Jump Theory 101

[Ptah]

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
(Physical Sciences Warning)
Ah the joys of "Magic Number" theory...

An explanation of "Magic Number Theory" for the non-chemist readers:

Some elements are more stable (from a nuclear chemistry point of view) than others, and it appears to be based on the configuration of their nucleus. Lead and Iron are extremely stable, Uranuim and Plutonuim are not (IIRC Plutonuim only exists as a manmade material, generated by neutron bombarding uranium) Extrapolating out from our current understanding of trends in the periodic table, there should be "islands" of stability somewhere in the trans-uranics, way past element 100. (Element 126-128 is the range that I have heard for the beginning of stability my eyes glaze over when people discuss the right "mix" of protons and neutrons) Unfortunately the only way that we have come up with to "create" these elements is to smash nucleii togehter with a particle accellerator, so it's an open question as to the actual stability of elements that are created this way. Do they decompose (fragment) because they are unstable, or because the residual energies of the collision break them up?

Scott (too geeky by half) Martin

[More OT info]
The elements at 126-128 are predicted to be stable in the sense that they are radioactive but with half-lives on the order of millions of years. For non-chemist/physicists the half life is where about half of the substance remains, but portions of the substance can remain for many, many half lives. If you start out with enough, you wil still have measurable quantities many half-lives down the road.

edit: they actualy shouldn't break up (if formed) do to the collision energy, the break up of elements formed in particle accelerators is due to their inherent instability (radioactive decay) for some of the more stable elements they actually build up enough matter to do experiments on.

I see what you are talking about though, with molecules (bonds mediated by the interactions of electrons) formation by collision can dump enough energy into molecular bonds so that fragmentation results. With the nucleus, once you get over the repulsive barrier of the electrons, at short ranges the strong nuclear force takes over. Certainly some mesons, etc. might get radiated (that's where extra energy can go) but the formed element will not fragment due to energy from the collision itself. Of course not all collisions will produce the element.

On earth people try to get to this island by smashing transuranics into things at high energy. Even at higher TL how cost effective will it be to samsh enough atoms to get kg quantities or more required for a spacecraft. Space, however, has many ways of smashing things together on a grand scale hard enough to form heavy elements, one of which would be supernovas. This could make for some very interesting "mining" scenarios in dangerous regions and make some unihabitable systems strategically important.

 

[Scott Martin]

Hey Bill

Sorry, I should have explicitly said that the 100D limit was not required. I'm still waffling a bit on where I stand opinion-wise with the "gravitic" vs "volumetric" 100D limit. For most rocky bodies this won't differ by a whole lot, for stars and gas giants it will be significant. I *think* that I'm probably a "tidal" heretic, but I need to look at the implications of both (as mentioned, MTU is quite stringent on emergence and jump points)

One of the other issues that hasn't been touched on (and is vanishingly unlikley, but an excellent adventure seed) what happens if you emerge from jump overlapping something? Is this impossible (you hit the 100D limit of the pebble) or is this a "Bad Thing"? Would this make jump operation in nebulae particularly dangerous?

Scott Martin

 

[Scott Martin]

Ptah:

I keep forgetting how many orders of magnitude difference there are between "nuclear" and "molecular" forces: the interior of a collidor is a really hostile environment for molecules, but a "sunny day" for isotopes Of course, Nuclear dampers get invented at TL-12, so you could stabilize the core of your accellerator to keep those (extremely fragile) nucleii stable long enough to smash another few (dozen) alpha particles into them. This might work for Kilogram-level synthesis of ultra-heavy isotopes. Another alternative would be to focus your damper at the point where a pair of uranium or plutonuim spheres will be smashed together (tro make critical mass) and use this area as a neitron absorber (so the outer volume is not damped, the iner volume is) this *should* stop spontanious fission (and enhance neutron / particle absorption in the core) allowing "enrichment". Other options exist using gravitic technologies as well, but none of this has a lot of bearing on the mechanics of jump drives (OOH! Shiny!)

OTOH if you are using gravitic "manufacturing" of artificial isotopes, this would also prevent jump drives being invented by anyone without gravitic technology, so this would have a bearing on the current discussion.

I'm thinking a hard week of looking at *nasty* database mistakes has taken its toll: too much running of the brain2mush() macro...

Scott Martin

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
One of the other issues that hasn't been touched on (and is vanishingly unlikley, but an excellent adventure seed) what happens if you emerge from jump overlapping something? Is this impossible (you hit the 100D limit of the pebble) or is this a "Bad Thing"? Would this make jump operation in nebulae particularly dangerous?

Scott,

None of the published articles ever directly touched upon it. MWM, LKW, et. al. walked a fine line between details and vagueness; a necessity actually when dealing with a RPG system.

There have been a few statements you may want to mull over.

According to the MWM 'Jumpspace' article in JTAS, any object larger than the vessel jump ing can exert a jump limit upon it. So, a Suleiman can be maksed by a Beowulf which can be masked by a Type T which can be masked by a Broadsword which can be etc. etc. etc. (This is strictly applied IMTU.)

Given that 'empty' space is rather 'full' of pebbles, dust motes, solar wind particles and the like, IMTU, ships exiting jump space 'muscle' such particles away from their exit point. This is partially responsible for the 'jump flash' phenomena - particles, dust, etc. are accelerated away from the exit point at extreme velocities.

Again, IMTU, the 'dirtier' the exit point, the more 'muscling' the ship must do and a greater chance of damage is the result.

On the other side of the problem IMTU, entering jump space in a 'dirty' region can lead problems; rough entry with damage up to misjumps, when particles, dust. etc. are trapped in the jump bubble with the vessel.

So, a pebbel can be 'kicked out' or 'sucked in' with whatever consequences the GM requires!


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Ptah]

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
Hey Bill

One of the other issues that hasn't been touched on (and is vanishingly unlikley, but an excellent adventure seed) what happens if you emerge from jump overlapping something? Is this impossible (you hit the 100D limit of the pebble) or is this a "Bad Thing"? Would this make jump operation in nebulae particularly dangerous?

Scott Martin

I like Bill's comments above, but IMTU I've decided below a certain density it gets sucked into jump space, above a certain density your jump point shifts. The worse case scenario, you don't come out of jump...and then you need enough fuel to try again in 1 week.

The guiding idea being I don't want a system to easily block an object from emerging from jump space or for a ship to explode in real space should there be something there (and the weapon potential that could create).

 

[far-trader]

Searching for some other material I came across this and it seems it could add to the discussion points. I'm unsure when it was published.

Canon material from TNS Bulletin:

Regina/Regina (0310-A788899-A) 097-1105


Officials of the General Shipyards on Regina announced that it has completed negotiations with Tukera Lines to locally manufacture L-Hyd drop tanks for use on high-capacity commercial vessels. General will assemble components at its more modern facilities on Pixie (0303-A1001030-D). The first production examples are expected to be available within six months, at which time Tukera Lines will begin high capacity service from the interior. Component assembly will be carried out at General's more modern facilities on Pixie (0303-A100103-D).

L-Hyd drop ships have only been in service for the last dozen years in the interior, being made possible by recent advances in the field of capacitor engineering, a joint press release explained. Commercial vessels equipped with the new generation of long-storage jump capacitors carry jump fuel in specially designed L-Hyd drop tanks in excess of their rated tonnage. Upon conversion of the fuel to the massive energy required for jump, the drop tanks are explosively jettisoned through the use of break-away connections and explosive bolts. Jump is executed when the remains of the tanks are a safe distance from the vessel.

A spokesman for General Shipyards explained that local yards are not yet capable of manufacturing the long-storage capacitors required for the process, but that production of the drop tanks is possible, thus allowing the high capacity starships of the Tukera Lines to begin service to the Regina subsector.

L-Hyd tanks are not reusable, and thus increase the absolute cost per jump. However, experience has shown that the increase in cargo tonnage resulting from the elimination of internal J-fuel storage more than makes up for this, the press release explained.

 

[far-trader]

But before anyone gets too excited and design happy, this story followed shortly after, so there's not likely to be any commercial drop-tanks in use

Nor the proposed J-6 X-Boats.

Regina/Regina (0310-A788899-A) 186-1106

A spokesman for Tukera Lines announced indefinite suspension of high capacity commercial service to the Regina subsector pending outcome of the official investigation of the Trimkhana-Brilliance tragedy.

Less than a month ago, the 800-ton liner Trimkhana-Brilliance was lost with 217 lives due to a jump capacitor discharge immediately prior to jump. While all four survivors of the disaster are still under intensive medical care, interviews with the one surviving crew member indicate that the capacitor discharge may have been due to a delay in jump after full charging due to a failure of the port inboard L-Hyd drop tank to separate completely.

A Tukera Lines press release stated that a team of company engineers would be "taking a long hard look at General Shipyards' quality control standards."

In the wake of the announcement of high-capacity service suspension, General Shipyards common stock fell 34 points in the Regina exchange before exchange officials suspended trade. Oberlindes Lines stock closed up 5 3/8.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
One of the other issues that hasn't been touched on (and is vanishingly unlikley, but an excellent adventure seed) what happens if you emerge from jump overlapping something? Is this impossible (you hit the 100D limit of the pebble) or is this a "Bad Thing"? Would this make jump operation in nebulae particularly dangerous?

I'm not sure about the small stuff but recall a TNS or TAS story about two ships coming out of jump "together" as in overlapped and fused (iirc).

I can't find the story in the archives or net on a quick search but maybe someone else recalls it.

 

[Scott Martin]

Hi Far Trader

I remember those articles coming out, IIRC right around when HG(1) came out.

One of the follow-on articles suggested that sabotage might have been involved

Real posts to follow later, probably late this PM...

Scott Maritn

 

[Whipsnade]

Gents,

The second half of the IMTU Jump 101 post. Remember, this is IMTU.

Recapping, we've entered jump space by 'inserting' zucchai crystal 'nozzles' into the proper jump space dimension and, using hydrogen 'modified' by lanthanum coils, a 'bubble' or 'blister' is then 'inflated'. That bubble 'ruptures' into normal space around the ship, the ship is engulfed, the rupture 'heals' or 'seals' and the ship is now in jump space.

What happens next:


Jump Bubble - The bubble is fully formed and no more hydrgen is added or needed. This means all jump fuel is used at the very beginning to insert the zucchai nozzles, modify the hydrogen, and inflate the bubble. As I'll show, energy for another purpose is neccessary but this can be provided by other power sources; main powerplants, APUs, BIG battery banks, etc.

Jump Vector - The vector a vessel follows through jump space is formed at the very beginning of jump. The 'tumble' of the vessel 'into' the bubble and the 'structure' of the bubble all play a role in this. IMTU, vessels move through jump space but do not maneuver through it. Careful 'tumble' plotting and careful 'bubble' formation are both required to set up a proper vector through jump space.

A vessel's jump vector or course through the jump dimension it is using looks like a straight line when translated to our normal space dimension. When in jump space, a vessel moves steadily along that line again relative to our normal space dimension. This 'Bead On A Wire' model allows for both jump masking while answering the 'Three Body' and 'Door Stop' problems.

Bubble Tension - Instruments aboard the vessel in jump space sense the 'tension' along the 'interface' between the protective bubble around the vessel and the jump dimension beyond. Part of the jump course generated earlier inlcuded a 'tension profile plot'. Apart from the usual unknowns; how much 'dirt'(1) you brought with you, the 'texture', 'grain', or 'density' of jump space at your entry point or along you plotted course, the more accurately a crew is able to maintain the 'tension profile plot' generated earlier the more accurate in time and space the jump will be. By monitoring and tweaking the 'tension' of the 'interface', a crew constantly maintains their plotted jump course against the unknown vagaries of the jump space dimension they are travelling through.

Again, maintaining bubble tension closely to the previously plotted tension profile allows a crew to hit their jump target in time and space.

Mis-Jumps - These occur for all the usual reasons and in all the usual manners. Bad fuel will make a bad 'bubble'. A bad plot will result in a bad 'tumble' and thus create a bad 'vector'. Lose control of the 'interface tension' and you'll come out where and/on when you didn't plan to. More extreme misjumps; those involving great variations in time like the IN destroyer that spent the normal space equivalent 250K years in jump or great variations in space like the '36 Parsec Gallop', require more extreme mistakes; partial bubble formation, total loss of tension control, and the like.

Jumps from within 100D - Jump space seems to have a 'grain'. Outside 100D it is of no consequence. This 'grain' also allows movement in only one direction; away from the body exerting the limit. Within 100D it effects jumps markedly. Vessels can enter jump between 10D and 100D at the cost of an almost 100% chance of a misjump. The closer to 10D the bigger the chance but the relationship is neither linear or understandable.

Jumps from within 10D - Flip a coin. Heads nothing happens but your jump drive is wrecked. Tails you're dead. (The 'You're Dead' result is not spectacular enough to destroy cities, starports, or even a landing pad.)

Real Space Vectors - A vessel keeps the real space vector it had prior entering jump all through jump. That vector has no meaning in the jump space dimension traversed and therefore has no effect on jump. Vessels will often create a real space vector before jump that will assist in the system they are jumping to.

Jumping Masking - Full bore, very strict jump masking. Any object larger than the vessel in jump can exert a jump limit and therefore exert jump masking on that vessel.

Jump Limits - Canon states you precipitate where you contact a jump limit, not when you contact it. IMTU, I've added another wrinkle. Jump limits are either 'smooth', 'reflective', or 'sticky'. A 'smooth' limit stops the vessel along its course through jump space. As teh object exerting the limit moves in real space, its limit moves in jump space and the vessle in contact with that limit 'slides' along it. In some case the limit clears the jump course and the vessel resumes its course for the amount of time it has left in jump.

A 'reflective' limit is just that; it 'reflects' the vessel according to the old 'angle of incidence equals angle of refraction' law. After being reflected, the vessel moves along its new course for the amount of time it has left in jump.

With a 'sticky' limit, the vessel stays at the point where it contacted the limit and, as the body exerting the limit moves, the vessel moves with it emerging when its time is up.

Just how a jump limit will behave when you contact it cannot be predicted. Contacting a jump limit always does damage. The amount of damage seems to bear a relationship to how large the body is that is exerting the limit and how soon in jump a vessel contacts it.

Jump Duration - A vessel exits or is 'expelled' from jump space after the canonical 168 plus or minus 10% hours. A prediction of jump duration can be made from 'bubble tension' once the 'interface' settles down, usually just a few minutes into jump. Bubble tension will signal both a 1- 6 hour general and and a 6 - 12 minute specific warning of emergence.

Multiple vessels can share plotting information and even briefly share sensor information during bubble rupture and use it to synchronize their jump duration in accordance with MT rules.

Jump Exit - If the crew plotted a course free of jump limits and if they maintained bubble tension according to the plotted profile, they'll exit within 3000km of their plotted point and close to the time predicted when they entered jump.

'Dirt'(1) at the exit point is accelerated away from that point as the jump bubble again 'ruptures' and releases the ship. The accelerated 'dirt' makes up a large part of 'jump flash' along with a shower of very short lived 'strange' particles from the jump space dimension.

The 'dirtier' the exit point, the rougher the exit. This could equate a mild shimmy, heavy shaking, or actual damage.


Well, that's it. Fold, spindle, and mutilate to your heart's content.


Have fun,
Bill

1 - Dirt refers to all those particles, dust grains, and even pebbles that 'empty' space contains.

 

[Scott Martin]

A possible jump fuel (and jump grid) reconciliation.

I've thought about this for a couple of hours, and I still don't see that it's in the "incredibly stupid" category, so I'll give it a spin. Feel free to shoot holes in it

The *only* purpose of a jump grid is to allow a "cleaner" transition into jump space. Think of it as Jump Lubrication. MT, TNE and T4 ships used them out of neccessity, CT ships may have used them, but they still "budgeted" enough fuel to make the transition the "hard" way.

Some ships, especially military ships, will be designed in such a way that damage to the jump grid will not impair its ability to jump. Other starships, especially merchant hulls, will be designed to maximize operational profits, and minimize fuel usage. By using a jump grid (an undamaged jump grid) you can ease the transition into jump space, and reduce the amount of jump fuel required for this transit. An absolute lower limit of jump fuel is required to "punch the hole" (break the barrier) equal to roughly 10% of the volume of the translating hull. After that, additional increases in jump range are at a minimum cost of 5% per additional increment, and an upper bound of 10% per additional increment.

As a result, Military vessels with minimal reaction mass requirements (read "HG warships") or vessels designed with modular components that may be used in a military or paramilitary application (read "LBB2 ships") always allocate 10% of volume for fuel per jump number, to allow the ability to jump after damage to 100% of their jump grid. Vessels with very high reactor mass requirements, (read "MT ships") ships that use reaction based propulsion (read "TNE ships") or ships designed to maximize commercial haulage (read "T4 ships") will almost always carry a jump grid either to maximize the amount of fuel available for maneuver and extended operation, or to minimize the amount of cargo space lost to fuel tankage.

Since the LBB2 design sequence was used to build "modular" ships for both civilian and military service, the drives would be a similar spec: while some merchants would gripe about the lost capacity, the reduced cost of the "standard" components could well offset the lost revenue (especially if the "A" drive was actually interchangable between the free trader and the scout: lots of scouts would get scrapped with life left on at least *one* of their main engineering systems...)

This also reconciles Bills point about HG and MT damage: you just can't tell (within the resolution of the game) how most "commercial" hulls would stand up to taking "surface" hits from large batteries since almost any of the standard "civilian" CT ships being hit by a HG battery would take insta-crits, and be rendered inoperable.

Gunner 1: "Can it still jump?"
Gunner 2: "Maybe, if it's tanks hadn't shattered"
Gunner 1: "how about the other one?"
Gunner 2: "No Powerplant..."
Gunner 1: "and the scout?"
Gunner 2: "C'mon Frank, teensey-weensey pieces can't jump"

Hulls hit by multiple smaller batteries (with no armour) would be similarly gutted, so it's really pointless to speculate if their jump grid was stripped off, or if some other systems failure claimed them first.

Scott Martin
___________________________

P.S. I had always assumed a "sticky" jump limit, as in Bill's article above: contact a jump limit, stop there, emerge a week after you entered jump.

P.P.S.
IMTU I assume that the jump bubble collapses over time, with the rate of collapse related to the energy needed for jump. The jump fuel is used to "push" the bubble out as far as possible, and Hydrogen is used because it gives the most pressure per unit mass for anything except Helium (which is a lot more expensive and troublesome). Some ships IMTU have survived jumping with (barely) insufficient fuel, at the cost of having sections of their hulls planed off (resulting in lots of secondary radiation as well) and the mechanism of ships destroyed (lost) in jump remains in the Secrets Sophonts Were Not Meant To Know category (I don't even have to handwave this one: wanna find out? jump within 10D!)

If a ship emerging from jump emits with spectra other than the Balmer spectrum (Hydrogen emission lines) then it's either heavily damaged, using unrefined fuel, or it sucked a lot of crap into jump with it. If you're emitting "iron" lines, you've probably got lots of damage.

Balmer (and Lyman and Paschen) spectra are discussed in a fiarly accessable way here:
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/quantumzone/balmer.html
and gives you the background for why "lasing" uses less energy as you move away from the ground state. The first energy "step" will be from N to ground state, and this will have the shortest wavelength (and thus the highest energy). Step 2 --> 1 is always favored, since energy partition will always favour the least energetic meta-stable state. (Please correct me if I'm in error, Phys Chem was a LOT of years ago, although I tend to remember the fun stuff better, I could still be horribly wrong...)

 

[Whipsnade]

Scott,

Interesting! You've used jump grids to explain MT's changes in jump fuel requirements. Killing two birds with one stone as it were.

I'll mull it over, but I never used DGP's jump grids or MT'sjump fuel requirements.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[mike wightman]

Scott,

how about just saying:

ships built with 10%-60% fuel formula don't use a hull grid and thus don't take surface hits to their jump drive performance;

ships with a hull grid use the 10%-35% jump fuel formula and can take surface hits to their jump performance?

 

[mike wightman]

This is how jump works IMTU:

First off, ships never enter the jump space dimensions either. Between our space and jump space there is some sort of dimensional membrane.

My version has the jump drive create a partial wormhole using focused grav.

Imagine dropping a lead shot onto a thin latex sheet.

The higher the jump number of the drive, the deeper the well created and thus the further into jump space the ship pseudo-penetrates

The hole the ship falls into is then closed, and the ship is in a bubble of real space suspended in "jumpspace".

Jumpspace then squeezes the bubble of normal space, much like an orange pip squeezed between your thumb and finger. This propels the ship to its exit point.

Once in jump space the ship is cut off from our universe, its course can take it straight through a star in normal space, but that star has no effect on the ship jump space, it is too deep inside jump space.

It is only if a large object is at the emergence point that the ship's exit is moved to the 100D limit due to the shallow imprint the objects gravity has on the n space/j space boundary.

As the ship's jump bubble touches the boundary with normal space again, it "pops". This causes gravity ripples and an EMR pulse, and also pushes smaller objects from the ship's emergence point.

 

[Scott Martin]

Bill:

I'd rather try to reconcile the systems than say "Someone didn't think about the implications of massively increasing power plant fuel, and when it was noticed close to press time something had to give to cram a useful ship into the hull" My MT stuff was all purchased used at a very steep discount, and I'm in the process of tracking it down and giving it away. Have you *ever* seen used LBB Traveller at a games store? Even in the early '80s? Besides, I try to only be this cynical at work

I was tempted to just ignore the Jump Grid completely, but it affords such wonderful adventure opportunities: an easily damaged surface structure made of a highly reactive, horrifically expensive substance that is intricately tied to your FTL drive? Tell me you can't abuse that one!

That said I *do* ignore the dilithium^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H zucchai crystals as belonging to another universe entirely. You won't notice any mention of them in my posts, except to point out their absence.

Scott Martin

 

[Scott Martin]

Sigg

There were two reasons for not using your "simpler" explanation. The first is that folks hitting this website are far more likely to be interested in reading about stuff that they can actually use in their game than a discussion on the underlying rules structure.

The second is because ships with stripped jump grids *can still jump* (I bet that MT surface hits don't damage Jump Drives either) but at an increased fuel cost, depending on remaining jump grid area.

<GAME MECHANICS>
Jump fuel = 10% + (5% + 5%x(1- fraction of grid remaining)x(jump number -1)

For ships with no jump grid this is 10% per jump number, for ships with 100% jump grid this is 10%+5% per jump number above 1, and for a ship with 50% of its grid stripped this would be 10% + 7.5% per jump number.

This could be "back ported" into HG with reduced jump fuel requirements for ships, and some calculation of jump grid stripping in HG combat.
</GAME MECHANICS>

I think that I'd just skip it and say that HG ships were due to a design philosophy prelavant when there was a lot of border skirmishing (Coalition forces in the Spinward Marches, Vargr at Corridor and Solomani to Rimward, K'kree to trailing) so the IDB (Imperial Design Bureau) decided that the increased cost of fuel was more than offset by the decreased cost of jump grid repairs.

Obviously they came to their "senses" just in time for the rebellion Either that or the megacorps got sick of losing work to small "upstarts" who could build commercial ships that were "unfairly" competitive because their fuel margins weren't designed to take combat damage. Its another explanation for why the vast majority of "commercial" ships in the LBB era were Jump-1 only.

The TNE and T4 "universes" are strongly functionalistic, so this kind of "fad" would be quashed fairly fast.

Needless to say, my impression of the 3I is of an inefficient buearocracy, offset by nobility of various competence who attempt to forward the agenda of the 3I despite the massive "drag" engendered by the reams of administrivia.

This was one of the reasons (IMTU) that the Navy was popular with the nobility, because the chain of command largely bypassed the idiots. That "+1 Soc" mustering out benefit isn't from winning a yacht race, it's the nobility rewarding you for having the guts to squash some self-righteous paper-pusher.

The paper pusher probably has friends too...

Scott Martin

 

[Scott Martin]

I am seeing consensus (at least among the folks that have posted) that Jump is initiated or related to some kind of gravitic effect. The only poster who hasn't made that link was Bill who (I suspect deliberately) has a more generic "Energy Pulse" initiate his Jump.

We also all seem to be in agreement that the (huge pile of) Hydrogen jump fuel is mostly used to stabilize the interface between the jump "universe" and the bubble of normal "universe" that the ship carries along with it.

Sigg postulates that the 100D limit only matters at one end or the other of jump. I think I'd tend to waffle and say that only "massive" objects interfere with Jump (Grandfathers pocket universe gate being one of those objects)

Is there anyone with a non-gravitic theory for Jump in their Traveller Universe?

Scott Martin

 

[mike wightman]

Note that I'm probably in a small minority with that view of the 100D limit

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
The only poster who hasn't made that link was Bill who (I suspect deliberately) has a more generic "Energy Pulse" initiate his Jump.

Scott,

Yeah, it was deliberately generic. I'd come up with 'explanations' of in-game technology before and had it blown away by the next JTAS issue.

Suggesting that the 'energy burst' is gravitic energy is good wrinkle. I didn't make the link between the two in '82 or '83 because I'd never really had to explain the 100D limit. By the time I'd heaard about the 'tidal' or 'gravity' based replacements for the 100D limit, I no longer needed to 'explain' jump drive to players who were engineers.

I've been mulling over your neat explanation of jump grids and MT's jump fuel requirements. I liked the idea of killing two birds with one stone, but the concepts you proposed don't quite fit.

Tell me where I went wrong, okay?

The two types are:

- No-grid jump drives, more robust, can take more damage, need the CT fuel amounts.

- Gridded jump drives, less robust, can take less damage, use the MT fuel requirements because they can 'slip' into jump space easier (I really like that last bit.)

When they're used in OTU history...

T4 - grid
CT - no grid
MT - grid
TNE - grid

...and that's because the CT is more 'dangerous' - but is it really?

Look at the historical eras as a whole and not just at the Marches.

T4 - Early Imperium, expansion into surrounding regions, pocket empires absorbed or fought (from PE, war with Chanestin Kingdom, early emperor's palace built to defend against drop troops from enemies, Pacification Campaigns, Julian War, Corridor Campaigns.

CT - Mature Imperium, Golden Age, one border clash (4th FW) and one war (5th War) with Zhodani, no major wars along the borders, usual Vargr raiding, Imperial core is described as 'staid' and 'decadent' in adventures and library data.

MT - Civil War across all domians of the Imperium except Deneb, alien (Vargr & Aslan) and foreign (Sollie) invasions.

TNE - Dead Imperium, small 'points of light' within the corpse, Virus, pocket empires, TEDs, the Regency Quarantine Line, vampire fleets, Rape of Trin, etc.

Which era is more dangerous again?

I like the 'gravitic energy burst' idea and I'll use it to apply with gravity-based 'tidal' jump limits IMTU. I still do not like jump grids or MT's fuel requirements however. Because your very interesting idea about both does not fit the OTU's millenia-long history as I see it, I sadly cannot use the idea IMTU. It simply doesn't work IMTU.

It should work in many other TUs and work very well. That's a good thing!


Have fun,
Bill

 

[mike wightman]

You know, I can't find a reference in TNE to a jump grid
In FF&S you have to allocate surface area for the jump drive, but this could just as easily be the engine exhaust/plate structure that many CT deck plans show the jump drive with (look at Supplement 7, most have them ).

And T4 has both the 10-60% fuel formula, and hull grids

Using the 10-35% would help to fix the Lurenti, Tigress, and Kokirrak