Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
(Sound of piping aboard)
Shellback! Arriving!
Trader Customs
- Thread starter jatay3
- Start date
Shellback! Arriving!
A code for how much each merchant is allowed to spy on each others "fishing hole", or whatever. There is extensive commercial espionage and the government tolerates it, not least because it gives experience to the different clans for when the state needs a source to recruit secret-service agents from.
However all is kept within the boundries of "the rules". For instance burgleing a rivals home or tapping his home PC is a no-no. Likewise a clan that calls to many things "personal" is considered to be "cheating"-especially if it doesn't reduce it's own attempt to get rivals secrets.
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Actually that sounds like it would work for Skull.
However all is kept within the boundries of "the rules". For instance burgleing a rivals home or tapping his home PC is a no-no. Likewise a clan that calls to many things "personal" is considered to be "cheating"-especially if it doesn't reduce it's own attempt to get rivals secrets.
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Actually that sounds like it would work for Skull.
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
There is only one "GOD" (the Great I AM who is without begining or end).
There may be many "gods" but only one "GOD". (so the god Zeus can rule the stars) While GOD rules everything. IMHO. YMMV.
Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
Here's a tradition that nobody has mentioned: The Breakaway Song. It used to be tradition to play music upon conducting a significant maneuver. One ship I was on while in the Navy did this, while the other did not. I can recall hearing the theme from "Conan" as the breakaway song after every unrep, once the boatswains mates talked the CO into letting them play "Louie, Louie", and during the mercifully short reign of our last CO - a machinist mate sang "God Bless America" while we pulled away (the captain had heard that the man had a good singing voice).
Makes for a good tradition IYTU, especially when you watch your players go nuts trying to figure out "appropriate" music for their ship.
Makes for a good tradition IYTU, especially when you watch your players go nuts trying to figure out "appropriate" music for their ship.
RainOfSteel
SOC-14 1K
How about "Drops of Jupiter"?
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
I don't know how many unreps (underway replenishments) will happen in any TU. I suppose you could play it every time you come out of a gas giant's atmosphere.
Underway in this case merely means in space. I suspect the Imperial fleet probably does many deep space replenishments.
Of course, I'm assuming you didn't play music (or did you just pay it at a higher tempo) when you needed to execute an emergency breakaway from a replenishment vessel?
Of course, I'm assuming you didn't play music (or did you just pay it at a higher tempo) when you needed to execute an emergency breakaway from a replenishment vessel?
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Oh yeah, we did the theme song routine on every ship on which I rode in 3.5 years.
Some were really lame - IIRC it was the USS Mount Whitney (LCC19) that played the Superman theme....
I guess I just hope the 3I has more class than that....
I guess I just hope the 3I has more class than that....
I think any FT would have a 'port of registry'. For some, this would be their 'home port' and they'd visit it regularly and it would have some special significance. For many others, their 'home' is their ship and the port of registry is merely an administrative convenience.
Which brings to mind the question, where is the Liberia of the Spinward Marches? Or has the Imperium outlawed Flags of Convenience? (As I certainly would...)
Which brings to mind the question, where is the Liberia of the Spinward Marches? Or has the Imperium outlawed Flags of Convenience? (As I certainly would...)
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
I think Flags of Convenience go away to some extent because the 3I is so bloody big. If the US had an interior sea, ships plying those lanes would find it very difficult to flag as Liberian. If your normal run doesn't take you outside the 3I, or very near the edge, it wouldn't make sense to try a Flag of Convenience.
If you runs go across the Solomani Rim boundary, into the Spinward Marches, or into some other normal venue for Travellers, then it becomes an issue, again.
If you runs go across the Solomani Rim boundary, into the Spinward Marches, or into some other normal venue for Travellers, then it becomes an issue, again.
Sure, but you are also assuming a high degree of cohesion that may or may not be the case. Maybe there are areas within the Imperium that enjoy tighter and less tight regulation of astral traffic. (is astral right? maritime has to do with seas, astral might have to with with stars?)
In something big and loosely assembled, there might well be greater or lesser regulation on behalf of various planets. So flags of convenience may exist. They certainly would in fringe areas as you say.
In something big and loosely assembled, there might well be greater or lesser regulation on behalf of various planets. So flags of convenience may exist. They certainly would in fringe areas as you say.
Jeff M. Hopper
SOC-14 1K
LOL, I don't recall us ever having an emergancy of that nature. Thank God.Originally posted by kaladorn:
Of course, I'm assuming you didn't play music (or did you just pay it at a higher tempo) when you needed to execute an emergency breakaway from a replenishment vessel?
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Jeff, every breakaway is an Emergency now. It's just practice, but I don't think I have seen but one that didn't have an "Emergency breakaway" to end it. (Whereas we only practiced emergency breakaways every dozen or so refuelings in the KC135.)
kaladorn, I am assuming (since the 3I rules the space between the planets) that you would normally flag under the Imperium or another interstellar polity, not a planet. IMHO it would just be obvious you were evading taxes, or whatever, if you are in the interior sectors with an Aslan registered ship, and no Aslan running the thing. The 3I is pretty loose, but we're talking hundreds of jumps from "home" for something like that. IMHO, of course.
kaladorn, I am assuming (since the 3I rules the space between the planets) that you would normally flag under the Imperium or another interstellar polity, not a planet. IMHO it would just be obvious you were evading taxes, or whatever, if you are in the interior sectors with an Aslan registered ship, and no Aslan running the thing. The 3I is pretty loose, but we're talking hundreds of jumps from "home" for something like that. IMHO, of course.
New York Commodities recently got up a fund raiser among it's members to give three returning soldiers-apparently chosen at random-a present(one spent it on his honeymoon, one on his favorite charity, and I forget what the third did. What if one city's market had a custom of doing something simmilar every year.
It used to be(and presumably still is)that different types of merchants would have different places they would go to "chew the fat". In New York during the clipper days Astor bar was the hot spot. And of course Lloyds Coffeehouse was where insurers in London went in the eighteenth century-as you will guess that was the birthplace of "Lloyds of London"
It used to be(and presumably still is)that different types of merchants would have different places they would go to "chew the fat". In New York during the clipper days Astor bar was the hot spot. And of course Lloyds Coffeehouse was where insurers in London went in the eighteenth century-as you will guess that was the birthplace of "Lloyds of London"
In something big and loosely assembled, there might well be greater or lesser regulation on behalf of various planets. So flags of convenience may exist. They certainly would in fringe areas as you say.
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Other issues might also intrude such as pride. Aslans or Swordies might make a point of NEVER, using Flags of Convenience("We are Tizons and we don't care who knows it").
Perhaps that is wishful thinking-my romantic side finds the whole thing annoyingly unpatriotic but it might be to much to expect a merchant to spend his money over such things. They are not necessarily total money-machines but they don't seem to extend sentiment into their business. In any case it is not my money that would be lost so I cannot sneer to much.
On the other hand not everyone trades in the same style as Impies(or 21'st century westerners). Among Aslan the Clan is supreme and among Swordies the Hearthfire and the joint stock system has a more subordinate role. They might interject their pride into their trade.
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Other issues might also intrude such as pride. Aslans or Swordies might make a point of NEVER, using Flags of Convenience("We are Tizons and we don't care who knows it").
Perhaps that is wishful thinking-my romantic side finds the whole thing annoyingly unpatriotic but it might be to much to expect a merchant to spend his money over such things. They are not necessarily total money-machines but they don't seem to extend sentiment into their business. In any case it is not my money that would be lost so I cannot sneer to much.
On the other hand not everyone trades in the same style as Impies(or 21'st century westerners). Among Aslan the Clan is supreme and among Swordies the Hearthfire and the joint stock system has a more subordinate role. They might interject their pride into their trade.
Our navy does emergency breakaway drills regularly too. Though I too echo the sentiment never to have to hear of one being executed in RL. If anything is that close to your provider, you're in a bad way.
I can see a point of flagging from planets. I mean, if someone is flagged from 'The Imperium', it doesn't really tell you much about where the ship is from, what its customs or background might be, how far from home it is, etc. I suspect also that regions in the Imperium may well have wanted some say in their local space - they may cede jurisdiction to the Imperium, but they may well ask for some special enforcement provisions particular to their local space. I could see the Imperium accepting this if they were not onerous conditions. Thus it could matter where you are from as locals might get different (better or worse) treatment, even within Imperial space.
To an extent. At least for free-for-all markets. Simply put, if honour and ecological concerns and such enter your trading doctrine, you affect your bottom line. This is neither wrong nor right, it is just an inevitable effect of limiting your options. Hence it hits you in the bottom line. If the bottom line is tight, it might actually drive you into unviability.
Note the conditionality. Also, the market area might not be that free (you cited Aslan space, etc).
So, yes, there are places where this might be very important.
At the same time, I can see Nobles and rich folks more likely to be nationalistic to the point of choosing disadvantageous flagging of their ships just for prestige or nationalism. Merchants tend to be pragmatic. In the real world, no family owns and runs a supertanker. Anything that big is a business item and businesses flag them where they can get the least restrictions and taxes and acceptable risks. Mostly.