Nebulosity and Dust Clouds

[DanDare2050]

In Traveller there is no discussion of the impact of Nebulosity and Dust Clouds on star ship sub light movement or navigation or on effects on star systems within such clouds. Are the clouds of economic value? Such clouds are large enough to blanket multiple sectors so its a shame they aren't covered.

Has anyone considered this interesting astronomical feature and thought out its impact in game terms?

 

[Jeraa]

What kind of nebula are we talking about? The kind seen in Star Trek/Star Wars or a realistic one?

Realistic nebula may appear to be a dense cloud, but are mostly empty once you are inside of them. They wouldn't hamper vision (at least on a battlefield scale - it may obscure very distant objects like the background stars), and have no effect on navigation.

Realistic nebula (like realistic asteroid belts) simply aren't like what you see on tv or in movies. They aren't really interesting at all.

 

[-Daniel-]

But I like the "Star Trek" Nebula better. :mrgreen:

 

[Jeraa]

But I like the "Star Trek" Nebula better. :mrgreen:

Oh, no doubt. Star Wars/Star Trek style nebula and asteroid belts are far more interesting.

For more interesting type of nebula, you could give a penalty to sensor use or reduce the sensor detail a step or two. Energy shields, if you use them, may not be as effective or not work at all. Even the more fantastic types of nebula would probably not be thick enough to use fuel scoops on, buy maybe it could be possible in the densest parts of the cloud. Maybe they are home (or the spawning ground) to large space-whale type creatures. Energy discharges (possibly as a space encounter) could act as an ion weapon. Weapons fire (or ship explosions) could ignite pockets of gas, dealing damage to nearby vessels. Rather than the nebula having an effect as a whole, smaller pockets of gas (possibly a few parsecs across) might be dense enough to have an effect.

For Star Wars/Star Trek type nebula, they have whatever effects you want them to have.

 

[dragoner]

Some nebulas condense into stars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebular_hypothesis

These clouds are gravitationally unstable, and matter coalesces within them to smaller denser clumps, which then rotate, collapse, and form stars.

So they would in fact be fairly dense, there would be temperature effects and even molecular hydrogen could abrade the skin of a spacecraft, depending on velocity.

 

[DanDare2050]

Sensors for examining objects over several million kilometres away may be less effective. Planets may have aurora effects, or be heated by infilling dust particles.For a hyperjump leaving or entering nebulosity might be altered, perhaps increasing the 100 radii limit by a few radii? Would there be a lot of radio static, interfering with radio communications across a solar system? Long range navigation should certainly be effectd when trying to jump to the far side of a nebula.

 

[Reynard]

Thinking about it, one might use the ION trait as an effect as long as ships are in a nebula. A nebula could be considered a barrier to travel as jumping into deeper regions could be highly disruptive and even destructive to ships. Every so many parsecs deeper makes things worst.

Problem is real nebula vs. Star Trek nebulae https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula

 

[DanDare2050]

Perhaps the extra density means that the 100 radius limit is doubled for planets within a dust cloud.

 

[Reynard]

I wouldn't believe very loose dust and hydrogen would add mass to a planet. Possibly it could be some sort of Weird Science effect that messes with the working of the jump drive and/or the bubble adding to misjump possibility, a bane.

 

[Condottiere]

Trouble with the nebula, sir, is all that static discharging gas clouds our tactical display. Visual won't function and shields will be useless.

 

[DanDare2050]

I wouldn't believe very loose dust and hydrogen would add mass to a planet. Possibly it could be some sort of Weird Science effect that messes with the working of the jump drive and/or the bubble adding to misjump possibility, a bane.

The hundered radius sphere about a planet is a million times the volume of the planet itself. There could be enough material to equal, say, a fifth of the total mass / energy of the planet. Especially since the planet's gravity is probably concentrating the dust about itself. Planets within a dust cloud might have rings too.