In my setting a free trader on the frontier has to follow a set of simple rules
to stay in business for any length of time and to be at least somewhat suc-
cessful:
a) Start with an Old Ship
In Mongoose Traveller a starship can be much older than the 40 years it ta-
kes to pay them off, and for every 10 years of the ship's age the price is re-
duced by 1D6 %. A ship that is 50 years old costs about 17.5 % less than a
new ship, and a chance to save a few million Credits should not be missed.
b) Choose a Region
Aimlessly wandering from planet to planet prevents a sound knowledge of the
planetary markets as well as the maintenance of a network of useful local
contacts. To be a foreigner and newcomer on every planet may be interes-
ting, but it is bad for the business.
c) Know your Customers
Learn about their everyday lives and find out what they need or want, as in-
dividuals as well as societies. Think about what they do not yet have, per-
haps even do not know that it exists, and what would make their lives easier
or would be something they might want to have for other reasons. These
things should be your preferred trade goods.
d) Be a Good Neighbour
Money is not everything, even for a trader. To be welcome and liked is equally
important, so go out of your way now and then to demonstrate that you are
a nice fellow people can trust and want to deal with. Little gifts may reduce
the monetary profit, but can create equally important social profit.
These rules are especially important because in my setting the free traders on
the frontier have some special problems:
- The small outposts and new colonies are supplied with all basic goods by the
ships of the Colonial Office, so the free traders cannot make any real profits
with the trade in basic common goods.
- The colonies that have something valuable to export usually have treaties with
one or more of the big shipping lines that exclude the free traders from most of
that business, too.
- Because of the huge distances between settled planets, the prices for cargo
and passages are rather high, which reduces the number of potential customers.
For example, the average prices are:
- 150 Credits per dton per parsec for cargo,
- 450 Credits per passenger per day on board in a double cabin,
- 200 Credits per low passenger per day on board.
This may seem affordable, but a free trader ship needs 63 days to cross the 63
parsecs from Terra to Alden, so 1 dton from Terra to Alden costs about 9,500 Cre-
dits, a normal passage costs about 28,500 Credits, and a low passage costs about
12,500 Credits.
So, transporting goods and passengers is not likely to pay the bills of a free trader,
his only good way to keep his business afloat is speculative trade, finding new goods
his customers may be willing to pay for.
And in order to do so, he cannot just land at the next starport and pick up what is
available there, he has to search for the specific kind of goods a specific group of
customers needs or wants - in a way, he is the trade agent of the colonies he visits
on his personal trade route, although a trade agent without the guarantee that his
customers will pay for his services.
to stay in business for any length of time and to be at least somewhat suc-
cessful:
a) Start with an Old Ship
In Mongoose Traveller a starship can be much older than the 40 years it ta-
kes to pay them off, and for every 10 years of the ship's age the price is re-
duced by 1D6 %. A ship that is 50 years old costs about 17.5 % less than a
new ship, and a chance to save a few million Credits should not be missed.
b) Choose a Region
Aimlessly wandering from planet to planet prevents a sound knowledge of the
planetary markets as well as the maintenance of a network of useful local
contacts. To be a foreigner and newcomer on every planet may be interes-
ting, but it is bad for the business.
c) Know your Customers
Learn about their everyday lives and find out what they need or want, as in-
dividuals as well as societies. Think about what they do not yet have, per-
haps even do not know that it exists, and what would make their lives easier
or would be something they might want to have for other reasons. These
things should be your preferred trade goods.
d) Be a Good Neighbour
Money is not everything, even for a trader. To be welcome and liked is equally
important, so go out of your way now and then to demonstrate that you are
a nice fellow people can trust and want to deal with. Little gifts may reduce
the monetary profit, but can create equally important social profit.
These rules are especially important because in my setting the free traders on
the frontier have some special problems:
- The small outposts and new colonies are supplied with all basic goods by the
ships of the Colonial Office, so the free traders cannot make any real profits
with the trade in basic common goods.
- The colonies that have something valuable to export usually have treaties with
one or more of the big shipping lines that exclude the free traders from most of
that business, too.
- Because of the huge distances between settled planets, the prices for cargo
and passages are rather high, which reduces the number of potential customers.
For example, the average prices are:
- 150 Credits per dton per parsec for cargo,
- 450 Credits per passenger per day on board in a double cabin,
- 200 Credits per low passenger per day on board.
This may seem affordable, but a free trader ship needs 63 days to cross the 63
parsecs from Terra to Alden, so 1 dton from Terra to Alden costs about 9,500 Cre-
dits, a normal passage costs about 28,500 Credits, and a low passage costs about
12,500 Credits.
So, transporting goods and passengers is not likely to pay the bills of a free trader,
his only good way to keep his business afloat is speculative trade, finding new goods
his customers may be willing to pay for.
And in order to do so, he cannot just land at the next starport and pick up what is
available there, he has to search for the specific kind of goods a specific group of
customers needs or wants - in a way, he is the trade agent of the colonies he visits
on his personal trade route, although a trade agent without the guarantee that his
customers will pay for his services.
Last edited:
