Rare Earths and Interstellar High Tech

[robject]

Rare Earth Elements. A series of metals which are vital to sustaining interstellar technologies. After being mined, they are separated from one another and processed to the degree of purity that takes their intended end use into consideration. The complex combination of mineral resources, extraction and refining process, and worker skill is what makes them "rare."

Another challenge to the rare earths business is the supply chain. Rare earths feed the interstellar high tech industry, and supply chains from mine to manufacturer can include as many as 12 jumps along the way. So, for example, if you were to follow the dozen or so different rare earths metals that are in each PowerPlant or Jump Drive all the way back to the mine, you'd have an extremely hard time doing so. These lengthy supply chains get very complicated very quickly.

 

[Spartan159]

I'm surprised some of the mentioned rare materials (Lanthanum in particular) have not made it to various trade rules. Onnesium, zuchai crystals, etc, add to this list. Has no one made a list of value per ton?

 

[Ackehece]

I'm surprised some of the mentioned rare materials (Lanthanum in particular) have not made it to various trade rules. Onnesium, zuchai crystals, etc, add to this list. Has no one made a list of value per ton?

I would suspect that they should be put in the same price category as radio-actives are in the trade charts. or even more...

 

[BlackBat242]

I can't see how those could ever end up on the kind of market where PC ships could buy/get paid to ship them.

They are rare & costly enough that every gram is carefully treated, with purchases only by reliable sound companies, and shipment only by trusted well-qualified companies that can guarantee security and delivery of the shipments.

There is always the possibility that a PC-ship could run across a black-market lot of stolen goods, but those kinds of cargoes are never part of the trade tables.

 

[pendragonman]

They are rare & costly enough that every gram is carefully treated, with purchases only by reliable sound companies, and shipment only by trusted well-qualified companies that can guarantee security and delivery of the shipments.

.

On this planet. In this solar system. Are you sure this is true everywhere?

 

[Blue Ghost]

Pizo crystals? Berrylium? Cobalt? Platinum? Heavy metals?

 

[Spartan159]

I would suspect that they should be put in the same price category as radio-actives are in the trade charts. or even more...

Actually the wiki puts Zuchai Crystals as Cr 1,000 per kilo or Cr 1,000,000 per metric ton.

Actually the wiki just says the 1,000 per kilo, the metric ton is my math.

 

[Spartan159]

Pizo crystals? Berrylium? Cobalt? Platinum? Heavy metals?

Out of morbid curiosity I went and looked at gold and platinum prices, ouch

Platinum $ 29,840.72 per kilo

Gold $ 39,116.21

Silver $ 492.23

as of today, Feb 22, 2016 at 20:54 EST

 

[Ackehece]

Actually the wiki puts Zuchai Crystals as Cr 1,000 per kilo or Cr 1,000,000 per metric ton.

Actually the wiki just says the 1,000 per kilo, the metric ton is my math.

tables hold radioactives at Cr 1,000,00 per metric ton.... so my guess was relatively accurate

 

[Ackehece]

On this planet. In this solar system. Are you sure this is true everywhere?

well to indicate that this is truly not the case...

********SPOILER**********

how rare is contraterrene in the universe?
and yet the adventure Kinunir has you running into consistently during you trip in the asteroid belt...

 

[Enoki]

We also know that some elements are more common on asteroids than on Earth. So, the distribution isn't always going to be consistent within a system. The amounts present could change up or down by at least few percent and would also change depending on the age of the system.

Accessibility would another concern. How concentrated are the elements and how easily are they recovered? This too would vary by system.

 

[Condottiere]

On ethical and public relations grounds, some megacorporations might not purchase materials sourced from amber or red zones.

 

[Spartan159]

On ethical and public relations grounds, some megacorporations might not purchase materials sourced from amber or red zones.

o:

MegaCorporations have ethics?!? Other than don't get caught I mean.

 

[Enoki]

o:

MegaCorporations have ethics?!? Other than don't get caught I mean.

I've always assumed some do and some don't. The degree to which they're unethical varies just as corporations on Earth do. Also, how they do or don't have ethics would vary as well.

 

[kilemall]

The assertions that only reputable people from start to finish is put to paid by the RL example of purchase, small wars and sales of exactly rare earths in Congo and other troubled areas.

http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/gadgets-are-still-fueling-the-rebellion-in-congo

Don't intend to get into the politics of this, other then to point that dirty corps doing dirty deals or looking the other way in their supply chain is VERY realistic.

 

[77topaz]

well to indicate that this is truly not the case...

********SPOILER**********

how rare is contraterrene in the universe?
and yet the adventure Kinunir has you running into consistently during you trip in the asteroid belt...

Yeah, but the antimatter in the Shionthy system was there for a specific reason, not just arbitrarily. Antimatter wouldn't be nearly as common in most systems.

Spoiler:

The antimatter was put there when the Ancients blew up a world during the Final War.

 

[Blue Ghost]

The assertions that only reputable people from start to finish is put to paid by the RL example of purchase, small wars and sales of exactly rare earths in Congo and other troubled areas.

http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/gadgets-are-still-fueling-the-rebellion-in-congo

Don't intend to get into the politics of this, other then to point that dirty corps doing dirty deals or looking the other way in their supply chain is VERY realistic.

Well, that's kind of what Traveller is all about. Real world criminal behavior by individuals and groups; notably companies of various forms.

"The Wild Geese" is the epitome of Traveller merc tickets. And it's all about a company contracting a mercenary unit to overthrow a junta that ousted a African elected official.

The truth is that the company wants mineral rights to mine, and is willing to do anything to get that wealth.

How your players go about it, if they accept, is part of the adventure.

I'll add that "The Wild Geese" is a pretty horrible film in terms of ethics. All's fair in love and war, and there is no love in this film whatsoever. It's fairly brutal stuff.

"The Dogs of War" is another film that deals with the exact same issue. I'm not sure which film came out first, but regardless, they both are very "Traveller" in a very brutal and horrible way.

*EDIT*
"Blood Diamonds" is another.

 

[Ulsyus]

Well, that's kind of what Traveller is all about. Real world criminal behavior by individuals and groups; notably companies of various forms.

"The Wild Geese" is the epitome of Traveller merc tickets. And it's all about a company contracting a mercenary unit to overthrow a junta that ousted a African elected official.

The truth is that the company wants mineral rights to mine, and is willing to do anything to get that wealth.

Wouldn't that be a great basis for a series of linked scenarios, with the players involved in attempting to help their patrons, those being pushed out or targeted or warred upon by the dirty corp. Beltstrike meets Merc?

 

[Spartan159]

I've always assumed some do and some don't. The degree to which they're unethical varies just as corporations on Earth do. Also, how they do or don't have ethics would vary as well.

This is how I feel as well, I was just being snarky :badger: Individuals in corporations can be bad apples, look at TTA. Which also introduces tradewars.

 

[robject]

how rare is contraterrene in the universe?

As far as I know, it is very, very rare, but not uniquely in that one system alone.

On this planet. In this solar system. Are you sure this is true everywhere?

Well *I'm* not sure at all.

I may have to re-word my Library Data entry to be more vague concerning the actual range of elements concerned. To be "safe" about it. On the other hand, it's nice to have a maguffin name you can grab onto and use in a game -- such as "Lanthanum" for instance.

Refining and processing is the wiggle room I decided to use, in addition to expanding the demand to include all rare earths. Quality is simply a benchmark rating in Traveller, and "industrial quality" could indicate price range (per ton perhaps).

F'r instance

Quality +3 = Cr 1,000 per ton.
Quality +4 = KCr 10 per ton.
Quality +5 = KCr 100 per ton.
Quality +6 = MCr 1 per ton.
Quality +7 = MCr 10 per ton.
Quality +8 = MCr 100 per ton.

This only works, I think, if it's in relatively low quantities -- in hundreds of tons rather than supercargos full of them. (I could be way off here).