And off we go for the next 1000 posts!

Yippee!!!

Role call?

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 3):

...And I'll form--The Head!

UPP for Marcus Fallin

4799CA

Astrogation - 1, Broker - 1, Comms - 1, Computers - 1, Drive (Other) - 0,
Drive (Wheeled) - 1, Engineer (Power)- 2, Engineer (M-Drive) - 1,
Gun Combat (Energy Pistol) - 1, Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) - 1, Investigate - 1,
Language (Aslan) - 1, Mechanic - 4, Persuade - 2, Pilot (Spacecraft) - 1,
*Science (Biology) - 0, *Science (Chemistry) - 0, Sensors - 1, Survival - 0,
*Swimming - 0, Vacc Suit - 1, Zero-G - 1

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 3):

...And I'll form - The Brains! (at least as it comes to cargo and administrative stuff.)

I'm the Mouth then.

I’m here and ready to party!

I'll party with the ladies too if invited, engineer. I'm old, not dead.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:51, Sun 09 June 2019.

I'd definitely be the hands.. or maybe the hidden tentacles..

I've started working on a 3D version of the ship deck plans. What do you guys think of the bridge so far?  I'm thinking some sort of view screen in the space between the Sensors and Comm station? Maybe a locker or two near the air locks?

https://sta.sh/02g5yytlyv92

Nice work!! I have ZERO talent for such things.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Sun 09 June 2019.

I don't know about talent, I've been developing the skills for 17 years. Hence the side income on DrivethruRPG and from Mongoose and Palladium Books.

Sometimes you have to 'pretend' they answered you IC, because sometimes they miss you or are being lazy and don't reply then forget to reply. ;-)

I'm not the most thoughtful person here, that would be Walter and Vonon and a few of the others. I love Traveller though so insist on trying to keep up! Glad you are aboard and love your 3-D drawings. I frequent Drivethru a LOT and love Mongoose! Going to TravellerCon in October.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 14):

El Cheapo Products on DriveThru is all me; I started out there doing paper minis for Palladium Books, then TAS minis for Traveller, then my own designs as El Cheapo Products.

I actually got my start doing character sheets for Palladium Books in 1996, then cover and interior art for The Rifter starting in 2006. Now I'm working on interior art for Issues 5 and 6 of the Journal of The Travellers Aid Society from Mongoose's latest kickstarter.

Cool! I had all of the original JTAS books.

My first exposure to Traveller was when I picked up the T20 Bundle of Holding; then I picked up the MegaTraveller Bundle of holding and the GURPS Bundle before backing The Great Rift Kickstarter. After that I was hooked on the Mongoose version.

I backed the JTAS kickstarter, then in one of the updates I saw they still had some art to assign so I threw my hat into the ring.. Started doing ship exteriors, then they asked if I could do ground vehicles too so I'm working on them as well.

Cool. I've been a Traveller fan since '81, Classic Traveller. I managed to get most everything but never found anyone to game with. Sold it all 5 years ago but I have most everything Traveller in pdf.

Bridge, Captain's Quarters and Mess; Note the 5x5 Fresher design, with sink and toilet retractable into one of the cabinets.

Captain's quarters has a double bed with overhead cabinet storage; Smaller quarters will also have overhead storage, and options of a second bed between the cabinets and the lower bunk; My bed assembly has over and under storage with two beds, or under storage with 3 beds for really cramped living.

https://sta.sh/0qerj59u7qx

Sweet.

The visuals are cool!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Mon 10 June 2019.

I'm not sure I'd call these 3D. The deck plans in MgT2 are done in 3D.

The area forward of the airlocks on the bridge were supposed to be storage lockers for vacc-suits.

Also, I was just thinking that with the Ling design 'fresher', if the toilet/sink were pushed over to the left where the linens storage was, and the linen storage was moved up behind the mirror (aka typical medicine cabinet, just larger) and the shower was rotated against the rear wall, that makes more room to actually take a shower!

Otherwise, it's all looking good!

By the way, what program do you use?
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:36, Wed 12 June 2019.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 22):

DazStudio; these are top down for use as a decent map with minis, but the beauty shots will be from within the rooms.

You’ve lost me on your description of changes for the fresher; the shower head is centered in the forward wall, the angled wall would be the door; are you suggesting removing one of the cabinets?

Well, I think you can never have too much cabinetry to stow things in on a spaceship. Also, having a way to shut yourself into a separate compartment within your compartment is just wise in a survival situation.

Lastly, if you ask the captain, he'll tell you there's plenty of room in the shower as-is. See? https://sta.sh/02cftufg67jl

I like it!

Excellent work!

Wow! It looks like we have AT LEAST 11 active players here, possibly more! Up to 15!
This message was last edited by the player at 15:03, Wed 12 June 2019.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 27):

Remember in play by post 'active' is a relative term...

Several players haven't posted in over a month.

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 28):

Several are gone now too. They ARE logging in though, they haven't LEFT yet.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:49, Wed 12 June 2019.

This is why I despise fishing; ten days since I dropped my hook in the water and still not a single bite.

And the single interaction in character with another player since I joined the game three weeks ago had them insulting my character.

Wow, sorry for that, Vonon insults everybody though.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 31):

I'm not insulting anyone!  I'm a Vargr!  I'm barking at people!  ^_^

Yup ;-) I LOVE the way you do Vonon!

Did I mention my day job includes being med certified?

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 34):

Like I need a Med Tech to tell me I'm Wacko!!  Like I haven't been a Certified Lunatic for decades!!  Tell me something I don't know!  ^_^

LOL, Me too. Since 2008!

tbh I sent Sam to bed as I thought the thread was winding up, but she can come out and insult you all as well if you like...

Now that everybody is on board, the thread could be wrapped up by finishing the introductions. Almost time to go into jump space? ;-)

Where are we going?

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 38):

Planet Invermory, Confederation of Duncinae.

Single Jump-3 from Cassandra Belt & Rockport.

In 72 hours.

Probably more like 65 hours, now.

ooc
My wife is expecting twins in the next couple of weeks, so if I suddenly disappear for a few days that will be why!

In reply to Samantha Kilgore (msg # 40):

Congratulazioni, papà!

In reply to Samantha Kilgore (msg # 40):

Blessed be!

Congrats! Late early happy Father's Day!
This message was last edited by the player at 12:34, Mon 17 June 2019.

Thanks, I forgot!

Congrats and good luck! Looks like you will have your hands full.

thanks guys

I’ll pile on Sam, congrats and welcome to the wonderful (and hectic, and gloriously infuriating and confusing) world of parenthood.  Take care of yourself, your wife, and your family ... and try to get some sleep!

In reply to Sharik Kaagira (msg # 47):

Hey Reese--regarding your thoughts about Habitation Modules....

You're on a large asteroid station that services a very large asteroid miner population.  Habitat Module construction would be a major industry, locally.  Maybe not big enough for exportation purposes, but HabMods are what everyone is living in, y'know.

So I'm pretty sure you could easily find some if you went looking...

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 48):

The question isn't whether or not I could come by one, the question is how much cargo space the ship can spare for me to assemble it; partially assembled (sans support legs), it will still take more than six squares on the map..

Might have to wait until there is free space in the hold. Every meter of cargo space is taken, including space on the launch at this time.

In reply to Walter Zeller (msg # 50):

So no beds and no place to put one. Your character's open hostility towards mine coupled with this info make it seem like this ship doesn't need a medic.



Evelyn Darque & Valeska Brandenberg (who's supposed to be my contact) haven't posted in a month and Montgomery Ashburn & Pablo Esteban Ryzov haven't posted in 2. I only read back as far as the arrival at this station, is that common in this game? For players to go AWOL for such long periods of time?

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 51):

Eh...so-so.  We have slow periods, but we manage to keep puttering along.

Valeska & Pablo are Orphans--the Players disappeared, without notification, at a point where it was inconvenient to have the Characters just disappear, so the GM is NPC'ing them.  It's his policy to keep Orphans around for a while, just in case the Player disappearance was some IRL incident preventing them from communication, rather than that they've...abandoned us *sniff*

Vonon is behind you, though!  It's everyone else he's barking at ^_^

Heh, I think Reese may be gender fluid, but species? Not so sure..

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 52):

Okay, wait.  I was just doing some thinking--and Vonon must have had his head up his butt (he's a Canine, they can do that, you know), 'cuz I just realized that some of the things I thought were happening on the ship, maybe aren't...

First, I thought we were drowning in Engineers, but now that I look at it again, I don't think so.

Valeska had been "helping out" in Engineering, but now she's being assigned as the Geologist/Ship's General Science Geek.

Evelyn had been "hanging out" in Engineering--well, in the Air Ducts, mainly--but I had been thinking of her as a kind of "Junior Engineer".  She's now been assigned to Ship's Steward and Sir Walters Shipboard Assistant, 'cuz it fits her skillset better (in Vonon's opinion, at least).  If she's really disappeared...maybe she ran off 'cuz her new position would make her have to meet and deal with people, instead of being able to hide in the air ducts??

Khea, of course, is the Chief Engineer.  And a couple of the rest of the Crew have a few Engineer skills such that they could help out on a task, if needed, but that's it.

Why did I think we had a full Engineering Crew?

So, now Valeska & Evelyn are out of Engineering.  Sylvester has been brought in, Marcus will probably be brought in soon--both to Engineering.  I'm not sure I'm remembering this right, but didn't Horatio, initially, try for an Engineering job?  Before I shoved him into Drone Operations, pretty much making him Chief of Mining Operations, under Valeska?

Anybody know what Montgomery is/was building?  Another Engineer, or something to threaten Sam's position as Chief Pilot?

Hey, Serge!  You're not the "New Guy" anymore!  Congratulations!  In celebration, I'll give you a new set of duties--you are now (along with all your other duties) the Shuttle Pilot.  That means, unless the Chief Pilot wants to do the job, you get to fly the Ship's Boat and shuttle our butts around...wait, I already said that was part of your job, here.  Okay, then, now it's Official!

Reese has Pilot: Small Craft 2.

SKILLS
Ship's Boat 1
Computer 2
Engnrng 3
Vacc Suit 2
Sensors 1
Comms 1
Engnrng (Maneuver) 1
Engnrng (Jump) 2
Mechanics 0
Remote Operations 0

Astrogation - 1
Broker - 1
Comms - 1
Computers - 1
Drive (Other) - 0
Drive (Wheeled) - 1
Engineer (Power)- 2
Engineer (M-Drive) - 1
Gun Combat (Energy Pistol) - 1
Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) - 1
Investigate - 1
Language (Aslan) - 1
Mechanic - 4
Persuade - 2
Pilot (Spacecraft) - 1
Science (Biology) - 0
Science (Chemistry) - 0
Sensors - 1
Survival - 0
Swimming - 0
Vacc Suit - 1
Zero-G - 1

*Athletics (Dex)           1
*Drive (wheeled)          2
*Streetwise                  3
*Survival                     0

Electronics (Computers) 2
Medic                          4
Broker                         1
Deception                    3
Flyer (gravity)              1
Gun Combat (Slug)       4
Investigate                  1
Persuade                     1
Pilot (Small Craft)        2
Recon                         2
Stealth                       4

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 58):

Guys, there is a thread for UPP's

Aye-aye, Capt'n!
BTW, my Pilot (spacecraft) skill will be upgraded to 1 now.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:17, Mon 24 June 2019.

Yes there is. It's locked too.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:01, Mon 24 June 2019.

Sorry for cutting you of Marcus, but as some people have already posted about the next day I figured I should move the conversation there instead of continuing in the past.

That's ok. I know how RPOL goes

In reply to Kheaiftouaw (msg # 62):

Sorry, my fault for going to the next day. :-(

FemBot delivered an hour before liftoff! That's harsh! Assuming Reese actually makes it on to the crew, He will rush out at the last minute to pick up a couple of outfits for the scantily clad figure.

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 65):

On such short notice and time frame, all Reese could purchase was a simple outfit and a medic shipsuit.  I'm guessing around Cr2,500 for the pair.

https://sta.sh/0141j5qjusq1

I was waiting for Walter to post, but she's dressed in a dark gray tailored business suit.

As it has been a while, do you want us to roll in the skill advancement section?

Having come up with the Skill Advancement rule three years ago, all I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I don't remember anyone having any complaints against it, though, but now I'm thinking it was a bit more complicated than it needed to be. My biggest concern is that it doesn't necessarily let a player advance the skill for his character that he wants.

I've come up with a different system in my other Traveller games.

So, I'm wondering if everyone--including the new players--is happy with this system of Skill Advancement.

Where is the Skill Advancement system?

The Skill Advancement thread (and procedures) is here:  link to a message in this game

EDIT:  I am fine with the system, but I am not strongly attached to it.  If there is another system that you prefer (use elsewhere, want consistency, &c.), StarMaster, that is fine as well.

EDIT2:  The about link is in Group 3, it seems...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Wed 26 June 2019.

I'm not in that thread, no access, so I'm against it! ;-)

The system is OK.

No longer remember why I put that thread in Group 3... probably because I still didn't know what I was doing.

It's fixed now--everyone has access to Group 3.

I just put up the alternate system in that thread.

My rationale for it is as follows:

1. A dice roll shouldn't be necessary for success. While I understand the reason for that (you didn't apply yourself hard enough, too many parties, head wasn't in it, etc.), that's realistic but is an unnecessary complication to an already complicated game. If you want to play an Education game, you could further break it down by days and even hours of study. But this isn't that game.

2. You get to progress the skill you want, rather than rely on a random dice roll.

3. The decimal system of tracking your skill progression is something that's simple enough, can be seen visually, and doesn't require a lot of bookkeeping (especially from me).

Anyway, since nobody has done Skill Progression in 3 years, it's time to do it again!

Ive always found Traveller a bit weird in its apparent drive for "realism" compared to the way out ness of some of the game setting. I get it, and think it harks back to when RPGs were growing out of wargaming, but thought it jarred a bit.

Anyway, your last system was ok - but I prefer one where the character can choose what they improve in

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 74):

Both systems are OK, choose what is easier for you.

What skill would Indy get reading the ship manuals?

Just 'reading' the ship manuals could get you Electronics-0, Engineering-0, Gunner-0 or Piloting-0... because training for a new skill involves more than just sticking your head into a book.

After discussing this with Vonon and seeing a VR demo on AGT, it does occur to me that the use of VR as a training aid is probably better than a holographic projection, but only because the HP requires more extensive equipment.

In any case, training usually involves some sort of physical activity that ties in with the skill. Even the 'pure' sciences have lab work and field work.

There's also muscle memory that comes into play after repeated usage.

Also, keep in mind that each rank in a skill is intended to cover years of training and experience. In a high-tech society, that can be condensed into the weeks of 'intense' studying and training that we're dealing with. The maximum rank in any skill is still 5! Rank 5 in a skill generally means that you are the 'best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be'!

So, using the ship's 'training' manuals could get you any of the above Skills/Specializations. Some of the Gunner and Pilot specializations might not be available (Ortillery and Capital Ships come to mind).



===== ALERT =====

I've just finished upgrading everyone's Skill List in the UPP thread to conform to MgT 2nd Edition's revised skills. You should probably review them in case there's an issue, and update your character sheet if you want.

It's rare that I experience excitement so I just had to share.

About an hour ago I sent an invoice to Mongoose for 15 pieces of art that will go into JTAS Volumes 5 & 6. This is my first big assignment outside of the work I've done for Palladium Books and officially puts me on the Professional Freelance Artist market!

Congratulations!

I second that, Reese:  Congrats!  It is very cool to be appreciated for your work (and published)!

Congratulations.

Thanks everybody.

Last night as I was watching TV I was contacted by Marc Miller as well; it seems FFE is interested in my art too.  I'm blown away.

Marc is a nice guy, I talk to him on FB every blue moon. Friends of MANY.

Well done Reese

By all means, congratulations, Reese!


So, I've added a new post to the Skill Advancement thread with a table for the skills characters are studying.

There are a lot of blanks... and if any of them are wrong, feel free to let me know.

I will start working on Broker-5 and Legal-0

Sylvester's studying of the power plant reminded me that I needed to add the results of the Engineering Inspection to the Library Data: Longshot thread. For new players, this was done when the crew acquired the ship.

This information is available to any crew member who asks, but it's not part of the 'official' ship's record.


Additionally, I also put a Ship's Locker post at the end of that thread. It probably needs updated.

I'm sorry guys, I was in an accident yesterday after work so I've been distracted today. Hopefully I will be able to post tomorrow.

Hope your better soon, take better care of yourself!

I'm not hurt, just grappling with how I'm going to fix the car before GenCon, and then how I'm going to afford the trip.

Yesterday was a holiday for most Americans. I got up at 4am as usual, jogged my 5k, got ready and came to work. Then at 3pm when I was done I went to get two new tires on my car. After waiting 4.5 hours I finally ended up getting 4 new tires, came home, ate dinner and forced myself to stay awake long enough to wash a load of laundry so I'd have clothes to do it all over again today.

After work today I go try to get a couple of estimates for the repairs, and then go see my insurance agent. Hydroplaned into the back of another car, barely any damage to them, but I'll at least need new Hood, new bumper and new grill.

I'm thinking I'll get the primer black stock parts and have my daughter paint the Deadpool circle on it.

:-) Sweet!

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 92):

Wait a minute!  It's been raining all day, right here where I live, too!

Are you in the grocery store, near the produce?  It seems like it rains there every 5 minutes...

That's all? every 5 minutes?

I guess it depends on what part of Florida you are...

So far we have been averaging one power outage a day for half the week.

My power went out this week for the first time in like 4 or 5 months. It was off for a whole 2 minutes!

In our neck of the woods, we are lucky if it is less than two hours. (and two days if is was due to a hurricane)

If you get your power back from a hurricane in two days, they're doing GOOD!

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 98):

Nah!  I'm in the Back-End of Nowhere, down in Dee-lite-ful So'West Florida, in that Den of Iniquity lovingly known as Ft. Misery.

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 99):

We're Sorry, but the Traveller Character known as Vonon Ronkunu is Temporarily Unavailable at this time due to massive systemic Skill Set Failure.

We are working to correct this issue as swiftly as possible.  Should you feel the need to have a full roleplaying experience such as you would have interacting with Vonon Ronkunu, please feel free to talk to the nearest house plant -- we assure you, the experience will be exactly the same as talking with Vonon.

We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Now get the frack out of here and let us fix this putz!

LOL! You make my days Vonon!

What speed and vector does a ship have when she exits jump space?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:09, Wed 10 July 2019.

The ship has to have a speed when entering J-space or else it doesn't go anywhere. But, the actual speed has no correlation to the time spent in J-space.

When it exits J-space, it has the same speed it had when it entered J-space. Due to reaction times, even those of a computer, typical speed is around 200mph.

Ideally, your vector would be aiming straight at the destination planet, but, on the off chance that there's an astrogation error, it's advisable to shift the vector up to 5% to either side so that you actually miss the planet if you jump too close.

So, it's up to the astrogator to determine those factors.

But those are the parameters in which you work.

Congratulations there Sharik on the twins! Hope everyone is doing well.

Congratulations!

The post was FROM Sam, to Sharik! ;-)

Alright, tied up my thread in Destination Cassandra Belt, chose stateroom 10F (edited, found where Starmaster assigned Evelyn to the Engineering compartment, this puts me directly next to the Medbay), and will post catch-up in Destination Invermory soon. I am working an 11 hour shift today and so will be spotty with access but it shouldn't be too many hours before I'm in the mix.

So much going on at work I haven't been keeping up in the past week, will rectify today.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:58, Sun 14 July 2019.

What is the characteristic for the remote ops roll?  I was guessing EDU or INT.

I'm in a stateroom by engineering I guess, As I don't know which one is which a through k, next to the ship's locker on the left I guess.

In reply to Horatio Aubrey (msg # 108):

"Remote Ops: Using telepresence to remotely control
drones, missiles, robots and other devices.
Using a Mining Drone to Excavate an Asteroid:
Routine (6+) Electronics (remote ops) check (1D
hours, DEX)"

Dex.

You could have taken extra time, I suspect, Horatio.  Also, it is not a wreck necessarily, just a failure (i.e the drone doesn’t do the job assigned in the time assigned); it is not that far off from the target 8+.   A 7+ is a marginal.  So, with extra time, you would have gotten that....  *shrug* It’s not like you rolled ‘snake eyes’...

In reply to Sharik Kaagira (msg # 111):

Correct.  And even with a roll of Snake-Eyes, I think the wording was "The GM has the option to impose a Critical Failure".  So even with a Snake-Eyes roll, it's not a guarantee of blowing up the toaster.

If I were GM, I'd probably have you succeed in collecting a piece of the body with that roll.

Does anyone here make it to TravellerCon?  I've just been commissioned to do the limited print and challenge coin designs..

I'm going on Saturday the 12th I guess it is. Congratulations, Hope they do them soon, it isn't far off!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:59, Mon 15 July 2019.

Yes, I’ll have to get the coin done before GenCon. I may be designing the official Vargr alphabet in the process too...

SWEET! You going to TravellerCon?

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 117):

I'd like to but it's doubtful. Coming from Missouri, that's a long haul. Expenses aside, I start to hallucinate after about six hours alone on the road, side effect of PTSD from being a professional driver that fell asleep at the wheel.

You used to drive Tractor-Trailer?

No, pickup for Coke, box truck for FritoLay, freezer truck for SCHWANS and sprinter van for FedEx; I maintain a class B as well after a year of substitute school bus driving.

My current job has me driving mentally handicapped individuals to appointments and everyday errands.

Ahhh Class B professional driver. There are a few out there, I'm an amateur, never drove for money.

I'll be going to TravellerCon on Saturday, I live less than 2 hours from it.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 121):

All of the other jobs only required a Class E. But after 276 hours on the clock in two weeks and four days, I fell asleep at the wheel of that FedEx Sprinter. Drove ten miles before I rear-ended a Tractor Trailer. Two plates in my hip, two screws in my ankle and arthritis in my foot are hefty reminders of why we shouldn't drive exhausted.

True enough.

Inderpal told the truth!!! Now we're stuck with it!

She was told "Dead body", she followed the instruction.

LOL yup, Vonon is the one that is unhappy! I'm in engineering! ;-)

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 126):

Crapaloola.  I screwed up again.

Yes, Indy, you did do what you were told--what Sharik told you to do.  Which was to report hitting the body.

But that's not the instruction that Vonon gave Sharik.  Vonon (badly) worded his instruction to "prepare" to report the body.  Vonon was expecting Orbital Control to call us about our unusual maneuverings, coming out of Jump--including coming to a complete stop while we recovered the body.  Vonon didn't want to mention the body if nobody asked "what's going on?"

     At least, he didn't want to call the authorities until we thought we knew what was going on...

     Where I screwed up is that--going back over the posts, I saw that Indy was preparing a TEXT communication--yeah, nothing suspicious about that!--to be sent to Orbital Control, "saying" what I had Vonon reacting to "overhearing".  As soon as I post this message, I'll go back and remove that reaction, and put up Vonon answering Khea's question, instead.  So, head's up for that change!

     Since it was a text-only message, Vonon likely wouldn't even know Indy's sent a message.

     That is, until a Confederation of Duncinae Space Cruiser alters orbit to approach us, and sends us the order to shut down our engines, lockdown our weapons board, and prepare to be boarded for investigation...

Inderpal has adopted the diplomat's approach of flattering a Vargr who can kill her quite easily.

Did we ever actually install a low berth on the ship?

We have been talking about making modifications to the ship since we got it but I can say that I never made any payouts for it.

We still Evelyn’s med tube, right?

Yes, you still have the chamber that you found Evelyn in. Remember, too, that it's of alien design.

Back from vacation and trying to catch up.

Welcome back!

GenCon prep almost finished. Working 40 hours in the next 3 days but should have down time to post during that.

Checking in to say hi.

I'm here too. Just hanging out in the engine room, since the body and all doesn't concern me.

Many apologies! I have finally settled back in after GenCon and am working on commissions for TravellerCon and Mongoose.

After I finish designing the bold version of the Vargr Common Font I will get my post in. Should only be a couple of hours tops (crosses fingers)

Not your fault things got stale here.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 139):



     Hey!  "Vonon" didn't say anything.  I said that I was confused--and you're right, the answer was right there.  I went back and there it was, clear as day.  Somehow I missed that whole "away from the planet" bit.

     Perdonami, O grande e potente Oz...

At 5'10", safe to rule out Zhodani and Darian.

Point of order, as I'm new to this particular campaign, it seems that travel time is being fudged?  As I read Mongoose it typically takes about half a week to get from outside a gravity well to it's source, making any trip between planets that uses jump space essentially two weeks, one week in jump, half a week to get to a safe jump point and half a week to get from jump point back to a gravity well source, ie planet...

100 diameters coupled with potential traffic and satilite paths seemed to make it make sense, but now that I consider it I'm not so sure..

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 141):

It depends on the Star.

100 Diameters applies to the Star, as well.  So, depending on where the Planet's orbit lies--if it's inside the Star's 100 Diameter limit, then we may have to do some interplanetary travel before we get to Invermory.

I haven't checked, but it's likely Invermory's orbit is outside the Star's 100 Diameter limit, so we were able to drop out of jump just at the Planet's 100 Diameter Limit.

That, and the Longshot has surprisingly fast N-Space engines.

So, over a decade ago I was going to run in a game that never launched, and submitted a character portrait to rpol. Said portrait is in the Male Human Sci-Fi category, (msh516, 4th image on pg. 17).

I created an image for my character in this game and submitted it as well. I'm not holding my breath for it to ever get approved.

Alas, Traveller doesn't have an inertialess drive. That means when you accelerate, you velocity keeps increasing, and then, at the halfway point, you have to decelerate so that you don't crash into your destination. In turn, that means half your travel time is acceleration and half is deceleration.

Since Vonon wanted the ship to go SLOW, I interpreted that as being 1G of acceleration and 1G of deceleration.

Invermory has a diameter of 8,247 miles, or 13,185km. 101 diameters means 1,331,745km. According to the Transit table on page 153 of MgT2, 10,000,000 can be covered in 17 hours at 1G. Since the distance was a bit more, and it takes roughly 30 minutes to go to/from orbit to surface, I estimated the time at 20 hours.

I think you may have misinterpreted what is written. It says:



They aren't saying it takes a week to get to the planet, but that the crew spends a week doing all those things, getting some R&R, etc. In theory, a ship can leave as soon as it's refueled.


Re your portrait submission... once upon a time, there was one person that was doing all the heavy lifting. She got a bit burnt out on it. When others decided to jump on board, the site had switched servers (at least once, maybe twice), and there's been some unexpected hassle with the portraits. That seems to have been fixed, but there's about a year of backlog submissions that they are wading through.

Checking in to avoid AWOL.

Has Indy had any response to her messages?

No, not yet. She finds that a bit odd... not even an acknowledgement of having received her messages.

On the other hand, it's such an odd situation that there's probably no precedence for it, and thus no one knows what to do... so the info is being passed up the ladder to superiors.

"JX-131"?

In rl I do have a job that is subsidiary to the medical field and with Type O positive blood I do donate regularly.

I've wasted an hour researching JX-131 on the Traveller Wiki and the broader internet (the only reference I can find for the term is for Alternator Brush Sets) and from what I can see all Humaniti still shares the same basic blood types as actual human beings.

So I guess Reese will have to start packing his bags because apparently he's been hired on as a medic in a parallel universe where I'm supposed to know things that somehow aren't on the ubiquitous internet.

Or should I just make up some BS about JX-131 being an actual blood type and thus what it might tell us about him? Am I running the show on developing this corpse as a unique character/species or is that supposed to be a common type? I mean I can do that, it will just take more time. I have been rewatching Star Trek: Voyager season 6 in the past few days, so my medical techno-babble is in good shape..

I was running across a strange array of blood types for some of the races, but couldn't find anywhere that these types were explained.

I was figuring that by Traveller times, designations would be more standardized, and include other factors (positive, negative, antibodies, etc.).

Sorry guys. While writing is a passion of mine, art is the side hustle that keeps me in spending money. Not much spending money, but certainly more than writing would.

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 150):

     Huh?

     Dammit.  Is this another one of those "You're confused because you read the OOCs before you read the Posts" things?

     I have really gotta stop doing this....

     ^_^

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 151):

No, I love writing and I'm happy with my post, I just wish I was able to do it more often.

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 152):

     Oh.  That!

     Yeah, I hear ya.  I grieve over my posts, too.  A lot of folks don't believe me when I tell them that sometimes I'll write a post--re-read it--edit it--re-read it again--make one or two more small changes--then go through the whole post adding in the format commands (Italics, Font Color, Bold, etc.)--then Preview--go back and edit yet again...

     That on some occasions I can spend a whole hour writing & editing just one post, before I'm satisfied enough with it to send it on.

I appreciate the posts from both of you, I just can't do it myself, it isn't me. But by all means, stretch your legs and feel your oats. My intellect won't allow all of it from me, but I can enjoy it from you.

Checking in to avoid AWOL. No, Inderpal isn't flirting with Vonon.

I'm here yet too.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 156):

I, on the other hand, am most definitely not all here...

The Lady doth protest too much, methinks ... ;). I mean, Sharik loves Vonon, too; so, nothing wrong there to her.

Small notice, I will be travelling for the rest of the month. I should still have internet but one never knows what happens.

Have fun!

Be safe Khea!

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 161):

     Hey!  The Ship's Boat just wandered back into my consciousness!  Let's Name it!

     If the mother ship is called "Longshot" as in a Gambling theme, how about we call the little, 20 ton Ship's Boat "Even Odds"...or "Sure Bet"...or "Box Wager"?

     If the mother ship is called "Longshot" as in a Sniper theme, how about we call the little, 20 ton Ship's Boat "Bullet"...or "Hot Round"...or "Short Round"?

     When thinking of a name, imagine having to say that name in the following sentence:

     "This is Ship's Boat _______, off IAF Longshot.  On approach..."

Hadn't thought of a sniper theme, but tbh I think those names sound kinda aggressive - they would be good for a merc outfit, but not some generic "problem solvers".

Other betting terms could be (and I googled this - not a gambler myself)

Underdog
Favourite
Jackpot
Martingale

I like Underdog or Jackpot

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 162):

"Sidearm" :)

Walter's spare storage space...

How about "Rabbit's foot"?

Walter's personal storage space should be The Rabbit Hole.

For the ship's boat, Even Steven or Trifecta or Four-Leaf Clover?

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 166):

Underdog and Jackpot have a ring to them, and Trifecta keeps well with the Horse Racing theme, I like those.

I agree.

Place ;-) Long Shot was the win, all we need is show!

Hasn't Walter suggested the Rabbit's Foot before?  Sharik kind of likes it, as it has that element of chance motif to it.  But, any of the other gambling references are fine as well.  Life on the frontier is chancy no matter what.

What about Blackjack?  Or Texas Hold'em?  I think that Vo already mention Short Round (which is nice since the 20 tonnes Launch - it is definitely not a 30-tonnes Ship's Boat, which has a much larger hold and much faster engines, but also a much larger footprint - has a sort of small bullet appearance to it)?

There's always Last Chance.

Last chance to get off of the long shot? ;-)

     This started a thought process--so blame Sharik! ^_^

     Already leaning towards some kind of "gambling" themed name, I started thinking on how to also incorporate some element in the name that would also be a reflection of the nature of the vehicle--i.e., that it is a 20 ton launch.

     As Sharik points out, my prior suggestion of "Short Round" was made because of the physical resemblance a 20 ton launch has to a pistol cartridge.  Now I went out searching for other, more "gambling" related associations.

     I tried to come up with names related to it being a "Launch"...not much there, really. Nor much to work with for wordplay with "Ton"...ah!  But the number 20!  There are many games of chance that make references to numbers--including the number 20!

     The very first thing I thought of in this case was the card game of Blackjack--you place a bet and are dealt a card.  Each card has a numeric value.  You keep betting and drawing cards, adding their value to try and get the winning value of 21.  Go over a value of 21, you lose.  Closest value to 21 when everyone stops betting is the winner.

     So, in Blackjack, a "hand" with a value of 20 is pretty good--only 21 beats it.  And, there is a specific hand in the game called a "Soft 20".

     Now, first of all, a "Soft" hand in Blackjack is when you have a pair of cards, and one of them is an Ace.  The hand is called "Soft" (I think) because, in the game, you can choose to have any Ace you hold be valued at either 11 or 1--the Ace doesn't have a "hard" value, get it?

     A "Soft 20" can only be an Ace and a 9 (11 + 9 = 20).  So, I'm thinking we go and paint that pair of playing cards on the side of the launch--an Ace of Diamonds laid over a Nine of Clubs.

     The Ace is the superior card, and Diamonds represent wealth, or treasure.  We're running around calling the Longshot a "freighter", even though she was originally built as a System Defense Boat (a Warship), and her last function, before we acquired her, was as an Asteroid Miner.  But no matter how you look at it, the Longshot is the means to our fortunes, so the Diamond is the superior card.

     The Nine of Clubs is a direct reference to the launch's mothership--the Longshot.  Remember, as Sting tells us about playing cards "Clubs are the Weapons of War", and while we may use the Longshot as a trader, and call her a "freighter", as Vonon keeps identifying her, she's the "Independent ARMED Freighter Longshot".   The first time she shows up on someone's sensors, they do not see the sensor silhouette of some fat, slow Type A Trader--they see the silhouette of a not-too-slow, over-armored Gunboat calling itself a delivery van!

     Really, guys, until someone gets some really decent scans of the Longshot--even allowing that her design is a bit on the old side (but we have upgrades that off-set that)--nobody taking a quick look at this ship is seeing "just" a freighter.  They are seeing an Armored Car...

     So.  "The Soft 20" -- Ace of Diamonds over Nine of Clubs.  This little Diamond is out looking to make a profit, but she's got a really big Club at her back!

I kinda like Last Chance actually, as it fits in with the theme of Long Shot I think - ie marginal bets. AS for your idea V - I like the card motif idea, but can just see how much NPCs eyes would glaze over if they asked what it meant. SOmething clear in its own terms has merit

I like it! 'Soft 20'

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 175):

Oh, Vonon/I would never explain all that if anyone asked!  He'd just give the short answer "'Soft 20' is a Blackjack hand!" and leave it at that.  I just put all that down to explain my thinking process and how I got to that name--I'd only abuse you guys will all that data ^_^

But I like "Last Chance", too.

So, why don't we go with one of those two, then--unless anybody has really strong feeling about something else (Khea?  Wanna suggest something Aslan-oriented?  Something all growly-sounding that translates into something esoteric, like "Little Finger" or some such? ^_^)

Okay then, in the tradition of Old Fashioned Democracy, well Vote!

     Who wants "Soft 20"?

     Who wants "Last Chance"?

     Who has a Write In?

Remember to Vote Early and Vote Often!  Don't Forget to Tip your Polling Station Officials...



How do ya say "Faberge Egg" in Trohk?

Last Chance gets my vote

Last Chance
This message was last edited by the player at 08:37, Mon 30 Sept 2019.

Last Chance.

"Last Chance" with the 'soft 20' logo?

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 180):

Thee-o-rettic-aly...there's 14 of us lurking around, available to vote.

Maybe 12, 'cuz I ain't sure 'bout Marcus Fallin and Montgomery Ashburn...

For that matter...

Hey Horatio! Dance! {Bang! Bang!}  Dance, Horatio, Dance! {Bang! Bang-Bang!} Dance! Ha-ha-ha-hahahahahahahahahaha! {Bang-Bang-Bang!!}

Haven't heard from Horatio in a while, either.  You still with us, Bubba?

So, if we've lost M & M, we need 7 votes for a win.  If Horatio has also stepped out the airlock for a smoke, then we only need 6 votes for a majority.  Vonon, of course, will wait to vote last, in order to break up any Unions--I mean Ties!  Ties!  He'll break any Ties.

They're all three gone it looks like. So we need 6. Marcus is already NPC'd so I guess he formally left, the other two just dropped off the radar.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Tue 01 Oct 2019.

I’m fine with Last Chance. If it turns on Reese will fly it.

I would prefer a proper name like "Small ship of the large ship which once could not fly between the stars and is now ramming things"

But last chance is ok I guess.

Last Chance for me too.

I guess 'Last Chance' it is then. Poor Horatio, shot 8 times by Vonon because he couldn't dance :-(. Putting the Ace and nine motif on there as well?

"What's this voting crap?" Marcus speaks up. "It's whatever Sir Walter says it is, or else it's whatever Vonon says it is."

((OOC: Really? NPC's get a vote? What's the universe coming to!))

"In that case, Pablo votes for whatever Vonon votes for!" Pablo chimes in after Marcus's comment.

"On the other hand, I'd probably have just called the ship the Read'em and Weep!"

"I kind of like Khea's suggestion... if it can be boiled down into one or two syllables," Valeska offers. "Otherwise, Last Chance sounds just about right."

"Does that mean Veronika gets a vote?"

Sharik rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "My Trohk is limited ..." the diminutive astrogator offered Valeska, "but I believe that 'Last Chance' is the two syllable equivalent to what Khea offered as a name ..."  She shrugged slightly as she was hardly a native speaker.  And a light mischievous smile played upon her lips as she spoke.

---

[OOC:  Shar votes for 'Last Chance' as well (though it is pretty much a forgone conclusion at this point).  The 'Soft 20' graphic is fine as well.  Not like too many are really going to see it.]

In reply to Sharik Kaagira (msg # 190):

     "Small ship of the large ship which once could not fly between the stars and is now ramming things" Vonon mumbles to himself, repeating Khea's suggestion, then brightening,

     "You mean "Baby of Junkyard-Starship Head Butt"?


     Okay, then, Ship's Launch "Last Chance" it is.

In reply to Valeska Brandenberg (msg # 189):

"Make it even shorter? How can a proper name be shorter? If anything we have to go through all the ships logs we have even from before we bought the ship and make the name longer based on what the ship accomplished.

Do you think the shipyard here does inscriptions?"

Checking in.

What's the weather like on Invermory?

The interactive Traveller Map ( https://travellermap.com/?p=-42.868!-62!7 ) shows the following for Invermory ( https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Invermory_(world) )  which has a UWP (Universal World Profile, https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Universal_World_Profile ) of:

  B484789-A

which lists it as a small (6400km diameter, ~0.4g) with a dense (~2.0 times Earth, but not tainted) atmosphere world (and only 40% covered in water).  The atmosphere likely feels thick/chunky.  As for weather, presumably, cloudier and (potentially) stormier than Earth, I would suspect; suppose that is up to StarMaster, though really.

In reply to Sharik Kaagira (msg # 195):

According to "Weather for Idiots", greater atmospheric density will mean that wind-effects will manifest stronger, and the thicker air will retain heat longer than thinner air.  Atmospheric density does not, directly, influence the water cycle between land and air--but since thicker atmosphere's retain a little more heat, which influences water evaporation--atmospheric density is an indirect influence on humidity, which is important in rainfall.

A 40% Hydrographic percentage--compared to Earth's 74%--means that the world will be a tiny-bit drier than Earth, but probably not by a truly significant margin--consider the environment to be an incongruous "Damp-Arid".  Remember that most major storm systems develop over warm water--big bodies of water spawn big storms.

However, in the case of planet Invermory, the real answer to this question is found in a non-UWP statistic--planet Invermory carries a Trade Classification as a "Garden World", this means that the environment could be considered "ideal" to the Human Norm (i.e. "Earth-like").

The Equatorial Regions will still be "Tropical", the Middle Latitudes will still be "Temperate", and the Polar Regions will still be "Arctic".

However, because of the thicker atmosphere, when compared to Earth, the average temperatures may be a little bit higher, and the average humidity may be a little bit lower, but wind-effects from any kind of "storm" will be greater.

Sorry I've been gone for a minute, I was busy putting together my first deck plans package for sale.

Check it out! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/p...r?affiliate_id=70261

Checking in to avoid AWOL.

IC is better! ;-)

I'm probably somewhere on the ship unless you find a skeleton.

Post IC then Evelyn, then you can play along too! ;-)

I can do that, but I don't know what Evelyn is like...

That works Indy ;-)

OOC:



     Actually, I was suggesting the next Bay forward--the one that sorta wraps around the lift shaft.
     And--at least on the current ship map--doesn't actually have a door, or anything, allowing access into it...  ^_^

     But we can settle on exactly where they go, later.  As has been mentioned, Low Berths tend to be portable, so we can install them anywhere we want to run power to.

Has anyone seen the GM?

In reply to Inderpal Kumar (msg # 205):

     Actually, I have seen the GM--IRL...

     Husky fellow, likes to wear a lot of red--often trimmed in ermine fur.  Quite a jolly guy, really...

SANTA!!! I've seen him in other games. Tuesday he was in Corsairs of Drinax.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:33, Thu 31 Oct 2019.

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 207):

Exactamundo!  Only, over there, I think his name is Oleb--King Oleb…

Heh-heh-heh...^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 02:29, Fri 01 Nov 2019.

My first thought on that comment was the Christmas routine that Cheech & Chong did in "Santa Claus and His Old Lady"

In reply to Walter Zeller (msg # 209):



     Okay, hang on, lemme open up my copy of MgT2E High Guard...{click-click*bzzzt!crackle*SNAP!!}

     Right.  Had to coerce my laptop to cooperate.  So...

     First, what I am talking about.  There are 2 airlocks leading into the Bridge from outside--one on the Port-side, another on the Starboard-side.  Here, look...
     I, personally, think this is a stupid arrangement on a military vessel--and remember that the Longshot was originally built as a System Defense Boat, a Military ship.  For an enemy to be able to assault 2, separate airlocks and gain immediate access to the Bridge of a warship seems stupid to me.

     Sure, I recognize the designs value for purposes of rescue operations--I'm just saying it doesn't make sense from a military design point (to me).  So I want to change it.

     According to Page 44 of MgT2E Traveller: High Guard...

     So each of those Airlocks is a minimum of 2 tons each, giving 4 tons available to play with.  Maybe more.

     According to the information provided by StarMaster, abouve, this means that in each location we could place either 4 Re-Entry Capsules (0.5 tons each), or we could put 2 Re-Entry Pods (1 ton each).

     Well, let's look closer at our options.  First, consider this...

     Planet Invermory has a technology level of TL A(10), but while the planet is classed as a Rich World, it is also classed as Agricultural--there is industry here, even heavy industry, but Agriculture is the dominant industry.  We can expect, in terms of native production, to find simple, basic, but good quality pods/capsules--nothing wrong with this.

     Jump-2 away is the Confederation capital of Duncinae, with a technological level of Tech B(11).  Duncinae is also classed as a Rich World, but is also classed Agricultural--and it holds the further, annoying, classification of Non-Industrial--add that to the data that says, between the two planets, Invermory has the bigger labor force and more efficient infrastructure--I wouldn't hold out any hope for a better (or as inexpensive) imported product from Duncinae.

     Why the hell do you think Vonon brought the Longshot here, anyway?  Invermory was the closest Rich World with the Biggest Starport (Class B) and highest Tech (A).  Trust me--I'm a Pretend Astrogator ^_^

     Okay, so Invermory-made gear is our best option, I'm thinking.  Now, just exactly what are our options?



     If I read this correctly, we can install a total of 8 capsules in the 4 tones we have available.  Normal Bridge Crew is 5, that leaves 3 for anyone else on Deck 1--assuming they can get to the Bridge to get at them.  Or we can juggle them around--5 on the Bridge and 3 down in Engineering.  As long as we only use 4 tons, we're still within the restrictions of the game mechanic ^_^

     And, while I'm not saying we either need or want Assault Capsules, I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt--should we decide to go with the Capsule Option--to look into buying stripped down versions of the Assault Capsules.  In other words, remove all the military gear except for the armor.  This would just make them a little more survivable, and hopefully they wouldn't be much more than the non-assault price of Cr.20000...I'd be willing to pay Cr.30-35K for a TL10 "Heavy Duty" (i.e., just Armored) Basic Re-Entry Capsule.



     This option is more expensive, but Pods are more versatile--and getting 4 tons worth will still allow 8 people to escape.  Of course, with Pods we'd either need to put 3 Pods on the Bridge and only 1 Pod at Engineering (somebody's getting screwed), or we'd have to scrape up 1 more ton and buy a 5th Pod, so we could put 2 of them don in Engineering.

     And...I just can't shake this idea of tinkering with the Pods--putting in bigger batteries and installing a grav-cycle engine, so that, after reaching a planet's surface, the pod can continue to be used as a low-level grav-flyer...but then, I like to abuse the system ^_^

     Now, I've been mentioning putting escape...things...in Engineering simply in the name of fairness.  Actually, if you look at the deckplans, anyone in Engineering can just slide down a ladder straight into the Boat Bay, and hop aboard the Last Chance, in order to save themselves.

     I'm taking bets... ^_^

     Moving on, StarMaster also said...

     Stop!  Do not even let that thought form in your pointy little heads!  I know I'm the one who's been throwing temper tantrums about not being able to lock-out the Bridge during..."situations"...but I am unwilling to give up the tonnage from one of the Bridge Airlocks to cover the tonnage needed for the installation of this blast door!

     We will have to give up the tonnage someplace else--unless those airlocks should happen to actually be more than 2 tons each...?

     As for taking a week to install--hell, we'll probably be gone that long exploring the ice-covered ruin!  This is fine.

     As for finances--Vonon places priority on the Blast Door, first, then Low Berths, then Escape craft.

     Okay, I put all this info up because Vonon is willing to listen to discussion on these topics, rather than just make a Captain's Decision, without consulting alla y'all!  So, anyone got any opinions, here?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:04, Sat 02 Nov 2019.

Am I somehow blocked or has everyone just decided to ignore my posts?

Sounds good to me. I was thinking that we could also ditch 6 tons of space to add in a Tow Line from the Merchants book and 1 ton for a Loading Belt for the cargo. Maybe scrap the mining drones (10 tons) and use the leftover space for extra escape pods?

Did we ignore more than one post, Reese?

Admittedly, it may have been overlooked, but I felt it was more like a rhetorical question Reese posed.

If you felt you needed a specific response from Vonon, you should have stepped on his tail! Otherwise, just assume he waved you off with a 'yes' gesture.

Anyway, prepping the shuttle is kind of like going to the john. It gets done, but nobody really talks about it.

Now, if you were planning on putting superglue on the pilot's seat...

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 211):

Vonon, message 241 responded to you. Told you to see Sam about helping with the Ship's Boat.

Gluing people to seats is useful in zero gravity.

Or a seatbelt harness.

Sorry, Inderpal. Yes, I did see your post about the weather, but thought it was more of a nonsense rhetorical question.

There was no reason you couldn't have posted that you checked the weather, saw it was overcast with a drizzly rain for the next few days, etc.

In other words, without any context for what you were going to do, I had no way to determine any weather that might affect it. Was she going fishing? Was she going skiing? ????

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 217):

I think StarMaster is saying, there, that you can make the weather whatever you want it to be, as long as it's a minor effect--"Perfect day for a walk"..."the weather was as miserable as she felt"..."the night was hot and wet"...

Just don't go throwing no Hurricanes at us...I hate it when a linebacker from Miami lands on me ^_^

Your butt better not be glued to a seat, honey.   There’s gravity on this rock.  Let’s go shopping!  Or at least walking in a park or something.

     Um....Serge?  After all those posts were we were dealing with Starport Traffic Control...and Starport Law Enforcement...and Starport Landing Administration...
     Uh...just where did you get the idea that planet Invermory--with an almost-paranoid Law Level of Nine (9)!--has no "official" Starport?  Did I miss something, here?



     I completely agree, Serge.  That's Vonon's plan--unless anyone comes up with something better (and cheaper)...
     Fly the Last Chance as close as we can get it to the "ruin", set it down in a safe spot, then operate out of it.  Maybe set up a temporary dome tent as an auxiliary facility--where we eat & hold meetings, etc--but we'll sleep inside the Chance.  Safer and warmer.

     You do bring up a good point about needing to double check that it will be okay for us to use the Last Chance in atmosphere, here.  Usually it's no big deal to use auxiliary vessels of less than 100 tons as in-atmosphere transports for global travel.  It would just be an issue with local Law Level(s) if we had to file flight plans.  Here, on Invermory, we probably will have to file flight plans, at least--but as I just mentioned, Law Level 9 is almost-paranoid level, no matter how friendly the Officers are--so that's something Vonon & Sir Walter will get into, when we go talk with Citizen Drango.

     Excellent in-character use of Scout skills, tho, Bubba!  Kudos! ^_^

Sorry, I misspoke. I mean "no starport on Coventry", of course.

Got it, thanks.

     Oh, yeah, sure.  But we'll worry about that when we get there...hmmm.  I hadn't thought about it--since there's so many thing's we're gonna do before we get to Coventry--but you may be correct.  When we do get to Coventry, we might not be able to get the Longshot down there, so we may have to use the Last Chance.

     But the "ruins" we are getting ready to go explore are ruins right here on Invermory--something that (I'm guessing) a prospecting team from the company that Rufus Drango works for stumbles across.  Drango said they were "recently uncovered from a glacier", or words to that effect.  So we're going to be camping out either on, or near, a glacier.  So we still need the cold weather gear.

Was gonna check what we meant by gear. Cons of using the ship as a base are that, if we need to use it as transport, then there goes our base - assuming not everyone goes on the trip. So I think we'll need a few tents to operate out of, even if we sleep in the Ship. TBH had also envisaged this as more of a Star Trek away mission ie main ship in orbit, and Last chance on planet, but that was an assumption. And if we do that - then we would almost certainly need extra tents. Obviously we have slightly different ideas about how were going to do this, so good to thrash it out a bit.

Okay, what degree of "camping" do you assume and what budget? We can buy anything in wide range from $200 simple tent up to $75 000 modular base. Do we need ropes, torches, drills, cargo containers, etc? May be we postpone buying equipment until we have more information from Drango and/or have visited the site in the first time? Until that I really think that we don't need to buy anything except heatsuits, and may be long-range communication devices.

In reply to Samantha Kilgore (msg # 224):

I agree.  In fact, now that Serge has made me (the Player) think of it, I realize I've been too focused on playing Vonon as an ex-Patrolman, wanna-be Adventurer--and while I was waiting for all you ex-Scouts to start telling me how to run a surface exploration....I actually forgot why I was waiting ^_^

     So, I think I agree with Sam & Serge--and especially Reese, who suggested stepping up to something more substantial than tents, when he suggested pre-fab shelters.  We just have to keep in mind that the Last Chance will likely be carrying 6 passengers (more or less), plus gear for our stay.

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 226):

Continuation of previous...



I like to strive for a little bit of both.  we can whip up the shopping list faster here, in OOC, then "going out" to get the stuff can be as long, or short, as the PC's want...

We can just say we order this stuff online as easily as we say we go out to get it, in person.

I like to put up a post about going to a store--that way I can always hope that the shitty Sandbox Style of gaming might actually move it's ass and give me an encounter....or, more likely, I'll just get a confirmation that my "mission" was successful, and the job is done--subtract your funds.

Yay, Sandbox!  The most exciting way to be BORED TO FRIKKIN DEATH!!!!!!
Gimme a ticket on a good, old fashioned Railroad-style adventure, any day...

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 227):

Y'know...I have the damnedest feeling that there was something really important I wanted to take care of, regarding this game...but I just can't put my finger on it...

And no, it's not "blow my brains out"!

I did that last week...maybe there's a correlation...

But I still think there was something I wanted to respond to...

Does Shaarik want to join Inderpal in going off ship?

Was it related to the crew? Cargo? The Ship? The adventure?

In reply to Walter Zeller (msg # 230):

Hey Walter!  You ready to go see Druker?  I'll have Varca put on his Sunday-Go-To-Meetings clothes..

You Varca Lexand too? I should have guessed!

Yep.

Of course!  She did give you the thumbs-up in affirmation!

     CRAP!!!  Grab the money and head for...

     Uh, ahem, I mean, what's that?  Varca Lick-sand, you said?  Hmmm...no...no, I can't say the name rings any bells.  Who is this person you speak of?

^_~

     Great!  Now I just have to figure out what color ascot will go best with my Puce jacket...flaming Orange or Turquoise?  Hmm...

     Oh, and the bright Lime Green trousers, or Hunter Green?

     The all White cape, d'you think?  Or the banana Yellow with Gray lining?

     Choices, choices...

Twitch, twitch, twitch.

We are going to a meeting, not golfing...

*elbows Zeller*  Walter, Vo’s a vargr.... I’m not sure that he knows the difference...   Besides, he looks quite dashing in his lime green pants with those furry ankles peeking out.

In reply to Sharik Kaagira (msg # 238):

That's right, I'm Vargr.  Our color sense is muted, so, for us, the brighter the color, the better.

As for Taste in Color Choice... ^_^

What--you think I should go with sandals, rather than the boots?

Oh!  I do have a pair of open-toed loafers...

Vonon looks like a pimp in New Orleans. ;-) heheheheheheheheheh

When you decide to run your own Traveller game Vonon, PLEASE invite me!!!

Excellent. Do we need to go through any formalities i.e. immigration before handing properly planetside, GM?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Tue 12 Nov 2019.

All of my Vargrs look like pimps in New Orleans... ^_^


I'm currently building a Space: 1889 setting using the Savage World system.  Actually, I'm trying for a fusion of Original Space: 1889, Red Sands, and Savage Mars.

The work goes slow--I'm currently wrestling with putting together a Mysticism system that has a really Victorian feel.

Holiday Season Alert!

It's that time of year again, so everyone hang on tight, it's gonna get bumpy...

Posting will likely get slower--but at least we can blame it on Family ^_^--so I hope y'all can hang on through this most miserable season, and see it through until after the New Year ^_^

No Drop Outs!!

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 243):

I've never seen a pimp in New Orleans. Or New Orleans. Except on a screen.

Same here, only on the silver screen. My roommate is from New Orleans.

There's no further customs that Inderpal and Sharik need to go through.

Most of that is automated with high-tech sensors doing the brunt of the work. Besides, you already had officials on board dealing with the body.

If anything had been suspicious, that might have triggered something. Wait! When they asked if you were criminals or terrorists, you did say "No", right?

Does being an eco-terrorist count?   Not that Shar was ever caught or anything (so, obviously, no convictions).  And those other officials were really lame groat-herders; not quality people like the ones here on Invermory...

ooc
At the end of this week I am away on a course for 2 weeks. I should have internet access, but not sure how much I'll be able to post

TC and good luck Sam.

     "Two Weeks'?  Pshaw!  That's...what?...about two minutes In-Game, around here?   ^_^

     If you posted for Sam--right now!--that she sneezed, you probably wouldn't get a "Gesundheit!" until you got back  ^o^

     Kidding!  Kidding.  Of course!


Dammit, StarMaster, don't press that shotgun so hard into my back...

This message was deleted by the player at 04:23, Fri 22 Nov 2019.

Checking.

Has anyone heard from Sharik's player lately?

According to the log, she was here yesterday but failed to post.

Since I suffer from several of those 'why doesn't he post?' conundrums, I can readily understand that Sharik's player may be under the influence of the HOLIDAZE already--after all, Christmas started nearly a month ago!

Or she may me moving, unpacking, family emergency, not feeling well, the cat peed on her computer, the dog ate her homework, or any number of other RL problems.

She'd said she was interested in joining Inderpal, so just drag her along until she can post. She'll catch up.

I may have her dragged along literally...

In reply to Inderpal Kumar (msg # 257):

What is a Tharillian?

It's one of these:


and perhaps more usefully - they would be from:

https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Tharrill_(world)

Tharrill (world
There is currently no text in this page. You can search for this page title in other pages, search the related logs, or edit this page.

Well, you need the trailing parenthesis ( https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Tharrill_(world) ) and I am not sure why RPoL is parsing it off *shrug*  looks like you have to add it to the link after it redirects ...

And presumably Indy looks like this at Splaash!

Very nice, Sylvester would approve appreciatively. WOW Sharik too!

If anyone is interested, I'll be here all day tomorrow too. I'm at my computer 10-12 hours a day 365 days a year if you feel like posting and getting a reply ;-)

Everyone is celebrating the holiday, so sad. ;-)

not me! Not sure what holiday your on about - no holiday here

In reply to Samantha Kilgore (msg # 265):

Yeah--I started a 12 hour shift at 6pm on Thursday!

Up to my ass in alligators and mosquitos, here at...crap...here at the Turkey Creek facility...on Thanksgiving...

didn't think that joke all the way through before I started typing...

Let me see, Turkey Creek, "Up to my ass in alligators and mosquito(e)s", you work at the Florida Turnpike?

In reply to Walter Zeller (msg # 267):

Nope.  I'm Security at....(deep breath)

"A Secret Industrial Facility, hidden Deep in the SouthWest Florida Everglades."

WOWWWW! People . . still . . . [gulp] . . .WORK!!! How terrible!

In reply to Sylvester Jinx (msg # 269):

A quick note on Law Level.  The following is what I found on he TravellerWiki for Law Level 9--what we have, here on Invermory.



One further item of interest--according to this same source at TravellerWiki, all societies with Law Levels of A(10) or Higher are, by definition of the Travellers Aid Society, automatically classified as Amber Zones.

Plus, I think the description for Invermory said something about them being--not so much Xenophobic, but just a little...Untrusting...of Non-Locals.

So, I guess, it should be no shock to Sharik that they are being Followed--no!--that they are "Under Observation" ^_^

Checking in.

Check!

Ugh! Drowning at work!

Provided you're not literally drowning...

Like you on the Ferris wheel? ;-)

Checking in to avoid AWOL.

Hi Indy! :-)

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Sì, sì...

Buone vacanze a ciascuno di voi e ai vostri cari.

Happy holidays to each of you and your loved ones.





Actually, though it is my Ancestral Tongue, my Italian is no better than my Japanese....I'm faking it!!!

     Y'know...after a little thought...I think I just wished everyone "Happy Vacations"...

     *sigh*  Language...can't ever get it right...can't ever get laid without it...

     Well, anyways, Buon Natale, y'all!  And, for my friends amoung God's Chosen People--you know who you are, and thank you for not rubbing it in!--I wish you a חנוכה שמח

Happy holidays to each of you - thought I am off work I may end up posting less due to an excessive intake of turkey/beer/cheese/anything else I can get hold of

Yeah!  Happy holidays (whatever you might celebrate at this time of year), everyone!  I hope that your celebrations and reveling go well.  Best wishes from my family to yours!  Safe travels (if you are travelling), and a glorious time to be had for all.

Looking forward to RPing with all of you into the New Year and beyond!

Have a Merry Happy Holy ChrismaHannaKwanzDiwali!

Internet has been down, and I used up my cellular hotspot already; Just got my Christmas bonus so I hope to get the interwebs turned back on tomorrow so I can post around work.

In reply to Reese Hardsimm (msg # 285):

Reese!!  Praise the Gods, you're alive and not eaten by Carnivorous Hamsters!

Merry Christmas everyone.

You too Khea!

Happy New Year everyone!

     Y'know.....there's a really Sexist, Dirty Joke in that Post, somewhere....and I'm just the Hound Dog to go digging it up....

~_^

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year, fellow Travellers!

ditto cam.

I third that!  Here’s to a fun filled 2020!  Game on!

I've never understood why people would celebrate such an arbitrary thing.

My @$$hole neighbor woke me up with fireworks in my back yard followed by an hour of thumping music. I have to be at work in 45 minutes!!

I don't. Bank Holiday in the UK.

Where are you int he UK Inderpal? I'm in Newcastle

East London.

Does that make you a cock er nee? ; )

Nope. Far too far east for that. Grandson of one, yes.

Ladies, Gentlemen....and, I suppose, even those of you who are pretending not to be NPCs....

I recently concluded a deal whereby I've licensed the exploitation of the mineral rights to my head.  Mining shall begin in the morning, so I expect that I will be away from my computer for a little bit--maybe until next weekend.

I hope his will not inconvenience any of you....but if it should--screw you!  I'm the one getting his jaw jackhammered!  Three extractions in one day--three!  I'm in pain just thinking about it....OxyContin!  Lots of OxyContin!!

Ouch....

I'd wish you luck, Vo.  But, I don't think that luck is involved ... so, speedy recovery and here's to no complications!  Take care of yourself and get back to us when you can.

I, myself, and fighting a cold (I tried so hard not to get sick during the holidays ... and got sick right after the holidays.  Go figure.).  I will try to get an IC post up when I can; it sounds like Indy and I just drinking and flirting though.  I suppose, we'll have to get back to the ship at some point (a little more water-logged than before and a lot more sauced - but what did you expect when there are five levels of Carouse between the two of us).

EDIT:  Probably should tell Vo and Walter that there is a healthy underground movement for those wanting to 'rescue' people from Coventry - even if we don't avail ourselves of that option.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Tue 07 Jan 2020.

The only thing you have to worry about is if your wisdom teeth roots go into your sinuses, that hurts like hell, the infection that follows, good drugs and good luck!

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 301):

About 20 light years ago I had to extract all four wisdom teeth in one day. The surgeon broke his pliers when was removing the last one.
So my advice - endure! This is the way ;)

I had mine cut out, they were impacted. 22, 23 years ago.

I had two molars removed to make room for my canines that were basically looking like fangs.

I then watched Grease.

The teeth extraction was preferable.

That is one of my standard humorous anecdotes.

Well, my extractions went well....thanks for asking....