The Traveller Adventure

[Timerover51]

I am working on the railroads using the data from The Railroads of the Confederacy by Robert Black III, plus some other material. With respect to Diesel or Diesel-electric, that is borderline Tech Level 6, as lightweight Diesels for locomotives were really only developed in the 1930s under funding from the US Navy, which was looking for lightweight Diesels for submarines. Then both books say that the construction workers for the railroads were bought it from off-planet for construction, which means that the local Tech Level was not up to building the railroads, so was really Tech Level 3.

Then there is the problem of the population. The books list it as 1.9 million approximately, with 200,000 in the capital of Sadi. That leaves 1.7 million for the rest of the land area, which is approximately 20,106,000 square miles or 52,075,040 square kilometers. That gives one person per 11,8 square miles or 30.6 square kilometers. Alaska, for comparison, has a population of 738,432 per Wikipedia 2015 estimate, for 663,268 square miles or 1,717,856 square kilometers, giving 1.26 persons per square mile or 0.49 per square kilometer. That population is awfully thin and spread out to support even a Tech Level 4 society. The pre-Civil War South was an agricultural, agrarian society of roughly 9 million people, and really had problems building steam-powered equipment, or producing large amount of wrought iron rail for railroads. The map in the GDW version shows about 26,400 kilometers of railroad track, or 16,400 miles, which is an enormous amount of track for the given population. I will see what I can find on watering and wood stations, but based on Black's book, you are going to need about 16,000 or so persons just to maintain and operate the existing trackage, and the South did not have to worry a lot about snowfalls and icing conditions, are you are going to have in the southern areas of Mere.

 

[whartung]

Then there is the problem of the population. The books list it as 1.9 million approximately, with 200,000 in the capital of Sadi. That leaves 1.7 million for the rest of the land area, which is approximately 20,106,000 square miles or 52,075,040 square kilometers. That gives one person per 11,8 square miles or 30.6 square kilometers.

You're assuming the population is evenly distributed, which is a pretty gross assumption.

 

[Timerover51]

You're assuming the population is evenly distributed, which is a pretty gross assumption.

I understand that it is not evenly distributed, as that is clearly spelled out in the adventure itself. What I am trying to show is that the population is very sparse for the size of planet, which limits what technology can be achieved. There are supposed to be 9 towns with populations of circa 20,000 plus another 20,000 in outlying areas at the end of the rail lines, so that accounts for 360.000 more. Then there are circa 40 settled areas of 3,000 to 5,000 along the rail lines, with maybe twice that number further out. That gives another 600,000 in population fairly widely dispersed. Add all of those numbers up, and you get 1,160,000, so maybe another 700,000 really spread out over the planet.

One thing that strikes me immediately is, how are you going to keep replacing filter masks on a regular basis when your population is scattered all over the place? Second, how are you going to control said population? The Mere continent is easily twice the size of the US and Canada combined, and the fastest communication is via telegraph.

 

[aramis]

Perhaps the taint is something that locals can wash out of the filters... toxic pollens?

 

[Spartan159]

Perhaps the taint is something that locals can wash out of the filters... toxic pollens?

While I had not narrowed it down to pollens, I did have them using something like you suggest. There was even concern that the characters would stand out using the advanced tech nose plugs they had.

 

[Whipsnade]

Charcoal can be made anywhere you have "trees" and grinding it isn't exactly high tech either.

A filter mask with replaceable charcoal sachets isn't too hard to imagine.

 

[Timerover51]

While you have not reached Zila as yet, you might want to give some thought to how well your characters will operate in 0.25 Gravity, especially if using projectile weapons. At 100 meters, a projectile traveling at 1000 meter per second will have a drop of just under a half-inch, at 200 meters the bullet drop is about 2 inches. The thin atmosphere is not going to slow a projectile down as much as Earth's standard atmosphere, so those ballistics are not going to be too far off. In one-half of a second, on object will drop only 1 feet, compared to 4 feet under standard gravity. Pysadi has similar, but less extreme ballistic problems.

If your characters start to run, they are going to be bouncing into the air, and taking a while to come back down. This will, of course, make them excellent targets. Note, while your characters reflexes are going to be all messed up, the locals will not be having problems, as they will be used to it.

I also have some doubts about how long the anolas will last under One Gee, compared to the Half Gee they will be conditioned too. The first time they try to jump from one elevated spot to another, they are going to crash quite hard.

I would need to do some more research, but I suspect that the Half-Gee on Pysadi is going to put some restriction on how much a locomotive can pull behind it, based on the lower friction co-efficient of the wheels on the track, unless some action is taken to increase the frictional resistance.

 

[pendragonman]

While you have not reached Zila as yet, you might want to give some thought to how well your characters will operate in 0.25 Gravity, especially if using projectile weapons. At 100 meters, a projectile traveling at 1000 meter per second will have a drop of just under a half-inch, at 200 meters the bullet drop is about 2 inches. The thin atmosphere is not going to slow a projectile down as much as Earth's standard atmosphere, so those ballistics are not going to be too far off. In one-half of a second, on object will drop only 1 feet, compared to 4 feet under standard gravity. Pysadi has similar, but less extreme ballistic problems.

If your characters start to run, they are going to be bouncing into the air, and taking a while to come back down. This will, of course, make them excellent targets. Note, while your characters reflexes are going to be all messed up, the locals will not be having problems, as they will be used to it.

I also have some doubts about how long the anolas will last under One Gee, compared to the Half Gee they will be conditioned too. The first time they try to jump from one elevated spot to another, they are going to crash quite hard.

I would need to do some more research, but I suspect that the Half-Gee on Pysadi is going to put some restriction on how much a locomotive can pull behind it, based on the lower friction co-efficient of the wheels on the track, unless some action is taken to increase the frictional resistance.

Are you deliberately mixing SI units (meters) and English units (inches)?

 

[Timerover51]

Are you deliberately mixing SI units (meters) and English units (inches)?

Yes, mainly because I find it easier to visualize bullet drop in inches and feet, while the use of meters is simpler for getting to tenths of a second if you are using 100 meters and 200 meters as target distances. A .30-06 round, traveling at 2700 feet per second or 900 yards a second does not convert as nicely to 100 yards or 100 meters in time to cover.

A Savage ,250-3000 will fire an 87 grain projectile at 3000 feet per second, and is an effective deer round. I could have used that for the 100 and 200 yard targets, but it is not that common a round. The M-16 5.56mm round is moving around 1000 meters a second, so I could use that for the meter work.

My main point was trying to illustrate some of the problems in working in considerably different gravitational fields. Consider someone native to Zila going on board of a ship with gravitational plates set to 1G. That would be the equivalent of 4G to us. I doubt if they would like the experience.

 

[creativehum]

While you have not reached Zila as yet, you might want to give some thought to how well your characters will operate in 0.25 Gravity, especially if using projectile weapons. At 100 meters, a projectile traveling at 1000 meter per second will have a drop of just under a half-inch, at 200 meters the bullet drop is about 2 inches. The thin atmosphere is not going to slow a projectile down as much as Earth's standard atmosphere, so those ballistics are not going to be too far off. In one-half of a second, on object will drop only 1 feet, compared to 4 feet under standard gravity. Pysadi has similar, but less extreme ballistic problems.

If your characters start to run, they are going to be bouncing into the air, and taking a while to come back down. This will, of course, make them excellent targets. Note, while your characters reflexes are going to be all messed up, the locals will not be having problems, as they will be used to it.

I also have some doubts about how long the anolas will last under One Gee, compared to the Half Gee they will be conditioned too. The first time they try to jump from one elevated spot to another, they are going to crash quite hard.

I would need to do some more research, but I suspect that the Half-Gee on Pysadi is going to put some restriction on how much a locomotive can pull behind it, based on the lower friction co-efficient of the wheels on the track, unless some action is taken to increase the frictional resistance.

A notion:
The reason an expertise level in a weapon is so valuable in Traveller is that the PC is trained and capable in using it in various environments.
Meanwhile a character with a 0 expertise might well suffer penalties for new or unexpected environments.

 

[aramis]

A notion:
The reason an expertise level in a weapon is so valuable in Traveller is that the PC is trained and capable in using it in various environments.
Meanwhile a character with a 0 expertise might well suffer penalties for new or unexpected environments.

The expected environment most likely being shirtsleeve words, in field iniforms, with well maintained weapons.

The rest of it being generalization...

Firing a low recoil rifle is not too dissimilar from firing a laser, nor from a high recoil rifle... nor even a crossbow.

Once you learn the basics of aiming, fire discipline, and firing posture, they're the same for all similar form rifles. (Crossbow and laser being a bit further out but still, "sight, hold, squeeze, breathe..."

 

[kilemall]

I am working *on the railroads using the data from The Railroads of the Confederacy by Robert Black III, plus some other material. With respect to Diesel or Diesel-electric, that is borderline Tech Level 6, as lightweight Diesels for locomotives were really only developed in the 1930s under funding from the US Navy, which was looking for lightweight Diesels for submarines. Then both books say that the construction workers for the railroads were bought it from off-planet for construction, which means that the local Tech Level was not up to building the railroads, so was really Tech Level 3.

Steam locomotives of the Civil War era were woefully underpowered compared to even 1915 engines.

Probably TL3 would be Trevithick/Stephenson engines requiring near level roadbed, TL4 is 1860-1900 level power, TL5 would be 1915-1940.

The Winton 201-A engine that powered the Pioneer Zephyr was used at the same time in locomotives, largely the same story on the FT's 567 and the RS-1's 539.

Fairbanks-Morse would be an exception as they were primarily sub engines and they entered the locomotive business after.

There was a lot of cross-pollination to be sure between sub, small boat/tug and locomotives before during and after the war, but I would take exception that USN subs wholly fostered their initial development.

GM was working on both sub power sets AND the Pioneer Zephyr in the same year, 1933.


Hmm, actually did not know this until I started looking, but looks like it was the other way round- the USN went to diesel engine locomotive manufacturers in a competition as per this history-

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwi9r5iqlMHSAhVB5yYKHfkrD1oQFggaMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dtic.mil%2Fcgi-bin%2FGetTRDoc%3FAD%3DADA603182&usg=AFQjCNGcIEq_TFbr8xyDFmX8t6web53jQw&bvm=bv.148747831,d.eWE&cad=rja

Then there is the problem of the population. The books list it as 1.9 million approximately, with 200,000 in the capital of Sadi. That leaves 1.7 million for the rest of the land area, which is approximately 20,106,000 square miles or 52,075,040 square kilometers. That gives one person per 11,8 square miles or 30.6 square kilometers. Alaska, for comparison, has a population of 738,432 per Wikipedia 2015 estimate, for 663,268 square miles or 1,717,856 square kilometers, giving 1.26 persons per square mile or 0.49 per square kilometer. That population is awfully thin and spread out to support even a Tech Level 4 society. The pre-Civil War South was an agricultural, agrarian society of roughly 9 million people, and really had problems building steam-powered equipment, or producing large amount of wrought iron rail for railroads. The map in the GDW version shows about 26,400 kilometers of railroad track, or 16,400 miles, which is an enormous amount of track for the given population. I will see what I can find on watering and wood stations, but based on Black's book, you are going to need about 16,000 or so persons just to maintain and operate the existing trackage, and the South did not have to worry a lot about snowfalls and icing conditions, are you are going to have in the southern areas of Mere.

The economics of building railroads especially in low tech environments without extant roads or other support is daunting. When everything has to be hauled 'out there', it costs.

Shipping to a port and building out would be a typical move, like the Central Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad from California.

Of course, if the steel is being shipped in, the starships or delivering small craft could drop off supplies directly on-site or nearby.

Probably an example of remote building would be the British Empire's epic India railroads project, shipping locomotives and pre-built bridges all the way from the UK in 1850-1870 hulls.

The engineering, blasting and building is a HUGE capital expense up front, many railroads failed trying to service that debt. That would be a big question.

It is also a constant battle to maintain tracks, they can require effective complete replacement every 10-30 years.

I'm not familiar with the planet in question, but the quoted populations would have difficulty servicing the debt on a transcon, it would have to be subsidized by a government or a corporation.

 

[Jame]

The expected environment most likely being shirtsleeve words, in field iniforms, with well maintained weapons.

The rest of it being generalization...

Firing a low recoil rifle is not too dissimilar from firing a laser, nor from a high recoil rifle... nor even a crossbow.

Once you learn the basics of aiming, fire discipline, and firing posture, they're the same for all similar form rifles. (Crossbow and laser being a bit further out but still, "sight, hold, squeeze, breathe..."

This is why I handwave the skill of "Rifle" or "Pistol" to include lasers, slugthrowers and so forth. Not too dissimilar from each other, once you have skill, and it eases play by reducing skill bloat.

 

[whartung]

Even with a variance of .5g high or low, most rifles I think would keep practical accuracy at reasonable ranges (100-200 yards). Precision work would be different, of course. But a gravitic compensating electronic site would be child's play I think.

Today I think it would be straightforward to add a simple accelerometer to an electronic site that, once zeroed, could compensate for different gravitational fields. Your margin of error will expand, no doubt, but the site would be reliable for "minute of man" or "minute of deer" practical targeting with no accommodation needed by the shooter.

Otherwise, a seasoned rifleman would know rules of thumb to compensate in different environments (hold a little bit high/low). Given the opportunity to rezero, they simply need to eyeball an updated ballistics chart.

Don't forget, that not just gravity will affect the trajectory, but atmosphere density as well. A low G, thin atmosphere world is a different ballistic environment that your generic, terran norms.

How is the Ballistic Coefficient of a bullet affected by atmosphere density.

But, as mentioned, on "shirt sleeve" worlds, a rifle zeroed for 100 yards will still be pretty effective if simply sited on the center of mass, with no hold over/under.

 

[Supplement Four]

Even with a variance of .5g high or low, most rifles I think would keep practical accuracy at reasonable ranges (100-200 yards).

I saw some rules for atmosphere somewhere in the game--maybe in the CT Atmospheres Special Supplement?

Maybe it was in MT.

I don't remember exactly where I saw it.

 

[aramis]

I saw some rules for atmosphere somewhere in the game--maybe in the CT Atmospheres Special Supplement?

Maybe it was in MT.

I don't remember exactly where I saw it.

MT increases attenuation (which higher is better; it's the number of range bands before Pen halves) for lower atmospheres. RM p.23

Very THin +1
Trace +2
Vaccum +3
Exotic, Corrosive, Insidious or Dense-high –1

To use these in CT... Max Range is the same; a dash remains a dash.
+1 treat medium as short, Long and VL as medium.
+2 treat Medium and Long as short, VL as medium
+3 treat Medium, Long and VL as short.
–1 treat Medium as long, And Long/VL as impossible.

 

[Timerover51]

As an example of what sort of weight would have to be shipped in to Pysadi for the rail network, the following information comes from Garnet Wolseley's invaluable Soldier's Pocket Book, 1886 Edition.

The railway begun from Suakim towards Berber was of 4' 8.5" gauge: the steel rails were 56 lbs. per yd., spikes 8 oz. each ; fish plates 8 lbs. each; 88o fish plates per mile ; bolts, 1 ib, each ; 1760 bolts per mile. The rails, fish plates, bolts, and fastenings, 8cc., complete with due allowance for sidings on a single track line of this description, weigh about 130 tons per mile. Fir sleepers 9' x 9" X 4*5", wt. 1 cwt. each, were used ; 2000 sleepers per mile.

For 100 miles the rolling stock supplied was, 6 4-wheel and 12 6-wheel locomotives (weight of each full and running about 17 tons ; the tender when full, about 53 tons), 8 saloon and 44 3rd class carriages, and 12 break (sic) vans.

Note, this was the amount of material actually shipped to Suakim for Wolseley's 1885 Campaign to rescue Gordon from Khartoum, so it is not a theoretical exercise. The 56 pound per yard rails, while common for the period, would be viewed as quite light, given the 100-110 pound per yard steel rails used now.

As for capital costs, you could build very well, and reduce maintenance costs, or build cheaply and pay for it in increased maintenance costs. The difference, based on some handbooks circe 1880, is about 3 in both cases, in terms of costs per mile. Again, looking some handbooks over, it looks like watering stations every 35 miles or so, with less being better, assuming that local water resources are available and usable, while fuel should be good for about a cord of wood for a lightly-loaded train at 75 miles. By lightly loaded, I mean a train with 10 freight cars of 10 tons cargo each. That does assume wood-firing, but given the distances covered on Pysadi, you are not going to be hauling coal long distances for fuel.

 

[Spartan159]

It occurs to me to wonder why the anolas negative effects have not affected the priests and salvors, surely there would have been some observation in the hundreds of years they were colonized?

 

[Whipsnade]

It occurs to me to wonder why the anolas negative effects have not affected the priests and salvors, surely there would have been some observation in the hundreds of years they were colonized?

I'm sure it has. I'm sure it's one of the reasons the priests and salvors are so insistent that whomever the anolas imprint on/bond with stick around: They don't want the anolas choosing someone else!

Everyone walking in the woods on Pysadi doesn't come home with a troop of anolas tagging along behind him. It happens, just not daily, monthly, or even yearly. It happens, but only under specific circumstances the chief of which seems to be the whim of the anolas themselves.

In the locals' experience, once a troop of anolas "decide" to imprint on/bond with a someone, they're going to do so come hell or high water. If, for instance, their first target manages to hop a train to the starport, the anolas are going to find someone else. An entire village or town is going to start playing a very disruptive game of "Tag, You're It" trying to shed themselves of the little furry bastards.

Accordingly, the Church steps in to maintain public order. They tell the "lucky" person "You ARE it." and then essentially quarantine the "Chosen One" and his Furry Friends so life can move on in a greased groove.

 

[Spartan159]

This evening I'm looking at the Akerut trade routes. The adventure only has stats on the 5,000 ton Mammoth class which only has jump-1, but has at least two jump-3 connections in the subsector. Granted they have a supply of demountable tanks but in both cases, there is the possibility of a 2 jump connection. [shrug] (^.^) [/shrug]