2023-12-31
When we talked about trading in a recent episode of the Internet Office Hours RPG Podcast @kensanata brought up the question, whether the trading rules in Classic Traveller do actually work.
With conviction I said: “oh, I think it does work”. But to resolve my own last doubts about this, I decided to do another little solo game and see how it’ll work out.
So first thing was to roll up a new character. Of course I hoped to get a Class A Trader that way, but as usual when playing Traveller it didn’t work out that way.
Here’s the character that I got:
Mick Donwal (Age 34) 977855, former 4th Officer on a Trading Ship
Vacc Suit-2 Autopistol-1 Blade-1 Streewise-1 Air/Raft-1 Steward-1
Blade, 60,000 CrI decided to just use the Regina Subsector to get going and pick a system at random, which turned out to be Pixie. An interesting place to start indeed. It’s a technically highly developed Vaccum World with less then 100 inhabitants, maybe 60 to 80. Due to this tiny population there’s no elaborated government system, and while there is a small naval base, there’s practically no legal control.
Since Mick has no ship of his own, he’ll has to stick to the established trade routes of the subsector. Looking at those, there are two options from Pixie: Kinorb and Boughene
Kinorb is a rich world wich might yield some opportunities. On the other hand, like Pixie it’s a non-industrial world, so raw materials tend to not get high prices there. My plan is to research the market, see what I can get for my money, and then get onto a freight liner, pay for my cargo and a middle passage for myself, and try to sell my goods once on the other world.
As per the rules I get one roll per week. In the first week I get an offer of 2 tons of petrochemicals @ 20.000 Cr — 100% of the list price. I decide to give it a pass and wait what next week’ll bring. Not much it seems: in the next two weeks I get offerst to buy raw steel at mediocre prices. Not the thing I’m looking for.
Finally in the fourth week of my market research luck strikes. I get an offer for 4 tons of petrochemicals at 40% of the list price: 16,000 Credits. That’s the deal I’m looking for: buy low! Also I’ve stayed on Pixie for four weeks now and need to pay some overhead for food and lodging.
Goods 4 Petrochemicals @ 16.000 Cr
Overhead 500 Cr
Cash -16,500 CrSo right now, I’m down to 43,500 Credits.
I decide to roll streetwise to see if I can get a working passage on the liner to Kinorb. After all, I’m an experiences Steward, and to be working on the trip would save me the 8,000 Cr for the middle passage. I decide to need a 9 or better on my roll with Streetwise-1 giving me a bonus. That’s a chance of roughly 40%. Luckily I roll a twelve: travelling expenses saved!
When departing Pixie we pass by an incoming Class A Trader, and after exiting Jump Space in the Kinorb System we chat with a Subsidised Merchant. Mick is all ears as his ships navigator talks to the fellow traders. Maybe he’ll meet them later along the spaces lanes?
Cargo 4,000 Cr
Cash -4,000 CrAfter paying the cargo fees for my trade goods, I’m down to 39,500 Cr
Mick Donwal arrives on Kinorb in his fifth week of travelling. He manages to find a buyer to sell the petrochemicals at 90% list price.
Goods -4 Petrochemicals @ 36,000 Cr
Overhead 500 Cr
Cash 35,500 CrAfter celebrating my first success and spending the week on Kinorb, I’m up to 75,000 Credits.
In the following week I get a good deal on raw aluminum: 30 tons @ 27,000 Cr. I’ll take that back to Pixie. This time however I’ve no luck and have to fully pay my passage:
Goods 30 Aluminum @ 27,000 Cr
Passage 8,000 Cr
Cargo 30,000 Cr
Cash -65,000 CrThat’s tough, only 10,000 Credits left. Mick is anxious. Will this gamble work out?
It sure does! Back on Pixie I get a buyer who pays 90,000 Cr for the aluminum: 300% of the list price. Mick decides to pay 1,000 Cr for some relaxing holiday in the Pixie Hotel and Spa Resort …
After all he made 40.000 Credits in two months of travelling!
So, when playing this solo game I just used the trade rules as they apply. But how about random encounters? The classic rules demand a random encounter every day.
O.k., I want to play Classic Traveller by the book, and roll random encounters for every day on planet, and maybe retcon Mick’s story here and there. Most encounters don’t have much consequences, however. I chat with some soldiers, meet a couple of workers, talk to a street urchin — which is intriguing given that Pixie is this super low population, super high tech vaccum world. I meet some religious fanatics who are threatening, but don’t attack, and get a glimpse at Kinorbs criminal underbelly.
However in week three on Pixie, Mick get’s in trouble. Ten bandits somehow manage to corner and threaten him. Mick doesn’t even have a weapon other then his blade. There’s no way fencing off the bandits armed with rifles. Mick gives up and offers 1,000 Cr to let him go. I roll streetwise, but come up with a 3, a miserable failure. I say 6,000 Cr and allow for a second reaction roll. With a 9 the thugs let me go. 6,000 Credits … ouch …
Only a few days later Mick get’s attacked by six adventurers.
They’re armed with laser rifles and wear cloth armor. Who are these guys? Agents? Where are they from? What do they want? They’re Tech Level 17, that’s high above the usual maximum in the Spinward Marches!
Seems like fate has a different story in mind for Mick Donwal: he starts to run for his life, but goes down immediately, unconcious and severely wounded. Will the soldiers he met earlier save him? Let’s just hope someone will take him to the next intensive care unit!
When he comes to, all his belongings are gone, no credits, no blade. But a friendly voice speaks to him:
“Hi Mick, good to see you awake. I almost thought you were gone for good.
Do you remember those guys who attacked you? Could you describe them maybe? The commander of the naval base has asked. They’ve questions.
My name is Buya by the way …”
It’s the street urchin.
Please send any comments or questions to wandererbill@betola.de or @wandererbill@tabletop.social
Copyright: ~lkh • So 31. Dez 15:58:36 CET 2023 • License: CC BY-NC 4.0 • Hosted by: SDF-EU Public Access UNIX System - https://sdf-eu.org