View Single Post
  #6  
Old 02-23-2018, 08:13 AM
mmartin798 mmartin798 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 659
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt W View Post
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?
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.

Last edited by mmartin798; 02-23-2018 at 11:34 AM. Reason: additional content added
Reply With Quote