Steve Jackson Games Forums - Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

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- - Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=166535)

tshiggins

12-05-2019 06:49 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by thrash (Post 2298707)

Statistically, at least, you are going to have a hard time finding anything very different from regular, remnants-of-planet-formation asteroids. The Earth's whole crust is roughly 0.5% of its total mass. The portion where interesting geological processes have occurred is even smaller.

Pallasite meteorites demonstrate that the results of unlikely events can be found, but it's hard to base an entire industry around them. Larry Niven's stasis boxes (e.g.) were a useful narrative device precisely because they were detectable without a lifetime of searching for each one.

Niven also had monopole magnets, made from ferrous metals that aggregated in the absence of a planetary magnetic field.

I'm not sure how they got magnetized, under the circumstances, but in the Known Space setting, they made fusion reactions so much more efficient that finding one repaid, literally, years of prospecting in the belt.

If a belter found several, he or she had a successful career. If the prospector found a fair number more (but less than a couple dozen, IIRC), he or she could enjoy a long retirement in comfort -- or a short one, and leave a substantial inheritance.

Anthony

12-05-2019 07:08 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by tshiggins (Post 2298846)

Niven also had monopole magnets, made from ferrous metals that aggregated in the absence of a planetary magnetic field.

I'm not sure how they got magnetized

I assume he was talking about magnetic monopoles, which are a theoretical particle that was reasonable to propose when he was writing those stories, but is currently believed to not exist (there are a number of primordial artifacts like that which theoretically could exist but don't seem to, which is taken as evidence that the big bang may have had a maximum temperature).

Fred Brackin

12-05-2019 07:39 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony (Post 2298848)

I which theoretically could exist but don't seem to, which is taken as evidence that the big bang may have had a maximum temperature).

Do you mean "maximum temperature below the exotic particle formation level" or were there people who seriously thought that a big bang involving a finite amount of mass still managed to have a literally infinite temperature?

Anthony

12-05-2019 08:19 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin (Post 2298850)

Maximum temperature less than the Planck temperature.

Ezra	12-08-2019 02:22 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

These sources both sound interesting. I'll check them out. Thank you! :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by copeab (Post 2298604)

There was an article in the old print JTAS that covered mining for Classic Traveller, and was reprinted in Best of Vol 1. Included a two page flowchart and a list of all the required rolls. It doesn't go into a lot of detailed on specific ores that can be found.

Book 6: Scoundrels for Mongoose Traveller has a three page chapter on mining, including two pages of charts and one page of "life in the belt".

Neither are quite what you are asking for, but they are the closest I have available to refer you to.

Ezra	12-08-2019 02:26 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony (Post 2298685)

Realistically this is going to be super boring (the geological processes that create concentrated veins of ore don't exist in asteroids, so much a question of whether it's mostly silicates or mostly nickel-iron, plus ice in the outer system), but that doesn't make for much of a game.

I would avoid using random tables, though, because the interesting thing from a campaign standpoint isn't the mining itself, it's the shenanigans around the mining (claim jumping, etc).

I see what you mean. It might work if you devised a system that said you can mine X number of silicates per day and your prospectors determined this belt has Y amount of resource. Then you could create problems for them over the duration of time it would take mining a specific belt, moon, etc.

hal	12-17-2019 09:10 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Mongoose Traveller also has rules for asteroid mining that is based upon BELTSTRIKE if that helps.

Ezra	12-18-2019 05:31 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal (Post 2300536)

Mongoose Traveller also has rules for asteroid mining that is based upon BELTSTRIKE if that helps.

Ah, I might actually own that. Thanks, Hal!

hal	12-18-2019 09:36 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ezra (Post 2300665)

Ah, I might actually own that. Thanks, Hal!

Page 74 of the Mongoose Traveller High Guard 2nd edition if that helps.

Let me know if you want help creating Fantasy Grounds support for Asteroid Mining.

Also - if you're interested, we have Pirates of Drinax starting up shortly. I've put in 19 days straight with a lot of overtime, but that is coming to an end and we're starting up shortly (by January). We're also running characters through Mongoose Traveller creation rules, then converting those over to GURPS via the conversion rules.

Let me know if you're interested.

If you want, email me and I'll send you the Harrier Class Privateer in GURPS stats. Was able to include the electronic warfare, 6G, etc specs on the original. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the Armor value to be comparable with the original specs without making the G rating of the ship drop precipitously.

Catch you later. You have my email, feel free to contact me. ;)

Ezra	12-19-2019 05:04 PM

Re: Space Mining: Ore Availability and Yield

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal (Post 2300703)

Also - if you're interested, we have Pirates of Drinax starting up shortly. I've put in 19 days straight with a lot of overtime, but that is coming to an end and we're starting up shortly (by January). We're also running characters through Mongoose Traveller creation rules, then converting those over to GURPS via the conversion rules.

Will have to pass on this one, Hal, as I'm going on vacation soon. Thank you for the invite though. :)

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