Additional TAS Benefits?

[Spinward Scout]

I would think this would be a natural offshoot of both the X-Boat network and the Traveller's Aid Society. Kinda like a Sam's Club (if you know what that is). TAS Members shouldn't do without, right? Or would TAS go broke with this?

What other benefits could be added to the TAS Membership?

TAS-Mart
The Imperium's Foremost Outfitter
For when your local world doesn't have what you need.
X-Mail-order catalog serving TAS Members in your subsector.

Ordering is simple:
- Access the TAS-Mart service via your local information net or directly at a TAS center.
- Place your order.
- Pay for your order using Imperial Credits only, plus our subsidized shipping rates.

Your order will be registered and sent to TAS-Mart subsector headquarters on the next X-Boat.
Recieve your items in approximately 10 weeks. (Certain items may take longer depending on availability)

Have the latest technology!
Wear the latest fashion!
Own the best equipment!
Merchandise up to Tech Level 15!

Your items may be picked up at your local TAS center or starport.
Check your local law level for weapon delivery - items may be confiscated.
Not available on Red Zoned worlds or worlds with E or X starports.

TAS-Mart - for your interstellar shopping needs
When you want to shop smart - shop TAS-Mart!

 

[HG_B]

For when your local world doesn't have what you need.
X-Mail-order catalog serving TAS Members in your subsector.

Using the default TU trade/freight rules it wouldn't really work as almost nothing is shipped more than a few parsecs...

 

[GypsyComet]

Start with what a truly high class hotel chain will do for its patrons. These services are not going to be free, but the TAS can and will do them for their members.

 

[mike wightman]

I'm sure there is a canon reference to luxury goods from Terra making it all the way to the Spinward Marches.

One Traveller Trivia Point to the first to dig it up

 

[Reban]

The first thing that struck me reading that was: ACME :rofl:


TAS could offer other services. They might follow the Google model. On the other hand TAS is a not for profit type philanthropic organization whose goal is aiding Travellers so it will be wary about adding services that don't fulfill its mission.


Love that idea of a catalog of tech, <snaffled> for future use. *Images of PCs hovering around the Post Office boxes in the starport concourse for three weeks hoping the evil villain doesn't complete his meson gun before the black globe they ordered arrives*

 

[McPerth]

ITTR having seen somewhere (I guess a challenge or a TD, but ot sure) an "advertisement" for TAS where some of its advantages were explained. Among them, aside form the possibility of lodging at TAS hostels (already explained in many places) there were, IIRC, advantages for insurances and so on.

Does someone else remember having seen this "advertisement", and, if so, where it was?

 

[Spinward Scout]

Well, I stole the last line from Army of Darkness.

Something did seem familiar while I was writing it up, tho.

 

[aramis]

Using the default TU trade/freight rules it wouldn't really work as almost nothing is shipped more than a few parsecs...

Looking at the "default", it varies by trade system.

Bk3/T20, It varies by good; Computers will travel quite a way from an industrial world, as each 1 point shift is roughly MCr1, so they can go about 5K parsecs on... Grain pretty much moves as freight only, not spec, as the cost of shipping exceeds the value most of the time, and places importing it will need a stable contracted supply, probably also having their own freighters to do so.

Bk5/MT/TNE/T4, yeah, most things won't go far. 1-2 jumps.

GT, trade flows run to in excess of 50Pc...

 

[Chuck Anumia]

Benifits

Banking = Credit exchange for local economy and personal banking, bill payments like starship payment installments, maintenance
Concierge = Local events, shows, exclusive party invitations.
Long term housing = Help locating a reputable real estate broker
Medical = First Aid, Locating anigathics, bio implants, etc.

 

[HG_B]

Looking at the "default", it varies by trade system.

Bk3/T20, It varies by good; Computers will travel quite a way from an industrial world, as each 1 point shift is roughly MCr1, so they can go about 5K parsecs on... Grain pretty much moves as freight only, not spec, as the cost of shipping exceeds the value most of the time, and places importing it will need a stable contracted supply, probably also having their own freighters to do so.

Bk5/MT/TNE/T4, yeah, most things won't go far. 1-2 jumps.

GT, trade flows run to in excess of 50Pc...

I am not that familiar with GT or T20. But in the others I haven't seen freight tables that list long haul rates that make it economically viable for a ship to move goods across a sector...

 

[aramis]

I am not that familiar with GT or T20. But in the others I haven't seen freight tables that list long haul rates that make it economically viable for a ship to move goods across a sector...

CT Bk2 tables include a base price per ton, and the Actual Value table is used to generate the local price, modified by the local trade codes.

At an average cost to ship 1 or 2 Pc† of KCr1 per Td, we can figure the required differential by price bracket on source/destination mods per jump or jumps per difference...

Dice Roll	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Percentage Value	40%	50%	70%	80%	90%	100%	110%	120%	130%	150%	170%	200%	300%	400%

Modal difference per ±1: 10%
Average difference per ±1: 27.7%

Using this, we can figure just how far normal modes of shipping can be a moderately stable run long term.

Median Price (from Table)	Pc/+1
300	—
500	—
1000	0.1
1500	0.15
2000	0.2
3000	0.3
7000	0.7
9000	0.9
10000	1
20000	2
30000	3
50000	5
70000	7
100000	10
200000	20
250000	25
400000	40
750000	75
1000000	100

-=-=-=-=-=-=-
† Noting that only certain sizes of ships can hit that price for J2, and they are right about 800Td under Bk3. See my blog post for the underlying math.

 

[rancke]

The generic goods values you mention do not include luxury goods. Long-distance trade would be almost exclusively luxury trade.


Hans

 

[Fritz_Brown]

How did a "what sorts of bennies would TAS membership give you?" thread turn so quickly into another 'discussion' of starship economics in the OTU? :nonono:

 

[Higgipedia]

How did a "what sorts of bennies would TAS membership give you?" thread turn so quickly into another 'discussion' of starship economics in the OTU? :nonono:

Because the basic determining factor of human history is economics?

Spaaaaaaaace Marxists!

 

[Spinward Scout]

How did a "what sorts of bennies would TAS membership give you?" thread turn so quickly into another 'discussion' of starship economics in the OTU? :nonono:

Trying to determine if my TAS-Mart suggestion is economically feasible.

 

[atpollard]

There is one quirk in the mechanics that could potentially place a thumb on the scale of ships and trade and affordability:

While playing 'accountants in space', I found myself as a broker living on a world using the LBB1-3 trade system to check for speculative cargoes that I could ship to one of several worlds within a few jumps of my location. With 52 weekly rolls per year to check for speculative cargo, you will get multiple chances for each of the listed goods.

There was a natural trading partner to my world located 6 parsecs away that would routinely generate obscene profit margins on the trade of certain very high cost items. The problem was that the very lucrative deal would tie up the majority of my money for 12 weeks as the cargo made its way to the destination world via three J-2 segments and my money made its way back along those same three J-2 segments. The opportunity cost of needing to refuse many speculative cargoes for almost a quarter of a year motivated me to search for an option.

Then I stumbled across one of Aramis posts outlining the cost/profit for operating a ship of J1 to J6 and 'fair' prices for shipping freight. His general conclusion was that the cost of J4+ ships (and especially J6 ships) was prohibitive ... no trader could make a profit even at Cr 1000 per parsec freight costs. Then I thought about the Subsidized Merchant program, and wondered if I could afford to subsidize a J6 ship to make it profitable for the captain on an annual basis and reduce my down time from 12 weeks to 3 or 4 weeks.

Crunching the numbers on a ship design revealed that I could generate enough profit on 1 trade to completely pay off the mortgage on a 200-300 dTon J6 ship. With the reduced turn-around time on my 'deals', I could afford to increase the number of J6 speculative cargoes from 2 per year to 4 per year ... and after the first trip, the ship had no mortgage ... fuel, crew and annual maintenance, that's it. So I only needed to reserve the subsidized ship for 4 trips per year, the rest of the year the crew could carry cargo at a greatly reduced operating cost and keep whatever money they earn. I earned more just buying the ship and using it as needed rather than waiting to ship my goods and get my pay via commercial shipping.

All of this is a long-winded way to suggest that TAS might have a need to maintain a communications fleet or a mail-route between all of its stations anyway, so the marginal cost of reserving 1 dTon of cargo space alongside its existing program could be affordable. Shipping distance is irrelevant if the cargo space is already being reserved and paid for by TAS whether it is full or empty. TAS may pay the Imperium a flat annual fee for a TAS to TAS small package service attached to all of the existing Imperial Mail Contracts.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Meh. I just didn't think it would be something you would find in TAS. With the delays, it wouldn't be like ordering up a neck pillow from the airline catalog in the seat-back pocket. They might have "approved" vendors that would have a display in the TAS lounge, but it wouldn't be a SkyMall arrangement.

Most of your TAS benefits come from them being information agents (related to ships) and encouraging space travel (your periodic passage). Since I don't have a monolithic empire in MTU, it doesn't even exist most places.

*waves hand dismissively* Go on, you may return to your thread now.

 

[MCEvans]

Banking = Credit exchange for local economy and personal banking, bill payments like starship payment installments, maintenance
Concierge = Local events, shows, exclusive party invitations.
Long term housing = Help locating a reputable real estate broker
Medical = First Aid, Locating anigathics, bio implants, etc.

This is great, also add,

Memberships/Associations = Local and interstellar organizations for free admissions or discounts on purchases
Travel Agency = Local trips, booking passage, personal travel documents
Merchant Assistants = Local shipping documents, light brokerage or referral to a reputable broker, assistance in shipping documents, cleaning up ship's papers

How I view TAS:
A Marriott style hotel/restaurant with all the benefits of American Express/Diners Club with everything that AAA/CAA* can do. Then add what might be needed for an interstellar civilization.

* AAA/CAA = American/Canadian Automobile Association

 

[Lycanorukke]

This is great, also add,
Memberships/Associations = Local and interstellar organizations for free admissions or discounts on purchases
Travel Agency = Local trips, booking passage, personal travel documents
Merchant Assistants = Local shipping documents, light brokerage or referral to a reputable broker, assistance in shipping documents, cleaning up ship's papers

Dont forget the big one for adventurers who skirt the law- Legal Aid.

The local TAS has reputable lawyers well versed in the local legal system either 'on retainer' or 'on call at reasonable rates' for their members. The local lawyers get more business from rich offworld clients (which may or may not include overly cashed up adventurers), and the TAS members have lawyers who know what they're doing if they get arrested.

 

[Reban]

How about:


TAS Accredited Translators = NPC with enough skill levels in an unusual local language AND the local knowledge needed to avoid major cultural faux pas. The latter makes a guide more useful than translation software/hardware.

TAS Accredited Guides = Guaranteed not to leave you stranded in the wilderness (mostly).

They both could have a little badge or logo. Any ideas what that might be?


Also T5 introduces the green list of "safe" ships for its members to use so planetary TAS offices might compile a "TAS Local Directory" of services and professionals useful to Travellers that are rated Green or in other words have good feedback from other Travellers. T5 has the Fame characteristic to apply to directory and network searches like this.

"Need a Robo Repair Man in a hurry? Consult the Green Pages"