Third Imperium Issue 5

8/8/2019 Third Imperium Issue 5

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NOTES FROM THE CAPITALThis issue I 'd l ike to s t a r t out witha big hello to our new readerst h ~ o u g h o u t North A m e r i c a ~ Since weplaced our ad in Challenge magazine,our circulat ion has more than doubled!

We have ~ e c e i v e d many commentsabout T.I . in the past few months.Most of the feedback has been complimentary, especia l ly towards InsideEquipment and our s tarship deckplans.However, we have received severalcomplaints tha t we are a b it too ex-pensive.Printing a magazine is not cheap,and even at our current price , wej u s t b ~ e a k even on print ing costs , tosay nothing of paper, graphics suppl ies , and ef fo r t . Certainly we couldproduce a cheaper magazine, but to dotha t we would have to ser iously re-duce i t s quali ty (and I know nobodywants tha t ) . I don' t mean to soundwhiny, but that is the s i tuat ion .So we cannot reduce the price ofT.I . However, you can help us in crease the s ize of the magazine to

make up for i t in a couple of wa1) Buy more. The more copiesprin t , the cheaper i t gets , and tmore pages we can add. 2) Place adThese give us m o ~ e money, and agale t us add more pages. For every 1page of ads we can add two pages.follow the suggestions, and you cget more for your buck!Another way for you to get morewhat you want is to send us a rt aa r t ic le s . I t gets dull when we hato do everything!A special note: Due to popular dmand, we have now begun reprintiback issues of T.I . By the time yread th is , a reprint of T.I .should already be on sa le , and T12 should soon follow.This issue we have a special at ic le by Mike R. Mikesh, who has alwri t ten for the Imperium Staple aBetween Worlds. Hope you l ike i tmuch as we do!

-Mike JacksoEditor( /

,(lIkE IWoN \.1./ , y

Cyborgs, Part 2 .................................. .. 4Drayne Cruiser 6Tob i a Subsec tor. . . . . . 8Travel ler ' s Hardware 10Feature Adventure: SS-12b 11Steal th Systems 15Unexplored Space ................................ 16Fi r s t Year Article Index . 18Traveller's Advice .............................. 19"d e E" t .. 19ns1 qulpme-n

STAFF: Nit! JartSDI, l a y i ~ " ' , Paal StO.rlal, Aarol YII Jtrg. D ! ~ i c a t ! d to Ciltroft Carrol, Ihu lilt!d a lOre realistic ind ccapl!x gilt.PartiQls of t'is IigIzill ar t tat!1 frDl TRAVEllER IIttrials publis'e4 by Gilt Irsigl!rs' YDrkshap lid li9fst 6rDlp PablicatiDDs, lid cDpyright 1987 by tht rtsptttiy! grDlps.n i r ~ Ilptrill is ptbUs," lIIart!rly by Nih Jactsn. S f I ~ SlbliuiolS, I!tt!rs, I I a ~ to 110. 512, 4676 YN st., VmDllvtr, Ie, V61Ratts: 12.50 silglt co,y, 19.00 1 ytar 5IbscriptiDl. -3
http:///reader/full/2..................................%E5%80%80http:///reader/full/2..................................%E5%80%80http:///reader/full/Space...............%E5%AE%AE....%E5%95%80http:///reader/full/Space...............%E5%AE%AE....%E5%95%80http:///reader/full/Advice................%E5%AE%AE.%E5%AE%AE.%E5%80%80http:///reader/full/Advice................%E5%AE%AE.%E5%AE%AE.%E5%80%80http:///reader/full/2..................................%E5%80%80http:///reader/full/Space...............%E5%AE%AE....%E5%95%80http:///reader/full/Advice................%E5%AE%AE.%E5%AE%AE.%E5%80%80


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1PART 2 1.. .-__ - - - -l as t issue we explained how cyborgswork ~ r how to build them. Thisissue we will describe the i r use inTraveller-.As mentioned l as t issue, cyborgsf i r s t appear a t Tl 10. The low-techcyborgs are quite obvious as suchthey move somewhat j e rk i ly , mechanical ly , and sometimes with a hummingnoise. As tech level increases, thesound disappears and movement becomessmoother. By Tl 15 a cyborg is indist inguishable from a normal human.This applies only to detection bynormal senses. All cyborgs can be detected through X-ray viewing. Metaldetectors will pick up cyborgs between Tl ' s 10 and 12, which alsoweigh consderably more than a normalhuman. By the upper tech levels , mostcybernetic pieces are plas t ic , and sol ighter and impossible to find withmetal detectors .BECOMING A CYBORGIn order to become a cyborg, a personmust f i r s t lose a limb or organ.There are several ways of determiningi f th i s happens.1. In the character generationsystem: When a player rol ls the exactnumber required for hi= survivalro l l , he has los t a cody par t . Rollon the given table .ro l l on 4D6

if head i sindicated,ro l l 1D6on headtable 5-6 ro l l tvJice

4

2. In combat: when 2 character it ics are reduced to zero, ro l l 8+ 2D (DM +2 if wounded with a blaweapon; DM -2 i f wounded with a noexplosive slug thrower) for the plaer to lose a body part . Roll on tgiven table .When a player loses a body parhe has several choices for replacment: cybernetics, clone, or limb rgeneration (not applicable to orgaor senses) . In the Navy and Mchants, cybernetics may not be chsen. In the Army and Marines, cybenet ics must be chosen (except amocommandos). This is based largelysocial s ta tus and funding of the sevice.REPAIRIf a cyborg player is woundedTravel ler , there is a chance thdamage was taken by his cybernesystems. For every ld of damage tcharacter takes, rol l 13+ on 2D (DMfor every cybernetic part) for an at i f i c ia l limb or organ to take daage. Determine which par t randomly.Damaged cybernetic parts ceasefunction. To repair them i s a di f fcu l t task requiring Robotics Sk(Book 8, Robots) and electronimechanical, and medical tool kits .Any part damaged twice without rpair must be replaced.CYBORGS IN TRAVELLERAbout 1 of the Imperial populatihas at l as t 1 cybernetic par t ; thepeople are usually found on high-teworlds along major t radelanes. Mcyborgs are current or ex-mili taservicemen. Occasional special agenare del iberate ly made cyborgs, espcia l ly spies and assassins.The Imperium is the largest usof cyborgs. Vargr, Solomani, and AIan are also major users. ZhodanHivers and K'kree focus on regenert ion and cloning. Droyne use athree equally, even a t times in tsame individual .Many corporations deal in cybernt i cs , most notably SuSAG, l ing-Stadard Products, and Cybertech, t


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la t te r making the highest quali typar ts .IMPLANTS AND SPECIAL SYSTEMSThe following specia l items areavai lable for cyborgs. If noted, theycan also be used as implants in non-cyborgs.ARTIFICIAL GILL: A miniaturized a r t i f ic ia l gi l l may be implanted in thethroa t , allowing the character tobreathe any oxygenated l iquid. Available for non-cyborgs. TL 12, Cr8000.BLADE: A spring-loaded dagger can beinserted in the wrist , to pop outwhenever the character wishes. Mayonly be inserted in a cybernetic lower arm and hand. Acts as dagger.TL 10, Crl000.CHAMELEON SURFACE: A special layerinside a r t i f i c i a l skin covering tha tacts as chameleon combat armour, crea t ing a special IR pat tern. May onlybe insta l led on a complete cyborg,with skin covering on a l l parts .TL 13, Cr2000.COMBINATION BREATHER: A miniaturizedfi l ter/compressor system which allowsthe character to breathe both verythin and tainted atmospheres. Available for non-cyborgs. TL 9, Crl000.GRAV SYSTEM: A grav module bui l t intoa cyborg's restructured torso allowing the character to f ly . Adds asmall lump to the cyborg's lowerback. TL 13, Cr120 000.HEART BOMB: Often used in specialagents , this is a small, heavy explosive charge linked to the charact e r ' s heart and brain. Either on command or upon death, the explosivedetonates. Acts as hand grenade, butdoes 20D damage. Available for noncyborgs. TL 8, Cr6000.INTEGRAL LASER PISTOL: An integrallaser pis tol (Travel ler ' s Digest N4as laser carbine, 3 shots) bui l t intoa cyborg's lower arm and hand. TL 15,Cr16 000. For Cr25 000, a 10-shotversion is avai lable . The power packmust be insta l led in a restructuredtorso. Beth versions require removalof skin covering f ~ reloading. The3-shot battery must be replaced forCr3000; the 10-shot bat tery can berechar"ged.MAGNETIC SENSOR: As in Book 8 , Ro-bots and Grand Survey, a sensor de-tec t ing magnetic f ie lds and ferrousmetals. TL 13, Cr1S00.

MASS SENSOR: As in BOOk 8, RoboGrand Survey, a sensor detectingand gravity. TL 12, CrlS00.POCKET: A small hidden compabeneath skin covering which cansmall objects such as tapes,crys ta l s , jewels, etc . Often usesmuggling. TL 10, Cr500.PSIONIC SHIELD: A miniaturized pic shield system bui l t into astructured head. TL 10, Cr6000.RADIATION SENSOR: A miniature rt ion sensor. TL 10, Cr1800.RADIO: A 20km range miniaturizedio. Available for non-cybTL 10, Cr1500. A 200km range veis avai lable a t TL 15 for Cr3000NOTESOnly one special system may beinto each body part . A cyborg'sarm can hold a blade a lasecharacter ' s throat may hold anf ic ia l gi l l a combibreather.NEXT ISSUE: Clones, androids,regenerat ion.

,- , ,.Ie' "_ I . ~ \ '" ,"U .- .. I "" " ..." ' ~ . ' _ " ' " .. .."-, ,,. ......... " ' ,... \1"t' . . l l ,, - 1. I I, '. =-. J . , . ~ , ..-" . . . . " J.I.' , _u " .. . . . . . . " _I _"'.,.. '._.._.. . -_._ ..' -. - .

A NOTE TO U.S. SUBSCRIBERS:We will accept U.S. cheques - - din Canadian funds are not necesSimply write the cheque as nobut for the equivalent amount offunds: as of April 1987,Canadian equals $1.92 American,$9.00 Canadian equals $6.90 Ame


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DROYNE CRUISERThe Droyne Cruiser is a mili tary shiptypical ly placed in service for aDroyne Oytrip. Droyne have a preference for small ships , so th i s is oneof the i r largest designs.The Droyne Cruiser is in i t ia l lyarmed with ten s ingle laser tu rre tsin 5 bat ter ies , but is equipped withs ta t ions for up to 10 gunners in caseof rearming.

Iroy"Crllisfr CD-A73J332-000000-30000-0 Kr465.408 1000 t0l5bitterits beirilg 5 Cr.16bittffin 5 n-nPisselger5=24 LOI=O Cirgo=278 Flfl=330 EP=30 Agility=3 Traop5=OTonnage: 1000 tons. 14 000m3 Cre\.,: 16 Droyne.Dimensions: 58.5L x 36W x 18H (80w/Fins).Acce Ier-at i on : 3-G Constant.Jump: 3.Power Plant: 3. 30 EP. Agil i ty -3 .Engineering: 2 Ayax fusion powerplants driving 2 T.P.F.jump uni t s and 2 Sarployrs manoeuvre dr ives .Gravi t ics : Standard iner t ia l com-pensators 75 G f loerf ie ld , variable .Electronics: Ssyukrurs Medel/3 com-puter .Range: Unlimited manoeuvre.

One jump (330 tonsfuel ) . 200 days s tandard supply consumpt ion.Armament: 10 s ingle beam lasert u r re t s in 5 bat ter ies .Screens: None.Configuration:Dispersed s t ruc ture .Unstreamlined.Capacity: 24 passengers. 278 tonscargo.Vehicles: 1 50-ton cut ter .1. Bridge. Transparent dome encircles room. Droyne-sized couchesfor Pi lo t , Navigator, and Observer.2. Computer.3. Gunnery Centre. Turrets are remotely controlled from here. 10gunnery couches, usually only 5manned. Holo display in centre .4. Fire Control System.5. Armoury. Guns and armour arestored here.6. Records/Library. Books, computer

records, and f i l e s are storehere.7. Sick bay. Faci l i t ies for up toDroyne.8. Galley.9. Common Area. Observation windowon both sides can be shielded.10-36. Open Staterooms. Every area ijoined to every other , and conta ins stateroom fac i l i t i es forDroyne.37. Avionics.38. Cargo Bay. 9m cei l ing.39. Cargo Lif t . Lowers to Cutter Docfor 'cargo t ransfer .40. Cargo Bay Door.41. Exercise Area. When not used focargo, th is area can be reduceto .5 G's for f lying exercise.42. Airlock.43. Ship 's Locker.44. Storage.45. Ritual Chamber. Coyns are storehere, and drawn for the variouDroyne ceremonies.46-57. Open Staterooms.58. Cutter Dock.59. Cargo Lif t . Rises to Cargo Bafor cargo t ransfer .60. Spare Cutter Fuel. Cutter is refuelled from th i s tank.61. Cutter Launch Control.62. Cutter. Module can be used fo

ship refuel l ing operations.63. Manoeuvre Drive.64. Power Plant.65. Jump Drive.66. Fuel.

The majority of the Droyne cruiserfuel is stored in i t s dorsal anventral f ins . As the ship is ustreamlined, the cut ter is used forefueling operations.Continued on page 1

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~ I _ T - = " - - - '1~ C J U w . . _ 63 . , r - ~ ... [:.,I l.......66. 66.

_~ ~ -- ---- I " " ' ~ _ ~ -r-- _

connects here

",- ..... DROYNE C ~ U I S E ~/ ~ ~ \ 1 , Bridge Deck~ . ,J ,/ Cre\'1 Deck' - - -A 1_ A. .. A , A AI ... .. 1. I I - .: - - I - -.. - 1"\7. -c:::; I ~ -.::;


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t :===: l l TOBIA SUBSECTOR I The centre of Imperial power in the Trojan Reaches, the Tobia subsector is theconomic, governmental, and military capital of the sector. With one of the onltwo X-boat l inks to the res t of the Imperium at Berg (the other is at Cyan ithe Pax Rulin subsector) , Tobia is also a communications and trade centre.The AsIan/Imperial Tradelane runs into the Tobia subsector to Pandora, Wildman, and across the border to Fis t . Trade then diffuses from th is point to thvarious Imperial worlds of the sector .TOBIA ( 0 8 0 ~ ) is both subsector and sector capi tal , and is the home of botthe 218th and TrOjan f lee ts . I t is also the main industr ial centre of the subsector .SCALADON (0206) has a dense, high atmosphere, and i t s ent i re population inhabits a few small p l a t e ~ u s . I t is run by a rel igious dicta torship which regular ly ' s acr i f i ces ' randomly drawn ci t izens by throwing them off the plateaus.HRADUSE (0304) was originally colonized by an outcast AsIan group, and nohas a 2 0 human population. I t is a ful l member of the Imperium.KEDUS (0803) is populated by groups Wishing to l ive at a low tech levelorder to get 'back to nature. 'PANDORA (0410) contains a SuSAG, LIC drug manufacturing factory.SAURUS (0403) is well-renowned for i t s native creatures, which bear amazins imi lar i t ies to the dragons of Terran mythology.Pryme 0103 B48668B-9 Agricultural . Non-industr ial . Rich.Nekrino 0 1 0 ~ A788400-C N Non-industrial. Boulder 0107 D l 0 0 7 ~ 8 - 9 Vacuum world. Non-agricultural. Exocet 0110 A574126-8 Non-industrial. Intel ia 0202 C474653-6 Agricultural . Non-industrial. Gor 0204 C868677-3 Agricultural . Non-industrial. Rich.Scaladon 0206 AAD98DK-AEmpire 0301 B679334-C N Non-industrial.Hraduse 0304 B ~ 4 6 9 9 B - 7 S Industr ial .Hexx 0305 B 7 8 A ~ 7 7 - D N Non-industrial. Water world.

GGGGGGG

A

Iilgan 0309 C467787-S Agricultural . Rich. GSaurus 0403 A350543-B Desert world. Non-industrial. Poor. G9 7 1 - 8 ~ 2 0404 E78AOOO-0 Water world. Barren. G AArdasii 0405 B 6 ~ 0 6 8 4 - 9 N Non-industr ial . Desert world. Poor. GWildeman 0409 B201674-C Ice-capped. Non-agricultural. Non-industr ial . GPandora 0410 B878313-B Non-industrial. GDarchDna 0 ~ 0 2 B49A742-A Water Horld. GSabruse 0 5 0 ~ EAC8343-8 Fluid hydrographics. Research stat ion.Imisaa 0 ~ 0 6 Non-agricultural.B ~ 2 0 8 6 7 - 6 N Poor.Fis t 0 ~ 0 8 B789430-C Non-industr ial .Dimorus 0601 D 3 0 0 7 ~ 5 - 4 Non-agricultural. Vacuum world.Our Planet 0602 B687100-A Non-industr ial .

GGGAyldem 0603 A7407X4-D N Droyne world. Poor. Desert. G APichot 0 6 0 ~ E ~ 4 6 3 3 0 - 3 Non- i ndustr i aleNew 0606 D 6 6 6 6 8 A - ~ S Rich. Non-industr ial . Agricultural . Kalikhi 0701 D l l l ~ 6 B - 9 Ice-capped. Non-industr ial . Prison world.Simok 0703 D A A O B C C - ~ Desert world.Attee 0706 C 7 ~ 2 A A E - 4 Poor.Eshadi 0707 B 4 3 1 3 ~ 8 - E Non-industr ial . Poor.

GGGGGGNew Moscow 0709 B76779A-7 Agricultural . Rich. GBerg 0802 A 6 7 ~ ~ 4 2 - B N Agricultural . Non-industrial. Kedus 0803 D867400-3 Non-industr ial . Tobia 0 8 0 ~ A 4 4 4 A ~ ~ - F N Industr ial . Sector capi tal . Batav 0809 B ~ A 8 7 6 4 - A Fluid hydrographics.GGG

The Tobia subsector contains 34 worlds with a population of 88.816 bil l ion. Thhighest population is A, at Attee and Tobia; the highest tech level is F, aTobia.-8


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MAP LEGENDWORLD CHARACTERISTICS

Water presento No water present~ Asteroid beltBASES

. . Imperial naval base.. Imperial scout base Scout way sta t ionA Research sta t ion Foreign naval baseM Foreign military base

TRAVEL ZONESAmber zone

AAR e d zonePOPULATIONSecundus under one bil l ionPRIMUS over one bil l ion

starporttype

worltype

gasgiantx-boatrouteworld name

t ravel zone code

GAZULIN

THE BORDERLAND

I : Nora'aA: HenorialB: Egyrn J : GoertelC: Pax Rulin K: TlaiowahaL: The Borderland: GazulinE: Yggdrasil M: RanibF: Dpres N: SilraaiheG: Sindal 0: Hkea'asH: Tobia P: Binary

TROJAN REACHES SECTOR -9


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"----------'1TRAVELLER'5 HARDWARE

ROCKET PISTOLDesigned by Inste l larms, LIC, theRocket Pis tol i s a rare , expensive,and extremely accurate firearm. Thepis to l i t s e l ~ is simply a launchingtube for the projec t i le , having l i t t l e bearing on i t s performance.The pro jec t i le cons is t s of"3 sect ions - - propel lant , guidance system,and warhead. The propel lant i s a l i quid fuel rocket propelling the bulle t at 50 metres per second. I t has 3combat turns (30 seconds) worth offuel and can perform unlimitedmanoeuvres during th is t ime. Theguidance system is an IR sensingltracking package with an in i t i a l radio I ink to the pis tol . The warheadis a shaped, high-explosive charge.The pis tol i t se l f consis ts of thelaunching barrel , target -paint ing laser , and a magazine holding three~ o u n d s . When the t r igger is pulled,the laser denotes the target . The information is then conveyed to thepro jec t i l e ' s guidance system. Thepro jec t i le f i r es , and tracks i t s tar get unt iii t hi t s .If the projec t i le misses i t s tar get the f i r s t time, i t c i rc les backand t r i e s again. I t will continue todo th is unti l i t s fuel i s exhausted.Weight,magazine:(loaded m230mm TL

unloaded:250g) base price:agazine:14850g

3000)(loadedCr1200Length:

\lOll! jack H5.

SOUND DAMPERThe Sound Damper is a device thgenerates a fa in t electromagnetf ield which slows the vibra t ionsa i r molecules within i t . The f ielcan be of many s izes , and can be ether a solid sphere or a sphericshel l . By damping the a ir vibra t ioni t slows or stops the transmissionsounds through the f ie ld , and alsas a side ef fec t , makes the in ter ioof the f ield quite cold.Sound Dampers have a numberuses: for instance, they are usedmake conversat ions private , to slence loud machinery, and to allospies and assassins to move qUietlThey also make up an integral parta ship 's s tea l th systems.Sound Dampers come in many s izefrom 500g to several tonnes. Thcost approximately Cr2000 per kg, anhave a maximum f ield diameter ofmetres per kg. Each metre eliminatabout 15 decibels of sound. TL 15 .To hear a sound which has passthrough a Damper:VolumeQuietModer.LoudDeafn.Punct.

Thickness of f ield (metres)1- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1e Q U U U U U U U U U U M M Q e Q U U U U U U U L L M M M e Q U U U U U D D L L M M M Q Q Q U U P P D D L L L M M Q Q Q

U - Unheard (O-dB) e - Quietly hea(up to a c i ty night, 1-40dB) MModerately heard (up to a vacuucleaner, 41-80dB) L - Loud (up tos tereo on 10 , 81-120dB) D - Deafeing (loud enough to cause pain, upa wind tunnel from inside, 121-159dP Puncturing (loud enough to istant ly puncture the eardrum, 160+d

cloU rrilec ablat clllbatc 5 I , C 5 I , C 5 1 , C 5 I y C 5 1 y C 5 1 , C 5 I ,~ D C t e t Pistol 51 3 o-3 0 3 4 1 -2 1 4 5 2 -I 2 5 6 3 0 3 6 4 1 -2 1 4 5 2 -1 2 5 8 5 2 5 8l1li -8 i f He tU9!t is lI!uiag chaaeleoll 5llrfaced armr. -10


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could spend years in the Imperialcourts . Thus he has hired the players . He ins i s t s on receiving regularreports on the i r progress, and willpay upon the successful completion ofthe i r task.WATCHING YOUQuestions a t Naval security will reveal tha t the s tarship par t s disappeared without a t race , usually inbroad dayl ight . The guards never sawanything, although they were notdrugged or dis t rac ted in any way.Checking the storehouse will reveal a video camera in the corner,connected to the survei l lance boardin the room next door. If the playerscheck the video tapes, they will findsome rather strange scenes Droynetechnicians walking r ight past theguards unnoticed, picking up parts ,and leaving.

If the characters are famil iarwith the Droyne, they will rea l izethat the tapes display the Droynepower of inv is ib i l i ty in act ion. Thetechnicians clouded the minds of a l lpersonnel in the area so tha t theguards did not see them ei ther inperson or on the screens; but thethef ts were stored on videotape.WAITING FOR THE STORMWord of the thef ts has been keptqu i e t , in order not to aler t thethieves. The players may choose touse psionic shield helmets and capture or follow the Droyne when theynext s t r i ke ,Within 3 days, 2 to 7 (1D+1)Droyne technicians will make anotherforay for equipment. If attacked,they will put up very l i t t l e f ight ,but 1 to 6 of them will te leport away(without the i r par ts ) . The remainingones, if any, do not have te leporta-t ion abi l i ty , and may be captured andinterrogated.If the players choose to in ter -rogate the Droyne, they wil l find outtha t the pieces are for the SS-12b,a special project to -return freedomto the Droyne people.- I t is beingdeveloped in the Oyshis mountains tothe north. Soon af ter the interrogat ion , i f they are l e f t alone, theDroyne technicians will disappear,having been rescued by the i r com-rades.

If the players follow the Droynra ther than attacking them, they wbe discovered on an 8+ on 2D, and simi lar s i tuat ion as above will taplace. If the Droyne do not spthem, they will lead the party outthe city to a small house, wheDroyne workers load the parts ontoG-Carrier. If they follow the G-Car ie r , i t will t ravel to the Oyshmountains, where i t will lose tha r o u n ~ a mountain.

PROJECT CITIZENThree years ago, several Droyne leaers hatched a plot to free the Droypopulation from the reserves and thgovernor 's control . They decidedbuild a powerful new s tarship to slpast the Naval forces of Ayldem at ravel to Tobia. There i t s crew wouoffer"= trade: the s tarship and inew technology for freedom and Impeia l cit izenship for all the DroyneA)/l demoThey enl is ted the help of thNaval Architect Aran Sperling to dsign the ship i t s e l f . One year agthey began constructing the f inversion, the SS-12b. They s to le thnecessary par t s from the Naval baand i t s ship construction fac i l i t i esand bui l t the ship a t a mountastronghold. Three months ago, Speling secre t ly came to the stronghoto supervise the f inal constructiophase. Now the ship is almost readfor launch.

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THE STRONGHOLDTHE SS-12bLocated in the Oyshis mountains, tThe Steal th ship uses new technology stronghold is a small constructi(largely developed by the Droyne and fac i l i ty tunneled out of a mountaiSperling> to render i t invis ible to side .ship ' s sensors and human senses. (SeenStealth Systems in th i s issue.> 1. L a ~ n c h pad: Built jus t recentlthIs launcnway was constructeds tee l foam, and will be destroyStum S ~ i p SS-21469Al-000000-0020J-O J1C1'150.07 200 tDDS once the SS-12b leaves.battel'ies btll'iDg 1 1 CI'!II=4 2. Hangar: This is where the Stealbattnies 11 TL=15 ship was bui l t , and is now beireadied for f l ight .PIS5!IlIJfI'S=O LDFO CII'ga=2 Ful=98 EP=18 Agility:6 TI'DDPS=O 3. Workshop: Various tools are usand stored here.

. for . . . w i t h ~ or AlNntl HiIh lJIhtnin,

1 . B r i j ~ e . C o n t a i ~ s ~ o s i t i o n s f o p i : o t anc G ~ n n e r s . _. _... i r l o c ~ : .

~ 3 ~ i p t s ~ o c l : e r . 4. Avionics ./' S t e a l t ~ anc Survei l ence

3 J s t ems ~ Car30 a r ea . Floor l o ~ e ~ s

to ground l ev e l .7. Sta teroom.(,. S t a t e r o o ~ . 9. Common Ar ea ,10. Gal ley .

11. Computer.12. P o : ~ e r - p l a n t . 13. Jwnp Drive.14. Maneouver Drive .15. Ft:.el.

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$ul .on M.I. . .

SS-12b STEALTH SHIPTonnage: 20 0 tons .ere... : 4.r e r f o r ~ a n c e : Junp-4 . 6-G

P o w e r - ~ l a n t 9. 18 ~ r .21ect: onics: Lodel /1 f ibc ompute r .Arnacent : 1 par t i c l e ~ c c

e l e r a t o r t u r ~ e t . 1 t r 1e t l i s s i l e t u r ~ e t . Capaci ty: 2 tons Carso.

15.5 .


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4. Par ts s torage.5. Power Plant : The base ' s fusionpower plant . I t i s se t to destroythe s tronghold af te r the SS-12btakes of f .6. Offices: This area contains amodel/1 computer with ship designprograms; draf t ing rooms withblueprin ts; and various other of-f ices .7. Living Area: This area comprisesprivate rooms, a kitchen, and arecreat ion area for the Droyne.The stronghold i s current ly populatedby 40 Droyne technicians , 30 workersand drones, 1 leader, and 20 warri ors. The leader and the warr iors wearcombat armour and are equipped withACR's.

STRONGHOLD

CITIZEN UNDER SIEGEI t may take a while, but eventual lythe players wi l l find the s tronghold( ro l l 8+ every hour, DM +1 for reconnaissance or survey s k i l l ) . The players may decide e i ther to sneak orblas t the i r way in. If they makethemselves known and are an obviousthreat (eg, i f they shoot anyone),Sperl ing, the Droyne leader, and twotechnicians wi l l try to take off theSS-12b. I f the players try to talk toany of the Droyne, ro l l on the react ion table with a +2 DM, with f r iend-ly resul ts having the Droyne revealthe i r plan, and violent re su l t s having them launch the i r Steal th ship .Launching requires 10 minutes ofpreparat ion (removing fuel l ines,rol l ing the ship out of the hangar,e tc . ) , during which time the playersmay attempt to destroy i t . Once i ttakes off , the s tea l th systems wil l

kick in, and i t will ' d i sappear . ' Othe other hand, the players may atempt topI ight . help the Droyne in the

THE THICKENING OF PLOTSAlamishi i r ' s s tory was not ent i re lt rue. To be sure, a confrontat ion btween the Navy and the Droyne wouresul t in lengthy legal bat t les , ba small disturbance would hardly wory the ent i re Navy. Nor would thNavy completely t rus t a small band oindependent mercenaries, merchantor adventurers, and i t is very unl ikely that he would ever have heaof the players.The Navy intends to send in a tota l of three individual par t ies fothe same purpose, and thus not rislosing any of i t s own men. Since onone group, a t most, will be succesfu l , not too much money is at r i ske i ther , and i f the successful paris too greedy, well , not a l l ofhas to survive. Eventually, the Nawill come in i t se l f , basing i t s s t r ategy on the reports of the three pat i e s .The characters are the second paty to journey to the Oyshis mout a ins . The f i r s t party, which hbeen there for three days when thplayers arr ive, i s actively helpinthe Droyne; and the third party, whi t arr ives (by a i r ra f t , about twenhours af te r the characters ' ar r iva lwill campaign vigorously againthem.However, at almost exact ly thsame t ime, an Imperial Naval vesswill approach the Oyshis mountaindropping 20 crack commandos to shoon sight .How a l l of th is comes together dpends on the players and referee.

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STEALTH 5Y5TEMS c:=!=====::::=There are times when a s tarshipshould not be seen. There are t imeswhen a sh ip ' s detection can even befa ta l . These are t imes when s tea l thsystems are required.Steal th systems are various piecesof equipment which render a starshipundetectable to others . They are rareand quite expensive, but are some-times used for special spy and recon-naissance ships .CAMOUFLAGE HULL: This item fu l f i l l stwo functions. Fi rs t , i t acts l ikecamouflage cover (T.I. ~ 2 - - pigmentce l l s on the surface adopt a similarpat tern to that of the surroundings(black in space, green in a f ie ld ,e tc . ) . This pattern is not only invis ib le l ight , but also in IR and UV.Secondly, the Camouflage Hull is cov-ered in a special transparent paintwhich absorbs radio waves, renderingthe ship invis ib le to radar. The Camouflage Hull costs Cr5000 per ton ofship (over and above normal hullcos ts ) . TL 12.NEUTRINO SCREEN: This i s a specialenergy f ield and array of heavyshielding which blocks neutrino emis-sions from a ship ' s power plant , ren-dering i t undetectable to neutrinosensors. I t weighs 1% of the powerplant ' s tonnage (minimum 1 ton) andrequires 1 EP per ton of power plant .Costs Mer1 per ton. TL 14.NAS (Neural Activity Sensor) SCREEN:This is a ser ies of wires in the hullwhich creates an elec t r ic f ield act-ing both as a psionic shield and ascreen for NAS's. This renders a l ll i fe on board ship invis ible to bothpsionics and NAS sensors. ReqUiresCr4000 per ton of ship. TL 10.SOUND DAMPER: Used when the ship i sin an atmosphere, the Sound Damper

makes the ship completely s i l en t (sTrave 11er ' s Har-dware, th i s issueWeighs 1 ton per 100 tons of shipMCr1 andTL 15 . 1 EP per ton of dampeDETECTING STEALTH SHIPSShips out f i t ted with s tea l th systemare extremely d i f f i cu l t to detecta ll sensors except mass detectors.

When attempting to detects tea l th ship, ro l l as explainedGrand Survey, but t rea t each d i f fculty level as 2 higher (eg, Routinbecomes Difficul t ; and Formidable bcomes Impossible). If the ship is dtected then rol l 10+ on 2d for a corect reading in a l l other s i tuat ions the reading i s abnormal.The above applies to a l l senso(and human senses) except mass detetors , in whose band the s tea l th shcan be detected as normal. Howeveas nothing shows up on any other sesors, i t is usually assumed to begl i tch .Stealth systems are a rather ndevelopment and have not yet beused extensively but there isdoubt but tha t they will soon begappearing in spy ships and specicouriers throughout the Imperium.Continued f ro . page 6

The diagram shows only the l eengineer ing pod. The r ight engineeing pod is ident ical , and both aconnected (at the dotted l ines on thcargo deck) at a 45 0 angle to tres t of the ship . Art i f ic ia l graviin these areas is also at the sam45 angle (see diagram).Staterooms 10 to 15, 19 to 24, an28 to 32 are usually used by thcrew. Other staterooms are usualused by passengers.

~ . \..... ....:J

11IK/? :JACk5.0f\;' '87

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U-NEXPlORED SPACEby Michael R. Mikesh

The Traveller SooA ~ o r l d generationsystem and those systems from theAlien ~ o d u l e s deal only with regionsof space occupied by certain inters te l la r civi lzat ions. These civi l iza-t ions have spread far and wide, including places as remote as GroupOne's Theta Borealis sector . Thus,with Traveller , i t is very easy togenerate sectors of s tars for any

mark on the disk of the Milky Way galaxy. The rest of that vastness iunexplored excep( for what Zhodanexpeditions passed through in tryinto reach the galactic core.To my knowledge, there are nworld generation systems for unexplored space, but such would be handfor campaigns involving scout explorers and the l ike. To that end, I ' lpresent one in a step-by-step fashion.

place lying within GDW's map of Charted Space.Despite i t s immense size, however,the bounds of Charted Space are hardly the l imits of the Imperial universe. As Pat Stapleton i l lus t ra tedin Working Passage #2 (reprintedhere with the kind permiEdwards), Charted Space ssion ofis barely Eda

50,000 l ight years(average radiusof the Milky'day)

32,000 l ight years(approx. distancecenter of galaxy toCapital)from

Relativestandardmap.At the scale ofImperium, i mimap our

of thecould-Pat Stapleton

STEP 1. Generate the physical character i s t ics of the world ( ie. sizeatmosphere, hydrographics) througthe standard world generation systemSTEP 2. Determine i f there is aindigenous sophant population. Assumthere is none for worlds with atmospheres 1-. For atmospheres 2+, rol2D-9 and save th is rol l . A resul t o0+ means there is a population. Fonegative resul ts , the world is barren, so assign zero to populationgovernment, law and tech level in thUPP.STEP 3. Generate world tech levelA. The rol l saved from step(2D-9) is also the in i t iarol l for tech level givingresul t ranging from 0-3. Th

could go up as follows.B. If the above roll is 3, rerol l on ID (1-6) and take thbetter of the two resul ts athe tech level.C. If the resul t f ro . B is 6rerol l on 2D-l (1-11) antake the better resul t . Athough the civi l izat ion mighhave a very substantial teclevel, i t will not have jumdrive technology.D. If the resul t from C is 11reroll on 3D-2. If the 3D-is 8-, t reat the tech leveas 11. If i t is 9+, use thaas the tech level instead angive that civi l izat ionchance to have jump driv(step 4. C) E. If the result from D is 16leave the rest of the generation process to referee discretion. This is an except ional world.STEP 4. Generate starport .


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A. For a t e c h - ~ world, rol l onthe starport table with DM+8. If a class E starportis i n d i c ~ t e d , the world isnot yet spacefaring. Instead,there are rare space t ravelling vis i tors for which theymaintain a port.B. For a tech-6 world, rol l onthe starport table with aDM+6. While a C and D q U ~ l i t y starport would be intendedfor rare space vis i tors(probably doubling' as an a i r -port) , an Equal i ty starportwould indicate an active local space program.C. For worlds of higher techlevel, rol l on the starporttable using a positive DM of12 minus the tech level. Ifthe civi l izat ion does nothave jump drive, t reat a l lresul ts of A as B. If thecivi l izat ion can potent ia l lyhave jump drive (see step3.D) and an A resu l t s , t rea ti t as A and assume the civi l -ization does indeed have jumpcapabil i ty. A naval base " i l lbe present at an A classstarport on 8+.STEP ~ Generate Population. Rollpopulation on 1D+2. Apply DM +1 fortech levels 6-10, or DM +2 for techlevel 11+.STEP 6. Generate Government andLaw Level. Once the population is determined, rol l these as described inthe standard generation system.With th is generation system, aliensociet ies that have jump drive areextremely rare, as is appropriate forthe Imperial universe. There are onlysix species (the major races) whichhave developed jump drive on theirown. Only these six are depicted inthe mystical Droyne coyns. The c i r -

cumstances suggest the Ancients knewthese were a l l there were going tobe, so to find a seventh, explorerswill have to go a substantial distance from Charted Space.If the generation system indicatesa population with jump drive within12 sectors of Charted Space, I havetwo suggestions that can account forthis . First is that they learned jumptechnology from another race. Therace could be contemporary, or theworld may have picked up the k n o ~ -

ledge by studying Ancient art i faas did the Geonee (see Library( A - ~ ) , aMajor Race a). Second isthe population is of a speciesready established as a major raThe best candidates are Droyne (ecia l ly if tech-16+), Human, or (ll ikely) Vargr. Any of these chave arrived during Ancient timesCultures with B class starpmight have used sub-light shipscross to neighboring stars . Twith A class starport certainly hIn these instances, i t may be besuse the standard world generasystem for a few of the neighbomaking the assumption that theycolonized.This generation system makes acultures plent i ful , primarily forsake of interest . Generating numenew species can be a strain onreferee, but the art ic le , aAnytBut Human a in Dragon 152 could bassistance. Also keep in mind thai t is possible for explorers toto detect low-tech cultures, asthe case of the Shriekers of Adture 10 - Safari Ship.

BACK ISSUES#1: Back issues currently availab12: Back issues available in May13: Currently out of print .14: Only 4 copies lef t !-17


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