Customs

[Liam Devlin]

Again, the outline by Mythmere:
Customs
Table 1 Starport Passenger Customs (Imperial or other)
modified by starport classification
Table 2 Planetary Passenger Customs
modified by law level and TL
Table 3 Starport Cargo Customs (Imperial or other)
modified by starport classification
Table 4 Planetary Cargo Customs
modified by law level and TL
--edited

 

[Mythmere]

Example:
X-ray scanner (-? modifier to Smuggling DC roll)

X-ray scanner (-? modifier to Smuggling DC roll) and bomb-sniffing dog (-8 to smuggling DC roll if explosives are carried)

strip search (game detail)

frisk search (game detail)

 

[mad13142000]

Cargo customs or passenger customs?
-MADDog

 

[Mythmere]

Cargo customs or passenger customs?
-MADDog

Crud. Excellent point, 'Dog. That's two more tables that have to go in, because the entries for cargo and passenger are going to be completely different, and the table for planet-side customs is highly dependent on tech level and law level. I'll edit that into the table of contents.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Then a table 3 passenger Customs..No biggy..we can handle that..<nods to MDV> GOOD point !!!

 

[Antares Administration]

At ports run by the Imperial Starport Authority, you have the XT line as the boundary for customs purposes: basically, as long as it stays inside the terrestrial side of the line, no customs or duties.

But on non-Imperial worlds, or worlds not serviced by the ISA, the "customs line" could be in several places:

a. At the port of origin (i.e. before you ever depart for the destination),
b. In orbit (before you make planetfall, i.e. pre-clearance),
c. At the ramp of the ship,
d. At the edge of the landing or hanger bay,
e. At the boundary of the Starport terminal,
f. At the boundary of a designated free-trade zone,
g. At the boundary of the city, province or nation that the port is located in, or
h. No line (because there are no duties).

Tripartite on Starfall is like f. above. The small spaceports on Starfall are d.

Imagine the free trader who physically can't offload his ship without clearing customs first!

These examples all exist in the modern world, and could exist at any single Traveller port. I think one single table with notes would do.

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Liam Devlin]

True paul..Imagine different lines of XT on a balkanized Hi pop world of citystates! A different roll up for each one! [Drive the PC's NUTS]
(this for the group with a ship that has no jump drives, or is just campaigning with insystem trade!) Hmmmm..good ideas..
Now can we make a list of those 1-6, 1-10, or 1-20 options?

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
True paul..Imagine different lines of XT on a balkanized Hi pop world of citystates! A different roll up for each one! [Drive the PC's NUTS]
(this for the group with a ship that has no jump drives, or is just campaigning with insystem trade!) Hmmmm..good ideas..
Now can we make a list of those 1-6, 1-10, or 1-20 options?

I'll take that on. I'm on the road today, but I should be able to get back to everyone by tomorrow.

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Mythmere]

I think Imperial starport security will decline with the class of the port, so if we start with a Class A port, we can shave off options for the smaller ports. T20 game detail only - somebody better at CT will have to translate. Table might be organized differently, too, reflecting possibility of more than one security method.

Passenger Customs (Starport)

1 - strip search chance of 1 in 6 (Search skill 2d6 with +6 circumstantial bonus)
2 - strip search chance of 1 in 10 (Search skill 2d6 with +6 circumstantial bonus)
3 - strip search chance of 1 in 20 (Search skill 2d6 with +6 circumstantial bonus)
4 - wand search (Search skill 2d6 with +4 bonus from wand)
5 - Direct frisk: search skill 2d6 with +2 circumstance bonus)
6 - x ray scanner (operator search skill of 2d6 with scanner bonus of +20, but only for metallic objects)
7 - meson (?) screener (operator search skill of 2d6 with scanner bonus of +20, for objects of any material)
8 - psi search (only in jurisdictions permitting psi, or roll again)

 

[Liam Devlin]

Good stuff Myth..Now a die mod for lawlevel..<+ positives and negatives>..
Good examples though.
The psi search works well in Zhodani Consulate ports of call, and some unique settings. Nice touch!

 

[Mythmere]

Good stuff Myth..Now a die mod for lawlevel..<+ positives and negatives>..

No, no die mod on this table. Imperial territory generally has a law level of 3, I think, but it's always the same. The planetary customs table will have law and tech level mods.

 

[Mythmere]

Passenger Customs (Planetary)


1 - Your oath as a gentleman (at lowest TL and law level)
2- pass the oracle / idol / seer successfully
3 - only "inferior" classes, races, religions, species must submit to search
4 - bomb sniffing dog or other animal assisted search (search skill +12)
5 - exhaustive search for items not normally considered contraband (jelly, scissors, dairy products, lipstick, etc)


6 - strip search chance of 1 in 6 (Search skill 2d6 with +6 circumstantial bonus)
7 - strip search chance of 1 in 10 (Search skill 2d6 with +6 circumstantial bonus)
8 - strip search chance of 1 in 20 (Search skill 2d6 with +6 circumstantial bonus)
9 - wand search (Search skill 2d6 with +4 bonus from wand)
10 - Direct frisk: search skill 2d6 with +2 circumstance bonus)
11 - x ray scanner (operator search skill of 2d6 with scanner bonus of +20, but only for metallic objects)
12 - meson (?) screener (operator search skill of 2d6 with scanner bonus of +20, for objects of any material)
13 - psi search (only in jurisdictions permitting psi, or roll again)

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Mythmere:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Good stuff Myth..Now a die mod for lawlevel..<+ positives and negatives>..

No, no die mod on this table. Imperial territory generally has a law level of 3, I think, but it's always the same. The planetary customs table will have law and tech level mods. </font>[/QUOTE]-------------------------------------------------- Right, ISA standardization as per canon. Gotchyas!<nods>.

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Mythmere:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Good stuff Myth..Now a die mod for lawlevel..<+ positives and negatives>..

No, no die mod on this table. Imperial territory generally has a law level of 3, I think, but it's always the same. The planetary customs table will have law and tech level mods. </font>[/QUOTE]-------------------------------------------------- Right, ISA standardization as per canon. Gotchyas!<nods>. </font>[/QUOTE]Then we should clarify by saying that the Planetary Table also applies for non-ISA starports.

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Mythmere]

Then we should clarify by saying that the Planetary Table also applies for non-ISA starports.

Paul Nemeth
AA

Well...yes, when the starport is planetary. You're right, there should be mention of this in the paragraph of text that introduces the table. But as Gateway straddles the Imperial border there will also be non-Imperial interstellar governments running starports. Or even corporations running starports. That's why I wanted to stick closely to the idea of the "Starport's" authority as opposed to the planetary government's authority. Perhaps one of the "fleshing out" table entries should cover unusual extraterritoriality: perhaps it only covers the landing pad, or a certain number of meters around the landing pad, or it covers only certain places in the port that aren't connected by extraterritorial avenues...

 

[Antares Administration]

Then, Mythmere, if I follow you correctly, "Planetary" applies when the port is directly under city, state, national or planetary government authority, and "Starport" applies to situations where the port is under 'trans-governmental', 'intergovernmental', 'interstellar' or 'independant' authority.

Is that close?

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Mythmere]

Then, Mythmere, if I follow you correctly, "Planetary" applies when the port is directly under city, state, national or planetary government authority, and "Starport" applies to situations where the port is under 'trans-governmental', 'intergovernmental', 'interstellar' or 'independant' authority.

Is that close?

Paul Nemeth
AA

That's exactly what I was thinking. Mainly because the extraterritorial port is so ingrained in the game. In Gateway (or any frontier) there will be exceptions, but I think we would lose that rapid-rollup ability if we didn't provide tables for a standardized administration's customs procedure.

In an extraterritorial port, both customs will of course be present at their respective sides of the line.

 

[Antares Administration]

OK, here's my first cut at an extrality line table. I'm working from the inbound perspective:

2d6
1. Pre-clear at point of origin only,
2. Clear on approach,
3. Clear at the ship (bonded offloads only),
4-5. Clear at the edge of the landing pad or hanger (bonded exits only),
6-9. Clear at the starport boundary,
10-13. Clear at the free trade zone boundary,
14. No clearances (Duty free planet).

Min=1, Max=14
Modifiers:
LL 3- +2, 4-6 +1, 7-9 0, 10+ -2.
TL 6- 0, 7+ (-1,0, or +1 (GM choice)).
WG 0 +6, 5 -2, D+ -4
Starport E +3, X +6

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Mythmere]

Would a starport (which represents the fief of a feudal lord as well as a pro-trade Imperium) have a duty free transshiping zone? How does that work in modern seaports?

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by Mythmere:
Would a starport (which represents the fief of a feudal lord as well as a pro-trade Imperium) have a duty free transshiping zone? How does that work in modern seaports?

Yes it could.

Modern context: Hong Kong or Colon, Panama. Raw materials, assemblies and goods may arrive, be processed and/or consumed within the free trade zone, bought and sold to third parties, and shipped back out through the port without duty.

Starport authority context: Zone within a zone. The planetary government establishes a FTZ outside the starport boundary. Manufacturing and processing plants, warehouses and terminals are built there. Goods move between the starport and FTZ without controls. Planetary customs mans the outer ring (the planetary/FTZ boundary), and the SPA mans the inner ring (the starport/FTZ boundary).

Planetary context: Only one zone. Because the starport is under the control of the government, it is part of the FTZ. This is how it works at Tripartite Starport on Starfall. Goods can move from Space to starport to FTZ and back again with no customs controls. In some cases, domestic materials may also move ground to FTZ and back again reduced or no controls, because usually value is added to the goods while in the FTZ (resulting in more sales tax revenue for the country). Goods can always move ground to FTZ to starport to Space, because countries always want to encourage exports by reducing the hassles (exception is controlled materials and technologies).

Does that help?

Paul Nemeth
AA