Ship Shares - how do they work in your Traveller Universe?

[OriginalCaruso]

I’m not convinced of the anaogy

A 747 which stays in orbit with a pinnacle able to land the Travellwra with pinpoint accuracy on a planets surface?

I’m not saying a ship is essential. I am saying a ship is a key enabler for many of not most parties and provides an awful lot more freedom than scheduled liners do

 

[OriginalCaruso]

Commercial travel or free traders to minor outposts for example - few and far between

 

[swordtart]

It would depend on how many are in your party and of any had TAS membership. If you have 6 then 6 lots of KCr6.5 is quite a wedge of cash, but we are Travellers. That is what we do. We can scrape by with Basic Passage at only KCr2 (and maybe pay for some freight if the party has a lot of possessions or wants to take a speculative cargo). Even if you jump every fortnight that would still cost only KCr30 for the whole party.

The mortgage alone on the cheapest jump capable ship in the CRB (Seeker) is five times that. Then you add the consumables, fees and maintenance. With 6 accommodation slots filled with the party you are going to struggle not to loose money hand over fist just carrying freight. You save a little in hotel fees at the starport. You are going to need speculative cargo to make ends meet (you cannot expect patrons to subsidise your mortgage).

Chartering is another way to have a ship without owning a ship. Ship shares could be used for collateral otherwise you will be paying the crew to man the ship for you on top of the charter fee.

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

Those TAS high passages just what are they now? Doesn't seem like they would cover a passage on a high jump ship. If it is sold how much can you get for it?

 

[Vormaerin]

Those TAS high passages just what are they now? Doesn't seem like they would cover a passage on a high jump ship. If it is sold how much can you get for it?

That's because Mongoose changed the rules. Classic Traveller a High Passage Ticket was one jump of whatever distance. They kept TAS the same, but changed ticket prices.

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

So now undefined?

 

[Vormaerin]

I’m not convinced of the anaogy

A 747 which stays in orbit with a pinnacle able to land the Travellwra with pinpoint accuracy on a planets surface?

I’m not saying a ship is essential. I am saying a ship is a key enabler for many of not most parties and provides an awful lot more freedom than scheduled liners do

Sure, if you have a pack of NPCs to stay with the ship when you are on your away team. And whatever you are doing with your pinnace actually brings in enough money to pay your mortgage and other expenses.

As I said, it enables certain kinds of adventures and inhibit other kinds of things. Unless, of course, your GM is just gonna handwave away the hassles of running a ship. Which is fine, but if you can leave your ship unattended while you go undercover amongst the Nomads of the World Ocean for weeks. Or trek around the jungles covertly in Sky Raiders. Or be the one wrecked in Marooned or Stranded. Or be sitting at the port costing Cr1000 a week in berthing fees while you do something that actually takes more than a day or two on a planet. Or you are the crew on someone else's ship for their Safari.

There's a reason why sci fi about ship crews is planet of the week or the adventure takes place on the ship. It's because you can't easily tell any other kinds of stories because the ship is there, making demands.

My point is that one is not obviously better than the other. They tell different kinds of stories. And, primarily, I was objecting to the idea that a paying for commercial travel was somehow an insurmountable expense, especially compared to the costs of operating a starship.