tbeard1999
SOC-14 1K
EDITED: Added Skills and Optional Crew Salaries; revised the Risky Table; Revised Starship Finance Chart.
As noted before, I don't like the cargo and speculative trade systems in CT. The cargo/passenger generation system is static (i.e., it generates cargo and passenger quantities independent of ship size), which rewards smaller ships and punishes larger ship. The speculation system, with a few lucky rolls, can create massive infusions of wealth in a campaign that may destroy the type of campaign I want to run. And both systems compete with adventures.
So here's what I do.
1. Assumptions
No matter what kind of ship they have, I assume that the PC's ship can (barely) break even over the long term, paying all fuel costs, maintenance costs, life support, bank payments, etc. I assume that no salaries are paid for any crewmen. Note that they beak even on cash flow; they actually turn a decent economic profit by paying down the bank note on their ship. But like most business owners, their wealth is tied up in equipment and is not easily convertible to cash in the short term. Spending money is created by adventures...
When the bank is finally paid off, the additional maintenance costs for such an old ship (as well as shabbier condition) somewhat offsets the fact that there are no monthly payments. EDIT -- this modifier does NOT apply to rolls on the Risky Table.
2. System
a. Determine the base ROI. This is the starting value of the ship in Credits x 0.0004. Round to nearest Cr1000 for convenience. So a Free Trader (MCr37.08) has base ROI of Cr15,000.
Each month, the players roll 2d6 to determine their economic performance. If they are engaged in normal trade, use the Normal Trade Chart. Optional -- if they are engaged in risky (i.e., speculative) trade, use the Risky Trade Chart:
Note: Unless explicitely stated otherwise, NO modifiers apply to the Risk Trade Table.
Multiply the number by the base ROI and that's how the ship has done that month. If the ship is paid off, modify the roll by the following:
0-19 Year Old Ship: +3
20-29 Year Old Ship: +2
30-49 Year Old Ship: +1
50+ Year Old Ship: +0
b. Reduce this number by the monthly salaries of NPC starship crewmen (players are assumed to work for shares--but see optional rules below).
3. Speculation
This is assumed by the use of the risky chart. In addition, the referee may make additional economic opportunities available, but this is always provided as part of the adventure and not automatically.
4. Other Notes
To make it easy on players and referees, charters are expressed as the amount in excess of normal revenue. So while a charter might actually pay Cr100,000 for a month, it will be described as a Cr40,000 (or whatever) job. That's what the PCs net after payment of expenses (and this will also be reduced by NPC crew costs). If the ship is engaged in a charter, no roll is made for that period.
5. Loan Payoffs and Starship Equity
I also create an chart for each starship showing the loan balance and how much the ship is worth:
"Balance" is the percentage of the initial purchase price of the ship that is owed at the end of the year. So a ship originally worth MCr100 will have a loan payoff of MCr78.8 at the end of year 2. If the loan is paid off during a year, interpolate (or use the previous year's payoff to reflect early payoff penalties).
"FMV" is a percentage multiplied by the starting value of the ship to determing the fair market value of the ship. This assumes normal wear and tear, with everything in servicable condition. Referees may reduce this to reflect extremes. So the MCr100 ship above is worth MCr98.
"Equity" is the theoretical value of the ship and is calculated by subtracting Balance from FMV. This is the theoretical profit you could sell a ship for. However, brokers or wholesalers will reduce this somewhat. A used starship dealer will only give you 78%+2d6% of FMV, from which you'll have to subtract the Balance to determine profit. A Broker will take 50% of the profit on a sale, but can usually find a buyer for full FMV in 2d6-1 months.
My Commonwealth campaign uses different assumptions for starship costs, but the values above have been normalized for Classic Traveller.
EDIT: Here's a spreadsheet that you can use to generate a custom Starship Finance Chart. Thread link.
7. Optional Crew Salary System. The roll assumes the full payment of all required crew salaries. If PCs fill these roles, they get the salary that month. However -- this system partially defeats my goal of requiring adventures to be the primary source of spare cash for adventurers. In this case, a PC will get Cr1,000 to 6,000 per month.
8.Rainmaking. (optional). The 2d6 system is simply too sensitive to give a standard "+1 per skill level" to the roll. However, there is a way to make skills matter. The system assumes that PCs spend their time doing jobs required to run the ship. However one or more PCs can spend a month applying their talents to improving business. This is called "Rainmaking".
Any PC that does this cannot perform a normal starship job. So his job must be paid for (in the standard system, a replacement must be hired and paid that month; in the Optional Crew Salaries system, the PC won't earn the salary for his job).
So, Biff Redstone, who is normally the Pilot, will have to be replaced if he spends a month Rainmaking. His replacement will require Cr6,000 that month, per LBB2.
The PC makes a Rainmaking roll (2d6; 8+; DM +1 per level of applicable skill). If he succeeds, the ship gets a +1 to the roll on the "normal" table trade table.
If he rolls a natural "12" the ship makes 2xROI, but has established a new relationship that wil increase the next (1d6) monthly rolls by +1.
If he rolls a natural "2" the ship loses 2xROI and modify the next (1d6) monthly rolls by -1 (he enraged a key customer).
In most cases, the following skills should be applicable -- broker, trader, and carousing.
Depending on the setting, admin (in a tightly regulated economy) or bribery (in a corrupt economy) might be useful.
Depending on the referee's conception of Jack of All Trades, it might be useful (at -1 perhaps).
I think that a Steward could affect passenger satisfaction, but I don't think that the net effect is enough to warrant a +1 on the Rainmaker roll. Depends on the referee's conception of the campaign I suppose.
Any number of PCs can make this roll, but the total benefit available to the party is +1. However, any PC that rolls can't do a starship job as above. All rainmaking attempts for the month must be declared before any rolls are made.
FYI -- statistically, this means that a successful rainmaker will earn his Free Trader Cr7,000 per month. However, his starship job will need to be replaced. It's a much better idea to let the Gunner (Cr1000 per month) do it than the Pilot (Cr6000 per month). Rainmakers will be more profitable on larger ships.
To limit its applicability, require that Rainmakers have an applicable skill.
Rainmakers can always use their ship skills during an adventure.
Rainmaking is not available for the "risky" table.
As noted before, I don't like the cargo and speculative trade systems in CT. The cargo/passenger generation system is static (i.e., it generates cargo and passenger quantities independent of ship size), which rewards smaller ships and punishes larger ship. The speculation system, with a few lucky rolls, can create massive infusions of wealth in a campaign that may destroy the type of campaign I want to run. And both systems compete with adventures.
So here's what I do.
1. Assumptions
No matter what kind of ship they have, I assume that the PC's ship can (barely) break even over the long term, paying all fuel costs, maintenance costs, life support, bank payments, etc. I assume that no salaries are paid for any crewmen. Note that they beak even on cash flow; they actually turn a decent economic profit by paying down the bank note on their ship. But like most business owners, their wealth is tied up in equipment and is not easily convertible to cash in the short term. Spending money is created by adventures...
When the bank is finally paid off, the additional maintenance costs for such an old ship (as well as shabbier condition) somewhat offsets the fact that there are no monthly payments. EDIT -- this modifier does NOT apply to rolls on the Risky Table.
2. System
a. Determine the base ROI. This is the starting value of the ship in Credits x 0.0004. Round to nearest Cr1000 for convenience. So a Free Trader (MCr37.08) has base ROI of Cr15,000.
Each month, the players roll 2d6 to determine their economic performance. If they are engaged in normal trade, use the Normal Trade Chart. Optional -- if they are engaged in risky (i.e., speculative) trade, use the Risky Trade Chart:
Code:
Normal Trade Table
2 -2
3 -2
4 -1
5 -1
6 0
7 0
8 0
9 +1
10 +1
11 +2
12 +2
Risky Trade Table (1d6) -- Optional
1 -8
2 -3
3 -1
4 +1
5 +3
6 +9Note: Unless explicitely stated otherwise, NO modifiers apply to the Risk Trade Table.
Multiply the number by the base ROI and that's how the ship has done that month. If the ship is paid off, modify the roll by the following:
0-19 Year Old Ship: +3
20-29 Year Old Ship: +2
30-49 Year Old Ship: +1
50+ Year Old Ship: +0
b. Reduce this number by the monthly salaries of NPC starship crewmen (players are assumed to work for shares--but see optional rules below).
3. Speculation
This is assumed by the use of the risky chart. In addition, the referee may make additional economic opportunities available, but this is always provided as part of the adventure and not automatically.
4. Other Notes
To make it easy on players and referees, charters are expressed as the amount in excess of normal revenue. So while a charter might actually pay Cr100,000 for a month, it will be described as a Cr40,000 (or whatever) job. That's what the PCs net after payment of expenses (and this will also be reduced by NPC crew costs). If the ship is engaged in a charter, no roll is made for that period.
5. Loan Payoffs and Starship Equity
I also create an chart for each starship showing the loan balance and how much the ship is worth:
Code:
Starship Finance Chart
Year Balance FMV Equity
1 79.4 99.5 20.08
2 78.8 99 20.20
3 78.2 98.5 20.35
4 77.5 98 20.53
5 76.7 97.5 20.75
6 76.0 97 21.01
7 75.2 96.5 21.32
8 74.3 96 21.67
9 73.4 95.5 22.06
10 72.5 94.5 22.01
11 71.5 93.5 22.00
12 70.4 92.5 22.06
13 69.3 91.5 22.17
14 68.2 90.5 22.34
15 66.9 89.5 22.57
16 65.6 88.5 22.88
17 64.2 87.5 23.25
18 62.8 86.5 23.71
19 61.3 85.5 24.24
20 59.6 84 24.36
21 57.9 82.5 24.56
22 56.1 81 24.86
23 54.2 79.5 25.26
24 52.2 78 25.77
25 50.1 76.5 26.38
26 47.9 75 27.12
27 45.5 73.5 27.97
28 43.0 72 28.96
29 40.4 70.5 30.08
30 37.7 68 30.35
31 34.7 65.5 30.77
32 31.6 63 31.35
33 28.4 60.5 32.10
34 25.0 58 33.04
35 21.3 55 33.66
36 17.5 52 34.48
37 13.5 49 35.51
38 9.2 46 36.77
39 4.7 43 38.26
40 0.0 40 39.99
50 - 17 17.00
60 - 12 12.00
70 - 4 4.00"Balance" is the percentage of the initial purchase price of the ship that is owed at the end of the year. So a ship originally worth MCr100 will have a loan payoff of MCr78.8 at the end of year 2. If the loan is paid off during a year, interpolate (or use the previous year's payoff to reflect early payoff penalties).
"FMV" is a percentage multiplied by the starting value of the ship to determing the fair market value of the ship. This assumes normal wear and tear, with everything in servicable condition. Referees may reduce this to reflect extremes. So the MCr100 ship above is worth MCr98.
"Equity" is the theoretical value of the ship and is calculated by subtracting Balance from FMV. This is the theoretical profit you could sell a ship for. However, brokers or wholesalers will reduce this somewhat. A used starship dealer will only give you 78%+2d6% of FMV, from which you'll have to subtract the Balance to determine profit. A Broker will take 50% of the profit on a sale, but can usually find a buyer for full FMV in 2d6-1 months.
My Commonwealth campaign uses different assumptions for starship costs, but the values above have been normalized for Classic Traveller.
EDIT: Here's a spreadsheet that you can use to generate a custom Starship Finance Chart. Thread link.
7. Optional Crew Salary System. The roll assumes the full payment of all required crew salaries. If PCs fill these roles, they get the salary that month. However -- this system partially defeats my goal of requiring adventures to be the primary source of spare cash for adventurers. In this case, a PC will get Cr1,000 to 6,000 per month.
8.Rainmaking. (optional). The 2d6 system is simply too sensitive to give a standard "+1 per skill level" to the roll. However, there is a way to make skills matter. The system assumes that PCs spend their time doing jobs required to run the ship. However one or more PCs can spend a month applying their talents to improving business. This is called "Rainmaking".
Any PC that does this cannot perform a normal starship job. So his job must be paid for (in the standard system, a replacement must be hired and paid that month; in the Optional Crew Salaries system, the PC won't earn the salary for his job).
So, Biff Redstone, who is normally the Pilot, will have to be replaced if he spends a month Rainmaking. His replacement will require Cr6,000 that month, per LBB2.
The PC makes a Rainmaking roll (2d6; 8+; DM +1 per level of applicable skill). If he succeeds, the ship gets a +1 to the roll on the "normal" table trade table.
If he rolls a natural "12" the ship makes 2xROI, but has established a new relationship that wil increase the next (1d6) monthly rolls by +1.
If he rolls a natural "2" the ship loses 2xROI and modify the next (1d6) monthly rolls by -1 (he enraged a key customer).
In most cases, the following skills should be applicable -- broker, trader, and carousing.
Depending on the setting, admin (in a tightly regulated economy) or bribery (in a corrupt economy) might be useful.
Depending on the referee's conception of Jack of All Trades, it might be useful (at -1 perhaps).
I think that a Steward could affect passenger satisfaction, but I don't think that the net effect is enough to warrant a +1 on the Rainmaker roll. Depends on the referee's conception of the campaign I suppose.
Any number of PCs can make this roll, but the total benefit available to the party is +1. However, any PC that rolls can't do a starship job as above. All rainmaking attempts for the month must be declared before any rolls are made.
FYI -- statistically, this means that a successful rainmaker will earn his Free Trader Cr7,000 per month. However, his starship job will need to be replaced. It's a much better idea to let the Gunner (Cr1000 per month) do it than the Pilot (Cr6000 per month). Rainmakers will be more profitable on larger ships.
To limit its applicability, require that Rainmakers have an applicable skill.
Rainmakers can always use their ship skills during an adventure.
Rainmaking is not available for the "risky" table.
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