Comments inlined

On 11/10/20 7:22 am, Timothy Collinson - timothy.collinson at port.ac.uk
(via tml list) wrote:
>
>
> OK, let's take the March Harrier for a spin.  In an alternative
> universe to my TTA, the crew, instead of faffing around on Yebab,
> Jumped to Jesedipere, Rugbird, Towers, Nasemin and back to Yebab doing
> some trading along the way but inexplicably gas giant refuelling
> instead of paying at the starport.  In fact, an alternate crew could
> probably do this and still be back before the regular crew have
> stopped faffing around on Yebab.  :-)    (No, really, I'm having fun. 
> I just can't believe how many sessions have grown out of a throwaway
> line I bunged into some news reports for fun.)
>
> So, a 400-ton Subsidized Merchant with Kunal Dins as pilot.  Pilot 2
> and DEX 9 (+1).  The piloting tasks of Traveller Companion don't say
> you can add dexterity but it seems like you should be allowed.
That made no sense to me, either.  Since I forced Rosa to apply her
negative DEX mod to those piloting skills, I'd get pulled up if I didn't
let Curly apply his positive DEX mod to those piloting rolls.
>
> They arrive at Jesedipere and head out to the gas giant.  (I'd have
> liked a rule where 'small gg' or 'large gg' made a difference, but no
> matter.)

As others have said, on this scale, it really doesn't make a
difference.  If you really wanted to be a git, you could add insult to
injury by declaring that fuel skimmed from a turbulent GG (enough to add
an additional -2 DM) is not merely _unrefined_ but _contaminated_
(needing at least two passes through refiners to become refined fuel),
and very turbulent (-4) GGs result in _heavily contaminated_ (3+ passes)
fuel.

As for the Embiggened Ball Of Gas,  isn't the extra boost time to the
EBoG's 100D enough?

> They can't refuel at level 1. Wisp but can refuel at level 2. Extreme
> Shallow (where there's no Piloting penalty), it just takes longer. 
> Let's do that.  The book is clear that "crossing from one layer to
> another" requires the Average Pilot check, so there's no requirement
> to roll to enter level 1. Wisp.  No problem with power.  No problem
> with turbulence.  Captain Loyd orders the refuelling sequence to begin
> and Kunal heads for level 2. Extreme Shallows.  Maybe Tess the
> Engineer makes a roll to ensure power is good and the engines are
> within parameters.  Fred the Steward could check any passengers aboard
> are strapped in.  Adma stands by in case of injuries due to
> turbulence.  Lily straps in with a grin on her face looking forward to
> the ride and secretly hoping it *is* bumpy.  Egon's probably in the
> gunner's seat in case there are comfy pirates lurking in the layers. 
> Gvoudzon will most likely be showing off his newest waistcoat to
> anyone who cares and who's not otherwise busy. 
> Kunal crosses the boundary and makes her check:
> <roll> 8 + 2 skill + 1 dex = 11.  No negative DM for Extreme
> Shallows.  (I *think* that's the DM from the pilot checks being
> applied NOT a DM made up of the layer number.  If it were the latter
> she'd be subtracting 1).
Yup, per RAW, Pilot rolls in the Extreme Shallows are not penalised.
> Either way, no buffeting.
> 1st pass <roll> 5 takes 5 minutes and obtains 1% of 400 tons worth of
> fuel = 4 tons.
> 2nd pass <roll> 4 takes 4 minutes and obtains 1% of 400 tons worth of
> fuel = 4 tons.
> 3rd pass 11 mins
> 4th pass 3 mins
> 5th pass 7 mins
> So after half an hour they've skimmed 20 tons of fuel.
> 6th = 7 mins, 7th pass = 8 mins, 8th = 6 mins, 9th = 7 mins, 10th pass
> = 3 mins.  Another half hour (31 mins) and another 20 tons of fuel. 
> They need 52 tons, so another 3 passes will fill 'er up.  9 + 9 + 4 =
> 22 mins.
>
> So in 82 minutes, or let's call it an hour and a half if we assume
> that the 'passes' are all discreet things rather than just one long
> continuous run - not quite sure why, they're refuelled and can head
> back out.
I think they all blend together, but you seem to have not taken into
account the relative skim rate - in the Extreme Shallows, it takes 10x
as long as it would in the Deeps (2d6 min), so the _March Harrier_ would
be settling in for a 14-15 hour marathon.  Cue Parrot Sketch...
>
> Cross the boundary layer to 1. Wisp:
> <roll> 9 + 2 skill + 1 dex = 12.  Not a sign of buffeting.
>
> They Jump to Rugbird.
> Everyone's at their stations.  Gvoudzon's in his wardrobe.
> Kunal makes her check as they pass from Wisp to ExSh:
> <roll> 4 + 2 + 1 dex = 7.  ooooh, buffeting.  Now she has to make a
> Difficult Pilot check to avoid damage.  Things are bumpy. 
> <roll> 8 but again no DM for ExSh layers.  Fail.  Damage determined by
> a number of dice = to the layer they're trying to enter: 2.  <roll> 11.
> There's no armour so this comes straight off the 160 Hull Points of a
> Subsidized Merchant and reduces it to 149.  (but isn't a critical hit
> as it was only 2 under the 10 and it isn't a sustained damage hit
> which would be 16 points of damage).
>     [please, anyone correct me if I've got this wrong]
No, looks good.  It's a sustained-damage crit, so threshold is 10% of
hull, not 10 points.  I doubt Tess would be overly impressed.
> Kunal now has to attempt to cross the layer boundary again:
> <roll> 12.  Not a problem this time.  "Sorry folks," she calls.
> Now it doesn't say so, but I *might* be inclined to either have PCs
> rolls a small amount of damage themselves if the buffeting is severe
> (e.g. 1D6) or perhaps all roll 2D6 if they choose *instead* of hull
> damage just to have more role playing fun.  Not sure.  Not considered
> the implications.  Comments welcome.  Alternatively, use the critical
> hits location table to NOT determine a critical hit but to determine a
> bit of the ship Tess might want to look at next downtime (and if it's
> 'crew' then have them take some cosmetic damage but not a critical hit
> - which would be 1D to someone).
> Gvoudzon falls backwards against the wardrobe door and calls Adma to
> mend his sorry tail.
>
> OK, onto Towers.
> By now they have an SOP and Fred is instructed to make sure, forcibly
> if necessary, that Gvoudzon is strapped in.
> Kunal goes in <roll> 8 + 2 + 1 no buffeting.  90 minutes or so and
> they refuel
> Kunal heads out <roll> 6 no buffeting
>
Again, if this is Extreme Shallows skimmage, it's 15 hours (900 minutes).
> Jump to Nasemin
> 7 - no buffeting
> 6 - no buffeting
>
> Jump to Yebab
> 9 - no buffeting
> 4 + 2 + 1 = 7  "Hang on folks!" 
> She throws her Difficult roll:
> 7, so once again 2d6 damage: 5.  Hull now down to 145 - which crosses
> the Sustained Damage threshold of 16 so a Critical Hit is inflicted:
> 10 - Jump Drive.  All checks to use the Jump drive suffer DM-2.  Let's
> hope Yebab's C class port can sort the problem.

>
> Although this does raise the question, which I can't find an answer to
> in the book is how you repair hull damage.  Is it only at a starport? 
> How long does it take to get back to 160?  What does it cost?

p150 of the MGT2 Core - it would appear not.

"Properly repairing a critical hit requires not only an Engineer or
Mechanic check (1D hours) but also spare parts."

Destroyed kit will need to be completely replaced.  _Fun_ when the Jump
drive decides to up and let go, followed shortly by your engineer's
bowel contents.

As for hull damage:

"Each lost Hull point can be replaced with a Routine (6+) Mechanic check
(1 hour, INT or EDU), consuming one ton of spare parts for every 10 Hull
points repaired"

Spare parts run to 100k per dton and take up cargo space.

>
> Also, I've just realized that Kunal can add her DMs to the second
> roll.  The Difficult one to avoid damage from the buffeting.  So in
> actual fact, with the rolls above, there would have been no damage on
> either occasion.  But let's stick with what I've written for the sake
> of example and just assume her rolls were a bit lower.
>
> So, all in all, it will take waaaay longer to get to the gas giant
> most likely than it will to actually refuel, but seems pretty safe if
> they stay in the Extreme Shallows.  Even if Captain Loyd took over at
> the controls.  Of course, I've skipped over any lurking threat in the
> layers and all the Sensor rolls (which, as it happens, Ghazan would be
> good at should he choose to travel with them).
>
> Or am I missing something?

I think mainly the adjustment for relative skim rates - 10x as long in
Extreme Shallows, 2x as long in the Shallows.

How much refining kit does the _Harrier_ mount?  Per HG p37, 1 ton of
refining kit can refine 20 tons of unrefined fuel into refined fuel per
day (a far cry from GT's comparatively rapid rate of 192 dton fuel
refined per refiner-day).

Assuming a J2 _Harrier_, that's 4 refiner-days of effort needed (80
tons, refined at the above rate).

>
> tc
>
>
>
Alex
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