I thought this was most appropriate to this area of the forum - as for me, longtime (VERY longtime, since 1980) Traveller referee and player, first off I greatly appreciate this site and those who post - thank you all.
Alright, to the point: From classic adventure 4,
Ganulph X200000-0
"[Ganulph]...was originally inhabited by a society that had attained tech...5. During the Fourth Frontier War, it was garrisoned by Imperial Marines as an advanced base, including a major munitions store. In early 1084 all life on the planet, and its atmospheric envelope, was destroyed in the Manoeuvre of Ganulph..." (Zhodani forces operating out of the far-flung Zho colony at Pa'an in the Outrim Void area of Trojan Reach skirmished with the Imperial forces in the region, namely the Egyrn subsector. A "resupply" base on Ganulph was destroyed by a Zho attack, and "certain experimental weapons" exploded)
Ganulph lost its atmosphere and is now radioactive.
A4 Leviathian has always been one of my preferred adventures. That's why it's rather important to address the Ganulph question.
That question - Although the detonation of large amounts of nuclear weapons (I imagine naval missiles and the "experimental" items) will certainly poison a world at least for a while, I find it a bit difficult to believe that the atmosphere will be blown away.
-Is this (complete loss of atmos) even possible, without some Ancient magical do-hickey, especially considering that the world size will need increased in order to have a thin atmosphere in the first place? (big tip of the hat to Malenfant the Amazing for that revelation - you sir will help revolutionize our beloved Traveller, for the better)
-If it is possible, it must require far more or far larger nuclear devices than currently on earth (i.e. a truly large number; it seems most Traveller nukes are not the 10-20 MT biggies). Or could it be the experimental device? First, I abhor attributing every head scratcher to "Ancients" or "mysterious devices". I do that as little as possible. Second, why would said device EVER be stored on a backwater forward base, near a known area of Zho ops, guarded (as noted in Adv 4 Leviathan) by a light cruiser? A 'shatterer-of-worlds' would never be found in that place (esp since the desperate fighting was coreward, not rimward)- especially considering that it's not Imperial territory to begin with.
Pardon me, I digress - the atmosphere problem is the question here. I might propose, tenatively and prematurely,
Ganulph X54?000-0 as a result of a missile (and perhaps one or two experimental models) storage depot explosion. Hydro prob. 20-50% area, atmos thin but heavily contaminated, world surface dangerous with many fission products. But even this would not last forever...the loss of surface life would no doubt affect the atmosphere in the long term though (UNLESS the O2 producing bacterial are resistant to heavy radiation - that I don't know)
...
I first purchased Leviathan in 1981 or 82, it has long been one of my favorites. The theme is irresistable - exploring the unknown. The Ganulph question always comes up when I peruse that great adventure. I'm curious for your thoughts.
...
Thanks a million in advance! If only we had this site (indeed, internet!) back then...
Alright, to the point: From classic adventure 4,
Ganulph X200000-0
"[Ganulph]...was originally inhabited by a society that had attained tech...5. During the Fourth Frontier War, it was garrisoned by Imperial Marines as an advanced base, including a major munitions store. In early 1084 all life on the planet, and its atmospheric envelope, was destroyed in the Manoeuvre of Ganulph..." (Zhodani forces operating out of the far-flung Zho colony at Pa'an in the Outrim Void area of Trojan Reach skirmished with the Imperial forces in the region, namely the Egyrn subsector. A "resupply" base on Ganulph was destroyed by a Zho attack, and "certain experimental weapons" exploded)
Ganulph lost its atmosphere and is now radioactive.
A4 Leviathian has always been one of my preferred adventures. That's why it's rather important to address the Ganulph question.
That question - Although the detonation of large amounts of nuclear weapons (I imagine naval missiles and the "experimental" items) will certainly poison a world at least for a while, I find it a bit difficult to believe that the atmosphere will be blown away.
-Is this (complete loss of atmos) even possible, without some Ancient magical do-hickey, especially considering that the world size will need increased in order to have a thin atmosphere in the first place? (big tip of the hat to Malenfant the Amazing for that revelation - you sir will help revolutionize our beloved Traveller, for the better)
-If it is possible, it must require far more or far larger nuclear devices than currently on earth (i.e. a truly large number; it seems most Traveller nukes are not the 10-20 MT biggies). Or could it be the experimental device? First, I abhor attributing every head scratcher to "Ancients" or "mysterious devices". I do that as little as possible. Second, why would said device EVER be stored on a backwater forward base, near a known area of Zho ops, guarded (as noted in Adv 4 Leviathan) by a light cruiser? A 'shatterer-of-worlds' would never be found in that place (esp since the desperate fighting was coreward, not rimward)- especially considering that it's not Imperial territory to begin with.
Pardon me, I digress - the atmosphere problem is the question here. I might propose, tenatively and prematurely,
Ganulph X54?000-0 as a result of a missile (and perhaps one or two experimental models) storage depot explosion. Hydro prob. 20-50% area, atmos thin but heavily contaminated, world surface dangerous with many fission products. But even this would not last forever...the loss of surface life would no doubt affect the atmosphere in the long term though (UNLESS the O2 producing bacterial are resistant to heavy radiation - that I don't know)
...
I first purchased Leviathan in 1981 or 82, it has long been one of my favorites. The theme is irresistable - exploring the unknown. The Ganulph question always comes up when I peruse that great adventure. I'm curious for your thoughts.
...
Thanks a million in advance! If only we had this site (indeed, internet!) back then...