Ship Repair at Starport?

[Limpin Legin]

A. The test is made on 6+ with a modifier depending on Starport Quality. A=4, B=2, C=0, D=-2

I'd personally bump all the modifiers up 1 (5/3/1/-1).

I'd go for something like 2/3/1/-2 because the big and not so big corporates try and exploit customers and rake you for what you are worth and , in contrast, the little guy on the portside corner, starport D, is trying to build a good reputation, and is dead honest so cuts his prices to attract customers.

 

[Limpin Legin]

That is actually very helpful; build the shipyard as a ship or space-station, then figure up the monthly mortgage, maintenance, energy consumption cost, life support, & salary costs, divided by the tonnage of the shipyard and a 'percentage of the shipyard which usually sits idle' factor. Figure that 'Idled' portions of the shipyard can be temporarily shut down for a savings (maybe up to 50%?). That is the 'fixed cost'; parts and other considerations are on top of that.

If you use the Port Events table in the Traveller Companion, then you get price rises due to piracy resource thefts and trade embargoes, etc.

 

[J. L. Brown]

If you use the Port Events table in the Traveller Companion, then you get price rises due to piracy resource thefts and trade embargoes, etc.

Yeah, all businesses have to factor in 'shrinkage'.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I'd go for something like 2/3/1/-2 because the big and not so big corporates try and exploit customers and rake you for what you are worth and , in contrast, the little guy on the portside corner, starport D, is trying to build a good reputation, and is dead honest so cuts his prices to attract customers.

Me personally? I wouldn't do either of those things. I would adjust the price based on the difference in personnel costs between 100% for Engineer/1 and 300-500% for Engineer/4 or 5. Then adjust the cost of the repairs accordingly, times 2 since you always pay a premium for quality.

 

[Limpin Legin]

Me personally? I wouldn't do either of those things. I would adjust the price based on the difference in personnel costs between 100% for Engineer/1 and 300-500% for Engineer/4 or 5. Then adjust the cost of the repairs accordingly, times 2 since you always pay a premium for quality.

Individual vs the Collective:
I would only do what you propose if the company was the Engineer as a sole trader, like, perhaps, in a small downport.
With the involvement of bigger corporations or governments running the starport operations, the specific Engineering tasks become a smaller cog in a larger wheel, hence the combined efforts of the corp/gov are more significant. This would be especially the case in class A or B starports where they are responsible for multiple services beyond the scope of one individual.

Traveller Companion on Freeports:

A freeport is an independent starport or spaceport, and can have a starport code even if it is not the system’s main port. Where most ports are owned by a world or multi-world society, a freeport is not; it is a commercial entity in its own right.

The operators of a corporate freeport are always looking for a good deal and an extra Credit. They may offer preferential services – in return for an annual fee, of course – or have ‘members only’ areas which offer benefits unavailable to other visitors.

and

An independent freeport is in many ways the opposite of this. Typically run on a shoestring, independent freeports can only sell what they can obtain and that fluctuates greatly. Operators will try to make deals that guarantee a reliable source of spares, supplies and goods for their shops but are at the mercy of market conditions.

 

[Condottiere]

Starports are likely to have regulations, require quality control, and give guarantees.

Experts can be hired as consultants, contractors, and/or gatekeepers.

You can always go off the grid.

 

[Condottiere]

And speaking about off the grid.

Starports likely require that your vessel is insured; possibly you need insurance to enter a minimum number of diameters.

Insurance requires certification.

And then you have sanctions and boycotts.

At this point, a freeport may look rather attractive.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Individual vs the Collective:
I would only do what you propose if the company was the Engineer as a sole trader, like, perhaps, in a small downport.
With the involvement of bigger corporations or governments running the starport operations, the specific Engineering tasks become a smaller cog in a larger wheel, hence the combined efforts of the corp/gov are more significant. This would be especially the case in class A or B starports where they are responsible for multiple services beyond the scope of one individual.

I think you missed the point entirely. I am not talking about one person. I am talking about the Shipyard workers collectively. A high quality shipyard is going to have higher skill workers with a correspondingly higher pay scale. So how is this individually versus the Collective? I am talking about the increase in costs of having workers that are more skilled, not just one worker that is more skilled.

 

[Limpin Legin]

I think you missed the point entirely. I am not talking about one person. I am talking about the Shipyard workers collectively. A high quality shipyard is going to have higher skill workers with a correspondingly higher pay scale. So how is this individually versus the Collective? I am talking about the increase in costs of having workers that are more skilled, not just one worker that is more skilled.

I certainly didn't "miss the point entirely." You spoke of skill (singular), not plural. Plus nowhere in your reply did you refer to anything about "working together" to perform a repair.

Nobody would have a cat in hells chance on deciphering your "point", and your baseless rhetorical accusation doesn't cover for this oversight. Sorry about being so matter of fact, only it is relevant to now do so.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I certainly didn't "miss the point entirely." You spoke of skill (singular), not plural. Plus nowhere in your reply did you refer to anything about "working together" to perform a repair.

Nobody would have a cat in hells chance on deciphering your "point", and your baseless rhetorical accusation doesn't cover for this oversight. Sorry about being so matter of fact, only it is relevant to now do so.

I spoke of personnel costs related to skill level. That is singular to you? Personnel costs are referring to the cost to pay personnel. It is not singular or plural. If you have only one employee, it is singular. If you have more than one employee, it is plural. Ummm... Duh? In My post, I spoke of personnel costs for 200+ employees? How is that singular?

 

[Limpin Legin]

I spoke of personnel costs related to skill level. That is singular to you?

Yes. Engineer is singular. Engineers is plural. Engineer/1, Engineer/4 or 5 are also singular. Engineer/1s /4s and /5s would be plural.

In My post, I spoke of personnel costs for 200+ employees? How is that singular?

Nope. Not in the quoted reply. You quote fractions or percentages of a whole. No indication that whole refers to organisational department(s) of 200+, or similar.

But, point taken, if you want to mean plural then fine. Just that I feel unjustifiably accused. That's all. Lets move on?

 

[MasterGwydion]

Yes. Engineer is singular. Engineers is plural. Engineer/1, Engineer/4 or 5 are also singular. Engineer/1s /4s and /5s would be plural.


Nope. Not in the quoted reply. You quote fractions or percentages of a whole. No indication that whole refers to organisational department(s) of 200+, or similar.

But, point taken, if you want to mean plural then fine. Just that I feel unjustifiably accused. That's all. Lets move on?

Engineer/1, Engineer/2. These are skill levels not people. In Traveller to hire people with skill level above 1, you increase their pay by a percentage. 150% for skill level 2, 200% for skill level 3, 250% for skill level 4, etc. So, the percentages, were not people, the percentages were how much more the shipyard would have to pay their employees, based on skill level, which would then affect the price that they charge a ship owner for repairs, which can help the OP determine how much to charge the players to repair their ship at a shipyard.

but, sure, let's move on.

 

[Condottiere]

Supervision would tend to raise quality and even out spikes.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Supervision would tend to raise quality and even out spikes.

Isn't that what "officers" do? (1 officer per 10 crew as per the rules.)

 

[Condottiere]

I doubt our rules account for that.

Leadership to optimize the collective result, and whatever skill is required, in order to understand how, and if, that's achieved.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I doubt our rules account for that.

Leadership to optimize the collective result, and whatever skill is required, in order to understand how, and if, that's achieved.

I am guessing, but obviously do not know for sure, that it taken into account as the "baseline". If your ship is short on officers or your factory is short on supervisors, there would be some kind of negative situational DM. So, the current numbers reflect with good management, but I have not seen what the penalties are in-game for not having enough "officers", but it might be written up somewhere.

 

[Condottiere]

Depends on how generic you'd want to make it.

In most cases, for competent and somewhat motivated personnel, you can leave them, temporarily, to their own devices.

How long that period is, is up in the air.

 

[Arkathan]

If you don't have enough supervisors, everyone takes their lunch breaks exactly when the previous person in the chain is ready for them to take over.
And everyone schedules their vacation time for the same period... when an important overhaul is placed on the calendar.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Depends on how generic you'd want to make it.

In most cases, for competent and somewhat motivated personnel, you can leave them, temporarily, to their own devices.

How long that period is, is up in the air.

Since it is an RPG, fairly generic.

 

[Condottiere]

There's also span of control.

Likely one or two of that generic team are going to be subleaders.