different from but no less
> valid than those made by advocates of changing UWP generation.
> In a sense I am making the case for an "active Imperium" that
> acts on the worlds within its domain, indirectly, by governing
> the relationships between them.
>
> Comments? I'm all ears.
I agree with much of what Bill writes - his argument is well thought out.
I, too, prefer to `rationalize' the `inconsistencies' that appear due
to `glitches' in the rules. With Traveller world generation though these
`inconsistencies' are, IMHO, just too rampant. Yes, there may be policy
reasons for the Imperium to subsidize `un-needed' starports and
to promote settlement of `Nifflheims' when several `Edens' are just
a week away, but I find it impossible to explain these sorts of decisions
when such explanations often become necessary for multiple occurrences in
a single subsector.
I don't like rules, but world generation is one of those places where
a lot of useful information is generated very quickly - a good measure
of the usefulness of a rule - and in this instance we're still plagued
with relics that were developed a long time ago when sci-fi role-
playing was still relatively new. It was fine - even fun and interesting -
to have such `awkward' worlds when we were just adventuring in Regina
subsector but now that the entire galaxy is at our disposal I think it's
time for a little tinkering with the mechanics.
Happy Travelling,
David Johnson
Houston, Texas, USA