Krungha-class Processing Ark [MJTAS 7]

[Terry Mixon]

I am not sure your 1 ton of input for 1 ton of output holds up. Yes, it is 1 ton for 1 ton, but it is not equal in value. You could have 1 ton of input of raw materials at 5,000Cr/ton and an output of 50,000Cr per ton. Or 10,000Cr per ton of input and 11,000Cr per ton of output. On average it comes out to output is worth roughly double the Credits of the input. This may change your calculations.

Edit - Also, remember that 1 ton of raw ore becomes 0.5 tons of refined materials.

These are rough numbers

0.25 tons of Common Raw Materials = 1,250Cr
0.15 tons of Uncommon Raw Materials = 3,000Cr
0.075 tons of Crystals & Gems = 1,500Cr
0.025 tons of Precious Metals = 1,250Cr.

0.5 tons of total materials = 7,000Cr

So, 1 ton of materials after Refining and Smelting is worth roughly 14,000Cr per ton.

That means that each ton of these raw materials can produce between 15,400Cr to 26,600Cr per ton.

Although strangely, if you fail your broker roll to buy the raw materials and end up paying more money per ton, then the amount of profit per ton increases, becasue you failed your Broker roll so badly... lolz. This is how you fail upward in Traveller. lol

It’s why I use your value of raw materials in building something. I use what I can Fabrication Units. 4 tons common raw materials and 1 ton of uncommon way materials is KCr40 in value. For fabrication purposes, you need to input 1 Fabrication Unit for KCr80 end value, so 1/2 the cost in materials to fabricate something.

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

The Escape Orbit (British title: Open Prison)

As I recall, the protagonist got the prisoners to write down all their knowledge, in case they had to stay there permanently, either the science faction, or both, together with the security faction.

More accurately he had them write it down because he knew that only those who could fit aboard the guard ship would leave. He also knew that "out there" human civilization (and bug) was on the verge of collapsing due to the loss of the genes of the best and brightest (who manned the warships) of which there were few left. He would leave and take the WORST of the prisoners with him, only a handful of the best would be taken by him.

The prison world was full of the best and brightest. Saving their scientific knowledge for THEM to rebuild civilization and reach the stars quicker was essential for human civilization to rise again anytime soon as out there was trending towards idiocracy.

He was even looking at using the ship to conquer human worlds and set up a small Empire that MIGHT be able to stave off their fall and leave a nucleus to regrow but was not hopeful of anything more than keeping them from falling as soon as without him. Unfortunately there were no sequels to my knowledge.

 

[WingedCat]

Necroing this thread to ask a question. Just read your article. Loved it.

The question is this. They seem to be pulling agricultural raw materials out of asteroids during the refining/smelting process. That isn't covered in the books that I can find, so I'm wondering where the raw materials come from (asteroid mining or maybe even fuel refining) and in what quantities. The mining is supplementing what goes into the agricultural manufacturing plants according to the text and I'm trying to pin down sources and percentages.

I started a new thread asking the question, so maybe it will explain better what I'm asking.

Agricultural Manufacturing Raw Materials from Asteroid Mining (or Fuel Refining?)

I was reading the article on the Krungha Processing Ark in JTAS #7 and it mentioned getting feedstock used to sustain the ark’s biospheres, supplementing recycled biomass to provide food to the ark’s population. The Ark also has 1,200 tons of Agricultural Manufacturing Plants. That seems to...

forum.mongoosepublishing.com

Thank you. (And sorry for taking this long to see your question. I wasn't alerted originally.)

Yes, they are pulling the raw materials - for agriculture, and other things they produce - from the asteroids. Yes, the exact quantities (other than for fuel refining) are not addressed by the current most recent editions of the various books. I am aware of various fan efforts to model this, and I think there were some formulas in older books.

For now I can say: there are multiple types of asteroids. Some are rich in metals. Others in ice. Yet more in carbonaceous materials. This latter group is often seen as worthless to those who only build spacecraft (which can be seen as where the concentrated value is), but agriculture is usually not spacecraft (biotech, and agricultural support spacecraft, aside). For example in our own solar system, asteroids such as 101955 Bennu might be mining targets for nitrogen and other agricultural raw materials.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Thank you. (And sorry for taking this long to see your question. I wasn't alerted originally.)

Yes, they are pulling the raw materials - for agriculture, and other things they produce - from the asteroids. Yes, the exact quantities (other than for fuel refining) are not addressed by the current most recent editions of the various books. I am aware of various fan efforts to model this, and I think there were some formulas in older books.

For now I can say: there are multiple types of asteroids. Some are rich in metals. Others in ice. Yet more in carbonaceous materials. This latter group is often seen as worthless to those who only build spacecraft (which can be seen as where the concentrated value is), but agriculture is usually not spacecraft (biotech, and agricultural support spacecraft, aside). For example in our own solar system, asteroids such as 101955 Bennu might be mining targets for nitrogen and other agricultural raw materials.

Thanks for the response, and no worries.

 

[WingedCat]

Just wanted to chime in and say, thank you so much for this concept! My campaign is Spinward Marches focused, and I've managed to plausibly include Aslan and Vargr, Solomani (Sword Worlds ex-pats), and even Hivers (business interests), but I've never figured out a way to plausibly include the xenophobic, isolationist K'kree. This gave me all sorts of ideas, and I can't wait to unleash them on my players!

You are welcome. I recall there was a depiction of a lone female K'kree bartender somewhere in the region; I want to say it was in one of the Pirates of Drinax books. Explaining how this could have come to be, despite being on the far side of the Third Imperium from K'kree home space, was part of the inspiration.

 

[WingedCat]

Question for Winged Cat: how many Girug'kagh (if any) or other lesser races are on a typical Krungha?

Typically? None, other than customers temporarily present on business (and usually restricted to the core). The ship is designed for K'kree physiology; other races, with their own (much smaller) support needs (and typically present in much smaller numbers if at all), are better supported by spaces designed for them, which generally means on their own spacecraft that might be docked in the core (maybe, if they are very friendly and willing to pay enough, even hitching a ride on a jump). Even ants are typically not present, their ecological duties performed by small agricultural robots. Those living on a Krungha might disagree with K'kree of the Two Thousand Worlds on many topics, but not everything.

 

[WingedCat]

I am not sure your 1 ton of input for 1 ton of output holds up. Yes, it is 1 ton for 1 ton, but it is not equal in value.

Yes. Manufacturing can add value to (or remove value from) materials by putting it in certain shapes and states. A typical car fresh out of the factory, for instance, is worth more than the sum of the raw materials involved - but it masses as much as said raw materials (not including any consumables, waste, et cetera, but part of advanced TL manufacturing is cutting down on that).

Edit - Also, remember that 1 ton of raw ore becomes 0.5 tons of refined materials.

As noted: "80,000 tons per day of raw materials (from 160,000 of ore)".