MGT Only: Help building a taco truck spaceship?

[Adenralumdan]

Hi all!

I'm fairly new to Traveller, and I have a bit of an interesting ship building process. My players have decided they want to run a taco truck spaceship. I haven't built a ship before, and was hoping the forum would like to help me out.

Just looking at the supplied MGT ships, I thought I could convert a safari class ship into a half-circle shape and paint it like a taco, partially to make use of the streamlined Hull for atmospheric entry. Possibly use the whole lower floor plan as a restaurant setting.

If I'm going about this all wrong, please let me know so I can lead my group better!

 

[aramis]

The shape of a taco is a wedge...

The only things odd about a taco truck are the seating for customers, the walk-in freezer, and the kitchen. A taco truck itself has a roughly 2.5x3x4m kitchen...30 m³ ... so just a hair over 2 Td... Call it 2.5 to be generous, or 4 for a better one.

How to price that kitchen? Well, we look up a taco truck price online, then convert to 1977 US$... which is roughly divide by four. Small kitchen trailers run $10K , reasonable trucks run $50k to $200k. So, let's say $50k for a 2 Td 1 cook kitchen; that becomes Cr12,500. The larger 4 ton one? Say KCr50 ($200k ÷ 4 = KCr50), and 2 man.

While the prices I used include road carriages and (for the high end) engines, vacuum and microgravity can be used as an excuse to not adjust them.

A 4m x6m x 2.1m walk-in is about $12k (from a quick google). that's 3 Td, and KCr3.

Seating?

booth seats run about $400 to $800 per bench; tables about $300, so $1100 to $1700 per 4 adults, and about 3m x2.5m plus some aisle space... call it a nice 2 Td. And it's about Cr275 to Cr425 per booth. Mounting them? I figure another Cr10 per bench and Cr5 for the table.

Loose chairs run about $100 each... so, 4 chairs and a table is about 2 Td as well... but only $500 total... so Cr125 and 2 Td for a table seating 4 persons. But that's not bolted down... Call it Cr25 to have bolt-downs.

Flight rated seating? 0.5Td and KCr30 each (MGT2-HG p.37)... includes tray table.

 

[atpollard]

What about buying a 50 dT Modular Cutter and just customizing the 30dT module to be a "Taco Truck Restaurant".

The Cr 50 (Cr 1000 per dT) to transport your entire ship along with its crew as Freight from one system to another is probably cheaper than the mortgage on a Starship. You might even be able to serve the passengers on a Passenger Liner that agreed to transport you as freight and wanted something different than the Steward's rations.

If you converted a fast boat, you might even be able to make some extra money transporting passengers from worlds with deep jump shadows to ships at the Jump limit ... while selling a captive audience an authentic Mexican Lunch to eat on the trip.

 

[GypsyComet]

In a Mongoose context, most of the additions to make a ship or subcraft into a high end flying kitchen fall under "Luxuries", at least in MGT1.

 

[kilemall]

What about buying a 50 dT Modular Cutter and just customizing the 30dT module to be a "Taco Truck Restaurant".

The Cr 50 (Cr 1000 per dT) to transport your entire ship along with its crew as Freight from one system to another is probably cheaper than the mortgage on a Starship. You might even be able to serve the passengers on a Passenger Liner that agreed to transport you as freight and wanted something different than the Steward's rations.

If you converted a fast boat, you might even be able to make some extra money transporting passengers from worlds with deep jump shadows to ships at the Jump limit ... while selling a captive audience an authentic Mexican Lunch to eat on the trip.

Ya, that's the question mark I would have about the economics of a taco truck starship. To save even further, probably a used small craft, or if it was to work planets and close orbit, a grav truck would make more sense. If they are just bound to have a jump capable ship, a converted Seeker would be the ticket.



Even so, I would question whether this would actually work. Of course, there IS a way- the taco truck isn't really a taco truck.

Various manner of smuggling and/or illegal goods and services.


Order the Taco Supreme Special for single weapon to go, with beans for ammo, or Enchilada Grande for the illegal combat drugs carryout.

Want bigger 'orders'? The Taco Space Truck offers 'catering'.

Corporate extraction? Who is going to look twice at the innocent taco truck?

 

[Adenralumdan]

What about buying a 50 dT Modular Cutter and just customizing the 30dT module to be a "Taco Truck Restaurant".

The Cr 50 (Cr 1000 per dT) to transport your entire ship along with its crew as Freight from one system to another is probably cheaper than the mortgage on a Starship. You might even be able to serve the passengers on a Passenger Liner that agreed to transport you as freight and wanted something different than the Steward's rations.

If you converted a fast boat, you might even be able to make some extra money transporting passengers from worlds with deep jump shadows to ships at the Jump limit ... while selling a captive audience an authentic Mexican Lunch to eat on the trip.

I hadn't thought of shipping a modular cutter. That would be a lot easier for my people to afford as well. I was originally concerned about the players not having enough freedom without the ability to jump, but this fixes that problem.

The fast boat isn't a bad idea either. I'll definitely have to look at converting those.

The only things odd about a taco truck are the seating for customers, the walk-in freezer, and the kitchen. A taco truck itself has a roughly 2.5x3x4m kitchen...30 m³ ... so just a hair over 2 Td... Call it 2.5 to be generous, or 4 for a better one.

How to price that kitchen? Well, we look up a taco truck price online, then convert to 1977 US$... which is roughly divide by four. Small kitchen trailers run $10K , reasonable trucks run $50k to $200k. So, let's say $50k for a 2 Td 1 cook kitchen; that becomes Cr12,500. The larger 4 ton one? Say KCr50 ($200k ÷ 4 = KCr50), and 2 man.

While the prices I used include road carriages and (for the high end) engines, vacuum and microgravity can be used as an excuse to not adjust them.

A 4m x6m x 2.1m walk-in is about $12k (from a quick google). that's 3 Td, and KCr3.

Seating?

booth seats run about $400 to $800 per bench; tables about $300, so $1100 to $1700 per 4 adults, and about 3m x2.5m plus some aisle space... call it a nice 2 Td. And it's about Cr275 to Cr425 per booth. Mounting them? I figure another Cr10 per bench and Cr5 for the table.

Loose chairs run about $100 each... so, 4 chairs and a table is about 2 Td as well... but only $500 total... so Cr125 and 2 Td for a table seating 4 persons. But that's not bolted down... Call it Cr25 to have bolt-downs.

Flight rated seating? 0.5Td and KCr30 each (MGT2-HG p.37)... includes tray table.

This definitely gives me a good pricing guide, no matter what I convert. Thanks for doing that legwork.

Even so, I would question whether this would actually work. Of course, there IS a way- the taco truck isn't really a taco truck.

Various manner of smuggling and/or illegal goods and services.

I could definitely have at least one of the characters run this kind of idea. His background as a rogue definitely suggests he might be into this idea.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[whartung]

Even so, I would question whether this would actually work.

I think it's more exciting that his TU is a Universe where taco ships DO work.

It's like that noodle "boat" in the Fifth Element. Something as low margin as a greasy spoon noodle stand is able to float around on its anti-grav vehicle or whatever tech they used in the Fifth Element, and profit from it.

"First week of the month! Hanks Taco Ship is going to be here!!!"

Now I need a taco.

 

[kilemall]

I think it's more exciting that his TU is a Universe where taco ships DO work.

It's like that noodle "boat" in the Fifth Element. Something as low margin as a greasy spoon noodle stand is able to float around on its anti-grav vehicle or whatever tech they used in the Fifth Element, and profit from it.

"First week of the month! Hanks Taco Ship is going to be here!!!"

Now I need a taco.

It absolutely works as a grav vehicle in an urban/spaceport enviornment, as the FE example you cite or a hightech version of the various boatborne 'independent merchants' going ship to ship plying their wares at colorful ports.




Space however costs several multiples more per dton and I don't know about you, but I'm not cool having several small craft tie up to my airlock just for crew/passenger snacks.

 

[Condottiere]

You have to figure out the return on investment.

As I recall, the cost of grav modules varies widely from edition to edition.

 

[aramis]

Reason I did the "legwork" on it was to show the process, and that I was bored.

I think showing the process is the valuable part of it.

 

[Adenralumdan]

It absolutely works as a grav vehicle in an urban/spaceport enviornment, as the FE example you cite or a hightech version of the various boatborne 'independent merchants' going ship to ship plying their wares at colorful ports.

Space however costs several multiples more per dton and I don't know about you, but I'm not cool having several small craft tie up to my airlock just for crew/passenger snacks.

I see your point. However, there's nothing stopping someone from attempting to run an interstellar taco truck. And I will sit with Condottiere, it does depend on if you can make an investment out of it. Possibly find a schedule of particular worlds that will pay lots of money for your food. One of my players has been a famous journalist. Writing a piece about the wonders of this food would go a long ways.

Also, restaurants that close for particular days get craved on those days.

And good food can change crew morale by tenfold.

Reason I did the "legwork" on it was to show the process, and that I was bored.

I think showing the process is the valuable part of it.

Even if you're bored, I appreciate the work put in.

It's like that noodle "boat" in the Fifth Element. Something as low margin as a greasy spoon noodle stand is able to float around on its anti-grav vehicle or whatever tech they used in the Fifth Element, and profit from it.

I actually thought about doing it that way and thought of Fifth Element at first. But again, was afraid if constraining my players too much.

 

[PVernon]

If you were to go with a cutter module something along the lines of "Trader Jim's Mobile Bar & Grill" from this page http://juliahwest.com/Traveller/Brook_West/
would be a good start.

 

[GypsyComet]

A modern food truck runs about 3 dtons, and a grav version could be similar. You could fit an entire company with two or three such grav trucks, a prep kitchen, and cold storage in one Cutter module, put quarters in a second, and be able to put a food truck franchise or emergency response kitchen pretty much anywhere on short notice.

 

[mike wightman]

How much will they have to charge for a taco to cover their costs? Where do they source their ingredients? How long is the supply chain?

 

[Condottiere]

Surplus military field kitchen.

 

[GypsyComet]

How much will they have to charge for a taco to cover their costs? Where do they source their ingredients? How long is the supply chain?

Answers to Questions #2 and #3 will help establish the answer to Question #1.

Consider that modern food trucks typically handle an entire day worth of customers with no re-supply, and can have fairly option-heavy menus. Anyone who has been present for the re-supply shift in fast food knows how much of a 5 dton semi-trailer one store needs per day.

Round numbers and off-the cuff calculations suggest approximately 1000 assembled tacos per cubic meter. Even at Cr1 per taco, one dton is a nice chunk of change...

 

[kilemall]

Round numbers and off-the cuff calculations suggest approximately 1000 assembled tacos per cubic meter. Even at Cr1 per taco, one dton is a nice chunk of change...

This is part of the continuing charm of CotI. Where else are you going to get a gaming stat like that worked out?


Assuming 1000kg per dton, that's 1kg or roughly 2 lbs. per taco. Even with wrapping and refrigeration kicked in, that's still a 1lb taco. Better charge more per taco.


Saaay, work out the math per dton.


A typical dton in interstellar cargo service pulls Cr1000 per trip, two trips a month.


Assuming down times, crew off days and business vs. functional weekend days, if you do 21 days of business a month that would be Cr21000 per ton.


Course you have to able to move 1000 tacos a day, or multiples thereof.

 

[whartung]

Space however costs several multiples more per dton and I don't know about you, but I'm not cool having several small craft tie up to my airlock just for crew/passenger snacks.

I guess the point was missed.

A universe where a taco ship would be sustainable is interesting. I know starships are expensive. I know flying starships is expensive. That's why a sustainable taco ship universe would be interesting. Obviously, that "problem" has been solved.

I used the example of the floating boat from the 5th Element as something that today we might think of being very exotic and very expensive, yet here we see one schlepping noodles door to door.

Similar back when I had some gates redone on my house, the fellow came out, gave me a quote off his iPad. Took some photos with is iPhone, and sent me some emails.

10 years ago, that kind of "mobile office", while not unthinkable, was rare. And exotic. And expensive. And most certainly not in the domain of a guy that bends and welds iron to make gates.

Today, it's almost become the norm. Cheap, ubiquitous technology.

 

[Condottiere]

As I told someone else, no one wins debating Traveller economics.

Starships are incredibly cheap; crew personnel may be incredibly well paid, if you times their salaries by five to compare current wages.

Energy is relatively free.

Farming will be automated; butchery probably as well, if they don't make an artificial meat substitute. Cost of food may be minuscule.

A taco truck making the rounds in the asteroid belt could be incredibly lucrative, as the belters get sick of homecooking, at best, and MRE packs, if they're lucky.

 

[Shadow Shack]

Just use a free trader or far trader. The galley makes a fine restaurant area and the passenger cabins can be occupied by female entertainers fluent in carousing...which is where the real money is made.