Beltstrike

[IanBruntlett]

On page 6, there is a table, "Exotic Table", which has some normal text intermingled inside the table.

I'm reading the relevant chapter "Asteroid Belts" with a view of running games using Beltstrike in the coming weeks. Has anyone else found these tables confusing?

 

[rust]

Has anyone else found these tables confusing?

Not really. They are quite similar to the tables in Classic Traveller's Belt-
strike. I found such an array of tables a bit confusing back then, but it
was not very difficult to get used to work with them.

 

[lastbesthope]

The nromal text in the table on Page 6 does seem to tail off incomplete in the second bullet pointsection though, anyone know where you're supposed to go?

LBH

 

[rust]

The nromal text in the table on Page 6 does seem to tail off incomplete in the second bullet pointsection though, anyone know where you're supposed to go?

The way I read it, the normal text begins with the heading "Detailed
Survey and Logistics" followed by two lines of text, then continues
with the four lines of text erroneously inserted into the tables, and
finally ends with the text on the right side.

In my view the bullet point section has only three paragraphs, one be-
ginning with "Determine the asteroid's ...", the next with "Determine if
the resource ...", and the last one with "Determine the size of ...".

The interrupted second sentence of the second paragraph reads "Cross
reference the Composition of the material from the Composition Table
with the Resource indicated in the Scan Potential Table."

Does this make sense ?

 

[IanBruntlett]

Does this make sense ?

Yes it does, thank you.

 

[lastbesthope]

Does this make sense ?

YEs, it does, Thanks!!

An interesting layout SNAFU to occur.

LBH

 

[Cutterina]

Hello,

I read Beltstrike one time and I have a problem with the part about Planetoids:

• Be spherical
• Possess magnetic monopoles
• Have weak gravity
• Have a trace atmosphere

Do they really mean magnetic monopoles? Or is ist a typing error and they mean magnetic poles?

Thanks for Answers.

Cheers!

Cutter

 

[rust]

Yep, they do indeed mean magnetic monopoles.

I think the idea comes from Larry Niven's Known Space universe,
where the belters are searching for and mining those magnetic mo-
nopoles, which were considered possible at the time when Niven
wrote his stories (I have no idea whether they are considered pos-
sible today).

This is what Wikipedia has to say about them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_monopoles

 

[EDG]

Ugh, is it really that bad?

- Most planetoids won't be spherical unless they're over about 400 km in diameter (then gravity can pull them into a more spherical shape)
- Magnetic monopoles are only theoretical - there's no evidence for their existence and I can't think of any reason why a planetoid would have them if they did exist (asteroids don't even really have magnetic fields of their own either).
- they would definitely have very weak gravity since they have very low mass.
- they won't have any atmosphere at all unless they're large and located deep in the outer zone.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I believe the author meant to say that a Planetoid (like Ceres or Pluto) could have a Magnetic Field. That is how I interpreted the text when I read it, not a magnetic monopole, but a magnetic pole.

Depending on the location within the system (as EDG said) is MIGHT be possible for a planetoid in the outer zone to have a Very Trace atmosphere some of the time.

 

[AndrewW]

Depending on the location within the system (as EDG said) is MIGHT be possible for a planetoid in the outer zone to have a Very Trace atmosphere some of the time.

Are there planetoid's in OZ?