BSE Digest v195 #172 From: kerry@io.com (Kerry Harrison) Date: Mon, 08 May 1995 00:00:00 +0000 BSE Digest Sunday, 7 May 1995 Volume 195 : Number 172 Welcome to the BSE Digest, the place to discuss all the myriad aspects of life Beyond the Stellar Empire with other denizens of the Greater Periphery. In this issue: + BSE: Cargo Carrier w/Cloaking Device Bids Update 2 + Re: BSE: A present for Loud P... + BSE: Wanted: Periphery Director + Re: BSE: Research Rules + Re: BSE: Nexus + Re: BSE: Promotion Qualifications + BSE: Ranks & Promotions + BSE: New rules in ASCII? + Re: BSE: New rules in ASCII? + BSE: Fissionables at Clove + BSE: Wanted: Periphery Director + BSE: Battle at Hammerfest + Re: BSE: Fleet turns + BSE: Promotions + Re: BSE: Wanted: Periphery Director + BSE: Cargo Carrer Bids Update 3 + Re: BSE: Questions about the ... + BSE: Back from Leave.... See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the bse-list or bse-digest mailing lists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 21:46:10 -0500 (CDT) Subject: BSE: Cargo Carrier w/Cloaking Device Bids Update 2 Bidder 1 ======== 2000 Jacium 5000 Strion 5000 Processed Thorlium Bidder 2 ======== 2,000,000 Stellars right of first refusal on Class-7 Colony Bidder 3 ======== 2,000,000 Stellars 1 Class-3 Colony 10,000 Other Intoxicants Bidder 4 ======== 300,000 Stellars Bidder 5 ======== 1,500,000 Stellars 200 Collidium 1000 Fibrillium 100 Pulsar Tanks 10 Teleporters Bidder 6 ======== 1,000,000 Stellars Bidder 7 ======== 240,000 MU's of manufactured goods Bidder 8 ======== 2 Baseships (triple coated, armed with Photon Guns & Cyberminds) Bidder 9 ======== 250,000 Stellars 10,000 Processed Thorlium 5,000 Jacium 5,000 Strion Bidder 10 ========= 4 Devastators 1500 Pulsar Tanks 50 Teleporters 500 Jacium Class-5 Colony Bidder 11 ========= 16 weeks of license of pulsar tank tech 10 Myrships info on accessing the new region ------------------------------ From: HarryFlash@aol.com Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 22:51:26 -0400 Subject: Re: BSE: A present for Loud P... Dear Alistair Haldane, Tsk-tsk, such an ill-tempered outburst! Still, it is what one expects from the SMS these days. You are in a foul mood, girlie-boy. Is your girdle too tight? Or was your quiche cold? Regards, Harry ------------------------------ From: Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 23:23:14 -0500 (CDT) Subject: BSE: Wanted: Periphery Director Wanted - responible person to take over as Periphery Director (PD) of the Kazereckii (KZK). Interested canidates should address a private message to kerry@io.com outlining their qualifications for the position and why they would be a good choice. Kerry ------------------------------ From: Cojran Michael <cojran@ucsub.Colorado.EDU> Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 22:38:48 -0600 (MDT) Subject: Re: BSE: Research Rules Quick solution: make all types of reasearch points transferrable items, thus creating a HUGE market for each type of research point. As for finding ships for hauling ore, if the price is right, I'll haul anything! Cargomasters go a long way if you have the cash to hire them! (contact your local AFT representative) ------------------------------ From: Alan Hatcher <ZU02380@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU> Date: Sat, 06 May 95 05:02:59 CDT Subject: Re: BSE: Nexus On Thu, 4 May 1995 14:48:25 -0400 <PROTHORAX@aol.com> said: >(ooc) are you talking about lord nexus or the system nexus? later david The new area mentioned in the rules called "Nexus." Alan ------------------------------ From: Alan Hatcher <ZU02380@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU> Date: Sat, 06 May 95 05:05:25 CDT Subject: Re: BSE: Promotion Qualifications On Thu, 4 May 1995 13:30:10 -0700 Ron Kleinman said: > >>> > > Battle? Exploration? What about TRADE as the major determinate in >deciding when promotions are due? The skill of being ready to pounce >on the latest raw material shortages on Hypso or locate an out-of the-way >source for a commodity needed in a score of major markets is obviously >one that must be carefully honed by the small group of lifeforms which >are blessed with native talents in this area. < Some Text Deleted > >factor for haulage contracts done for the affiliation). Then you'd get >a "master trader" (who might receive bonuses in terms of decreased TU time >for such things as cargo transfers and jumps (can calculate the start/end >coordinates faster). You have in fact sir described the Association of Free Traders. Cmdr. Nathan Jikar President, Jikar Industries An AFT Affiliated Corporation ------------------------------ From: Shannon Rundquist <75477.1627@compuserve.com> Date: 06 May 95 10:28:07 EDT Subject: BSE: Ranks & Promotions Hey all - who's to say that the ranks can not be properly increased by responsible leaders? Nothing says that the ranks can only be what the rules have them as. For the Myr, we set up a series of ranks for explorers which would fit us. Then, using my experience in this area, I created a set of requirements for each rank to be reached. The requirements are not rigid, but are guidelines to assist new players with their introduction into the game and the game mechanics. Currently, we have only set up this structure for the explorer branch, but we will soon be creating ranks for other branches also. For the ranks put in by RTG, I just promote whenever ready because that is artificial and any restrictions based on that rank are also artificial, therefore I want us to be able gain any imposed advantages where possible. I am opposed to any formula created by RTG which says when and when not that Myr Starcaptains may gain a rank. The block on promotions built in is one reason why we came up with our own ranks. The other (admittedly main) reason is for roleplaying reasons. Since these ranks are not restricted in increase by RTG, another restriction was needed. I choose to create specific types of tasks to be accomplished for the ranks. Tasks difficulty ranges from simply outfitting the ship properly to thoroughly studying a sentient race to more difficult (and classified) tasks. If you are really going to roleplay, then it becomes YOUR responsibility to decide on who truely has earned a promotion, and who has not. RTG number crunching forces constraints not needed or wanted. Shannon R. ------------------------------ From: Kevin Curnutt <76114.3576@compuserve.com> Date: 06 May 95 15:06:08 EDT Subject: BSE: New rules in ASCII? Kerry, Would you do me a favor and upload the ASCII version of the rules to CompuServe? I can't read the rules as they are now, so I'd really appreciate it. Kevin ------------------------------ From: ccharnle@m-net148.arbornet.org (Chip Charnley) Date: Sat, 6 May 95 15:39 WET DST Subject: Re: BSE: New rules in ASCII? Kevin, Can't you read the Adobe Acrobat version of the rules? They are up there as RULESV50.BSE[71625,1015] and the required reader software for DOS, MACOS, and WINDOWS are in LIB 1 on CIS. Just browse on the keyword acrobat and you will see all three files. Just download the one you need. Chip >Kerry, > > Would you do me a favor and upload the ASCII version of the rules to >CompuServe? I can't read the rules as they are now, so I'd really >appreciate it. > >Kevin > > > > > ------------------------------ From: RFN2@aol.com Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 18:36:05 -0400 Subject: BSE: Fissionables at Clove To all: FET Clove needs a supply of several thousand Fizz in order to complete it's Ship Specialization complex without delay. Any interested parties should contact me privately to arrange for payment/exchanges. Thanks - Lord O'Hare ------------------------------ From: LUDENDORF@delphi.com Date: Sat, 06 May 1995 18:47:13 -0400 (EDT) Subject: BSE: Wanted: Periphery Director Kerry, Jumping affiliationas again already? Come one, ya gotta hold on as KZK for a few more months. I had bet some money (real world) in a "How Long..." pool on 6 months. Steve ------------------------------ From: LUDENDORF@delphi.com Date: Sat, 06 May 1995 18:47:49 -0400 (EDT) Subject: BSE: Battle at Hammerfest <OOC: soory about the delay in posting this, I only just recieved the battle report> United Press Intergalactic - News Release Hammerfest, Northcape system. wk: 17-195 With the impending arrival of the AFT boarding party transports, the demon Baseship, IND Headhunter (2431), crippled, and trapped in orbit, elected to commit suicide. Specifically targeting the ISP Kronprinz (1662), it unleashed a volley of Photon Gun fire at the Dreadnought, with what was left of it's weapons from it's lost battle with the AFT. 5600 MU of damage slammed into the Kronprinz's Main section, most of which was deflected by the ISP special Thorlium alloy armor. The Allied fleet, including an SSL Battleship (SSL Starfox), commanded by a former pirate, Lt. Nils Jensen, who had been captured by the SSL in the battle of Upreach. Apparantly, rather than rot in prison, Lt Jensen decided to betray his RIP family, "The House of Norge", and join the SSL. The IND Headhunter recieved damage in the following amounts: COM - 14366 mu MAIN - 40315 mu + 117 Life ENG - 24610 mu The Baseship exploded immediately. It is unsure which caused the ship to explode. Even Time-lapse playback of the footage shows the Baseship splitting in half as it's Main section is destroyed, simultaneously as the ISP Prinz Luitpold & ISP Black Dawn blast what was left of the engine section off of the BS. ISP analysts awarded the kill to the SSL Starfox, lacking any clear indicator of how the ship died. The SSL Starfox was the last ship to fire into the BS's crumbling Main section. Joe Bob Briggs UPI News. - --------------------- <transmission feed from Planetside> This is P.Arnet reporting live from Hammerfest. This morning Allied operations held a press briefing to report that 3rd Armor Division has begun the slow move towards IND Undersea Base. Led by Celtian Underground Movement guides, This division is expected to reach the shore of the central sea sometime next month, where it will link up with the 49th Armor Division, which is anticipated to be at full strength, and the 9th Inf Reg. as well, and launch the main assault to free the Celtians. Allied recon units, probing the countryside, have been greeted with sea flowers, and gifts of food from the Celtian refugees who escaped Undersea Base and were in hiding. In this satellite feed, we see an FET recon battallion, which is probing the western coast of the continent (ISP refused to give more specific locations), being greeted by grateful Celtian refugees <video feed here>. The Celtian leadership in exile put out a request to all Celtians, to control their gratitude, till the operation is over, and Hammerfest is free once more, as such displays only hamper the military operations of the Allied powers. This has been P. Arnet, reporting live from the Press Train, at Camp L.D. Clay, on Hammerfest. ------------------------------ From: StephMarte@aol.com Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 20:36:40 -0400 Subject: Re: BSE: Fleet turns John, I believe fleet turns are ancient history. Steve ------------------------------ From: Richard William Chiang <richc@uclink2.berkeley.edu> Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 18:14:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: BSE: Promotions Seems to me that promotions are just an extrapolation of rank whether it be military, merchant, or exploration. Personally, I think a starcaptain in BSE is really a jack of all trades who should be prepared to trade, beg, steal whatever it takes to improve his lot in life and therefore becomes a trader, military man, etc. as needed. The real question is how you can make promotions meaningful. Currently, it is in the interests of everyone, affliation and starcaptain, to get promotions as fast as possible even when they are doing nothing for the affliation. Starcaptain ranks seem to mean more under the new system, but we will see. My suggestion is the following: Make people pay for new ranks. If the affliation wants to buy ranks for its military then it may do so. Aside from the historical precedent in RL, it makes a lot of game mechanics sense. Right now, the affliation has nothing to lose to promote everyone. This way the affliation can pay for it or the player can pay for it himself. Either way, the stellars at least represent something that had to be done. I ruled out using all this experience based promotion system as it will be tough for the GM's to monitor this. Also, there should be very little difference between a pay for promotiuon or experience based system. A military captain will just have to make sure to get paid enough or demanded his affliation pay for his promotion or even better get some of the loot. An explorer finds things and facts and can sell them to the affliation or others as he chooses. The result is that the stellar becomes the common currency to negoitiate for services which was its original purpose. One further refinement: Maybe you can have affliations pay for promotions at half rate and star captains pay for promotions at full rate. The one-half extra from starcaptains directly purchasing the promotion would go into the affliation accounts. This way the affliation would have a source of revenue from which to reward its captains that do mainly non-income generating affliation activities. Also, more independent starcaptains would not be prevented from promotions because of some coordinator conflicts. Hope that helps, Richard ps. then we will just need some way to generate some stellars. Where is that stockmarket? Whitehole hauling anyone? ------------------------------ From: Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 20:59:01 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Re: BSE: Wanted: Periphery Director On Sat, 6 May 1995 LUDENDORF@delphi.com wrote: > Jumping affiliationas again already? Come one, ya gotta hold on as KZK > for a few more months. I had bet some money (real world) in a "How Long..." > pool on 6 months. No one said anything about jumping affiliations. Kerry ------------------------------ From: Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 00:07:30 -0500 (CDT) Subject: BSE: Cargo Carrer Bids Update 3 Bidder 1 ======== 2000 Jacium 5000 Strion 5000 Processed Thorlium Bidder 2 ======== 2,000,000 Stellars 4,000 Strion Class-2 Colony right of first refusal on Class-7 Colony system maps of the Draconian Region GPI info for most of the worlds in the Draconian Region Bidder 3 ======== 2,250,000 Stellars Class-3 Colony 10,000 Other Intoxicants 10,000 Processed Thorlium 5,000 Jacium 5,000 Strion 500,000 manufactured goods Bidder 4 ======== 300,000 Stellars Bidder 5 ======== 1,500,000 Stellars 200 Collidium 1000 Fibrillium 100 Pulsar Tanks 10 Teleporters Bidder 6 ======== 1,000,000 Stellars Bidder 7 ======== 480,000 manufactured goods Bidder 8 ======== 2 Baseships (triple coated, armed with Photon Guns & Cyberminds) Bidder 9 ======== 4 Devastators 1500 Pulsar Tanks 50 Teleporters 500 Jacium Class-5 Colony Bidder 10 ========= 16 weeks of license of pulsar tank tech 10 Myrships info on accessing the new region Bidder 11 ========= 500,000 Stellars 100 Ionic Acid 100 Hermadite 1 Artifact ------------------------------ From: chazz@cais.cais.com (Charles Meredith) Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 16:31:58 -0400 Subject: Re: BSE: Questions about the ... >Thad, > >About promotions: The 4 month minimum seems arbitrary. If the areas in the >game represent a colonial reach, there should be a merit system. Your minimum >takes the merit system (to a large degree) out of the hands of coordinators. >How about a 6 month minimum with automatic subtractions for certain actions. >In other words, winning space battle might give you 12 months "credit" right >there. Finding a unique artifact might do something similar. Lots of common >acts would be less rewarding (but cumulative): finding a deposit, assisting >in a blockade, whatever. I would also put forth that comming out victorious in a roughly even match (between 2:1 and 1:2 CFs)againast a historical enemy should gain instant promotion -- public hero stuff and all that. ------------------------------ From: chazz@cais.cais.com (Charles Meredith) Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 16:32:01 -0400 Subject: BSE: Back from Leave.... While on leave, I reviewed the new manual and have the following comments: 1) On the cover page, you offer 'special thanks to the many players who have contributed....' While this is a CYA line, you can give your thanks a truer meaning by listing the major contributors. 2) On the cover page, PLEASE revise the 'All rights reserved' message. Of course you should reserve all rights; but it would seem to me that you would want ANY current BSE player to have full right to copy and distribute the manual to current and prospective players. 3) A table of contents would add to the manual. 4) The 'Quick History' is provided; but the detailed history should also be provided -- probably in an appendix. This would be a two-fold project. First the collection of what has gone before; then a system of collecting and correlating inputs from the PDs (or designated rep) on an annual basis. 5) I would suggest removing the restriction that every player join BSE as a member of an AFF. My reasoning for this is that these are suppost to be strong ties; but the player must choose prior to starting play. What I suggest, open up a new rank -- Cadet. New players that don't choose an AFF right away are designated as Cadets and have the ships designated as either NEW or IND. Upon joining an AFF, they become Ensigns in the service of the new AFF. I would also keep the date joined as the marker for promotion to LT -- kind of like a delayed entry program. 6) In Starships/Repairing Dammage, please examine the purpose behind not allowing one ship/colony to assist in repairing another and why CREW and REPAIRBOTS are not permitted to repair dammaged hulls. 7) In Starships/Ship Maintenance, first please assure me that the stellars paid by ships does go to the colony; and allow the colonies to set the prices for ship maintenance. To insure that something gets charged, have the maintenance cost the colony something. I'd suggest *1/hull, *1 per LFS, and *1000 for rec-deck (Which would allow it to remain on board). This would also require the order field to change to accomidate the possiblility that they would not want all of them maintained. Due to the Shipyard/Crew union regulations, anything that requires maintenance but does not receive it during overhaul, gets removed. (possible colony option to do the maintenance and claim the items.) You may also wish to include a FOOD requirement to "Recharge" the LFS. 8) In Starships/Ship Movement, I suggest you change the cost of landing and taking-off to 10 * (Gravity/Gravity Rating) * BS [which reduces down to 2 * Gravity * BS * BS.] as this more accurately reflects the required time to leave the gravity well. Example follows: Gr BS-> .5 1 1.5 2 .5 .25 1 2.25 4 1 .5 2 4.5 8 1.5 .75 3 6.75 12 2 1 4 9 16 2.5 1.25 5 11.25 20 3 1.5 6 13.5 XXX 9) In Starships/Towing Ships, if possible, you should have a ship-code (a-la startrek). Amongst other nasty possiblilties, it should be the basis for allowing or disallowing towing along with condition of derilict. This way, combined operations could be performed with greater ease. 10) In Starships/Towing Ships, please make mention of us being capable or not of using multiple ships to tow a single item. 11) In Starships/Stargates, please make the ICM to Hulls more consistent. I understand you want to make the Stargates immobile; but 675 ICMs only come to 27000 MU and just the 1400 Main Hulls come to 84000 MU. In addition, I suggest that you levy all of the restrictions of a starship except maintenance (in which 1 REPAIRBOT/Hull requirement can be substituted) and run them as ships that thrust engines cannot work on (unless you intended to allow them to move at BS 5.6 -- hope, hope) 12) In Starships/Scanning(5th para), "...number of SENSORS you have placed on scan." seems to be misworded. It could be "...placed on board." or a prelude to a new command structure that allocates SENSORS. 13) In Starships/Scanning, if possible, include the freebee colony scan (if detailed scans are still remaining) from orbit (using up 8-10 detailed scans each). 14) In Starships/Scanning, no mention is made of scanning GPs. In several places mention of scanning colonies and ships; but none of GPs. 15) In Starships/Korondite, I'm slightly confused about the Korondite cloaking of ships. The implication is that you get 1 TU of cloaking PER .5MU of Korondite/hull. Please clarify this. 16) In Starships/Transferring Items (last para), please add a 'no land' option to the transactions that would abort the command(s) and replace them with R&R if the hiport is not available. 17) In Starships/Buys & Sells, it implies that you can only buy or sell with the colony market if you land. I don't think this is what you intended. 18) In Colonies/Starport Complexes, please indicate if the colony gains the stellars paid into the complexes. They should gain at least a portion of it. 19) In Colonies/Starport Complexes, the two new morale complexes (Colosseum and Mass Transit) could be graduated a little. My proposal would be to reduce the colosseum by a factor of 10 in all aspects (cost and morale bonus). Then, limit the number of coloseums that will help to 1 per colony class. With the extended classes, this would run the max possible upto 24. Mass transit I would do simular (cost 500 TMs, gives 1 bonus, costs 1 TM/turn -- or 1000/2/1 and let them only construct 1 per two classes). The total morale bonus possible would be 36 verses the 35 you started with; but the effects are graduated over the life of the colony. 20) In Colonies/Pickup Code, there is at least one error in the table (code 11 and 12 are identical as well as 9 and 13). There are also missing combinations. To simplify things, I suggest a bitmap for the codes: Bit 0 is Stellars, 1 is ring 1 (Non-mil), 2 is ring 2 (Space combat), and 3 is ring 3 (Ground Combat). By adding these up, you get the following table: Code Exclusion 0 None 1 Stellars(*) 2 Non-Mil(N) 3 N, * 4 Space Combat(S) 5 S, * 6 S, N 7 S, N, * 8 Ground Combat(G) 9 G, * 10 G, N 11 G, N, * 12 G, S 13 G, S, * 14 G, S, N 15 Everthing -- disabling the Pickup code I think you might find this easier to program as well. 21) In Colonies/Pickup Authorizations, requiring 30 colony orders to clear pickup autherizations is way out of line. The colony could easily do this with a stroke of the computer key. I find this pretty hoggish in light of the fact that all of the training that as colony had gets forgotten when the colony changes hands....sometimes making them lose a portion of their defenses! 22) In Colonies/Private Sector, the paragraph is conflicting. At first it talks of Factory Production left and at the end it gives an example of untooling all factories (Factory Production = 0) to maximize the stellars created. Please clairify. 23) In Colonies/Mines and Farms, Real terse description of farms. 24) In Colonies/Condensing Ores, it would seem self defeating to move Fossil Fuels via this meathod. The power requirements to move and use Fossil Fuels takes up 125% of the power it can produce. Also, the example of uncondensing the ores looks just like the example to condense. It should probably be "CO 170 25". 25) In Chap 11/Tug, as it is a primary target for tug operations, Thrust Engines in Engine section should also be reduced cost. 26) In Ground Parties/Surface Movement, the formula has found a way to average 40 6's and one 10 and come up with 3! I think the extra '/2' is not needed. I had more; but leave got hecktick.... (Sister-in-law's marriage....) ------------------------------ End of BSE Digest V195 #172 *************************** To subscribe to bse-digest, send the command: subscribe bse-digest in the body of a message to "Majordomo@io.com". To unsubscribe from the bse-digest send the command: unsubscribe bse-digest in the body of a message to "Majordomo@io.com". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-bse-list": subscribe bse-digest local-bse-list@your.domain.net A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "bse-digest" in the commands above with "bse-list". An archive of BSE Digest back issues are available via Illuminati Online's Anonymous FTP site <ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/usr/kerry/BSE/Digests>. Up