CT Only: Spinward Flex Courier

[Spinward Flow]

Lanth ^X A879533 – B 2 (Non-industrial, Subsector Capital) to Tavonni E567000 – 0 (Barren, G) to Saurus D888588 – 7 (Agricultural, Non-industrial)

Origin (Lanth): Starport A - Naval and Scout Bases, Size 8, Population 5
Midpoint (Tavonni): Starport E, Size 5, Population 0
Destination (Saurus): Starport D, Size 8, Population 5
DM (Lanth to Saurus): +0 (passenger), +0 (cargo), +4 (tech level), -1 first die (speculative cargo)
DM (Lanth to Tavonni): -3 (passenger), -4 (cargo), +11 (tech level), -1 first die (speculative cargo)
Passengers: 2D-1D High, 3D-2D Middle, 3D-1D Low
Cargo: 1D+1 Major, 1D+2 Minor, No Incidental
Starship Encounters: A 2D+3 (Lanth), E 2D (Tavonni, 11-12 is pirate)
Gas Giant: Tavonni data entry contains no information on distance to gas giants (4) from the mainworld

Passengers
2D-1D+4 = 10-1+4 = 13 High (Saurus)
3D-2D+4 = 12-7+4 = 9 Middle (Saurus)
3D-1D+4 = 13-5+4 = 12 Low (Saurus)
2D-1D+8 = 7-4+8 = 11 High (Tavonni)
3D-2D+8 = 12-9+8 = 11 Middle (Tavonni)
3D-1D+8 = 11-6+8 = 13 Low (Tavonni)

Cargo
1D+5 = 2+5 = 7 Major (20, 10, 30, 40, 10, 10, 60 ton lots) (Saurus)
1D+6 = 1+6 = 7 Minor (15, 10, 15, 5, 15, 20, 20 ton lots) (Saurus)
1D+8 = 5+8 = 13 Major (50, 50, 20, 20, 50, 30, 30, 40, 50, 50, 40, 60, 40 ton lots) (Tavonni)
1D+9 = 3+9 = 12 Minor (20, 30, 25, 10, 10, 10, 20, 30, 5, 30, 15, 5 ton lots) (Tavonni)

Speculative Cargo
34 Spices. Cr 6000 per ton (base price), DM: +0 price modifier. 20 tons
Buy price (2D+0=10): 130% base price



Far Trader

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Lanth/Lanth occurs at 15h 012-1105, ~126,000km from Lanth.

Transit to Lanth orbit is 116,000km, which at 1G takes 114 minutes. During this time, a starship encounter with a (2D6+3=7+3=10) 200-ton Yacht occurs, involving little more than painfully stilted pleasantries and a yielding of a right of way through a flight path to the Yacht as directed by starport traffic control, delaying arrival at the Lanth starport by an additional 1 hour.

The Far Trader is cleared for docking at a berth in the Lanth highport in orbit at 18h 012-1105. Unloading of 60 tons of cargo takes 60 minutes, during which passengers also disembark, which is completed by 19h 012-1105. Of the 4 low passengers, their survival (5+ on 2D6) rolls are 3, 6, 6 and 9, resulting in 1 fatality.

The captain begins negotiations for passengers and cargo deliveries bound for Saurus (primary priority) and Tavonni (standby priority), however some negotiations will need to be delayed until the open of business the following day (013-1105) due to the time of late arrival today (012-1105).

Once the Far Trader is cleared of passengers and cargo, the ship's fuel state is that it was fully fueled at D'Ganzio starport, has had its power plant in operation for slightly less than 13 days (consuming ~5 tons of fuel) and made a single jump-2 (consuming 40 tons of fuel). Since the only way to ensure navigation to Tavonni and avoid the chance of a misjump is to use refined fuel, and lacking a fuel purification plant on board the Far Trader, the captain commits to purchasing 45 tons of refined fuel from the highport, which requires 45 minutes to transfer to the Far Trader's internal fuel tanks, which is completed by 20h 012-1105.

Refined Fuel Purchase (45 tons, 1 hour): Cr 22,500
Berthing Fees (orbital): Cr 100 for 6 days​

An additional logistical hurdle will be required for the Far Trader to make deliveries to Saurus, since Saurus has a type D starport and thus no orbital facilities. Trade customs dictate that cargo, mail and passengers taken in orbit are delivered when placed in orbit around the destination, while cargo, mail and passengers taken on a planetary surface are delivered when off-loaded on the surface of the destination (LBB2.81, p9). Since Saurus has no orbital starport facilities, any passengers and cargo booked from Lanth for transport to Saurus will need to be a surface to surface transfer, not a Lanth orbit to Saurus surface transfer. Lanth does have orbital shuttle facilities because it is a type A starport, but the orbital shuttle cost is Cr 10 per ton for cargo and (2D6*10=70) Cr 70 per passenger to arrange transport from the surface of Lanth to the Far Trader, permitting a surface to surface customs arrangement for transport to Saurus. This means that if the Far Trader remains orbital at Lanth, there will be an additional cost of Cr 600 for 60 tons of cargo and up to Cr 770 for 11 passengers (high/middle/low), for a total surcharge cost of Cr 1370.

However, since Lanth is a Size: 8 world, the surface gravity is going to be 1G, and the Far Trader's maneuver drive is also 1G. This means that although the Far Trader can make planetfall on Lanth to take on passengers and cargo, the Far Trader will effectively be unable to operate safely and/or land anywhere other than the Lanth downport due to a lack of safety margin for VTOL operations inside the planetary gravity well. This condition will also be the case at Saurus. Because the cost for orbital shuttle services can easily be more than 10x the cost of moving the Far Trader from the highport in orbit to the downport on the surface of Lanth, once the passengers have disembarked and cargo has been unloaded in orbit, the captain chooses to transfer the starship from orbit to the surface, a 10,000 km distance, an operation that will take 34 minutes at 1G to perform. The Far Trader reaches its downport berth by 21h 012-1105.

Berthing Fees (surface): Cr 100 for 6 days​

Once the Far Trader is "down and safe" in its berth at the Lanth downport, the captain schedules the engineer to perform the standard 16 hour engine maintenance after jump procedures over the following days, prior to departure from Lanth for Tavonni+Saurus. Cargo transport negotiated for on 013-1105 will not be delivered to the downport for loading until 017-1105. Since Lanth has a standard, tainted atmosphere and the crew will not be required to stay aboard the Far Trader the entire time while awaiting any passengers and cargo, the captain pays out a half month's salary on 015-1105 for the crew to spend in port, while admonishing them to not leave the starport's legal perimeter and for everyone to report fit for duty on 017-1105.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 6950​

The Far Trader captain accepts bookings of 7 high passengers, 4 low passengers and a single major cargo shipment of 60 tons, both of which are received on the surface of Lanth/Lanth to be delivered to the surface of Saurus/Vilis (LBB2.81, p9). The captain declines the speculative price for the spices.

Life Support cost: Cr 20,000 (10 staterooms), Cr 400 (4 low berths)
Passenger revenue: Cr 70,000 (middle), Cr 4000 (low)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 60,000 (60 tons)​

Cargo loading of 60 tons requires 1 hour, from 14h 017-1105 to 15h 017-1105, during which all passengers are brought onboard.

Clearance to depart Lanth downport for transit to an outbound jump point is granted at 15h 017-1105, a distance of 126,000km. The Far Trader requires 1 hour to ascend the 1G gravity well to a 10,000km orbit, followed by another 114 minutes at 1G to complete the transit to the jump point. During the departure transit, the Far Trader has a starship encounter (2D6+3=4+3=7) with a 200-ton Free Trader, during which rumors, gossip and tips on cargo opportunities remaining on Lanth are exchanged.

At 18h 017-1105, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Tavonni/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 166 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Tavonni/Vilis will occur at 16h 024-1105, ~81,000km from Tavonni.



Transit across 81,000km to the surface of Tavonni for wilderness refueling in the ocean at 1G will require 95 minutes. During this descent maneuver (2D6=8) no other starships are encountered. The Far Trader successfully makes a soft landing in the Tavonni ocean at 18h 024-1105 and begins wilderness refueling, which is completed by 19h 024-1105. Since the fuel drawn from the ocean is unrefined, it is possible the jump to Saurus may result in a misjump.

The Far Trader captain wants to spend as little time on Tavonni as necessary, so the standard 16 hour post-jump routine maintenance procedures are prioritized while the Far Trader floats on the ocean (and some incidental purging and recharging of the air and water supplies aboard is performed to "freshen" the ship's interior). At 10h 025-1105 the Far Trader lifts off from the Tavonni ocean, ascending to 81,000km out from Tavonni in 95 minutes. During this ascent maneuver (2D6=4) no other starships are encountered.

At 12h 025-1107, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Saurus/Vilis (2D6=8, no misjump).
Time spent in jump will be 151 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Saurus/Vilis will occur at 19h 031-1105.

Total gross costs in Lanth+Tavonni systems: Cr 50,050
Total gross revenue in Lanth system: Cr 134,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 67,000
Net profit in Lanth+Tavonni systems: Cr 16,950
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 19h 031-1105: Cr 31,450​

 

[Spinward Flow]

Spinward Flex Courier

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Lanth/Lanth occurs at 18h 012-1105, ~126,000km from Lanth.

Transit to Lanth orbit is 116,000km, which at 6G takes 47 minutes. During this time, a starship encounter with a (2D6+3=7+3=10) 200-ton Yacht occurs, involving little more than painfully stilted pleasantries and a yielding of a right of way through a flight path to the Yacht as directed by starport traffic control, delaying arrival at the Lanth starport by an additional 1 hour.

The Spinward Flex Courier is cleared for docking at a berth in the Lanth highport in orbit at 20h 012-1105. Unloading of 45 tons of x-mail and cargo takes 45 minutes.

Berthing Fees (orbital): Cr 100 for 6 days
X-mail Delivery revenue: Cr 25,000 (LBB2.81, p9)​

Once the Spinward Flex Courier is cleared of x-mail and cargo by 21h 012-1105, the ship's fuel state is that it was fully fueled by skimming a Gas Giant in the D'Ganzio system, has had its power plant in operation for slightly less than 13 days (consuming ~5.4 tons of fuel) and made a single jump-2 (consuming 38.8 tons of fuel), leaving 7.3 tons of fuel remaining (when accounting for the 2 tons of unrefined fuel purchased at D'Ganzio starport, 1 ton of which was consumed maneuvering to the Gas Giant). The captain decides to wilderness refuel from Lanth's ocean (Hydrographic: 9) and remain "at sea" while completing the routine 16 hours of drive maintenance post-jump.

Clearance to leave the Lanth highport is granted at 21h 012-1105. The 10,000km descent from orbit to the surface at 6G takes 14 minutes. The Spinward Flex Courier successfully makes a soft landing on the Lanth ocean at 22h 012-1105 and begins wilderness refueling, which is completed in less than 1 hour by 23h 012-1105. Fuel purification begins automatically and is completed long before the 16 hours of post-jump drive maintenance concludes.

On 013-1105 the captain begins negotiations for x-mail and cargo deliveries bound for Saurus (primary priority) and Tavonni (standby priority). The captain accepts bookings of x-mail (up to 5 tons) and a single major cargo shipment of 40 tons, to be received at the Lanth/Lanth downport for delivery to the Saurus/Vilis surface at the starport. The captain declines the speculative price for the spices.

On 015-1105 the Spinward Flex Courier relocates from its location afloat on the Lanth ocean to the Lanth downport where the starship will remain berthed until x-mail and cargo have been stowed aboard. Since there will be a delay of more than 1 day before the cargo arrives, the captain pays out a half month's salary on 015-1105 to be spent in port while staying within the starport's legal perimeter. Crew are to report fit for duty on 017-1105.

Berthing Fees (surface): Cr 100 for 6 days
Crew Salaries: Cr 3500
Life Support cost: Cr 4000 (2 staterooms)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 40,000​

Cargo loading of 45 tons (including up to 5 tons of x-mail) requires 45 minutes, from 14h 017-1105 to 15h 017-1105.

Clearance to depart Lanth downport for transit to an outbound jump point is granted at 15h 017-1105, a distance of 126,000km. The Spinward Flex Courier requires 49 minutes at 6G to complete the transit to the jump point. During the departure transit, the Spinward Flex Courier has a starship encounter (2D6+3=4+3=7) with a 200-ton Free Trader, during which rumors, gossip and tips on cargo opportunities remaining on Lanth are exchanged.

At 16h 017-1105, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Tavonni/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 166 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Tavonni/Vilis will occur at 14h 024-1105, ~81,000km from Tavonni.



Transit across 81,000km to the surface of Tavonni for wilderness refueling in the ocean at 6G will require 39 minutes. During this descent maneuver (2D6=8) no other starships are encountered. The Spinward Flex Courier successfully makes a soft landing in the Tavonni ocean at 15h 024-1105 and begins wilderness refueling, which is completed by 16h 024-1105. Fuel purification begins automatically and is completed long before the 16 hours of post-jump drive maintenance concludes.

The Spinward Flex Courier captain wants to spend as little time on Tavonni as necessary, so the standard 16 hour post-jump routine maintenance procedures are prioritized while the Spinward Flex Courier floats on the ocean (and some incidental purging and recharging of the air and water supplies aboard is performed to "freshen" the ship's interior). At 8h 025-1105 the Spinward Flex Courier lifts off from the Tavonni ocean, ascending to 81,000km out from Tavonni in 39 minutes. During this ascent maneuver (2D6=4) no other starships are encountered.

At 9h 025-1107, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Saurus/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 151 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Saurus/Vilis will occur at 16h 031-1105.

Total gross costs in Lanth+Tavonni systems: Cr 7700
Total gross revenue in Lanth system: Cr 65,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 32,500
Net profit in Lanth+Tavonni systems: Cr 24,800
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 16h 031-1105: Cr 40,500​

 

[Spinward Flow]

During the departure transit, the Far Trader has a starship encounter (2D6+3=4+3=7) with a 200-ton Free Trader

During the departure transit, the Spinward Flex Courier has a starship encounter (2D6+3=4+3=7) with a 200-ton Free Trader

I know I'm using the Rules As Written (RAW) from LBB2.81, p35 ... so a 7 result at a type A starport yields a 200-ton Free Trader. The problem I have with that is ... Lanth/Lanth is 2 parsecs distant from any other star system ... so what is a Jump-1 Free Trader doing at Lanth? o:

Now, if they have converted a part of their cargo bay to fuel so as to achieve 2xJ-1 performance, that works ... but the trading opportunities around Lanth are really meager. I mean, now that I have more time to think about the relative absurdity of a Jump-1 Free Trader being at Lanth, given the interstellar navigation required to get there (and leave there), in hindsight I'm thinking that this particular Free Trader might have misjumped to wind up in the Lanth system, in which case they were probably rescued (and fueled) by a system defense boat after breakout from (mis)jump before their power plant exhausted all of their fuel.

Funny how they wouldn't have volunteered that little detail on their way to the starport ...

 

[whartung]

Funny how they wouldn't have volunteered that little detail on their way to the starport ...

No, they could have very well been paid to be there.

 

[Spinward Flow]

No, they could have very well been paid to be there.

Always possible, but still ... not expected for a Jump-1 ship to be seen at Lanth, 2 parsecs away from anywhere else.

Possible, but certainly not a standard trade route for a Free Trader ... unless it has been aftermarket modified somehow. :CoW:
Free Traders rarely leave the mains (in this case, the Spinward Main) due to their low jump plus fuel capacity, and the closest mains to Lanth are either the Spinward Main in Lunion Subsector or the Vilis Trace in Vilis Subsector.

So a "totally ordinary" encounter ... happening where a starship of that type "shouldn't be encountered" ... because of Location, Location, Location.

Ah well, it's probably nothing. :coffeesip:

 

[whartung]

So a "totally ordinary" encounter ... happening where a starship of that type "shouldn't be encountered" ... because of Location, Location, Location.

Ah well, it's probably nothing. :coffeesip:

Indeed. I was DMing a D&D game once, the party kicked open a door and I rolled on a random encounter table.

It was something like "50 kobolds" or some other thing.

The room was 10x20.

"Uh. No."

Roll again.

DM prerogative.

or..."Like a clown car, dozens of kobolds come streaming out the breached door, screaming..."

 

[Condottiere]

Concealed trapdoor.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Oops!
Looks like I dropped a decimal place from the 100 diameters so far.
Up until now I've been doing 10x diameter not 100x diameter transits.

I knew I was miscalculating something somewhere ... :rant:

 

[coliver988]

Oops!
Looks like I dropped a decimal place from the 100 diameters so far.
Up until now I've been doing 10x diameter not 100x diameter transits.

I knew I was miscalculating something somewhere ... :rant:

and not a single misjump? Give your navigator a bonus! (or would that be the engineer?) :rofl:

 

[Grav_Moped]

and not a single misjump? Give your navigator a bonus! (or would that be the engineer?) :rofl:

In CT, it's on the engineering crew alone; MT and later add a Navigation task for destination errors but those aren't multi-parsec "misjumps". T5 navigation errors can leave you out in the Oort Cloud, though....

 

[Spinward Flow]

Transit times update to the Race to Profitability.



Far Trader

D'Ganzio world size: 4 (6400km diameter).
100 diameters = 640,000km
Transit from 10,000km orbit to 640,000 km at 1G takes 265 minutes.
Far Trader departs D'Ganzio highport at 16h 005-1105, arrives at jump point by 21h 005-1105.
Far Trader then initiates jump-2 to Lanth/Lanth.
Time spent in jump will be 165 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Lanth/Lanth will occur at 18h 012-1105.

Lanth world size: 8 (12,600km diameter).
100 diameters = 1,260,000km
Transit from 10,000km orbit to 1,260,000km at 1G takes 373 minutes.
Breakout from jump occurs at 18h 012-1105.
Transit from 1,260,000km to 10,000km orbit maneuver delayed 1 hour to yield right of way to a 200-ton Yacht. Far Trader docks at berth in Lanth highport at 2h 013-1105.
Cargo and passengers require 1 hour to disembark/unload, completed by 3h 013-1105. Loading of purchase of 45 tons refined fuel completed by 4h 013-1105.
Far Trader undocks from highport, spending 1 hour to descend to downport for new berth, completed by 5h 013-1105.
Passengers and cargo loaded from 14h 017-1105 to 15h 017-1105.
Clearance to depart Lanth downport for transit to an outbound jump point is granted at 15h 017-1105, a distance of 1,260,000km. The Far Trader requires 1 hour to ascend the 1G gravity well to a 10,000km orbit, followed by another 373 minutes at 1G to complete the transit to the jump point.
At 23h 017-1105, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Tavonni/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 166 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Tavonni/Vilis will occur at 21h 024-1105.

Tavonni world size: 5 (8100km diameter)
100 diameters = 810,000 km
Breakout from jump occurs at 21h 024-1105.
Transit from 810,000km to the ocean on Tavonni at 1G takes 300 minutes.
Soft landing on Tavonni ocean completed at 2h 025-1105. Wilderness refueling with unrefined fuel completed by 3h 025-1105.
Routine 16 hour drive maintenance checks completed by 18h 025-1105, Far Trader lifts off from Tavonni to transit 810,000km to jump point, at 1G takes 300 minutes.
At 23h 025-1107, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Saurus/Vilis (2D6=8, no misjump).
Time spent in jump will be 151 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Saurus/Vilis will occur at 6h 032-1105.



Spinward Flex Courier

D'Ganzio world size: 4 (6400km diameter).
100 diameters = 640,000km
Transit from 10,000km orbit to 640,000 km at 6G takes 109 minutes.
Spinward Flex Courier departs D'Ganzio highport at 20h 005-1105, arrives at jump point by 22h 005-1105.
Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Lanth/Lanth.
Time spent in jump will be 165 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Lanth/Lanth will occur at 19h 012-1105.

Lanth world size: 8 (12,600km diameter).
100 diameters = 1,260,000km
Transit from 10,000km orbit to 1,260,000km at 6G takes 153 minutes.
Breakout from jump occurs at 19h 012-1105.
Transit from 1,260,000km to 10,000km orbit maneuver delayed 1 hour to yield right of way to a 200-ton Yacht. Spinward Flex Courier docks at berth in Lanth highport at 23h 012-1105.
Cargo and x-mail require 1 hour to unload, completed by 0h 013-1105. Spinward Flex Courier undocks from highport, spending 1 hour to descend to Lanth ocean.
Wilderness refueling starts at 1h 013-1105 completed by 2h 013-1105. Fuel purification completes before routine 16 hour drive maintenance checks are completed by 17h 013-1105.
Spinward Flex Courier relocates to Lanth downport, arriving at new berth by 18h 013-1105
Cargo and x-mail loaded from 14h 017-1105 to 15h 017-1105.
Clearance to depart Lanth downport for transit to an outbound jump point is granted at 15h 017-1105, a distance of 1,260,000km. The Spinward Flex Courier takes 153 minutes at 6G to complete the transit to the jump point.
At 18h 017-1105, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Tavonni/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 166 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Tavonni/Vilis will occur at 16h 024-1105.

Tavonni world size: 5 (8100km diameter)
100 diameters = 810,000 km
Breakout from jump occurs at 16h 024-1105.
Transit from 810,000km to the ocean on Tavonni at 6G takes 123 minutes.
Soft landing on Tavonni ocean completed at 19h 024-1105. Wilderness refueling completed by 20h 024-1105. Fuel purification completes before routine 16 hour drive maintenance checks are completed by 12h 025-1105.
Spinward Flex Courier lifts off from Tavonni to transit 810,000km to jump point, at 6G takes 123 minutes.
At 15h 025-1107, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Saurus/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 151 hours.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Saurus/Vilis will occur at 22h 031-1105.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Saurus D888588 – 7 (Agricultural, Non-industrial) to Vilis A593943 – A (Industrial)
Saurus world size: 8 (13,700km)
100 diamaters: 1,370,000km

Origin (Saurus): Starport D, Size 8, Population 5
Destination (Vilis): Starport A, Size 5, Population 9
DM: +3 (passenger), +1 (cargo), -3 (tech level), -1 first die (speculative cargo)
Passengers: 2D-1D High, 3D-2D Middle, 3D-1D Low
Cargo: 1D+1 Major, 1D+2 Minor, No Incidental
Starship Encounters: D 2D (departure, 9 is pirate), A 2D (arrival)

Passengers
2D-1D+0 = 3 High
3D-2D+0 = 0 Middle
3D-1D+0 = 5 Low

Cargo
1D-1 = 0 Major
1D+0 = 5 Minor (30, 15, 5, 20, 10 ton lots)

Speculative Cargo
53 Computers. MCr 10 per ton (base price), DM: +0 price modifier. 3 tons
Buy price (2D+0=8): 110% base price



Far Trader

During 028-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the second half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Saurus.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 6950​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Saurus/Vilis occurs at 6h 032-1105, ~1,370,000km from Saurus.
Transit to Saurus orbit is 1,360,000km, which at 1G takes 389 minutes. During this descent to Saurus (2D6=6) there are no starship encounters. At 13h 032-1105 the Far Trader is given landing clearance and a descent trajectory for the Saurus starport on the ground. It takes 1 hour for the Far Trader to complete atmospheric entry and taxi to their assigned berth at the starport. By 14h 032-1105 passengers for Saurus disembark and the unloading of cargo begins. Of the 4 low passengers, their survival (5+ on 2D6) rolls are 7, 7, 5 and 3, resulting in 1 fatality again.

Unloading of 60 tons of cargo will require 240 minutes (4 hours). All cargo unloading is completed by 18h 032-1105.

Berthing Fees: Cr 100 for 6 days​

Fuel state aboard the Far Trader is that 40 tons were used for a single jump-2 and the power plant has been operational for 7 days since the last refueling (2.5 tons). Since Saurus has a world size: 8 and a 1G surface gravity, the Far Trader is incapable of wilderness refueling on Saurus and must purchase fuel from the starport. The captain decides to purchase only 40 tons of unrefined fuel from the starport (since refined fuel will be available for purchase at Vilis) which potentially could result in a misjump.

Unrefined Fuel: Cr 4000 (40 tons)​

Since Saurus has a pre-interstellar tech level (TL=7) and a type D starport, it will require multiple days to negotiate for passengers and cargo to transport to Vilis. Since the only cargo available are Minor shipments, it takes 2 days to negotiate for the cargo and an additional 4 days for the cargo to arrive for loading onto the Far Trader. The captain schedules departure from Saurus by no later than 13h 038-1105 so as to not have to pay an additional Cr 100 for an extra day's worth of berthing fees. During this interval, routine 16 hour drive maintenance is performed and crew are given some leave time outside the starship (to waste some of their pay) provided they return fit for duty on 038-1105.

The Far Trader captain accepts bookings for 3 high passengers, 4 low passengers, and four minor cargo shipments of 30, 15, 5 and 10 tons. The captain does not have MCr 33 of disposable income to speculate on 3 tons of TL=7 computers.

Life Support cost: Cr 12,000 (6 staterooms), Cr 400 (4 low berths)
Passenger revenue: Cr 30,000 (high), Cr 4000 (low)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 60,000 (60 tons)​

Cargo loading of 60 tons requires 4 hours, from 8h 038-1105 to 12h 038-1105, during which all passengers are brought onboard.

Clearance to depart Saurus starport is finally granted at 13h 038-1105 as previously scheduled for transit to an outbound jump point, a distance of 1,370,000km. The Far Trader requires 1 hour to ascend the 1G gravity well to a 10,000km orbit, followed by another 389 minutes at 1G to complete the transit to the jump point. During this transit to the jump point (2D6=5) there are no starship encounters.

At 21h 038-1105, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Vilis/Vilis and (2d6=4) a misjump does not occurr.
Time spent in jump will be 167 hours.
During 042-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the another half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Vilis.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 6950​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Vilis/Vilis will occur at 20h 045-1105.

Total gross costs in Saurus system: Cr 30,400
Total gross revenue in Saurus system: Cr 94,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 47,000
Net profit in Saurus system: Cr 16,600
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 20h 045-1105: Cr 48,050​

Spinward Flex Courier

During 028-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the second half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Saurus.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 3500​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Saurus/Vilis occurs at 22h 031-1105, ~1,370,000km from Saurus.
Transit to planetfall at the Saurus starport is 1,370,000km, which at 6G takes 160 minutes. During this descent to Saurus (2D6=6) there are no starship encounters. At 1h 032-1105 the Spinward Flex Courier completes atmospheric entry and taxis to their assigned berth at the starport.

Unloading of 45 tons of cargo and x-mail will require 180 minutes (3 hours). All cargo unloading is completed by 4h 032-1105.

Berthing Fees: Cr 100 for 6 days
X-mail Delivery revenue: Cr 25,000 (LBB2.81, p9)​

Fuel state aboard the Spinward Flex Courier is that 38.8 tons were used for a single jump-2 and the power plant has been operational for 7 days since last refueling (2.91 tons). The captain makes arrangements to wilderness refuel in the Saurus ocean after completing routine 16 hour drive maintenance checks while negotiating for cargo to ship to Vilis.

Since Saurus has a pre-interstellar tech level (TL=7) and a type D starport, it will require multiple days to negotiate for cargo and x-mail to transport to Vilis. Since the only cargo available are Minor shipments, it takes 2 days to negotiate for the cargo and an additional 4 days for the cargo to arrive for loading onto the Spinward Flex Courier. The captain schedules final departure from Saurus by no later than 23h 037-1105 so as to not have to pay an additional Cr 100 for an extra day's worth of berthing fees. During this interval, routine 16 hour drive maintenance is performed and crew are given 1 day of leave time outside the starship (to waste some of their pay) provided they return fit for duty on 037-1105.

On 034-1105 the Spinward Flex Courier makes a "day trip" to the Saurus ocean for a soft landing to wilderness refuel. The starship returns to its assigned berth at the starport the same day to await the arrival of cargo and x-mail on 037-1105, during which fuel purification is completed.

The Spinward Flex Courier captain accepts bookings of x-mail (up to 5 tons) and three minor cargo shipments of 15, 5 and 20 tons. The captain does not have MCr 33 of disposable income to speculate on 3 tons of TL=7 computers.

Life Support cost: Cr 4,000 (2 staterooms)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 40,000 (40 tons)​

Cargo and x-mail loading of 45 tons requires 3 hours, from 19h 037-1105 to 22h 037-1105.

Clearance to depart Saurus starport is finally granted at 23h 037-1105 as previously scheduled for transit to an outbound jump point, a distance of 1,370,000km, which at 6G takes 160 minutes to complete the transit to the jump point. During this transit to the jump point (2D6=5) there are no starship encounters.

At 2h 038-1105, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Vilis/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 167 hours.
During 042-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the another half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Vilis.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 3500​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Vilis/Vilis will occur at 1h 045-1105.

Total gross costs in Saurus system: Cr 11,100
Total gross revenue in Saurus system: Cr 65,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 32,500
Net profit in Saurus system: Cr 21,400
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 1h 045-1105: Cr 61,900​

 

[bookwyrm]

was there any particular reason the Far Trader doesn't have an X-Mail contract? like maybe only a few contracts are available between these systems, and the captain has to wait for one, or he just isn't interested in being tied down by an X-Mail contract?

both ships are making a decent profit, with the Flex Courier making the better profit with X-Mail revenue.

this is a great thread, and I like the storyline comparison of these 2 ships making credits.

I hope the Far Trader doesn't misjump with that unrefined fuel, that would really make things interesting.

 

[Spinward Flow]

was there any particular reason the Far Trader doesn't have an X-Mail contract? like maybe only a few contracts are available between these systems, and the captain has to wait for one, or he just isn't interested in being tied down by an X-Mail contract?

Yes, there is a reason.

The ship must be armed, and a gunner must be a part of the crew.

The version of the Far Trader in use is unarmed with no gunner (for reasons of absolute lowest possible costs and therefore extra passenger capacity potential).
The Spinward Flex Courier is armed and has a gunner, expressly for the purpose of carrying x-mail.

both ships are making a decent profit, with the Flex Courier making the better profit with X-Mail revenue.

That's one way of looking at it, but so far it doesn't align all that well with the cost vs revenue flow for both ships up to this point. The Far Trader is definitely generating more gross revenue from passengers and cargo per jump ... but the Spinward Flex Courier has lower costs (life support, salaries, fuel) and is therefore able to generate higher net profit on lower gross revenue amounts. Also, the fuel purification plant on the Spinward Flex Courier has basically already "paid for itself" just in avoided starport fuel costs.

this is a great thread, and I like the storyline comparison of these 2 ships making credits.

Hence the reason why I wanted to make this comparison in the first place. It's one thing to say "oh the Far Trader has more cargo and passenger space, so OF COURSE it's going to win!" just looking at the spec sheet ... but then when you start putting it into practice and looking at the cross-comparisons when using the exact same dice rolls and circumstances, it really starts to highlight the differences in the design fundamentals of each starship.

To be honest, I'm kind of surprised that the Spinward Flex Courier is "winning" the Race To Profitability so far, given that I've basically "tethered" it to a business model that gives most of the mercantile advantages to the Far Trader while also denying the Spinward Flex Courier most of its strengths (no interplanetary trade AT ALL is a HUGE minus!). But while the Spinward Flex Courier is "winning" right now, it's going to have a much larger Annual Overhaul cost at the end just before the finish line, so it's going to be interesting to see how things turn out.

However, if the Spinward Flex Courier is able to generate a net absolute profit that is "approximately equal" to the Far Trader, with what amounts to both hands tied behind its back by the rules of the race (follow the Far Trader's preferred business model, rather than your own), I would consider that to be at best a pyrrhic victory for the Far Trader since the Spinward Flex Courier is a FAR more capable starship with a LOT of capability that is going unused under the current rules of the race.

For one thing, if I permitted the Spinward Flex Courier to transport up to 97 tons of external cargo(!) at jump-1 along the route, while using the 40 ton Inflatable Fuel Bladder in the internal cargo bay(!), the Spinward Flex Courier would no doubt take longer to complete the race, but would be generating even MORE revenue than it already is running on internal cargo only. And, of course, if interplanetary trade (and thus x-mail deliveries) were to be included, then the profit margin in favor of the Spinward Flex Courier would be magnified even more.

In other words, I'm not even using the Spinward Flex Courier up to its full potential in this race ... and it's still "winning" the Race to Profitability so far.

The Far Trader generates more revenue, but also has higher overhead costs to cover out of that revenue, resulting in more economic "churn" through the ship's balance sheet.
The Spinward Flex Courier generates less revenue, but also has lower overhead costs to cover out of that revenue, resulting in a more "efficient" balance sheet performance in actual operation.
So far, that's translated into a profit margin advantage for the Spinward Flex Courier, primarily due to the "revenue density" of delivering x-mail ... even when the starship isn't being used up to its full capacity or potential as neither a Jump Tug for interstellar commerce nor as a Maneuver Tug for interplanetary commerce (both of which can make excellent adventure hooks for Referees and Players to latch onto).

The question is ... will that profit margin advantage be sustained over the entirety of the Race To Profitability ... or is it an "artifact" of the details of the specific world types along the route so far. Inquiring bean counters with far too much time (and money) on their hands want to know ...

I hope the Far Trader doesn't misjump with that unrefined fuel, that would really make things interesting.

If it does, I'll note where the misjump takes the Far Trader (destination hex) and whether or not the starship can recover from the mishap. If it CAN'T ... I'll exercise Referee Fiat™ to allow the race to continue as if the misjump had not occurred, just to complete the return to D'Ganzio so as to properly judge the total net profit (absolute amount) as well as profit margin per day (rate amount) over the entire run.

Technically speaking, I could have put a fuel purification plant into the cargo bay of the Far Trader, reducing its cargo capacity, so as to completely sidestep the issue entirely ... but I wanted to make a direct comparison with a "stock" (unarmed) Far Trader rather than an aftermarket modified one.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Vilis A593943 – A (Industrial) to Margesi C575677 – 6 (Agricultural, Non-industrial, A)
Vilis world size: 5 (8000km)
100 diameters: 800,000km

Origin (Vilis): Starport A, Size 5, Population 9
Destination (Margesi): Starport C, Size 5, Population 6, Amber Zone
DM: -6 (passenger), +0 (cargo), +4 (tech level), +1 first die (speculative cargo)
Passengers: 3D-1D High, 3D Middle, 5D Low
Cargo: No Major, 1D+6 Minor, 1D-2 Incidental
Starship Encounters: A 2D (Vilis)

Passengers
3D-1D-2 = 11-6-2 = 3 High
3D-2 = 10-2 = 8 Middle
5D-2 = 18-2 = 16 Low

Cargo
1D+10 = 14 Minor (15, 30, 20, 20, 20, 10, 20, 15, 5, 25, 30, 10, 10, 15 ton lots)
1D+2 = 6 Incidental (2, 4, 5, 1, 6, 4 ton lots)

Speculative Cargo
63 Cybernetic Parts. MCr 0.25 per ton (base price), DM: -4 price modifier. 25 tons
Buy price (2D-4=8-4=4): 70% base price (MCr 4.375 total)



Far Trader

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Vilis/Vilis occurs at 20h 045-1105, ~800,000km from Vilis.
Transit to Vilis downport is 800,000km, which at 1G takes 299 minutes. During this descent to Vilis (2D6=8) there is a starship encounter with a 400-ton Subsidized Merchant which has a regular trade route along the Vilis Trace, also inbound to Vilis.

By 1h 046-1105 the Far Trader has touched down in their assigned berth at the starport planetside.
Unloading of 60 tons of cargo will require 60 minutes, during which all passengers disembark. Of the 4 low passengers, their survival (5+ on 2D6) rolls are 7, 3, 7 and 7, resulting in 1 fatality again. All cargo unloading is completed by 2h 046-1105.

Berthing Fees: Cr 100 for 6 days​

Fuel state aboard the Far Trader is that 40 tons were used for a single jump-2 and the power plant has been operational for 21 days (7.5 tons), leaving only 2.5 tons of unrefined fuel remaining in the fuel tanks upon arrival at the Vilis starport. The captain negotiates the sale of the remaining 2.5 tons of unrefined fuel from the Far Trader's fuel tanks to the starport so as to replace all 50 tons with refined fuel purchased from the starport in order to prevent an opportunity for a misjump to Margesi. All fuel transfers are completed by 3h 046-1105. Routine 16 hour drive maintenance will be completed while the captain negotiates for cargo and passengers.

Unrefined Fuel sale revenue: Cr 250 (2.5 tons)
Refined Fuel cost: Cr 25,000 (50 tons)​

Since Vilis is an Industrial world with an average tech level (TL=10) and the destination for the next jump is Margesi, an Amber Zone world, negotiations for passengers and cargo are completed late 046-1105, with embarkation and cargo loading to take place early 051-1105. Crew are allowed to leave the ship but must return fit for duty late 050-1105.

The captain is able to land a sweet deal on a 25 ton speculative cargo of Cybernetic Parts (MCr 4.375 purchase), a price point that will almost certainly fetch a tidy profit when sold at Margesi. The captain "buys" 25 tons of cargo capacity in the Far Trader's cargo hold to transport the shipment of Cybernetic Parts so as to balance the books on their subsidy.
The captain also books 3 high passengers, 4 middle passengers, 4 low passengers, two minor cargos of 30 and 5 tons and one incidental cargo of 1 ton for transport.

Life Support cost: Cr 20,000 (10 staterooms), Cr 400 (4 low berths)
Passenger revenue: Cr 30,000 (high), Cr 32,000, Cr 4000 (low)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 61,000 (61 tons)
Speculative Cargo purchase: Cr 4,375,000 (25 tons)
Speculative Cargo transport cost: Cr 25,000​

Cargo loading of 60 tons requires 60 minutes, from 2h 052-1105 to 3h 052-1105, during which all passengers are brought onboard.

Clearance to liftoff from the Vilis starport is granted at 3h 051-1105 for transit to an outbound jump point, a distance of 800,000km, which at 1G takes 299 minutes to complete. During this transit to the jump point (2D6=9) a 600-ton subsidized liner being escorted by a 30-ton Slow Boat registered to starport security is encountered on their way inbound from the jump point to the highport in orbit around Vilis.

At 8h 051-1105, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Margesi/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 160 hours.
During 057-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the another half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Margesi.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 6950​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Margesi/Vilis will occur at 0h 058-1105.

Total gross costs in Vilis system: Cr 4,452,450
Total gross revenue in Vilis system: Cr 127,250
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 63,625
Net profit in Vilis system: Cr -4,388,825
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 0h 058-1105: Cr -4,340,775​

Spinward Flex Courier

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Vilis/Vilis occurs at 1h 045-1105, ~800,000km from Vilis.
Transit to Vilis downport is 800,000km, which at 6G takes 122 minutes. During this descent to Vilis (2D6=8) there is a starship encounter with a 400-ton Subsidized Merchant which has a regular trade route along the Vilis Trace, also inbound to Vilis, which the Spinward Flex Courier rapidly leaves behind.

By 4h 045-1105 the Spinward Flex Courier has touched down in their assigned berth at the starport planetside.
Unloading of 45 tons of cargo and x-mail will require 45 minutes. All cargo unloading is completed by 5h 045-1105.

Berthing Fees: Cr 100 for 6 days
X-mail Delivery revenue: Cr 25,000 (LBB2.81, p9)​

Fuel state aboard the Spinward Flex Courier is that 38.8 tons were used for a single jump-2 and the power plant has been operational for 7 days (2.91 tons). The captain makes arrangements to negotiate for cargo and x-mail for the next 2 days so as to allow routine 16 hour drive maintenance can be completed at a leisurely pace while berthed at the starport. On 047-1105, the Spinward Flex Courier will be flown to a large lake to conduct wilderness refueling, returning to the starport berth 2 hours later after fuel purification has been completed to await delivery of negotiated cargo and x-mail.

Since Vilis is an Industrial world with an average tech level (TL=10) and the destination for the next jump is Margesi, an Amber Zone world, negotiations for passengers and cargo are completed early 046-1105, with embarkation and cargo loading to take place early 050-1105. Crew are given leave from ship duties for 2 days from 048-1105 through 049-1105, provided they return fit for duty early 050-1105.

The captain is able to land a sweet deal on a 25 ton speculative cargo of Cybernetic Parts (MCr 4.375 purchase), a price point that will almost certainly fetch a tidy profit when sold at Margesi. The captain "buys" 25 tons of cargo capacity in the Far Trader's cargo hold to transport the shipment of Cybernetic Parts so as to balance the books on their subsidy.
The captain also accepts bookings of x-mail (up to 5 tons) and three incidental cargos of 4, 5 and 6 tons.

Life Support cost: Cr 4,000 (4 staterooms)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 40,000 (40 tons)
Speculative Cargo purchase: Cr 4,375,000 (25 tons)
Speculative Cargo transport cost: Cr 25,000​

Cargo loading of 45 tons requires 45 minutes, from 2h 050-1105 to 3h 050-1105.

Clearance to liftoff from the Vilis starport is granted at 3h 050-1105 for transit to an outbound jump point, a distance of 800,000km, which at 6G takes 122 minutes to complete. During this transit to the jump point (2D6=9) a 600-ton subsidized liner being escorted by a 30-ton Slow Boat registered to starport security is encountered on their way inbound from the jump point to the highport in orbit around Vilis.

At 6h 050-1105, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Margesi/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 160 hours.
During 056-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the another half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Margesi.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 3500​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Margesi/Vilis will occur at 22h 056-1105.

Total gross costs in Vilis system: Cr 4,407,600
Total gross revenue in Vilis system: Cr 65,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 32,500
Net profit in Vilis system: Cr -4,375,100
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 22h 056-1105: Cr -4,313,200​

 

[bookwyrm]

no weapon, no gunner, no contract... I totally missed that.

one thing I like to do, when I have time, is pick a handful of planets somewhere, and see what kind of profits are available, with or without a mail rout. it's kind of fun when a bad world generates a good roll for profits, but a bad feeling all around when a good world gives you nothing but red ink.

the thing that kills me the most with trading is using ships that don't have a filtration plant on the ship, so you get stuck with paying refined fuel costs or taking chances misjumping with unrefined fuel. both are bad for the bottom line.

I've gotten to the point that I prefer making my own ships with a fuel filter. a lot easier than wrecking a perfectly good OTU ship that is pre-built without one.

looking forward to the finish line. can't wait to see what kind of profits are realized from the Spec Cargo.

 

[Spinward Flow]

no weapon, no gunner, no contract... I totally missed that.

To be fair, a lot of people do. I get the feeling that a lot of people who have posted in my ship design threads might have even forgotten (until reminded, of course) that something as "boring" as mail delivery was even a thing that could be done on a regular shipping route. After all, it's less lucrative (in the long run) than speculative cargo, so why bother with it, right?

one thing I like to do, when I have time, is pick a handful of planets somewhere, and see what kind of profits are available, with or without a mail route. it's kind of fun when a bad world generates a good roll for profits, but a bad feeling all around when a good world gives you nothing but red ink.

Which is why it's called speculation.
The trick is to stack the odds in your favor in such a way that on balance you wind up with more ups than downs.

Along this particular trade route, the biggest opportunity for that to happen is the Saurus/Vilis/Margesi leg of the trade route, since both Saurus and Margesi are Agricultural worlds, while Vilis is an Industrial world ... that way you're flying a Ag/Ind/Ag combination in both directions, yielding the best opportunities for speculative trading along this part of the route. Almost all the other worlds along the route are Non-industrial (low populations), which in turn pretty severely impacts the odds of finding a good speculative cargo deal while running the route.

the thing that kills me the most with trading is using ships that don't have a filtration plant on the ship, so you get stuck with paying refined fuel costs or taking chances misjumping with unrefined fuel. both are bad for the bottom line.

Think of it this way.
For a fuel purification plant that costs Cr 150,000 for 1000 ton fuel capacity, the minimum size/price is 1/5th for 200 tons of fuel capacity, so the construction cost for building that fuel purification into the ship is only Cr 30,000-40,000 (not including the displacement tonnage cost, of course).
The difference in price between refined and unrefined fuel is Cr 400 per ton.
30,000 / 400 = 75 tons

That means that as soon as you have purified a mere 75 tons of fuel using a fuel purification plant, that plant has already paid for itself in terms of cost avoided just from buying starport fuel. If you're wilderness refueling, that drops down to a mere 50 tons of fuel purified "for free" and the plant has already paid for itself in terms of cost avoided from buying starport fuel.

Fuel Freedom like that really adds up as operational savings value over the lifetime of a starship ... as you're already seeing in the current Race to Profitability. So far, from D'Ganzio to Vilis, the Far Trader has needed to purchase fuel from a starport 4 out of 5 times, and only 1 of those 4 times has been unrefined fuel up to this point, due to a combination of a lack of a fuel purification plant and the limitations of a 1G maneuver drive when it comes to wilderness refueling options on world size 8+ with a 1G (or more) surface gravity. That's put a pretty serious dent into the Far Trader's profitability potential, even though the Far Trader is operating on a LOT MORE revenue generation with every jump.

The real kicker has been that costs are 100%, which need to be paid for out of the 50% of revenue generation the ship gets to keep under subsidy. I figure this is the primary reason why the Spinward Flex Courier has been "cleaning up" in the Race to Profitability up to this point, because although it generates less revenue (sometimes only half the revenue of the Far Trader!) due to the lack of passenger capacity and smaller cargo bay, the Spinward Flex Courier also has much lower operating costs (wilderness refueling options, smaller crew means less life support and crew salary demands). This then lets the Spinward Flex Courier carve out a mercantile ecological niche role "under" the Far Trader where under identical conditions the Spinward Flex Courier is (so far) generating more net profit per jump than the Far Trader has (or seemingly can) ... even though the Far Trader is a much cheaper starship to buy with a much higher revenue generation capacity per jump.

But the balance sheets of costs out versus revenues in DO NOT LIE (so far). :coffeesip:
What ought to not be happening is, in fact ... happening ... under these subsidized conditions.
The unarmed Far Trader ought to be "winning" this Race to Profitability ... because the terms of the race are stacked in favor of the Far Trader's preferred business model and against the preferred business model of the Spinward Flex Courier (which isn't even operating at or being used to its full potential as a Jump Tug or as a Maneuver Tug, let alone interplanetary trade potential).

I've gotten to the point that I prefer making my own ships with a fuel filter. a lot easier than wrecking a perfectly good OTU ship that is pre-built without one.

Agreed.
Like I said, I was initially considering installing a fuel purification plant onto the Far Trader, at the expense of cargo capacity, in order to make this Race to Profitability more "equal" between the two starships ... but then I realized that NOT doing so would place a greater emphasis on recognizing the "value added" of wilderness refueling freedom offered by the Spinward Flex Courier design. It's one of those factors where you have to see it in operation, in the context of a campaign setting like I'm doing here, before the real understanding and appreciation of the difference starts to break through. :coffeesip:

looking forward to the finish line. can't wait to see what kind of profits are realized from the Spec Cargo.

Same here.
The only thing holding me back is that each post takes multiple hours to compose (just like being a Referee for a real campaign) with lots of dice rolling and recording of the results (and then proofreading the mess multiple times!). As you can probably already tell, I compose the scenario for the Far Trader first and then copy/modify those results for the Spinward Flex Courier, taking into account the different performance profiles for both starships. So far, the alterations in the timetable of operations have been quite the learning experience for me to watch unfold thus far. I mean, at this point in the race, the Spinward Flex Courier is very nearly 1 day ahead of the Far Trader along the route, simply because of the more powerful 6G maneuver drive shaving time off ascents and descents from 100 diameters over the course of the route. The negotiation for cargo and waiting 4 days for cargo to be delivered to the starport for loading is the biggest factor holding the Spinward Flex Courier back from running this route even faster.

Which is why, when I finish out this race, I'm going to return to the 100 ton version of this ship posted here that I initially started with and try running the exact same route without cargo as an x-mail only route of 18 jumps every ~9 days (7 in jump space, 2 in normal space) which is 162 days per year ... meaning you could potentially run the entire route TWICE in one year (324 days) before needing to put the starship into annual overhaul (14 days) and still have 27 days left over per year for "vacation time" (or adventure time, if you prefer). Reason being that it would be interesting to see what kind of profitability numbers can be turned in by a "pure" x-mail express courier starship that does not concern itself with standard cargo transport (and the associated delays) nor with speculative cargo (massive lost profit potential there!).

Interesting side note ... at ~9 days per jump (2 days in normal space being a function of the routine 16 hour drive checks after jump hurdle), the time to get from Lanth to Vilis for x-mail deliveries is only 27 days (3 jumps). Express Boat Network communications operating at ~7 days per jump would need to go ... Lanth to Ghandi to Denotam to Frenzie to Garda-Vilis ... which is 28 days (4 jumps) and would need yet another jump from Garda-Vilis to Vilis (35+ days) on a Scout/Courier for the final leg of the journey from Garda-Vilis to Vilis. This opportunity for a Jump-2 starship to "outrun" the Jump-4 Express Boat Network from point A to point B is mainly an accident of astrogation and where the Express Boat Network routes run through the Spinward Marches (I've highlighted other such astrogation oddities elsewhere) and I'm sure there are other such circumstances in other regions of charted space ... you just need to know where (and how) to look for such opportunities that can be exploited by courier starships (subsidized or private) for untapped profit potential.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Margesi C575677 – 6 (Agricultural, Non-industrial, A) to Choleosti C200100 – 9 (Non-industrial, Vacuum World, G)
Margesi world size: 5 (7200km)
100 diameters = 720,000km

Origin (Margesi): Starport C, Size 5, Population 6, Amber Zone
Destination (Choleosti): Starport C, Size 2, Population 1
DM: -3 (passenger), -4 (cargo), -3 (tech level), +0 first die (speculative cargo)
Passengers: 3D-2D High, 3D-2D Middle, 3D Low
Cargo: 1D+2 Major, 1D+3 Minor, 1D-3 Incidental
Starship Encounters: C 2D (10 is pirate)

Passengers
3D-2D-6 = 12-4-6 = 2 High
3D-2D-6 = 12-10-6 = 0 Middle
3D-6 = 13-6 = 7 Low

Cargo
1D-5 = 2-5 = 0 Major
1D-4 = 4-4 = 0 Minor
1D-10 = 0 Incidental

Speculative Cargo (buy)
46 Body Armor. Cr 50,000 per ton (base price), DM: +0 price modifier. 7 tons
Buy price (2D+0=9): 120% base price (Cr 420,000 total)

Speculative Cargo (sell)
63 Cybernetic Parts. MCr 0.25 per ton (base price), DM: +5 price modifier, Broker-2 available at type C starports (LBB7, p41). 25 tons
Sell price (2D+5+2=9+7=16): 400% base price (MCr 25 sale, MCr 2.5 Broker-2 fee, MCr 22.5 profit not subject to subsidy)



Far Trader

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Margesi/Vilis occurs at 0h 058-1105, ~720,000km from Margesi.
Transit to Margesi downport is 720,000km, which at 1G takes 283 minutes. During this descent to Margesi (2D6=7) there is a starship encounter with a 400-ton Subsidized Merchant registered to a Sword Worlds fledgling line departing the system bound for Mjolnir/Sword Worlds. Their captain is sorry (not sorry) for having taken all the outbound cargo available.

By 5h 058-1105 the Far Trader has touched down in their assigned berth at the starport planetside.
Unloading of 60 tons of cargo will require 180 minutes, during which all passengers disembark. Of the 4 low passengers, their survival (5+ on 2D6) rolls are 10, 10, 11 and 4, resulting in 1 fatality again. All cargo unloading is completed by 8h 058-1105.

Berthing Fees: Cr 100 for 6 days​

Fuel state aboard the Far Trader is that 40 tons were used for a single jump-2 and the power plant has been operational for 12 days (4.3 tons), leaving only 5.7 tons of refined fuel remaining in the fuel tanks upon arrival at the Margesi starport. The captain decides to use wilderness refueling in the ocean prior to departure from Margesi, which may result in a misjump to Choleosti, after passengers and cargo have been brought aboard. Routine 16 hour drive maintenance will be completed while the captain negotiates for cargo and passengers.

Since Margesi is an Agricultural, Non-industrial world in the early atomic age of technology (TL=6) with a type C starport, negotiations for passengers and cargo bound for Choleosti takes additional time (4 days) with the last passengers arriving at the starport on 064-1105 (6 days after arrival planetside) and no cargo bound for Choleosti available at all (the Sword Worlds Subsidized Merchant was true to their word of having taken all the available cargo). The captain passes on an offer for a speculative cargo of overpriced body armor of possibly dubious origins.

The speculative cargo of Cybernetic Parts from Vilis are turned over to a local broker for a 10% commission on the full sale price to make arrangements for sale in the local market. The broker more than earns their commission when on 060-1105 all 25 tons of Cybernetic Parts gets bid up to 400% their normal base price and sold. The Far Trader captain exchanges "business cards" with the broker in expectation of preference for future repeat business with the brokerage firm should the opportunity arise.

Speculative Cargo sale price: MCr 25
Broker's Fee cost: MCr 2.5​

The captain is only able to book 2 high passengers, 4 low passengers and no cargo whatsoever.

Life Support cost: Cr 10,000 (5 staterooms), Cr 400 (4 low berths)
Passenger revenue: Cr 20,000 (high), Cr 4000 (low)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 0 (0 tons)​

The last passenger is brought onboard by 4h 064-1105.

Clearance to liftoff from the Margesi starport is granted at 5h 064-1105 for wilderness refueling, which will take 2 hours to complete (atmospheric flight plus ocean fueling), followed by transit to an outbound jump point, a distance of 720,000km, which at 1G takes an additional 283 minutes to complete. During this transit to the jump point (2D6=7) another 400-ton Subsidized Merchant registered to a different Sword Worlds fledgling line is encountered arriving in-system from Hrunting/Sword Worlds with information on the competitor seen departing the system almost a week ago exchanged.

At 12h 064-1105, the Far Trader initiates jump-2 to Choleosti/Vilis and (2d6=11) a misjump does not occur.
Time spent in jump will be 175 hours.
During 071-1105, while still in jump space, the captain pays out the another half-month of crew salaries prior to breakout at Choleosti.

Crew Salaries (2 weeks): Cr 6950​

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Choleosti/Vilis will occur at 19h 071-1105.

Total gross costs in Margesi system: Cr 2,517,450
Total gross revenue in Margesi system: Cr 24,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 12,000
Speculative cargo sale (not subject to subsidy): Cr 25,000,000
Net profit in Margesi system: Cr 22,494,550
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 19h 071-1105: Cr 18,153,775​

Spinward Flex Courier

Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Margesi/Vilis occurs at 22h 056-1105, ~720,000km from Margesi.
Transit to Margesi downport is 720,000km, which at 6G takes 116 minutes. During this descent to Margesi (2D6=7) there is a starship encounter with a 400-ton Subsidized Merchant registered to a Sword Worlds fledgling line departing the system bound for Mjolnir/Sword Worlds. Their captain is sorry (not sorry) for having taken all the outbound cargo available.

By 0h 057-1105 the Spinward Flex Courier has touched down in their assigned berth at the starport planetside.
Unloading of 45 tons of cargo and x-mail will require 135 minutes, with all cargo unloading is completed by 3h 057-1105.

Berthing Fees: Cr 100 for 6 days
X-mail Delivery revenue: Cr 25,000 (LBB2.81, p9)​

Fuel state aboard the Spinward Flex Courier is that 38.8 tons were used for a single jump-2 and the power plant has been operational for 10 days (4.2 tons), leaving only 7.5 tons of refined fuel remaining in the fuel tanks upon arrival at the Margesi starport. The captain decides to use wilderness refueling in the ocean prior to departure from Margesi. Routine 16 hour drive maintenance will be completed while the captain negotiates for cargo and x-mail.

Since Margesi is an Agricultural, Non-industrial world in the early atomic age of technology (TL=6) with a type C starport, negotiations for cargo bound for Choleosti simply isn't turning up any cargo bound for Choleosti available at all (the Sword Worlds Subsidized Merchant was true to their word of having taken all the available cargo) after 2 days of searching for any. The captain passes on an offer for a speculative cargo of overpriced body armor of possibly dubious origins.

The speculative cargo of Cybernetic Parts from Vilis are turned over to a local broker for a 10% commission on the full sale price to make arrangements for sale in the local market. The broker more than earns their commission when on 060-1105 all 25 tons of Cybernetic Parts gets bid up to 400% their normal base price and sold. The Spinward Flex Courier captain exchanges "business cards" with the broker in expectation of preference for future repeat business with the brokerage firm should the opportunity arise.

Speculative Cargo sale price: MCr 25
Broker's Fee cost: MCr 2.5​

Once the sale of the speculative cargo is finalized and the financials resolved, the captain of the Spinward Flex Courier declines to continue seeking any cargo bound for Choleosti and makes ready for departure with an empty cargo hold and (up to 5 tons of) x-mail.

Life Support cost: Cr 4,000 (2 staterooms)
Cargo Transport revenue: Cr 0 (0 tons)​

Clearance to liftoff from the Margesi starport is granted at 20h 060-1105 for wilderness refueling, which will take 3 hours to complete (atmospheric flight plus ocean fueling of 50.5 internal fuel tanks plus the 40 ton inflatable fuel bladder in the cargo hold), followed by transit to an outbound jump point, a distance of 720,000km, which at 6G takes an additional 116 minutes to complete which is enough time to also finish fuel purification of the 50.5 tons of internal fuel (the 40 tons in the inflatable fuel bladder in the cargo hold remain unrefined). During this transit to the jump point (2D6=7) another 400-ton Subsidized Merchant registered to a different Sword Worlds fledgling line is encountered arriving in-system from Hrunting/Sword Worlds with information on the competitor seen departing the system almost a week ago exchanged.

At 1h 061-1105, the Spinward Flex Courier initiates jump-2 to Choleosti/Vilis.
Time spent in jump will be 175 hours.
On 065-1105, 40 tons of reserve fuel are transferred to the internal fuel tanks and purified, leaving the cargo bay empty.
Breakout from jump at ~100 diameters from Choleosti/Vilis will occur at 8h 068-1105.

Total gross costs in Margesi system: Cr 2,504,100
Total gross revenue in Margesi system: Cr 25,000
Remaining revenue after subsidy: Cr 12,500
Speculative cargo sale (not subject to subsidy): Cr 25,000,000
Net profit in Margesi system: Cr 22,508,400
Total net profit from 0h 001-1105 through 8h 068-1105: Cr 18,195,200​

 

[Spinward Flow]

Boom.

Without the broker, the Cybernetic Parts would have sold for "only" 300% of base value (MCr 18.75), and as it turns out, only a Broker-1 was needed to reach a 400% sale value, but given the odds a little insurance with Broker-2 was a risk worth taking under the circumstances, with no Trader skill (LBB7, p42) for a preview of pricing potential. I chose the broker level first and rolled the dice after.

So technically speaking, the fee paid to the broker amounted to a MCr 1.25 "overspend" beyond what wound up being absolutely necessary with the way things turned out ... but all things considered, better safe than sorry when 100% of the base price is on the line, eh wot?

Still ... MCr 4.375 at Vilis to buy, net cost of MCr 0.0125 paid in subsidy "50% rake loss" to transport as cargo to balance the books ... yielding MCr 25 sale and MCr 2.5 brokerage fee at Margesi to sell.

Net profit yield ... MCr 18.1125 on speculation.
Not bad.



However, aside from that one bright spot of speculation, the Far Trader is barely breaking even on the rest of the haul out of Margesi ... netting a profit of only Cr 1500 on passengers with an empty cargo hold(!) after berthing fees and life support overhead costs are paid, with even that meager margin wiped out by needing to pay 2 weeks of crew salaries prior to breakout from jump in the Choleosti system. So without the fantastic yield on the speculative cargo from Vilis on the books, the Far Trader would have operated at a loss through the Margesi system. o:

By contrast, the Spinward Flex Courier is operating at a net profit, even with no cargo to transport out of Margesi ... thanks to the revenue generated by the delivery of x-mail. The net profit in the Margesi system (not counting the speculative cargo) is Cr 8400 and the starship is leaving the system with an extra 40 tons of fuel (because no cargo was available) meaning that no refueling in the Choleosti system will be necessary, increasing the ship's freedom to maneuver in the Choleosti system and beyond to Garda-Vilis. Also, even if 2 weeks of crew salaries had needed to be paid (they will by 071-1105) the Spinward Flex Courier would STILL be ahead on profit relative to the Far Trader to the tune of net Cr 4900 profit versus Cr -5450 loss when including crew salaries.

So in the Margesi system, the Spinward Flex Courier was able to extend their profit lead by Cr 10,350 over the Far Trader, even when there was no cargo available simply due to the reliability of revenue generation courtesy of x-mail deliveries.



The difference in timing for departure dates from Margesi is basically driven by the fact that the Far Trader really needs passengers and cargo ... and there's barely any passengers who want to go to Choleosti (go figure, eh? ) and there's no cargo waiting to be shipped there from Margesi (as advised by the starship encounter when inbound to Margesi). So the Far Trader captain basically waited as long as they could (6 days before needing to pay more in berthing fees) to get every last passenger aboard before lifting off for wilderness refueling and transit to the jump point.

By contrast, however, the Spinward Flex Courier captain could "afford to stop wasting time" chasing after cargo to deliver that probably wasn't there to be had (as advised by the starship encounter when inbound to Margesi) after the speculative cargo sold and the financials resolved. So the Spinward Flex Courier winds up departing days early with reserve fuel in its cargo hold and is now running what amounts to 3.5 days ahead of the Far Trader along the trade route ... and the journey from D'Ganzio to Ficant hasn't even finished yet.

If this keeps up, the Spinward Flex Courier is going to "win" the Race to Profitability, even with the higher annual overhaul fees included, and finish its annual overhaul perhaps a week or more ahead of the Far Trader running the same route and subject to the same dice rolls. o:



Things are not looking favorable for Team Far Trader ... and at this point it's getting harder and harder to imagine how they're going to turn this around ... because there's going to be an additional cost burden for them to bear at Garda-Vilis that the Spinward Flex Courier isn't even going to notice.
Garda-Vilis is a size:9 world ... with a surface gravity of greater than 1G!

How will Team Far Trader deal with this upcoming challenge to their customs and duties situation that their competitors can safely ignore?
Stay tuned to find out! :devil:

But first, a quick word from our race sponsors!
YOU!

 

[whartung]

So, let me get this straight.

In less than 3 months, each contestant has NET over 18MCr.

So.

I didn't read the entire thread.

When do they:

1. Quit and retire. "I have 18MCr, why am I doing ANYTHING with the word "misjump" in it."
2. Start leveraging the money into expanding operations.
3. Start seeing real competition from others wanting to earn 6MCr a month.