Some questions

[Luca Nicolai]

I'd like to write some bit of IST fanfic, but all I know of that setting came from the chapter about it in GURPS Supers. Maybe someone can give me a little help? I've got a few questions (maybe more than a few):
-how old you have to be to join IST?
-how many IST embassies there are in USA?
-wich kind of training IST operatives get?
-how much time does the training take?
-can an IST embassy grant political asylum?
-does IST accept stagists?
-when does earth and myrr had their first contact?
-IST world's japan is closed and xenophobic as warrior's
world's is?
-how much is gravtech spread in IST world?
-does the Blue Demon have a tail? (I know it's a silly question.)
Thank you in advance for the help.

[Bob Schroeck]

Okay, I can answer these, but most of them require that I be home and not at work, so I can consult a handy copy of GURPS I.S.T. (After 16 years, I don't have this stuff on the top of my head any more...) Assume any question I don't answer here needs me to check later.

---

-how old you have to be to join IST?

---

While it never actually got into any published material, I believe we finally settled on 18. There are, of course, exceptions.

---

-how much time does the training take?

---

If I recall correctly, IST basic training takes 3 months.

---

-can an IST embassy grant political asylum?

---

Hm. Good question. No one's ever asked or thought of that before. I'd say yes.

---

-does IST accept stagists?

---

I'm not sure what you mean by "stagist". Can you explain, please?

---

-IST world's japan is closed and xenophobic as warrior's
world's is?

---

Actually, neither version of Japan is particularly xenophobic; that was just something I threw into DW on an impulse as a background detail to show how different Doug's homeworld was.

---

-does the Blue Demon have a tail? (I know it's a silly question.)

---

I didn't create the Demon, so I can't say authoritatively, but a) I don't remember seeing a tail in any of the illos of it that I've seen b) any kind of useful tail would have a point value under GURPS, and there's no tail listed in its stats. so I think it's likely that it has no tail.

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...

[Luca Nicolai]

Thank you very much for the answers. About the stagist thing, probably I've used the wrong word. In italy we use the term "stage" to referring to a period of work (in a private enterprise or a non-governative organization) that the school or the university provides to students. In this way the student can experience the everyday work in the organization, and the organization get some underpayed workers. Maybe the right word was "interns"?

[Bob Schroeck]

Ah, interns. Yes, if I understand your definition, that would be the right word.
Hm. Another thing that no one's ever asked about before. Sure, why not? They'd probably have to pass a security clearance depending on where in the IST they worked, but that's not a real big deal.

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...

[Bob Schroeck]

Okay, I'm home and have an open copy of I.S.T. in front of me.

---

-how many IST embassies there are in USA?

---

There are seven: Washington DC, Anchorage, Dallas, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York.

---

-wich kind of training IST operatives get?

---

I believe the IST basic training is covered in a sidebar in Supers, but briefly each super gets Area Knowledge for both Host City and Country at IQ, Computer Ops/TL8 at IQ, History (Intl., UN) at IQ-1, choice of Karate or Judo at DX, Language (Host Country) at IQ, Strategy at IQ-1 and Tactics at IQ-1. They also have the option of acquiring Language (English), Language (French) and History (Host Country) at whatever level they choose.
This is the common training all operatives get; the IST has the equivalent of special forces, SWAT, and other elite squads; they get the appropriate training of course.

---

-how much time does the training take?

---

Basic training lasts 12 weeks.

---

-when does earth and myrr had their first contact?

---

1987 -- a primitive Meeranar probe ship with an ambassador/explorer aboard crashlanded in the River Thames not far from London.

---

-how much is gravtech spread in IST world?

---

At the time the book was written, not at all, save for the occasional unique item in the hands of a super. Now, sixteen years later? I haven't given it any thought, but when I go to work on IST 2nd Ed, I'll probably throw in the Anson Gravmasters that I mention more than a few times in Drunkard's Walk.
Hope that helps!

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...

[Luca Nicolai]

Thank you very much, it really helped. If I ever manage to translate my fanfic in english, may I post it here?

[Ebony]

---

At the time the book was written, not at all, save for the occasional unique item in the hands of a super. Now, sixteen years later? I haven't given it any thought, but when I go to work on IST 2nd Ed, I'll probably throw in the Anson Gravmasters that I mention more than a few times in Drunkard's Walk.

---

Depending on the effectiveness of it, gravtech strikes me as an appropriate replacement for the maglev technology used in some high-speed trains.Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Bob Schroeck]

---

If I ever manage to translate my fanfic in english, may I post it here?

---

Certainly! You won't be the first by any measure.

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...

[Luca Nicolai]

---

Depending on the effectiveness of it, gravtech strikes me as an appropriate replacement for the maglev technology used in some high-speed trains.

---

Or maybe a low powered a-grav engine could be mounted on airplanes, to reduce their weight during the flight and save fuel. There's plenty of use for gravtech, if you think about it...