They will be at zero at 90 days.

That's what I thought, thanks!

I can't reply to anything in the District 268 game.  I don't seem to be able to reply to PM's or anything.  Please let Tignath know.

In reply to Matt (msg # 473):

Done.

I think I can post now!!!!!

Good deal :-)

The ship's supplies worksheet has been updated on Dropbox.

I did a little research - most of the equipment on the runabout isn't actually TL-15, so the TL-14 parts will fit most of her systems. The only exceptions are her electronics (computer, sensors), and the powerplant.

I suppose an argument could be made that there are incremental improvements, but they aren't specified that way in the TNE rules. For example, the high-efficiency grav lifters are possible beginning at TL-12, and there aren't any higher tech systems listed. So, TL-12 parts will fit, regardless of what TL ship they're installed on.

A compromise might be to allow parts at one TL lower than the ship's TL for systems not specifically called out at the ship's TL.

It always seemed odd for some tech to top-out so to speak but I guess you might end up with stuff that is too small and cheap for balance.

I guess if the TL-12 grav lifters are the top of the improvement ladder then they would probably work on a higher tech system.  You might require an engineering roll to represent some degree of compatibility issues though.  The roll might get harder the more different are the tech levels.

Good deal though getting some parts for the run about.

It comes to me that the Imperium was unique in that there are many worlds, all with different tech levels. Some had large economies, but at lower tech levels, probably because it takes a lot of capital to build a higher tech level, not to mention having to train all of the people to work there.

So, they had to use and maintain ships and other equipment at a level they could sustain. Not only that, there were ships out there a century or more old, and, by inference, other equipment that was also very old, but still irreplaceable.

That made for a large market in lower TL parts and tools, plus it also meant that the higher tech stuff probably was backwards compatible, at least for the next lower TL. This isn't always true, but it is for many components.

Further, depending on the part/assembly, lower tech parts may work, but maybe not as well. Take car tires as an example. You could put 1970s-era tires on a modern car, as long as the tires fit the rims. Rims would be trickier, due to the bolt patterns and the presence of disc brakes versus drum brakes. If the modern tires are low-profile or wider than the older ones, then it may not be possible to use the older ones.

Definitely a capital constraint on raising tech level as well as a cultural one in some cases.

I always got the impression that outside the shiny inner sectors there was a lot of mix and match mixed TL going on.  Hard Times especially does a good job of modeling the ramshackle builds that you got at different TL.

Also because of the Vilani and Rule of Man influence I think that a LOT of the Imperium used very standardized equipment across the TL that would make matching stuff together easier.  Definitely when you have very old ships running around you get the need for backwards compatibility.

I know that there is a certain amount of handwaving involved, but I think what we've discussed here is accurate enough without being an accounting burden.

I hadn't looked at Hard Times before, but it's a fair approximation of what happened to the Imperium of this universe.

More details will come to light as we go ;-)

Hard Times rocked.  They had the pathos and nobility of the setting down really, really well.  It was almost frightening with the Black War.

I haven't detailed anything out about the Devastation, and I don't think that any records survived it. So, no one in this part of space may ever know what really happened.

True, you'd have to find a well placed survivor to get any kind of story.

Sorry about the tough rules on empty-hex jumps, but it plays an important role in the broader story...

No worries!

I'm just tossing out ideas with the NPCs - Brent can go wherever he likes ;-)

In reply to JR (msg # 463):

I'm back. :)

Hey, Bob!!

A quick summary (and Matt, please chime in here):

Wanderer and her crew are exploring the main near Execute, after making contact with a village of about 2000 people on the planet.

Naimh and her now-girlfriend Veronica have set up an education system in the village using some spare computers from the ship's stores. They also started a medical training program for the village's medical people.

One item of particular note that Naimh knows - the reproduction rates of the Imperial descendants is about one-tenth of the human norm. This is a dominant genetic trait introduced in Imperial times to keep population growth at sustainable rates. It could be switched off, but it was done only in frontier areas, and it was not done here. That's why the population you've encountered is much smaller than one might expect.

Gareth is running a lanthanum mine on Execute, with an eye to gathering enough of the material to return to the Egg System. There, the inhabitants can use the mineral to make one of their starships jump-capable again.

During their stay on Execute, a jump runabout (TL-15, 6 dt, no cargo) jumped in with two teen girls aboard. They are from Sittahr, and the ship's computer brought them there automatically. The runabout and the girls are now in company with Wanderer as it jumps from system to system.

There are also four new people aboard the ship - they are from Execute, and they are undergoing training as starship crew, along with the runabout's owners. The new NPCs are:

Murla Lear - Engineer
Shunami Lambert - Combat skills
Kevin Eason - Navigatior
Emii Eason - Pilot

Runabout Owners:
Eleni von Ritterburg - Engineer
Radshir van Adair - Pilot

Naimh is familiar with these last two family names - they were the bigshot nobles in the sector.

At the moment, the ships are leaving the Cosenza mainworld with a load of parts and tools, and there is a discussion about where to go next. Naimh suggested Gorky, since she'd attended medical conferences there. The details are in one of the last posts in the game thread.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:31, Wed 22 July 2020.

I've forgotten to add Melina's information - she's another Execute native, and she's snagged Malcolm, who is twice her age (she's 20, he's 40).

Melina Rebane - Sensors, Computer Ops, Combat Skills

Welcome back Bob!  Glad to have you with us again.

Regarding the animals on Egg, my thought is that no one has had any need to hunt or trap anything, so the animals there are tame and unafraid of people. They are all domesticated simply by sharing habitats with people.

You can expound on this however you like.

It might be shocking to the people from Egg that, on Execute and Sittahr, there are wild animals that are hunted, and are dangerous to people. We haven't done anything with the cultural differences between the groups, but this will come into play once Egg has jump-capable ships again.

Of course, that might be the least of the problems they encounter <evil grin>...

Good point, certainly on Egg you would only have pets and perhaps animals in zoos or zoo-like habitat parks.

Was the animal conversation about how to approach Egg?

Yes, but Brent will need to ask the girls to learn more ;-)