On 9/4/19 2:51 am, Christopher Sean Hilton wrote:
> I have a handful of questions about the X-Boat network and el-google
> hasn't given me the answers I'm looking for.
>
> ## Questions
>
> 1. What criteria does the scout service use when it figures out where
>    X-Boat transfer points are?
>
> 2. How often do X-Boats visit a given system?
>
> 3. How do messages propagate from systems with an X-Boat "base" to
>    systems without an X-Boat base?
>
> For me all these questions are part of the bigger question: How fast
> does information propagate in the Imperium?
>
> Is there good source material on this? The Library Data article on
> this is pretty thin.
>
>
> ## My random thoughts
>
> I hadn't really thought about question 1. but I would assume that you
> would place X-Boat bases in systems where wilderness fueling is
> possible. Part of the job of the X-Boat tender would be to refine fuel
> for the X-Boat. A ship would jump in, transfer it's data to tender or
> another X-Boat and that boat would jump to the next system downstream
> on the "route". Alternately, an X-Boat would jump in, partially
> transfer it's data to the tender while being refueled and then jump
> out to the next system once the transfer and the refuelling are
> complete.
>
> On question 2, I'd figure the periodicity is between daily and
> bi-weekly. I can imagine that some X-Boat bases are a nexus for
> multiple X-Boat routes. Those systems would have a higher frequency of
> visits.
>
> On question 3. I really don't know. Type S Scouts don't seem to have
> the computing power needed act in this "last mile" capacity. Also, it
> doesn't seem like the Scout service would assign courier runs like
> this but maybe I'm wrong. Is there some other courier ship that the
> ISS uses to haul data from X-Boat bases to other systems?
>
--

Chris,

Per GURPS Traveller (GT) 2nd ed, p31,

"In practice, this speed is reduced by the fact that trade routes do not
follow straight lines and that not all jumps are made at jump-4.
Nonetheless, the system achieves approximately jump-2.6 per week."

I think i've seen that J2.6 figure in non-GT sources as well, but I
wouldn't swear to it.

1 - I'm a little confused as to why the Xboat station wouldn't handle
fuel refining (as other military and civilian starports of class C/III
and better tend to do) and let the tender move Xboats, Xboat drivers and
fuel around.

As to where xboat stations get placed would probably depend on a whole
mix of factors (sorry, I know you were wanting more specifics) such as
high noble politics, interservice politics, strategic need (such as
gap-filling), and shifts in trade patterns, to name 4.

It's been a fair while since I looked at the guts of traveller_pyroute,
so I couldn't tell you how it generates them.  You could look up how
pyroute does it and then back-fit reasons as to why Bargleargle won out
over Fnordia - and whether those reasons are solid, wonky,
used-to-be-sensible-but-now-outdated or outright pants-on-head.

IIRC, Bill Cameron's Wounded Colossus ATL (up at Freelance Traveller,
again IIRC) did spend some time on this as well.

2 - I think your question here is a little underspecified - are you
talking about how often Xboats visit Arglebargle inbound from _all
reachable systems_ or from _Bargleargle only_ ? (Your comments seem to
be leaning towards the latter, assuming I have read them correctly). 
Bi-weekly service from each of 4 systems inbound to Arglebargle would
trivially average out to 2x a week, frinstance.  Off top of my head, I'd
suspect trade volume would be a major driver of Xboat frequency.  To
claim that a system that has megaton freighters jumping in and out
around-the-clock (such as in the older, richer parts of the Rim of Fire)
but can only manage 1 xboat a fortnight would tend to stretch belief.

3 - Going from GT: First In, p12, the Communications Office of the IISS
keeps the mail moving.  The XBoat service (surprise surprise) handles
the Xboats, while the Imperial Courier Service takes over once the
messages/packages have to leave the XBoat network, as well as people and
gubbins that (for whatever reason) can't go by XBoat.

The sidebar on p12 of GT:FI also mentions that "Messages are transmitted
to a waiting Xboat, which jumps to the next system down the line.  Upon
arrival, it immediately transmits its messages to the local Xboat
station, which records them and rebroadcasts them to other Xboats for
the next leg of the trip.  Meanwhile, the Xboat is picked up by a tender
for refuelling, maintenance and crew rotation."

GT: Starports also feels a need to weigh in on p13:

"Xboat stations are usually located at the edge of a star system, well
away from the gravity wells of worlds and stars. They always possess
powerful communications equipment, both radio and tight-beam, for
receiving and transmitting hundreds of communiques simultaneously. This
makes any Xboat station among the very first targets when a system is
invaded"