 May 27, 2011 - 5:36am | a recent thread discussed the Black Hole movie as a possible SF adventure RE: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/5204 I was just reading John Macvey's, "Time Travel" (which is deceptively titled book on physics) With the caveat that the book is 20 years old and the science might be out of date due to new observations and theories 2 items stood out in the discussion on using black holes as a catalyst for time travel: 1. black holes are a "copious producers of x-rays"; this is one means by which they can be located and it has implications for maneuvering close to one ie that ships need to be shielded or the crew wearing shielding and pregnant scientist need not apply for this mission. 2. It seems that as you get closer to a black hole the intense gravitational field distorts not only space but time, it slows time down. if a ship was to "dip" in close to the black hole it could in effect travel into the future as time for the ship would slow while the rest of the universe raced on. It would be a oneway trip. The first item, is something that is easily handled with adding the appropriate equipment but the second is rife with potential for plot hooks and adventure; rescue operation of a craft that cant pull free from the black hole allows people to step out of the past. PCs fleeing star law can escape into the future, etc. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 27, 2011 - 7:16am | Andromeda Ascendant Oh humans!!  We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
August 1, 2011 - 6:57am | If the gravitational pull of a black hole is stronger the closer you are to it perhaps a rough scale of designating black holes as S# (S being strength and the # being typically 3-8 would represent the distance in hexes that a ship would feel that gravity) For example a S3 black hole would effect ship at 3 hexes buy pulling them 1to hex closer, at 2hexes it pulls them 2 to hexes and at 1 hex it pulls them 3 hexes. Naturally a ship needs thrust to counteract this pull or it will enter the event horizon. Trying to think of how this would work out in game: 1. If a ship was moving speed 20 and entered the outer edge of the BH's effect I'd say cause the ship to simply slow by 1. Conversely a ship should be able to use the gravity well for acceleration and sling shot maneuvers too. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
