Sometimes having a scientist spouse is inconvenient...

[gbmaz]

Nothing like starting out the day with a discussion of your favorite post apocalypse RPG with your PhD scientist spouse who happens to work with tritium (involved in all know fusion tech).

When I mentioned the fusion powered vehicles she reminded me that tritium has a half life of 12.35 years, meaning that unless there was over 12x as much tritium on board there would not be enough left to run the reactors after 150 years (tritium decays into a isotope of helium so you could fill lots radioactive party balloons). She thinks it would make more sense to have everything running on RTGs (radioactive thermal generators) with the improved tech being high efficiency batteries or electric motors. I avoided mentioning the HAMM suits at this point...

To avoid further disappointment I change the subject to the 4th Edition canon of the nuclear war being the result of conflicts over resources due to the recently discovered asteroid that is going to hit the earth. So....her graduate work involved radio astronomy and she worked at Kitt Peak Observatory where they do some of the only work trying to identify things in space that might hit the earth.

Apparently anything that is a threat would be seen much earlier than a year out and everything else is not a big threat. Stupid science!

I think tomorrow she gets decafe and I avoid describing my favorite role playing game's premise...

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by gbmaz

Nothing like starting out the day with a discussion of your favorite post apocalypse RPG with your PhD scientist spouse who happens to work with tritium (involved in all know fusion tech).

When I mentioned the fusion powered vehicles she reminded me that tritium has a half life of 12.35 years, meaning that unless there was over 12x as much tritium on board there would not be enough left to run the reactors after 150 years (tritium decays into a isotope of helium so you could fill lots radioactive party balloons). She thinks it would make more sense to have everything running on RTGs (radioactive thermal generators) with the improved tech being high efficiency batteries or electric motors. I avoided mentioning the HAMM suits at this point...

To avoid further disappointment I change the subject to the 4th Edition canon of the nuclear war being the result of conflicts over resources due to the recently discovered asteroid that is going to hit the earth. So....her graduate work involved radio astronomy and she worked at Kitt Peak Observatory where they do some of the only work trying to identify things in space that might hit the earth.

Apparently anything that is a threat would be seen much earlier than a year out and everything else is not a big threat. Stupid science!

I think tomorrow she gets decafe and I avoid describing my favorite role playing game's premise...

If they are Helium3 reactors to begin with?

[gbmaz]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

If they are Helium3 reactors to begin with?

Is that how they are described in the game? Perhaps I need to read further and she will be saved from the horrors of decafe.

[mmartin798]

While she is correct about the tritium, RTG would need a lot of help to replace fusion. If we take the best power to mass RTG produced and scale it up to provide the power needed to replace the C7 engine in a Stryker, the mass of the RTG would be 56.7 tonne. The C7 only comes in at 715 Kg. The power to mass ratio of the RTG would have to be improved by a factor of about 8000% to make the replacement. Aneutronic fusion make much more sense.

[gbmaz]

Originally Posted by mmartin798

While she is correct about the tritium, RTG would need a lot of help to replace fusion. If we take the best power to mass RTG produced and scale it up to provide the power needed to replace the C7 engine in a Stryker, the mass of the RTG would be 56.7 tonne. The C7 only comes in at 715 Kg. The power to mass ratio of the RTG would have to be improved by a factor of about 8000% to make the replacement. Aneutronic fusion make much more sense.

That is what I thought. RTG are fine for the low power requirements of space probes, but not some much when you need 100s of horsepower for an APC. Given the inclusion of time travel as a driver in the plot line, I do not think the fusion power units are much of a stretch.

Besides, it would suck to have to try and find fuel. The game would be reduced to distilling alcohol or making bio-diesel. Much more fun to ride around rebuilding society and fighting Krell, etc.

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by gbmaz

Besides, it would suck to have to try and find fuel. The game would be reduced to distilling alcohol or making bio-diesel. Much more fun to ride around rebuilding society and fighting Krell, etc.

According to Kevin Dockery..... this is why Morrow Equipment was given fusion power plants ....... All the playtest games devolved to hunting for fuel.

[cosmicfish]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

According to Kevin Dockery..... this is why Morrow Equipment was given fusion power plants ....... All the playtest games devolved to hunting for fuel.

That was always the problem I had playing Twilight 2000 - everything wound up focused on fuel production unless you handwaved it away somehow. Biggest downside to the game, by far.

I like D + 3He as a good solution for the Project - both the ingredients are stable and you can convert directly to electricity without a thermal transfer stage or mechanical motion. Add some appropriate handwaving to the exact methodology and you have something sufficiently plausible and consistent for a game.

[bobcat]

you could always go with Neutronium Annihilation plants. better power/mass ratio than antimatter or cold fusion and the existence of timetravel implies the ability to manipulate gravity sufficient to produce additional neutronium.