Twilight of the Surreal

So I wrote myself into a corner. I was seeking better ways to transport hydrogen and looked into water and methane. They didn't need cryo tech, but weren't any great shakes at shipping the stuff. Now water is quite useful: for drinking, bathing, maintaining humidity. But we need something more efficient for our fuel needs. My friend Ray McVay at Blue Max Studios is of the opinion space opera vessels have fuel as dense as dwarf star matter. He likes figuring out stuff like that.  It makes you look at those TIE fighters and X-Wings in a different light. No wonder they're so 'splodey. However I have two forms of unobtainium that may be obtainium one day. I wrote about one in my Zaonia posts under the brand name Metasol. The plucky Zaonians were TL5-6. they had access to an old junked ship and discovered they could use its reactor to compress hydrogen into its metallic state. Now this mH2 has some very interesting properties.  For one thing, if you achieve the pressures

 So last post I... err built firearms for Classic Traveller -reinventing the wheel so to speak.  There's more... never fear.  Generally speaking, bullets do 3D of damage and have no penetration modifier by themselves. This is modified by the frame of the weapon. Medium longarms are also called assault rifles. Heavy longarms  are battle rifles (or shotguns). A shot shell modifies the range and penetration modifiers as follows: C S M L V.L. Shot Shell Mods 0 0 +3 -5 No Shot shells have Penetration -1 and do one additional die of damage. A shotgun would look like this Large Shotgun: 0/0/+3/-5/No/4D/Slug/Shot Shells, Pen -1 C S M L V.L. Shot Shell Mods 0 0 +3 -5 No Heavy Longarm -4 +1 0 -1 -3 Large Shotgun -4 +1 +3 -6 No Light Shotgun: -4/+1/+1/-9/Non//3D/Slug/Shot Shells Pen -1 Not everyone wants to lug around a big ole shotgun. Some people are strength 3

 The great and sadly late Mr. Loren Wiseman said it in Journal of the Traveller' Aide Society (Vol. 1 Issue 2 page 3) "We don't have room to describe everything. With a little imagination, a little research, and a lot of thought, almost anything can be made compatible with Traveller." Mr Wiseman gave a delightful example of working out a laser pistol from laser carbine stats. I say 'huzzah' to this. Go read it. I'll wait. Here's what I have. I took the range modifiers for the various examples of ironmongery and their range modifiers. You may want to check out my previous post ( Link ).  Range Matrix Weapon Frame C ≤1m S 1-5m M 5-50m L 50-150m V.L. 150 -1000m Notes Snub Nose Pistol +2 +1 -6 No No -1D &  Pen -2 Body pistol Light Pistol +1 +2 -5 No No Pen -1 or 2D Medium Pistol +1 +2 -4 -6 No Auto Pistol Large Pistol +1 +2 -3 -5 No Revolver Sweeper* -4 +2 +1 -4 -6 SMG Light Longarm* -4 +1 -2 -4 -5 Carbine Medium Longarm -4 +1 -1 -3 -4 Pen+1 Rifle Heav

 It's made of the most and third most common elements in the Universe.  It is essential for life-as-we-know-it (TM).  It can be a propellant, radiation shielding or heat sink.  Water! The original beverage of choice. I'm going a little more hard science on this than usual (hah!) which means I looked up some numbers on the web and scanned the Atomic rockets site. Many people bitch  comment about Traveller ships using hydrogen for fuel. Hydrogen weighs 70 kilos per cubic meter or one ton per 13.5 cubic meters. It's a form of measurement. A ship displacing 100 tonnes (volume) will displace 100 tons (mass) of liquid hydrogen. We will specify displacement (volume) with dtonsGo ahead, dip your Scout ship in an ocean of liquid hydrogen. I will wait. Anyway some people feel schlepping your H around as liquid H in inefficient. Why not use water instead and electrolyze it as you need hydrogen? Seems legit. A couple problems though. Water is heavy compared to liquid H. A Scout ship

 I love a good villain. The best villains are the ones with some admirable or at least likable traits. It's a lesson that American writers have seemed to forget, a character can be an absolute ass at times and still be interesting. My favorite example (though no villain) is Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife from the old Andy Griffith Show. Don Knotts created a pompous little windbag of a character and yet, you wanted him to make good. His faults and flaws stemmed from trying too hard, and not being as important or capable as he thought. Also he did come through for the sheriff occasionally. Contrast with Maj. Frank Burns on M.A.S.H. A terrible human being, a sub par doctor, a straw man set up for the main characters to best every time. No wonder Larry Linville left the show after a couple years. Not a good villain.  There is a whole group of villains, by the way, who are well rounded human beings (though they still ave rough edges), DC comics' Secret Six. They include: Deadshot, who c