Running Games again gives me Peace.

 Why do running and playing TRPGs restore me so much? Why am I wired to love gaming? is 1 AM and I'm a buzz. I feel good when I 

1) !! Figure out what the Player wanted out of their turn and Figure how it can move the story along (Most important and the hardest). 

2) able to keep reasonable timelines for my NPCs and Events.  

3)  was able to manage my plot holes. (according to end game feedback). 

4) Balance the difficulty - give information - enough to act on if risk-taking but not enough if overly cautious.

our game ended at 12:30AM but we had about 20mins of Post Game feedback where I reveal my problems and where I had a hard time. 

Areas of Improvement

1) Time management - we ended at 12:30AM instead of 11:45PM. The main cause is #1 Figuring out what the player wanted in the Turn. And what they want to do and how to Make it move the story forward. I need to have a better process of figuring it out - a set of questions to ask the player about their turn. 

Efficiency Curve - I have to make a Chart on the Efficiency Curves.

So the Thrust to Weight Ratio determines an Efficiency Curve for the Mass Ratio (Fuel to total Mass of the Ship). The weaker the engine the smaller the total amount of 

Today I Learned the Following:

1. Mass Ratio: Payload (cargo, controls, and life support) to Propulsions (engine and fuel) has a steep curve at 1:3 to 1:10. Dont need to exceed 1:10, the sweet spot is 1:3. 
2. I need More Engines as I start pushing past 1:3 Payload to Propulsion Ratio. 
   
3. There is an Efficiency Ratio of Engine to Propulsion. I'm not sure what it is but probably 1:3 - One part engine and 3 parts Fuel at the max. 
4. The THRUST TO WEIGHT and of course the Specific Impulse (Which is the miles-per-galon or Km per Liter metric of the Engine) - the RAPTOR Engine at 200 T2W ratios is a crucial point before we can hit 5 Kms and above economically. 200 T2W to 2000 T2W is crucial in TL8 to TL9. Before the time we Hit 2000 T2W we will be hitting some additives to fuel - probably suspended metals or other stuff that go boom under the same temp. 
5. 0G manufacturing - developing new Nano-Built materials will be crucial in the chamber pressure, reusability, heat management, and so many factors in making an engine get more powerful. 

Then I figured out I should Chart by Delta-V and Ratio. 

TL 7

TL8 Engines

TL9 Engines

Its all about the Mass, Structure of Ships

 Instead of Distributed Hull, I will be changing the terms so that the reader can easily transition to the harder SciFi. I'm no expert I'm an IT professional specializing in Consensus Building and Interpersonal Skills and Organization. 

Changes in Terms. 

Ship 

this is any vehicle capable of weeks of travel. Like ships and planes of present day context of the role of the vehicle really speaks of what its stats are going to be like. Key stats of a ship is its Structure measured in mass Tons of Capacity, its Delta-V Budget, and aspects of its Endurance in terms of Life Support, and Self-sustaining Capacity.

Structure

Instead of Hull we organize the understanding of the ship around Structure. This is because the Default Structure in a TL9 Hardscifi Intrastellar Game is an Open Frame. Anything with an Airframe or Fully Enclosed (as you can have sub-enclosures in an Open frame Design) serves a special purpose.  

The change of term happened because there is no enclosure and there is no hull to speak of. 

An Important Change is that a Structure is Measured by its Capacity to Hold X amount of mass Tons (1000 kg per Ton) up to 7Gs. So a 1000 mass-Ton or mTon Structure can hold 1000 Tons of Mass.

Structure and Modules

So the Structure is the ship is the MEDIUM by which Modules will be selected. Modules are broken up into SECTIONS: Sub-Structures, Engineering, Life-Support, Cargo, Fuel, Armaments, and Controls. 

Substructure is a general catch-all term for other enclosures within the Open Frame of the ship. 

Controls include the Bridge, Sensors, Electronics, and Computers. 

Engineering is Power, Heat-Disapators/Radiators, Propulsion, Workshops dedicated for Ship needs, and Repair Drones. Non-human waste is part of Engineering as recycling and reuse and reprocessing is part of Engineering. 

Fuel is considered a separate section because fuel systems can be modular - added and removed depending on the configuration of the ship. 

Life Support includes Cabins, Rad Shelters, Food Production or Storage, Water, and Air recycling and production. Food production modules are part of life support. Human Waste recycling and management is part of life support. 

Cargo can be Enclosures or Open Frames depending on the needs. When Cargo starts having an atmosphere to be maintained then it becomes Life Support.  

Open Frame

Open Frame or Wire Frame is known in Cepheus as Distributed Hull is the Default Hull. I benchmarked these against 20ft containers which is 7% the weight is rated to Carry, as the Structure get bigger to 100 KiloTon structures this % increases. 

Open frame systems are Re-configurable and easily modified for roles as needed. 

Enclosed Hull

This is what would be "Standard" in Cepheus Engine. This will be found in more Advanced worlds when humans discover interstellar Travel and have matured in harnessing Intrastellar resources and technology. by the time enclosed hulls become cost-effective so much technology has developed, but before then parts of the ship will be enclosed and sections are connected with compartmentalized passages. 

Air Lift Body 

These are structures designed for atmospheric lift. This is not limited to Planes but includes Airships (like the Airlander https://g.co/kgs/a5op4H ). Dense Thermospheres or Upper Stratospheres of gas giants will be the most likely usage of this outside of earth and venus.  

Personal Notes on Target Market

I realize rocket science is intimidating. I personally dont know many scientists, particularly physicists. I honestly am out of my depth but I will give you my notes and how I am figuring it out. I, unfortunately, cannot give people the confidence of an Expert but the Setting and how I imagine this game to be is all about people who are scared, intimidated, and know they are going into something they may not be good at or may not excel at. 

The target market are people who dont mind being wrong, learning as they go, making mistakes, and can easily see the value of someone correcting them and be able to correct others in a charitable way. One of my concerns is that Science is only for the people ALREADY SMART, already expert, already capable. I think science and TRPGs can be something for a person who will get it wrong a lot, but are among friends or friendly peers who will help them know better as well as help other figure things out. 

Just know that I too dont know what I'm doing, I can understand I may not communicate these concepts well but I can take feedback - do manage not to die cringing from the humiliation every time I listen to myself run a game, I think I can take some corrections. 

This is Scifi for the guys who want to know but the rest of the class and even the teachers dont think they can understand it. Trying to understand but lacking the means or people who would help them.  

Mass Flow Rate and Specific Impulse Studies

 

With this, I should be able to guess the Amount of FUEL consumed for a Burn. 

Knowing how much fuel is consumed I can get the Delta-V budget of a Given fuel amount. 

1. Specific Impulse - Easy Way to Understand Jets and Rockets

1. 

2. - impulse already has the Mass Flow Rate factored. 

3. ForceThrust (Newtons) =Gravity Constant (9.807m/s)ImpulseSpecificMass Flow Rate (kg/second)

4. N=9.807m/sImpulseSpecific(Kg/sec)

5. 
   
   
   

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvAf-Xouj8s&t=498s 

3. The video then talks about better Impulse with slower rockets

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_impulse 

5. 

Today I learned more about Thrust to Weight Ratio

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust-to-weight_ratio

I had to Study the Basics of Thrust to Weight. Sorry I'm juggling a lot, but DO KNOW you can correct me because if you decide to Invest in our book you know I'm also trying to figure it out and what I've come up with is the best at the time. 

Tedious things I have to do for Hard Scifi - BENCHMARK all the rockets so when I make a REACTION DRIVE plugin Cepheus Engine I can also Publish the Spreadsheet for people who will get it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_orbital_rocket_engines This data set will be used. 

Take Away

1. I'm getting PRACTICE with working with Newton's Thrust. Also a lot of ways to Double Check my calculations. Other than friends commenting if my numbers look ok, Nicco only who can look at the spreadsheets prior to the book being finished. 
2. TL6-9 Liquid Rocket Benchmarks will be benchmarked from around a T2W ratio. from 20s to +1000s or more as we go to greater Nuclear Rockets. 
3. 
   

To Do

1. I have to get the thrust to weight ratio for Turbo/Fan Jet Engines. I plan to do is one of the break throughs of TL9 engines are Flexible Role Engines, engines sacrificing efficiency (T2W) to be able to fly in the atmosphere of Venus, Mars, gas Giant habitats (floating cities on Uranus and Neptune will have a gravity of 0.9 to 1.13 gravities and lower even as these will be at the edge of the stratosphere).  
   
   
   
2. Have a DENSITY Assumption for CEPHEUS ENGINE ships. 
3. relearn Burn Time and Mass Flow Rate. Basically Fuel consumption. Because this is TIME to Accelerate which is equal to the Delta-V Budget. 
4. Cost the Fuel. I don't need to get the REAL World Fuel I just need to Get the Fuel in Cepheus Engine which is 500Cr per Dton or 35Cr per vTon (Volume-Ton  or 1 cubic meter)
5. Unfortunately, I will be switching over to METRIC instead of the Confusing DTONS with my Cepheus Plug so that People can start getting used to Talking in Mass-Tons Volume Tons and Talking about Size in KiloTons or Heka Tons. 

Today I learned about some basics the Stats of Rockets

 

0G Manufacturing is Nano-Technology

1. https://rootsofprogress.org/where-is-my-flying-car 
2. 0G manufacturing is ASSEMBLING and FORMING material before Gravity distorts the structure that will be set or cured. 
3. Now imagine manufacturing on Orbiting on Luna. With the Moons gravity, a Free-Fall station can be built with almost 0G conditions OR the lower G of Luna would allow some processes and techniques to manipulate the Structure of Aluminum, Steel, Silica, etc... Vacuum also allows energy and forces to act on an object without energy seeping away. 
4. Now Imagine the Chamber Pressure, Thermals, Wear-and-Tear (reusability) of Materials thanks to being able to shame its nano-structure. 
1. More Reusable - instead of 20 uses, thousands of uses. 
2. Higher Chamber Pressure - higher Thrust to Weight Ratio 
3. Higher temperature and operating efficiency - higher Impulse? 

Reflecting on Venus and Mars Terraforming: Space Elevators are Yggdrasil and Mirror Swarms its Leaves and Biome.

I prefer the Idea of Cloud Habitats and a few hundred Habitats orbiting in its thermosphere with Tethers and Electromagnetic funnels drawing gasses as for reaction mass and fuel in the first 1000 years.  Generations of ships every 50 to 100 years getting rebuilt more efficient and effective. 

Imagine these giant cylinders hundreds of meters in diamater with powerful industires in its 0G core, with humans living in its spinning outer layer orbiting in the Thermosphere collecting gasses with Eletromagnetic Fields. Hundreds of them in contrast to the surface of Venus, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn etc... Hundreds of thousands of such vessels collecting and refining fuel. Fuel that is uses reacted to travel the distances of the Giants and Planets. 

As well Smart Mirrors mass-driven from the Luna cooling it and making a Ring. Instead of imagining a Solid Mirror, imagine a Smart Swarm of Mirrors that are self-replicating - drawing from Intersystem Trade (from Belt to Venus).  The reason people would invest in Smart Mirrors in Venus is slowly cool it allowing more CO2 extraction technologies. 

The Space Elevator is the tree with its leaves the and tree-top biom being the Mirror Swarms. Butterflies, Birds, and beings of Silica sailing on Light and some reaction mass - One swarm drawn to the Earth, Venus and mars  and needing the Light of the sun to counter this fall - sending that light to another Swarm focusing and controlling the light from the Sun so that the Swarm near the Planet can use that reflected light. Like a LIVING ring and Aurora across the sky. A Virtuous cycle - the Mirror Swarm stabalizing the Planet and the Tree - the Space Elevator - sustaining the Swarm. 

The economic role of Venus is a place for Fuel.  After finishing  Bradley C Edwards Space elevator - I realized Space elevators sent to Venus (slinging a Space elevator to Venus using the earth's own Delta-V inertia) the elevator's purpose is to collect Carbon for Venuse's Ice Moon - and ICE moon that would Shade it - as it would be Tidaly/Gravitationaly Locked if ever the Smart Mirror Swarm (that bounce and focus light from the forces of the Sun and Venus' gravity) ever fail. 

I think if Venusians and Mars grow to Tens of Billions - shepherding the Mirror Swarm (Mars also shepherds Mirror swarms), Building Additional Space Elevators, selling Reaction Mass and Tech to Mars (https://www.quora.com/If-it-were-possible-to-collect-half-of-the-atmosphere-of-Venus-and-deposit-it-on-Mars-would-this-make-both-planets-more-habitable) - it would be possible to 

Transfering enough carbon dioxide from Venus to mars would mean adding 

Runaway Terraforming - particularly Organism that absorbs much of the CO2 at amounts that form continents and render it inert, while most of it is moved to Venus's ICE moon. Alternate Settings where some radical projects and social change allowed Mars and Venus to be Habitable in a few thousand years. 

What's interesting here is not to think Humans have compounding Technology but many cycles of Entropy and Reorganization - an organism that gets remade, with a vague memory of the past. That the series of social upheavals - Mars and Venus has 1 Atm and a Living Mirror Swarm that needs its attention to survive and balance its Ecology. Space Elevators as Temples of some Lost Civilization that provide the nutrients for the Mirror Swarms.  

The Space Elevators and Mirror Swarms - evolve as a Hive Mind that cultivates life in Venus, Earth, and Mars. Humanity may have gone extinct but the Space Elevators 

The Space Elevators become Yggdrasil -the Great World Tree-  and the Mirror Swarms as its living leaves and upper Biome shepherding Life in an ages when humans are forgotten. 

The mirror swarms and Yggdrasil would send swarm against dangerous life-ending asteroids or CATCH and consume asteroids and comets when they come close enough. It becomes an ORGANISM itself. 

Simple Behavioral Mechanics

 I have a SIMPLE bad mood Mechanic. 

We have personalities that make us have a Bad mood as related to our dislikes. If I like Games and dont get to play them I am in a (various degrees of bad) mood. 

My likes and Dislikes predict what will get me into a BAD mood. 

Every degree of bad mood affects my behavior and decisions. 

There are two common strategies (not the only two) - Process it OR Defer it (aka Distract from it). A common Distraction is something Pleasurable - again this depends on my personality what gives me pleasure as well as other Attention shifting strategies. 

Then there is PROCESSING it and the most common type of processing is Talking about it, then there is talking about it with oneself in writing, and then there is Reflection and meditation. 

Deferring it is FAST and the go-to given most circumstances since we have very Spare or scarce attention. Processing eliminates the Cause and Reshapes the personality but takes the most time and INACCESSIBLE for most people because of a lack of relationships, time, or access to sources. 

Lately, I've made any "Disadvantage" or Trait where the character has to behave in a particular way affect their mood and their mood will distract them and change their behavior. They can be hostile, unfriendly, or distracted and troubled. 

I found it interesting to Role-play because basically, that's how my personality works. 

Stuff that sucks - makes me feel bad. I can either process it or defer it. Most of the time, because of the scarcity of time and knowledge I defer it, most of my personal improvement and change comes from Processing it. 

Its like a story where We confront our behavior and our behavior leads us down interesting stories. Stories about who we are and with the opportunity to process we come out of it differently - grown. 

Not tackled is the vicious cycle when our bad mood leads us dark paths and we let these bad decisions Define us. That tricky thing about permanent and changeable: Are we changeable? Are we permanently this way? Does bad actions make us Bad People? Or can Good people do bad things? 

In the end - Time and Opportunity determine how well we can Process or Defer our Problems. 

I basically threw out the GURPS disadvantage control numbers in the game and said: IF you don't act like your character you feel shitty - and you role play being shitty. 

An honest person not being honest feels shitty, greedy not getting hustling feeling shitty, people who fail their own codes feeling shitty, etc... People are not 100% their trait but they feel bad when they don't live up to it. The Vegan Pacifist will eat some cheese and throw a punch - but will feel BAD when he does.

ROLE PLAY Feeling BAD - that's fucking MIND BLOWING - when have we asked or stepped into someone's bad mood, feeling shitty, loss, confusion, dissonance, etc...

And OMG that's so effective - it makes more sense "We do what we do because we are avoiding feeling shitty" (Oversimplified of course). 

So even the characters where Players intentionally choose "SAFE Disadvantages" they are STATIC - nothing to PUSH no Issues, no ideals, no beliefs, nothing - the character is NOTHING - our problems - the disadvantages or traits that PUSH us to Action are Important. 

These are our FLAWS our FLAWS are us - if a character is Completely STABLE then they are stagnant. They DO NOT ACT! They do not CHANGE! They ATROPHY! they fall into Viscious Cycles!

It makes you realize why in nature there are Humans with Higher Risk Appetites - who like to venture to the Unknown (like my Dad, gamblers, risk takers, Idealists, Scientists, Adventurers etc...). 

Psychological Traits will BORE most people, Combining Psychology, Storytelling, and Engineering is not respectable - especially when one argues that our flaws and irrationality is the seed for a Virtuous Cycle - like the first Life - by random accident of nature and its cycles - some bunch of elements got together and began to replicate itself. Our irrationality - the behavior that is sub-optimal - is life and is us changing and making ourselves and others better off. 

Books Finished: Beguilement and Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen.

Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

its a romance story more than a fantasy story. as romances go (which is not my preferred genre and i have limited experience) I found it interesting - because I assume people miscommunicate more often than intended and tend to have a low center of gravity when it comes to trust and empathy. I just have too many biases to enjoy a romance - it helps that the characters are extremely empathic.

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Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Its a romance story but complicated, polyamorous relationships are not conventional - for those who cannot understand where it fits it helps to see humans as systems and are made up of many pieces with its own needs and requirements - never perfect, stable, or very predictable.
I'm not a person who comes from such a disposition but I can understand how in some way we all draw different relationships from different people and the combinations are endless - from professional camaraderie to physical intimacy or recreational physical exercises - there are many needs and expressions humans need to experience to be able to identify more of its self.

Its a simple love story with a lot of backstory that may make a reader not immediately get it.

I like how the author portrays love and its weird and strange forms and relationships.

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Books inspire my games and makes me go through iterations of conditions and systems and how such play out, while I do analyze the Authors storytelling technique for tips and tricks. 

The Space Elevator: A Revolutionary Earth-to-Space Transportation System by Bradley C. Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is very educational for me as I write my own scifi and like running TRPG sessions in Near Future Scenarios. One of the main strengths of this book is the refernces and calculations of the requirements for such. The book doesnt go into Political and Economic development - which I recommend "Where is my Flying Car" and the details regarding 0G manufacturing and Nano technology used in 0G manufacturing - there is not much on 0G manufacturing.
Weaknesses would be alternatives to Carbon Nano Tubes - but I do agree that that would be out of scope - and anyway if you have the patience you can work back the math to figure out alternatives like Alloys X better than steel, kevlar, etc... as we progress to a space elevator.


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