high acceleration in Trav

[EDG]

Does Traveller have any kind of 'acceleration compensators' at all? I mean, you can get some pretty high-G manoeuvre drives that ought to make things pretty darn uncomfortable for crew in a constant burn, so I presume there must be something to limit the effects - but have they ever actually been described anywhere? And do they have limits?

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Well yes and no.

Inertial dampers are mentioned in some versions of Traveller (MT, T4 and TNE, I think?) but are not really "explained" in any real detail. ISTR that you just pay the price for the technology during ship design but that's about as far as it goes, explanation wise.

 

[far-trader]

I've always just included Inertial Compensation, Artificial Gravity, and Contragrav in the Maneuver Drive when they weren't specifically in the design sequence. With IC being equal to the M-Drive (canceling equally). AG is set in strength (max equal M-drive rating) and plane when the hull is laid, and is either on or off (depending on the powerplant/m-drive being on or off). CG is a simply on or off with the powerplant/m-drive and cancels the local gravity effect for the ship. It's all part of the same "field" effect in MTU.

 

[Deniable]

TNE has them. FF&S1 talks about inertial compensators and low-tech items like g-tanks. Each TL has a maximum g rating it can handle and every G of thrust beyond that makes things more difficult.

 

[Myrm]

Well the ships have artificial gravity. For that I always assuming that a system or technology that could provide a steady 1g environment at a variety of angles to the local gravity plane in or around assorted planetary bodies and in the zero-g depths of space could compensate fairly quickly to give a flat 1g.

So sudden jerks and jars would jog but extended High G. The bigger the ship drive the more potent the compensation ability.

 

[rje]

And just imagine what we'll need for the B5-MGT book... (well, maybe not... depends on how fast those Starfuries can accelerate...)

 

[EDG]

TNE has them. FF&S1 talks about inertial compensators and low-tech items like g-tanks. Each TL has a maximum g rating it can handle and every G of thrust beyond that makes things more difficult.

Oh yeah, so it does. But they've not been mentioned anywhere else?

 

[Deniable]

Oh yeah, so it does. But they've not been mentioned anywhere else?

Probably in Brilliant Lances but I could only remember FF&S1 off the top of my head. It was also the version where you could push a ship past 6G (and run out of fuel very fast.)

My 'home' system is TNE, so I'm rusty on the rest. Most of them had fixed maneuver drives for a given size and acceleration and seemed to include compensation with that.

 

[far-trader]

Oh yeah, so it does. But they've not been mentioned anywhere else?

I thought T4 gave them a passing nod, but I could be misremembering, don't have it handy.

And I don't have GT but I'd be surprised if it didn't include them.

 

[AKAramis]

TNE has them. FF&S1 talks about inertial compensators and low-tech items like g-tanks. Each TL has a maximum g rating it can handle and every G of thrust beyond that makes things more difficult.

Oh yeah, so it does. But they've not been mentioned anywhere else?

Mega Traveller has Inertial Compensators. (MT RM Pg. 60)
They are separate from the Artificial Gravity.

(Tables on page 81...)

MT fails to mention their max compensation rating. Since MT allows 6G MD's at TL9, we can presume 6G compensation.

 

[zozotroll]

GT was them, up to 12G of the top of my head

 

[captainjack23]

Oh yeah, so it does. But they've not been mentioned anywhere else?

I thought T4 gave them a passing nod, but I could be misremembering, don't have it handy.

And I don't have GT but I'd be surprised if it didn't include them.

MT I think, in the construction sequences. Also, the DGP starship manual probably discussed them.

Not sure about CT. I seem to remember it being in place, but not from where or why. A journal Article ?

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Nothing about them in CT AFAICS. I'll check DGP SoM and get back.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

the DGP starship manual probably discussed them.

Gravity: To a certain degree, each occupant can vary the gravity in his stateroom. Some starships maintain a standard field inside their ships. Others gradually alter the gravity field as they travel from world to world.

To better understand the advantages of the alteration approach, consider the following example. The Free Trader Koordar lifts off from Beck's World (Spinward Marches 2204) with the floor field set to match the planet's one gee environment. The vessel jumps to Enope (Spinward Marches 2205). During the week that the Koordar is in jumpspace, the computer gradually alters the internal gravity to match Enope's normal 0.125 gee field. In this way, the passengers and crew are somewhat prepared for the gravity environment of the world to which they are heading.

Military vessels are an exception to this rule. It is standard operating procedure for an Impeial military craft to maintain a constant one gee field at all times. Other exceptions can be found among the various minor races both inside and outside the Imperium. For example, Dolphins, an aquatic minor race from Terra, normally maintain zero gravity on their ships so they can mover freely about.

Normal operational parameters permit the crew to create a gravitational field of up to 1.5 gees. Upon direct authorisation of the commanding officer, the floor fields can be increased to as much as three gees.

Inertial Compensators: The inertial compensators are directed by the main computer in response to normal ship inertia from moving about and maneuvering. Despite the best efforts of the computer, violent maneuvers may occasionally be felt by the occupants.

The above extract from Digest Group Publication's Starship Operator's Manual is provided purely for the purposes of discussion and is (c) DGP 1988.

Grav Plates: Provides internal artificial gravity, such that “down” is always more or less constant no matter what the orientation of the craft. For the optimum in internal gravity consistency, also install inertial compensators.

Inertial Compensators: Inertial compensators, when installed, allow high-G maneuvers while interior G-fields remain normal. Inertial compensators negate the effects of inertia, so the occupants of a moving craft have no sensation of motion.

The above extract from GDW's Referee's Manual is provided purely for the purposes of discussion and is (c) GDW 1987.

 

[Jame Rowe]

I generally assume that they're built in to the ship's gravity system.

 

[Commander Drax]

In all versions of Traveller, Inertial Compensators and artificial gravity has been a staple of the OTU, though not specifically detailed in the classic traveller, T20 or the Mongoose Traveller rule book, they have been detailed just about everywhere else in previous Traveller rule sets. As per MegaTraveller, TNE, T4, GT. Canon however is consistent in the OTU going right the way back to the classic traveller era, most ships had artificial gravity and G-compensators as standard. The 400 Ton lab ship could also be spun to provide the simulation of gravity, though I'm not sure if this meant (in classic traveller) that the vessel didn't have AG/IC because the Mega Traveller stats included it (Hazy Memory! I Think.).

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

The CT Traders and Gunboats book mentions IC in the ship descriptions and some of them even give a range of "standard" gravity that can be set in the staterooms.

I'm also pretty sure the FASA deck plans for CT used and mentioned IC.

It was always assumed in CT since none of the ship designs (except for the High Lightning) would make sense without IC and AG internal to the ship. Most of the ship designs in Traveller (all versions) assume that the deck is perpendicular to the direction of thrust of the M-Drive, which only makes sense if you have AG and IC; otherwise, the floor would be the aft wall during any kind of acceleration.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

The CT Traders and Gunboats book mentions IC in the ship descriptions and some of them even give a range of "standard" gravity that can be set in the staterooms.

Far Trader
<snip>
The grav plate floor fields for individual staterooms and for sections of the common area may be adjusted from 0.1 to 2.0 G, depending on the preferences of individual passengers.

Gravitics: Adjustable 0.1 to 2.0 floor fields. Inertial compensators.

The above information is provided solely for discussion purposes only and is (c) GDW 1980, FFE 2008.