Nexus Linkage Device?

[WHULorigan]

It is likely worth noting that the wiki uses T5.00 rules, the monolith edition. If I get the time I will check how it changes from 5 to 5.09 to 5.1...

In general we try to keep the Wiki updated to T5.10 (or at least use T5.10 standard with allusion to T5.09/T5.00/T5 Beta when there is a detail worth preserving). Material from and allusions to other/older Traveller versions is also fine - but conflicts are generally resolved in favor of T5.10, unless there is a good reason otherwise.

The Wiki is huge, with lots of articles and stubs created by many hands over a long span of time. If you see something egregiously out of date or just flat out discordant (and there are plenty - it is just a matter of tracking them down) feel free to edit or bring them to our attention. Just be mindful of the Manual of Style if you do edit - Wiki Articles are supposed to be written from an in-Universe perspective as if they were an impartial encyclopedia entry by a professional Imperial author. Game mechanics generally do not belong in the Wiki, and metadata (as well as in-Universe "Secrets") should go on a separate designated hyperlinked subpage, if necessary.

If possible, add sources as a Ludography item at the bottom of the page in the references section if it is not already there, and use in-line cites for particular details in the text if possible (especially if you add a detail or interpretation of you own - identify yourself as the source of the info using the <ref></ref> tags).

 

[Sigtrygg]

I was referring to the wiki entry for the nexus, it is listed as T5 so I assumed original edition. Upon checking it looks like the page reference is for 5.09.

 

[WHULorigan]

I was referring to the wiki entry for the nexus, it is listed as T5 so I assumed original edition. Upon checking it looks like the page reference is for 5.09.

I updated the article text and reference to T5.10.

At this point any T5 references should be to a T5.10 source (unless it is to something specific to an older edition), though obviously not all are.

 

[rinku]

The (fairly minor) issue wasn't the main part, but that it didn't specifically mention the usual TL cap on jump number.

Since, in every edition except technically LBB Book2* that is a Rule, it's only a small point.

(*LBB Book 2 construction, with standard hulls and standard drive units allows up to rating 6, but doesn't mention shipyard TL explicitly. It's an easy assumption that those standard units are often manufactured elsewhere, but it's also reasonable to rule that higher jump ratings need to be built at an appropriate TL shipyard.)

 

[Sigtrygg]

LBB:2 and 3 did not have the jump number by TL paradigm of High Guard.

You could build a TL9 jump 4 ship in 77 edition, using the xboat fudge you could get a 199t jump 6 xboat at TL9.

The changes to the computer rules in 81 edition limited you to jump 3 at TL9, you had to have TL10 to build jump 4 ships.

 

[WHULorigan]

LBB:2 and 3 did not have the jump number by TL paradigm of High Guard.

You could build a TL9 jump 4 ship in 77 edition, using the xboat fudge you could get a 199t jump 6 xboat at TL9.

The changes to the computer rules in 81 edition limited you to jump 3 at TL9, you had to have TL10 to build jump 4 ships.

It would be interesting to lay out in a chart what was possible based on the permutations of what rulebooks were available and when.


1977:
1977 LBB2/3 (Only)

1979/80:
1977 LBB2/3 (+ HG79/80)
1979/80 HG (Only)

1981:
1981 LBB2/3 (Only)
1981 LBB2/3 (+ HG79/80)

 

[Sigtrygg]

The first thing to note is hull size in LBB:2 is limited by the drives that will fit, and those drives are limited by TL.

77 has the fudge that a power plant an m-drive can be omitted for xboats, and also the computer model doesn't limit jump number.

81 requires a power plant equal to maneuver or jump drive rating, whichever is higher, and because of the power plant fuel formula this has a massive knock on effect for the smaller ship sizes. The computer model number limiting the maximum jump is another limiting factor.

HG80 despite being superficially similar and supposedly compatible is really a completely different paradigm in nearly every measure.

 

[rinku]

Generally, LLBB2 77 didn't care about TL for ship construction at all. Weapons and Model/4 computers were all available by TL10, which is the first TL with standard drives; "Starships" are listed at TL9, but can't technically be build with 77 Book 2 standard drives. Book 3 81 made drives A-D TL9 ones.

The computer model limit on Jump still barely matters in 1981; TL9 has Model/3. All of the standard ships in Book 2 can be built at TL9 except the Mercenary Cruiser, which need TL11 for its Model/5... but a budget TL9 one could still be built using a Model/3.

Since both editions of High Guard explicitly say that the Book 2 rules are still valid, it's probably best to just assume the standard drives are built with some higher tech assistance when you end up with a ship that seems to break the rules. You generally can't get high Jump numbers out of the standard hulls anyway, because the engineering compartments are too small. So that means a custom hull and extra cost - it's not unreasonable that part of the cost would involve whatever high tech gear is needed to make a standard drive work at higher jumps. Or alternatively require a drive imported from a higher tech world.

Edit: correction. MOST of the standard ships can be built at TL9, but I forgot some have drives higher than D. The Liner need TL11 for J drives, the Merc cruiser needs TL12 for its M drives (so its computer/5 is fine). The Patrol Cruiser needs H drives, so has a minimum TL of 10.

If you go with the later idea that it's all a big cloud of standard TL12 parts and components, all the standard designs work out.

 

[rinku]

Something else that just occurred to me looking over the 77 books. Almost all the tech is TL9 or less, and the highest tech weapon is the laser rifle at TL9.

The only high tech armours are Ablat at TL9, Reflec at TL10 and Battledress at TL13.

Grav Belts are TL12, but everything other form of transport is TL8 (air/raft) or less.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Generally, LLBB2 77 didn't care about TL for ship construction at all. Weapons and Model/4 computers were all available by TL10, which is the first TL with standard drives; "Starships" are listed at TL9, but can't technically be build with 77 Book 2 standard drives. Book 3 81 made drives A-D TL9 ones.

77 LBB:3 TL table has standard drives H or less at TL10 but starships at TL9, so which drives are you putting in your Starship?
81 claridied this.
The CT scout is TL9, jump 2, the far trader is TL9, jump 2. The xboat however is TL10 and jump 4, and not due to its 1bis computer. You have to admire Traveller ship designs over the years...

The computer model limit on Jump still barely matters in 1981; TL9 has Model/3. All of the standard ships in Book 2 can be built at TL9 except the Mercenary Cruiser, which need TL11 for its Model/5... but a budget TL9 one could still be built using a Model/3.

I suppose as a paramilitary ship they wanted the larger computer capacity for combat purposes.

Since both editions of High Guard explicitly say that the Book 2 rules are still valid,

They say it, but in practice once you dig into it for HG80 they are not very compatible at all. HG79 is more compatible with LBB:2.
Leaving aside the odd decision to switch sizes for the m-drive and jump-drive the EP economy makes LBB:2 ships a marvel of efficiency, being able to power more lasers than the power plant can supply

it's probably best to just assume the standard drives are built with some higher tech assistance when you end up with a ship that seems to break the rules.

That has been the consensus for a while, but then MT dropped letter drives. Notice that MgT1e resurrected letter drives (as does T5) but then dropped them for 2e.

You generally can't get high Jump numbers out of the standard hulls anyway, because the engineering compartments are too small.

Use custom hulls, you don't have to stick with the standard hull table.

So that means a custom hull and extra cost - it's not unreasonable that part of the cost would involve whatever high tech gear is needed to make a standard drive work at higher jumps.

Except the cost is in hull form, not jump drive. Not to mention the paradigm of LBB:2 and 5 doesn't require it, it is the shohorning of two different jump paradigms that causes the issue.

Or alternatively require a drive imported from a higher tech world.

That's another can of worms. Any type A starport, regardless of world TL, can build any ship. So the drives must be imported from the worlds that can manufacture them, or every starport is a TL15 manufacturing hub, I prefer the former.

Edit: correction. MOST of the standard ships can be built at TL9, but I forgot some have drives higher than D. The Liner need TL11 for J drives, the Merc cruiser needs TL12 for its M drives (so its computer/5 is fine). The Patrol Cruiser needs H drives, so has a minimum TL of 10.

I assumed you meant the scouts and traders anyway

If you go with the later idea that it's all a big cloud of standard TL12 parts and components, all the standard designs work out.

Except that you need TL15 parts for the bigger ships, I did a ship size by TL chart once...

LBB'77

Tech Level	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Max. hull		1000	2000	2000	3000	3000	5000

LBB 81

Tech Level	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Max. hull	800	1000	2000	2000	3000	3000	5000

 

[Sigtrygg]

Something else that just occurred to me looking over the 77 books. Almost all the tech is TL9 or less, and the highest tech weapon is the laser rifle at TL9.

The only high tech armours are Ablat at TL9, Reflec at TL10 and Battledress at TL13.

Grav Belts are TL12, but everything other form of transport is TL8 (air/raft) or less.

Which is why frontiers settings for adventures were so common, what was life really like at TL12 to 15...

 

[Condottiere]

I'm going to guess sanitation, and the internet.

 

[MasterGwydion]

That's another can of worms. Any type A starport, regardless of world TL, can build any ship. So the drives must be imported from the worlds that can manufacture them, or every starport is a TL15 manufacturing hub, I prefer the former.

It has been stated that all Imperial Starports are TL-12 unless they are orbiting a world with a higher TL. This is enforced by the SPA. I doubt jump drives can be imported. Where are the spec trading rates and rules for a full jump drive? As far as I am aware, you can build a TL-15 J-6 drive at TL-10 if all you need is an Advanced Manufacturing Plant, the raw materials to feed into it, as well as the blueprint. Same way you don't need a starport anymore to do your ships maintenance. You can maintain your new, shiny Vincennes-made TL-16 ship in a field on a TL-0 planet. So, none of it makes sense.

I doubt this is the way the rules are meant to work, but here We are.

 

[WHULorigan]

It has been stated that all Imperial Starports are TL-12 unless they are orbiting a world with a higher TL. This is enforced by the SPA.

Is that from a specified Mongoose source?

Would that mean an Imperially-designated E-Starport (Frontier Installation) is TL-12 minimum by virtue of the TL of the Beacon? Or that all Imperial D-Starports (Poor Quality) are also TL-12 minimum facilities? I would think a D-Port could be a lot worse than TL12.

I think I would go with an Imperial C-Starport (Routine Quality) being TL-12 minimum (Average TL) as the baseline. Imperial B-Starport (Good Quality) and Imperial A-Starport (Excellent Quality) would have to earn that somehow relative to the Routine C-Port (beyond the usual specified additional amenities), especially since that is where annual maintenance needs to be performed.

 

[Sigtrygg]

It has been stated that all Imperial Starports are TL-12 unless they are orbiting a world with a higher TL.

I ignore that bit of stupidity. It doesn't make sense for the setting.

This is enforced by the SPA. I doubt jump drives can be imported.

Why not? You pack them in crates and send them off to the assembly plant, just like every other "modular" construction method.

Where are the spec trading rates and rules for a full jump drive?

They are only available to megacorporations not PC scale traders. There is likely an adventure opportunity to be had being chartered to get a jump drive from X to Y for assembly...

As far as I am aware, you can build a TL-15 J-6 drive at TL-10 if all you need is an Advanced Manufacturing Plant, the raw materials to feed into it, as well as the blueprint. Same way you don't need a starport anymore to do your ships maintenance. You can maintain your new, shiny Vincennes-made TL-16 ship in a field on a TL-0 planet. So, none of it makes sense.

I've never seen those rules in the current version of the game.

I doubt this is the way the rules are meant to work, but here We are.

There are a lot of moving parts to Traveller, the more detail that is made up on the spot, the more likely that detail is to clash with something else. The law of unintended consequence could have been written with Traveller in mind

But we keep playing it regardless

 

[Ol'Weedy]

So, that does then allow for the 3 J-1 drives linked together at TL-12 and getting J-3 for only 85% of the fuel.

A more limited application but still would be in mass use throughout Charted Space.

I don't think you can get the 15% fuel reduction, at least in the spirit the rules imply. The customization bonus' assume you are taking the tech designs available at a lower tech, and improving it with new advances. In this case though, the drives have to already be using TL12 components if they're going to be pushing J-3, so is there any room for improvement?
Clearly, as with most later added tech, the existing rules make it ambiguous at best, but since it will break the customization rules to do it that way, it has to be assumed not to work, or it would be in every design.
TL 15 J-1 drives though....

 

[MasterGwydion]

I don't think you can get the 15% fuel reduction, at least in the spirit the rules imply. The customization bonus' assume you are taking the tech designs available at a lower tech, and improving it with new advances. In this case though, the drives have to already be using TL12 components if they're going to be pushing J-3, so is there any room for improvement?
Clearly, as with most later added tech, the existing rules make it ambiguous at best, but since it will break the customization rules to do it that way, it has to be assumed not to work, or it would be in every design.
TL 15 J-1 drives though....

If that is the case, then why is the Free Trader, which is TL-12 and J-1, not using the more efficient engine design?

One of the parts of Traveller that doesn't work at all are the engines. If I put 2 - 1,000 horsepower motors together, I have 2,000 horsepower. Yet if I put 2 M-1 drives together, I only have an M-1 drive. That is not how force and acceleration works. Even a little bit of extra thrust would increase the acceleration of the ship, you simply would be exceeding your engines g-rating, so the crew would be exposed to Gs instead of it feeling like the ship is not moving.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I ignore that bit of stupidity. It doesn't make sense for the setting.

It makes more sense than no starports ever having the parts to fix TL-12 ships.

Why not? You pack them in crates and send them off to the assembly plant, just like every other "modular" construction method.

They are only available to megacorporations not PC scale traders. There is likely an adventure opportunity to be had being chartered to get a jump drive from X to Y for assembly...

This is another stupid way of saying that different rules apply to PCs and NPCs. One of the reasons that I like Traveller over other RPGs is that the NPCs and the PCs use the same rules. btw. This also means that you will never be able to just buy a used drive and then have a shipyard install it, because you can never buy a jump drive. See how little sense that makes? It also means that a small shipyard (100-400 tons of shipbuilding capacity) will never be able to build starships, since a small shipyard like that is not going to be able to afford to buy multiple jump drives and then have them shipped to them, and then have them just sitting around waiting to get installed in ships or waiting to get stolen by PCs. By your logic, only like 12 business in all of Imperial Space can buy jump drives. That makes no sense.

I've never seen those rules in the current version of the game.

Since when do We only use current rules? If I go by that logic, we can't use any Canon unless it is strictly MgT2 published. If that is the route you want to take, then rewriting 40+ years of Canon is easy. There is no 40+ years of Canon. There is only what Mongoose puts out now. We can go that route if you wish, but understand that Mongoose has written very little Canon as opposed to the 40+ years of material published previously for Canon, but in this particular case, see below.

High Guard, page 68. Manufacturing Plants. Advanced Manufacturing Plants become available at TL-10. There is no upper limit on the TL of goods that you can put out with this plant. There should be, but there isn't. The same way a Basic Plant can put out TL-9 goods while only being a TL-7 Manufacturing Plant.

The maintaining the TL-16 ship in a TL-0 field? That comes from the new SOM. I can go and look up the page number if you need Me to go find it again.

There are a lot of moving parts to Traveller, the more detail that is made up on the spot, the more likely that detail is to clash with something else. The law of unintended consequence could have been written with Traveller in mind

Which is why I always harp on quality control. That seems to be Traveller's biggest issue.

But we keep playing it regardless

Yes, we do.

 

[Sigtrygg]

It makes more sense than no starports ever having the parts to fix TL-12 ships.

I have every starport that can repair ships have parts from TL9 up to TL15, at least the ports connected to the trade lanes.

This is another stupid way of saying that different rules apply to PCs and NPCs.

Not at all, it was a flipant comment on my part.

If you go to the speculative goods table there are plenty of freight items that could be jump drive parts. A sufficiently large lot size may indicate a complete jump drive, maneuver drive or power plant.

One of the reasons that I like Traveller over other RPGs is that the NPCs and the PCs use the same rules. btw.

Me too. I am not fan of the latest dumbed down NPC stat block.

This also means that you will never be able to just buy a used drive and then have a shipyard install it, because you can never buy a jump drive.

This is a major gap in the rules. You should be able to buy a salvaged drive, a second hand power plant, you name it. Ships are shot up, why not sell the parts that still work in the ethically challenge merchant you salvaged after the firefight...

See how little sense that makes? It also means that a small shipyard (100-400 tons of shipbuilding capacity) will never be able to build starships, since a small shipyard like that is not going to be able to afford to buy multiple jump drives and then have them shipped to them, and then have them just sitting around waiting to get installed in ships or waiting to get stolen by PCs.

When you go to the starport to commission the ship to be built the starport puts the order in for the drives it needs if they are not in stock, considering the time it takes to build the ship the tranport time for the components is trivial.

By your logic, only like 12 business in all of Imperial Space can buy jump drives. That makes no sense.

My logic does not say that at all, I'm not sure how you interpret it that way. The megacorporations are the major shippers, the trade tables are for the boxes left at the warehouse...

Since when do We only use current rules? If I go by that logic, we can't use any Canon unless it is strictly MgT2 published.

In which case it is canonical that shipyards can import parts from other worlds - give me a moment and I will find the exact quote.

If that is the route you want to take, then rewriting 40+ years of Canon is easy. There is no 40+ years of Canon. There is only what Mongoose puts out now.

I take it you are being a little tongue in cheek here - I am infamous for being a curmudgeonly old grognard that wants previous canon taken into account at all times
Be that as it may, Mongoose now decides what the OTU is, so when an author states Imperial Starports are TL12 I ignore that author.

We can go that route if you wish, but understand that Mongoose has written very little Canon as opposed to the 40+ years of material published previously for Canon, but in this particular case, see below.

The issue is not what they write, it is the way the little bits conflict, contradict, or have consequences that are just not thought out.

For example I nearly tore up the latest issue of Riftbreaker when it got to the last page - the comic's author is promoting the erroneous fanon that a gravity well is needed for jump

High Guard, page 68. Manufacturing Plants. Advanced Manufacturing Plants become available at TL-10. There is no upper limit on the TL of goods that you can put out with this plant. There should be, but there isn't. The same way a Basic Plant can put out TL-9 goods while only being a TL-7 Manufacturing Plant.

That's because the author messed up, or the editor messed up, or the playtesters messed up. No one actually used those rules and then came to the correct conclusion that you have arrived at, there should be a TL cap on a manufacturing plant based on the TL of the plant.

The maintaining the TL-16 ship in a TL-0 field? That comes from the new SOM. I can go and look up the page number if you need Me to go find it again.

No need, as time goes by the errors in the SOM stack up, again because of the usual factors.

Which is why I always harp on quality control. That seems to be Traveller's biggest issue.

Not quality control, their product is very good, it is just that too many of their authors do not know the old canon as well as they think they do, while other authors just make up new rules and subsystems on a whim without adequate editorial and playtesting oversight.

Yes, we do.

And hopefully will continue to do so for many years to come

Even if (the collective) we spend a lot of time critiquing...

 

[Condottiere]

The customization rules have tightened a bit, since their first iteration.

You default to the base technological level machinery that you want to improve, or deprove.

You're not forced to purchase the improved machinery, since the presumption appears to be that all variants are available.