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Anonymous
Guest
Code:
Supplement 4: Central Supply Catalogue
Author: M J Dougherty & Vryan SteeleIs this a typo and should be Bryan Steele ?
Is this a typo and should be Bryan Steele ?
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
Roger Calver said:
Nope. Totally different author.
alex_greene
Guest
One question I would like to ask:-
Will the Central Supply Catalogue have anything resembling a vehicle design section, along the lines of the spacecraft design sections of the core rulebook and High Guard?
Will the Central Supply Catalogue have anything resembling a vehicle design section, along the lines of the spacecraft design sections of the core rulebook and High Guard?
One question I want to ask: will the Central Supply catalogue at least try and build from a basis of current technology. I know Traveller has a frontier, low-tech sci-fi feel about it, but having finally reached the final chapter of Mercenary on my second read (first read is always a skim read for the juicy bits!) I found my heckles rising...
A map box that contains the map of a single world for 3000 credits. Tell you what, I'll just take my iphone with googlemaps thanks. 300 credits all in, I reckon. Adhesive bandages, developed at TL6 and even at TL14 apparently they still give -1 to Medic roll.
I'm already feeling like a complete rewrite of much of the Traveller equipment list is going to be necessary. Pleeeease tell me that the Central Supply Catalogue is going to save me a job?
A map box that contains the map of a single world for 3000 credits. Tell you what, I'll just take my iphone with googlemaps thanks. 300 credits all in, I reckon. Adhesive bandages, developed at TL6 and even at TL14 apparently they still give -1 to Medic roll.
I'm already feeling like a complete rewrite of much of the Traveller equipment list is going to be necessary. Pleeeease tell me that the Central Supply Catalogue is going to save me a job?
drnuncheon
Mongoose
phild said:
Given the source book that 3000Cr probably gets you a map box that doesn't depend on a jammable network connection, is more up-to-date and accurate than Google Maps, has been ruggedized to stand the sort of abuse it would get in the field in mercenary actions, and doesn't come with a mandatory 2 year data plan from Imperium Telephone & Telegraph.
OK, that'll teach me to use throw-away facetious remarks!
My point here is that with current technology we have small handheld devices that can contain, process and display maps and have sufficient inbuilt memory to include those to a high level of detail. For example, my mobile phone has offline searchable roadmaps of the UK, and with memory enhancements and the right data, could easily expand this to the rest of the world.
A mapbox clearly then adds some additional functions, including most significantly battery time, durability, in-built scanning and in-built relative positioning. Of these, the first two are Tech 8 feasible, so it's the latter two that presumably justify the expense and higher tech level. But even here I'm a bit dubious. If you have to carry out two orbital sweeps to make the map, you need sensors to do that. Presumably this is ship sensors, to which the mapbox is linked and provides the processing software. If not, how does the box carry out the required sweep? Sat next to a porthole with a little camera sticking out? Oops, facetious again!
In any case, given the requirements of an orbital vehicle of some kind, this again strikes me as something that can be done at current tech, and indeed putting this function in the mapbox rather than in a sensor suite seems a little misplaced when the box itself doesn't have the means to carry out the sweep.
As for the positioning, I'd like to know the handwavium theory on how this works. This is the main tech challenge, so perhaps this justifies the Tech 9 and high price tag. Otherwise, it offers very little IMHO above what tech 7/8 already provides in a much smaller package.
My point here is that with current technology we have small handheld devices that can contain, process and display maps and have sufficient inbuilt memory to include those to a high level of detail. For example, my mobile phone has offline searchable roadmaps of the UK, and with memory enhancements and the right data, could easily expand this to the rest of the world.
A mapbox clearly then adds some additional functions, including most significantly battery time, durability, in-built scanning and in-built relative positioning. Of these, the first two are Tech 8 feasible, so it's the latter two that presumably justify the expense and higher tech level. But even here I'm a bit dubious. If you have to carry out two orbital sweeps to make the map, you need sensors to do that. Presumably this is ship sensors, to which the mapbox is linked and provides the processing software. If not, how does the box carry out the required sweep? Sat next to a porthole with a little camera sticking out? Oops, facetious again!
In any case, given the requirements of an orbital vehicle of some kind, this again strikes me as something that can be done at current tech, and indeed putting this function in the mapbox rather than in a sensor suite seems a little misplaced when the box itself doesn't have the means to carry out the sweep.As for the positioning, I'd like to know the handwavium theory on how this works. This is the main tech challenge, so perhaps this justifies the Tech 9 and high price tag. Otherwise, it offers very little IMHO above what tech 7/8 already provides in a much smaller package.
BenGunn said:
Which is an interesting discussion that I've had with my rpg group in the past, to the extent that we think it's almost essential that any hardish sci-fi setting would have starships regularly spitting out a small network of comms micro-satellites around every planet it orbits, as a matter of course. It's covered by handwavium, perhaps, but it allows for GPS type functions as well as interplanetary communicators.
drnuncheon
Mongoose
qstor said:
Hopefully there's going to be something a little more 3I-oriented. Not that the Slammers aren't great - but I think people would be a little miffed if that was the only source for vehicle rules. (Imagine if instead of High Guard the ship construction rules were in the B5 game!)
J
Hammer's Slammers?
I think I've had thos before - are they layered, served cold with vapor kinda coming off the top .. er.. sorry.. that's a Mind Eraser.. I think..
Not sure, can't really remember...
I vaguely recall a book or series like that name back maybe twenty years ago (late 80's-ish). Is this another Mongoose RPG or a planned book for MGT covering vechicles?
I think I've had thos before - are they layered, served cold with vapor kinda coming off the top .. er.. sorry.. that's a Mind Eraser.. I think..
Not sure, can't really remember...
I vaguely recall a book or series like that name back maybe twenty years ago (late 80's-ish). Is this another Mongoose RPG or a planned book for MGT covering vechicles?
alex_greene
Guest
It's a licensed alternate Traveller setting that is based on Traveller rules, but is not a 3I product.
