Originally posted by kaladorn:
1. I was thinking of traffic inbound to the mainworld. Traffic merely passing through the system would not be in any rush to get to the surface so transhipping (if you even bothered changing ships) would want to happen either in space or at the highport.
And I'm thinking of the amount of traffic that one or several megacorps would generate in heavily populated regions, such as Capital. I don't think these concepts work very well in frontier areas of the Imperium.
Jump preserves momentum, but since emergence direction is somewhat random (good navs make it less random), you could be moving away from the direction you want, or across the orbit. It may be very tough to sync up with the orbit of the highport (though, as annoying as this task is, most ships can probably manage or standard orbits couldn't happen). But you may end up killing quite a bit of time waiting for the Port (ie a day may well be longer than the time it would take you to thrust in to a high port in near orbit).
My handwave for this is that LASHCs would employ the most skilled navigators, the best jump software and the most up-to-date survey data available, but your objections are good and I'm going to revise my model to account for them.
3. Could one establish a network of refueling and cargo points (say for argument 12 stations of smaller size orbiting at 100D) that make this kind of approach feasible in high traffic regions? Oh I'd think so. But they'd be small trade ports, not the main highport.
Yes, I agree. A rosette of stations at 100D would be more feasible than trying to maintain a highport out that far. Still, because the Transfer Stations are the sight of major activity, they may even be more important to the system than the highport is. I'll bet this varies from system to system and can be a good way to establish local "colour".
The TS could also be an interesting place to hang out if you wanted to pick up some quick charter or consignment work, though a free trader crew would probably need strong connections and inside information to capitalize on these opportunities.
So I don'r preclude 100D stations/refueling points/transhipping points - I just suggest there should be more than one, they should be smaller, and the highport should still be around the mainworld.
Agreed. Your idea actually increases adventure possiblities: always a good thing.
One thing you do have to change with this is the 'controlled space'. A highport Traffic Control Authority will want controlled space near it. Many people assume 100D as the entry into controlled space. But if the port (or even trade ports) are out at 100D, then they'd need to control additional space around themselves.
Again, this can be a source of interesting tension if the TSs try to create their own "handoff zone" at 100D. On the other hand, the Starport Authority may have decided that this is within their balliwick and maintained the additional handoff zone themselves.
I think I might use the idea you have for the 'transfer stations' (I think that's what I'll call them) in populous areas. I'll have to decide what BTN value (or equivalent) represents the point at which these would make economic sense.
If you do get some numbers crunched, I'd love to see them. My pet theory is that LASH only makes sense on really well-travelled lanes but I have only a hunch to support this. The territory off the beaten path is the balliwick of interface lines and their fleets of subbies. Beyond that, it's the beat-up far trader and the detatched duty Scout trying to patch things together.
To close, here are a some additional adventure possiblities:
- if each megacorp maintains its own TS in a systsem, what happens when a trade war erupts? Methinks the TSs are going to be ripe targets. PCs can be hired by either side for strikes, false flag operations, sabotage or they may just find themselves out in the open when the shooting starts.
- there's about a thousand different ways in which the PCs could acquire a patron who has some influence at a TS. Could they inadvertently become involved in smuggling operations or customs-evasion schemes?
- what about hijacked cargo shipments, terratoriality disputes between highports and TSs, strikes, lockouts, union politics...? Like terran seaports, the TSs and highports can be
very interesting places.
This discussion as given me dozens of ideas for a campaign. Hopefully I can post some here soon.
~ C