That Corsair/Pirate Problem...

[Timerover51]

There was a guy recently who won a million dollars in the lottery. The police busted him a few months later buying a quarter-million dollars of methamphetamines.

Logic does not always apply in real life. Especially when we're discussing (as mentioned above) the vagaries of human behavior. One thing that always bugs me about discussions of criminal gains is how folks talk about "retiring" once a score is done. Take a look at real life and you don't see a whole lot of retirements in the criminal sector by choice...
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I was going to crunch some imaginary numbers to point out that a single planetary raid even on a low TL might net more than a month of trading but that essay scooped my feeble goals and accomplished far more.

But I'm completely down with the planetary raid thing. Let's shift a bit...
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So hostages/insurance... let's discuss. Or, to take a modern day equivalent, ransoming cargo and ships as well. Most of the money that comes from such activities is paid by insurance companies. Let's say you can't sell the ship with much ease... but an insurance company may deal with you for a smaller amount. Who brokers these deals? Are they done outside Imperial Space? Clearly it's an Imperial crime so you don't want the Navy/MOJ breathing too hard down your neck. How do you make contact with the insurance company... a sleazy interstellar law firm in the Duchy of Stoner or independent planet? How do you show "proof of ship" are there contractors who negotiate or recover for insurance companies? Where do you store the ship while working out the details? Could be nation-states involved as well as you might need protection or, at a minimum, a bulwark against straight Imperial invasion.

Hostages are harder. Anyone important enough to be ransomed is on average likely to be an Imperial noble and that's not a good thing. I would guess a lot of corp execs hold some kind of patent. But insurance plans cover ransom demands all the time in our solar system so why not out there... An added risk for traveling in the Spinward Marches/Trojan's Reach or Gateway Domain.

I have an odd feeling that the Vargr have an entire economy based on ship/hostage ransoms... just a feeling, mind you. That Corridor sector is just soooo accessible.

What about Xboat acquisitions? Nah, too likely to involve the Navy. The whole point is to stay low profile enough that the insurance company/family/corporation thinks its easier and cheaper to simply pay the ransom rather than alert the Imperials.

And it can't be megacorporations since that's as bad as hitting an Imperial asset. They have access to the same type of "over-response" as the Navy.

So we have subsector corporations, system corporations, and maybe foreign governments or corporations. Those definitely work.

Another premium would be talent. A kidnapping of a renowned scientist? Sell him to the highest bidder...

Just rambling now but lots of possibilities.

I would suggest that you take a look at what occurred off of Somalia a few years ago when it comes to shipping and ransom payments for hostages. The ransom was being paid for the ship crews, not any notables. As for the ships, they were sitting offshore of Somalia, awaiting ransom payments as well. Some of the insurance companies were paying upwards of $3 million for the release of ship and crew. A similar situation exists off of Nigeria with respect to coastal tankers and shipping, along with major problems for smaller ships in Indonesia.

As for insurance companies, they are mentioned in the canon, and do you seriously think that a bank is going to finance any size of ship without having insurance coverage on it, to include "skipping"? Who do you think is paying the ship hunters to find ships that have skipped?

As for pirates/corsairs that successfully capture a ship, where do they find the person or persons or planet that has the ready cash to hand over 10 Million or so Credits for it? I say cash, because I cannot see pirates taking monthly payments or a bank draft for a ship. Realistically, they might be lucky to get scrap prices for it. Try walking into a bank and asking for a Million in cash. My bank requires 48 hour notice for any amounts of over Ten Thousand in Cash. Then of course, you have the government paperwork to fill out. Pirates in many cases did not take the ship, but only grabbed food, weapons, and useful cargo. Now, the official privateers during the American Revolution and War of 1812 would try to bring ship captures back to port, but the ships were not that expensive, and normally buyers could be found. Cargoes were many times more valuable than the ship, which could be sold for the value of the ship fittings.

 

[aramis]

One of us, can't remember which, was big on piracy as intercorporate low level warfare.

Amongst others, Avery and LKW ... who happen to be better known by the last two names in the following:

The Traveller Adventure was written by Frank Chadwick, John Harshman, J. Andrew Keith, Marc Miller, and Loren Wiseman.
[The Traveller Adventure, Page 3.]
​

It occurs to me that most interstellar trading is local subsector, so I could see competing planetary interests, corporate/governmental/noble family/crime family looking to lock in a particular route/resource/market deal and 'outsourcing' the thuggery to make it happen their way.

Effectively like Merc tickets, without the gentlemanly repatriation.

 

[jcrocker]

Then the flip side is, what happens to the pirates/privateers when things don't go well. If you've ever heard of the song Barrett's Privateers, that sort of thing.

http://www.letssingit.com/stan-rogers-lyrics-barrett-s-privateers-rx8tzpw

Why, they end up creditless and unemployed at the starport, looking for work, maybe with a story or three.

 

[Kilgs]

I would suggest that you take a look at what occurred off of Somalia a few years ago when it comes to shipping and ransom payments for hostages. The ransom was being paid for the ship crews, not any notables. As for the ships, they were sitting offshore of Somalia, awaiting ransom payments as well. Some of the insurance companies were paying upwards of $3 million for the release of ship and crew. A similar situation exists off of Nigeria with respect to coastal tankers and shipping, along with major problems for smaller ships in Indonesia.

I was referring to this... just trying not to run afoul of real-world mod slaps ;-) "They come from the skies with no warning..."

 

[Reynard]

I think the big problem is everyone assumes the pirate career is no different than scout, merchant or citizen careers. They go to pirate school, spend some years learning on the job piraty trade then go off with a pirate ship plundering ships as frequently as merchants pick up and deliver cargo containers then get paid out in the open. They do piraty things because that's what pirates do.

We tend to forget there's something driving people to do what most societies consider illegal. Some people are born into pirate/raider societies but most have a backstory and motive to take such a big risk. Besides pure greed, many are driven by hate or revenge real or otherwise. They strike back at a society that they felt did them wrong. A slightly more 'noble' version of that is privateering or justifiable piracy. There could actually be the pirate Robin Hoods stealing from the rich, etcetera. I had a character in Pirates of Drinax who was born to a well to do aslan clan, was ostracized and became a scavenger in the downport ship scrapyard and 'rescued' by a pirate band. She was more than willing to make life miserable to everyone, aslan and Imperium, she felt hurt her.... and make money to retire someday lavishly.

Piracy in Traveller is also not lucrative as any trader will tell you about the merchant profession (and why they go pirate sometimes). Like a predator after prey, you're going to go hungry more often so a big score helps cover the misses. The successful pirates actually PLAN their moves rather than play the pirate lottery hoping they go into a system to be at the right place at the right time. Best hunting places also are the most dangerous, the more 'treasure ships' the more cutters and SDBs so you try to hit and run at opportunity and walk away with small prizes that pay for gas and the mortgage and maybe a little more so no retiring on that one lottery winning.

As to the mortgage payments, and you do NOT own a corsair, you're borrowing until the last payment. Even if you got your non-pirate ship from another player's career, you're probably finding a less than open, legal way to support and finance it. Any vessel that has PIRATE written all over it is most likely bought through and financed by a corporation or government in need of your discreet services or you're beholden to a cartel that expects regular payback and probably services by your little group. They will most likely also be your main source of buying your purloined goods with a percentage taken towards the mortgage. Fuel, maintenance and repairs are extra.

All this and you're not actually getting rich but then again, it's not a job it's an adventure.

 

[Rufius]

Taking ships on the ground (the most valuable loot) would obviously be easier if surprise was maintained. Fleeing ships in a gravity well are more likely to crash and be lost than ships in space. Less the job for vikings than for ninja I would think.

 

[Kilgs]

The above post hits a lot of how I figure it. Folks don't plan to become criminals.

One of the neat concepts came from Mongoose/Scoundrel was that of the jump-cusser. Merchants who are down on their luck and unscrupulous who engage in it on a very part-time basis. Criminal opportunists, so to speak. Again, greed is a powerful motivator. Megatraveller Expanded Character Generation even includes this in the Free Trader lifepath. Definitely an interesting take on things.

I agree that ship mortgages with corsairs are kinda odd but, as noted in my post above, there is likely a micro-economy that lies just outside Imperial space catering to such folks. A mortgage company or bank or law firm does not "know" what the ships are being used for. Sure, their credit application has some blank spots and maybe some falsehoods but... hey, as long as the mortgage is paid on time.

The main way I see a crew getting a ship is mutiny. A subsidized liner or military reserve ship that goes bad. A lot of pirate ships may have gotten their start in the military of a non-imperial state and gone to where the money is. The crew eventually becomes composed of Imperial citizens (criminals) but the core group is likely from outside.

Either way, there is lots of room for ideas, concepts and origin stories.

 

[Quint]

One of us, can't remember which, was big on piracy as intercorporate low level warfare.

It occurs to me that most interstellar trading is local subsector, so I could see competing planetary interests, corporate/governmental/noble family/crime family looking to lock in a particular route/resource/market deal and 'outsourcing' the thuggery to make it happen their way.

Effectively like Merc tickets, without the gentlemanly repatriation.

In a previous thread on piracy/org crime I suggested something similar - and that is exactly what makes piracy more plausible because it also means that someone is potentially feeding the pirates intel, which is arguably all-but-mandatory to make things work.

I really do see pirates as combination mercenary/biker gang/smugglers/vikings - the actual "piracy" part is just too hard in the Traveller combat system.

D>

 

[Kilgs]

And what about the most common type of piracy? What safeguards would be in place to avoid this?

The third type of pirate attack is used to create a "Phantom Ship." This is the most sophisticated version of the crime, where pirates take literally everything including the merchant vessel itself.

The pirate's first step is to locate a suitable ship for use as the "Phantom."

As we have already discussed, pirates can target and capture a ship, but another choice is to simply buy one from another pirate.

Up until a few years ago, one could visit a hotel overlooking Manila Bay and ask to see a pirate known as "Capt. Changco." For a mere US$350,000.00 he would have a ship seized for you and its crew thrown overboard on the high seas.

Fortunately, the good captain was caught and executed.

Anyway, regardless of how your "Phantom Ship" is acquired, the next steps are to repaint her, rename her and reflag her &endash; it being very convenient to obtain temporary registration through a registration office at either your local Panamanian or Honduran Consulate. This month alone the Marshall Islands has taken space in U.S, newspapers to announce "free registration" for any ship until Jan. 1 2001. These "Blue Light Specials" merely encourage crooks to become true pirates.

The next step is to find a shipper who is short on time to move his cargo. An excellent victim candidate is anyone with a letter of credit about to expire.

Next, the pirate gang or its bogus shipping agent simply offers up the renamed "Phantom Ship" as carrier, loads the cargo, issues an authentic looking bill of lading to the proper destination port -- and sails off into the sunset.

Obviously, the Pirate diverts the "Phantom Ship" to a different port, selling the cargo either to an existing partner or an innocent buyer. Once its cargo is discharged -- the time has come to again repaint, rename and reflag. What a business!!

Although the most current figures available are a couple years old, this "Phantom Ship" practice is estimated to cost shippers at least US$200 million dollars a year.

Not to mention the "Plant"... the transient nature of starships makes it fairly easy to slip someone aboard a ship, feed some intel on cargo carried, and then sabotage the comms when it gets to the target system. This insider could sign on for a 1 or 5 jump tour. When they get hit, act just like everyone else and then get off a couple jumps down the road. The comms unit may appear to have sent out a signal but was compromised and providing little in the way of suspicion. By waiting, they could allay suspicion.

However, I would imagine that remaining trapped on a ship with folks you just betrayed and a contained crime scene that could contain evidence may be a bit... nerve-wracking. But identify theft could easily allow individuals to masquerade for a tour and then leave with the pirate ship. Sure, you know who did it but they'll have a new identity next time or maybe it's a different crew member...

 

[Condottiere]

When piracy/hijacking goes wrong.

 

[Kilgs]

Hey! You got your "Stranded Spacers On Uninhabited Planet" campaign mixed with my "Piratical Spacers Out For Loot" campaign!

 

[mike wightman]

In CT there is a pirate career, it has a rank structure, benefits, a pension plan and a purpose designed ship.

Pirate, privateer, star merc, ethically challenged merchant, star Viking, corsair - what is the difference, where is the dividing line?

I can answer the question for MTU, others will have different answers in their TU.

 

[Timerover51]

In CT there is a pirate career, it has a rank structure, benefits, a pension plan and a purpose designed ship.

Pirate, privateer, star merc, ethically challenged merchant, star Viking, corsair - what is the difference, where is the dividing line?

I can answer the question for MTU, others will have different answers in their TU.

It should be noted that the Pirate career appears in Supplement 4: Citizens of the Imperium, along with 11 other useful careers. This is one of the most useful supplements to the Classic books, expanding the game a lot without changing it. It can be found for download at DriveThru, I believe that it is on the Classic CD, and hard copies may be found online. The 12 careers listed are as follows.

Pirates: lndividuals crewing interplanetary or interstellar vessels, who make their living by attacking, hijacking, or plundering commerce.
Betters: lndividuals who prospect and mine asteroid belts in search of mineral deposits, artifacts, or salvage materials.
Sailors: Members of the Nautical Force Command (the wet navy) of a world.
Diplomats: Members of the Foreign Service of a government.
Doctors: Trained individuals conducting medical practice.
Flyers: Members of the Close Orbit and Airspace Control Command (the air force) of a world.
Barbarians: Rugged individuals from primitive planets accustomed to hardship and well-trained in wilderness and survival situations.
Bureaucrats: lndividuals serving a government or organization in management or executive capacities.
Rogues: Criminal elements familiar with the rougher or more illegal methods of accomplishing tasks.
Nobles: lndividuals of the upper classes who perform little consistent function, but often have large amounts of ready money.
Scientists: lndividuals trained in technological or research sciences who conduct scientific investigations into materials, situations, and phenomena.
Hunters: lndividuals who track and hunt animals of varying sizes and types for profit or enjoyment.

 

[aramis]

The extra carreers in S4 also appear another product: Spinward Marches Campaign. It also includes the bow weapons table.

 

[Timerover51]

The extra carreers in S4 also appear another product: Spinward Marches Campaign. It also includes the bow weapons table.

As I do not have that product, I was not aware of that. Thank you.

 

[flykiller]

Betters: lndividuals who prospect and mine asteroid belts in search of mineral deposits, artifacts, or salvage materials.

heh. yeah, the odds can be long.