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	Archive through June 20, 2014	25		06/20 08:48pm

I wonder how many of those square kilometers are currently inhabited and how much more is inhabitable.

I mean, obviously you can't get much population density on the edge of a mountain cliff... even if people have live there.

A very large area of Hydran land mass might be readily habitable.

By Terry O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - 05:29 am: Edit

What's the radius of hydrax?

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - 08:31 am: Edit

Hydrax has a diameter of about 25,709km

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - 04:27 pm: Edit

Earth's diameter is 12,750 km. Total surface area = 4 pi r^2 = 510 million square kilometers.

For Hydrax, the total surface area is 2,075 million square kilometers.


Garth L. Getgen

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - 10:43 pm: Edit

The total surface area listed in MPA is 2,140,400,000 sq km.

I'm thinking that either Hydrax's stated "land" area is too small, that the listed population numbers are indeed too large, or that both may be the case.

As for how much of that "land" area may be habitable, MPA states that Hydrax's biosphere is a harsh and turbulent one, and that its "geological" processes are quite restive by Class-M standards (since the floating "landmasses" risk colliding, merging, or breaking apart quite rapidly relative to continental drift on worlds like Earth). So there would certainly be issues in terms of where, or even when, a population of Hydrans could live on a given "landmass" even with technological assistance.

(For those so interested who haven't seen it already, MPA is currently listed on Warehouse 23.)

By Terry O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - 11:02 pm: Edit

Hydrax is really only 2.5 hexes wide? Seems quite small.

If 2% is land, that's only 41,528,881.74 sq. km, which is less than Earth. That's way too small.

If 25,709 km is the radius, then we get a total land area (2% of surface) of 166,115,526.96 sq. km, which seems much more reasonable, especially given the high energy demands of Hydran metabolism. They'd need lots of farmland. Or else they fish like crazy.

Edit: If Class-S gas giants are supposed to be as big as Neptune or Uranus, then the diameter given is just plain wrong - these planets have radii (not diameters) of ~24kkm and ~27kkm respectively.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, June 22, 2014 - 08:17 pm: Edit

If 25,709 km is the radius, is the planet not 5 hexes wide?

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, June 22, 2014 - 08:31 pm: Edit

Yes, but 25,709, according to module Prime Alpha (?), is the diameter, not the radius.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Sunday, June 22, 2014 - 08:40 pm: Edit

One thing to consider is that gas giants are measured a little different than rocky planets. Their diameters are measured at the upper reaches of their atmospheres. In the case of Hydrax there is a surface area within this diameter. (something gas giants are not normally considered to have).

So the data given might be the surface diameter where as the atmospheric diameter (the measure of a regular gas giant) is somewhat larger.

Of course, one would then wonder about the atmospheric pressures Hydrans live at. If it is too great there would be some serious inconsistencies of starship environments that would certainly have game consequences so it can't be too much atmosphere above them.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 12:06 am: Edit

Hydrax is supposed to be the size of Uranus, if I recall correctly.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 02:40 am: Edit

Perhaps someone got radius and diameter confused in the publication.

By Robert Kroyer (A88mph) on Monday, February 13, 2017 - 01:22 am: Edit

I was looking into the D20 modern version of Prime Directive since I imagine it's like D&D 3.5 more or less. Am I wrong?

And if I'm right, I read reviews of the D20 modern core rules that ADB's site links to is criticized for not having a Combat or an Equipment section. Are these addressed in PD's main book?

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Monday, February 13, 2017 - 09:02 am: Edit

Robert, combat between people is covered in the main book. The equipment that is unique to the SFU is covered in our book, but there's no need to list clothing and such things again.

People are not happy that we didn't include a starship combat system. Sadly, that would mean including something along the lines of Federation Commander or ACTASF, and that isn't do-able. We included information about how particular officers would affect combat within FC or Star Fleet Battles. (ACTASF hadn't been created at the time, but it doesn't do duels well and one ship's actions in a fleet wouldn't affect much.)

By John Hall (Fedf111fan) on Thursday, May 04, 2023 - 12:31 am: Edit

For GURPS Prime Directive 4E+, on aging pg 31 & 240,
it mentions charts for age ranges for different species. I do not see them. I know Carnivons live quite a bit shorter, while vulcans and seltorians can/do live a lot younger for example. Were the charts ever published or are most species considered to live about the same expecentacy give or take several years?

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Thursday, May 04, 2023 - 02:37 pm: Edit

The aging thresholds are listed under species that are affected.