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CT Only: How much for the planet?

san*klass

SOC-12
Looking at brainstorming a CT campaign using solely TTB, I have finally decided to pull away from the 3I background and generate a subsector and my own setting.
I am imaging a setting without any central authority, where planets are seen only as producers (mined resources, manufactured guoods or agriculture) to a vast, overreaching Trade Fleet. Continue to produce what and how much they want and at the prices they impose, and they will visit you and trade. But fail a few times and you will be cut off from the market place. Planets which can't meet the Trade Fleets demands will rapidly become backwaters.
Navy & Marine careers will remain as they are - managing the ships and defending both them and the TF Markets and attached immense warehouse complexes.
Army & Other will also remain just as they are - as individual planets defences and the shady side of society.
Merchant will be "tramp (Free) traders" serving the backwater world's - both despised and ignored by the TF. These traders are independently owned by extended families with no other structure or society.
Scout will change the most, and become "Xenologists" - surveyors and experts on alien worlds, life and climate. Their lives and careers are extremely risky and dangerous (and often fatal), as they encounter mysteries and threats head on. They are a loose society of equals, except that older, more experienced (and not yet dead) Xeno's are simply respected and listened to a bit more.
All characters will be able to choose their first two skills (or just use the random tables if the player wants), which must be directly linked to their profession (Pilot & Navigation or Gun Cmbt & Tactis etc) However, Xeno's must have Pilot-1 (free as in rules) plus getting Engineering-1 and Xenology-1. Any other skill role results of JoT are assigned to Xenology.
TL is 11 fot TF & Xeno's, with Free traders and a few planets at 9 (but no lower)
Anyway, RL is imposing, so maybe more later.
 
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Looking at brainstorming a CT campaign using solely TTB
L is 11 fot TF & Xeno's, with Free traders and a few planets at 9 (but no lower)
Note that using TTB exclusively means subjecting the campaign to the limitations of drive letters found on TTB p87.
TL=9 means A-D
TL=10 means E-H
TL=11 means J-K
That yields the following from TTB p58 ...

dWFUzQc.png

Add in the limitations of computer technology technology and the limits to jump numbers those entail ...
Model/3 @ TL=9
Model/4 @ TL=10
Model/5 @ TL=11
And you're looking at a remarkably small ship universe ... especially with TL=9 limits on free traders.

If you wanted a 200 ton blockade runner at TL=9 for a free trader ship, you'd be looking at the following constraints:
Jump-C (factor: 3, 20 tons), Maneuver-D (factor: 4, 7 tons), Power Plant-D (factor: 4, 13 tons) = 40 tons (2 engineering positions)
Fuel: 60 (jump) + 40 (power plant) =100 tons
Bridge = 20 tons
Model/3 computer = 3 tons
Crew (3) = Pilot-1, Engineer-2/Engineer-2, Medic-1 = 3 staterooms (12 tons)
= 175 tons allocated

If you add a weapon, it's 1 ton for fire control plus 4 tons for the Gunner's stateroom, meaning 5 tons per turret cost.
So if you add 2 turrets, you're down to only 15 tons left for cargo and passengers ... a decidedly tight fit.
You can do it ... but you're going to live or die on speculative cargoes ... and you won't have that much room to transport them (unless if external cargo towing is permitted, in which case you can load up with up to +400 tons of external loading).

Things would get a little bit more reasonable with a B/D/D drive arrangement, for J2 4G PP4, which would save 25 tons on fuel and drives, only require a single engineer position (drive displacement is 15+7+13=35 tons) and give you more space to work with as a free trader (50 tons unarmed, 51 tons if you downgrade the computer to a model/2).



Hmmm ... :unsure:

The alternative would be a 400 ton ship with D/D/D drives for J2 2G PP2 (45 tons, 2 engineer positions to fill) with 80+40=120 tons of fuel, Bridge (20 tons), computer model/3 (3 tons) and 5 staterooms (20 tons) for a crew of Pilot, Navigator, Engineer, Engineer, Medic for a total of 208 tons allocated. Add 4 turrets with Gunners (and their staterooms, so 5 tons allocated per turret) and you're up to 228 tons allocated.

Put in a 50 ton Modular Cutter (4G) plus 2 staterooms (8 tons) for Pilot and Gunner (so as to arm the Cutter) and you're up to 286 tons allocated (and can let the Modular Cutter run the gauntlet as a "nothing to see here!" blockade runner with a 30 ton cargo module). Carry another 3 additional modules (which can be almost anything that can be loaded into the Modular Cutter) and you've got 376 tons allocated ... with 24 tons left over for whatever else you want. Drop 2 turrets and their Gunners and you can carry yet another extra module!

Basically you wind up with a J2 2G "interstellar transport" that is carrying a Modular Cutter that actually handles the deliveries of up to 4-5 modules (1 in the cutter plus 3-4 extras). If 4 modules are designated as fuel modules (120 tons of fuel), the ship could successfully complete a J2+2. Alternatively, if 40 tons of fuel is carried between the 4-5 modules (in any combination) then the ship can complete a J2+1 while still carrying cargo/passengers in the other modules.

Such a 400 ton Free Trader setup would limit the exposure of the main ship, with the Modular Cutter being the only craft that normally interfaces with markets. Very interesting adventure possibilities to be found there ... :unsure:
 
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I haven't sat down and worked it out fully yet, but for the TF I am planning a 1000T TL11 Drive K J2 ship, with a couple of Modular Cutters to haul the cargo up and down.
 
Seeing the title of this thread made me flash back to one of my favorite TOS Star Trek novels of all time; "How much for just the planet?" It was a classic screwball comedy with an utterly hilarious climax. An epic battle between the crews of the Enterprise and a Klingon ship … with crème pies! I still giggle thinking about it.
Dalton “who loves it when the little guy wins” Spence
 
I loved TFR too, mainly because the story was paired with the Klingon source book of the FASA Star Trek roleplaying game. This was the first sci-fi RPG I was interested in mainly because I was a Trekkie from the '70s and loved making deck plans for my own starships and space stations.:geek:
Dalton “still looking for the complete rules to Klin zha Spence
 
I GM'd a FASA Starfleet game for about five years, back in the 80's and also ran a Klingon campaign, for a couple of years, from the FASA Klingon supplements and TFR.
I had the FASA D7 plans, but also drew up my interpretation of the D4 and some of the scouts also.
Happy days!
 
I loved TFR too, mainly because the story was paired with the Klingon source book of the FASA Star Trek roleplaying game. This was the first sci-fi RPG I was interested in mainly because I was a Trekkie from the '70s and loved making deck plans for my own starships and space stations.:geek:
Dalton “still looking for the complete rules to Klin zha Spence
Kai Kassai Klingon!!
 
Actually I was thinking if you are using your own TU why not revisit the plot of HMFJTP with two empires separated by a rigorously enforced neutral zone which contains a potential resource planet that wants to remain independent but is under pressure from both sides to sign an exclusive mining treaty. (You don't need Organians, just strong political and/or economic reasons why neither empire wants to go to war at this time.) The planet's government has a secret plan to hold both powers at bay. (Yes, that plan. No, an inflatable dreadnought is not required.) The players can be a diplomatic or military team from either side, visiting independents caught in the middle or planetary agents trying to carry out the plan. (Yes it's silly but if you can tweak it right your players could have a lot of fun.)
Dalton “Lights! Cameras! Action!” Spence
 
Actually I was thinking if you are using your own TU why not revisit the plot of HMFJTP with two empires separated by a rigorously enforced neutral zone which contains a potential resource planet that wants to remain independent but is under pressure from both sides to sign an exclusive mining treaty. (You don't need Organians, just strong political and/or economic reasons why neither empire wants to go to war at this time.) The planet's government has a secret plan to hold both powers at bay. (Yes, that plan. No, an inflatable dreadnought is not required.) The players can be a diplomatic or military team from either side, visiting independents caught in the middle or planetary agents trying to carry out the plan. (Yes it's silly but if you can tweak it right your players could have a lot of fun.)
Dalton “Lights! Cameras! Action!” Spence
Sounds like a funky, zany merger between FASA STRPG & Toon! Probably not campaign material, but as a one-off, with the right players, it could be glorious!
 
Find discontents and fund an insurgency.
Totally!
The Free traders and dead end worlds are so despised and overlooked by the TF that they could be building their own trading society under the TF's nose. And since the TF writes off those who fail or oppose it, then it is doing half the malcontent's work for them.
 
In this setting, Free traders and Xenologists never actually retire. FT's either continue to carryout missions to support their families ship's trading activities, or (if highly regarded or lucky enough) are given one of thier family's ships to run.
Xeno's, equally, continue to take on investigations or surveys, with or without a ship, depending on prior success.
Xeno's, anyway, are paid by planetary governments or the FT to conduct a survey to assess suitability of a region for expanded business, or to resolve a mystery or disaster.
In both cases, mustering out benefits or cash just represent their savings to date.
They both are like the Hotel California - "Check out anytime you like, but you can never leave"
TAS in this setting is an honoured benefit solely reserved for highly regarded TF personnel - whether ship crew or trooper. You cannot apply to buy your way in - it is by invite only.
TF pay the Xenos to run it from their bases, and it is a vacancy finder/information source for members (Xenos share info/Rumours between each other anyway).
 
Seeing the title of this thread made me flash back to one of my favorite TOS Star Trek novels of all time; "How much for just the planet?" It was a classic screwball comedy with an utterly hilarious climax. An epic battle between the crews of the Enterprise and a Klingon ship … with crème pies! I still giggle thinking about it.
Dalton “who loves it when the little guy wins” Spence
John M. Ford was a genius. His Klingon novel, "The Final Reflection" is my favorite Star Trek novel of all time. "How much for just the planet?" is definitely another one of his great books!

And his JTAS Traveller Adventures are pretty cool too!
 
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John M. Ford was a genius. His Klingon novel, "The Final Reflection" is my favorite Star Trek novel of all time. "How much for just the planet?" is definitely another one of his great books!

And his JTAS Traveller Adventures are pretty cool too!
As I understand it, after TFR, JMF had wanted to write another Klingon book, but been refused by Paramount (who then owned the franchise, and who, in the then developing character of Worf, were taking Klingon portrayal in a totally different direction to JMF's).
The silliness of How Much was an indirect snipe at them. And, at one point the snipe was direct, when one of the main characters sees a mountain peak crowned by stars (Paramount's logo) and has a feeling that everything was under control.
JMF's TFR Klingons were not sympathetic, but maybe a bit understandable and an even lesser bit excusable. But they certainly were more likely to create and maintain a vast interstellar empire than the growl, honour, headbutt, honour, punch, honour, did I mention honor?, honour viking biker gang fools that we ended up with. They couldn't organise a drunken party in a brewery.
Oh well, winge over, move on, nothing else to see.
 
In this setting, Free traders and Xenologists never actually retire. FT's either continue to carryout missions to support their families ship's trading activities, or (if highly regarded or lucky enough) are given one of thier family's ships to run.
Xeno's, equally, continue to take on investigations or surveys, with or without a ship, depending on prior success.
Xeno's, anyway, are paid by planetary governments or the FT to conduct a survey to assess suitability of a region for expanded business, or to resolve a mystery or disaster.
In both cases, mustering out benefits or cash just represent their savings to date.
They both are like the Hotel California - "Check out anytime you like, but you can never leave"
TAS in this setting is an honoured benefit solely reserved for highly regarded TF personnel - whether ship crew or trooper. You cannot apply to buy your way in - it is by invite only.
TF pay the Xenos to run it from their bases, and it is a vacancy finder/information source for members (Xenos share info/Rumours between each other anyway).
I’m reading the Trade Fleet as kind of a Spacing Guild without CHOAM on the production/consumption end.
 
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