Imperial starports...?

[Black Globe Generator]

I believe there is a canon resource (which one escapes me at the moment) that says that starports in the Third Imperium are Imperial facilities.

However, starports IMTU from way back were usually owned and operated by the planet rather than the Imperium directly: some worlds built and operated the facilities themselves, but other systems contracted with either another planet or with a private vendor.

In order to be certified by the Imperium, the world must agree to uphold the extraterritoriality of the starport, maintain it to certain conditions and provide specified facilities, in order to receive its "rating."

How do you handle starport ownership and operation in your CT game?

 

[Black Globe Generator]

I believe there is a canon resource (which one escapes me at the moment) that says that starports in the Third Imperium are Imperial facilities.

However, starports IMTU from way back were usually owned and operated by the planet rather than the Imperium directly: some worlds built and operated the facilities themselves, but other systems contracted with either another planet or with a private vendor.

In order to be certified by the Imperium, the world must agree to uphold the extraterritoriality of the starport, maintain it to certain conditions and provide specified facilities, in order to receive its "rating."

How do you handle starport ownership and operation in your CT game?

 

[sid6.7]

havent really gone that far yet but im working
on it....

i would say:

defaults to planet
with a certain amount
run directly by the imperium
and here an there co-run
by the planet and the IMP.
and probably a few run by the
megacorps for sure...

in the case of a frontier world
it would depend on a number of things.

if its way too strategic of a planet
for location or minerals or a product
i can't imagine the imperium(or empire)
allowing to much independence.

 

[sid6.7]

havent really gone that far yet but im working
on it....

i would say:

defaults to planet
with a certain amount
run directly by the imperium
and here an there co-run
by the planet and the IMP.
and probably a few run by the
megacorps for sure...

in the case of a frontier world
it would depend on a number of things.

if its way too strategic of a planet
for location or minerals or a product
i can't imagine the imperium(or empire)
allowing to much independence.

 

[sleech]

IMTU it depends on the world. If the world is profitable and has multiple starports to service trade, etc, they are privately owned. If the world is a frontier planet, the startport is likely to be wholely owned by the Imperium. Regardless, there is a large Imperial presence at all starports since IMTU its the Imperium that runs the interstellar bureaucracy.

This is based on analogy with Australian sea ports (I live there - you guessed correctly) where the port and port operations may be privately owned but nothing and no one can leave the confines of the port (or in some cases the ship) without Federal (rather than stte or local) authority.

 

[sleech]

IMTU it depends on the world. If the world is profitable and has multiple starports to service trade, etc, they are privately owned. If the world is a frontier planet, the startport is likely to be wholely owned by the Imperium. Regardless, there is a large Imperial presence at all starports since IMTU its the Imperium that runs the interstellar bureaucracy.

This is based on analogy with Australian sea ports (I live there - you guessed correctly) where the port and port operations may be privately owned but nothing and no one can leave the confines of the port (or in some cases the ship) without Federal (rather than stte or local) authority.

 

[Vargas]

My approach is that all starports are Imperial installations which are run by the locals under an Imperial charter. The Starport Authority sets standards that the 'port must adhere to if it's to keep its charter but the SA does not run starports per se. (I never much liked the idea of a monolithic bureaucracy running the ports).

 

[Vargas]

My approach is that all starports are Imperial installations which are run by the locals under an Imperial charter. The Starport Authority sets standards that the 'port must adhere to if it's to keep its charter but the SA does not run starports per se. (I never much liked the idea of a monolithic bureaucracy running the ports).

 

[Ursus Latex]

Hmmm... I somehow remember it like this: Starports are Imperial soil wiht a small detachment of Marines. It usually is the best facility of this kind in the system. The rest are spaceports that are of equal or lesser quality and can be owned by Gof knows whom, who got the creds together for running it. I guess everyone can run a Class E port, basically every asteroid with a maglite and a sign saying "starport" qualifies for that.

Excluded are special cases, of course.

Urs

 

[Ursus Latex]

Hmmm... I somehow remember it like this: Starports are Imperial soil wiht a small detachment of Marines. It usually is the best facility of this kind in the system. The rest are spaceports that are of equal or lesser quality and can be owned by Gof knows whom, who got the creds together for running it. I guess everyone can run a Class E port, basically every asteroid with a maglite and a sign saying "starport" qualifies for that.

Excluded are special cases, of course.

Urs

 

[Spinward Scout]

per GURPS Traveller: Starports

The Imperial Starport Authority manages all Imperial public starports.

All Imperial starports are Imperial property, regardless of the allegiance of the system they occupy.

Over 97% of the starports within the Imperium and over 40% of those found on nearby non-member worlds are Imperial ports.

Hope that helped,

Dameon

 

[Spinward Scout]

per GURPS Traveller: Starports

The Imperial Starport Authority manages all Imperial public starports.

All Imperial starports are Imperial property, regardless of the allegiance of the system they occupy.

Over 97% of the starports within the Imperium and over 40% of those found on nearby non-member worlds are Imperial ports.

Hope that helped,

Dameon

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Sir Dameon Toth:
Hope that helped...

It does, thank you.

My personal preference is for planetary ownership, but I agree that the Imperium certainly has a vested interest in starport operations and management. IMCTU the Scout Service, which has responsibility for nav beacons and so forth, inspects starports to insure that the facilities meet the rating listed in the UWP, that extraterritoriality (a provision of membership in the Imperium) is respected, and so on - the Imperial Navy often has a highly visible presence as well, and Imperial Marines may be contracted to supply starport security, particularly in systems with a naval base, though usually this falls to private contractors.

It's for this last bit - the private contractors - that I like to keep control in local hands. I have a couple of rival corporations that provide starport services and concessions to different worlds. (Imagine if Stuckeys operated starports...) This can be a fun source of adventure hooks as well as setting flavor.

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Sir Dameon Toth:
Hope that helped...

It does, thank you.

My personal preference is for planetary ownership, but I agree that the Imperium certainly has a vested interest in starport operations and management. IMCTU the Scout Service, which has responsibility for nav beacons and so forth, inspects starports to insure that the facilities meet the rating listed in the UWP, that extraterritoriality (a provision of membership in the Imperium) is respected, and so on - the Imperial Navy often has a highly visible presence as well, and Imperial Marines may be contracted to supply starport security, particularly in systems with a naval base, though usually this falls to private contractors.

It's for this last bit - the private contractors - that I like to keep control in local hands. I have a couple of rival corporations that provide starport services and concessions to different worlds. (Imagine if Stuckeys operated starports...) This can be a fun source of adventure hooks as well as setting flavor.

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Vargas:
My approach is that all starports are Imperial installations which are run by the locals under an Imperial charter. The Starport Authority sets standards that the 'port must adhere to if it's to keep its charter but the SA does not run starports per se.

I go along with this approach as well.

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Vargas:
My approach is that all starports are Imperial installations which are run by the locals under an Imperial charter. The Starport Authority sets standards that the 'port must adhere to if it's to keep its charter but the SA does not run starports per se.

I go along with this approach as well.

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:My personal preference is for planetary ownership, but I agree that the Imperium certainly has a vested interest in starport operations and management.

BGG,

I suppose it all boils down to how you handle the exraterritoriality of starports.

From early CT, starports in the Imperium have been pieces of the Imperium. This 'extrality', as the bigger phrase was boiled down to, meant that the Imperium had a window into every member world. Sure, sometimes that window resembled the DMZ north of Seoul but there was a window nonetheless.

Having the locals control the starport makes the idea of extrality hard to apply. Having the locals operate the starport while the Imperium controls it is the solution found in CT's old 'Skyport Authority' JTAS article. G:Starports merely expanded on that old article's ideas.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:My personal preference is for planetary ownership, but I agree that the Imperium certainly has a vested interest in starport operations and management.

BGG,

I suppose it all boils down to how you handle the exraterritoriality of starports.

From early CT, starports in the Imperium have been pieces of the Imperium. This 'extrality', as the bigger phrase was boiled down to, meant that the Imperium had a window into every member world. Sure, sometimes that window resembled the DMZ north of Seoul but there was a window nonetheless.

Having the locals control the starport makes the idea of extrality hard to apply. Having the locals operate the starport while the Imperium controls it is the solution found in CT's old 'Skyport Authority' JTAS article. G:Starports merely expanded on that old article's ideas.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Ursus Latex]

The idea pretty much is that the Imp can't control the planets, since it's so huge. It can however control its commerce. Hence it rules ports and space between'em.

Urs

 

[Ursus Latex]

The idea pretty much is that the Imp can't control the planets, since it's so huge. It can however control its commerce. Hence it rules ports and space between'em.

Urs