Teleportation power

[kevinknight]

Just because some players say it can be done it doesn't mean they get what they want. And don't encourage them with highly unlikely means such as handing out pocket nukes and totally undetectable delivery systems (Emission Absorption system and Superior Stealth).

The Imperium has been at odds with the Zhodani long enough to ban psionics and have experienced psionic warfare. If the Zhos haven't tried teleporting bombs on targets, the Imperial military has more than likely run that scenario over and over. Ships in a region that might have Zhos will be on high alert. Important ships are ringed in a sea of vessels with their Improved and Advanced sensors on. Considering jump travel and the subsequent strategic movement, getting a very specialized assault ship to a particular target would need divine intervention not psionics.

I'm not saying it couldn't be an exciting adventure but it would be highly unique in a Guns of Navarone way. Not a cakewalk and not proof psionics in infallible. If it was that easy, the Zhos would have ruled the galaxy a long time ago.

The campaign we are running is very high level. The party is basically a Black Ops team that has been operating since the beginning of the 5th Frontier War (We just finished the Battle of Rhylanor this past Saturday). So, no, I'm not 'handing out pocket nukes and totally undetectable delivery systems'. The Imperial Navy, however, has access to those and the party has a highly placed part in it. However, this digresses from my basic question.

How DOES such an act get prevented, according to the rules? Or is this just one of those situations that the rules can't address so I as a referee simply have to throw obstacles in the way to prevent it...

 

[alex_greene]

All this time, it's been about trying to imagine the Imperials getting all scared of Zhodanis and trying to think of all the different technologies they can try to use to stop them, and referees trying to throw in obstacles upon obstacles, trying to pull even the flimsiest and most convoluted reasoning out of their back pockets to convince the players not to do this.

All you have to do, as a referee, is to stop the game, look at the players, and tell them "Think of a less stupid and wasteful tactic, because seriously if you try it, as Referee I'm going to rule by fiat that your teleportation attempt fails, you spend 1 Psionic Strength for nothing and you go nowhere, which means you're stuck on board your ship's departure lounge with a short-fused armed nuke sitting between you."

The Golden Rule applies to referees, too, with the corollary that if the players' move sounds awesome it should be allowed to automatically succeed - but if it is dumb as dirt, the opposite of awesome and something more suited to that obsolete TV show with the stoned idiots skateboarding backwards down staircases, it also needs to be seen to fail dismally.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

How DOES such an act get prevented, according to the rules? Or is this just one of those situations that the rules can't address so I as a referee simply have to throw obstacles in the way to prevent it...

I don't think it is impossible. Zho commandoes are a nuisance.

But there are no invisible ships, only stealthed ships. Flying a stealthed small craft undetected up to a screened battleship is not very likely, just as it is not very likely that a stealth fighter can land on a carrier undetected?

 

[heron61]

use a heavily stealthed assault shuttle to land on a giant capital ship

Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought teleport aboard.

But if we can sneak in a heavily stealthed small craft to dock with the capital ship, we could just attach a limpet mine with a gigatonne nuke and blow the ship, we wouldn't need any psion?

Pretty much. A similar plan that requires psi would be to use a small heavily stealthed ship at a 500 km range (increase to 5000 km, if you have really powerful teleporters who are using psi drugs and aren't worried about returning), where the pilot's job is to continually match velocity with the capital ship. Then, the teleporters jump over (and perhaps jump back), having dropped off a bomb or whatever. OTOH, if a capital ship is fitted with a nuclear damper (which seems pretty reasonable) you can only use chemical bombs, which means jumping over with plasma and gauss guns blazing is in general a better idea.

 

[Condottiere]

Look at players, mention it's a very brave act; they'll understand the undertone if they're politically savvy.

If not, start rolling dice and mention how horribly wrong it went.

 

[kevinknight]

OTOH, if a capital ship is fitted with a nuclear damper (which seems pretty reasonable) you can only use chemical bombs, which means jumping over with plasma and gauss guns blazing is in general a better idea.

Ok, this is what I was looking for. An actual reason that this isn't possible according to the rules. I'm well aware (after 35+ years GMing) that I can always just say no to my players, but I wanted to know why, within the context of the RAW, that the Zhodani or other psionic teleports can't just port over with a nuke. Thank you.

 

[-Daniel-]

.... (after 35+ years GMing)

I read this and thought, I wonder how long I have been playing or GMing... Thanks a lot, now I feel real old. :lol:

As for the topic, I think we can now see there is no real rule against it, but for lots of reasons just because you can does not mean you should. :mrgreen:

 

[Reynard]

I refereed my first Traveller game in about 1979 so 37 years ago. Good times ever since.