More random economics thoughts - Starport Docking Fees

[tytalan]

More trips of cargo delivered = more money. Duh

Actually it depends on the market and the saturation point. You often make more money by keeping the scarcity up. Plus your obviously carrying something that not produced planet side which means it’s saturation point will probably be low (if there was that great a demand someone would be producing it planet side). Even if you’re bringing in higher tech level goods there’s a very finite amount that can be supported with the local infrastructure. The ideal that more trips = more money is unfortunately false.

 

[Condottiere]

Time is money.

All things being equal, the fastest way to do something would be preferred.

Also, dry goods are likely to be needed to be transferred to the cargo hold, so placement of underway replenishment ports need to be near them.

Otherwise, a cargo hatch could be enough.

 

[MarkAlexander]

@MasterGwydion and @Sigtrygg it looks to me like the above two approaches are two ends of a spectrum, with room for variations.

I must admit, I've only considered the more leisurely approach. Taking the "time is money" approach gives less opportunity for mixing with NPCs and could possibly lower crew morale. As @Arkathan says, maintenance could be a factor as well. Looks like there is scope for a JTAS article?

Also, I think the Third Imperium has a 52 week year. This gives you 13 4-week months but the rules seem to think there are only 12 4-week months when things like mortgages are being calculated (CRB2016, Spacecraft Operations, p142). Life Support and Supplies (p145) is on a monthly basis as well. What am I overlooking?

Perhaps they just kept the traditional Earth months, although as Traveller is supposed to be about 5000 years in the future, that's unlikely. The people who built the first stage of Stone Henge would've just tracked the seasons and equinoxes. That's how far ahead the Traveller universe is, I think. On that subject, a complete History of Humaniti on the same timeline would make this sort of thing easier to work out. We history nuts like the big picture.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Perhaps they just kept the traditional Earth months, although as Traveller is supposed to be about 5000 years in the future, that's unlikely. The people who built the first stage of Stone Henge would've just tracked the seasons and equinoxes. That's how far ahead the Traveller universe is, I think. On that subject, a complete History of Humaniti on the same timeline would make this sort of thing easier to work out. We history nuts like the big picture.

I do not remember the source at the moment, but I thought that I read that the 3I did not have months. Just days and years, with an informal breakdown into weeks.

 

[MarkAlexander]

I do not remember the source at the moment, but I thought that I read that the 3I did not have months. Just days and years, with an informal breakdown into weeks.

That would get round the whole, "30 days hath September"..... problem.

 

[MasterGwydion]

That would get round the whole, "30 days hath September"..... problem.

Yeah. It just screwed up My maintenance and mortgage schedules as now I have 13 months a year and not 12. lol

 

[ColinD]

Imperial Calendar Weights and Measures is a foundation of trade for Travellers in the Third Imperium. It makes it easier for me as a Referee and a player to get into gameplay rather than having to roleplay currency conversion, and justify a particular economic model. I love trade as a backdrop for patrons and connecting worlds and players with the setting.

 

[Condottiere]

Any Leap Years?

 

[Anstett]

... a complete History of Humaniti on the same timeline would make this sort of thing easier to work out. We history nuts like the big picture.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ln4dZ2Ni4RtMG9auKHRWhkbO1qWV7tP1VUR5F7Ik_sU/edit?pli=1#heading=h.plh4krpaqr51

From @GabrielGABFonseca who has put together some great annotated documents to collect all those types of information.

 

[ColinD]

Any Leap Years?

The Imperial year has 365 days. The year starts out with Holiday (Day 1). Then follows 52 weeks (7 days each). To quote the webpage "The days are called Wonday or 1day, Tuday or 2day, Thirday or 3day, Forday or 4day, Fiday or 5day, Sixday or 6day, Senday or 7day." It works out with the Solomani through this mathematical alchemy Date Conversion .

 

[Vormaerin]

Yeah, the Imperial Calendar does not make any attempt to align with the rotation of any particular world. It is, of course, more heavily influenced by the Solomani calendar than other sources (hence the 365 days and 24 hour days), but it is not trying to stay aligned with the seasons on Terra. So no need for leap years or other calendar corrections.

 

[Condottiere]

There would be a jump's sennight.

Related: baker's dozen.

 

[J. L. Brown]

If you are going to do that, you don't even need to float nearby. Have the cargo shuttles do the run in from the jump point.

@MasterGwydion Don't forget that a ship still needs a watch, even if in an anchorage or layberth. So any given crew is getting only 2-3 of those 4 days as actual days off.

For tramps, sure. Bigger lines hire crews to run ships which belong to the company; and some fraction of the crew gets replaced every week or two. A simple J-2 out & J-2 back arrangement might swap some crew at each end, every time they come into port. This means the vessel is always manned, always has an active watch, and reduces crew fatigue.

 

[phavoc]

For tramps, sure. Bigger lines hire crews to run ships which belong to the company; and some fraction of the crew gets replaced every week or two. A simple J-2 out & J-2 back arrangement might swap some crew at each end, every time they come into port. This means the vessel is always manned, always has an active watch, and reduces crew fatigue.

Replacing crew on a per-run basis is more how airlines or railroads handle things (though the duration is naturally longer).

I'd expect ship crews to be more of a sign up for 6 months to whatever with a contract so ship operators don't have to guess much. That's hiw commercial ships operate today, with crews on contract till it expires usually for bulk of the lower skilled crew. Chiefs seem to be attached to a specific ship for longer periods.