CT Only: World Creation Ranges for Atmosphere

[Tim C Koppang]

I may be driving myself a bit nuts here, and I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere. However, when generating UWPs in CT (I have the 1981 Deluxe rules), there are a few oddities that don't seem to add up regarding the range of each of the six stats. Specifically, the rules don't tell you want to do if you generate results outside of the described ranges for each stat.

First you have Planetary Size and Population. These are easy enough: 2D-2 without any modifiers. That'll always give a range of 0-10.

Similarly, Hydrographics is supposed to be percentile range in increments of 10%, so a range truncated to a max of 10 makes sense regardless of the modified roll (although that does seem to favor water worlds, doesn't it?).

It's the other derived stats that are giving me a headache, especially Atmosphere. Atmosphere is 2D-7+size, and if size equals 0, so does atmosphere. That gives a potential range of -4 (2 - 7 + 1) all the way through 15 (12 - 7 + 10). I assume any number less than 0 should just be 0. However, what about on the high end? The descriptions only go up through C (insidious), but I know there are extended description tables available. That's no problem.

But what do you do about the Tech Level Table on page 12? The Atm column only lists a range up through E with a DM +1 for determining the tech level. F is left blank, which supposedly means that a atmosphere of F is impossible to generate using the system.

Did I make an error somewhere? Or is the table wrong, and if so, should the DM for atmosphere F be +1?

For comparison, government is derived in a nearly identical way: it's 2D-7+population. Population will always be 0-10, which gives a possible range for government of -5 (2 - 7 + 0) through 15 (12 - 7 + 10). Round up to 0 for anything less than 0, and the Tech Table confirms a range of 0 - F.

So what's up with Atmosphere?

 

[ShapeShifter]

Have you consulted the Errata document?

 

[GypsyComet]

The occurrence of an F atmosphere is statistically around one per two sectors for the usual density, and the definitions above C were not put in place until Scouts, IIRC. All three come from (or have examples in) fiction by Larry Niven, with Poul Anderson and an early and obscure collaborative world project called Medea providing additional examples.

Canyon (Niven's "Ringworld Engineers") is a "Thin, Low"
Jinx (Niven) and Medea are egg worlds
Plateau (Niven) and Rustum (Anderson) are "Dense, High" worlds

All of the exotic atmosphere types (A+) give a +1 on the TL roll in later editions.

 

[Tim C Koppang]

Have you consulted the Errata document?

I did, but didn't see anything mentioned.

 

[Tim C Koppang]

The occurrence of an F atmosphere is statistically around one per two sectors for the usual density, and the definitions above C were not put in place until Scouts, IIRC. All three come from (or have examples in) fiction by Larry Niven, with Poul Anderson and an early and obscure collaborative world project called Medea providing additional examples.

Canyon (Niven's "Ringworld Engineers") is a "Thin, Low"
Jinx (Niven) and Medea are egg worlds
Plateau (Niven) and Rustum (Anderson) are "Dense, High" worlds

All of the exotic atmosphere types (A+) give a +1 on the TL roll in later editions.

Very cool. Thanks for the source reference too. I'm very much into the sci-fi lit underlying the game.

 

[Axe]

From the errata:

"WORLDS AND ADVENTURES (Book 3, 1981 edition)

Page 12, World Generation Checklist, step 6D (correction): While the World Creation section (page 7) shows the Hydrographics formula as 2D–7+atmosphere, the checklist incorrectly shows the Hydrographics formula as 2D–7+size."

Edit: Never mind, you were writing about something else.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I may be driving myself a bit nuts here, and I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere. However, when generating UWPs in CT (I have the 1981 Deluxe rules), there are a few oddities that don't seem to add up regarding the range of each of the six stats. Specifically, the rules don't tell you want to do if you generate results outside of the described ranges for each stat.

First you have Planetary Size and Population. These are easy enough: 2D-2 without any modifiers. That'll always give a range of 0-10.

Similarly, Hydrographics is supposed to be percentile range in increments of 10%, so a range truncated to a max of 10 makes sense regardless of the modified roll (although that does seem to favor water worlds, doesn't it?).

It's the other derived stats that are giving me a headache, especially Atmosphere. Atmosphere is 2D-7+size, and if size equals 0, so does atmosphere. That gives a potential range of -4 (2 - 7 + 1) all the way through 15 (12 - 7 + 10). I assume any number less than 0 should just be 0. However, what about on the high end? The descriptions only go up through C (insidious), but I know there are extended description tables available. That's no problem.

But what do you do about the Tech Level Table on page 12? The Atm column only lists a range up through E with a DM +1 for determining the tech level. F is left blank, which supposedly means that a atmosphere of F is impossible to generate using the system.

Did I make an error somewhere? Or is the table wrong, and if so, should the DM for atmosphere F be +1?

For comparison, government is derived in a nearly identical way: it's 2D-7+population. Population will always be 0-10, which gives a possible range for government of -5 (2 - 7 + 0) through 15 (12 - 7 + 10). Round up to 0 for anything less than 0, and the Tech Table confirms a range of 0 - F.

So what's up with Atmosphere?

I like to feed this stuff into a computer and let it run while it looks for a certain world created.