Well, I've put it off for as long as possible, but I've finally had to
bite the bullet and dive into the Trade & Commerce section of the MT Ref's
Manual. It's even worse than I thought!! Help me out here folks, 'cause
I've got a TON of questions. (Well, a couple Kilos, at least :-)).
Starting with Part 5 "Freight and Cargo" (pg. 50), does the AVAILABLE
LOTS table apply to Freight, or Cargo, or do you use it once for each?
Also, how do you determine lot size for freight? The note that refers
to "Lot Size" only mentions cargo.
Next comes the REAL mess: cargo cost. As nearly as I can tell, the rules
which govern the determination of cargo cost (to the speculator) on pg. 53
MAKE NO ALLOWANCE FOR CARGO TYPE. This means that a 100 Kl. lot of ferrous
metal ore costs the same as a 100 Kl. lot of electronic parts, which costs
the same as a 100 Kl. vehicle, which costs the same as 100 Kl. of TL-15
mud! It's all based on volume (or weight), and modified by trade code,
tech level, and source world starport type. What a crock of SH*T! When
I saw the spec. cargo entries on pg. 13 of "Knightfall", my initial
reaction was, "Yah! That's how it's suppose to look!" Unfortunately,
you can't get there from here.
What's a ref to do? (BTW, I need answers BEFORE the middle of next week.
Otherwise, James and Richard's new characters in my campaign may be standing
in the unemployment line. ...and I think one of them bites!! :-))
Mark F. Cook
USMail: User Interface Technical Support
Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
[address removed]
INTERNET: [email removed]
UUCP: {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc