Brokers

M

MasterGwydion

Emperor Mongoose
How long does it take to find a local broker on a new world?

Under trade it says 1D6days to find a broker or supplier.

Under the Broker skill, it says 1D6hours to find a buyer.

Under trade, it says that you can use a local broker who gets +2 to his broker check from having local knowledge.

So, a few questions...

1) How do you hire a more experienced local broker, say if you wanted to hire a Broker/4, that would be Broker/4 with a +2 on the check?

2) How long does it take to find a local broker to represent you? Is it the same as for trying to find a broker to buy your goods? So 1D6days to find a local broker, plus another 1D6 days to find a broker to buy the goods from, or for selling, 1D6hours to find a broker to sell the goods to? The book isn't very clear on this.
 
1) You dont? This may be MTU only answer but someone that is that skilled, has fame for their ability. They are fairly successful with their own firm. And or are also teaching at a Uni and writing text books about it. Hiring a local broker, is what are brokers that have spare time because they cant get enough work with their own firm or dont have the experience.
2) Finding a broker and finding a buyer arent actions that have to happen in order. You can have multiple PC doing the same thing.
And it takes 1d6 days to find broker to sell on your behalf.
And it takes 1d6 days to find a buy or 1d6 hours if the world is TL8+
I would add the 1d6 hours for finding a broker too. They would also use the internet.
 
1) Don't have the books to hand but if I recall correctly, the original Classic version of Merchant Prince allowed hiring of Broker/1 to Broker/4, with starport class and cost dictating what levels were locally available.
 
agentwigggles said:
1) You dont? This may be MTU only answer but someone that is that skilled, has fame for their ability. They are fairly successful with their own firm. And or are also teaching at a Uni and writing text books about it. Hiring a local broker, is what are brokers that have spare time because they cant get enough work with their own firm or dont have the experience.
2) Finding a broker and finding a buyer arent actions that have to happen in order. You can have multiple PC doing the same thing.
And it takes 1d6 days to find broker to sell on your behalf.
And it takes 1d6 days to find a buy or 1d6 hours if the world is TL8+
I would add the 1d6 hours for finding a broker too. They would also use the internet.
Click to expand...
Couldn't the local broker also work for a brokage firm though? Why would you hire the equivalent of an ambulance chaser instead of an actual skilled broker? The +2 is just because he has local contacts. Same as the brokers that you roll against. They count as having a +2 Broker roll. That means they have Broker/0 and no skill bonus. That is a guy who may or may not even have a license to work as a broker! A guy who spent two months in a class to become a broker. In Our world real estate agents do this, but you would never want to hire them. You want the experienced agent who knows the local market as well. A local, experienced agent. By the rules though, you are correct. I guess you don't. Seems like a dumb limitation though.
 
NOLATrav said:
1) Don't have the books to hand but if I recall correctly, the original Classic version of Merchant Prince allowed hiring of Broker/1 to Broker/4, with starport class and cost dictating what levels were locally available.
Click to expand...
If it is a decent system, maybe Mongoose should bring it into Mgt2. Say in a book about Trade? Or Starports? Or colony building?
 
MasterGwydion said:
Couldn't the local broker also work for a brokage firm though? Why would you hire the equivalent of an ambulance chaser instead of an actual skilled broker? The +2 is just because he has local contacts. Same as the brokers that you roll against. They count as having a +2 Broker roll. That means they have Broker/0 and no skill bonus. That is a guy who may or may not even have a license to work as a broker! A guy who spent two months in a class to become a broker. In Our world real estate agents do this, but you would never want to hire them. You want the experienced agent who knows the local market as well. A local, experienced agent. By the rules though, you are correct. I guess you don't. Seems like a dumb limitation though.
Click to expand...
Spec Trading, is swapmeets, and big lots, and craiglist. The actual brokerage firms, deal with megafreighters and the multinationals or whatever is the big producers where they life. You're asking for a guy that works at Kock Industry to flip stuff at the swapmeet. For MTU the +4 guys wouldnt have to work with randos. They have guys.

Also for mechanic clarity. the DM-2 for the opposing broker is the defualt. The opposing broker can be as unskilled or as skilled as the GM wants. For my table, I made a random roll tabble based on starport quality.
 
agentwigggles said:
Spec Trading, is swapmeets, and big lots, and craiglist. The actual brokerage firms, deal with megafreighters and the multinationals or whatever is the big producers where they life. You're asking for a guy that works at Kock Industry to flip stuff at the swapmeet. For MTU the +4 guys wouldnt have to work with randos. They have guys.

Also for mechanic clarity. the DM-2 for the opposing broker is the defualt. The opposing broker can be as unskilled or as skilled as the GM wants. For my table, I made a random roll tabble based on starport quality.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the default is a guy with no stat bonus and Broker/0. lol A normal broker makes 10%. I am not paying a rando to move 80 tons of radioactives. lol. That is brokage firm territory. 80MCr base price. That means this broker is making like 800,000Cr for a week's worth of work. That is not how much rando swap meet guys make. If it is, I am in the wrong profession. lol That is enough to live for more than a year at the highest living standards laid out in the CRB. SOC 15 20,000Cr a month

Edit: This is even more true for black market brokers. If I am risking going to prison, I am not dealing with the village idiot.
 
agentwigggles said:
Spec Trading, is swapmeets, and big lots, and craiglist. The actual brokerage firms, deal with megafreighters and the multinationals or whatever is the big producers where they life. You're asking for a guy that works at Kock Industry to flip stuff at the swapmeet. For MTU the +4 guys wouldnt have to work with randos. They have guys.

Also for mechanic clarity. the DM-2 for the opposing broker is the defualt. The opposing broker can be as unskilled or as skilled as the GM wants. For my table, I made a random roll tabble based on starport quality.
Click to expand...
I'd love to see your table, if you don't mind sharing.
 
Terry Mixon said:
So, to be sure I understand this correctly, for the Class A starport, a roll of 2 will have a -1 (or the equivalent of the opposing broker having Broker 1). And it can go up to the other side having Broker 8?
Click to expand...
Broker 5, EDU 15.
Or it can also present someone that like. "Dont barter with me, I know what I got." Stubborn and sure on price.
 
agentwigggles said:
Broker 5, EDU 15.
Or it can also present someone that like. "Dont barter with me, I know what I got." Stubborn and sure on price.
Click to expand...
Ah. Some people use stat DMs for broker and others don't, so it gets confusing. I wish Mongoose would clarify that rule. Personally, I'm inclined to use it as everything else does.
 
agentwigggles said:
Broker 5, EDU 15.
Or it can also present someone that like. "Dont barter with me, I know what I got." Stubborn and sure on price.
Click to expand...
The latter, because the former is like the one percent of the one percent of the one percent and likely the local billionaire. And (I see I'm being preempted as I type) it just says skill, not with the stats like a task. (Really ought to be an opposed check, but it doesn't say that either, and I didn't think of it until now).
 
And the -8 on th E class starport, represents that 1980s teen movie bbbbad guy. They're buying all the land for condos.
Or they're out in the middle of no where to test their mettle and to build something up from scratch.
 
Geir said:
The latter, because the former is like the one percent of the one percent of the one percent and likely the local billionaire. And (I see I'm being preempted as I type) it just says skill, not with the stats like a task. (Really ought to be an opposed check, but it doesn't say that either, and I didn't think of it until now).
Click to expand...
Yep. I like the idea of an opposed check. That fits better with every other skill vs skill situation. Does that mean exceptionally skilled people will get rich? Yep. And then the uppity meet the sharks with huge bankrolls. ;)
 
Geir said:
The latter, because the former is like the one percent of the one percent of the one percent and likely the local billionaire. And (I see I'm being preempted as I type) it just says skill, not with the stats like a task. (Really ought to be an opposed check, but it doesn't say that either, and I didn't think of it until now).
Click to expand...
6 is easy to hit. Broker/3, Attribute +2, Expert software +1

Edit: Just for reference. Rolling a 12 for INT at character generation is a 2.77% chance. An IQ score of 129 is a score in the 98th percentile. So an INT of 12 is basically someone with a 129 IQ to whatever INT 13 is. This is also only the born intelligence. It doesn't account for a +1 INT for professional experience or any other such things. INT 12 + Broker/4 + Expert Software = +7 mod to the Broker check. Any Class-A or B starport should have at least one.
 
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