Re: Retrograde gimmickry

Laserlight wrote:
> The
> usual scenario would be "We pop out of FTL.  They detect us and
> send a message: We surrender, don't nuke us, what tribute would
> you like today?"

	This is similar to the situation in C.J. Cherryl's
	DOWNBELOW STATION.  All the colonies are large L5 style
	stations.  They are so incredibly fragile that they don't
	even pretend to take sides.  Any time a fleet appears,
	on whichever side, the station does whatever the fleet
	wants.

	The "Alderson point" system used in Niven & Pournelle's
	THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE et al was *specifically* designed
	by the writers so it would permit space battles to 
	plausibly exist.  As was the Langston field.

	Without the Alderson points (or a similar "chokepoint" system)
	it is impossible to intercept enemy fleets.  Empire A and
	Empire B send out their fleets and automatically destroy
	every enemy planet.  As a simulation: Boring!

	Without the Langston field, every weapon strike on a
	ship automatically destroys the ship.  Also Boring.