General What is your most common food or drink in The Third Imperium?

[whartung]

Food is is expensive.

Eh, a lot of that is distribution.

If you take an off the shelf 200 ton ship with no J-Drive, that runs about 40MCr, give it a 40 year life span (1MCr/year), small crew, 100 ton capacity.

Works out to about 3.5Cr per cubic meter "amortized" (for very rough values of amortization) in expense. Modern container shipping is about $100/cubic meter.

That's just a generic space ship traveling across the planet. Able to load, move, and unload its cargo from "anywhere" to "anywhere" in the world in a day. Load that sucker up with rice in China and ship it to Africa. One full shipment (100 dtons of rice) is over 5.5 MILLION Servings.

And it "cost" less than 5000Cr to move it.

In a day.

So, food is getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. (Recall the world does not have a supply problem with food, it has a distribution problem.)

 

[King Midas]

IMTU: Food Vat Protein, Generic Flavor AKA Songs About Food Vats Food is is expensive. Not sustenance. Sustenance is plentiful. Few people truly starve in the First and Third Imperiums depending on how far a world is culturally from Imperial norms. However transporting food in trade means "Luxury Food". In the Imperiums, this means food animals and crops that require being an alive, independent (more or less) life form, anything requiring long times for the "food stuff" to achieve maturity. Higher population worlds are more likely to be Red Zoned. The congruence of high population creates more totalitarian governments, more restrictive laws and no Ag Trade Code. T5 and MgT DMs for Red Zoning and Trade Codes show this trend to the case. It may only be one world here and there, but they are more likely is one Red Zoned world with billions or tens of billions of hungry mouths. No food gets in, no food gets out. Still, in the Vilani Autonomous Region, the tradional practices are maintained and few Vilani can resist the old "homestyle" recipes. Also in the region, one food animal, pigs, were imported from Terra and sometimes added as faux "flavoring" due to its similarty to Vilani.

LOL at the bolded part.

IMTU this describes Roup. Nobody starves or has malnutrition problems, but given a choice, people will eat anything other than "Fish Sticks". I treat Roup as a kind of agricultural world: You can buy "grain" there by the ton - Fish Sticks. Frozen chopped seafood, usually rolled in a carbohydrate batter. It's healthy, nutritious, and comes in a huge variety of flavors (Yori provides some of the best Fish Stick spices). It's something everybody has a serving of in the back of the cupboard, for when there's no time or will to cook anything else.

 

[Condottiere]

Corpse-Starch! - A Warhammer 40k Food Inspired Song #warhammer

Endless Taverns


If you got a corpse just lying around
Don't let it rot there on the ground!
The Corpse Guild's here to save the day
Recycling the Imperium way!

Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
It's the meal that just can't be beat! Oh-hey!
Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
Grandma never tasted so sweet!

Packed with protein, filled with soul
It's the food that makes you whole
we're sourced locally, straight from your block
The Corpse Guild's always got it in stock

Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
The meal that truly never dies! Oh-hey!
Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
Imperium-approved supplies!

Bland yet filling, nutrition you can trust
In the grim dark future, eat it you must!
Recycled for it's the Emperor's way!
and you'll do your part too, one final day!

Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
Humanity in every bite!
Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
The Emperor approved delight!

Warning: Corpse-Starch may contain traces of heretic, mutant, or xenos. Consume at your own risk.
Corpse-Starch! Because in the grim darkness of the far future, waste not, want not!

Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
Corpse-Starch! Corpse-Starch!
Grandma never tasted so sweet! Hey!

Human-made // AI Assisted (Suno, Midjourney, Claude, and Runway)

Endless Taverns is an independent content creator and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Games Workshop in any way.

 

[Enoki]

My most common is some variant of:

To

to

All depending on tech level and how much you're willing to spend on food.

 

[Commander Truestar]

Preradiated Dehydrated Unspiced Ramen.

Pre-radiated?
For health and safety?

 

[Condottiere]

Was it two decades ago when they started that?

I was thinking more of the microwave.

 

[Commander Truestar]

IMO, a good-sized subset of Imperial worlds are so overcrowded that the "best effort" to feed the masses would be extruded protein paste. The same would be likely on most ships, to save space for cargo and systems.

So, I would expect paste vats which would be supplied from dry "mix" and other "environmentally recycled proteins" and the ship's water systems.
Along the same lines, water from the ship's hydro and recovery systems.

Then, the foodmat, or other device would:
1) Mix the paste with "ingredients" to create a variety of textures (The higher the tech manufacture, the more variations and increased quality)
2) Mix in coloring which are also hydrated from powders
3) Mix in flavoring which are also hydrated from powders
4) Extruded, and perhaps shaped using molds the "ship's cook" would maintain in the galley
5) Serve with water that has been flavored

I see this as being the most likely food type for most of the Imperium just because so many over-populated worlds exist.
And, thanks to that, manufacturing of low-cost systems to mass produce paste-based foodstuffs would also be an inexpensive way for other, less-stressed worlds to deal with their poor, refugees, homeless, etc.

So, one can even find paste-based food sources.

 

[willtron3030]

E.C. Tubb had it in one: Spacer's Basic.

 

[Enoki]

Here's an add on I did for food in Traveller

Food Availability and Traveller

One aspect of Traveller in all of its forms is that you are given only the barest information for many activities. With planets the UPP gives the referee a pretty vague description of a world. I see this as a problem in running or playing a game.

Without additional information what often happens is the game devolves into a poorly done paint-by-numbers picture rather than a satisfying portrait of an alternate reality that engages the imagination. The UPP is a starting point for making that portrait when dealing with a world or system. Government type, climate, atmosphere, law level are all central to the player's experience. Law level, for example, is more than just what weapon you might carry. A repressive government needs to act and be repressive towards the players.

Food is one aspect of this palate the referee has to work with. As food is a central part of human life it should be in the game too. But there is currently no real indication of what a planet's food supply is like in Traveller.

I began to look at methods to add more details, like food, into the game. That way there was one more thing the players could both use and envision in making a world come alive. I also tried to make the system that I would use available as part of the larger trade between planets.

It has been suggested that Traveller is often a game about economics. Whether the players are merchants running a starship or, just playing a limited scenario all-to-often a critical item is coming up with enough credits to make ends meet. Everybody has to eat so everybody has to pay for food.

The system:

The system I evolved for determining food availability was based on existing Traveller information: The planetary UPP and associated information about the main world. The result is a simple label that describes the relative abundance of food on a planet. It is sufficiently simple that it takes little additional time to add to the game. But the increase in detail gives the referee a guide to how much food the party might find and, how much it will cost.

One other reason I like increasing the detail of a world is to try and make it sufficiently interesting that players will spend more time on one rather than hopping from on to another in search of something interesting to do.

The addition of a food abundance in the game also opens up potential angles for the referee in many scenarios. Traders now have to be aware of their location and destination. Food may be a good or bad trade item. For survival scenarios it gives the referee a starting point to determine if the party can find in the wild. A planet with a starvation level of food is unlikely to have much in the way of edible plants or animals while one with abundant food makes finding something to eat much easier.

That is my intent in putting a more detailed system of food availability in Traveller. I want the portrait. I would prefer that players get too much detail that they can filter out or pick and choose from rather than leaving them starving with just the basics.

Food trade and other possibilities

The cost column on the food availability table gives a rough idea of the cost of food locally on a given world. Note that when food is in abundance its price does not go down more but rather bottoms out after reaching a certain level. This reflects the minimal cost of production and a certain level of profit.

Some possible scenarios involving food include:

Survival scenario where the party has to find food on a planet with a scarcity of it.

Bringing food and medical relief to a planet that is starving. Lack of food long term can cause serious health related issues. On a world with an overabundance of food gluttony and overeating might be issues the players have to deal with.

On high tech worlds issues with "process" or "synthetic" foods that may cause health issues versus "natural" foods could arise. Or the locals might have an aversion to "real" food instead of the stuff from a factory vat or some sort of food processing equipment.

Likewise, players with high tech backgrounds might be totally unfamiliar with natural foods never having eaten them. Many people on Earth today, particularly in well-developed urban areas, have little concept of farming or how to butcher an animal for food.

Then there is the "What the locals eat" scenario. This is particularly true when dealing with alien races. Not everybody eats the same thing, even humans. What might be a delicacy to the locals could be nauseating to the party.

Food also can be a brake on the action. A good scenario is one that takes a while to complete. Making the party break for a meal is one way to give yourself time to adjust upcoming events rather than be rushed.

There are tables and rules that go with this, but I think posting them would be difficult to do because of the formatting.

 

[Enoki]

Here's some short notes I did as part of running the system on a subsector:

Knorbes: A lack of technology ruins food production. Horse drawn plows and dibble sticks are not conducive to large yields. Everybody farms with Middle Ages technology.

Pixie: If you are not in the Imperial Navy what are you doing there?

Boughene: Technology allows production for a very manageable population

Hefry: Insufficient technology

Yori: Technology allows for food grown in an otherwise desert wasteland.

Enope: Overpopulated. Lacks air and water for food production. Technology isn't up to fixing the problems.

Shionthy: Bring your own food the asteroid miners have nothing to share.

Moughas: Try the fish!

District 286 subsector, Spinward Marches

Avistan and Inchin are a good comparison. Both are poor and non-industrial worlds with similar tech and population levels. But, because of the planetary conditions on Inchin food is scarce while on Avistan it is above average.

Bowman: Asteroid mining apparently means bring your own food. This could be a major drawback to long-term prospecting in asteroid systems.

Trexalon and Collace: Technology, technology, technology.

Matmos: Low technology and a poor government (bureaucrats telling farmers how to do their job) combine to ruin what could be a much more productive planet.

Tarkine: An amber zone and captive government make for poor food sources.

 

[kilemall]

Here's an add on I did for food in Traveller

Food Availability and Traveller

One aspect of Traveller in all of its forms is that you are given only the barest information for many activities. With planets the UPP gives the referee a pretty vague description of a world. I see this as a problem in running or playing a game.

Without additional information what often happens is the game devolves into a poorly done paint-by-numbers picture rather than a satisfying portrait of an alternate reality that engages the imagination. The UPP is a starting point for making that portrait when dealing with a world or system. Government type, climate, atmosphere, law level are all central to the player's experience. Law level, for example, is more than just what weapon you might carry. A repressive government needs to act and be repressive towards the players.

Food is one aspect of this palate the referee has to work with. As food is a central part of human life it should be in the game too. But there is currently no real indication of what a planet's food supply is like in Traveller.

I began to look at methods to add more details, like food, into the game. That way there was one more thing the players could both use and envision in making a world come alive. I also tried to make the system that I would use available as part of the larger trade between planets.

It has been suggested that Traveller is often a game about economics. Whether the players are merchants running a starship or, just playing a limited scenario all-to-often a critical item is coming up with enough credits to make ends meet. Everybody has to eat so everybody has to pay for food.

The system:

The system I evolved for determining food availability was based on existing Traveller information: The planetary UPP and associated information about the main world. The result is a simple label that describes the relative abundance of food on a planet. It is sufficiently simple that it takes little additional time to add to the game. But the increase in detail gives the referee a guide to how much food the party might find and, how much it will cost.

One other reason I like increasing the detail of a world is to try and make it sufficiently interesting that players will spend more time on one rather than hopping from on to another in search of something interesting to do.

The addition of a food abundance in the game also opens up potential angles for the referee in many scenarios. Traders now have to be aware of their location and destination. Food may be a good or bad trade item. For survival scenarios it gives the referee a starting point to determine if the party can find in the wild. A planet with a starvation level of food is unlikely to have much in the way of edible plants or animals while one with abundant food makes finding something to eat much easier.

That is my intent in putting a more detailed system of food availability in Traveller. I want the portrait. I would prefer that players get too much detail that they can filter out or pick and choose from rather than leaving them starving with just the basics.

Food trade and other possibilities

The cost column on the food availability table gives a rough idea of the cost of food locally on a given world. Note that when food is in abundance its price does not go down more but rather bottoms out after reaching a certain level. This reflects the minimal cost of production and a certain level of profit.

Some possible scenarios involving food include:

Survival scenario where the party has to find food on a planet with a scarcity of it.

Bringing food and medical relief to a planet that is starving. Lack of food long term can cause serious health related issues. On a world with an overabundance of food gluttony and overeating might be issues the players have to deal with.

On high tech worlds issues with "process" or "synthetic" foods that may cause health issues versus "natural" foods could arise. Or the locals might have an aversion to "real" food instead of the stuff from a factory vat or some sort of food processing equipment.

Likewise, players with high tech backgrounds might be totally unfamiliar with natural foods never having eaten them. Many people on Earth today, particularly in well-developed urban areas, have little concept of farming or how to butcher an animal for food.

Then there is the "What the locals eat" scenario. This is particularly true when dealing with alien races. Not everybody eats the same thing, even humans. What might be a delicacy to the locals could be nauseating to the party.

Food also can be a brake on the action. A good scenario is one that takes a while to complete. Making the party break for a meal is one way to give yourself time to adjust upcoming events rather than be rushed.

There are tables and rules that go with this, but I think posting them would be difficult to do because of the formatting.

Trade codes should inform that along with the rest of the UWP.

Non-Ag in particular should signal a lack of natural feedstock increasing costs, Ag cheaper even if high tech and with TL degree of processed/artificial, starport along with pop and law level how interstellar cosmopolitan the cuisine is, Rich and Poor for average quality diet/taste, and Non-Ind signaling external reliance on harvesting/processing equipment thus increased costs.

 

[King Midas]

Pixie: If you are not in the Imperial Navy what are you doing there?

A guest aboard the Gash!
(Also, working as or with the scouts on the archeological site, or for the ship yard.)

Really interesting food (pun very much intended) for thought. I imagine that diplomatic scenarios would find the topic of what to serve to whom to be an excellent complication.

NA worlds would be a problem, wouldn't they? I think someplace like Glisten, with thousands of worked out asteroids would be a great place for mushroom farming. I doubt Pixie is even good for that: Everything they eat must be imported.

 

[Dragoner]

NASA has space station farms since the 1970's, think of the robots from Silent Running ... all watched over by machines of loving grace.

 

[Condottiere]

What is REALLY in the protein bars - SNOWPIERCER

 

[kilemall]

A guest aboard the Gash!
(Also, working as or with the scouts on the archeological site, or for the ship yard.)

Really interesting food (pun very much intended) for thought. I imagine that diplomatic scenarios would find the topic of what to serve to whom to be an excellent complication.

NA worlds would be a problem, wouldn't they? I think someplace like Glisten, with thousands of worked out asteroids would be a great place for mushroom farming. I doubt Pixie is even good for that: Everything they eat must be imported.

Pixie is TL13, at that point they can probably process rocks into food, certainly maintain introduced microbiologicals. Of course being Non-Ind all such artificial growth/processing equipment would be imported.

For asteroids carbonaceous and ice provides your feedstock, along with aggressive cycling of wastes. Fusion covers many sins of resource shortage.

C-type asteroid - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

A hydrocarbon wonderland like Titan might be just as valuable for outer system food production as chemical products.

 

[Grav_Moped]

View attachment 5855

NASA has space station farms since the 1970's, think of the robots from Silent Running ... all watched over by machines of loving grace.

I wouldn't place faith in them.

"Butterfly Wings" by the '90s industrial-goth-rock band Machines of Loving Grace.
Yes, I'm pretty sure you were going for the original source of the phrase...

 

[Enoki]

Trade codes should inform that along with the rest of the UWP.

Non-Ag in particular should signal a lack of natural feedstock increasing costs, Ag cheaper even if high tech and with TL degree of processed/artificial, starport along with pop and law level how interstellar cosmopolitan the cuisine is, Rich and Poor for average quality diet/taste, and Non-Ind signaling external reliance on harvesting/processing equipment thus increased costs.

The system I use is more aligned with just food and prices.

The scoring system results in 7 categories with a price modifier and selection (variation in food) assigned.

Starvation: Means there simply is not enough food to feed everyone. Even with imports food is going to be hard to come by and people are starving. The typical person is not going to get many choices on what they eat even if the planet's rulers do. The planet is a net importer of food unless interdicted (amber / red zone). A poor planet--one with little wealth--that cannot afford to pay to import food while not being able to produce their own could be a reason. A very high law and oppressive government may indicate that they will not allow imports for some reason too. Food related health issues are common (malnutrition, scurvy, rickets, glaucoma etc.). Minimal selection, price x 8

Scarce: The available food is insufficient to meet typical daily calorie requirements. Malnutrition and poor health may occur but starvation is not common. Selection will still be limited for most people. The planet is a net importer of food if the economy can support that. Food related health issues occur on a regular basis. Minimal selection, price x 4

Below average: The available food is sufficient to meet people's needs, but the selection is often limited. Malnutrition and starvation are rare but there may be instances of poor health. The planet requires imports of food to sustain itself. Poor selection, price x 2

Average: There is sufficient food, and a reasonable selection is available. The planet can manage to grow most or all of its food needs locally and imports some items. Average selection, price is base number (eg., x 1)

Above average: There is a good selection of food available at low cost. Most persons get a wide variety of foodstuffs to eat. The planet may export some food items. Good selection, price x .75

Plentiful: Food is as cheap as it can be. The planet exports a variety of food items. Good selection, price x .5.

Abundant: There is a cornucopia of food available. It is as cheap as can be and the variety is astounding. A feast can be had for little cost. The planet exports mass quantities of food. Gluttony may be a common issue on such a world. Excellent selection price x .5

 

[Dragoner]

I wouldn't place faith in them.

"Butterfly Wings" by the '90s industrial-goth-rock band Machines of Loving Grace.
Yes, I'm pretty sure you were going for the original source of the phrase...

They are on the Crow soundtrack too. The original poem by Richard Brautigan is good though.

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace​

I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.

I like to think
(right now, please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.

I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.

 

[Spinward Scout]

There's a food called NutriLoaf that is given to Prisoners who misbehave and throw food.

It's supposed to have all of the nutrition you need for a meal.

I hear it's tasteless and boring to the point that no one wants it.

I always thought that someone should take the recipe, give it some taste and compress it into Survival Bars. For Campers, Backpackers, Survivalists, and anyone else who wants it.

I think it could be made to break into pieces. And then you'd have something like Bachelor Chow from Futurama.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Boughene: Technology allows production for a very manageable population

Yes, and...
Pretty much everyone's in that space station, per canon.
There's a rule in FFW that you can't just walk into and occupy a planet with an atmosphere -- but Boughene doesn't have a breathable one, and the station where everyone lives may as well be Size 0 ATM 0. To reconcile this, I posit that there are Food Mines on Boughene itself. Fusion-guns excavated massive tunnels that are normally used for agriculture, but if necessary can be a refuge from invading forces.

On the other hand and to put it mildly, Boughene doesn't have a hospitable biosphere. Even at the tunnel depths of the Food Mines, you aren't going to find usable topsoil. Much of the production there is still industrial (hydroponics and carniculture vats, as with the ones on the station) but there is indeed actual farming with imported earth. Oh, and the IMTU version of Boughene orbits the gas giant Komesh along with the other moons Disco Inferno and Donna Summerland. Plenty of space to get down and dirty.... you can dig it.

Wait, how can they import enough dirt to make a difference for the needs of 600,000 people? Easy -- free shipping! The station is at least 2.4 million Td just for living space (staterooms), let alone Ag modules, warehouse space by the docks, and shipyard facilities -- and it's modular. With each module having a 40-year service life, at the very least 5000Td of modules need to be replaced per month, from factories on Efate. Many of these are mostly void space, such as warehouse modules, docking bays, shopping malls, and so forth. These can be loaded up with good dirt from Efate, and thus can take advantage of the stranded cost of shipping the empty space in those big boxes. Cheap grav shuttles bring the dirt down to the mines and there you go. They've been doing it for a couple of centuries so far -- that's a lot of dirt.

Kind of like how the white sands of Waikiki Beach actually came from Manhattan Beach, CA (no, really!)

Trexalon and Collace: Technology, technology, technology.

Yes, indeed. Collace really doesn't have that high a population density per square km (fair sized planet, not ocean-dominated) but the agriculture sector didn't want to give up its vast bio-domes so everyone gets packed into arcologies anyhow.

Trexalon... I have issues with that place that only start with the Tech Level (couldn't have rolled high enough on a D6 with the available DMs to get it). Still, its low HYD stat means they have to technology their way to sustainability. Well that and being a gas giant's satellite means they've got to roll their own planetary magnetic field or live underground anyhow...