Gas Giant! Diver Down!

[Longboat]

What's it like skimming fuel at a gas giant? Is it like rolling through the atmosphere of any world? Or, is it nail-biting and rough, with electrical storms, orbital tornadoes, and wind shear that can clip off parts of the ship?

Or something in the middle?

Is it strictly Ref color and description, or is there some thing to go by in the game.

What would it be like hiding in a Gas Giant? How detectable would you be to ships in orbit of the GG? What would have to do to be able to use our ship's sensors to reliably obtain information outside the atmosphere of the GG? Maybe use some drone sensors that communicate with the ship?

I wonder if this will be covered in the new Book 9 for CT.

 

[Sigtrygg]

So trivially boring there is no roll at all to do it in most versions of Traveller.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I think this is covered in Gas Giant Operations in the Traveller Companion. I do not have My books available at the moment to say for sure.

 

[Bense]

Traveller Companion does indeed have a whole section on Gas Giant operations. Generally the deeper you go the faster your tanks fill but the more turbulence you have to deal with and the more difficult the pilot checks are. Most skimming is done at the 4th "Deep" level, where Pilot checks are at DM-2 and tanks fill at the normal rate. You can skim at the shallow level with only a DM-1 at half the normal rate.

Not all gas giants are the same. Some have calmer weather than others. The really violent gas giants are avoided entirely.

 

[Arkathan]

I just have players do a normal 8+ pilot skill roll.
positive effect shaves time off the operation.
Negative effect scores that many S1 critical hits. Due to turbulence/tumbling.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[CordwainerFish]

A gas giant is a big, big place and you try to find a path through calm weather. Try.