Yansuf

Re: Future submarine warfare? While we can posit anything we want in SF, it is highly unlikely an efficient or mobile neutrino detector will be developed in the foreseeable future; let alone an efficient and mobile one. If it is developed, it will involve at least one major scientific breakthrough, with associated unpredicable effects. For "realistic" future submarine warfare, it is unlikely any way to really find submarines trying to be stealthy at long range will be developed. Of course, any sub that moves too fast will lose most of its stealth, but how fast is too fast is currently unknown.

Re: Future submarine warfare? Probably not, but laser or particle beam weapons could probably deflect the weapon enough for survivability. For that matter, the current SM-3 SAM used by some USN Aegis ships can (usually) direct hit them, resulting in vaporization of both SAM and Thor at high altitude. Future improved SAMs and ASATs will be even more effective. Not to mention that use of satellite weapons may be banned by treaty, or just not used for fear of the results if the other side retaliates. If they are used, expect a lot of satellite constellations to go away real fast, as ASATs (both projectile and DEW) are used to clear LOE.

Re: Popular Guns Machine Guns (legal term for fully automatic weapons) were restricted by the firearms act of 1933. Until then they were completely legal in the US.

Re: Popular Guns My info is that most automatic weapons used by criminals in the US are stolen from the government, or smuggled in. That may not be true in Mich, but studies that I have seen (sorry, I cannot cite them right now) show most drug gangs smuggle weapons in with the drugs. During the political arguments about the "assault weapon" ban, various groups tried to show that legal semi-auto weapons were converted and ussed for crime, they couldn't find a statistically significant number that were. I will do some checking and see if I can find the cites.

Re: Popular Guns

Re: Popular Guns If you mean in the current era, street gangs have gotten many military grade weapons. In the US these are generally smuggled in, with some stolen from the govenment. In many other countries they are generally bought from crooked government (military or police) supply officials or smuggled in. The drug gangs (and most street gangs are in the drug business these days) commonly have SMGs, usually in 9x19mm (or 9mm Lugar as it is usually called in the US) together with limited numbers of military grade assault rifles, such as the AK47 and M16. Note the semi-auto civilian versions are almost never used by drug dealers or street gangs. Some use semi-auto 12 gauge shot guns, but this is unusual in street gangs, they seem to prefer the SMGs. Generally they use "spray and pray" techniques, which almost always lose against trained shooters (US army has found this out). For sidearms most of the drug and street gangs seem to favor 9mm (9x19) semiautos, but I don't think any one brand is favored. Of course, for game purposes the only real difference between most of them is how many rounds in the magazine.

Re: Combat Question: The "counter" I think "block & follow" is an adequate representation of this. If the attacker's speed is too high it will be difficult to do this (will have to set up what segment to do it in) but that is realistic, if someone is fast enough it is very hard to do a counter against him.

Re: Post Apoc Everyman Skills Assuming that you mean the typical, total fall of civilization assumptions of most such scenarios, I would use the following: Acting Concealment Conversation Deduction Climbin Persuasion Survival (home terrain type) Riding Stealth Weapons Familiarity (common melee weapons) AKS: home area

Re: Stargate Question I must disagree. The end of the first season was when the Genii invaded Atlantis. It was the second season when the Wraith attacked, and (just coinicidentally) SG1 had just found a ZPM, so they could send help through.

Re: Stargate Question The first military CO was killed by a burst of fire that also disabled the wraith. I think that you are thinking of the Marine Col. who arrived in the last episode of the 2nd season, and was drained by the wraith in the first episode of the third season.

Re: Future submarine warfare?

Re: Future submarine warfare?

Re: Future submarine warfare? It is unlikely satellite (or air) sensors will be able to detect deep subs within our lifetimes. (Note, I didn't say impossible.) The only really promising sensor that I am aware of is Blue-Green Laser based. While in theory this could work, in practice it is unlikely to be able to see deep subs because of the interface of the "layer" beneath the surface. Being able to work through both seems unlikely, within the foreseeable future at least. They probably will be able to detect subs near the surface within the next decade or so.

Re: Is Crimefighting Ethical? The Merian Webster English Dictionary, the Encapta World English Dictionary, and the Wordsmyth English Dictionary all include punishing as part of the definition.

Re: Is Crimefighting Ethical? I find many of these posts absurd, because many of the posters do not seem to know what a simple english word means. Vigalante means someone who hunts down and punishes criminals, or those he/she thinks are criminals. Self defense is not vigalantism. Even though the press and some politicians proclaim cases of it as such, it isn't. Making a citizen's arrest on someone and turning him/her over to the police is not vigilantism, even though the press and some police and politicians call it such. David Blue recently wrote: "By the way, vigilantism, done right, works. Sydney's trains at night used to be unpleasantly menacing and dangerous. Nothing was done about it. The Guardian Angels (working on an American model) started making patrols on the trains. (I was too busy at the time to do anything about that but make donations and say thanks.) This was Totally! Unacceptable! Vigilantism! said the police and the government. While fear on the trains hadn't been a problem for the authories, self-help was. Expensive and extensive reforms soon made the trains safer and more pleasant to travel on. (Though of course no credit to vigilantes!) The Angels soon faded out - their job done. Was what they did ethical or unethical? The answer might depend on whether you habitually travelled by train or limousine." I strongly object to catagorizing citizen patrols as vigilantism. Unless the citizens inflict their own punishment on law breakers caught, rather than turning them over to police, they are NOT acting as vigilantees. It has been many years since I followed comic books regularly, but I do not recall many vigilantee superheroes. The Punisher was the first that I recall set in modern times. Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, etc. turned criminals that they caught over to the police. The did not kill them, horsewhip them, or ride them out of town on a rail. They were/are not vigalantees. Even Batman didn't punish criminal; he may have frightened them, but he turned them over to police unharmed. So please try and not misuse the word vigalantee. Enough people in the press and government do already, we don't need to assist them.

Re: Is Crimefighting Ethical? Right on!

Re: Stargate Question I suppose that this is a quible, but I do not think that the 5.7x28 mm round is NATO standard; to the best of my knowledge the P90 is the only weapon that uses it. FN specifically designed it for the weapon. The ammo is designed as AP (armor piercing) and thus cannot be legally imported or sold in the US without a federal class three license. If I am wrong about this, I am sure someone will point that out.

Just to make sure I understand this, if I take a megascale to my sight with the limititaion "only with megamovement", I can still use my normal sight without megascale when not doing megamovement, right? Thank you.

Re: Plot Seed: Six Places to Nuke When You’re Serious I don't have my reference material with me, but I believe the "reinforced" structures refer to reinforced concrete buildings. (Not hardened against nuclear effects.) Large dams (Boulder dam for instance) would shrug off a 1 MT airburst at 2 km. I am a PE who worked on nuclear hardening during the cold war, BTW. The best altitude for the burst depends on what effect that you are going for. The higher it is, the further there will be serious blast damage, but the lower maximum overpressure will be. Lower altitudes will give higher overpressure, but over a smaller area. I believe the "optimum" height normally given is the best height for a 5 psi overpressure, which will destroy just about all single family type residential construction. Reinforced concrete structures would survive much higher overpressures, except for their windows, and possibly their doors. For best effect against heavily reinforced structures, not to mention hardened structures (and underground ones) you want a subsurface burst; the shock wave through the earth is much more damageing to them than air blast. A surface burst is not optimal for either ground shock or air blast, but gives a considerable amount of both, and gives maximum fallout.

Re: WWYCD: Vengeance From Duress Inform the rest of the escapees that Nebula will pay for her crimes; we are on Earth and she will be tried, convicted and spend the rest of her life in an Earth prison. Then take her into custody until police, FBI, PRIMIS, or whoever shows up. There are at least several other Earth Superheroes (and probably a number of human police) who tired to arrest Nebula who would be there, I expect most would back me. If required, talk about the bad parts of the Earth penal system, to help convince everyone that Nebula will get her just deserts. To any of the crowd that still insist on killing her (or other such revenge) I will point out that they are not wanted for any crimes on Earth, but if they kill Nebula they will be wanted for murder. Talk fast, and use maximum force against the first to try and go for her, hoping to disuade the rest. basically, I'm playing for time; time for the other captured heroes to help me, and time for other Earth forces to arrive.

Re: No idea how to model this... Actually, on pg 155 of 5th ed Hero, there is an example: Elemental Man, which seems to fit this.

Re: Ok, this is a Stargate question? Actually, the largest difference between the original and later that I can think of is that in the series pilot, the gate was two way; Apothos and his Jaffa walked back through it after their attack/recon of Earth without redialing.

Re: Ok, this is a Stargate question? I seem to recall Carter saying it had a different symbol.

Re: Plot Seed: Six Places to Nuke When You’re Serious Of course it was a good plot for him. After the island moves north, his Arizona property is beachfront. Well, his eastern CA desert land, at least. Moon Base Alpha? Never happened in any universe I inhabit!

Re: Plot Seed: Six Places to Nuke When You’re Serious Congradulations! You win the the Big Bounce Rubber Science Award! Changing the orbit of someting as massive as Luna is beyond the capability of Star Trek TOS, let alone 20th century science. (Yes, I know what the year is, but one megaton nukes are not new.)