Player-Owned Corporations

[Zarpaulek]

Are there any rules for Travellers owning and running companies or corporations given how important megacorps seem to be in the interstellar economy?

After re-listening to Nathan Lowell's Trader's Tales I thought that forming and selling shares in a company might be a viable alternative to mortgages for purchasing a ship. Instead of monthly payments their profits would be divided into dividends for shareholders, which might give them more flexibility but potentially anger the shareholders, for instance.

Also I recall something from the GURPS alien books about Vargr corsairs "crowdfunding" their ships since they don't have banks.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Are there any rules for Travellers owning and running companies or corporations given how important megacorps seem to be in the interstellar economy?

After re-listening to Nathan Lowell's Trader's Tales I thought that forming and selling shares in a company might be a viable alternative to mortgages for purchasing a ship. Instead of monthly payments their profits would be divided into dividends for shareholders, which might give them more flexibility but potentially anger the shareholders, for instance.

Also I recall something from the GURPS alien books about Vargr corsairs "crowdfunding" their ships since they don't have banks.

Not MgT2, but some previous editions have some stuff, such as Merchant Prince. Let's you form a play a corporation as a minigame

 

[swordtart]

MGT 1st edition Merchant Prince had them.

 

[Condottiere]

A chief executive officer of one would rank just below the Emperor.

As for owning one, assuming effective control is twenty percent, based on clever caveats regarding classes of shares, or fifty point one percent, the old fashioned way, I doubt there's enough money available to the character.

You'd have to think of it as a generational project, and kickstart a new one.

 

[MasterGwydion]

A chief executive officer of one would rank just below the Emperor.

As for owning one, assuming effective control is twenty percent, based on clever caveats regarding classes of shares, or fifty point one percent, the old fashioned way, I doubt there's enough money available to the character.

You'd have to think of it as a generational project, and kickstart a new one.

If today's economic model is any indication. You do not need any money to form a corporation. Just take out loans, buy smaller companies, combine them, sell off some of the pieces to cover your interest on your loan. Then take out a new loan to pay off the old loan and use your newly created on merged company as collateral. Rinse and repeat. Do it this way and also pay zero Credits in taxes.

 

[Condottiere]

You'd need an obliging regulatory environment.

I tend to think the Emperor and the aristocracy have golden shares, that would make a hostile takeover impossible.

Then you have to define what constitutes a takeover, and if you can obtain enough (financial) leverage to make it almost zero cost to yourself.

Once the intent is there, all things being equal, and no objection from vested interests, you'd have to make a bid for all outstanding shares, and considering news delays, of both offer, and financial commentators, the share price could go galactic.

 

[MasterGwydion]

You'd need an obliging regulatory environment.

I tend to think the Emperor and the aristocracy have golden shares, that would make a hostile takeover impossible.

Then you have to define what constitutes a takeover, and if you can obtain enough (financial) leverage to make it almost zero cost to yourself.

Once the intent is there, all things being equal, and no objection from vested interests, you'd have to make a bid for all outstanding shares, and considering news delays, of both offer, and financial commentators, the share price could go galactic.

GeDeCo (not a megacorp, but quite large behind the claw) was founded by buying up smaller corporations, so the regulatory environment in the 3I already supports this.

 

[Condottiere]

That could be more Standard Oil, and payment with shares in the controlling corporation.

 

[Zarpaulek]

A chief executive officer of one would rank just below the Emperor.

As for owning one, assuming effective control is twenty percent, based on clever caveats regarding classes of shares, or fifty point one percent, the old fashioned way, I doubt there's enough money available to the character.

You'd have to think of it as a generational project, and kickstart a new one.

A megacorp with operations spanning multiple sectors or even domains, sure.

But I was thinking more of a single free trader with shareholders instead of a multi-megacred mortgage.

 

[boggo2300]

A megacorp with operations spanning multiple sectors or even domains, sure.

But I was thinking more of a single free trader with shareholders instead of a multi-megacred mortgage.

This is a sensible way of doing it, and is supported by IRL (though usually as a way of reducing mortgage rather than eliminating it, as it's hard to raise the Millions of Credits necesary without an existing income stream. I would see it working as, Mortgage to get ship, start making some cash, then sell shares, using that money to buy down the mortgage

 

[MasterGwydion]

Or shares are exactly that, they share a percentage ownership of the ship. You'd have to define the agreement as to how finances were handled, but yeah, this is very doable and has plenty of historical precedent. The ship is a corporation with one asset.

 

[Condottiere]

There is partnerships, possibly with one major, and the rest juniors, ship shares being the buy in.

I think the one science fiction novel that coloured my view of that specifically for starships was Busby's Zelde M'Tana.

Crews are larger.

 

[Condottiere]

Arrrr, Enterprise.

Productivity, prosperity, piracy.

Service with a scimitar.

Non consensual tipping.

 

[rinku]

Hostile acquisitions.

 

[Arkathan]

Hostile acquisitions.

Crimson Permanent Assurance

 

[rinku]

I'm sure that was the first thought that came to many of us...

In our current game, I think my character has used the term "hostile asset acquisition", or similar.

I do love "Non Consensual Tipping" though. That's pure gold, C!

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I used the MGT1 Merchant rules to create a PC corporation for their starship. It worked OK, there were some holes, but by pitting them against another similarly sized group I could use the merchant rules to generate adventure ideas.

 

[ross]

There were some interesting ideas for micro-corporations in Kromosome for Amazing Engine in the 90s