Hello kaladorn,
On 06/26/2020 3:09 PM xxxxxx@gmail.com wrote:
So, if I don't have enough fuel to jump (normally), but if I have an energy source to power my black globe (one assumes white globe as well later at higher tech), can I jump just with that power?
In MT Referee's Manual p. 96 and CT LBB 5 HG 2e 1980 p. 43 "If a ship absorbs enough energy to make a jump, and it is supplied with sufficient fuel, it may jump at the end of its turn."
Following the instruction/rule/procedure from MT Referee's Manual and CT LBB 5 HG 2e 1980 my opinion is that the ship can not make a jump if it does not have the fuel. As far as I know if a ship does not have enough fuel it can not make a jump.
Of course the Annic Nova published in GDW JTAS 1 suggests that the answer would have been yes prior to the release of CT LBB 5 HG 2e 1980.
If you could, here's an odd thought:
No gas giant and no water world? No problem!
Set a course for a few orbits around the sun as a tight 'inner' satellite. Fire up the black globe. Once you've charged your grid, break orbit, putter to 100D, then jump.
Traveller suggests that there is a time limit that the capacitors can hold a maximum charge before they apparently discharge themselves causing all sorts of havoc.
Per GDW JTAS 24 Jump Space p. 36 after a ship proceeds to a point more than 100 diameters out the captain makes the decision to jump the computer takes over begins charging the capacitors to capacity which takes less than a few minutes the computer then directs the energy to the appropriate sections of the jump drive and jump begins.
The diameter of the sun is 1.3927 million km the 100 D limit is 139.27 million km. Per the Typical Travel Times Table CT LBB 2 1977/1981 p.10 to travel 100,000,000 km at 1G takes 55.6 hours. I think 3,336 minutes exceeds the less than a few minutes.
That would be great for the scouts... not that they'd ever get given the black globes, given the Navy's attitude... 'MINE!'.
Even if you didn't fully charge your capacitors for a jump, a ship with a black globe could reasonably charge up the capacitors partially (assuming they can be bled back into the ship's normal running systems) and use them to run some of your normal ship's systems without the power plant needing to.
CT LBB 5 HG 2e p. 42: Stored energy may be removed by using it to power the ship.
Mt Referee's Manual p. 95: Stored energy may be removed by using it to power the ship.
Both books indicate the energy can only be used when the black globe is off.
Tom Rux