Why by-the-book Cr1000 per ton per jump pricing is broken:
The only ship that has costs of less than Cr1000/ton/jump at Jump-2 is the J-2, 5000Td TL-15 ship (3439 tons payload, cost per payload ton per jump-2: Cr826), because of its Z drives.
The next smaller most-efficient ship (J-2, 1000Td, TL-11, 635 tons payload) costs Cr1185 per payload ton at Jump-2. If unarmed, it's still Cr1165 per payload ton at Jump-2.
And, obviously, they're big enough to have trouble keeping their cargo holds full on every leg of a route using the rules as written.
Nothing at Jump-3 or above has costs below Cr1000/ton payload/Jump at max jump number.
So, rules as written, it looks like under LBB2, rules as written, the market for freight will be covered by Type A Free Traders and Type R Subsidized Merchants (ideally with Size B -- not C -- drives, and no lifeboat) as they are both profitable with full cargo holds at Jump-1. There will be no dedicated market for freight requiring Jump-2 or higher; instead, that will be carried as filler around speculative-trade cargo on Jump-2 ships.
Which means there just aren't going to be many commercial ships with more than Jump-1 capability, nor many bigger than 4-600Td, period.
Small-ship universe, right?
LBB5 might change this a bit (cheaper hulls, smaller Jump Drives, less powerplant fuel needed). I suspect Jump-2 might become profitable at higher TLs (15, and maybe 13-14 too) but the available freight tonnage is still going to limit ship sizes.
The only ship that has costs of less than Cr1000/ton/jump at Jump-2 is the J-2, 5000Td TL-15 ship (3439 tons payload, cost per payload ton per jump-2: Cr826), because of its Z drives.
The next smaller most-efficient ship (J-2, 1000Td, TL-11, 635 tons payload) costs Cr1185 per payload ton at Jump-2. If unarmed, it's still Cr1165 per payload ton at Jump-2.
And, obviously, they're big enough to have trouble keeping their cargo holds full on every leg of a route using the rules as written.
Nothing at Jump-3 or above has costs below Cr1000/ton payload/Jump at max jump number.
So, rules as written, it looks like under LBB2, rules as written, the market for freight will be covered by Type A Free Traders and Type R Subsidized Merchants (ideally with Size B -- not C -- drives, and no lifeboat) as they are both profitable with full cargo holds at Jump-1. There will be no dedicated market for freight requiring Jump-2 or higher; instead, that will be carried as filler around speculative-trade cargo on Jump-2 ships.
Which means there just aren't going to be many commercial ships with more than Jump-1 capability, nor many bigger than 4-600Td, period.
Small-ship universe, right?
LBB5 might change this a bit (cheaper hulls, smaller Jump Drives, less powerplant fuel needed). I suspect Jump-2 might become profitable at higher TLs (15, and maybe 13-14 too) but the available freight tonnage is still going to limit ship sizes.
