Homegrown Corporation Writeups For Your Traveller Universe

[Limpin Legin]

Yes, I'm a qualified archaeologist, so understand the scenarios. All I'm saying is that I haven't worked out the economics of it yet. In the UK, ... Then the regulatory and planning landscape changed with the introduction of PPG 16, which multiplied greatly the number of excavations that happened, but because most of that is being funded by developers for no perceived benefit by them it's now done on a shoe string.

Well, for the purposes of the game, the scope of digs not only includes archaeology but also includes prospecting for minerals, testing sites as being solid for building Starports, etc. There can be more money in this sort of thing ... however, a little imagination leeway is needed since it is based in science fiction and not always science fact. What do you think?

 

[ResslynHalvik]

I know it's not in your concept but perhaps expand expand the type of jobs your business does. The one comes to mind is a bit grim but with all those digging robots perhaps a side hustle of helping disaster recovery. Especially with the fifth war happening I can see ruined cities and sadly someone has to go through and recover bodies and important items.

I like this! Yes, an archaeology operating far from home will have heaving clearing machinery, medium machines to remove the overburden, and then some very fine robotic stratigraphic excavators that need smarts to stop if finds anything.

 

[Condottiere]

You could do pop archaeology:

 

[ResslynHalvik]

Yeah. I appeared on some of those! (As set-dressing, not presenting. Some of my lecturers and research leaders presented)

 

[MasterGwydion]

Yes - this is what I am failing to be able to work out - where in the economy of a system or or sub-sector or sector there are customers who have the need for the service and the means to pay for it, in enough volume that the company is a going concern. Even if they plug gaps in the capital and operational costs with under-the-counter or off-thebooks activtiies (such as illegal sales of rare artefacts), it would be very noticeable at audit that a company with expensive ships and equipment was keeping head above water on an apparent trading loss.

This is why companies like this do not exist today. There is no way to make money doing it, outside of straight up tomb-robbery. Groups are usually funded by museums, universities, governments, or wealthy patrons.

 

[ResslynHalvik]

Most archaeology in the UK is done by commercial units acting on commission from developers. What there's less of, in our parochial window of time and space, is long-season excavations. I should probably look to Egypt for inspiration of how it works.
It's the wilderness operations aspect that doesn't exist much in our world today, mostly because we don't have remote wildernesses any more. And, of course, it's that aspect which is most fun for a game.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Most archaeology in the UK is done by commercial units acting on commission from developers. What there's less of, in our parochial window of time and space, is long-season excavations. I should probably look to Egypt for inspiration of how it works.
It's the wilderness operations aspect that doesn't exist much in our world today, mostly because we don't have remote wildernesses any more. And, of course, it's that aspect which is most fun for a game.

Right, the kind of thing you are talking about is the multi-month-long or multi-year-long expeditions, not doing site surveys for developers.

 

[ResslynHalvik]

Prezackly