CT Only: The Imperial Gravitational Standard

[Supplement Four]

I've brought up this topic a few times. I just did a search, and I started to resurrect one of those. But, I think those would make hazy the Question: Is there an Imperial Standard that speaks to world gravity?

Looking at the Aramis subsector, there is only one world that is Size 8, and that world is a Red Zone (with a Dense and Tainted atmo).

That means that just about every character to be born and grow up on any of these worlds is used to non-Standard gravity.

You've even got worlds like Pysadi (Size 4) and Zila (Size 2!) where PCs who are born there would have a real problem in a Standard 1G field.

So, given this problem, is there something the 3I does to encourage worlds to be as close to 1G using 1G plates in buildings and such on the world?

Is there an Imperial Gravitational Standard?

 

[aramis]

The most common size for a populated world is 5. Which is 5/8 G_E or 6.25 m/s², vs the "standard" of 10m/s² used in various places for simplicity, or the 9.8 m/s² of Terra. (Presumably, either Sylea or Vland is the 10, but that's not spelt out.)

 

[whulorigan]

. . . vs the "standard" of 10m/s² used in various places for simplicity, or the 9.8 m/s² of Terra. (Presumably, either Sylea or Vland is the 10, but that's not spelt out.)

I have always assumed that since Terra & Sylea are so close to 10m/s², that in the Imperial era the "g" as a unit is defined to be exactly 10.0 m/s², since there is no particular reason to tie it to any particular world with so many inhabited worlds. This then meshes very nicely with the metric system as a "defined" metric unit of acceleration.

 

[Ulsyus]

I have always assumed that since Terra & Sylea are so close to 10m/s², that in the Imperial era the "g" as a unit is defined to be exactly 10.0 m/s², since there is no particular reason to tie it to any particular world with so many inhabited worlds. This then meshes very nicely with the metric system as a "defined" metric unit of acceleration.

...and as I think it was Aramis pointed out in another threat, the use of grav plates in habitats would enable people to grow and live in a standard grav field. Too, that is if they're on the planet in the first place and not in an orbital over it.

That last still counts against a planet's population in its UWP doesn't it?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Since at the founding of the 3I, there were no widely recognised human homeworld (cf Solomani Hypothesis), it is unlikely that Imperial standards are based on Terra, except as vague memories of the Rule of Man.

9.8 m/s² is just a convenient approximation rounded to one decimal, just as 10 m/s² is a convenient approximation rounded to zero decimals.

Apparently 1 G is defined to 9.80665 m/s².
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_of_Earth#Legal_definition

 

[Garnfellow]

A lot of the Third Imperium standards go all the way back to the Ziru Sirka. Vland is listed in Vilani and Vargr as having a diameter of 14,850 km and gravity of 1.15.

 

[Garnfellow]

I have always assumed that since Terra & Sylea are so close to 10m/s², that in the Imperial era the "g" as a unit is defined to be exactly 10.0 m/s², since there is no particular reason to tie it to any particular world with so many inhabited worlds. This then meshes very nicely with the metric system as a "defined" metric unit of acceleration.

Doesn't Sylea = Capital, which has a size of 5, a diameter of 7,600km and a surface gravity of approximately 0.7G?

As Aramis points out, the average sized world is 5* so maybe Capital would be the most appropriate baseline.

*T5 allows for mainworld sizes larger than A, which skews the average up VERY slightly.

 

[McPerth]

As Aramis points out, the average sized world is 5* so maybe Capital would be the most appropriate baseline.

IMHO this is not the relevant question. The relevant question is that the Imperium is moslty human, and humans are best fited for a gravity of 1G (9.8 m/s²), so I guess this is the likely standard.

Even while Vland humans may have been adapted to a higher gravity (Vland has a gravity of 1.15 G), most measures (time, distance, etc) used by the imperium are taken from the Solomani (I guess since the Rule of Man), and I guess the gravity is likewise tretaed.

For colonized worlds, the use of gravitics make the local gravity less important, as you can set the gravity as you please in inhabited zones (though it may have importance outside those zones).

Of course, for non-solomani, confort gravity may be different (e.g. the VIlani may be best suited for gravity 1.15 Gs), but same happend to time (hours, days, years) in local basis, and yet the Imperial accepted measures are the Solomani ones (though I guess local ones have some uses locally).

 

[whulorigan]

Doesn't Sylea = Capital, which has a size of 5, a diameter of 7,600km and a surface gravity of approximately 0.7G?

You are correct. For some reason in the back of my mind I thought Sylea was Terra-sized.

Of course, Sylea might be more dense and have a higher gravity . . . )

(Not sure about the canonical status of Sylea's density).

 

[Condottiere]

Well, we do calculate performance for manoeuvre drives per Terran standard.

 

[ovka]

Well, we do calculate performance for manoeuvre drives per Terran standard.

Only in the Solomani Sphere.

Solomani Customs Agent: "Pull it over in the asteroid belt, hotshot."
Imperial Ship Pilot: "What's the trouble officer?"
Solomani Customs Agent (while removing a set of mirrored shades): "Son, you're in Solomani space now. You were accelerating at 10 g. The acceleration limit here is only 9.8."

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[Garnfellow]

(Not sure about the canonical status of Sylea's density).

Traveller's Digest 9 has world details on Capital, which are a tad more refined than the wiki: 7,652 km diameter and surface gravity of 0.69g.

 

[Soly]

While Gravity adds a nice touch, and can add to an adventure, we are mostly dealing with Human Ancestors, which all started out from a 1.0 g standard gravity.

Gravity, isn't just determined by size, but density.

Any planet truly worthy of Colonizing would be as close to Earth type as possible, although there would be exceptions, as there are to any rule.

Anything other than Human characters would have their Gravity Standard dictated by the Homeworld.

Standard has to be 1g for the Imperium. Well IMTU that is.

 

[AndyW]

Long term exposure to a much different G force than a species spent millions of years adapting to would have health consequences. One can live in low G environments longer, as high G would push the cardio to the limit. IMTU I assumed that habitable worlds tended to be very close to the Terran acceleration, or less. If one lived on a high G world at all, it was in grav shielded habitats.

Travellers, of course, are a rare breed who spend most of their lives with choices, smart ones would choose 1G or only slightly more for a workout. Then one has to wonder, can a PC increase STR by habitually living under, say, 1.2 G conditions?

 

[BRJN]

Then one has to wonder, can a PC increase STR by habitually living under, say, 1.2 G conditions?

… how Imperial Marines get that +1 STR on the Marine Life table? :devil:

 

[Timerover51]

Long term exposure to a much different G force than a species spent millions of years adapting to would have health consequences. One can live in low G environments longer, as high G would push the cardio to the limit. IMTU I assumed that habitable worlds tended to be very close to the Terran acceleration, or less. If one lived on a high G world at all, it was in grav shielded habitats.

Travellers, of course, are a rare breed who spend most of their lives with choices, smart ones would choose 1G or only slightly more for a workout. Then one has to wonder, can a PC increase STR by habitually living under, say, 1.2 G conditions?

I would say that they might increase their strength but at the same time, move their aging crisis up by at least 4 years, so that it occurs sooner. Then there would be the question of whether or not your reflexes change to compensate for the higher gravity making things fall faster. There may also be a greater fear of heights from the consequences of falling any distance in a higher gravitational field.

 

[mike wightman]

Reflexes would improve faster than strength since a fall is mush faster and more damaging.

Increasing str and dex and penalising end is how I do it.

I like the idea of moving the aging roll forward by a term, I think I will borrow that.

Thinking it through a bit I may change the way I do it to increasing Str and Dex and moving the aging roll - it is a great idea.