Traveller: The New Era
ALTERNATE Collapse Effects
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Source wording preserved. The original download is available separately.
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 12:06:23 -0500
From: CyHiggin@aol.com
Subject: ALTERNATE Collapse Effects
The following are modifications to the "standard" Collapse Effects
Determination rules; the modified rules are a draft of rules for
implementing the "Alternate Vision" Collapse described in an
earlier post.
I also have a REXX script COLLAPSE.CMD that processes
standard Genie-format sector files and SSV subsector files thru
the modified rules. Like VIRUS.CMD, it will be available thru
e-mail by request to me, until AOL adds ftp upload capability,
or until my local FIDO bbs adds ftp capability. OS/2 users will
also need RXMATHTN.DLL for the various math functions used
in the growth equation. Amiga REXX, Unix REXX and other REXX
users will have to figure out their own conversions -- it shouldn't
be too hard, as the skeleton of VIRUS.CMD and COLLAPSE.CMD
was converted from Guy Garnett's HARDTIMES Amiga REXX
script in the first place.
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Alternate Collapse Effects Determination
Based on "Collapse Effects Determination", pp 190-191 of TNE Rulebook
with the following modifications:
Step 1) Calculate Maximum Sustainable Population (MSP) normally, except
for ALIEN HOME WORLDS and ALIEN
COLONIES. "Alien" here means all non-humans and any
heavily altered minor human races
(Referee's discretion). "Home World" means the world where the
Alien race EVOLVED; e.g. Kushyu for the Aslan, Darrian for
Darrians. All Terra-evolved races (major human races, Vargr,
uplifted races) should use the normal mods, but note the special
Hydrographics mods below for aquatic races when applying
MSP to Dolphins. "Colony" means a world settled by the Alien
race. In alll cases, "native" refers to HOME WORLD statistics,
and "local" refers to the COLONY world being assessed.
- If ALIEN HOME WORLD, only size mods apply when calculating MSP.
HOME WORLD is assumed to be otherwise optimal for ALIEN race.
- If ALIEN COLONY, caculate MSP with the following mods:
Size: no changes.
Atmosphere:
- If native atmosphere is A or higher, and local
atmosphere is different code or composition, MSP is 0.
- If local atmosphere is one level lower density or two
levels higher than native atmosphere, mod = -1.
- If local atmosphere two levels lower density than native
atmosphere, mod = -2.
- If local atmosphere has different or opposite taint than
native atmosphere (e.g. tainted if native is untainted or
sulphur taint if native has nitrogen compound taint, etc),
mod = -1.
Hydrographics:
Special case: aquatic race
Hydro 3,4 : mod = -1
Hydro 1,2 : mod = -2
Hydro 0 : uninhabitable (MSP is 0)
Otherwise,
- If local hydro code is 3+ higher OR 5+ lower than
native hydro code, mod = -1.
- If local hydro code is 7+ lower than native, mod = -2.
Step 2) Tech Decline
- If Pre-Collapse Tech Level was 0-8, and HOME WORLD, or
ISOLATED/INTERDICTED WORLD, there is NO decline, and
Tech Advance (Step 2A) should be checked for.
- Otherwise, check for Tech Decline normally, with the following
modifications to the table:
B-C 2d6
D+ 7+2d6
Steps 3&4) Calculate normally.
Step 9) Do Population Recovery step NOW.
Grow population since Collapse to max of MSP at
(MSP * 0.15% + 0.5%) per year (or any more realistic growth
equation you wish to use).. Alter Pop Code as necessary.
Step 7&8) Do now: reroll Post-Collapse Gov and Law based on
new Pop Code.
Step 2A) Tech Advance : only check if sent here by modified Step
2 above.
- Roll 1d3 + the following mods for number of TLs to advance;
treat results < 0 as 0.
Time Since Collapse Pre-Collapse TL
------------------- ---------------
<100 years -1 TL <= 1 -2
100-300 years 0 TL 2 -1
300-500 years +1 TL 3-5 0
500-800 years +2 TL 6-8 +1
>800 years +3
Post-Collapse Pop Code Post-Collapse Gov Code
---------------------- ----------------------
Pop <= 3 no change possible Gov 7 +1*
Pop 4-5 -3 Gov 2,4,A +1
Pop 6 -2 Gov 6,8,B,C -1
Pop 7 -1 Gov 3,9 -2
Pop 8 0 Gov E -3
Pop 9 +1 Gov D,F,0 -4
Pop A +2 all others 0
*cumulative with other gov mods.
Post-Collapse Law Code: +(6-Law)/4, drop fractions
Intact Pre-Collapse Era Base: -4
- Special case: Balkanized worlds.
(1) Quick method: assume most of population is part of one
government. Determine that government type and use its
modifier plus Gov 7 mod with world pop code mod.
(2) Detail method: determine government type and population
for each nation. Calculate TL independently for each nation
based on individual Gov and Pop mods plus Gov 7 mod.
Assign the highest resulting TL to world, as technology will
rapidly filter out to rest of the nations. Reserve a few items of
top TL to high TL nation as "Military secrets".
Step 2B) Modify MSP. After final Post-Collapse TL is determined,
modify the MSP as follows:
TL 0-2 : MSP - 1
TL A-F : MSP + 1
Step 5) Starport
- Calculate starport decline as normal, except that No TL decline
means No Starport decline.
- If new starport or spaceport quality does not meet the following
guidelines, lower starport or spaceport quality until it does.
A : minimum TL 9, minimum Pop 4
B : minimum TL 7, minimum Pop 4
C : minimum TL 5, minimum Pop 3
D,F,G : minimum TL 4, at least 1 person
E,H : no minimum TL, at least 1 person
X,Y : no minimums
- If Tech Level has advanced, check for Starport Improvement.
Roll 1d6. If result is less than TL advance, starport improves 2
facility levels, providing TL and Pop minimums are met. If result
equals TL advance, starport improves 1 facility level (providing
TL and Pop minimums are met), otherwise it stays at
Pre-Collapse level.
Step 6) Bases
- All pre-Collapse Era bases are ruins, at best. Check survival
only if necessary for Tech Advance Check, or if you wish to
distinguish excavatable ruins from glass-lined craters.
- Reroll Base Check, checking for Post-Collapse non-Imperial
military bases using new starport.
New Trade Codes
---------------
Hw - Home World
Ac - Alien Colony
Ru - has Imperial-era ruins
Designer's Notes: Alternate Collapse Effects.
(1) The reasons behind the Alien Homeworld rule should be
obvious. The TNE rules seem to assume humans or other races
that prefer Earth-like worlds when calculating Maximum Sustainable
Population (MSP) and that is ridiculous when considering
methane-breathing nightmares from iceball worlds. There is also
no consideration of aquatic races: Humans may survive on a
Hydrographics 1 or 0 world, but Dolphins are going to have a
hard time of it. Conversely, Hydro A worlds should be more
habitable, not less for races like Dolphins and Githaskio.
Referee's discretion will still be necessary: the rules don't reflect
the odd races that can live comfortably in a very wide range of
environments, such as the H'hkaar, or races very sensitive to
minute changes in their environment, such as Ael Yel.
(2) In the Alternate Vision, the Collapse was caused by a
combination of war (Hard Times), sudden rearrangement of
trade routes (two supernovas) and the instaneous failure of
all gravitic technology (??). In our universe, we have assumed
that the sudden jump in fusion plant efficiency at TL 13 under
MegaT technology was due to gravitic fields replacing magnetic
fields in the standard "Tokamac" style fusion plant. Thus the
severe tech drop at TL 13 and above -- all power plants, all
transportation, and many dependent techonologies are
irrepairably dead.
Low tech isolated/interdicted or "native" worlds are assumed to
have their own pre-gravitic technological base, and a more-or-less
self-sustaining economy, and be less affected by the loss of
gravitic technology and interstellar trade. In fact, now that they
are not being held down by the heavy hand of the Imperial
Megacorporations, they may be able to advance in technology
over the 700-odd years of the Collapse.
(3) Use the growth equation of your choice. I assume that more
hospitable worlds will grow faster.
(4) 700 years later, these might as well be new worlds. So you
might as well re-roll government and law level from scratch.
Continued in part 2....
-- Cynthia