Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt W
The big problem I have with "American Outback" is economic. Who is buying all the cows? But there's an interesting possibility (or, at least I think it's interesting...)
The Ballooners have a vaguely 1920's technology. Believe it or not, that means they need MILLIONS of cows to make gasbags for their airships, as explained by this article
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...0-8782723.html
So, I propose a change in the module. Delete the "Inland Sea" and replace it with a Ballooner Base.
What do other people think? And do you have any other "plot holes" in the modules to be filled?
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If you assume they use just goldbeater's skin for the gasbags, you would need a huge amount of cows. But it is possible that they use the technique used in the Hindenburg and US airships. This is putting a gelatin film between two cotton sheets. Now you can utilize more of the cow to make gelatin in gasbag production and you utilize a large textile base as well.
Also, it should be possible to capture methane from the herd as well. Since methane is a decent lifting gas and was historically used when hydrogen and helium were scarce, this would be another item a ballooner base could supply the airships.
If you use this as the backdrop for American Outback, then you could have this be a ballooner advanced team setting up for maintenance of their fleet, or getting ready for the construction of new airships to serve a new ballooner clan being spawned by a large clan that has reached critical size.