(hypothetical) What would you ask Dave Nilsen?

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by LKW:
Invade Canada? Are you nuts! Canada is 3 for 3 against the USA . . . the last three times we invaded, we got our clocks cleaned (granted, the first time was when we were still British, but that still counts).

Yeah, but weren't we still British then too? That's more of a 'civil' war thing, though I don't think General Brock and Tecumseh have got the respect they deserve yet from history

Besides, some Canucks like to think we burnt the White House. That clearly would not have happened without British Regulars. OTOH, you guys burnt York (now a bit of Toronto). I'm just wondering if we could arrange a repeat? We'll come down and burn DC, you come up and burn Toronto, maybe Ottawa too? We'd probably both be the better off... clear out some deadwood... avoid future fires... etc...

The plan now is to absorb you culturally and economically. And that isn't going too well either!

You get our actors, our musicians, our computer programmers and engineers, and our doctors. That's not bad. We get your tourists, your draft-dodgers (or conscientious objectors), anyone of 'alternative' lifestyle who wants to get married, those who like de-criminalized marijuanna, and your (watery) beer. And we've got Survivor-clones, sitcoms, soaps, Cops!, etc. from our brethren to the South.

On the other hand, we have traded more useful things: We've got better butter tarts than your feeble powers can conceive of, we make a mean donut (I still think Tim Horton's donuts kick Krispy Kreme, but that's just me), and there's now a Canadian Single Malt Whiskey (as well as some single grain Ryes). OTOH, you guys have sent us some decent cars that aren't made out of plastic, that can plow through a winter, and you've sent us copies of a very nice constitution document. And probably, in all fairness, you've given a good home to a pile of Snowbirds in Florida.

All in all, I'm pretty happy we're managing an equal give and take. Except for the whole protectionism thing, but hey, who am I?

 

[Malenfant]

So how did we get from asking Dave Nilsen questions (you remember him, the guy who hasn't been around for ages who showed up here to answer everyone's questions? ) to quotes about history and Canada?! That sort of stuff is for Random Static surely? Can we get back to the point here, please?

 

[daryen]

BTW, does anyone know how many pages this BBS software can handle? I have never checked Random Static (except when it wanders around like the above), but I hadn't seen any other threads with 20+ pages before.

 

[LKW]

Originally posted by Malenfant:
So how did we get from asking Dave Nilsen questions (you remember him, the guy who hasn't been around for ages who showed up here to answer everyone's questions? ) to quotes about history and Canada?! That sort of stuff is for Random Static surely? Can we get back to the point here, please?

Dave will probably be back on line when he gets to Maryland from Kaintuckee. Which may take longer than he planned -- they've had rather heavy snow near there.

So, in the meantime, I wish everyone here the happiest possible winter soltice celebration of their choice -- Merry Christmas/Kwanza/Saturnalia/Hogwatchnacht/etc. (Hannukah is past, so it's too late for that).

 

[Malenfant]

Sorry if I came across as being somewhat cranky there - I have a stinky cold at the mo. I just didn't want to see this thread get derailed.

 

[kaladorn]

I hear Dave got to his Xmas destination in one piece. But yes, let us bring the thread back OT, as much as I like to wax poetic about my True North Strong (must be the Beer, not the Army) and Free(ish) home.

I'll post a question as amends:

The Empress Wave was a phenomenon in the making. But it sort of jibes with the Zho Core Expiditions, Longbow II, Strephon's ill-fated time away from the throne, etc. But which came first? Did the EW theory evolve to integrate some of these already disparate ideas and just 'suck them in' or did it spawn them?

A second:

I don't think it went that far, but was there going to be any way to resist, stave off, or diver t the impact of the EW? Some manner or personal mind shield or psi-shield? Some planetary shield?

A third:

Thinking on it today, imagining what everyone had sort of half planned for the EW, what do you imagine the impact would have been on the Solomani? I mean the Virus plus the tale end of the EW (I'm just guessing it might be weaker out near the Rim?) would be a challenge, but they weren't coming out of the same strife that tore the Empire apart... so what would you have seen of them? (Full Disclosure: I am a Terran sympathizer, card-carrying variety.)

 

[jalexandratos]

Originally posted by MJD:
I get kinda annoyed when people want to impose an exact parallel from history on the OTU.

No, it's not the fall of the Persian Empire, it's the Interstellar Wars. The Regency is not the USA, Norris is not Washington... it's the Regency and Norris is Norris...

Yeah, the Regency is more like post-Czarist Russia. Think about it, the overthrow of nobility to follow a structured, "democratic" government, led by a a strong-willed "man of the people".

Closed borders for protectionism. And an internal drive to bootstrap the technological yield (hence the quick procession of TLs).

Then again, one can find many reasons why this isn't true. History is cool that way--you can read anything you want when applying it to something else.

 

[aramis]

"Don't presume to tell me what a jump drive Can't Do... since Jumpspace Physics can barely explain what we know it CAN do!"
His Grace William Hamford, Court Duke, Honorary Chair of the Jump Space Institute, University of Regina, at the JSI Holiday party, 1-1111.

From a campaign wherein said duke decided to find out if you really could to a controlled misjump. (IE, more controlled than somewhere within 36Pc. He'd acquired Engineer 4 and Physics 4 as a Career Noble... and a promotion after DUKE...)

 

[Badbru]

Dave
Given that a lot of people seemed to think that the Belladona's first outing would be a trip up to The Covenant of Sufren, and that the Covenant was featured both in the GM's screen pullout adventure and Challenge 76 was there any plans to support this Pocket Empire or area of space in future GDW products?

 

[DED]

Originally posted by LKW:
Invade Canada? Are you nuts!

<snip>

The plan now is to absorb you culturally and economically. And that isn't going too well either!

Yeah, look what we did to hockey.

Sorry for the OT, but how can you talk about Canada without mentioning hockey, eh?

 

[Antony]

Just a quick question. It's regarding FF&S1 and those dreaded work stations and accomodations. Was there a reason that the sizes were increased so much. For example crew in the Panther tank example in Striker 1, the seated crewmen take up 1.5m3 each with the standing crew taking 2.5m3 split between the turret and chassis. Now in FF&S1 they all require a crewstation requiring 3.5m3 which makes it very hard to get a vehicle anywhere near that of a real vehicle.

Was this realised at the time the crewstation requirements were designed?

 

[Andrew Boulton]

A cramped crewstation is only 2.5m3.

 

[Antony]

I realise that, but the construction sequence says that an open vehicle may use cramped crewstations while enclosed vehicles must use open crewstations at 3.5m3. A WW2 Tank like the PZIII is most certainly not open topped.

 

[Anthony]

And, in any case, a real-world cramped crewstation is less than one cubic meter. You can reasonably fit passengers into a space 1.2m tall, 0.5m wide, 1m long (0.6 m^3 total), and it's possible to have enough stuff intruding into that space (e.g. under-seat storage) to make the actual volume 0.5 m^3 or less. A crewstation needs to be a bit wider near the top to allow freer arm motion, but will still be easily under a cubic meter.

 

[mike wightman]

Hmm, yet aircraft can have cramped or open crew stations, unless there are more than three flight crew.
I would suggest that a vehicle can have cramped crewstations regardless of the text, unless there are more than three crew in which case at least half of them must be in open crew stations.

By the way, where is the size of a passenger seat/couch listed?

 

[Antony]

Passenger seats are in chapter 7 of FFS1
they vary from 7m3 for roomy
3.5m3 for adequate
2.5m3 for cramped
1.5m3 for restricted (special purposes only)
Troops must be in cramped or better
Paying passengers in adequate or better
(obviously they have never flown in a 737!

 

[mike wightman]

Thanks Antony, for some reason I couldn't find it.

Now I wonder how I missed it

 

[Jame]

Originally posted by David Freakin' Nilsen:
Jame--

That was Retief's first name, wasn't it?

Yes, but I only realized that after I thought it up. All I'll say is that it's a bit of snippage, and no, it's not from "James."

Dave, where'd you get your avatar?

A picture I took of my dog Wisky around Dec 2000/Jan 2001. I shranked it and Hunter was kind enough to set it up as my avatar. He's magickal.

Second, for your survey, I CHOOSE SELECTION A!!!

Your choice is the cunning inverse of Bryan Ferry's answer to his own "have you a future?" in "Mother of Pearl."

CU,

Dave [/QB][/QUOTE]

Cool pick. And I've always thought well of Hunter - after all, he not only managed to convert Traveller to T20, but got all this CotI stuff set up.

Sorry, but I'm not getting that "Mother of Pearl" reference... Is it a book maybe?

 

[Dreadnought]

Greetings, to the Traveller Nation, or at least its New Era suburb.

Yes, I have made it to Mary's Land. However, I was only allowed to escape my desk before the snowstorm socked me in under the condition that I continue writing this proposal over the holidays. I have several more pages of SCORM and ATSC and RDL and ALO to write before I can kick back and have fun, which includes catching up here at COTI. So, I hope to be back soon.

Jame--"Mother of Pearl" is a Roxy Music song off of their third album, "Stranded." The "stranded" girl on the front of said album is Marilyn Cole, Playboy's 1973 Playmate of the Year, for you trivia buffs (those of you with more brain cells than I can work out the pun on "buff").

>>Cool pic

Thank you. She was an astonishing dog, full of joy and energy, amazingly nimble and athletic--a little bottle rocket, a bundle of white lightning, very attentive and intelligent. At the end I didn't even have to use my voice to tell her what to do, she learned my simple facial or hand signals. And that picture captures her essence, smiling and flying at the same time. I was very pleased to have captured it.

Hope to talk to you all again soon.

Dave

 

[jappel]

Now, now, Dave, don't go making fun of my state's name or it will be "NO CRABCAKES FOR JOOO!!!"

In any case, I was in the midst of a long Traveller hiatus during the TNE period, but I've greatly appreciated your taking the time to share these insights.

Cheers, and happy holidays to all,

John