“I know what you mean. The vets' called them “gnomes”. The locals called them “gnomo”. Sometimes you hear “gnomu”. In most languages it is “gnome” or “gnom”. They're little robots, about a quarter of a metre or less. Most are like stout crabs or tailless lobsters; woodlice, perhaps. Some are like helmets with legs, like […]
When I was a boy, the existence of planets outside of our solar system had yet to be confirmed. There were some observations of Barnard's Star that seemed to suggest there was a planet there, but that was about it. Now we have confirmed the existence of more than 1,800 extra-solar planets, or “exoplanets”. Sometimes […]
The 15/25mm CISW (Crewed Infantry Support Weapon), aka “Multicannon”, was developed by a Belgium company, although inspiration was obviously drawn from the much earlier American XM307 (High-Tech 4e p.144). As is not unusual on the THS worlds, a number of companies produce similar or identical weapons, with or without a license. The CISW is an […]
Version 3.5 Following my blog adding some depth to the subject of energy cells, I thought I might give a similar treatment to that of storage media. Transhuman Space 3e p.141: “Portable data-storage units are teradisks (TDs). Each holds 10 TB and is the size of a sugar cube. $5, 0.01 lb. Old holodisks are […]
Reno, Nevada, USA, Earth: 6th March 2099: “A gen-yu-iyne locked room mystery!” Carter announced. “Pretty much!” agreed Chang. “Cameras show no one leaving all night. Keycard log confirms it.” “Cameras and records can be hacked…” “True, but we also have views from independent cameras out on the street. Need to be very thorough to remember […]
The term “future city” may conjure up images of vast urban expanses filled with towering skyscrapers and neon. A “megacity” is defined as a city with a population of ten million or more. With a current world population of more than 7.5 thousand million it is perhaps surprising that the Earth has only 47 megacities. […]
Version 2.6.5 This started out simply as an attempt at creating better tables for the blog. It has turned into a more detailed look at energy cells in Transhuman Space. Most of this is not needed for gameplay but the extra detail does help flesh out the background. THS 3e on Energy Cells Page 140 of […]
Mikku 9mm Caseless The Mikku is a semi-automatic handgun (“tabanja”) manufactured and most commonly encountered in the Islamic Caliphate. It uses the same electric-ignition 9mm caseless round as the Enkidu machine pistol. The Mikku is usually issued to non-combat personnel such as officials, administrators and senior officers. Wearing, or just owing a Mikku, is regarded […]
Gyroflares, aka gyrobeacons are a signalling device. It serves as a flying strobe light or non-incendiary flare. To use a gyroflare the container is placed on a level surface or held firmly. A small charge launches the gyroflare several yards up into the air. This gives the gyroflare sufficient time to deploy its rotors and […]
I will add more details at a later date. Blogger always mucks up tables and I do not have the time or temperament today. In the meantime, the grenade launcher pages of High-Tech 4e will prove useful, particularly the section on the M29 on p.144. Whilst mini-missiles are a very common weapon in 2100 they […]