From: Sonja Pieper [unnh@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 10:38 AM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - archipelago Hi, since our GM is too lazy to write a mail to the list I have to ask: do any of you own the archipelago addon for blue planet? If yes, would you say it was worth buying??? What's in it? More background, more equipment? More biomods more stuff on dolphins and orcas??? Are there any other blue planet books? -- Sonja Pieper, Tel.: 0721-9664910 unnh@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de, http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~unnh/ "a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose she is my rose" Gertrude Stein *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Tun Kai Poh [t_poh@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 12:28 AM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Cetaceans and sonar >Well, as you've surmised I dont have any specific data (we dont use too >many cetaceans in the Royal Australian Navy !) but I do know that >"Biological interference" can be quite intrusive on passive sonar systems >and that active sonar pulses not only detect whales, dolphins etc but high >power pulses can distress them quite significantly....Food for thought isnt >it ? Okay, the reason I asked has to do with the fact that we had an Orca character trying to sneak up on a hovercraft and a guy in a hardsuit. The players reasoned that the Orca would be _harder_ to spot on sonar than conventional military subs, because of "natural stealth" whereas I was thinking about the "biological interference angle," ie. that military submarines can mistake whales for subs while missing real subs altogether. And then there's Greg Benage's Bataku story in the main book, where the Orca native chief and his warpod sneak up on a well-guarded underwater facility without being spotted... And another thing - can uplifted cetaceans "turn off" their echolocation to avoid having their sound pulses detected? This also came up in my BP game. The other problems included integration of an Orca into long-range travel plans, etc. Frankly, the number of cetacean-related game problems got so confusing that as a result of the 3rd Malaysian game (which I will get around to writing up as soon as I can) we shelved BP for the time being and are now doing GURPS World War 2 until I can fix BP's cetacean rules. Anyway, if Jeff could give us an official word on this (or better yet, real hard stats in an upcoming Undercurrents) this would be nice, hint hint... Kai Poh, Malaysian Lagomorph Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 12:03 PM To: 'blue_planet@mpgn.com' Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - Cetaceans and sonar > -----Original Message----- > From: Tun Kai Poh [mailto:t_poh@hotmail.com] > Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Cetaceans and sonar > This isn't "official" just based on research I've been doing for a project. > Okay, the reason I asked has to do with the fact that we had an Orca > character trying to sneak up on a hovercraft and a guy in a hardsuit. > The players reasoned that the Orca would be _harder_ to spot on sonar > than conventional military subs, because of "natural stealth" whereas I > was thinking about the "biological interference angle," ie. that > military submarines can mistake whales for subs while missing real subs > altogether. > Think about it like this. Have one of your players stand next to you and listen closely to him. You'll hear him (or her) breathing. If you put your ear to their chest you can hear their heartbeat. You might also hear assorted digestive and bowel (pardon me) noises. Normally we don't think about these sounds since they don't carry very far (in air). In water, however, sounds carry much farther. This is what the sonar is most likely hearing and categorizing as a biological contact. Subs are the same, there will be assorted "natural" noises associated with the hardware which is always running (ie, the air processors, the engine, the propellers, people walking around on the deck, etc.). > And another thing - can uplifted cetaceans "turn off" their echolocation > to avoid having their sound pulses detected? This also came up in my BP > game. The other problems included integration of an Orca into long-range > travel plans, etc. > Consider the cetacean's sonar like you would your eyes. Would you close your eyes if for some strange reason you were sneaking up on someone and they could "see" where you were looking. You could but it would make it difficult to get around. Same sort of thing. They wouldn't be able to "see" too well without their sounding clicks. Jim H. Jim Heivilin, Webmaster Biohazard Games mailto:ccbanzai@showme.missouri.edu http://www.biohazardgames.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Wilke Wills Family [wilkewills@home.com] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 1:27 PM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - archipelago Sonja Pieper wrote: > > Hi, > > since our GM is too lazy to write a mail to the list > I have to ask: do any of you own the archipelago > addon for blue planet? If yes, would you say it was worth > buying??? Yes. Its one of the better supplements I've purchased this year. > What's in it? More background, more equipment? More > biomods more stuff on dolphins and orcas??? > Are there any other blue planet books? It is a bunch of background information about the islands of the Pacifica Archipelago, with many adventure hooks and information thrown in. No more biomods or much stuff on Orcas. However, it does contain a few more critters. No, there aren't any other Blue Planet books yet. Access Denied, the GM screen, should be out sometime soon. Hopefully. There's a more detailed review of Archipelago on www.rpg.net by Tun Kai Poh. Which reminds me that I should write a few more reviews for rpg.net -Andy -Andy > -- > Sonja Pieper, Tel.: 0721-9664910 > unnh@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de, http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~unnh/ > > "a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose > she is my rose" Gertrude Stein > *************************************************************************** > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line > 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Adam Lewis [adamswork@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 1:25 PM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - archipelago --- Sonja Pieper wrote: do any of you own the archipelago > addon for blue planet? Yes If yes, would you say it was > worth > buying??? I would consider it "essential" for a GM and a "good buy" for anyone else. > > What's in it? More background? Yes. More detailed background on one of the main island groups. >more equipment? None that I remember. >More biomods or more stuff on dolphins and orcas??? No. > Are there any other blue planet books? No. Very soon there will be a product called "Access Denied". This includes a GM screen with a booklet of "secret" background info that helps flesh out the political manuevering. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Adam Lewis [adamswork@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 1:33 PM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Christophe Stebe We need to remember to send Christophe Stebe an e-mail after the 6th and ask him not to do put the list on an auto-response when he's gone. This is the second time, IIRC. Not a real big deal, but if he's ever gone for a long time it could be annoying. === AdamL ===== "I’d like to put football pads on and just go up and down the street diving through plate glass windows!" _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: bokkor [bokkor@kih.net] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 1:36 PM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - archipelago I think it's a very nice supplement. It contains a great deal of detail on the various colonies and outposts (including maps), good information on NPC's, and a lot of plot hooks. There is also a good section on the Aborigines and additional profiles of some of the wildlife. It's definitely worth the money. As far as I know it's the only supplement out currently, but you may want to hit the biohazard website to check the release schedule. Rob -----Original Message----- From: Sonja Pieper To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Date: Thursday, April 01, 1999 12:50 PM Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - archipelago >Hi, > >since our GM is too lazy to write a mail to the list >I have to ask: do any of you own the archipelago >addon for blue planet? If yes, would you say it was worth >buying??? > >What's in it? More background, more equipment? More >biomods more stuff on dolphins and orcas??? >Are there any other blue planet books? > > >-- >Sonja Pieper, Tel.: 0721-9664910 >unnh@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de, http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~unnh/ > >"a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose > she is my rose" Gertrude Stein *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Kintaro Oe [kabael@bu.edu] Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 4:34 PM To: blue_planet@mpgn.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - archipelago >since our GM is too lazy to write a mail to the list >I have to ask: do any of you own the archipelago >addon for blue planet? If yes, would you say it was worth >buying??? yes, abso-friggin'-lutely. Superb book, on par with the base book. I wish that -all- rpg supplements were that good. >What's in it? More background, more equipment? More >biomods more stuff on dolphins and orcas??? >Are there any other blue planet books? it's -all- setting and background info, and loads of it at that. Gotta love detailed settings. kabael chris lee, while looking at his leafy salad, "this is what *food* eats." - george "The Tao is near and people seek it far away" -Mencius http://members.xoom.com/McGuffins/ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.