Names of Starship corporations

[Jak Nazryth]

Can anyone give me a few names of cannon star ship corporations and what types of ships the create? Any names you use in your own traveller game?
Which corporation mainly builds the free traders, far trader, etc..?

My first introductory adventure revolves around Winters Corporation and several competitors. I just need a handful of competitor names.
Thanks.

 

[rust]

Megacorporations, active everywhere in the Imperium:
- Delgado
- GSbAG ("Geschichtskreis Sternenschiffbau AG", terribly mutilated German ...)

Major Corporations in the Marches:
- Bilstein Shipyards (Glisten, mostly luxury ships, but also merchant cruisers)
- General Shipyards (Regina, subsidiary of General Products, all kinds of ships up to 5,000 dtons)

 

[Galadrion]

Let's see... Well, most megacorporations will have some shipbuilding capability, somewhere within their territory. It may be a strictly internal business unit, though - particularly if they only use it for secret purposes, such as deniable assets. But any business the size of a megacorporation is probably also going to at least dabble in almost all business sectors, one way or another.

As for smaller businesses - which, as it's a relative reference, may not be particularly small - a common naming scheme for such would be <sector/subsector/planet/family name> <Shipyards/Starships/Starlines/Stellar Architects/Chandlers/Manufacturing/etc.> Or you can come up with your own naming scheme. Taking any result of the above and running it through a translation program - possibly multiple times - can also produce some interesting results. Or you can come up with an "interesting" story behind a strange, bizarre, or obscure name. As an example of the last, I often like to include in my own games "Third Star from the Right Chandlers", or some variation thereof, to see who can catch the trivia. "Beyond the Sunset Manufacturing" and "Burroughs & Carter, Stellar Architects" are another pair, slightly less obscure.

Canon shipbuilders... y'know, I don't remember all that many of them. Honestly, you're better off going with either the megas, or using the naming scheme. Locals probably aren't going to be known particularly far away from their own stomping grounds.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Can anyone give me a few names of cannon star ship corporations and what types of ships the create? Any names you use in your own traveller game?
Which corporation mainly builds the free traders, far trader, etc..?

My first introductory adventure revolves around Winters Corporation and several competitors. I just need a handful of competitor names.
Thanks.

Herr Rust has given you the "big-boys" in the game, as well as some Spinward Marches Sectorwide-big guns from canon.

Here is where you as GM can use some of your own noggin dust and create plausibly your own-and tie them back to one of the Big megas':

Megacorporations have MANY subsidiaries they have engulfed, but may retain the rights to their own particular ethnic/ planetary brand name (pick any mass produced product).

Look at the 400dton Type R Subsidized freighter for example--no matter where its made, and external differences, computer used, or seating arrangements, its still a type R freighter. How do you tell one from another as a GM to the players?

Explain how say the Gilroy Aerostar LLC model uses an XYZ jump-X drive, as opposed to the Valiant Star SY LLC model, with buys its jump drives in bulk from General Standard Products LIC. The XYZ jump drive is produced locally, cheaper, and is ruggedized for less annual and monthly maintenance. Due to local manufacturing here, you also save on shipment! Details like this ad flavor to your game, and aren't hard to gin up.

Try it, you'll see what I mean.


Traveller safe and armed always,

Liam Devlin

 

[locarno24]

Ling Standard Parts doesn't make starships, but few starships won't have their stamp on something on board.



Spinward Ordnance is a missile systems manufacturer I've used in a few of my games; they are a little unusual in that they cater to system defence fleets using High TL missiles rather than energy weapons.

The SLAM*-6 "Sixgun" torpedo pod is one of theirs, and I'm currently prodding together ideas for the MOHAWK system defence missile.


* Self-contained Launcher And Magazine
** Multiple Ordnance Homing-All-the Way Killer

 

[IanBruntlett]

For 3rd Imperium specific stuff set in the Spinward Marches, the eponymous book would be a good start to get info about Mega-Corporations.