MT merchant help

A thread of 2 messages, 13 March 1989 to 13 March 1989, in the order they were sent.

#215 MT merchant help

SULAIMAN · 13 March 1989

Hi,

I'm running a MegaTraveller campaign based around a Subsidized Merchant.
I'm beginning to have a few problems with the system for trade.

1. When you are seeking passengers it says as +DM to number of pass.
use source-destin TL. Implying that more people travel from Hi Tech to
Lo Tech worlds. Tourism seems a thought but is there anything else that
may be a reason for the above DM.

2. When you roll on the Cargo Table. How exactly do you know what is
freight and what is cargo? Also their is a vague mention at the end to the
effect that the resulting cargo is ALL the cargo available on the world.
If that means for a given destination, that's ok but if it means for
all how do you figure? Merchant Prince implied that what u get from the
table is all Cargo(Speculative kind) if u don't buy it, it becomes
freight? Thoughts....

3. How has someone else handled a merchant campagn out there?

4.If you have a J-1 ship with extra fuel tanks but you are jumping
across 2 parsecs with passengers. Do you charge them for 2 jumps
or just one. If there is an 'official' rule to the effect( that I missed)
I'd like to hear of it, also if any personal solutions to the problem.
The Encyc. mentions to the effect that you charge for each jump. But
it doesn't make sense, it seems to assume that you are making a jump
through an inhabited system so the person can get off. But in many cases
the first jump is to deep space and the next to a system. Seems like a
fleece for passengers and a game bug ready to blow.

Thanx in advance y'all.

	Ameer Z. sulaiman.

#218 MT merchant help

Jan L. Peterson · 13 March 1989 · reply to #215

Ameer,
	I decline to comment on the first three questions, but as for
number four:
>begin included text:
> 4.If you have a J-1 ship with extra fuel tanks but you are jumping
> across 2 parsecs with passengers. Do you charge them for 2 jumps
> or just one. If there is an 'official' rule to the effect( that I missed)
> I'd like to hear of it, also if any personal solutions to the problem.
> The Encyc. mentions to the effect that you charge for each jump. But
> it doesn't make sense, it seems to assume that you are making a jump
> through an inhabited system so the person can get off. But in many cases
> the first jump is to deep space and the next to a system. Seems like a
> fleece for passengers and a game bug ready to blow.
>end included text.

I would tend to give people a small price break.  After all, your
costs are lower (maintenance on jump-1 drives is less than jump-2) and
they are taking twice as long to get to their destination.  If yours
is the only run to the destination system, however, charge all that
the market will bear.

One thing that I might do (if I were the owner of such a ship), is put
gambling tables and such in the lounge.  Give the passengers an extra
week to gamble.

	-jan-
- --
        Jan L. Peterson
UUCP:   { ...!utah-cs!caeco | quad1 }!olyis!jlp
Mail:   [address removed]
Phone:  [phone removed]

Polymer physicists are into chains.