On 02Jun2020 1017, James Catchpole - jlcatchpole at googlemail.com (via
tml list) wrote:
> If Gurps Space has the same safer version, did it precede Gurps
> Traveller or follow it? If the former, it tells us nothing about Gurps
> Traveller except that LKW simply kept the same rule. If the latter,
> then he consciously made the change.
>
> Either way, the version in the original LBBS *does* make sense in the
> context of the original source - the Dumarest series. Where it doesn't
> make sense is as a routinely used tech for frozen watches on military
> ships, as Tom pointed out.
>
> So, either you can't use low berths as evidence of the darkness of the
> Third Imperium, because theirs are better, or the Third Imperium is
> really dark because their commercial low berths are as described even
> though better tech exists...
There's text somewhere that mentions in passing that the low berths were
originally intended for livestock (something also taken from Dumarest).
A certain loss rate in return for denser packing and no in-journey
upkeep costs is probably acceptable when transporting livestock and the
berths might also be more reliable when used on non-sapients. That
merchants can sell passage in such a system with no repercussions from
the authorities is still fairly grim, though.

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>