Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

[Urist]

Thank goodness 'we' are not being strictly realistic, then, because 2-gun and 3-gun turrets do look so much nicer!

And for the sake of further pedantry, mounting smaller (e.g. point-defense) weapons in multi-barrel turrets still does make good sense even in Outsider. For redundancy, a gunnery officer would probably appreciate being able to assign one turret per incoming target to reasonably assure destruction of a missile, and one relatively-easy way to accomplish that would be to mount 2 (or preferably 3) lasers per turret. Have them splay outwards from each other when firing *ever-so-slightly* and their beams will form a broad cone (thanks to unavoidable dissipation over distance). That way, it doesn't matter if the incoming missile is trying to dodge, or if your targeting solution on it isn't *quite* accurate; as long as it's within a rather wide area, it's getting shot down and the turret can be reliably re-tasked immediately after each shot without having to wait to confirm target destruction.

This also gives you some redundancy in case of random barrel malfunctions: if your Particle Cannon or Pulse Cannon misfires, that's a problem, but you've probably got time to fix it. If your point-defense laser (or plasma focus) misfires when taking a last-solon shot at an incoming missile, you might not be alive long enough to effect repairs. Having multiple barrels slaved to fire simultaneously at each target is a good way to avoid that issue.

[Arioch]

This also gives you some redundancy in case of random barrel malfunctions: if your Particle Cannon or Pulse Cannon misfires, that's a problem, but you've probably got time to fix it. If your point-defense laser (or plasma focus) misfires when taking a last-solon shot at an incoming missile, you might not be alive long enough to effect repairs. Having multiple barrels slaved to fire simultaneously at each target is a good way to avoid that issue.

Also, the beam weapons have cooldowns, so all the barrels can't be continuously firing simultaneously anyway. That doesn't preclude them from each being in an independent mount, but there isn't a strong disadvantage to grouping them, which is the cheaper option.

[SaintofM]

This also gives you some redundancy in case of random barrel malfunctions: if your Particle Cannon or Pulse Cannon misfires, that's a problem, but you've probably got time to fix it. If your point-defense laser (or plasma focus) misfires when taking a last-solon shot at an incoming missile, you might not be alive long enough to effect repairs. Having multiple barrels slaved to fire simultaneously at each target is a good way to avoid that issue.

Also, the beam weapons have cooldowns, so all the barrels can't be continuously firing simultaneously anyway. That doesn't preclude them from each being in an independent mount, but there isn't a strong disadvantage to grouping them, which is the cheaper option.

Going on this option, would something similar to the AA turrets on the Millenium Falcon work better, or something more like a rotary barrels such as a gatling gun?

[Arioch]

Going on this option, would something similar to the AA turrets on the Millenium Falcon work better, or something more like a rotary barrels such as a gatling gun?

The reason that a rotary cannon rotates is so that the barrels can share a common ammunition feeding mechanism while each is given a short time to cool down and reload while another barrel is shooting. In a beam weapon, I would imagine that the whole mechanism needs time to cool down and/or recharge for the next shot, and each beam emitter would have its own power supply. So while the beams in a multiple mount might fire in a spiral pattern, I don't think there's any need for the weapon to physically rotate.

The Loroi point-defense lasers have triple barrels that fire in a spiral pattern. Some of the quad mounts may fire in pairs with diagonally opposite barrels firing simultaneously, like an X-Wing... if only because it's cool. I have the ships with four twin pulse cannon mounts firing in that pattern for the same reason.

[SaintofM]

Going on this option, would something similar to the AA turrets on the Millenium Falcon work better, or something more like a rotary barrels such as a gatling gun?

The reason that a rotary cannon rotates is so that the barrels can share a common ammunition feeding mechanism while each is given a short time to cool down and reload while another barrel is shooting. In a beam weapon, I would imagine that the whole mechanism needs time to cool down and/or recharge for the next shot, and each beam emitter would have its own power supply. So while the beams in a multiple mount might fire in a spiral pattern, I don't think there's any need for the weapon to physically rotate.

The Loroi point-defense lasers have triple barrels that fire in a spiral pattern. Some of the quad mounts may fire in pairs with diagonally opposite barrels firing simultaneously, like an X-Wing... if only because it's cool. I have the ships with four twin pulse cannon mounts firing in that pattern for the same reason.

Sounds like it goes off like some ye olden volley guns. Alot of them can and would shoot all the barrels at once, but depending on a bunch of factors, they might go off in a rapid succession instead.

[Urist]

New question: Do loroi build museums at all similar to (modern) ones here on Earth?

On the one hand, given the way loroi society is described I'm not sure that there would be the same large 'customer base' of people who go to museums nowadays (most people who go to museums aren't experts/professionals in the field that the museum is dedicated to). Loroi warriors seem like they'd have other things to do with their time on leave, and I'm not sure they'd bother maintaining something like that for civilians. It's also possible that sanzai just makes physically displaying artifacts not all that impressive compared to just having a listel describe some bit of history to you.

On the other hand, many museums nowadays (especially if one stretches that definition to include outdoor installations) are military in nature: everything from preserved warships to battlefields & soldier-monuments. That seems like something the loroi might go for.

So, in particular, are there any preserved battlefields/weapons/ships/military camps (akin to the various Roman forts in various parts of Europe) maintained as museums on Deinar/Taben/Perrein?

[Arioch]

New question: Do loroi build museums at all similar to (modern) ones here on Earth?

On the one hand, given the way loroi society is described I'm not sure that there would be the same large 'customer base' of people who go to museums nowadays (most people who go to museums aren't experts/professionals in the field that the museum is dedicated to). Loroi warriors seem like they'd have other things to do with their time on leave, and I'm not sure they'd bother maintaining something like that for civilians. It's also possible that sanzai just makes physically displaying artifacts not all that impressive compared to just having a listel describe some bit of history to you.

On the other hand, many museums nowadays (especially if one stretches that definition to include outdoor installations) are military in nature: everything from preserved warships to battlefields & soldier-monuments. That seems like something the loroi might go for.

So, in particular, are there any preserved battlefields/weapons/ships/military camps (akin to the various Roman forts in various parts of Europe) maintained as museums on Deinar/Taben/Perrein?

I think that museums would be important to an insular self-obsessed culture like the Loroi. They would probably be mostly government-run rather than private, though I suppose wealthy civilian magnates might also set up privately-funded museums to show off their own personal collections. Most would be free to enter, and not particularly worried about commercial viability.

Loroi like to see things in person, preferring live performance to recordings, for example, and so I think that seeing works of art or historical objects in person would definitely have some appeal. Some (or maybe even most) historical museums are probably curated at least in part by male philosopher groups, who may incorporate physical relics or visual displays into their retellings of historical events.

[Quickdraw101]

I have both and answer and a question to something brought up earlier. In regards to scars and Prussians, given the mindset and culture of the Prussians, especially in regards to the military, even if they had the technology to remove scars, I don't see the vast majority of them doing it. Hamburgers, Hannoverans, Bavarians, and other Germans would. Prussians though? Absolutely not.

Now for my question; tourism. Say I wanted to visit various Loroi worlds, and go sightseeing in the forests, hills, and mountains mostly alone, and enjoy the peace and quiet of chirping Soia birds and crickets. Would I be under surveillance from Loroi Mizol Agents or whatever the law enforcement equivalent is if I slug a pack on my back and went a wandering through a nearby forest or rural area?

[Arioch]

Now for my question; tourism. Say I wanted to visit various Loroi worlds, and go sightseeing in the forests, hills, and mountains mostly alone, and enjoy the peace and quiet of chirping Soia birds and crickets. Would I be under surveillance from Loroi Mizol Agents or whatever the law enforcement equivalent is if I slug a pack on my back and went a wandering through a nearby forest or rural area?

It would depend on the locale and the circumstances. As a foreign national you would need a visa to visit a world under Loroi control; at this point in the story with the war going, such a visa would be hard to obtain, and if it were granted you can be certain that someone would be watching you at all times. If it were post-war and humans had become regular visitors to Loroi worlds, the situation might be different, and you might be able to wander unescorted. If you were wandering anywhere nearby a military installation, you can bet that someone will be aware of your location, though thanks to ultra-tech and telepathy they can do that without disturbing you by being in your line of sight. Some Loroi worlds have quite dangerous flora and fauna, so they might recommend a guide... and if you were some important dignitary, they might insist upon it.

[Bamax]

I was laughing at the current fate of a certain american nuisance streamer in south korea.

If, after the war, a human guy lpulled the kind of crap the american nuisamce streamer pulls in korea, how would the Loroi deal with him?
I was laughing in a video where people said he should try going to china... we would never see him again in America after pulling those same stunts.

Would they Loroi be inclined do the same (lock him up for years in prison for hard labor).

[Arioch]

I was laughing at the current fate of a certain american nuisance streamer in south korea.

If, after the war, a human guy lpulled the kind of crap the american nuisamce streamer pulls in korea, how would the Loroi deal with him?
I was laughing in a video where people said he should try going to china... we would never see him again in America after pulling those same stunts.

Would they Loroi be inclined do the same (lock him up for years in prison for hard labor).

If a human visitor started making trouble on a Loroi world, he would probably be fairly quickly arrested and deported. Even if he broke laws, I don't think they would want him in-country for any longer than was strictly necessary for some kind of due process, and the Loroi criminal justice system really isn't set up do deal with alien non-residents. They don't use imprisonment as a long-term punishment as it is impractical in a society of psionic individuals, and punishments like fines or revocation of privilege are not very meaningful against foreign aliens. I doubt they would use capital punishment except in the most egregious examples, as they would probably want to avoid an international incident. Better to make him someone else's problem. If he had made enough of a nuisance of himself (such as trying to pick fights) it's possible that some warrior might have killed him on the spot, but the Loroi authorities would not have been pleased about that.

However, "streaming" from distant star systems really isn't a practical thing, as there isn't an interstellar internet without FTL communication. One could shoot videos, but there is no established infrastructure to publish them, so the content would probably never reach the intended audience, as the streamer's devices would have been confiscated when he was arrested. Even in a hypothetical scenario in which regular trade had been established between humanity and the Loroi, the best that could be achieved would be to send videos as mail dispatches via courier, which would take weeks to months to even reach its destination and which could be subject to potential seizure at any port they passed through.

[digression] Adam Warren's Dirty Pair comics had a story that involved a journalist who used her own perceptions instead of an external recording device to create video reports (Warren's series rapidly morphed from space opera to cyberpunk); although they didn't go into detail about what kind of cybernetic implants she had, presumably she had some sort of Ghost in the Shell-style "cyber-brain" that allowed her to digitize, store and transmit video based on her sight and hearing. This kind of setup would be much harder to intercept or confiscate... but I wonder how "watchable" video captured in this way would be. Human eyesight only has good resolution in a very small circle at the center of our field of view, which is why we are constantly moving our point of focus around -- and I think that constant eye movement (and blinking, etc.) would be really unpleasant for a viewer. [/digression]

[Bamax]

If a human visitor started making trouble on a Loroi world, he would probably be fairly quickly arrested and deported. Even if he broke laws, I don't think they would want him in-country for any longer than was strictly necessary for some kind of due process, and the Loroi criminal justice system really isn't set up do deal with alien non-residents. They don't use imprisonment as a long-term punishment as it is impractical in a society of psionic individuals, and punishments like fines or revocation of privilege are not very meaningful against foreign aliens. I doubt they would use capital punishment except in the most egregious examples, as they would probably want to avoid an international incident. Better to make him someone else's problem. If he had made enough of a nuisance of himself (such as trying to pick fights) it's possible that some warrior might have killed him on the spot, but the Loroi authorities would not have been pleased about that.

However, "streaming" from distant star systems really isn't a practical thing, as there isn't an interstellar internet without FTL communication. One could shoot videos, but there is no established infrastructure to publish them, so the content would probably never reach the intended audience, as the streamer's devices would have been confiscated when he was arrested. Even in a hypothetical scenario in which regular trade had been established between humanity and the Loroi, the best that could be achieved would be to send videos as mail dispatches via courier, which would take weeks to months to even reach its destination and which could be subject to potential seizure at any port they passed through.

Johnny Somali does far worse than try to pick fights. He goes around to stores and throws food he buys on the ground and at staff. Carries a large stinky fish around near people. Goes to a sacred statue commemorating victims of WW2 and violates it (by pretending to have intercourse with it).

On top of that he live-streams taunting online for one of the country's famous people who was their version of a navy seal to come after him. And he did! Socked him in the face while he was live streaming. He was fined but did not have to pay himself because south koreans hate johnny so much they paid the assailant's fine and also paid for him to spend the night in a fancy hotel instead of jail lol.

Yeah.. I think if a human did all this and repeatedly taunted Fireblade or some other unstable but powerful Teidar to come after him he may very well end up in the not staying alive club.

[Arioch]

I am familiar with the antics of the subject in question.

[Bamax]

I am familiar with the antics of the subject in question.

I really think he would disappear on a Loroi world if he was not detained by authorities before doing all of... that.

And you can't tell me people don't occasionally... "disappear" (and I don't mean locked up) on Loroi worlds and no one knows where they are at.


That does not happen?

[Arioch]

I really think he would disappear on a Loroi world if he was not detained by authorities before doing all of... that.

And you can't tell me people don't occasionally... "disappear" (and I don't mean locked up) on Loroi worlds and no one knows where they are at.


That does not happen?

It's hard to imagine a scenario in which someone like that would ever have been admitted into Loroi territory in the first place. Humans are a bad example, as they have no access to Loroi territory and are not likely to gain it at any time in the foreseeable future. But even if it was a citizen of a Union member, like, say... an anti-Loroi Barsam activist... they don't have to give him a visa to visit Loroi territory, and even if they did, that visa can be revoked at any time for any reason.

While there are always exceptions, the Loroi aren't big on "disappearing people" -- if they dislike you enough to kill you, they kill you and don't try to hide the fact. Killing citizens of friendly foreign nations is problematic, which is why they try to avoid situations in which that may become necessary.

[Bamax]

I really think he would disappear on a Loroi world if he was not detained by authorities before doing all of... that.

And you can't tell me people don't occasionally... "disappear" (and I don't mean locked up) on Loroi worlds and no one knows where they are at.


That does not happen?

It's hard to imagine a scenario in which someone like that would ever have been admitted into Loroi territory in the first place. Humans are a bad example, as they have no access to Loroi territory and are not likely to gain it at any time in the foreseeable future. But even if it was a citizen of a Union member, like, say... an anti-Loroi Barsam activist... they don't have to give him a visa to visit Loroi territory, and even if they did, that visa can be revoked at any time for any reason.

While there are always exceptions, the Loroi aren't big on "disappearing people" -- if they dislike you enough to kill you, they kill you and don't try to hide the fact. Killing citizens of friendly foreign nations is problematic, which is why they try to avoid situations in which that may become necessary.

I see...so the Loroi are not Romulans. Speaking of.... they likely would not get along with the Romulan empire because of Romulans being the polar opposite of honesty.

At best they would tolerate them or ally with them if necessary.

Loroi have more in common with the Minbari of Babylon 5 than any other popular scifi TV race it seems.

[Gudo]

Is their low-light vision sufficiently better in your mind to warrant special rules or ability modifiers in a table top RPG?

In GURPS terms it qualifies as Night Vision, which is described thus:

Your eyes adapt rapidly to the darkness. You cannot see in total
dark - but if you have any light at all, you can see fairly well.
Whenever the GM exacts a penalty because of darkness, except for
total darkness, this penalty does not apply to you.

Have Lori populations on the other sister works also diverged enough to warrant special rules? Eg South East Asian “Sea Nomad” people have adaptations that improve their ability to operate in maritime environments. The Bajau can free dive up to 70 meters and operate at depth for up to the minutes or hold their breath for more than five. It seems plausible that the Taben population might have similar adaptations. Perhaps an abnormally high salt tolerance or dermal adaptations that prevent the loss of water through osmosis? No idea how those possible adaptations would translate to meaningful GRUPS abilities though.

[Arioch]

Have Lori populations on the other sister works also diverged enough to warrant special rules? Eg South East Asian “Sea Nomad” people have adaptations that improve their ability to operate in maritime environments. The Bajau can free dive up to 70 meters and operate at depth for up to the minutes or hold their breath for more than five. It seems plausible that the Taben population might have similar adaptations. Perhaps an abnormally high salt tolerance or dermal adaptations that prevent the loss of water through osmosis? No idea how those possible adaptations would translate to meaningful GRUPS abilities though.

There are none that I can think of that would be a) significant in game terms and b) ubiquitous to an entire population. For example, there are Amenal divers who have abilities that might be represented as advantages in GURPS such as increased pressure tolerance and ability to hold one's breath for longer than normal, but not all inhabitants of Amenal have them. So if I were running a campaign, these might be optional things that a player could buy for a character (along with PK power, etc.), but which would not be part of the standard racial kit.

[Snoofman]

What is the commanding officer of the Loroi vessel Clearbrook called? The one Talon speaks/shouts to briefly in the comic?

[GeoModder]

What is the commanding officer of the Loroi vessel Clearbrook called? The one Talon speaks/shouts to briefly in the comic?

I believe she is called, translated, "piss artist".