Prison Planet

[Greg Smith]

Yay! This includes that hackneyed sci-fi trope of prisoners working in mines. Probably with picks and shovels. Because mining isn't a highly skilled and dangerous profession that uses explosives and specialised machinery at all.

 

[qstor]

I'm kinda disappointed. What's next Secret of the Ancients etc. I'd rather see new material from Mongoose rather than a rehash of the old GDW stuff. I'm happy that the High Guard book has some new ships in it.

Mike

 

[kafka]

Agreed Mongoose should be releasing titles from their toolkit but it would be hit and miss. Would you buy an adventure called: "Return of the Lizard Kings to Quatar 4"? Or would you buy one called Shadows.

I don't mind this gentle rewrite of the classics but sooner or later, they are going to have to release something like Knightfall or the Traveller Adventure to really give a sense of what this game is all about. Only by going the Epic route are games really forged in a generation's mindset. (I use generation loosely...maybe game editions might be a more accurate term)

 

[TrippyHippy]

Well, as long as it's original material (i.e. not duplication) I don't mind that they keep using old titles. You know roughly what you are going to get - and it promotes the feel for the old game. If anything, it gives the consumer some understanding about what the publishing plans are going to be. If there's a 10 year plan, you can bet that it's probably going to be based upon the 10 years of Classic Traveller titles in the main.

The really new stuff comes in the form of the alternative settings and stuff - as well as third party material. I am still really looking forward to seeing what sort of things emerges from these.

 

[qstor]

The really new stuff comes in the form of the alternative settings and stuff - as well as third party material. I am still really looking forward to seeing what sort of things emerges from these.

I disagree a little bit. Charted Space is big enough that really new material like sector books can be written for area not developed in depth in print editions like the Trojan Reach or even the Deneb sector. Or alien sectors like Ziafrplians. Or new adventures on planets not developed in the past.

Mike

 

[MongooseMatt]

Hey guys - wait until you see Beltstrike (the first adventure) and how much it is different to the original. I think you will like these titles. . .

 

[tneva82]

Because mining isn't a highly skilled and dangerous profession that uses explosives and specialised machinery at all.

[off-topic] I have always wondered why even in fantasy mining is done via picks and shovels rather than say magic. One could understand if magic would be rare but even in settings where mages are in abundance. Wouldn't it be more effective to use explosive magic to mine the ore? Switch dynamite into magic and presto!

Perfect example of adding fantasy elements into setting without thinking how it would affect everyday life

 

[tneva82]

Actually you CAN do mining without explosives and special maschinery. Just ask ancient Greece, Rome,... Or if you need a newer source the French Foreign Legion who build a tunnel without a single ounce of explosives.

I think point was that since those are available why mine with picks and shovels rather than specialised equipment.

One possibility might be that handing those to prisoners might be security threat in case they decide to use them as a weapons.

Another: It's prison planet and prisoners don't need to be that effective(maybe to increase time planet is useful as a mine) so rather than have them mine the place dry faster with modern equipment have them grind slowly it old fashioned way.

 

[Greg Smith]

Of course you can mine without modern equipment. Is it something that is likely?

Would it profitable? Would the end product be of a similar quality? Can you mine as much material, in the same space of time? Can you dig as deep?

It still seems to me to a bad science fiction cliche: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture

 

[rust]

Of course you can mine without modern equipment. Is it something that is likely?

I do not think so, and therefore in my Enki II setting the "road gangs"
(prisoners doing mining and terraforming work on colony planets) use
modern equipment, with the exception of explosives (which are used by
specialists working with the "road gangs", just not by prisoners) and ma-
chinery that could be abused for ... unwanted ... activities.

 

[Paladin]

Hard labor sentences need to be HARD labor. Welcome to a prison system where justice is served and fear of punishment will keep the population in line.

 

[dmccoy1693]

...and fear of punishment will keep the population in line.

"Fear will keep the local systems inline. Fear of THIS battle station."

 

[rust]

As for "using specialists": That gives rise to a number of problems ...

True, but I should have mentioned that the prisoners in my setting volun-
teered to work on a remote colony world, because this reduces their sen-
tences and allows them to stay as regular colonists afterwards.
The colony decided which types of prisoners to accept (so no murderers,
rapists and other sociopaths), and since the normal colonists know that
the prisoners will become their neighbours after the "probation period"
in mining or terraforming, the relations are quite good, and the dangers
comparatively few.

 

[rust]

Nice description in "Prince of Mercenaries" including some of the uglier elements of the system.

Thank you for the info, I will take a look at it.