Woas said:
I've noticed a lot of the trade codes are sort of silly in their requirements.
So have I. Rich and Poor for example aren't even remotely compatible - one is partly defined by population, the other is just physical.
This one in particular. I think a non-industrial code would be more for population 1-4 systems, as at those levels the population usually is low enough where they are more concerned with just surviving than making big waves in the industrial markets.
Yeah, though the Ni/Lo split could actually make some degree of sense - being low pop doesn't necessarily mean that a world has to import all of its industrial goods, it might just be able to make enough to maintain its own needs but not trade any more out to anyone else - unless perhaps it's a colony deliberately supported by offworld donors. Though then quite why being pop 4-6 suddenly means it has to import industrial goods isn't clear, do its factories suddenly stop expanding to support the population??
Has anyone done a more intuitive/upgraded trade code requirement list around here, or would anyone like to put heads together and come up with our own?
Yeah, I proposed some changes in the playtest, that were evidently not used:
Code:
Ba (Barren): pop 0, gov 0, law 0, mult 0, tech 0.
Fl (Fluid Oceans): atm B,C, hyd 1+.
In (Industrial): atm 0-4/7/9/A, pop 8+.
Na (Non-Agricultural): atm 0-3/A/B, hyd 0-3, pop 6+.
Ni (Non-Industrial): pop 1-6.
Po (Poor): siz 1-4, atm 0-3/A, pop 1-5.
Ri (Rich): siz 7+, atm 4-9, pop 8+
Va (Vacuum World): siz 1+, atm 0.
Op (Oppressive): law A+.
Ba: Barren needs to have Tech 0 if nobody's there.
Fl: Fluid Oceans must apply to atm B or C only - atm A can have liquid water (as was the early Earth), and D/E/F are breathable and so can have liquid water too.
In: Atm 3 is just as unbreathable as the other types, so why shouldn't it be Industrial too? Also, pop 8+ means we have more Industrial worlds, I don't see why you should need
billions of people to qualify as such.
Na: Atm A/B is just as hostile as atm 0-3, so why not use them too?
Ni: Worlds with populations of < 10,000 can be nonindustrial too - most likely they'd be colonies supported by offworld donors.
Po: Poor worlds would now be those that lack physical resources (small worlds), biological resources (non-habitable worlds),
and cultural/social resources (low population worlds).
Ri: Poor worlds would now be the opposite of Poor worlds - they have abundant physical resources (larger worlds), biological resources (habitable worlds),
and cultural/social resources (high population worlds).
Va: Vacuum Worlds would be defined explicitly as size 1+, so Asteroid Belts wouldn't count as such (they'd still be vacuum by default, but they have their own As trade code).
Op: One I threw in, to warn Travellers that the law level was oppressive (A+). Higher law levels will be more likely to be Amber Zones.
).
