Beltstrike - "Asteroid Belts" questions

[IanBruntlett]

I have two questions on the "Asteroids Belt" chapter of Beltstrike (MGP3804).

1. Page 7 - "Asteroid Size and Yield Table", in the "Size/Extent (Tons) lists numbers for entries 2..7 but entries 8...12 are just "Small Planetoid" and "Large Planetoid". If that is not available, has anyone got any ideas on a suitable tonnage for small (below average) planetoids, small(average) planetoids and small(above average) planetoids? Ditto for Large planetoid (below average) and Large planetoid(average)?

2. Prospectors getting paid. "Trading a claim" (p8) suggests 1D+7% of the claim's value whereas "Prospecting Licenses" (p19) suggests 75% of the claim's value plus CR10,000 to recognise the prospector's efforts and finder's title.

 

[Saladman]

2. Prospectors getting paid. "Trading a claim" (p8) suggests 1D+7% of the claim's value whereas "Prospecting Licenses" (p19) suggests 75% of the claim's value plus CR10,000 to recognise the prospector's efforts and finder's title.

The terms of the license ensure that the major stakeholder in an asteroid belt receives a percentage of the claim (usually 25%) and has the rights to buy the claim out-right once the claim's value has been established and verified. The price paid for a claim is usually the remaining 75% of the claim's value, plus ...

Right, not obligation - it's a buy-out clause. A prospector can't just choose to sell for 75%, but if whatever megacorp or mainworld government is administrating the asteroid belt decides to muscle in and take over whether the prospector likes it or not that's what they pay. (..."usually" )

1. Page 7 - "Asteroid Size and Yield Table", in the "Size/Extent (Tons) lists numbers for entries 2..7 but entries 8...12 are just "Small Planetoid" and "Large Planetoid". If that is not available, has anyone got any ideas on a suitable tonnage for small (below average) planetoids, small(average) planetoids and small(above average) planetoids? Ditto for Large planetoid (below average) and Large planetoid(average)?

And an Object Radius entry takes up where the Tons entry leaves off. So the formula you're after would be the volume displacement in dtons of a sphere with a radius of x meters. So an average small planetoid of radius 700 meters would have a volume of 1,436,755,040 cubic meters [I used an online calculator, I haven't needed that math in decades.] Dividing by 14 to get dtons gives a size/extent of 102,625,360 tons. So 100 times a size result of 7, and still on the low end for planetoids. (I'm just assuming Beltstrike tons are dtons; if they're something else that complicates things.)

I speculate the numbers weren't provided because you're just not meant to easily monetize that volume of platinum group metals in a standard campaign. Or at least not without the GM getting multiple sessions of adventures around it, from claim jumpers and other problems. The big round ones get earmarked for planetoid hulls or habitats, partly for setting reasons but even more for meta-game reasons.