Rules Question: Nuclear Dampers and Radiation

ottarrus

Emperor Mongoose
So, we know that Imperial Army Lift Infantry Battalions are equipped with nuclear dampers ['NDs']. The reason for this is twofold: firstly is the use of nuclear weapons by opponents and the second is that every battalion has support weapon troops in Battle Dress firing FGMP's [just how many are available is an IMTU question] and FGMP's do radiation damage to nearby lifeforms.

But this brings up a question both for ground and space [High Guard] combat.... Do NDs actually attenuate or disperse harmful radiation [that is to say, 'clean it up'] or do they merely suppress the effects of radiation why the ND is active?

I can honestly see both sides of this discussion. On the one hand, I can see ground and naval forces fielding decontamination teams with agents that trap or clean certain wavelengths of radiation damage. In the case of ground forces each brigade would field a decon team in the Support Battalion, in the case of naval forces it would be part of damage control training.
But if there's a chemical treatment to clean /remove gamma radiation, then why shouldn't ND's be able to prevent gamma rads from propagating in the first place?

What do the rest of you think?
 
Striker Book 2 page 12:

E. Radiation Suppression: Another use of nuclear dampers is to eliminate the
radioactive contamination created by a nuclear weapon detonation. Instead of
performing its usual missions, a damper may be assigned to eliminate the radiation
from one nuclear strike per fire phase. Both the crater and the area of induced
radiation are rendered permanently harmless.
 
One problem might be is that this isn't reiterated in later publications, unless it is in the new Mercenary edition.
 
ND's render radioactive elements stable, eliminating sources of electromagnetic radiation. It will not block electromagnetic radiation.
Photons (Gamma) have nothing to stabilize.
Alpha and beta ( helium nuclei and electrons) damage by stripping electrons. Clothing blocks them.
Neutron damage by impact.
So NDs remove a source, preventing it from generating radiation, but radiation generated outside of the AOE is still going to come in.
 
tempest13 said:
Striker Book 2 page 12:

E. Radiation Suppression: Another use of nuclear dampers is to eliminate the
radioactive contamination created by a nuclear weapon detonation. Instead of
performing its usual missions, a damper may be assigned to eliminate the radiation
from one nuclear strike per fire phase. Both the crater and the area of induced
radiation are rendered permanently harmless.

As @Codottiere pointed out, that was 5 editions ago and the subject hasn't been updated since.
I don't have a full set of the Striker rules, so I missed that one. But for 1980 [or thereabouts] standards, that's a reasonable rule for the era.
 
Arkathan said:
ND's render radioactive elements stable, eliminating sources of electromagnetic radiation. It will not block electromagnetic radiation.
Photons (Gamma) have nothing to stabilize.
Alpha and beta ( helium nuclei and electrons) damage by stripping electrons. Clothing blocks them.
Neutron damage by impact.
So NDs remove a source, preventing it from generating radiation, but radiation generated outside of the AOE is still going to come in.

I think this is the answer I'm looking for, barring a rules update.
One of the unstated but vital premises of Traveller has always been "When in doubt, make a logical decision based on current scientific development."
 
I don't want to give the impression that I don't follow, I wouldn't say rule, capability as stated.

But players or dungeon masters shouldn't need to have to dig out obscure lore on something really fundamental.
 
LBB:4 and Striker are hardly obscure CT resources...

both are on the CT FFE cd and no one should be writing for the Third Imperium setting who hasn't got at the very least the CT cd, for completeness they should also have read the JTAS cd and the apocrypha cds...

For your own gaming table you are free to make up whatever you want, but authors - as MWM has said himself - are bound by canon.
 
This reminds me of that old joke.

A guy is complaining to his friend about how much consulting with his lawyer costs.

His friend tell him, " You see all those volumes on his book shelves; get a copy of each and you'll have everything you need to know about the Law."

"Yes", answers the supplicant, "but the lawyer knows which page everything is on."
 
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