Re: A little explanation of sj movement if you please..

On Wed, 26 Mar 1997, Guy Friedman wrote:

> The first issue I have trouble conceptualizing is how do the ships
> navigate? Dose the helmsman control the movement? If so then why is
> there such an abundance of ships that have sails, masts and rigging? And
> if not then do the ships have working rudders ? and how do they achieve
> vertical control (pitch and roll)? can ships fly backwards? Or "strife "
> to the sides?

Wow, just start arguments. :)  Actually, I've wondered about the point of
a crew myself, since the original boxed set seems to imply that the
helmsman steers the ship.  (My answer to that in my campaign was to
create an assortment of propulsion devices that didn't require a
helmsman, and then rule that Major and Minor Helms mean the ship doesn't
need a crew because the mage or priest has _become_ the ship.

> The other thing I have difficulty comprehending is the plain of gravity,
> dose it extend to the air envelope and then "magically" end?

The gravity plain _creates_ the atmospheric envelope, so the envelope
naturally ends at the limit of the plane.

> Or dose the G-plain end at the ships hull and then the person would be
> pulled towards the hull.

Oi.  Welcome to the wonderful world of gravity plane debting.  I think,
based on the diagram on page 7 of the Concordance of Arcane Space, that
the gravity plane extends out away from the ship.

> And an apple could be launched into orbit around the ship

Has anybody ever actually figured out that apple trick?  If so, would you
please explain it to me.

Rich Gant