Romp? That's an interesting take. Kind of like whistling past the graveyard because the moral of the story for the motties (the civilization we contact) is basically that unchecked growth creates a cycle of unsustainable growth and apocalyptic collapse, which should be a familiar theme to anyone living through a capitalist dystopia.

I really like Niven and Pournelle individuallt, but the things they've collaborated on like this are even better.