J-5 Xboat route in the Spinward Marches
- Thread starter Wolfsbane
- Start date
What J5 link? The base at Strouden probably has something J5-capable, but I don't know of a J5 x-boat route. One of the drawbacks of the x-boat routes is there are a number of points where they have to make short hops to negotiate a route that goes more than 4 parsecs.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
The jump 5 link that exists in the Spinward Marches before it was retconned rather than explained. Tenalphi 0206 A774102 E NInd to Strouden 0707 A745988 D Ind
Explanation 1 - it was used to test the forthcoming jump6 droptank xboat network
Explanation 2 - Tenalphi has the highest TL in the subsector and a type A starport - it manufactures vital components for LSP shipyards on Strouden and so a special jump 5 trade route is maintained. The normal xboat isn't used, rather IISS 'rents' message capacity on the traders.
Explanation 3 - the original author couldn't count the hex path properly and thought it was a 4 pc route.
Explanation 1 - it was used to test the forthcoming jump6 droptank xboat network
Explanation 2 - Tenalphi has the highest TL in the subsector and a type A starport - it manufactures vital components for LSP shipyards on Strouden and so a special jump 5 trade route is maintained. The normal xboat isn't used, rather IISS 'rents' message capacity on the traders.
Explanation 3 - the original author couldn't count the hex path properly and thought it was a 4 pc route.
I was like, "huh?" There's no J-5 XBoat route on Travellermap... then looked at S3. Oh.
In-universe, if the route exists the IISS services it with 200Td TL-12 5Boats on the route (LBB2 '81) or 100Td TL-14 5Boats (HG '80)
Spoiler:
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mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
You can build a TL10 200t jump 5 xboat using LBB2 77 edition, by TL11 you can build a 400t jump 5 packet instead.
Explanation 4: A typo or error of some kind in making the map for printing. (basically the same as expl. 3 above, but puts the error at a slightly later stage of the process.)
I always assumed an error of some sort. Years later I came across the maxim, "never ascribe to malice what can be ascribed to stupidity." And then there is "Typos exist. Always?"
I always assumed an error of some sort. Years later I came across the maxim, "never ascribe to malice what can be ascribed to stupidity." And then there is "Typos exist. Always?"
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I prefer to make a feature of it - so the jump 5 route stays IMTU.
I was like, "huh?" There's no J-5 XBoat route on Travellermap... then looked at S3. Oh.
S3?
Where's the fun in that?
Yeah, the LBB2 '81 rules-as-written 5Boat has to be 400Td. At that point it starts being something other than a nBoat and more like a repurposed long-range scout.
Spoiler:
It was moved--now Tenalphi to Strouden, J-4 link.
More bothersome than the J-5 link is the inefficiency--say Rhylanor to Regina. And also the vulnerability in Corridor (at the Narrows) with only a single line, running rather close to the frontier. Why didn't they at least have back-up links? And even more precarious link through the Sword Worlds to Five Sisters.
I am not completely sure that the xboat routes are efficient in general. I have modeled a few combinations of information flow (no xboat routes vs xboat + supplemental incidental j2 travel - news carried by whatever ships happen to transition in and out of the system) and propagation by xboat is not all that much faster and in a few instances the xboat arrives in a system to find the news is already there. Here is an example, news of the Emperor's assassination:
(this was why I was asking why it didn't appear in travellermap, I generate the xboat routes from the sector files there and wondered if I was missing one).
Probably from a metagaming view: this was in the late 70s and the X-Boat route was really there just to show how long it takes to get across the Imperium. No idea if it was randomly generated but as this was pre-personal computer days, I'd go with manual (and I am certain there is something out there detailing that). And someone probably miscounted hexes. And the political states were a lot more vague in the beginning, even the Imperium was a very nebulous concept only hinted at in the early books.
From an in-game view, cribbing from what I've read on this forum: legacy routes, nepotism, behind-the-scenes maneuvering by various Imperial factions, a tendency to sticking with what has always been done, there are more routes but are not public nature, the Navy & megacorps have additional routes that are not official and more efficient.
BRJN
SOC-12
They are not.
I looked into X-boat transmission of Strephon's assassination to the respective capital worlds of Daibei and Old Expanses sectors. Old Expanses gets extra weeks (maybe months, gotta check my notes) of war before Daibei officially knows anything is going on.
And the X-boat delay to Solomani Prime Objective ... err excuse me Terra ... guarantees the general populace will be surprised in addition to feeling surrounded by foes, abandoned and betrayed by the Imperial government, when the Solomani invasion fleet arrives overhead.
There is a way for a Solomani raiding squadron with an ambitious Commander to make sure Vega, Terra, &c never get "official" X-boat-delivered notification of Strephon's death or the Rebellion. See that one-and-only X-boat route Coreward...?
Don't forget, there's also the secret J6 routes that aren't shown, which is how the nobility gets advance word of all things official. The secret info makes it to a world at jump-6, which gives them weeks or months of advance notice on the 'official news'.
Imperiallines is the name of the front organization in the Marches, different sectors had different names for the cover operations.
Imperiallines is the name of the front organization in the Marches, different sectors had different names for the cover operations.
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