Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 28

We continue with planets and their gravitational effect on starship combat. This page starts off with a note that you're almost never going to have more than one planetary body on the map at once, since at the scales being used, nothing's going to get that close. On a game map, the Moon would be twenty feet from Earth. However, since turns are ten minutes long and ships can pull some very steady G's when accelerating, you might have to actually shift the planet template around on the map, just in case the ships in question decide to go elsewhere.

Further, the Sun (ours, not some other star) would be a 371-foot template to include its gravity well, and the innermost circle (representing the Sun itself) would be 70 feet in diameter. So, it's not likely that there will be combat happening around stars. Unless it's a white dwarf star, maybe. Although they still have a massive gravitational field, despite their tiny size. So, no star fights.

Asteroids can be included on the map as well, although they're just obstacles to go around; there's no gravity to worry about, even from the biggest ones. You can put about 36 asteroids in one square foot of game map, scattered around.

The rest of this page gives us stats for some 'standard' worlds (diameters ranging from 1 game inch to 10 inches), as well as the planets of the Solar System for comparison. And holy snot rockets, the gas giants will take up massive space on the game board. Jupiter will encompass over seven feet in diameter, just for the planet alone; its gravity field will extend out to almost twelve feet. So, not a lot of battling around gas giants, either. Although it might be interesting to play on a very large gameboard that can accommodate something Jupiter's size, and then have the fight around one of its moons. Because Jupiter's moons are big enough to have their own gravity; Ganymede is nearly as big as Mars.

Just for fun, I'm going to use official astronomical stats to calculate the numbers for the four main moons of Jupiter. It'll be good practice, too.

We start with Io, which has a D of 3.66 and an M of only 0.015. Well, that's not much, is it? Next is Europa, with a D of 3.12 and an M of 0.008. Tiny little thing, isn't it? Ganymede is the big boy, with a D of 5.26 and an M of 0.025. Finally, there's Callisto, with a D of 4.82 and M of 0.018. By comparison, Mercury is D of 3 and M of 0.05. Apparently, Jupiter's moons are somewhat...light. Maybe that's why they're moons and not planets. Heavy thinking, I know.

Alright, so there's not going to be much gravity, by the looks of things. But, we shall see. I'll start with Ganymede; if its numbers turn out to be negligible, I'm not going to keep going, since the rest are smaller. I will need its K number (density) as well, and that is 0.35, according to the numbers NASA has. I'll accept those as accurate.

So, there are four formulae; the first one is easy enough: R=D/2. Second is G=K(R/4). Third is M = G cubed. Wait...I have a formula to calculate that? Should have looked back a couple of pages first before doing 10 to the power of 24 calculations for mass numbers. Well, it will be interesting to see how close the formula gets to the actual. The fourth formula is the L formula, which is L = 4 * the square root of M/G.

So, entering the numbers for Ganymede in the handy spreadsheet I just put together, we get R = 2.63, G = 0.23, and M = 0.012. Not too far off from the calculation I did. Anyway, it turns out that even at the planet's surface, you're not going to get any significant gravitational effects, since Ganymede's G works out to less than 0.25. Oh, well. It was a fun little exercise.

The tables are a bit odd in one sense; M is supposed to be calculated from the third formula, but it's given in the tables for all the planets. K is needed for the formulas, but it isn't given. That's what threw me off earlier; I didn't remember the K, and the table doesn't give it to remind me. Oops.

So, that's it for tonight; another page done, and about twenty more to go in this book.

Movie Reviews: Recon (2020), Let Him Go (2020)

So, it's my wife's birthday tomorrow (she's 29 again!), and she wanted to watch some movies this weekend. We did a Cineplex free rental yesterday, and tonight we went to see a movie in the theatre together for the first time in a couple of years. Let's just say that the quality of the movies in the era of COVID-19 is not as good as I remember.

The first one we saw, the rental, was Recon, a movie about some soldiers in World War II in Italy. Actually, it's about these soldiers suffering from PTSD while they're still out in the field, and how their sergeant is a cold-blooded murderer and sends these four guys off on what is effectively a suicide mission to reconnoiter potential German forces up on a mountain.

Twenty-five years ago, that would have been a very exciting movie. Last night...not so much. It was boring, which is not normally a word associated with movies about World War II, especially when the movie takes place in the field. Relatively recent movies like Hacksaw Ridge, for example, tell a great story and wrap it in some intense action. Recon is also based on a true story, but it's not a story anyone really wants to hear or watch. As I said, it was boring. The lead spends most of his time being terrified over the death of an innocent. The other three soldiers are constantly bickering and fighting. In the Italian mountains. Where they have been told there are German troops. And snipers. Because the easiest way to avoid a sniper's notice is to keep up a constant chatter and argument while trudging up a forested mountain.

The movie ended in a very pointless way. There was no feeling of heroics, no feeling of accomplishment, just pointless death. And, as a bonus, you know how when you watch a movie based on true events they'll usually put in a few sentences at the end to let you know what happened in real life to the characters portrayed? Well, we got those sentences. In German, no translation. Say what? No thanks; and, to be honest, I didn't care enough about the character to look it up and find out what happened to him.

So, that was last night. Tonight, we watched Let Him Go, a Kevin Costner movie about two grandparents who want to bring their grandson home from his stepfather's evil family. And I use the word 'evil' deliberately; these people are messed up in the head something fierce. The boy's stepfather is abusive to both the boy and his mother, and things don't work out very well for pretty much anybody in the movie. The movie is set in Montana/North Dakota in 1964, so it's understandable that the bad guys didn't yet know the rule of 'don't piss off Kevin Costner'. The survivors drive away at the end, tearful and silent. It was...not a happy ending, to say the least.

I think what bothers me the most about both these movies is the nihilistic viewpoint. It's like the filmmakers in both cases wanted to show suffering and misery, with no real payoff at the end. I mean, sure, Costner kicks some impressive ass in the climactic sequence, but his character always felt like he was on a fool's crusade, as if nothing was going to matter anyway.

My wife liked it, but she has a thing for Kevin Costner, so that's a biased opinion. Again, the movie was boring. There was some suspense, and a very gruesome scene before the climax, but it dragged. Costner was the executive producer on this, so he should have known better and made the movie more interesting than that. At no time did I feel a compelling reason to keep watching. But, it was her birthday movie, so I stayed put. I didn't fall asleep, so that's something.

Movie pickings are slim these days, but man, there has got to be better options than what's being offered. Fortunately, there are. I'm appreciating my collection of older movies more and more as I see what's being shown in the theaters today. For good war movies, you can't go wrong with movies from the 1950s and 1960s. A lot of the people involved in making those movies were actually in the war, so they knew what they were doing. And, as a bonus, they don't curse four times in each sentence, so young ears aren't going to be upset. For parents, that's an important draw.

I wouldn't watch either of these movies ever again; I'd rather not even know they existed. Strong recommendation to avoid them both.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 27

Continuing on the discussion of planetary gravitational effects on starship combat, we learn (at the bottom of page 26) that R, D, L are measured in inches, which translate, as per starship movement, to 1,000 miles per inch. G (gravity) is measured as Earth gravity (one inch per ten-minute turn squared). K and M refer to density and mass, with 1.0 being the standard (Earth-sized).

We then get the calculations for Earth itself as a demonstration. It's R is 4, G and M are 1 (since that's the baseline), but the numbers are explained in the formulae. Fair enough. L, on the other hand, is the complicated one. The drawing at the top of the page is helpful, showing four concentric circles. The inner one is Earth itself, with a radius of 4 inches. The calculations for L give us 8.0 for 0.25 G, 5.7 for .5 G, and 4.6 for .75 G.

So, what does all this mean? Well, the template for Earth ends up being sixteen inches across. This is Earth's gravity well (which means it extends 8,000 miles above the surface). Then you color the inner circle to represent the actual planet. After that, add the relevant information, including the planet's name. On this diagram, we have the following:

Earth (or Terra); E8679725; D = 8, R = 4, G = 1, M = 1, K = 1

So, what's that 'E' thing in the second part? That may the 'interesting data' mentioned in the text, but it's not explained. Then again, considering how character notation happens (46A839, for example), this might be our first indication of how planets are classified in this game. But there's no information on it whatsoever, so all I can do at this point is speculate. The numbers could mean absolutely anything.

 And that's it; two pages of math and geometry, and we're still not ready to actually fight. Next up...who knows?

Winter Wonderland

It has begun...a PEI winter storm hit us today. It's not a huge amount; maybe two or three inches by morning. Still, it's not even December yet, so we're ahead of where we would have expected to be back in Ontario. Of course, I get an alert on my phone today that tomorrow it's going to be 41° F around here, or about 5° C, so the snow shouldn't stick around for too long. But, it was nice to walk the dogs in the blowing snow. And believe me, around here, it blows a lot.

I had a spot of good news today with regard to school. Once again, the university is offering courses online that would normally be in-class only. Thanks to COVID, the distance students can now get some of the good courses. I'm thrilled; I wasn't looking forward to having to take a course in North American Gender History just to qualify for my degree. Or the History of Food. No, I get the good stuff: Medieval Europe, with castles and such. Perfect for a fantasy writer, yes? I can also take courses on the Soviet 'experiment,' or modern British history. Not as awesome as medieval stuff, but still...not bad. I just wish the Crusades course had made it. That would have been...the Holy Grail, so to speak.

Seriously, the online offerings were pretty lame. I'm not exaggerating about the course on the History of Food. Oh, and naturally there are courses on the history of pandemics. Subtlety, thy name is not University Courses. Frankly, I'm surprised they're offering it; having done some studying on pandemics (the Black Plague and the Spanish Flu), the COVID thing doesn't really match up. They might get people to think that this COVID thing is a tad overblown. That would be fun to see.

Our middle son has made the school basketball team, so he's having lots of fun with that. I know, I know...why is he in school? We're homeschooling, right? We hate public education! What's going on?

Well, when you move to an island two thousand kilometers away with no family or friends nearby, it's tough for a kid who is very outgoing and social to make friends out in the country where there aren't any kids around. So, we agreed to let him attend school on condition that he still does his homeschooling work. That way, at least we know he'll get an education. But I doubt it will last; public schools aren't going to be much different no matter where you go.

Anyway, he made the team, so that's a bonus for him. He's not having trouble making friends, which is good. He's the exact opposite of me when it comes to social situations.

Well, it's another brief entry tonight. But, I'm excited about the courses that are available to me, so I'm going to take this opportunity to remind you that I have a couple of fantasy books already published. Check out Arrival, the first book in the Chronicles of Meterra series. It's got lots of medieval stuff in it. And it's available either as an ebook or as a paperback. Go ahead, take a look. You won't be disappointed.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 26

More about movement. Vectors can only be changed in the movement phase, including gravitational effects. Acceleration is limited by the ship's M-drive, which means 2 inches per G of acceleration. So, a standard Free Trader (1G) can't change its vector by more than 2 inches in a single phase. Of course, you can constantly accelerate, which will get your vector speed pretty high in a hurry.

Ah, but there's a catch: your vector acceleration can't exceed the M-drive's size rating. I wonder why that is; it's not like there's anything in space to slow you down, so in theory, you can accelerate to near-relativistic speeds before mass increases to the point where you can't produce enough thrust to move any faster. But it would take a long, long time to get to that point, far longer than a typical space battle, even for the ship with the best engine possible (such as a 200-ton ship with a level-F M-drive, which has a max accel of 6Gs). Now...what is the ship's M-drive size rating? I'm going back to the engine pages, but it's not clear. Unless I'm reading the whole thing wrong, which is certainly possible. Old-school games are good for that.

Let's try that again. The text reads, "The total acceleration in a turn in inches may not exceed the size rating of the M-drive." Okay, now it looks a bit different. In a single movement phase, you can't accelerate than your ship's size rating. So, the 200-ton ship with an F M-drive can accelerate as many as twelve inches in a movement phase, but no more. Okay, that makes more sense. Except that it's just reiterating what the last paragraph of the text was saying. No wonder it was confusing. There's no practical limit to the length of the new vector (which would be the total accumulated acceleration). Got it. Oh, and if the ship's engine is damaged, the accel drops to whatever the new letter allows. So, if that Type-F drive gets knocked down to a Type-C drive, then you're limited to the 3G acceleration, or 6 inches of velocity increase per turn.

Good, so it looks like we've got the basics of starship movement down pat. Now...planets and how they can mess up your ship.

Planets get their own character sheet/data card. It's a lot less complex than the starship data card, but this one has math. Be afraid. Oh, wait...we're sci-fi geeks. Math is our thing.

Holy...okay, so at this point there's no way to actually calculate these formulas, since we haven't got any data on any planets yet. And that doesn't arrive until Book 3. But, to do these formulas, we need to know the planet's diameter and density. The four formulas are R (Radius) = D (diameter)/2; G (gravity?) = K (density?) times R/4, or one-quarter of the planet's radius; M = G cubed, and L = 4 times the square root of M/G. For the fourth one, though, you use multiple values of G to get a series of numbers, stopping when you're used the same 'G' you got in the second formula.

I told you this was going to get complex. After you've got the 'L' formulas done, you get to draw circles with a compass and ruler to show how far the planet's gravity extends in concentric, expanding circles around the planet. Got all that?

The last sentence on the page continues on page 27, so I'll go to that one next time.

He's a Lumberjack and He's Okay...

Well, there was some quality father-son time today out in the bush part of our farm. Our oldest and I went out to cut down a few trees to clear a path so we can walk (or drive) into the bush more than fifteen feet. It was hard work, but it was fun. It's good to spend time together like that, especially since he and I have so little in common to begin with.

The windstorms around here are truly nuts. We haven't had one for a couple of weeks, but they do some serious damage when they show up. One of the trees we chopped into pieces was already torn in half from the wind. The wood was rotted in the middle, sure, but still. This wasn't a skinny tree, it was about eighteen inches in diameter. And the wind tore the entire top right off. I'm just glad our house is still standing.

We ended up taking our four trees today, including the broken one. It was a good day's work, and we had enough space that we could go looking for the maple trees we were told grow in our bush. Sure enough, we found some. This is very exciting news, since it means we're going to have the chance to do something really cool: tap the trees and make our own, homemade maple syrup. I can't wait.

While we were wandering in the bush, we discovered something truly impressive: An entire tree torn out of the ground, roots and all. It was a birch tree, and judging from the fungus that was growing all over the trunk, it probably came down some time in the summer of 2019. But I have to say, that was quite the sight to see. There was a flat disk about ten feet in diameter at the base of the trunk, the birch tree's roots. I really should have taken a picture; it's hard to imagine it without seeing it. This disk was only a foot or so thick, but it held the entire birch tree's trunk five feet in the air.

We also got a good lesson in how nature takes care of dead things like trees. We stepped on some very old, moss-covered logs...and went right through them. They were so soft from rotting that it was like stepping on dirt. That was some seriously old wood.

We are going to plant some trees to replace the ones we took down; these ones were already dead or close enough to it. There's a lot of that in our bush, so we're going to slowly start pruning out the dead wood and planting some new stuff in there. Too bad we don't have a fireplace in the house; we could heat it for twenty or more years from just a fraction of the bush back there.

We're still waiting for winter to hit, though; we had a bit of snow the other night, but nothing that lasted. It's actually been decently warm (for a Maritime November) so far, with only a couple of days where the temperature dipped below zero. I'm sure we'll get a good dose of it soon, but for now, we're just chilling. So to speak.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 25

We're back, with a final paragraph on data cards (aka, starship character sheets). They are actually for any ships involved in the conflict, whether they have jump drives or not. The same format is used, but some things are left blank depending on the ship's capabilities. Well, that makes sense.

So, we jump straight into starship combat movement. We're talking M-drive movement, not J-drive movement, which just takes the ship out of the fight entirely. M-drives are for local travel, and use vectors. So, don't expect to see Star Wars-style combats with snub-nose fighters acting like World War II Spitfires. The vector in this case is simple the direction and distance the ship moves. The direction is listed in degrees (of a circle) instead of with directions such as east or west (which are meaningless in space anyway). The ship's velocity and direction of travel make up the vector, as follows: 6 inches at 90°, or 4½ inches at 277°, which are the two examples in the book. Good luck going to exactly 277° with your ruler, though. For tracking vectors on the playing surface, the book recommends using string, soft wire, or even chalk, depending on the surface.

The vector determines the next turn's travel, assuming it's not changed by the ship's captain...or by any nearby gravitational sources. Yes, we'll get to those effects soon; I'm looking forward to it.

There are two figures shown for how vector movement works. It's a bit complicated, but a bit of basic geometry will help. You basically take the initial vector (let's say 3 inches at 90°), and add the new acceleration to it. If you're just going in the same direction, (vector 2 is 1 inch at 90°), then you just put them together, and the new vector is 4 inches, 90°. That part's easy. It's the next part that is going to get tricky. Basically, starship piloting in this game is going to require you go back to your high school math. You put the initial vector (again, for example, 3 inches at 90°, and put the next vector at the end of it (in the example case, it's 3 inches at 180°). Then you make a triangle with a third line from the starting point of vector 1 to the endpoint of vector 2, and that's the actual vector you travel (and your vector for the next movement turn).

The book stresses that you don't actually need to do math; just mark the vectors on the playing surface and connecting them. Yeah, but we're gaming geeks. Math is our thing.

The thing I like about this system is that, while it's more complex than just going in a new direction, it's far more realistic for space combat. I know, I know...'realism' and 'old school gaming' aren't really compatible. But in this case, it works. You can't just stop on a dime and reverse direction in space; there's nothing to push back against. You want to turn around? Turn your ship around and thrust in the other direction. It's going to take a while, and the guy shooting at your tailpipe is going to have an easier shot, so if playing chicken with his missiles isn't your thing, do something different.

Alright, so that's the initial part of figuring out starship combat. I'm liking where it's going. Let's see what happens next.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 24

Okay, so before our horrendously-expensive starships can start blowing each other up, they need 'data cards.' Or, if you prefer, a character sheet for the ship. This page is all about how to prepare this data card in a standard format to make it easy to write up a ship's statistics. Well, I suppose it's got to be done. Let's see how this works.

First, name the ship. Easy enough. Make a list of the ship's basic sections, one through six, and include their capabilities or values. The Maneuvering drive is first, followed by the Jump drive, then the power plant, then the fuel tank, the cargo hold, and the bridge. It's interesting that they are all to be done in that specific order. And I'm sure it's a total coincidence that there are exactly six sections, which just happen to correspond to the number of sides on a Traveller die.

After that, list the turrets, including their weapons. Remember, a turret can have up to three weapons. The weapons are listed with single letters; B for beam laser, P for pulse laser, M for missile launcher, and...S for Beach Blanket Bingo. Then you add the expertise of the weapon's assigned gunner, as well as how many missiles are in the launch racks.

On the right-hand side of the card, list the computer's information, including whatever programs are carried on board. Note that it doesn't say 'stored,' since the computer can only handle so many programs at a time, so some of them are sitting on memory tapes or compact discs, waiting to be uploaded. Man, computer tech has to be the absolute worst part of Traveller. But then, how would they have known in 1977 that within 40 years we would be light-years ahead in terms of computer tech? Anyway, leave room by the computer programs to mark which ones are actually in use at any particular time. Use a pencil.

Next we get an example card for a 'typical Type S Scout'. Because this was 1977, they used index cards. Now, of course, we use spreadsheets and database programs for this kind of thing. This card is a good example of the issues with computer programs: The computer is a Model-1, which means it can only store four programs at a time and run two. That's rough in a firefight. But the list of programs is more than four; it's ten. So, while you can ignore some of them in a fight, such as the jump programs and the library, that still leaves seven to work with: Target, Return Fire, Launch, Predict-1, Navigation (probably skippable in battle as well), Auto/Evade and Anti-Missile programs. Remember, you can store four of these at once, and run only two. So if you've got the Auto-Evade going, you're going to have to choose between targeting an enemy ship, or launching those counter-missiles at the incoming firepower. And that's if you've got them both programmed at the time.

Alright, so now we have our ship's character record sheet. Hopefully we'll see what we do with this next time.

Here Comes Winter...

We're supposed to get snow tonight. Only a couple of inches, but still. It's mid-November, which back in southwestern Ontario means snow is still a month away, if not more. It's not snowing yet, as I type this, but the night is still young. Well, it hasn't reached middle age yet, at least.

I've probably mentioned this before, but it is absolutely beautiful out here. At night, with a clear sky, you wouldn't believe how many stars you can see. When I would walk the dogs at night in Wallaceburg, I would see some of the stars; the Big Dipper, Polaris, Cassiopeia, Orion (depending on the season). Easy to spot, easy to recognize. But out here? The Dipper is there, easy enough to see, but Cassiopeia and Orion are tougher to spot; there are a lot more stars visible in their vicinity, the ones that aren't bright enough to be seen when there are streetlights nearby. Well, there aren't any street lights around here, so not only do I see a crap-ton more stars, I can also see the ribbon of the Milky Way high above. It's an amazing and beautiful sight. I even saw a shooting star tonight.

Our middle son is trying out for basketball; he's got a tough road ahead, since it's a school of Grades 7-9, and he's in seventh. But if he wants it bad enough, he'll get it. He's got quite a bit of athletic talent, so I think he'll do well. I'd still rather have him at home, but he needs friends. He's not weird, like his dad.

Not a long entry tonight; I've got an exam tomorrow to prepare for. And writing, of course. Always writing. I might not write another Anne of Green Gables, but I'm going to do my part to increase the available literature out there.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 23

Ah, here we go...the turn sequence. Let us see how starship combat works in Traveller.

First of all, the 'intruder' goes first. He moves his ship(s), according to the movement and gravity rules. Ah, so gravity can become an issue in starship fighting. I like that. While he's moving his ships, any missiles and sand previously fired move as well. So, missiles take time to reach their targets. So does...sand? This again? How fast does this sand move, anyway? I mean, even just one hex on the board is a thousand miles in ten minutes. Fast math: that works out to 1.67 miles PER SECOND. That is some insanely fast sand. That's faster than the escape velocity on the moon (1.47 miles/second). You could shoot this sand from the surface of the moon and hit something IN ORBIT. That's insane!

Okay, enough with the sand. Next, the 'intruder' gets to shoot lasers. But not missiles; those come later. After that, though, the 'native' gets to shoot back, if he has a 'return fire' program running. But he can only return fire against ships that shot at him. So, no retaliating against that transport behind the attacking ships; wait for your own turn to do that. Oh, you can also do anti-missile firing if there are any of them on their way to kill you, too.

After all the lasers have been fired, it's time for the ordnance. Missiles (and sand) can be launched at enemy targets or...on specific missions? How exactly does a missile have a specific mission, other than 'blow up when you run into that solid moving object'? Talk about Mission Impossible; this missile will self-destruct in ten seconds. Oh, lifeboats and other ship's vehicles can launch at this phase. Well, at least they can have specific missions. And previously-fired ordinance that has contacted enemy ships finally get to explode. But not until after the lasers go first. You can even shoot anti-missile missiles (counter-missiles?) in this phase...if you've got the right computer program running.

Finally, the intruder gets to reprogram his computer for something else. Put in a new magnetic tape, I suppose. Yeah, I'm old; I remember when computers used taped cassettes to load programs. It's a joke, okay? Old farts like me will get it.

After the intruder is done swapping out any computer programs, the native side gets to do the same things: Move, laser fire, intruder counter-laser fire, ordnance launch, and reprogram. Nothing unusual or special here.  The interesting part to me, though, is the notion that the computer can only handle a few tasks at a time. Looking back, a lot of ship's computers are only going to be able to run a few programs; the maximum is 20 on a level-7 computer. That's not that many; the laptop I'm typing on right now is running about fifty different programs, most of them in the background. Five open windows. Boy, did computer technology ever outpace sci-fi role-playing games.

Finally, after both sides have moved and fired (and reprogrammed), everything else moves. Planets, and worlds. Um, what's the difference between a planet and a world? I do like that they actually do move; planets have some serious velocity. Earth moves at just under 30 km/second, or almost 19 miles a second. So the sand probably won't catch up to it. I'm just saying. Anyway, at that speed, in ten minutes Earth would move eleven hexes. And it already takes up a huge number of hexes anyway. So, that's going to make for an interesting addition to space combat near a planet. Remember, gravity affects ships in these rules. I'm not sure how yet, but I'm pretty sure we'll find out soon enough.

Well, that was an informative page. Let's see what happens when we start breaking down these phases on the next page.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 22

 And...we're back! We learned how to spend ungodly amounts of money to build these ships...now let's learn how to blow them up! That's right, it's everyone's favorite sci-fi topic...starship combat!

Pardon me while I crank up some appropriate music on YouTube...

So, the rules we are about to be given cover pretty much any space combat situation, whether it's a simple merchant ship trying to escape pirates, or squadrons of imperial starships clashing. Cool. Let's see what we've got.

First, the basics. Time is measured in ten-minute increments. Combat is portrayed on a hexagonal surface, with one hex equaling 1,000 miles. So, planets are probably going to take up lots of space on the board. Watch where you're flying. Thrust is measured using the ship's maneuverability drive, and velocity changes at a rate of 2 inches per G of accel. So, this is going to be pretty abstract, which makes sense; speed of play is more important than ultra-realistic accuracy. Cinematic combat is the key; nobody complained about TIE Fighters exploding in space, right?

So, we get the first part of the Turn Sequence here. Generally, a space battle will have only two sides. Of course, if you want to make it a three-way or even four-way fight, go right ahead; I'm sure the Turn Sequence will be flexible enough. If not...wing it! That's what old-school games are all about, anyway!

The book is going to use the terms 'intruder' and 'native' for the combatants. That seems...rather politically correct, frankly. 'Attacker' and 'defender' would work fine, too. It's a weird choice of terms. Anyway, the turn sequence is going to be rather rigid, apparently. There are separate phases for firing lasers and for firing missiles. Interesting. I wonder what we'll see next.

Well, the music stopped, which is fine, since the page is done as well. Time to move on to the next page.

Time Marches On

Well, that week went by fast...I probably need to be a little more punctual in doing these blog posts.

So, we're still waiting for winter to arrive. I'm looking forward to the kids' reactions when they realize just how much snow we can expect out here. I remember from when I was kid how much snow shows up in the Maritimes, but for them, it's going to be a whole new experience.

I mean, we weren't exactly living in Texas or Florida before; the kids know what snow is, they saw some every year. But southwestern Ontario doesn't get all that much snow, especially compared to out here. Southwestern Ontario gets the ironic nickname of 'Canada's Banana Belt,' but it really does have a much milder climate than here. Major snowstorms were infrequent at best. When they did hit, they were nasty. But they were rare.

I'm going to videotape their reactions when they wake up that morning.

Our oldest isn't a kid anymore; he's eighteen now. That was a big week for him. Now he's officially old enough to do the job he's been doing since we moved here. Congratulations, Ashton!

One of the fun things about moving into an old house is the exploring. My wife was ready to head out to Summerside to buy some Christmas lights and decorations for the house when Ashton went up to the attic, which we haven't been in yet. It's not hard to find, and there are stairs leading up to it; we just never took the time. Well, he saved Mom a trip; we found a ton of Christmas decorations and other stuff up there. Including a very old, very fat Oxford Dictionary. This sucker is massive. It was published in 1957, and it's the 'Shorter Oxford Dictionary'. It's over 2500 pages long. The front cover is taped on. Fortunately, it was in a plastic bag, so it didn't get moldy or ruined in the attic after however long it was up there. That is a sweet treasure to find.

It's a short entry tonight, but at least there is one. I'm avoiding the more controversial topics of the day (the U.S. election, the continuing saga of COVID) because I'd rather talk about more interesting things, like writing. It's almost time for another Cameron Vail mystery to appear. I should be done soon; I haven't been able to work on it as much as I wanted to due to school assignments and a new job, but it's coming along. The plot's all there; it's just a matter of getting it done. I expect it will be available on Amazon by the end of the month. Hopefully sooner.

In the meantime, if you'd like to refresh your memory on who Cameron Vail is, check out his first adventure, Final Exam, available on Amazon right now.

Blowin' in the Wind

One of the many things I don't remember about PEI is the wind. Seriously, these winds are crazy. We've had more high-speed windy days in five weeks than I remember in five years back in Ontario. I'm talking winds that are exceeding the posted speed limits. And we live on a highway. Tomorrow we have a father-son project to work on: Putting the siding back on the garage after the weekend winds blew it off to the ground. Not to mention cleaning up the latest bunch of branches torn off the trees in the front yard.

I mean, I realize that we're very close to open water; six kilometers or so to the east, maybe fifteen to the west. And the Gulf of St. Lawrence is very wide open. But the winds aren't coming from the Gulf; they're coming from the west, from the Northumberland Strait. Which means they're coming off of New Brunswick. Where the heck does New Brunswick get that kind of wind from? It's hilly, even approaching mountainous in parts. How are we getting gale-force winds so often?

I went out to the closer garage the other day. Thanks to the wind shear, I aimed for the second garage and got to the one I wanted to go to. Hey, it works for pilots.

We still haven't gotten snow, although I hear Charlottetown's already had a couple of inches, and that's only an hour away from here. But it's coming. I'm looking forward to it, for some bizarre reason. My whole intent in moving in the first place was to get away from the damn snow. Instead, I brought my family to a winter wonderland. I think I'm most looking forward to the boys' reactions to the anticipated levels of snow. Back in southwestern Ontario, we could expect a couple of feet of snow in total in a heavy year. Here, we're expecting over nine feet.

It's too bad we don't have a fireplace in the house; we certainly have access to enough wood to heat the house for the rest of my life. Maybe we'll install one at some point. There's something about the idea of curling up on the couch in front of the fireplace on a winter's day. It's...primeval, in a way.

Well, I'm going to batten down the hatches in case we get another windstorm tonight. Especially if it's accompanied by those white flakes. Keep reading, and don't forget to look me up on Amazon.

Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Starships, page 21

Well, so much for combat. First, we get a checklist on how to design a starship. Basically, it just reiterates everything in point form from the starship design section. So, to recap:

First, a hull, by size.

Second, the Engineering Section, including drives and power plant.

Third, the Bridge, including the computer and fire control equipment.

Fourth, Life support. That's a pretty important one. But the low-passage berths are in this section. And they suck.

Fifth, Fuel tank.

Sixth, Weapons. Hardpoints, turrets, and armaments.

Seventh, any ship's boats.

Eighth, streamlining, if you want it.

Ninth, Cargo capacity; whatever you haven't used yet.

Tenth, the naval architect's fee. He gets 1% of the total cost of the ship. Damn; that's a truly spectacular amount of money for a good-sized ship. Building a scout ship earns you 320,000 credits. For the bigger ships, the fee is in the millions. Screw adventuring; my next character is going to be a starship designer.

Finally, the construction time, which is based on the ship's hull size. The dinky scout ships take ten months to build; at a thousand tons, you're looking at two and a half years. So, plan ahead.

Well, that was an easy page. Moving along, maybe we'll get starship combat next.

So Much to Do...

Seriously, this island is tiny. I mean, compared to Ontario? Or Quebec? Or even Michigan. It's minute. It's small. It's...full of stuff to do. Even now, in COVID-time, there's lots to do, if you know where to go.

We went to Slemon Park near Summerside yesterday; there's a little outdoor aircraft museum honoring the old military base. There are three planes parked there: A Voodoo, an Argus, and a Tracker. The Voodoo was the RCAF's interceptor; it's the plane I remember my father flying when he was in the Air Force. The Argus was an anti-submarine patrol plane, carrying 15 crew and enough fuel to fly for a thousand miles and stay on station for eight hours before returning. That's a lot of diesel. The Tracker was a mini-Argus, basically, with only four crew that flew off aircraft carriers. Here's a Voodoo; I thought it was the coolest plane in existence when I was a kid.

Well, we spoke with Dad while we were there, and it turns out that my father actually flew in the Voodoo and the Argus that are parked here in Summerside. Those actual planes! He recognized their ID numbers on the fuselage; that's quite the pile of awesome right there. My son was giddy about it while he was talking with Grandpa, asking him all sorts of questions.

We also went to Jacques Cartier Provincial Park, which it turns out is a campground. It's closed for the season (and for COVID, most likely), but we went in anyway. We had to walk, since the driveway was chained off. But it was worth it. We stood where Cartier stood 486 years ago when he first set foot on the island, the first European to ever do so. I mean, that's historical. Literally. There's a statue commemorating the landing; here's Tanner standing beside it.

I bought a map at a bookstore in Charlottetown last weekend; we're highlighting the places we visit while we're here. And there are a LOT of places to visit. Seriously, there's enough to do here that we could spend the rest of our lives on this island and not run out of things to do and places to visit. It's crazy. But, it's going to be awesome.

There's one other thing to mention about our stop at the park: This picture.

If you look closely, you'll see that this is a man-made structure. Or at least, what's left of one. It's not very big; as you can see in the first one, it's probably not more than eight feet in length, and three or four feet wide. I have no clue what it might have been, but I'm sure there's a fascinating story there. And if there isn't, I'll make one up.