EA4 going into Elibrary

[Michael Taylor]

I did choose that word because it was bawdy, garish surroundings. The word "ostentatious" would probably be better, as you say.

 

[mike wightman]

Hmm, an erotic office.
Wonder which interior designer was responsible

 

[Psion]

A few notes/questions:

1) Art credits? Who drew the cruiser?
2) None of the NPC engineers have engineering (OTOH, they all have P/Merchant, which seems redundant with Trader, Broker and the like, so I could easily convert them to engineering.)
3) The CT cheif gunner doesn't have gunnery.

 

[Michael Taylor]

Bryan Gibson drew the merchant cruiser

hmmmmm.... yes, I will get Hunter to convert P/Merchant to engineering...
The chief gunner should have gunnery, my oversight. I sincerely apoligise. I will get Hunter to convert Computer-5 to Computer-3 and Gunnery-2.

 

[Psion]

Thanks.

er... 'nuther question. Was naming the ship class the same as the strike carrier in TA7 intentional?

(I can just see my player's reaction -- who only owns TA7 -- upon being told that a Lorimar class ship is closing in on them...)

 

[Michael Taylor]

It was not intentional. I didn't rip off the name, if that's what you mean. I think the Imperium is big enough to have two ship classes with the same name, don't you? After all, only one ship in each class is going to actually be named "Lorimar".

 

[Psion]

I just thought, since you had an explanation for why the Merchant Cruiser had its name, there might be some sort of behind the scenes backplot I was missing. (Frex, the family Lorimar was named for also had a famous admiral in their line...)

 

[Michael Taylor]

I had no backplot for the family name the class was named after, but I could easily create one...

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Psion:
Thanks.

er... 'nuther question. Was naming the ship class the same as the strike carrier in TA7 intentional?

(I can just see my player's reaction -- who only owns TA7 -- upon being told that a Lorimar class ship is closing in on them...)

Heh that is actually a great reason to NOT change it!

I spotted the duplication of the class names when I was laying it out. I didn't raise a flag on it because one is a civilian designation, the other military.

Hunter

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Michael Taylor:
Bryan Gibson drew the merchant cruiser

hmmmmm.... yes, I will get Hunter to convert P/Merchant to engineering...
The chief gunner should have gunnery, my oversight. I sincerely apoligise. I will get Hunter to convert Computer-5 to Computer-3 and Gunnery-2.

The ship illo was added at the very last and frankly I forgot to update the credits. Of course the nice feature about PDFs is the ability to easily update and repost them!

I'll get Bryan's credit added (sorry Bryan!) and the changes to the skills posted later tonight. I'll fix a problem with the UWPs of the worlds listed under World Data not also appearing in the subsector UWP lists.

Hunter

 

[hunter]

Updated copies posted of EA4

Changes include:

1) Added credit for Bryan Gibson's rendition of the merchant cruiser
2) Added missing UWPs to the subsector UWP lists
3) Fixed problem with NPC Engineers not having T/Engineering skill (T20 stats) and the Chief Gunner not having Gunnery skill (CT stats).

Both the print and screen versions have been updated. You can download the latest copies from your eLibrary account.

Hunter

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by hunter:
Of course the nice feature about PDFs is the ability to easily update and repost them!

looks at freshly downloaded copy of TA1 and notes it's the same as the original pdf and is only available in a "screen" version, then shrugs

doublechecks

checks calendar and notes it's been 15-18 months now and sighshttp://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin...bb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=34;t=000035;p=1#000014

Casey

 

[Psion]

I printed out my "screen" version of the Sydimic outworlds book. Suck it up, buddy!

 

[clementk]

[post redirected to QLI and further response to PM]

Casey (who's been using the TA1 pdf a lot lately building a merc unit contest unit >.< )

 

[Psion]

Casey,

I was just kidding. Sheesh...

 

[Morte]

Some things I'd like to clarify about how the rewards are meant to work...

Act 1 Scene 1 says

The characters will be offered the following for the mission: double normal pay plus a percentage of the trading profits (if any). Percentages will be offered as follows:
• Ship’s Master: 1.5%
• Pilot: 1%
• Astrogator: 0.75%
• Chief Engineer: 0.75%
• Characters in other positions: 0.25%

The amount paid will be based on the value of samples sold rather than the long-term value of any contracts signed.

So PCs only get a commission on samples sold, there's no reward for signing trade deals unless they sell samples in passing to clinch the deal. The mass grav-transit deal specifically excludes the sale of samples, so the PCs would earn nothing by concluding it. Am I reading this right?

The computer deal doesn't mention samples either way.

Also when it comes to calculating their 0.25 to 1.5% slices, what do they get a percentage of? Sale vale? Gross profit? Net profit (in which case how are overheads calculated)?

The characters will be told that this opportunity could be worth millions to each of them.

The company is lying to them here, right? They'll maybe get ten or twenty thousand in commissions, plus double wages for a few months, and whatever they make on spec trade (if they have personal funds to invest). Which is not bad, but not millions. Or have I missed something?

Not that the rewards seem at all bad for the work involved, but I'm keen to "manage expectations".

 

[Michael Taylor]

The company is lying to them - they are unscrupulous and like some companies I have worked for in my life, will promise the earth and under-deliver. If the characters are on the ball, that claim, if they work out what they can get, will be their first clue that the company is not above-board.

Quote: "So PCs only get a commission on samples sold, there's no reward for signing trade deals unless they sell samples in passing to clinch the deal. The mass grav-transit deal specifically excludes the sale of samples, so the PCs would earn nothing by concluding it" - yes that is correct. The characters cannot make money on every contract.

The percentages paid are a percentage of the sale cost of samples sold, since they do not share in the long-term contracts. I should have been clearer about that.

It would imbalance the game if they got percentages off the long term value of the contracts - they would receive millions.

 

[Michael Taylor]

There is nothing to stop the characters trying to sell what is in the cargo hold to other places either, especially on the way back to Imperial space (assuming they don't jump ship first and join the Gateway Adventurer, or partake in the high profit margins of drug dealing).

 

[Morte]

Originally posted by Michael Taylor:
[QB] The company is lying to them - they are unscrupulous and like some companies I have worked for in my life, will promise the earth and under-deliver.

You and me both.

I'm inclined to give the PCs a higher percentage (tens of percent) of the gross/net profit on each set of samples sold. That gives them an incentive to go for a better price. With the stated terms, if it were me playing I'd just put in the lowest possible bid to be sure of getting the sale. A 99% chance at Cr5000 commission is better than a 50% chance at Cr6000, and it's not my problem if the company barely breaks even.

I might also pay a fixed bonus (thousands of credits) for each big deal landed.

To dial the overall money back down, I'd charge them freight on any personal spec cargos they bring back.

 

[Morte]

S P O I L E R W A R N I N G

Speaking of drugs... when a certain impromtu excursion by a crewmember takes place, it is envisaged that he sells all his unofficial cargo? Will it all be gone after that, or will any of it be around to cause trouble later should the PCs decide to just leave the man alone?