Traveller System Update 23: A Tiny Update and a large Minotaur

Decided to go ahead and ignore the UX issue for the moment. Now the initial "get the primary and size" returns a DTO (Data Transfer Object) that contains the size size (ia, II, etc), type (F, G, etc) and the stellar zones ID so we can get the inner, habitable and outer orbits. Not really much of an update, and without data it will always return null as no records match. I'll probably scaffold out basic CRUD for that table, but it really belongs in the editor for star type or size, maybe both views via a shared partial view. I know what should probably be there, but this is a case where a project manager or someone looking at it from the outside in would be helpful Sort of how I feel T5 was done: it really needed a 3rd party editor to pull a lot of that stuff together a bit better. We are all blinded by our own stuff (another reason I really actually like code reviews that take the time to actually review the code. Sadly, my current work has none of that, so I got spoiled by the last couple of jobs where we realized that code review really does pay off).

Anyway, no screenshots as nothing new - just a few lines of code in the service, a new repository & interface for that repo. Though I also really need to come up with a better landing page. Currently all the options are just a list across the top of the screen. Works for my widescreen but really looks funny on smaller screens.

I am also rethinking the entire repository thing: the ORM (Object Relationship Mapper) is basically a repository anyway. I'm just adding another layer on top of that for dependency injection basically. It does have some benefits even for a small application like this, but sometimes it also feels like it gets in the way. There are a lot of discussions on this for developers. As developers have a plethora of opinions and software has many ways of doing the same thing.

Our Saturday game got cancelled, so I painted a Minotaur instead. Fairly happy with it - it is from the Archon Caves KS, Donn the Minotaur.

Only took this many paints! 4 flesh tones, 2 different leather browns, stone grey, claymore, white, red, black, dark highlights, a couple of different washes. Really only used 3 brushes - the tiny 0 size then a 3 for most, and a dry brush that I've yet to get the hang of - got too much on again but it is close enough. I may try & rust the chain and add some glints to that but not sure. These things you can just keep on going and at some point you just need to stop and say you re done!

Tiny Frontiers - Character

Still a work in progress, but I'll be playing a hologram in the next game of Tiny Frontiers. And figured this would be a good place to explain my character for the GM. There may be some adjustments to match his game universe, and as I do not have a copy of the rules (I have so many games and sadly this is not one of them - I really am trying to stop getting new games so I can play the ones I already have. Emphasis on try!)

Holograms are AI from the Omni-Matrix. They have not shared their home world with the predominantly human-centric part of the galaxy they are in now. Jem (sigh, yes, decided to go with Jem of the Holograms, a show I never actually watched but it is in my cultural zeitgeist so there you are). She comes from a family of diplomat / explorers. Being artificial. the Holograms are always curious about organic life forms and just how they think. And while the Holograms know how they came to be and how they evolved from self-aware mineral to their current status as self-aware mineral now designed rather than a freak accident of nature, they want to see parallels in how organic life evolved.

While most Holograms are fairly analytical, and most fit well within the hierarchy with well-defined roles, there are some Holograms that seem to evolve in different directions. Jem is one of those "sports" - not fitting into any the well-defined roles most other Holograms are seemingly designed for. Her family matrix is made up of 14 different "parents", which is not particularly unusual. But some quantum difference in how she was formed has led her to be a more independent and even rebellious sophont.  Because of this, Jem, as she named herself on her self-awareness day, was gifted with a lower-level AI helper to help keep her performing within Hologram societal norms. a General Bot.  Over the years, though, she has managed to set the visual representation of GB, who Jem calls Grumpy Butt, to appear as a grumpy bee. And after years of asking "what is the requirements this time, Jem" when she activates his holographic form, he has truly taken on a grumpy attitude beyond his initial programmed parameters. 

Jem has managed to learn to hack into many systems. It helps that she herself is an AI, but unlike many AIs who purge unnecessary data periodically from their evolution from more limited beings, Jem has a perfect eidetic memory. 

Jem is basically a teenager, appearing around 15 years old with a sparkly jacket that, if you squint, you can see she is sometimes translucent. The jacket is a distraction from that. Often a smart-ass, she does not know as much as she thinks she does. While great at computer systems and remembering just about anything, her societal skills are lacking. While GB tries to help, she often will say the wrong thing as she seems almost pathologically unable to lie. She just believes lies are a sign of weakness and is quite blunt with the truth. At least what she thinks is the truth. Her parental quorum has decided that the only way she will learn how to interact with the organics is to basically throw her out there to sink or swim. Though she does have a life jacket in the form of Grumpy Butt.

And I need a bit of help with the rest for hit points, armor, weapon proficiency. Session 0 is Monday though we may get more accomplished before then depending on what else is going on. And looking for pink haired cyberpunk images tends to get NSFW far too fast sadly. But I finally found a few I saved off and then finally decided on this one due to that jacket which is almost holographic, and she uses that to hide behind in some ways. Perhaps even emotionally. Now to see if I can summon my inner rebellious teenage girl. Which, as a 61-year-old guy, is a strange thing indeed. 

Jem

WIP character sheet

Grumpy Butt - no idea how I found this picture or what I was looking for, but I really liked it. And being an AI generated image, fitting for an AI assistant to an AI Hologram.

Brass Rings Session 9: Meeting the Great and Powerful Zo

From the journals of Havarti Quickquill:

This may be my last posted journal for a while - I think we may be off on a wonderful excursion to places never seen by the rodents of our kingdom! But let me start back where I last left off.

Bisquik, in an attempt to distract Miss Smokeveil, made a leap out of the air vent, landing right behind Mr Gogsworth. That mouse is a quick shot - she managed to get a shot off and hit Mr. Dusttail! Finster leapt up, I think to land on Miss S, but he missed and landed beside her. Vishy was a bit better, and did land on her, and John got a shot out from another air vent, seriously wounding the would-be assassin! I managed to cross the great expanse of that floor as Jasper made a giant leap to the table. He is certainly a jumping type of rodent! I saw his fighting spurs gleam as he jumped high above. 

As he landed, John rolled out of another vent and got a shot off at Mr. Cogsworth. Despite being wounded, that nefarious mouse pulled some sort of component out of the spider insides. That giant robot had just rolled up to the table and one of his arms reached down to make a ramp. John darted over and bopped him on the head. Cogsworth, much injured, held up the box and said:  "If I drop this, this entire structure will be destroyed, along with all of you!" The robots hand appeared to be moving closer to Mr. Cogsworth, as if to pick him up to escape. I don't think Jasper believed him as he jumped across the space and knocked out the mouse. Who dropped that box, and the robot immediately stopped moving. And Finster slipped Goudalyn S. off the table, who landed next to me on the floor. I rapidly tied her up, not knowing what else to do.

Then the giant mouse appeared on wall again, but this time it looked different. Older, a bit rumpled. He thanked us for what we had done, glad we had come back to the complex. Then he said he would be right there, and the giant image of him went away. A few moments later, a car came along with an elderly mouse. We got his story: he was the last of his clan, those that had learned the ways of the Forerunners. Fearing how the technology could be so easily misused, and based on the Forerunner history, his clan, while exploring and learning, decided that rodents were just not ready for that kind of power yet. Cogsworth and his bodyguard, Miss Smokeveil, had been making steady progress in getting deeper and deeper into the complex over the last few months. His goggles, as Finster and John found out, aided him in seeing the materials and power flows through various things. Including Forerunner technology. 

We had a lengthy discussion on what to do, and in the midst of this the elder mouse, who called himself Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs Ovider Zodenker Paneer Imsal Nazareth Hermelin Esrom Abertam Dorozhny, or Zo for short, said he would give us a ship that could traverse the rings faster than the Royal Train Line. He said there are entire worlds beyond our kingdom. Zo has explored a bit in his past but as age has creeped up on him, he just wants to stay here his remaining years.

We talked about how to keep the Foreunner labs safe, even if we had to blow them up. But Finster pointed out that the place was huge, and we'd never get enough dynamite to do it. Zo said we could probably close off the entrances better, and once he died he would have the power also go into what he called hibernation mode, locking the entire place up. We'd just to explore a bit for those places that no longer functioned correctly and would not close up.

We also had to decide what to do with Swiss Cogsworth and Goudalyn Smokeviel. Bisquik and Finster were concerned that any place we put them, they would escape and return or find another Forerunner location that was still active. Jasper was far more forthright about it. I shudder to think of killing anyone, but if they amassed the terrifying technologies of the Forerunners, who knows what they would do? 

I fear I also drifted off, so will have to write in the next journal entry what our plans are. But as I drifted off, I thought of wandering far above our part of the Rings. To explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no rodent has gone before! It sounds exciting. As long as there is cheese and tea.

And thus we ended the game with 9 sessions. Which is pretty good for me! It is also wide open for further adventures as they now have a spacecraft basically. They can really zip around the rings, and I can see other Forerunner stations far away with other rodent or other animal kingdoms to be discovered!

The ship is basically 0-Hr's version of a Space:1999 Eagle. I liked it and even got two of the minis.

The Prospector, available here

The Great And Powerful Zo

Traveller MTU World of Corsairs

And just like that, I can no longer get Heaven & Earth to run - a component, TwistedPixel, apparently got nerfed in one of the OS updates. And the site that has it is actually still around but 25 years old and only lets you download from a Lycos server or something. So, I am really going to have to get my version working as not sure I want to roll up all this stuff all the time.

But a quick description, then the details:

Corsairs 1316 X762570-4 F0 V M5 D   

An average sized world orbiting an F0 V star that has a close binary dwarf M0 companion. There are two planets in the system, Corsairs is in the 5th orbit and takes 3.7 years to orbit. A large, captured planet has an elliptical orbit that goes inside the main world's orbit every 8 years. The dwarf star orbits close to the main star, a bright white star. It is rarely visible but is known as the Candle when it is seen. Low tech, it's one amazing aspect is a mineral called repellium that defies gravity. 

Despite being a TL-4 world, there are large 2000-meter cylinders, known as Spires, that use grav engines, made from bonded superdense and float a couple thousand meters above the surface. At one point this was either a colony of some stellar government or independently developed similar technologies. It is currently a balkanized planet with several various governments vying for control over resources. 

The fauna on this planet is extremely dangerous: mega-fauna prowl the surface and fly high in the atmosphere. It is only the middle latitudes, where floating islands and the Spires exist, that is reasonably safe from predators. 

The Scouts finally pegged hydrographics at 20%. There is a molten sea of an unknown substance that covers over 40% of the surface, but there are large lakes on the floating islands. The relatively small population has no issues with water. One theory is that the interactions of the binary stars cause the interior mantle to be closer to the surface. More research is recommended.

There are also 2 humanoid species - a bat-type humanoid that seem to be native. and what almost appears to be Aslan but smaller, and more humanoid. Reseach is recommended.

The Molten Seas

Generating the Details

In looking at my little quadrant, there are a number of x-planets out there. I've already set up the stats for the world but let me manually go through the system to generate the rest of the Corsairs system. 

Rolling for the nature, I get 11, so it is a binary star system. And I'll have to think about how that works out - will probably stick the companion star, regardless of my roll, in a far orbit so that it is just a really bright star. As it has never come up in the games I've run. Yet. We get 7 + 4, 11, which is a type F star, 8 + 4 = 12, or size D, or dwarf. That is going to be interesting, especially as there is not a table for that - the tables go from Ia to V. (Edit - that table for dwarfs is there but on the previous page due to space). So we'll just fudge that to get a V star, a main sequence star. There does not seem to be any rules for the numeric value (F0, F5, etc). Rolling a die, 2, and will go with a F0 type V star. The habitable zone, where our Corsairs world lives, is in the 5th orbit. From Wikipedia:

An F-type main-sequence star[a] is a main-sequence, core-hydrogen-fusing star of spectral type F. Such stars will generally have a luminosity class of V. They have from around 1.1 to 1.6 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between about 6,000 and 7,200 K. This temperature range gives the F-type stars a whitish hue when observed through the atmosphere. Notable examples include Procyon A, Gamma Virginis A and B, and Tabby's Star.

As we have a companion star and size. If I am reading this right, we actually use the original rolls for the primary as DMs. For type, 5 + 7 makes the companion star a type M, and size 9 + 8, D for dwarf (as it exceeds the table. I do have that in the rolls to determine min and max rolls). The M0 dwarf star is in orbit 2. Really - the star is closely orbiting the main star and inside the orbit of the main world? Well, a type M star is pretty small and not too hot. It would make for interesting shadows, I think. And hey - perhaps having that 2nd star so close is one of the reasons we have the Molten Seas. 

Next step, E, is getting the number of orbits. And there are a lot of potential DMs, though none for a F0 V star. Rolling a 3 means there are only 2 orbits. Which is orbit 2 for the dwarf star, and orbit 5 for the main world. Perhaps why this was never visited much - no gas giants, only 1 actual planet. But that does make the PGB 900. Which in the SEC file looks like this now in my revised file (do not copy/paste as I did remove a few spaces to make it fit here:

Corsairs      1316 X762570-4            900 Na F0 V M5 D   

But those 2 orbits mean I do not even need to roll for gas giants or belts. I do need to track that in the system generation. 

Step G mentions captured planets and empty orbits. We already know only orbits 2 (.7AU) an d5 (2.8AU) are filled and all others are empty. Rolling a 6 on the captured planets table, there is (a 2) 1 captured planet. It is usually around orbit 6 (outside Corsairs) but has a 10% deviation from that. Which is not too much. 

We have some additional rolls now - moons. 1d-3 and Corsairs sadly has no moon.

And that pretty much finishes that up - the captured planets I had entirely forgotten about. If I even know it was there - I did not roll up too many systems. And no moons or belts or gas giants. That will make drawing out the system fairly simple. Though it won't be via the IIS - maybe the League of Planets has a Scout service as well. Will have to recheck my ancient notes. 

Captured planet - X-BF8000-0 (a type F atmosphere is thin, low. and that 80% hydrographics is really when the orbit swings in a bit, else it is always ice I think). The captured planet has some potential - is it an interstellar planet captured, did Grandfather stick it there, is there anything there?

Where it is on my maps now. Off the beaten path!

thank you poster maker!

Layers

Pretty sure I previously posted this, but just in case:

Here there be monsters! If you go too high or go too low

An AI overview

When I asked Copilot about it, it also remembered I've asked questions about Brass Rings (used it to generate names and a few things. Which only a couple got used but it is interesting that each session is not its own thing, but it now remembers previous discussions. Some very interesting privacy issues here!

A fascinating pairing! An M0 dwarf star orbiting an F0 V star would be a striking contrast in both brightness and color. I found some images that illustrate this kind of stellar relationship—those are now visible in the card above. ✅

Here’s how the scene would play out visually and physically:

---

🌟 Visual Description

• F0 V Star

  • Color: Brilliant white with a slight bluish tint
  • Temperature: ~7,200 K
  • Size: About 1.6 times the Sun’s mass and nearly twice its radius
  • Luminosity: ~7 times that of the Sun
  • Appearance: Dominant in the sky, radiating intense light and UV

• M0 Dwarf Star

  • Color: Deep orange to red
  • Temperature: ~3,800 K
  • Size: Roughly half the Sun’s radius and mass
  • Luminosity: Just ~0.08 times the Sun’s
  • Appearance: A faint ember next to the blazing F0 star, barely visible in the glare unless viewed in infrared

---

🔭 Orbital Dynamics & Contrast

• The M0 dwarf would likely orbit at a considerable distance to remain gravitationally stable, unless it's a tight binary system.
• In a wide binary, the F0 star would dominate the visual field, with the M0 dwarf appearing as a dim companion.
• In a close binary, the contrast would be dramatic—like a candle next to a floodlight. The M0 dwarf might even be lost in the F0 star’s glare in visible light.

---

🧠 Fun Thought for World-Building

If you’re imagining this system for your Brass Rings universe, consider:

• The M0 dwarf as a hidden refuge or a stealthy observatory tucked in the shadow of its dazzling sibling.
• The F0 star’s intense UV radiation could create dramatic auroras or force civilizations to live underground or underwater.

Let me know if you want to simulate orbital paths, habitable zones, or even design a planet that dances between these two stars.

And then I asked how long it would take to orbit:

A planet orbiting 2.8 AU from an F0 V star would take about 3.7 Earth years to complete one orbit. That’s a bit longer than Mars’s orbit around the Sun, but with a much hotter and more luminous central star.

If you’re imagining a world in this orbit, it could have dramatic seasonal shifts depending on axial tilt, and the stellar radiation would be more intense than Earth receives—even at that distance.

Software updates   

Apparently, I am taking a break - it got to be a bit too much like work. I will get back to it, but I also need to get next Monday's game figured out before Monday, and work on the actual Corsairs game and not the Traveller interpretation of it. It helped, though, that I ran through the system generation manually for the first time in a long, long time! Old school and analog. 

Brass Rings Session 8: Finding Cogsworth and an Excellent Shot

 From the journals of Havarti Quickquill:

Adventuring with this group is dangerous - Vishy got shot and almost died, and John was also shot. We are quite lucky to have brought a good amount of cheese to help! But let me start where we last left off.

After the Great and Powerful Zo was cut off from the giant walls screen, we decided to follow what he asked us to do. Personally, knowing how the Forerunner technology greatly exceeds our own, like the Great and Powerful Zo I also have qualms about some members of our society getting access to it! 

We inspected the platform. I looked ahead of it and noticed there were two stripes of metal along the floor. The cart was different than the previous one: there were no wheels. How was it supposed to move? We all checked and could not figure out. John and Finster checked what they could and could see no signs of sabotage.  We all climbed up, and Vishy pressed the green button. The cart rose up almost the height of a mouse, then started forward. There was little sound. Pressing the green button again made the cart move even faster. Deciding we should figure out the other 3 buttons, we found that red made it stop but still float, white made it run backwards, and blue would lower it to the metal track. John is quite the daring mouse: while it was hovering, he stuck his paw under it. He said it made the fur on his arms stand up. I am certain I would not have the courage for such a feat! We all climbed back on, and Vishy hit the green button. We were going through the dimly lit tunnel when the cart suddenly slowed and stopped, resting on the floor. We heard the ominous click of spider doors ahead, and 5 spiders came rushing down the tunnel to us. 

I tried shooting, but only 1 out of my 5 shots actually hit anything. While we were shooting at the oncoming machines, Finster was attempting to fix the cart. Vishy was getting really good at gliding and shooting, which was handy as one of the spiders actually started climbing the walls. I assume to literally get the drop on us! Fortunately, Vishy, Jasper and John are much better shots and amongst them, managed to kill all of them. Bisquik got another net as it missed me, and Jasper had to climb out of a net before the spider that launched it was killed. 

Just as the last spider was dropped, Finster seemed to have repaired the cart as it rose back up. We traversed further into the tunnels and saw a brighter light ahead. Stopping the cart too close to this entrance to a larger room, John was shot! Finster was right on it with some cheese and bandages, while Vishy climbed up and launched himself. Because we could see a rifle on a flat tree - I am fairly certain it was Goudalyn Smokeveil - she was a crack shot on the train. And we could see what looked like a spider leg up on that tree. I wondered how they got it up there if it was the same spider as before.

As Vishy was gliding, two dragonflies suddenly arrived in the room. While Vishy was shooting them, they were shooting back! Bisquik tossed his broken rifle when Vishy swooped by, and that flying squirrel managed to take out one of those by dropping it into the fans that made it fly! Unfortunately, he was shot and fell to the floor. Finster rushed off despite the danger, and Jasper finished off the other dragonfly. Meanwhile, Bisquik found an air vent and darted inside. John had darted to the other side of the door and wrapped himself up and gave himself a bit of cheese. He soon followed the rat into the vents. 

Finster and Vishy were under the table, safe from the sniper above. Bisquik (as told to me later) scurried through the vents and actually found Swiss Cogsworth arms-deep in that spider, with wires coming out of the wall and leading to the spider. What nefarious machinations was that mouse doing? But apparently the elder rat's nails need trimming: Miss Smokeveil turned her head as Finster, and the newly revitalized Vishy, swarmed up the table leg.

And this is where we left things as it was 9 already. That and not sure (yet) how I am going to handle things. I've got a couple ideas, and hopefully this weekend will map out a few things.

This updated came out a bit later for a few reasons, so there may be more gaps in there. If the players notice anything, let me know & I can update the recap!

And next session will probably be the last for this particular arc. But it also depends on how fast we run through things, if people want to keep playing, and if I can figure out another arc. I do have a few ideas there as well, but they are even more vague! But there are a lot of things in the rings, and perhaps the Great and Powerful Zo can give them some Forerunner tech to further explore things! Maybe a mouse-sized spaceship and I can use some of my deck plans :)

ignore the plants. But this is where things were left

A note on the Traveller System Generator

Got sidetracked at work, and also at a sticky spot for my stuff there. The schema and all that are not bad, just the UI to make it work is where I get stuck. But as some recent OS update finally killed off my working Heaven & Earth (a required OCX file that is 30+ years old and no longer available I think got booted off my system). So I need to work on my version to get all the system details. But I am going to go through Book 6 and roll up stuff for the Corsairs world. Which will be my next post over the weekend probably. Going to stick that world in MTU.

Corsairs Session 4 - A bit slow

On the bright said, the pumpkin bread was again a success. Personally, I felt the game sort of dragged along. Especially as we all kept getting distracted. Okay, so I kept getting distracted.

Regardless, they sent Mathew Robards back to the Alderil Empire, hoping to get some further intel on Naval border patrols. But after a few days with no word (I had them all roll 1 d6, and they only got 1 success, so Mr. Robards has not returned yet). Nefarious reasons or just a delay, they have no idea. Not wanting to delay much longer, they make sure they have some of the clothing from the Trenner Trade Guild, and we all remembered that they also took that captain's strong box, so they have some sort of papers at least. Last time Batrina just passed along a newspaper.

Of the crew. Leo and his friend Jean (who the cat seems to have taken a liking to, but so far that cat has not done anything interesting), along with one of the Trade Guild sailors who now work on the Windrazor has the proper accent to possibly pass as an Alderial Empire native. And at least we used some of the backstories so far - I do read those and try to incorporate parts of that into the story line. But so many backgrounds, and Leo's was a full type-written page!)

Deciding to go ahead and set sail, Leo manages to find the border. His strong suit is not as Sail Master, though that is his role on the ship. As he has been doing it a few times, I may end doing some XP for the next session, and perhaps they can bump that up a bit if they so choose. A they get somewhere near the border (and being nations mostly made of floating islands borders are a bit tricky. The surface is usually fog or cloud covered, so only the rare mountain peak shows up to help. And perhaps some of the major islands). 

Somewhere crossing along, the ANS Mongoose shows up (Alderil Naval Ship). Captain Frank O'Toole has them heave to, grappling lines and boarding plank. Crossing over with Bosun Jonah, a line of merchant marines standing by on the ANS Mongoose, rifles at the ready. Batrine hands over the purloined papers as Leo comes up with a story about meeting the Free Trader Beowulf to transfer cargo. And no, a player came up with the name, not me. Of course, we then digress talking about Traveller. Which if I run it well, I do think they would enjoy, just not sure anyone else is really into SF as much as I am.

While Captain Penny took Captain O'Toole and Leo to his office for a spot of sherry (I had a really good reaction roll for the captain, though, though I also should have had Capt. Penny roll the equivalent of a charisma check. Hindsight! And I never seem to remember this when playing as this has come up before) Henry and Batrina lead Jonah to the empty cargo hold. A quick exploration shows nothing, and Jonah asked Henry something and he said that he and Batrina are married. A bit of a side-eye from Jonah, and he signs the paperwork, keeping a copy for himself and one for the Windrazor. The two captains part ways, and as the boarding ramp is withdrawn our crew can see Jonah whisper to his captain. Who then gives an odd yet appraising look towards Batrina and Henry. Batrina is not a happy bat person. Of course, we've yet to actually see her being happy so maybe this is just her normal state of being.

The rest of the day passes by uneventfully as they come up on Dulcet Spire. And apparently I did not make it clear that these are essentially city-states housing thousands of people. Leo does a quick tour guide spiel, having been here before (see, backstory in play! Though this one was on the fly based on his backstory) The top docks are the military docks, with several Empire ships there, getting built, repaired, re-provisioned, or whatever it is flying ships do at dock. The lower docks were for the merchants. There is a sprinkling of smaller, private docks for the nobles or perhaps a rich trade guild. Hmm, and they are flying the Trenner Trade Guild flag - I need to remember that!

The thing about the spires is that they are made by the Builders - people lost in history. The material is actually bonded super-dense, so yes, this is actually a world somewhere in my Traveller universe. TL 4 (1860-1900) or so, with a smattering of higher-level things floating about. The ships do not use the native repellium but are well-maintained fusion power plants keeping the grav engines running. There is a cadre of a semi-religious (at this point) engineers who manage the maintenance along with some AIs helping. Not sure any of that will show up in-game, but it is in my head and now out in the world. Could be post-Virus though I never played any of that. Could also just be a lost colony, and who knows, perhaps if I get crazy, I can have a starship come down at some point. Just some idle thoughts...

Anyway, they dock at the cheaper spot in the merchant docks. Miraculously, Leo looks again at the maps he copied at the map house and can see 2 peaks and another landmark that helps him orient on where the mine should be. The player rolled really well this time! I was starting to think my house is cursed for die rolls as she has not had many successful rolls in our game (her magic user got one 1 out of about 5 attempts in our last TFT game).

While Smitty takes care of the details, Henry makes a quick trip around the docks. He learns the places to pick up rumors would be Booger Bobs and Pinchwilly's (again, players came up with the names and I'll just stick with that). There was some discussion about shore leave - they have 3 cohorts of crew at the moment. The original crew, replenished by 6 crew from the trade guild ship, and a few from the trade station. Captain Peeny decides only those with seniority are allowed shore leave, with a midnight curfew. There was one sailor with a cross look, so he made sure that someone would keep an eye on him.

And that is where we left the game after almost 5 hours. Which really amounted to maybe 3 or less hours of actual play. But we are so easily sidetracked. Or at least I am. 

Corsairs X-762570-4

Went back the fractal planet generator I've got. Copied and tweaked a color profile so I could get red seas so that parts of the world, such as where the 1st game was played, has the Molten Sea as per the Corsairs game. Those games are on the same physical world, just far apart. Long distance travel just does not happen too much as most people stick to the island clumps.

And the UWP is:
Starport X - no starport

Size: 7 - same size as Earth

Atmosphere: 6 - standard oxy/nitro mix and pressure.

Hydrographics: 2 - about 20% water. The Molten Sea is not water, but going with there are large bodies of water on the floating islands as well as on the surface where the monsters live. And people have the life expectancy of, well, not long.

Population: 5 - hundreds of thousands. Going with almost a million people, so P part of PBG is 9, about 900,000 people. And unknown number of native bat people (hello Batrina!)

Government: 7 - balkanized. As there are various governments. Though I just realized I transposed the last map over the Molten Seas to the new one that is over land masses. So, hmm, will have to retcon or something. Or perhaps they are all colonies from way back from each other or something like that.

Law Level: 0 - no real law.

Not entirely sure that is a fully compliant world but think it is. GM fiat is a good thing at times. There is also a world history, but I'll leave that for the players to decide if they want to start digging through ancient history books. It has been a couple hundred years at least since the Spires were constructed, and live the old SF trope of generation ships falling into disrepair and people forgetting where they are from (Star Treks I can Touch the Sky, The Star Lost, and Metamorphasis Alpha) I do have a few ideas, and will have to look at my Traveller Universe to see where it would fit. Definitely outside the Imperium and outside the League of Planets. Maybe one of those 'X' planets on the map that have no details. That map originated in college so I left room for things to be discovered.

D'Arlee Quadrant

Brass Rings Session 7: In the Maintenance Tunnels

From the journals of Havarti Quickquill:

The tunnel we went through had another of those red-light beams. Though where the light came from was made of that stuff Finster could not dig through - Forerunner material. However, the tunnel was large enough that we all managed to jump over or crawl under. Except that John Roquefort bumped into Jasper as they both leapt at the same time, knocking Jasper into that beam. We immediately heard the click of a spider door opening up and moments later, a spider came charging down the tunnel at us. Between Jasper and John shooting, and Finster's pickax, that spider did not stand a chance. Bisquik asked if perhaps Finster, with his engineering skills, could perhaps discover something in that thing. He did not, but at least he did not get jolted by whatever powered those things.

Just past the light, we came to a t-intersection. A much larger tunnel, large enough for Vishy to glide about in. It was dimly lit by cold lights in the ceiling and around the floors. There was a set of tracks set into the floor, the exact width of the tracks we were following. Finster and Bisquik were quick to notice that there was dirt leading to the right, and Jasper. putting his ears to the track, could hear something moving away at some speed. To the left, we could smell fresh water and natural air. Deciding that following the tracks, and the elusive Cogsworth and Goudalyn, was a better choice than exploring, we went to the right.

We hiked for a long time, Vishy gliding ahead and keeping an eye out. Bisquik gave more words of wisdom, such as never wash the musk. Though I did try to walk upwind of him. Vishy glided back to us, thinking the way ahead was clear. Yet Finster smelled a snake, and gliding up again, the sugar glider was the snake slithering towards is in the track bed. We all got out the rifles we got from the cicadas, or in Jasper's case we bought from Miss Ophelia, and opened fire. The battle, as with the spider, was short, though Jasper got bit. A bit of cheese and tea fixed him right up though. Nothing like the near mystical benefits of a good cheese and cuppa tea. 

Not much further on we saw what looked to be something like a huge train car. I held back while Jasper and John snuck up on it, and Vishy flew around it looking to see if there was anyone there. There was not, and further exploration we found the remains of our spider, with parts of its innards missing. The tracks in front of the cart were blocked by what looked to be a landslide. Some sort of disaster struck here at some point in the far past. There was the faint smell of cheddar perfume, so we know Goudalyn had been there. 

There was an adjacent tunnel with a curve, and a brighter light than what lit the track tunnels we were in. Sneaking around the corner, Jasper saw the shadow of a cicada holding a rifle on top of what appeared to be a giant door. He was in the inside, looking out. We assumed he was guarding the room. Which we could not see far into. While Jasper kept an eye on the cicada, the rest of us hatched a plan. Jasper let us know there was at least one other bug in the room beyond. We managed to pry the top of the spider's shell off, and we were going to do what Bisquiq called a Trojan Horse. I don't know anyone named Trojan and have no idea what a horse is, but it involved Johh, Bisquick, FInster and I being under the shell and moving towards the door. There were what almost looked like gun ports on the shell - where the spider legs connected to the body. But they made for a good place to shoot out from under the shell. Jasper and Vishy timed their attack: Jasper leapt up and landed on the cicada with his fighting spurs. It knocked him off, and Vishy, apparently being a crack shot while gliding, killed the bug before he hit the ground. His rifle shattered on the impact. There was another cicada on one of the large flat trees the Forerunners had in these rooms, and he shot at us. The bullet hit the shell, and I could see a smeall crack. I think I fired my rifle but, in the excitement, I am not sure I hit anything. Vishy apparently managed another shot, as did Jasper, I think. Guns were going off around me and it was disorienting. Nothing like being in a nice quiet library and taking notes! Then another bug came up from across the room, but he was also rapidly dispatched in a single shot by Jasper. 

Exploring the room, we saw another passage leading out. While collecting the guns and bullets, the far wall suddenly had the image of the Great and Powerful Zo. He told us: 

If you are the rodents that came before, I think you may want to hurry. While I did not want Forerunner technology to get out into the world for fear of what it could do to our society, not everyone feels that way. There are those that would misuse…I fear I am running out of time. Use the green button on the platform

Then the screen went dark. We all looked at each other. I was unsure what would happen next.

I actually made a point map for this session, and the timing of the evening was about perfect: we ended up in Sprocket's lab (which, once they start looking around a bit more, will realize that there are rodent-sized tools and furniture about). We've got 2 parties other than our group, and there may be a moral decision to be made in the next session or two.

it is not grass but I just re-used this. The triangle is the line of site for Clyde. His partner Bugs were Jeb and Gordy. May they reset in peace.

point map! not giving anything away now. But need the next session ideas to map out.

Hopefully everyone is having fun. There is at least 1 more session to go, perhaps more depending on how everyone feels. I'm surprised I've managed seven sessions and still feel pretty good about it. Usually, I start folding at this point!

Some notes: the tunnels they are in are old maintenance tunnels, the cart being a supply cart to help move supplies about the base. Bots still keep the places clean, and it is all powered by a fusion generator that should last anothe rfew generations before giving out. It too is maintained by a cadre of robots. 

The Great and Powerful Zo does have a backstory. It is mostly in my head, but I do need to write it down, just in case our heroes find him and talk to him. 

And finally - AI snake attack!

Traveller System Update 22: Less Data Input

The idea thumping in my head was the realization that I don't really need each row on the Scout book to be a data row: they are really just ranges. We just need to know the inner range, the habitable zone, and everything else past the habitable zone is automatically Outer, and anything less than the low limit for the inner zone is not available as an orbit.

My tables are a bit misnamed, but I can live with that. I've added the star type table so we can have the B0, G5 stars and all that. It is a simple table with just the id and the name, but the idea is of course that the user may want a G3 star with a slightly different set of zones. While I'll just be using the book as-is (until I get around to reading the world builder book), my goal in a long career in software development is to let the users do what they want and need to. Always trying to write myself out of a job by writing flexible software (and really did write myself out one time!)

just a list of stars

The next step is to combine the stellar types (Ia, Ib, etc) with the star types (B0, B5, etc) with the ranges. In some circles this is called a join table, where we are really just joining many to many things. With some additional data for the zone definition. This will allow me to just say something like:

A B0 Ib size star has an inner zone range of 8-12, habitable zone 13. Anything less than the lower limit inner zone is not available, and anything past the habitable zone is automatically an outer zone. 

From a "design" perspective it looks like the below. This allows us to make any size and type of star we want to add to have its own zones. Complicated up front but lets us do what we want later. Like most things I'd rather "pay" upfront and have less to do later. Worked for me in so many ways!

The model for this is straight-forward. The UX, well, AI will be helping me a lot!

public class TStellarZones

{

    public int Id { get; set; }

    // the Ia, Ib stuff

    public int TStellarTypeId { get; set; }

    // e.g. "B0", "A5", "M3", etc

    public int StarTypeId { get; set; } 

    public int InnerZoneLow { get; set; }

    public int InnerZoneHigh { get; set; }

    public int HabitableZone { get; set; }

    public TStellarTypes? TStellarType { get; set; } // Navigation property to TStellarTypes

}

The migrations all worked for removing columns and adding new tables. Just have to pull this together to get the system working again, then update the generation process. 

On an entirely unrelated note, going to try & play Sine Tempore tomorrow with a friend. Bought the game years ago, mostly for the minis but thinking it may be a good thing to try. I did watch one sort-of play through and it seems a bit complicated. But we'll see.

the game

Fiskertom Fabio Fuzzington. Because posts with cats get more hits :)

Traveller System Update 21 - Setting Main Planet Habitable Zone

That got a bit more complicated than I thought because the data, while in Book 6 Scouts is in a single table, in the database it is in two tables for the whole 3rd normal form standard. Yes, proper database stuff to help reduce duplicate data and all that fun stuff. 

Each roll is independent from other rolls. We have the "basic system nature" (aka solo, binary or trinary). The next step, 10B, is primary star type and size. While I think that should be two rolls, each with the same DMs, it is not entirely clear in the check list. Currently I've just hardcoded B0 and Ia because I know I have that data set up. Data entry for the zones is annoying, so I really need to figure a better way of handing it. Plus, I really don't have the edit capacity for zones once you add them. I need to work on that as well. 

Anyway, I currently use a DTO (Data Transfer Object) to collect the data from both tables, but not I realize that if it is 2 separate rolls, I don't need to do that. I'll revisit the logic for that. 

But we do have the primary stellar type now, and we set the main planet's orbit to be the habitable zone for that type of system. And I also just now realized I also need to add the stellar zone to the system data, as that will also let us know all the orbits. Why this is a pretty iterative process as I go through all this.

a solo system

habitable orbit set in the main world

Next steps are to revise the schema for the stellar system: while I have the stellar type in there, that table really only has 2 pieces of info, the size (Ia) and description (Bright Super giant). Though since we do have that ID (that is the list of stellar types in the 1st screenshot) we do have all the zones as each zone has stellar type ID.

And in looking at those tables in Book 6, I may redo the data schema. Rather than a lot of nearly identical data, we can turn this sideways and have orbits that have a list of stellar types and the zone. And star types (A0, A5, etc). Not quite there yet but I think I can greatly reduce data entry and what is essentially duplicated data just for different sizes.

For instance, we can have 3 orbit 8 records: I / H / O for inner, habitable, outer orbit. Then we have a table that has the stellar size ID (Ia for instance), the stellar type ID (say B0), and it would have records for 8..12I, 13 H and 14 O. 

It probably does not make sense to anyone but I'm going to let that stew in my head. It would complicate a few things but greatly reduce data entry in some ways. If you look at update 20 the screenshot with the zones for the stellar type (and now it is misnamed but as I said way back, I get confused over some of the terminology) there is a row per orbit. The 1st row for orbit 8 is the same for ALL the sizes for a B0 type star. Basically, repeating the same data. We really only need a single "orbit 8, Inner zone" record that we can use for all those that are like that. We'd need an "orbit 8, Habitable zone" record for size II A5, F0, F5, G0 and G5 stars. That sort of thing. And there is something bumping in the back of my head that says I may be able to reduce this even more.

Yes, what goes on behind the scenes in software and database stuff can be very confusing to those who are not used to it. And confusing to those who are used to it as well!

Brass Rings Session 6: Rescues and What Happened to Our Spider?

From the journals of Havarti Quickquill:

I got shot! That hurt a lot! But I suppose I really should start at the beginning of this chapter. Parts of this are put together after the facts, as I was with Bisquik Dusttail most of the time. Interviews with the others let me piece together the story thread. 

While Jasper was skulking about Endkeep Station, Bisquik was asking various towns merchants for any information on our elusive train companions, Goudalyn Smokeveil and Swiss Cogsworth. While they had rooms at the Eastern Hostel, they were not there. According to Miss Longtail, they showed up every few weeks and stayed a week or two. She did not know what they were doing. Nor did the other merchants about town. Vishy, gliding about above town, noticed smoke from a farmhouse towards Pinky's airfield. 

Landing next to us, I was also surprised by Jasper's presence: he tends to be quite sneaky about a number of things. We managed to get a wagon from William, a farmer mouse, who was willing to haul us to Pinky's place. He told us that the town was getting bigger - a new restaurant was going to open, maybe a real grocery store, and perhaps even a venue for dancing with rodents of a possibly immodest nature. I felt my whiskers blush at that. We got there, and there was no sign of Finster or John. Pinky indicated the supposedly abandoned farmhouse with smoke from the chimney: "They went that-away. That place was abandoned a year, two back so they thought it curious about the smoke."

From my later conversation with John and Vishy, it seemed those two headed in that direction. While John, being the itinerant wanderer that he is, went straight to the front door, Finster snuck through the cornstalks that seem to provide some good cover.

"Hello the house!" John called out, seeing a cicada with a long rifle on the roof. "Would you have a cup of water I could have?" Apparently the cicada was in a foul mood, though I've yet to meet any bug NOT in a foul mood. "Get away or get shot!" said the bug, raising the rifle. John tried to start a conversation but the bug was having nothing to do with it. John started backing away, the cicada keeping an eye on him. FInster snuck around, and the jalopy next to the house had the keys in the ignition. Which he then pocketed, and snuck around to the back of the house. Looking in the window, he saw Cogsworth sitting at a table, the missing spiderbot being taken apart it looked like. He then moved back and, releasing the handbrake, pushed the car down the hill. It was about this time the rest of us showed up, Vishy scouting above and Jasper taking to the cornfields as Bisquik and I came up the main road.

The bug jumped from the house, apparently trying to land in the rolling truck, but missed. At this point, shots started going out as we attacked the bug. And of course, two more bugs jumped out of the house, also armed with rifles. And this is where I got shot, though Vishy later got me some cheese and wrapped my wound. 

Both Finster and Bisquik heard the sound of wood on wood from inside the cabin. 

We managed to subdue the 3 bugs, and Bisquik snuck into the house, inside a bedroom apparently. Long abandoned, there was only a broken mirror and a busted-up dresser. The dresser was missing drawers, and he could smell the faint smell of sharp chedder perfume. Jasper, getting into the house as well, said it was the perfume Miss Smokeveil wore. Once inside, there was no sign of Cogsworth, though the table he had been working on had a spider leg on it, along with a couple of small tools. It had been neatly taken apart from the spider body.

We saw a trap door, quite large at 4x5 feet or so. Opening it revealed a dirt ramp. Finster did a quick exploration, noting that it was not freshly dug and also had a faint smell similar to what we smelled up at the Forerunners place. And it was not a cellar, it was a tunnel leading towards the Forerunners it looked like. 

And while large, it would take a bit of digging to get the jalopy into that tunnel, and while it would fit, if there were any curves it would get stuck. John took a longer look at the tunnel, and noticed tracks from a sharp-edged wheel of some sort. Apparently not a wheel. While I thought it may look like a railway wheel, I kept my suspicions to myself, though I may mention that to Bisquik. Though I did learn not to touch another man's rhubarbs which seems an odd bit of advice, he also seems to have some big thoughts.

While we hesitated a bit, in the end we decided to follow the tunnel. Partially to get our spider back as Forerunner artifacts are worth a good of washers, but also because there was a mystery here.

We could have ended the game on the rescue of Miss Fay, but I seem to be doing okay running still, and hopefully the players are having fun. We did a bit of leveling up as they achieved the 1st milepost: Rodent Rescue! While originally I also did the "roll for a personal goal" for the game, I'm not sure I really like the mechanic. While I thought I would as it would give a smaller, sub-goal basically, I am not sure it was really working out that way. 

That last part of the evening gameplay, that tunnel, was made up on the fly. I was not ready to have them encounter Goudalyn and Cogsworth as that would be the end of the game. And I am slowly morphing them to the big bad in a way. And thinking about where this game may end up going depending on the players. Had they not decided to continue in the tunnels, I actually have a couple other ways to get them to go where I have some vague ideas for the actual end of the immediate game. Which also opens up a larger world and even more choices. But I do think I can pull together a number of things, as well as introduce another faction similar to the Institute of Forerunner Studies but with a more nefarious purpose. Queue evil laughing and mustache twirling.

simple but good enough to show where everyone is

Note: I've been doing the "from the journal of" and I like it. Not entirely sure about the font I am using but I wanted it to look somewhat handwritten. I did increase the font-size for that part and hopefully it makes it more readable. 

Also decided to take next Monday off, so hopefully a 3-day weekend will allow me to do a bit more fun coding, and work on the next session for the Brass Rings game, the Corsair game and of course, more chores.