From: christopher gribbon [c.gribbon@dundee.ac.uk] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:38 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Flame the newbie! >1) I see hyrofoils. I see VTOL. I see subs. I see catamaran. Where are >the boats? Wouldn't they be cheaper to manufacture? I've often wondered the same. In my game I *did* have boats, but they were mostly short-range runarounds in small island groups. As someone recently pointed out, the oceanic waves on Poseidon would be *really big* with all the extra water around. "Normal" boats probably wouldn't cut it. Mind you, I don't know the first thing about sailing/oceanogrraphy/etc. So I'm possibly talking sht*e. >2) Island ownership. Is it a case of "squatter's rights" or is there some >sort of procedure you have to go throught. I'm currently assuming >squatter's rights. I asked a similar question (about property values), and got this answer from Mr. Biohazard himself: You ask about property values on Poseidon. Well, that's a controversial topic. The original colonists attempted to allot homesteads and assign farm lots to each colonist. This plan met with only limited success, and during the Abandonment, the system broke down even further. Until recontact, land ownership was essentially meaningless, as there just were not enough people for it to matter. After recontact, things quickly began to change, but remain confused. Most of the land around the biggest settlements, Haven, Second Try, etc, was deeded to its original/current users by an early executive order of the the Office of Colonial Affairs. In theory, all unsettled portions of Poseidon were "left in trust for the benefit of humanity yada yada yada." In practice, for the less settled areas, like maybe Los Isolotes, the OCA issues homestead aggreements and colonial permits on a case by case basis. These more remote and unpolulated areas are what are now most at issue. Mining claims, native rights, natural heritage, etc, are all in conflict. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Westcape (Arch 103). Basically, if the land has a legal owner, the value is determined by demand, which is usually based on location (proximity to major settlements) or inherent resources (arable soils, minerals, etc). There is, as a result, tremendous variation in land value. >3) How easy/hard is it to recharge batteries and fuel cells? Well, I've always been under the impression that its pretty damn easy. Most settlements have at kleast one Solar-powered generator that can be used either to recharge batteries, or as a "Water Cracker" that takes water and makes Hydrogen and Oxygen >4) It seems pretty darn easy to sneak through the wormhole. How come the >GEO hasn't set up a small ship/base on either side? Why bother? It's not a border as such ("immigration" etc. woud be handled at spaceports in either system) - and ships coming through the hole have to land/dock *somewhere*. You should be able to follow them and take care of any business there and then. >5) Exactly what is the manufacturing base on Posidon? Is it reasonable to >assume they can produce attack subs? If so that's a fairly strong >production level. I think, what with all the Incorp. interest in Poseidon, that they have a pretty solid industrial infrastructure. Possibly better than a lot of places on earth have recovered to yet. >6) Any suggestions for the ammount of work I should make a mining team go >through to find Long John? Well, that depends on whether they're independants or working for an Incorp or something, where they're prospecting, and how much you want them to get rich quick. >7) Any other suggestions for starting up a game (my players aren't to big on >the GEO)? They could be Incorp. Employees, or could be a bunch of Natives, or an independant "company", or anything. The main rulebook (and both supplements) have extensive "Access Denied" sections with dozens of plot seeds which can be used by any faction, or even by independant "Shadowrunners" or something. Honest. BP is a brilliant game - knock yourself out (and let us know how it all goes). Enjoy! Christopher Gribbon Vision Research Laboratories Medical Sciences Institute University of Dundee Dundee DD1 5EH UK (01382) 344 229 ____________________________________________________________________ "A scientist is meant to be disinterested, pure; his ambition merely to descry the cement of the universe. He isn't meant to use it to start laying his own patio!" - WILL SELF, The Quantity Theory of Insanity *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:06 AM To: blue planet list (E-mail) Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Flame the newbie! -----Original Message----- From: "Derek Becker" To: Subject: Flame the newbie! Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 10:09:52 -0500 OK folks, time pull out your napalm! I'm new and I couldn't find a FAQ so here goes nothing .... 1) I see hyrofoils. I see VTOL. I see subs. I see catamaran. Where are the boats? Wouldn't they be cheaper to manufacture? 2) Island ownership. Is it a case of "squatter's rights" or is there some sort of procedure you have to go throught. I'm currently assuming squatter's rights. 3) How easy/hard is it to recharge batteries and fuel cells? 4) It seems pretty darn easy to sneak through the wormhole. How come the GEO hasn't set up a small ship/base on either side? 5) Exactly what is the manufacturing base on Posidon? Is it reasonable to assume they can produce attack subs? If so that's a fairly strong production level. 6) Any suggestions for the ammount of work I should make a mining team go through to find Long John? 7) Any other suggestions for starting up a game (my players aren't to big on the GEO)? Thanks in advance folks! Becker beckent@erols.com http://www.erols.com/beckent/ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Adam Lewis [adamswork@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 11:12 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Flame the newbie! --- "Heivilin, Jim" wrote: > > 1) I see hyrofoils. I see VTOL. I see subs. I see > catamaran. Where are > the boats? Wouldn't they be cheaper to manufacture? In my opinion, hydrofoils have become the standard. Even back on earth, V bottom boats are probably antiques. The text even says that hydrofoils are the most popular form of powered recreation boat. 2) Island ownership. Is it a case of "squatter's > rights" or is there some > sort of procedure you have to go throught. I'm > currently assuming > squatter's rights. > Interesting question. Considering the limited land space, I can't imagine squatters getting any rights. > 3) How easy/hard is it to recharge batteries and > fuel cells? > I got the impression that it was a pretty common/simple task. Like replacing your cordless phone on the base. > 4) It seems pretty darn easy to sneak through the > wormhole. How come the > GEO hasn't set up a small ship/base on either side? > Who's going to sneak through? It takes an enormous amount of resources to travel from earth to the worm hole and even earth based radar would detect the ship. But I think we'll see the developement of such a space station in future products. > 5) Exactly what is the manufacturing base on > Posidon? Is it reasonable to > assume they can produce attack subs? If so that's a > fairly strong > production level. > Manufactoring is high, however, the raw resources are lacking. Given enough material, Posiedon has the ability to produce anything they want. There is currently no problem with producing attack subs. > 6) Any suggestions for the ammount of work I should > make a mining team go > through to find Long John? That's a relative question; relative to how much pizza your players buy you. But seriously, mining Long John is a difficult proccess, compounded by the fact that your on the sea floor. A place where we are far from the top of the food chain. 7) Any other suggestions for starting up a game (my > players aren't to big on > the GEO)? > Incorporate, native, criminal, search and rescue, mining, merchants, science research...read through the Access Denieds and see what grabs you. AdamL __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: gareth hanrahan [hanrahag@iol.ie] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 11:03 AM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Flame the newbie! >>4) It seems pretty darn easy to sneak through the wormhole. How come the >>GEO hasn't set up a small ship/base on either side? They have...there's a small station at either end, which among other things relays messages back and forth in pods (can't send signals through the wormhole). As for sneaking through...why bother? >>5) Exactly what is the manufacturing base on Posidon? Is it reasonable to >>assume they can produce attack subs? If so that's a fairly strong >>production level. > >I think, what with all the Incorp. interest in Poseidon, that they have a pretty solid industrial >infrastructure. Possibly better than a lot of places on earth have recovered to yet. They were able to build Dyfedd. A floating city is a serious undertaking. I'd assume that large attack subs would be well within the realm of possibility. Admittedly, actually building one would be a fairly serious slap in the face of GEO. Gar "either way you turn i'll be there open up your skull i'll be there climbing up the walls" - Radiohead *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Raymond Pullar [Ray@shoggoth.freeserve.co.uk] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 1:08 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - WH1 and WH2 (GEO control of the wormhole) > From: "Derek Becker" > > OK folks, time pull out your napalm! I'm new and I couldn't find a FAQ so > here goes nothing .... No need to done the asbestos suit just yet. These people seem very civilised... > 4) It seems pretty darn easy to sneak through the wormhole. How come the > GEO hasn't set up a small ship/base on either side? As someone else has said...they have. The GEO has established bases at both the Sol and Serpentis ends of the wormhole. They are known as WH-1 and WH-2 respectively (imagination isn't the HCST's strong point it would seem). I direct your attention to pages 4.17 and 4.171 of the main rulebook. In the section on the High Commission for Science and Technology it talks about the World Space Agency and the facilities that it maintains, which includes WH-1 and WH-2. On the page opposite is the section on Commcore where it describes how messages from the Solar system are relayed to the Serpentis system through WH-1 and WH-2. The number of personnel at WH-2 (at the Serpentis end of the wormhole) is stated on p2.106 ("A View from Orbit"). As for smuggling goods and people through the wormhole, that's dealt with on the following pages pp2.108 and 2.109 where it states "Dozens of computer-controlled telescopes and radar units monitor the space around the Serpentis end of the wormhole." So moving unauthorized vessels through the wormhole doesn't look to be as easy as you thought. Hope this has helped Ray Pullar *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Heivilin, Jim [banzai@missouri.edu] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 1:36 PM To: blue planet list (E-mail) Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 13:36:19 -0600 -----Original Message----- From: "Derek Becker" To: Subject: RE: [BLUE PLANET] - WH1 and WH2 Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 14:30:06 -0500 > I direct your attention to pages 4.17 and 4.171 of the main rulebook. (snip) > The number of personnel at WH-2 (at the Serpentis end of the > wormhole) is stated on p2.106 ("A View from Orbit"). > As for smuggling goods and people through the wormhole, that's > dealt with on the following pages pp2.108 and 2.109 > Hope this has helped > Ray Pullar Ahem. The rulebook. Yes, of course. I was ... just testing you. Well done. Let's move on! Thanks bunches for the responses guys. I appriciate it. However, I'm still a little hung up on boats. It just seems such an odd omission from a water planet! I know that the Coast Guard has a passle of search and rescue boats that are able to go out and do all sorts of nifty cool things. Now I know diddly squat about hovercraft and jumpships. Exactly how stable are they in rough seas? Wait. Lemme guess: "Read the book." Got it. In other news, I'm starting up a Blue Planet game using the Shadowrun rules core. (my buds are real into SR) I'm starting up a SR/BP site, it looks rather lame right now but hopefully I'll be adding meaningful content in the future. At the very least you can count on vehicle designs. http://www.erols.com/beckent/bp/srbp.html Thanks again for your feedback gents! Becker beckent@erols.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Adam Lewis [adamswork@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 3:29 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 13:36:19 -0600 > Thanks bunches for the responses guys. I appriciate > it. However, I'm still > a little hung up on boats. It just seems such an > odd omission from a water > planet! I'm just repeating myself, sorry. I don't think boats were omited. From the text, I got the impression that hyfrofoils had replaced what we think of as "boats". They are the same in all respects, except he hull design. A hydrofoil can be used for any activity modern day, real world boats are used for. Adam __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message. From: Tun Kai Poh [t_poh@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 7:41 PM To: blue_planet@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: Re: [BLUE PLANET] - Flame the newbie! >6) Any suggestions for the ammount of work I should make a mining team go >through to find Long John? I don't know of anyone who's ever run a mining campaign, and apart from the one UH2 murder mystery scenario I ran at a con once, I don't know of any adventures set in a mining environment either. I certainly did try to write a mining scenario once, but it got shelved a long time back. The business of actually prospecting isn't that exciting: I just see long stretches of boredom while the sub cruises over the seabed scanning for deposits, with the occasional maintenance break. So I'd spice up mining operations with Incorp competition, equipment failures, encounters with local wildlife, and strange geological formations which have to be explored with hardsuits...for every risky adventure the party goes through, reward 'em with a small strike of xenosilicate. That's how I'd handle a mining campaign. If you _and_ the players like the accounting aspect of gaming, I suppose you could force the group to keep track of every little bit of fuel expenditure, every spare part, and so on...in which case you'd need a nice equipment list more comprehensive than the main rulebook's, and I can't help you there. Wait for Fluid Mechanics. >7) Any other suggestions for starting up a game (my players aren't to big >on >the GEO)? My personal faves would be an ERT campaign in the Northwestern Territories and a freelance investigator/mercenary outfit in Kingston. The former has lots of potential to run into native insurgency and natural hazards, while the latter is set in my favorite colonial city and has lots of Incorp action. Kai Poh Malaysian Lagomorph ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe blue_planet' as the body of the message.