(hypothetical) What would you ask Dave Nilsen?

[Rick Baumhauer]

Loren - thanks for the update. Good to know we'll see Dave around again when time permits.

Rick

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by LKW:
In the meantime, continue to post questions if you have any.

Well since you invited it...

Something that has bugged me, off and on, and it's cropped up again recently, in FF&S (one of the BEST Traveller books) under the description of Jump Drives there's this:

"Important Note: The smallest jump drive possible, at any tech level, is 2 cubic meters in volume."

It's caused a few debates though no blood has been spilled, yet, to my knowledge

I'm convinced this is a small typo that was missed in the proofing and errata* and it should read "28 cubic meters". I mean 2 cubic meters is pretty small to warrant a bold type "Important Note" to clarify, we're talking a 7ton J1 starship before we reach that minimum level. It's tough enough to build even a 7ton spaceship. Corrected as above it would also then fit earlier Traveller minimums, without requiring the old 100ton hull minimum, unless that too was an oversight.

* Unless it was addressed in the second printing and the update in Challenge #75 (don't have that issue anymore but I don't recall it being addressed).

Anyway if you or Loren have an opinion I'd be happy to see it when you have a chance. Thanks.

 

[Vargas]

Originally posted by far-trader:
. . . to clarify, we're talking a 7ton J1 starship before we reach that minimum level. It's tough enough to build even a 7ton spaceship.

Huh, maybe if we stretch the definition of what's a torpedo it'll work . . .


[ducks]

 

[mike wightman]

A torpedo in Triplanetary (old GDW game) is 20t...

Like it or not, the jump torpedo is canon in CT 1st edition and CT Adventure 4 - and since Adventure 4 is included in the FFE reprints it is still Traveller canon

 

[far-trader]

hehe, yeah but I thought we all hated the whole jump torp thing

 

[mike wightman]

But a jump torpedo is about the same size as a suit of BattleDress <shameless reference to another thread>

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
But a jump torpedo is about the same size as a suit of BattleDress <shameless reference to another thread>

( ) That reference is out of context! I was in no way suggesting a legitimate case for wearable jump drives!

 

[mike wightman]

We'll get wrong for going off topic

 

[kaladorn]

The problem with the wearable jump drive *isn't* that you couldn't do it (if you happen to believe in the whole Jump Torp black project fiction that INI cooked up), but that the exposure to jump space without a proper AV 40 hull around you is pretty bad for you.

 

[RandyT0001]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:

Like it or not, the jump torpedo is canon in CT 1st edition and CT Adventure 4 - and since Adventure 4 is included in the FFE reprints it is still Traveller canon

I thought that there was an old interview where Marc Miller stated that the jump torpedo in Adventure 4 was a design flaw/anomaly and basically de-canonized the jump torpedo.

 

[mike wightman]

Then why reprint it without the caveat that it is no longer canon?
The 2nd edition of CT doesn't mention jump torpedos, but it doesn't say they don't exist either

Adventure 4 still includes the jump torpedo, TNE still has the jump boat, and MTU will definitely have jump capable suits

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
The problem with the wearable jump drive *isn't* that you couldn't do it (if you happen to believe in the whole Jump Torp black project fiction that INI cooked up), but that the exposure to jump space without a proper AV 40 hull around you is pretty bad for you.

Since when is it the armoured hull that protects the ship from jump space?
I thought the jump bubble, which is always at least a metre from the hull, protects the ship from jump nasties.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:

We'll get wrong for going off topic

Touchè

 

[RandyT0001]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Then why reprint it without the caveat that it is no longer canon?
The 2nd edition of CT doesn't mention jump torpedos, but it doesn't say they don't exist either

Adventure 4 still includes the jump torpedo, TNE still has the jump boat, and MTU will definitely have jump capable suits

I suppose it would have been too much trouble to add to the reprints.

Question for Dave: why did you include the jump boats (of less than 100 dton, I aausme) that Sigg mentions when the only reference to jump capable craft of less than 100 dtons is in an adventure based on the non-corrected (corrected in all later editions of CT and MT) 1st print run of Classic Traveller LBB1-3? Didn't it just add to the controversty of the mistaken inclusion of jump torpedoes without really adding to the game? Why add an obvious contradiction to the previous rulesets (CT, 2d printing+ and MT)?

 

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
I thought the jump bubble, which is always at least a metre from the hull, protects the ship from jump nasties.

Well, yes. But I'm assuming that is encased in the 40 AV hull (ie requires a certain bulk of hull along with a few major power feeds into that hull).

So I'm supposing (as I justify away the Jumpsuit (why does an image of some female Marine in plush pink battledress come to mind?)... la la la... didn't see it... don't admit it...) that the battle dresses hull being less than half that thickness (based off my chosen MT system's armour ratings) is just not thick enough or correctly composed and the flexible parts of the BD certainly wouldn't have the integrity to maintain the fairly rigid structure that the jump grid requries... <continue handwavy rationalization until all signs of Jump Torpedos or other canon-wrenchers are gone...>

 

[daryen]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Then why reprint it without the caveat that it is no longer canon?

Because they are reprints. If they started making changes, they wouldn't be reprints anymore. They would be a new revision or something.

Besides, who cares? If you like jump torpedoes, then use them. If you don't, don't. Who's going to know?

The only time it matters is if you are going to get something "officially" published. At that point you will either get knocked back for grossly violating canon, or you won't. But until that point, does it matter?

 

[Antony]

In any case the psychologicla effect of a marine in jump space totally isolated for a week would be "interesting."

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Antony:
In any case the psychologicla effect of a marine in jump space totally isolated for a week would be "interesting."

Just have his suit Med AI dope him with Fast at the threshold and then slam a hit of Anti upon precipitation (or orbit to orbit even). Pricey sure, but only relatively, and the trip is only about 3 hours (subjective), just right for an in flight movie

Now if something should go wrong with that, well boredom or a bathroom will be the least of the Marine's worry.

 

[Antony]

I know, lets design a vehicle that can carry a whole platoon of marines in jump space.. Only one jump drive required then.. I've got it, lets call it a Kinunir.

 

[Vargas]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Then why reprint it without the caveat that it is no longer canon?
The 2nd edition of CT doesn't mention jump torpedos, but it doesn't say they don't exist either

Adventure 4 still includes the jump torpedo, TNE still has the jump boat, and MTU will definitely have jump capable suits

The lowest production cost answer is to reprint everything as is.

(And then you get to watch the grogs beat each other senseless ).