Darrian Confederation questions

[zero]

Lol, thanks for all the help. I'm going to see if I can get Darrians by the weekend as a pdf now I found out drivethru rpg has the sale, £9ish is a bargain.

The ship; I wanted a streamlined (so it can skim if needed) Jump 3+ ship, preferrably having Basic Military Sensors (+0 DM) and some cargo space for stuff. Doesnt need more than two staterooms. Obviously it needs to be armed or at least have a hardpoint I can fix something in.

So really I am after a nippy little ship that can handle itself and is free to jump where it wants :lol:

 

[DFW]

The ship; I wanted a streamlined (so it can skim if needed) Jump 3+ ship, preferrably having Basic Military Sensors (+0 DM) and some cargo space for stuff. Doesnt need more than two staterooms. Obviously it needs to be armed or at least have a hardpoint I can fix something in.

So really I am after a nippy little ship that can handle itself and is free to jump where it wants :lol:

List the requirements & I'll throw a design together...

 

[zero]

Ok

We're looking at a ship built on Darrian, so its got a TL 16 base.

It needs to be streamlined (for skimming) and Jump 3, minimum, armoured and having hardpoints, laser, particle beam and sand casters in them.

At least Basic Military sensors, fuel enough for a fortnight plus one full Jump.
Also a Cargo Hold. It'll need the Fuel Processors for when it skims.

Max of two staterooms, no low-berths. Luxuries wont be needed. It'll have a crew of two, so it doesnt need to be huge.

The rest is up to you, so you have free reign. The main purpose for the ship will be to act firstly as a transport between planets and it should be able to enter atmos and land. I havent ruled out the Merchant Marine route either so having a cargo bay and defence against corsairs would be a good idea.

I'll leave this open for anyone to have a dab hand at, have fun

 

[rust]

We're looking at a ship built on Darrian, so its got a TL 16 base.

Ah ... hardly. Darrians currently do not build starships at TL 16, perhaps
with the occasional secret project for the Special Arm as a rare exception.

 

[DFW]

Ok

We're looking at a ship built on Darrian, so its got a TL 16 base.

I'll have to skin HG to see how much TL 16 stuff is in there. I don't have Darrians...

 

[BFalcon]

DFW: HG says that they stop using Fusion at TL15 - so I'm guessing anti-matter PP would take over?

At least you'd get your smaller J-6 drive if you wanted it now

 

[zero]

Ok, if Darrians dont build ships on Darrian, we'll need a lower TL!

EDIT = Ok, the next highest TL planet is Jacent, TL 13. Jump 4 max

Well, its still better than average. I couldnt see anything particularly up with this planet and it still keeps with my J-3 minimum ship.

Other planets if I have to go down to TL 12 are Nosea and Entrope.

 

[GypsyComet]

DFW: HG says that they stop using Fusion at TL15 - so I'm guessing anti-matter PP would take over?

Sigh. Another change for the sake of change. Antimatter power used to be set at TL17 but not really useful until TL18 due to size constraints, imperfect power extraction, and incomplete control over the reaction, meaning the early AM powerplants are big and go through fuel at appalling rates.

 

[BFalcon]

Gypsy: OK, so basically we can read that as: At TL16, AM P-Plants start to be used, but the older, more reliable fusion P-Plants are still being used widely... by TL18, these p-plants have entirely replaced fusion as the power supply of choice...?

 

[GypsyComet]

I think that was the effect of the numbers, but MT didn't beat you over the head with it. "Here's the numbers, the conclusions are up to you."

 

[zero]

At a TL 13 ship now I think the point is moot for this. :?

 

[DFW]

At a TL 13 ship now I think the point is moot for this. :?

Well, you can always hop on down to Glisten for a TL 15 ship from DFW Industries. 8)

 

[BFalcon]

DFW: why do I suddenly think of Arthur Daley when I see that last post of yours? :lol:

Does Darrian not even produce anything? All they'd need to produce is the fusion powerplant and the jump drive...

 

[DFW]

DFW: why do I suddenly think of Arthur Daley when I see that last post of yours? :lol:

 

[BFalcon]

For the non-brits, the character ran a used car dealership in the show Minder... and well, enough said... (the name came from the other main character - an ex-con who, as part of his parole, had to look after Arthur - while avoiding any illegal charges... which wasn't easy.)

 

[far-trader]

Does Darrian not even produce anything? All they'd need to produce is the fusion powerplant and the jump drive...

It kind of breaks the concept (well one of anyway) of just what TL means. It (Darrian) has long been listed as TL16 but with a note that while they have TL16 infrastructure they can't properly maintain it. Hints at it not so much falling apart (being TL16 it endures) as simply not being replaced.

So then what is the actual manufacturing TL of Darrian? And what shape and percentage of the population enjoys the relic TL16 infrastructure? Was there enough that survived the Maghiz that it still supports the entire surviving population? Maybe even with unused elements capable of supporting more or being used as sections fail?

Picture a TL16 arcology with whole sections uninhabited as the surviving population groups in one section. And as that section fails through use with no one able to repair or maintain it they move to another section. Over time the abandoned sections come to be reclaimed and inhabited by nature. Or simply lie dark. Or still house some stubborn residents who resort to low tech methods of surviving in what was once a miracle of technological leisure?

If I recall the original brief on Darrian has them manufacturing nothing but exporting artwork. Sounds like they became a society of artistic leisure and left all the work to the machines. When the machines were built the people retired to a life of artistic pursuit. And when the Maghiz hit the people didn't rebuild but continued to live the life they knew and just trusted that the machines remaining would last.

Sounds like a great utopia cum dystopia setting in the making.

 

[zero]

Going through the UWP and assigning it an equivalent MGT TL, it would max out at TL 13, which fits alongside the max TL past Darrian, if the planet is the tech base for the Confederation and tells the others what tech advances are acceptable.

Thats not to say thats the general level of Darrian right now, just maybe thats how some populace may go about. Importantly, mobile Gravitic cities, where many Darrians live on the planet, is a TL 14 innovation.

As an aside, TL 16 would mean the Darrians had low non-self aware AI robots in all facets, along with personal meson communicators and personal holovid.
I expect the robots were fully able to be constructed to look like fellow Darrians too.

They should still have robots, just not as advanced as what they were. I find the whole utopia-dystopia of the Darrians interesting, and just a little bit sad

 

[GypsyComet]

Yes, the Darrians had Meson Comm. That was part of the problem...

Robots? Not so much. Capability and cultural interest are two different things.

 

[zero]

A new one; Engrange (C-554769-8). Yet another agricultural world whose high law level and contraband on Travellers means no-one gets in and no-one gets out.

:?

I could write this world off by being like Condaria, if it wasnt for being run by a captive government (thus the Traveller contraband) which after reading the traveller wiki for more info - is run by Ilium, a world which holds the Darrian navy! :shock:

Have I just opened a can of worms here or what? Its exactly like Condaria too, whilst the farmers dont need prototype filter masks, they are still limited to TL 2 items and all weapons are banned, whilst their rulers live in high-tech TL 8 comfort :?

I rationalise that the Darrians of Ilium are keeping the rulers locked on world to watch the land being farmed by plebs, paying them off for this landlock with all the good living TL 8 can provide (which can be cushy). The rulers can then, if agriculture is actually collected, shoot the freight into space on Reaction Drive rockets to be collected.

This is not very nice to the tens of millions who farm each day on that planet with such a thin atmosphere - what crime is this?

 

[GypsyComet]

A new one; Engrange (C-554769-8). Yet another agricultural world whose high law level and contraband on Travellers means no-one gets in and no-one gets out.
...
the farmers dont need prototype filter masks, they are still limited to TL 2 items and all weapons are banned, whilst their rulers live in high-tech TL 8 comfort
...
This is not very nice to the tens of millions who farm each day on that planet with such a thin atmosphere - what crime is this?

A Thin atmosphere isn't that bad, really.

You may be taking the Law Level too literally. The best way to keep weapons out of the hands of the farmers is to give them combines instead of hoes and picks. Sure, a combine can mangle a man in seconds, but you'd hear it coming. Using higher tech for farming also backs up the Ag rating, as the world is a net exporter of food. If everyone who actually farms is stuck without even tractors, the net export is going to be tiny.

SMC puts the world at 70 million people.

Consider the alternate view. Say the populace is actually recently descended from a penal colony. The world limits weaponry and travel because of tradition as much as perceived need, and the need for food elsewhere may be great enough that they really can't afford to have mass emigration or outsiders wandering around freely flaunting offworld gear or attitudes.