Sanak: Inurin System

[PsiTraveller]

I am comparing the world parameters on travellermap.com and the Borderlands profile.

None of the world parameters seem to match up. Which source is more accurate?

Also: the world of Sanak has 5000 people on a CO2 covered planet. The TL is listed as 8. This seems a tad adventurous for a growing colony. If Inurin is TL 6, where did these folks spring from?

 

[phavoc]

Usually the rule of thumb is you go by what works best for you and your gaming session. Other than that the latest version is probably the best way to handle things. Though Traveller map is pretty handy....

As far as TL goes, they could import their life support tech from off world, and locally produced gear is the lower TL. That's a perfectly reasonable thing to do, as many nations around the globe import higher TL gear than they can manufacture locally. Both the gear and the means to maintain it are brought in.

 

[PsiTraveller]

Thanks phavoc. I've got Sanak as a petrochemical extraction operation using the liquid water and CO2 atmosphere as feedstock. (Reverse water gas shift CO2 and hydrogen to get CO, then Fischer Tropsch into diesel), or into ethylene for plastics industry. All TL 8 technology or earlier.

The issue is that at TL the transport ships cannot be maintained as they go back and forth to Inurin planet. The solution is to stop at the Starport and get maintained there now and then.

I forgot that not every planet has to be able to build everything itself. It just has to be able to get to the market to buy what it needs.

 

[phavoc]

Yup. Think of it this way, Somalia operates 787 aircraft, the most advanced passenger planes there are. They do local maintenance in country, but all the parts and manuals and stuff are imported, and the planes go elsewhere for their heavy maintenance.

Traveller ships and planets are no different. As long as their is something reasonably close it can work. The bigger issue is trying to figure out how they can pay for it. There are some crazy people out there, so the why is usually not the issue.

 

[Anonymous]

I am comparing the world parameters on travellermap.com and the Borderlands profile.
Also: the world of Sanak has 5000 people on a CO2 covered planet. The TL is listed as 8. This seems a tad adventurous for a growing colony. If Inurin is TL 6, where did these folks spring from?

TL 8 can build submarines.

If you think about it like living on Mars at TL 8. Sure, it's hard but that's because of getting the equipment there.

If you think about it like living in submarines, it's possible at TL 8.

5000 pops is probably too small to do the engineering but they can always buy the gear, and they gear they buy can be above local TL for life support systems only. Chances are they can't afford much and spend most of their money on that.

Yup. Think of it this way, Somalia operates 787 aircraft, the most advanced passenger planes there are. They do local maintenance in country, but all the parts and manuals and stuff are imported, and the planes go elsewhere for their heavy maintenance.

I agree in general - you can buy in what you need - but I don't think they're 787 operators. Perhaps some prince has a private one that isn't in the plane nerd mags?

 

[Condottiere]

Technological level eight is fusion capable, so they have enough energy; I'd say that what's vital is a manufacturing base to build and maintain those power plants.

Besides telephone sanitizers and hairdressers, you'd have to hope that the other two thirds of the colonists were specifically picked for the skills they brought to the fledgling colony.

 

[Old School]

As to the first question, Traveller Map is considered canon, but so what? Use what fits your game.

As for Sanak, my guess is that’s simply put there as a nugget for you to build on. But only If you want to. 5,000 people. We think it’s TL8. But no one really goes there. No one knows why they are there or how they got there. Lots of things you can do as a GM with something that open ended, but don’t feel like you’re obligated. If you don’t want to build that out and your Travellers are exploring the system, then Sanak just doesn’t exist in your game. That’s fine, too.

I really like this supplement, by the way. In my game, the megafreighter Yarrow is hidden in orbit of one of the distant companion stars of the Inurin system. My players now know this, so I’m going to have to spend some time developing this system. They are also intrigued by the existence of a mid tech garden world with somewhat limited population in the Borderlands. They’ve mentioned it looks like a much better location for an interstellar capital than Drinax. That’s be an interesting campaign in itself.

 

[PsiTraveller]

Inurin also has the Mark II Titan ( http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Mark_III_class_Titan ) which to me is a bizarre weapon. Not mentioned in the newer supplement, but is still on the wiki.

As a garden world and a balkanized poplation, Inurin is an interesting planet to play around with. Very Drinax vs Asim if it can played correctly. The megacorp is a complication of course... A lot of time could be spent in the area, with a planet as the reward.

 

[Old School]

I’ve seen that too, PsiTraveller. I think that’s just something someone created and stuck on the wiki, as it doesn’t have an official source.

 

[phavoc]

Yup. Think of it this way, Somalia operates 787 aircraft, the most advanced passenger planes there are. They do local maintenance in country, but all the parts and manuals and stuff are imported, and the planes go elsewhere for their heavy maintenance.

I agree in general - you can buy in what you need - but I don't think they're 787 operators. Perhaps some prince has a private one that isn't in the plane nerd mags?

Doh! Wrong horn of Africa country. It's Ethiopia that operates them. They have a fleet of 16.