Freelance Traveller/The RICE Archives

RICE Paper #0-A: Interpreting the RICE UWP Profile

Regina (Regina:Spinward Marches/1910)
A788999-D A Hi Cp 103Re F7V M8D M6V
g=0.6340 day=22:43:52.5; year=683d 10:03:45.36/721d 12:49:51.6
atmo=1.8, natural weather
temp=-12 (6/lat +6 to -54) (season -32 to +19, 16 deg lat)
daily temp range 9
Agri, Ore, Compounds; AgriProd, NonMet; Parts, Dur, Cons; Rec, S/W, Doc
Prog/Adv; Comp/Peace; Har/Friend
Legal 9-A7A96, Tech DC-CDDCC-DDDE-DD-E

The explanation of this information is as follows:

Line 1: Name of planet, followed by subsector name, sector name, and sector coordinates, in parentheses

Line 2: TAS Standard World Profile: starport, size, atmosphere, hydrosphere, population, government, law level, tech level, followed by types of military facilities on the world, trade classifications, population magnitude, number of planetoid belts (exclusive of the main world, if it is a belt), number of gas giants, allegiance, and the standard Hertzsprung-Russel stellar classifications for each star in the system. Use the standard interpretations for these figures.

Line 3: Surface gravity, in standard g, followed by local day in hours:minutes:seconds, and local year in standard days, hours:minutes:seconds/local days, hours:minutes:seconds. Normally, starships will gradually adjust their internal gravity and light/dark cycles to match the destination planet. However, some people require more than the week of jump travel to adjust. This information is provided to allow travellers to begin the adjustment process before embarking.

Line 4: Atmospheric density in standard pressures, weather is either "natural" or "controlled" This information is provided to allow adjustment prior and during travel. Note that atmospheric density significantly different from that which a traveller is used to may require the traveller to use assisted breathing apparatus.

Line 5: Basic temperature, degrees Celsius, 35 degrees latitude, followed by the range in basic temperatures, expressed as (degrees Celsius per approximately 8 degrees latitude, followed by equatorial temp to polar temp), followed by the maximum change in temperature in the polar regions (maximum summer increase to maximum winter decrease, followed by latitude where seasonal temperature changes become noticeable). Use this information and that in the next line when selecting clothes to pack. On most worlds of technical level 8 or higher, indoor temperature is normally controlled to be within the range of 10 to 20 degrees.

Line 6: The size of the daily variation in temperature. This is the difference between the high and low for the day.

Line 7: Classifications of products widely available for export. These are listed in the order natural products; processed products; manufactured products; information. Within a classification, products are separated by commas. These are GENERAL CLASSES ONLY, representing the kinds of goods that the planet excels in producing, causing an export market. Consult trade representatives to determine the availability and market for specific products.

Line 8: Social classification. There are three entries for this line. First is progressivness indicators, attitude/activity, then the aggressiveness indicators, attitude/activity, then the extensiveness indicators, global/interstellar.

Line 9: The legal and technical profiles. The legal profile consists of six entries, in the following order: overall law level, representing the likelihood of the traveller being required to experience one or more portions of the legal process; weapons law level, representing the restrictions on type, availability, and "carryability" of personal weapons by individuals not part of the planetary law enforcement agencies; trade law level, representing the level of restrictions placed on the exchange of property; commercial law level, representing the level of restrictions on doing business in general, including labor laws, zoning, permits, and so on; civil law level, representing the level of enforcement of restrictions on personal activity, and personal freedom level, representing the types and severity of restrictions on personal activity.

We believe that this is the minimum set of information needed to alert the traveller to any general conditions that he needs to be aware of. Following this extended profile will be the text of the RICE Paper, calling out the general characteristics of the culture, and any noteworthy conditions or habits that can help the traveller to understand the culture better, or to avoid making mistakes that will insult the local population or involve the traveller in legal action.