PsiTraveller
Cosmic Mongoose
yes there are no costs for production in the game, and I am not a big fan of going into traveller, the production assistant spreadsheet mode. I have a Merchant Prince player in my Drinax group and we had to spreadsheet out his trading missions. It is a chore in itself to figure out what to buy and where to ship it to.
As for breaking the logic of production, yup. It completely breaks down the concept of economics and trade. It could also explain the presence of a TL 12 Class B Starport in orbit around a TL 8 world. The powers that can afford the higher tech things in life import a production facility and build themselves a nice comfortable higher tech life. They trade away raw materials to purchase more advanced production facilities to speed up the transformation of their Starport and then their world, or at least their little corner of it. The materials sold are bought by other groups that do not have their own mining operation built yet.
When you look at it, a planet in the Traveller system could build refineries and smelters and start building robots and everyone could get one, and a house with contents. Buckminster Fuller wrote about doing that in the United States in the 1940's and '50's. Make a house and contents in bulk, some assembly required.
Eventually most trade would be in design and innovation as each system would be exploiting the resources of the belts and moons. This gives each system several planets worth of raw materials. how much trade do they need to do?
But this is a massively overly detailed issue for a sci fi game that is mostly space opera. We ignore it all and carry goods around and roll a couple of dice to simulate trade because it drives a story.
At the same time there is a 3D printer on the space station and it was used to produce a spare part. So we are on our way, however small. The idea of a von neuman capable military support base and infrastructure offers a means of allowing a stronger military presence that is distanced slightly from the chains of logistics. It also offers a weak spot to be attacked as a strategy in a game. Mining gas giants, attacking the tanker fleet, targeting the processing ships and going for Drop Tanks and von neuman ships are now top of the Black Strike hit list. Lovely targets of opportunity there.
Whatever drives the story. If you do not want a fleet with a repair dock and production base then design your fleet elements to ship thousands of tons of missiles a week up to the front. Build your story on ships attacking the supply chain or stealing shipments to resupply themselves out in the wild.
If you want bases to be able to stockpile material they build piece by piece and keep the fight going, run with it! Whatever makes you and your players happy. Personally I figure I may have an asteroid or two that is slowly being converted into a warehouse of weapons that my players may find. A Zho base or Imperial base or a stronger pirate presence. Whatever works for my story arc. Weapon Depots make for great explosion sequences. :twisted:
As for breaking the logic of production, yup. It completely breaks down the concept of economics and trade. It could also explain the presence of a TL 12 Class B Starport in orbit around a TL 8 world. The powers that can afford the higher tech things in life import a production facility and build themselves a nice comfortable higher tech life. They trade away raw materials to purchase more advanced production facilities to speed up the transformation of their Starport and then their world, or at least their little corner of it. The materials sold are bought by other groups that do not have their own mining operation built yet.
When you look at it, a planet in the Traveller system could build refineries and smelters and start building robots and everyone could get one, and a house with contents. Buckminster Fuller wrote about doing that in the United States in the 1940's and '50's. Make a house and contents in bulk, some assembly required.
Eventually most trade would be in design and innovation as each system would be exploiting the resources of the belts and moons. This gives each system several planets worth of raw materials. how much trade do they need to do?
But this is a massively overly detailed issue for a sci fi game that is mostly space opera. We ignore it all and carry goods around and roll a couple of dice to simulate trade because it drives a story.
At the same time there is a 3D printer on the space station and it was used to produce a spare part. So we are on our way, however small. The idea of a von neuman capable military support base and infrastructure offers a means of allowing a stronger military presence that is distanced slightly from the chains of logistics. It also offers a weak spot to be attacked as a strategy in a game. Mining gas giants, attacking the tanker fleet, targeting the processing ships and going for Drop Tanks and von neuman ships are now top of the Black Strike hit list. Lovely targets of opportunity there.
Whatever drives the story. If you do not want a fleet with a repair dock and production base then design your fleet elements to ship thousands of tons of missiles a week up to the front. Build your story on ships attacking the supply chain or stealing shipments to resupply themselves out in the wild.
If you want bases to be able to stockpile material they build piece by piece and keep the fight going, run with it! Whatever makes you and your players happy. Personally I figure I may have an asteroid or two that is slowly being converted into a warehouse of weapons that my players may find. A Zho base or Imperial base or a stronger pirate presence. Whatever works for my story arc. Weapon Depots make for great explosion sequences. :twisted:
