Re: Perfect Campaign Rules

Michael Blair asked:
> Speed of Communications
> What model do you use or imagine for your campaign settings? There
seem 
> to be four main models (unless someone knows better...):
> I.	Age of Sail (or Traveller) with slow communications only as fast
as a 
> ship and slow response times.
> II.	Age of Steam. Late Nineteenth Century. Quick communication to 
> planets (Hyper-Telegraph?) but slow to ships. Huge planet bound 
> communicators become a key target for raids.
> III.	Modern. Instant communications. Ships can receive fresh orders
at 
> any time, command can be 'real-time'.
> IV.	Instant communications and very fast ships. Ships are fast
enough to 
> be sent out as reinforcements to join an ongoing battle. A movement
rate 
> of at least one parsec per combat turn. I think this is faster than
even 
> modern air battles but I am not sure.

   I've been thinking of a campaign set in a star cluster where the
stars are close together, and travel to the nearest stars would take
a few months.  Communication would still be at the speed of light, say
a few days to the nearer stars.  This then would be fast communication
to planets and ships but ship travel would be slow, though your II. Age
of Steam would work also.

   How close are stars in a dense star cluster?  Would they be as close
as a few light days?

Enjoy,
Tom Granvold				<thomas.granvold@eng.sun.com>