Floating out in space

[LordVince]

On a TV show I saw some time ago, they mentioned that the Voyager spacecraft -- a fairly flimsy probe, they pointed out -- travelled straight through the asteroid belt, on the plane of the ecliptic. The show said that Voyager, with it's larger-than-a-man Radio Dish, passed through the asteroid belt with absolutely no incident.

But, as somebody pointed out, that's for the Asteroid Belt in the SOLAR SYSTEM. The asteroid belt your Players are in may be quite different.

So, as a GM, don't ask the question "How dangerous IS an asteroid belt?", instead, ask the question "How dangerous do I WANT the asteroid belt to BE?"

Basically, unless you WANT a suit puncture, or a hull rupture, to be a part of the adventure, don't even deal with this. Maybe, for color, you could mention that the high-speed passage of dust over the suit/hull makes a noise that "...sounds eerilly like a heavy rain falling on the suit/hull..."

 

[LordVince]

On a TV show I saw some time ago, they mentioned that the Voyager spacecraft -- a fairly flimsy probe, they pointed out -- travelled straight through the asteroid belt, on the plane of the ecliptic. The show said that Voyager, with it's larger-than-a-man Radio Dish, passed through the asteroid belt with absolutely no incident.

But, as somebody pointed out, that's for the Asteroid Belt in the SOLAR SYSTEM. The asteroid belt your Players are in may be quite different.

So, as a GM, don't ask the question "How dangerous IS an asteroid belt?", instead, ask the question "How dangerous do I WANT the asteroid belt to BE?"

Basically, unless you WANT a suit puncture, or a hull rupture, to be a part of the adventure, don't even deal with this. Maybe, for color, you could mention that the high-speed passage of dust over the suit/hull makes a noise that "...sounds eerilly like a heavy rain falling on the suit/hull..."

 

[TheEngineer]

"Planet-Hunters" already found belt-like configurations with densities 25 times to 10000 times higher than those of the solar belt.

Especially younger planetary systems or those without significant jovian bodies are expected to have much more debris and dust around.

I can look up the links if somebody is interested.

TE

 

[TheEngineer]

"Planet-Hunters" already found belt-like configurations with densities 25 times to 10000 times higher than those of the solar belt.

Especially younger planetary systems or those without significant jovian bodies are expected to have much more debris and dust around.

I can look up the links if somebody is interested.

TE

 

[Zob10701]

As a player, the first thing I'd ask would be how long would it take for me to slow down using my thruster, if that was even possible.

 

[Zob10701]

As a player, the first thing I'd ask would be how long would it take for me to slow down using my thruster, if that was even possible.

 

[TheEngineer]

Now, it depends.
Mainly on the point of reference, e.g. the mainsworld or the bodies in the closer environment.

Then just take the velocity difference in m/s and divide by the max accelaration of the thuster package.
So if the velocity is around 100 km/s, thats 100000 m/s and a pretty thruster gives it all, perhaps 50 m/s2, it takes 2000 seconds or around half an hour to get rid of this velocity.

 

[TheEngineer]

Now, it depends.
Mainly on the point of reference, e.g. the mainsworld or the bodies in the closer environment.

Then just take the velocity difference in m/s and divide by the max accelaration of the thuster package.
So if the velocity is around 100 km/s, thats 100000 m/s and a pretty thruster gives it all, perhaps 50 m/s2, it takes 2000 seconds or around half an hour to get rid of this velocity.

 

[Klaus]

Cassini braked thru the rings of Saturn....!

The chance is odds over time. Depends how often you roll, I guess. And realistic probabilites aren't necessarily fun in a game. If the odds were always realistic mosts pc's would be working in shops or offices, rather than adventuring.

How about snake eyes, roll every hour? Or snake eyes for DANGER. Suit sensors could pick up nearby objects with enough time for the PC to react, and then its up to them.

 

[Klaus]

Cassini braked thru the rings of Saturn....!

The chance is odds over time. Depends how often you roll, I guess. And realistic probabilites aren't necessarily fun in a game. If the odds were always realistic mosts pc's would be working in shops or offices, rather than adventuring.

How about snake eyes, roll every hour? Or snake eyes for DANGER. Suit sensors could pick up nearby objects with enough time for the PC to react, and then its up to them.

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
Anthony, excellent exposition, but that chance still seems high to me, depending as it does on the high end of the range of dust grain size values.

Well, sure, but one significant enough to matter probably doesn't do more than add one more die you need to roll a 1 on, so 5 on 5d6 or 3 in 3d6.

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
Anthony, excellent exposition, but that chance still seems high to me, depending as it does on the high end of the range of dust grain size values.

Well, sure, but one significant enough to matter probably doesn't do more than add one more die you need to roll a 1 on, so 5 on 5d6 or 3 in 3d6.

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Lord Vince:
So, as a GM, don't ask the question "How dangerous IS an asteroid belt?", instead, ask the question "How dangerous do I WANT the asteroid belt to BE?"

Quoted for truth.

And as others have pointed out (and I don't mind repeating) what we know of our solar system may not be true of other star systems.

Go with what makes for the most enjoyable game.

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Lord Vince:
So, as a GM, don't ask the question "How dangerous IS an asteroid belt?", instead, ask the question "How dangerous do I WANT the asteroid belt to BE?"

Quoted for truth.

And as others have pointed out (and I don't mind repeating) what we know of our solar system may not be true of other star systems.

Go with what makes for the most enjoyable game.

 

[Zob10701]

Originally posted by TheEngineer:
Now, it depends.
Mainly on the point of reference, e.g. the mainsworld or the bodies in the closer environment.

Then just take the velocity difference in m/s and divide by the max accelaration of the thuster package.
So if the velocity is around 100 km/s, thats 100000 m/s and a pretty thruster gives it all, perhaps 50 m/s2, it takes 2000 seconds or around half an hour to get rid of this velocity.

Half and hour!?! Why, oh why, have you done this to me my ref? Why?
OK, then I'd try to angle myself to land on "one of the big ones" as I pray to whatever god(s) my character believes in...

 

[Zob10701]

Originally posted by TheEngineer:
Now, it depends.
Mainly on the point of reference, e.g. the mainsworld or the bodies in the closer environment.

Then just take the velocity difference in m/s and divide by the max accelaration of the thuster package.
So if the velocity is around 100 km/s, thats 100000 m/s and a pretty thruster gives it all, perhaps 50 m/s2, it takes 2000 seconds or around half an hour to get rid of this velocity.

Half and hour!?! Why, oh why, have you done this to me my ref? Why?
OK, then I'd try to angle myself to land on "one of the big ones" as I pray to whatever god(s) my character believes in...

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by TheVamp:
Half and hour!?! Why, oh why, have you done this to me my ref? Why?

Don't worry, he hasn't. An ordinary thruster package is not capable of 5G for 2,000 seconds (and since it doesn't have gravetic compensators, you wouldn't want to use a 5G thruster anyway), and probably isn't capable of 1G for 10,000 seconds either.

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by TheVamp:
Half and hour!?! Why, oh why, have you done this to me my ref? Why?

Don't worry, he hasn't. An ordinary thruster package is not capable of 5G for 2,000 seconds (and since it doesn't have gravetic compensators, you wouldn't want to use a 5G thruster anyway), and probably isn't capable of 1G for 10,000 seconds either.

 

[TheEngineer]

Guess we're getting too technical here

Honestly, for dramatic purpose I would set up the risk to the good old 2 in a 2D throw, too.
IMHO it would be a bit frustrating to present a belt setting, triggering everybodies Star Wars memories and proceed with saying "Yes, its a belt, but a boring one, it has no consequences, proceed as normal"

 

[TheEngineer]

Guess we're getting too technical here

Honestly, for dramatic purpose I would set up the risk to the good old 2 in a 2D throw, too.
IMHO it would be a bit frustrating to present a belt setting, triggering everybodies Star Wars memories and proceed with saying "Yes, its a belt, but a boring one, it has no consequences, proceed as normal"