On 7/8/25 14:45, kaladorn at gmail.com (via tml list) wrote:
> To also have an ObTrav... I'll look back to British and local soldiers
> (from Canada) in the land we know as Canada now.
>
> They had a problem, just like the RN around the world.... scurvy! And
> if you thought it was hard to get citrus to Britain was challenge (or
> to the other places that the RN went), the British Army forces had to
> deal with it. Some smart lad (doctor? inn keeper? No idea...)
> discovered (possibly from first peoples) that there was enough good
> stuff (I don't know the particular chemical pieces) in pine needles,
> if you got them before they fell off and turned muddy red (while they
> were still blue/green), you could create a PINE BEER.
>
> There was a podcast (I must have seen in the last 15 years, but that's
> too big to tell you who/where) that created (from the original recipes
> in Canada) PINE BEER. They then tried it out. The conclusion was that
> it probably helped with the scurvy, but it was generally considered
> rather dreadful to consume. Definitely more medicine than enjoyed tipple!
>
> The ObTrav comes here: During a campaign on a planet that has lower
> tech (say tech 4 or 5?) where the troops would get sent to the far
> corners lacking key requirements for their diet (and to prevent
> conditions therefrom), maybe your crew has to do a bunch of airborne
> or waterborne deliveries to the areas that haven't got their necessaries.
>
> Of course, a chance to sail (or motor or even submarine if you go to
> TL 5 or 6) can lead to all sorts of fun. And landing in the middle of
> active insurgencies or all out wars can be exciting even with rifled
> muskets and bayonets (plus some canons!).
>
> Maybe they first have to synthesize an injection and get it to a badly
> depleted key road or fort or bay or whatever.... so the players arrive
> and it is even worse... almost nobody can stand and even if you start
> slapping injectors, these guys can't do much to move or shoot... but
> the players can try to hold off a massive force (compared to the
> ship's crew) until some of the guys start perking up (a few days). You
> might even get a Camarone moment!

Kaladorn,

Doesn't that situation argue for (para)military forces pulling out all
the stops to issue their personnel with at least some panimmunity (as GT
calls it) treatment - whether imported or locally manufactured?

It won't do much, if anything, to dietary needs directly, but will sod
up pathogens, whether directly or indirectly (such as by immune system
otherwise weakened by dietary lacks) - GT:GF stated that the Unified
Armies of the Imperium and the Imperial Marine Force had such treatment
universally issued, and implied the IN and ISS did the same - the
logistics benefits alone (such as reduced water treatment needs) seemed
to be worth it.

Alex