This is the fundamental issue with traders, IMHO.
It's simply too expensive. Too expensive to buy, too expensive to maintain, and even worse if you take damage of any kind.
Outside of a gift (i.e. mustering out), you need ~7MCr for the down payment to buy a Free Trader. You also need probably another 1-2MCr just to have operating capital so you can ply the trade a while.
A subsidized ship is 20MCr for the down payment.
And this is all in "1980" dollars. A dollar in 1980 is roughly worth $3 today. That means, "today" to buy a Free Trader, you need 21MCr. I just point that out as a matter of perspective.
These are not middle class costs. These are not accessible to the common man. And if you did have 21MCr, you likely would not be spending it on a starship with a good chance of going bust in 6 months. As John Goodman says, better to buy a house with a 30 year roof and reliable Japanese car.
I have no idea how much a ship cost in the past, but they weren't owned by the Captain. Ships were owned by companies with shareholders that hired captains and crews.
That doesn't mean that a Captain can't have some autonomy, they certainly had authority. The Captain could be doing a mix of company requested cargos along with, perhaps, the "Captains Hold" that could be used for the Captains discretionary trade (mind, for the company of course, it monies don't just go in to the Captains pocket). Officers and crews get shares of profit, the company pays the major expenses and owns the ship.
An owner/operator truck driver buying a $100K truck is taking a leap and a risk. Truck drivers gross quite a bit, but their expenses are high. Fuel is almost half of it, maintenance, fees, and truck payments suck up the rest, with the money invested in a depreciating asset (the truck). The can also lease the truck.
A restaurant owner typically leases the building, and owns the interior equipment. Most have to start with capital from somewhere else (folks tend to not start as restaurant owners). They need to build up some savings. Franchises can cost $1M to start up, much of that can be borrowed. But in the end, it's a classic, middle class enterprise.
Today, there are few "rich" captains, few "rich" truck drivers, few "rich" restauranteurs. Better to be in Bay Area tech field to be sure.
Simply, only the rich can afford a starship. Even as a mustering out benefit, the ship can be as much an albatross as a gift. You have a starship and no working capital. And if you receive the Free Trader as a mustering out benefit, it may well be better to sell the ship, which in theory has 20% equity in it already from the down payment. Even at a loss that 5MCr. Not a bad life sticking that in an index fund and just living of the proceeds.
There should be some way to balance some Captain and crew autonomy to free them up for adventure without crushing them with a ticket to bankruptcy.
It's simply too expensive. Too expensive to buy, too expensive to maintain, and even worse if you take damage of any kind.
Outside of a gift (i.e. mustering out), you need ~7MCr for the down payment to buy a Free Trader. You also need probably another 1-2MCr just to have operating capital so you can ply the trade a while.
A subsidized ship is 20MCr for the down payment.
And this is all in "1980" dollars. A dollar in 1980 is roughly worth $3 today. That means, "today" to buy a Free Trader, you need 21MCr. I just point that out as a matter of perspective.
These are not middle class costs. These are not accessible to the common man. And if you did have 21MCr, you likely would not be spending it on a starship with a good chance of going bust in 6 months. As John Goodman says, better to buy a house with a 30 year roof and reliable Japanese car.
I have no idea how much a ship cost in the past, but they weren't owned by the Captain. Ships were owned by companies with shareholders that hired captains and crews.
That doesn't mean that a Captain can't have some autonomy, they certainly had authority. The Captain could be doing a mix of company requested cargos along with, perhaps, the "Captains Hold" that could be used for the Captains discretionary trade (mind, for the company of course, it monies don't just go in to the Captains pocket). Officers and crews get shares of profit, the company pays the major expenses and owns the ship.
An owner/operator truck driver buying a $100K truck is taking a leap and a risk. Truck drivers gross quite a bit, but their expenses are high. Fuel is almost half of it, maintenance, fees, and truck payments suck up the rest, with the money invested in a depreciating asset (the truck). The can also lease the truck.
A restaurant owner typically leases the building, and owns the interior equipment. Most have to start with capital from somewhere else (folks tend to not start as restaurant owners). They need to build up some savings. Franchises can cost $1M to start up, much of that can be borrowed. But in the end, it's a classic, middle class enterprise.
Today, there are few "rich" captains, few "rich" truck drivers, few "rich" restauranteurs. Better to be in Bay Area tech field to be sure.
Simply, only the rich can afford a starship. Even as a mustering out benefit, the ship can be as much an albatross as a gift. You have a starship and no working capital. And if you receive the Free Trader as a mustering out benefit, it may well be better to sell the ship, which in theory has 20% equity in it already from the down payment. Even at a loss that 5MCr. Not a bad life sticking that in an index fund and just living of the proceeds.
There should be some way to balance some Captain and crew autonomy to free them up for adventure without crushing them with a ticket to bankruptcy.
