PBG codes?

[Dragoner]

I have populated the Fulani sector from Travellermap and I am wondering what some of the codes mean.

Far Station 2905 A866841-F F 002 Na F1 V M8 D

I believe I understand the stellar data fine, though not the D at the end and it seems the G is for gas giant but I do not know what the PB stands for in the bolded section. The sector data comes out as:

1-18: Name
20-23: HexNbr
25-33: UWP
36: Bases
38-52: Codes & Comments
54: Zone
57-59: PBG
61-62: Allegiance
64-80: Stellar Data

The whole Fulani Sector is stated out and I am going through writing intros and such to the subsectors, it is also mapped out, I plan to make it available as an upload in the map section here.

Here is Fulani intro:

Fulani Sector

So far from home...

Welcome to the wild frontier: rimward lies the rift, across that the Aslan, coreward are the Zhodani, trailing the Imperium and spinward to the stars like dust. The Fulani sector is home to courageous adventurers and the broken hearted, some seeking a new life, some fleeing an old one. For some people the sky fell in, from all the various wars, Zhodani to Solomani or the Rebellion in the Imperium, the frontier offers all things to all people, refuge and a chance to start again. Do it right this time, do it better, strike it big, or just have a respite from the more settled worlds, where men don't shave their toehair and any woman a goddess. The Colony ships, big and small, mark their starcharts and head out, following intrepid scouts and explorers, into the void of the great unknown...



Lythgoe intro, data and map (I'll do print and poster for the sector and each subsector in it's own folder):

Lythgoe Subsector

"...Far Station is the Golden Gate to the new life that awaits you in the colony.." CLICK! Somebody really needs to re-do the welcome as you log onto Far Station commerce uplink...

Lythgoe Subsector is the gateway to the Fulani Sector and if it's heading into Fulani, it has probably passed through Far Station.

For Jump traffic, a refueling station is maintained between Rela and Lythgoe in hex 3002 (unmarked).

Sector: Fulani
Alt: Sector f5
DOS: fulani
Coord: f5

A: A Pieshivl
B: B Aquaria
C: C Bilahew
D: D Lythgoe
E: E Rosorky
F: F Zhdierqr
G: G Tiachtiebria
H: H Vanguard
I: I Encha
J: J Rdrefrn-40
K: K Janzya'jopr
L: L Zachrisson
M: M Eiebl
N: N Jdinchpipr
O: O Ozhev
P: P Idella

1-18: Name
20-23: HexNbr
25-33: UWP
36: Bases
38-52: Codes & Comments
54: Zone
57-59: PBG
61-62: Allegiance
64-80: Stellar Data

Lythgoe Subsector

Diimarus 2504 X77A000-0 Ba Lo Ni Wa 004 Na F5 V M5 D
Sivatag 2509 C560430-7 De Lo Ni 024 Na F7 V
S'foldje 2603 E778000-0 Ba Lo Ni 002 Na F1 V
Semmibol 2606 E353201-5 Lo Ni Po 025 Na F3 V
Szaraz 2607 E372101-7 Lo Ni 024 Na F4 V
Eishel 2609 E427000-0 Lo Ni 024 Na M3 IV
Dustward 2704 C553471-7 Ba Lo Ni Po 003 Na G5 V M3 D
Szeoxid 2706 E8A5000-0 Ba Fl Lo Ni 003 Na M7 V M5 D
Keseru 2707 E744100-7 Ba Lo Ni 003 Na M4 V
Achazchir 2710 C452511-A Ba Lo Ni Po 013 Na F1 V
Bancroft 2804 C676531-8 Ag Ni 003 Na F9 V M5 D
Rela 2903 XAB9000-0 Fl Lo Ni 001 Na G2 V M0 D
Dragos 2904 B3846X1-A Ni 000 Na F1 V Droyne World
Far Station 2905 A866841-F F 002 Na F1 V M8 D
Reliishma 2906 D1601D3-4 De Lo Ni 003 Na F7 V Religious Monastery
Ziirshi 3001 X410000-0 Lo Ni 003 Na A1 V
Deuric 3006 X212312-7 Ic Lo Ni 024 Na G5 V Deuterium Ice Mining
Damekgiziir 3101 E636000-0 Lo Ni 002 Na M8 V
Lythgoe 3102 C582410-6 Ni 004 Na F2 V M5 D
Kurri 3103 B8D6571-9 Fl Ni 014 Na K5 V M6 D
Niphilhim 3104 C766571-D Ni 023 Na G3 V M8 D Darrian Colony
Sihnaza 3105 D68A312-7 Lo Ni Wa 013 Na F0 V Terraforming Project
F5D-B16 3106 X300000-0 Lo Ni Va 023 Na M8 V M7 D
Cullis 3107 E310000-0 Lo Ni 025 Na M2 V
Kalten 3109 X422000-0 Ba Lo Ni Po 002 Na M0 III M7 V
Vepr 3201 B774513-C Ni 003 Na G4 V M0 D
Duquesne 3207 C5675A2-9 Ba Lo Ni 003 Na F4 V
Range 3210 X310000-0 Ba Lo Ni 004 Na M4 V

 

[aramis]

The P is Pop Multiplier.

If Pop Code is X and Pop Mult is Y, population is Y*(10^X)

The B (or second P) is Belts. As in, number of planetoid belts.

The G is number of Gas Giants.

 

[Dragoner]

Nice, so where are the codes for pop multiplier, is it from TCS or something later? Do you know what the D at the end stands for?

 

[far-trader]

The P is Pop Multiplier.

If Pop Code is X and Pop Mult is Y, population is Y*(10^X)

Except that multiplication by 0 (as in this case) does not mean a Population of zero.

It's more a Pop Refinement digit than Multiplier.

Does "0" even work?

 

[aramis]

Except that multiplication by 0 (as in this case) does not mean a Population of zero.

It's more a Pop Refinement digit than Multiplier.

Does "0" even work?

0 is an invalid entry, but could be read as 10.

 

[Fovean]

I believe the 'D' refers to Dwarf Star.

 

[Dragoner]

I believe the 'D' refers to Dwarf Star.

I was thinking that also, but a lot of worlds get that D code at the end.

 

[Matt123]

Edit... doesn't pay to get distracted sometimes! In context this replies to Far Traders "[FONT=arial,helvetica]Does "0" even work?" ...End Edit[/FONT]

No, if using PPG the range of values for the population level is 1 to 9. At 10 the Population level resets to 1 and the the Population digit in effect adds another 0.

ie:
Pop..Pop Level..Actual Population
2........8...............800
2........9...............900
3........0..............0000 (obviously a nonsense figure)
3........1..............1000
3........2..............2000
etc

 

[Matt123]

Taking an educated punt, those D's are a companion Dwarf to the main star.

 

[far-trader]

I believe the 'D' refers to Dwarf Star.

I was thinking that also, but a lot of worlds get that D code at the end.

I thought I'd also noted that, must have lost the train of thought between thinking and hitting post button

In my SMC book I have a margin note beside the size designation of " VII - White Dwarf " where I penciled in a " D " and iirc in the whole of the SMC extra data there is not a single " VII " notation, but a lot of " D " notations for stellar size. I'm not sure it was ever official errata though.

SMC was my first exposure to the PBG string and I seem to recall the same pondering of the Pop Refinement and what to do with "0". Multiplying made no sense. Neither did reading it as "10" as Wil suggests since that would be the lowest of the next Pop Code. I think I ended up mostly ignoring it or rerolling. The only numbers that can functionally work in that are 1-9 as Matt123 has noted. So "0" is a nonsense value and "10" would be the next higher Pop Code value.

 

[Dragoner]

Thanks! So the pop code is from the Spinward Marches Campaign?

 

[far-trader]

Well, it doesn't say how to generate it as I recall. It was just the first place I ever saw it in CT. I have a vague notion it may have been introduced in one of the CT alien modules.

I think it was included in later expanded world gen (WBH or some such maybe) but I can't check those, awol or mia

 

[Dragoner]

I have the Mega Traveller and TNE disks on the way, so I can check it out. I guess that is another thing to fill in on the sector info sheet.

 

[far-trader]

I had a quick search through the CT alien modules and the Pop Modifier (the whole PBG actually) first shows up in Solomani (Copyright 1986) which is a full year after SMC (Copyright 1985) inlcluded the PBG. Both use the median example and suggest a 0 through 9 modifier though 0 of course makes no sense. For what it's worth I also looked at TCS, it seems to have Belts and Gas Giants as code additions (P for planetoids, I presume) and G for gas giant, noted in the campaign section world lists. I didn't see anything about generating them but it was just a quick skim.

Maybe it was introduced as part of a JTAS article?

 

[Dragoner]

I have the CT and JTAS disks, though this is where Aramis' encyclopedic knowledge of Traveller comes in handy, maybe he knows.

 

[BytePro]

D is for Dwarf size. Used in place of VII (which is White Dwarfs).*

From system features table* -

• Companions are quite common (~40%) and if mainworld is defined first, many will get +4 DM boosting that to closer to 50%.
• Most companions are Dwarfs because primary size is added to roll and Dwarfs are the most common (5 of 12, and the highest 3 entries). So probably 85% of the above will end up Dwarfs.

Eyeballing the above table - this seems to fit.

*All CT Book 6 - there are probably differences!

Logically:

• Population (exponent) of 0 should represent less than 10 inhabitants (i.e. x1)
• Pop multiplier/modifier of 0 should only be allowed if Population (exponent) is 0
• This would have covered zero to 9 inhabitants.

However, Population 0 is defined as 'No Inhabitants' in CT, instead of less than 10 inhabitants. And I don't think any restriction was placed on Pop multiplier/modifier of 0.

These also vary from version to version (and possibly within versions), or so I've been led to believe.

 

[aramis]

I was thinking that also, but a lot of worlds get that D code at the end.

That's a dwarf companion star to the primary.

 

[Dragoner]

That's a dwarf companion star to the primary.

Thanks! You wouldn't happen to know where the pop modifier code rules are written? I looked through scouts bk 6 and didn't see it, though I haven't hunted through all the JTAS articles.

 

[aramis]

Thanks! You wouldn't happen to know where the pop modifier code rules are written? I looked through scouts bk 6 and didn't see it, though I haven't hunted through all the JTAS articles.

First place I encountered them memorably was in Grand Census, by DGP. But they were also present in some other items.

 

[Dragoner]

Alright, thanks everyone, it has been a big help, gets me closer.