Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Stealth and speed.
Or, just speed.
Or, just speed.
Smuggling in Modern Traveller
- Thread starter MasterGwydion
- Start date
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
You may want to rewrite this to be more clear as I am not sure I even understand what you are saying, but I will try...
First off, it is not smuggling if you are not carrying goods to where they are illegal. If you carry the goods from where they are legal, to where they are legal, such as a starport with a LL-0, that is not smuggling. That is just shipping. For it to be smuggling, the goods must, at the very minimum, pass through territory where said goods are illegal.
I am not aware of any legal companies that advertises themselves as smuggling specialists. That would pretty much guarantee some kind of a law enforcement/bounty hunter responses that would destroy the company and the people who worked for it.
As far as why tramp traders would need to smuggle stuff? That's easy. Because they are being paid to, because these political prisoners need to be gotten to safety, because freeing these slaves is the right thing to do, because they believe that people have a right to eat regardless of what those in power say, etc etc etc. There are literally millions of different reasons why tramp traders may be smugglers.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
This I did not know! Thank you!
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
I completely agree. My point wasn't to show off, but to expand the aperture for what might actually be the case. I have always been amazed at what people are willing to smuggle, not because they do it, but because it is profitable enough to be financially viable.
I use fabricators a lot IMTU, but I follow Roddenberry's Rule of Replication through intentional limitations and the inherent complexity of replicating complex molecular structures. Hydroponically grown vegetables taste different from dirt-farmed vegetables because of the little flaws and variances of nature, which is why there is a whole branch of "dirty hydroponics".
That is where the value comes from.
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
I don't agree that all starports are lawless. IMTU, every starport is different. That is the whole point- you need to be able to buy a product cheap in one spot, and then sell it for an inflated price somewhere else.
The economy. I will buy your legal guns at CR1000/dton and sell them for MCr.25/dton. Historically, that is how Aristotle Onassis made his money using demilitarized torpedo boats to smuggle cigarettes.
The incentive there is to cut out the broker. All brokers are parasites.
OriginalCaruso
Banded Mongoose
I don’t agree all brokers are parasites. Many are, but not all
Some brokers add value by connecting people who otherwise would never have the opportunity to connect - for which they extract a price. This principle translates well from IRL to Traveller, and may be more appreciated in Traveller given the higher tech where information will have greater value
I sound like a pedant re-reading the above, that’s not my intent
Some brokers add value by connecting people who otherwise would never have the opportunity to connect - for which they extract a price. This principle translates well from IRL to Traveller, and may be more appreciated in Traveller given the higher tech where information will have greater value
I sound like a pedant re-reading the above, that’s not my intent
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
Another reason the UWPs don't work. Law Level currently means two things.
"Law Level determines two things in particular – what it is illegal for Travellers to possess on the world and the likelihood the Travellers will run afoul of the law."
This is stupid! Those two things have no bearing on one another. Law Level needs to be divided into two things. What is illegal and the level of enforcement.
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
There are some interesting developments in the World Builder’s Handbook
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
True. That was a nice piece of writing on Gier's part.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
What are the penalties for smuggling in Charted Space? What type of offense is it if you are using the Traveller Companion rules?
Also, since smuggling can also be "declaring a lower value for goods in order to pay less fees", how could this be done in Traveller since tariffs don't really seem to be a thing?
Also, since smuggling can also be "declaring a lower value for goods in order to pay less fees", how could this be done in Traveller since tariffs don't really seem to be a thing?
The only things the Imperials would be generally concerned with would be slaves and nukes. Or stuff relating to security, I guess - transporting enemy agents across the border could be considered smuggling, as would running guns to an Ine Givar cell.
Otherwise, it's local law, although I do get the impression that the Imperium wants free trade in general. For freight and passengers, mostly ignore it as the owner of the freight or the passengers would pay any tarriff or excise, and if those aren't paid for they'll be impounded or refused entry - not generally the concern of the carrier. Could be useful as a plot seed, though.
If the cargo is owned by the carrier, I guess that sort of stuff is generally assumed into the random of the trade tables.
Smuggling isn't done casually; I'd think it's best done as an opportunity. The character discovers a potential profit and then has to actively smuggle to exploit it. There's a Smuggler on the Patron D66 - any transport jobs from them are probably Opportunities. Likewise, any of the Transport Goods jobs could be smuggling, especially the Transport Goods Secretly one.
Otherwise, it's local law, although I do get the impression that the Imperium wants free trade in general. For freight and passengers, mostly ignore it as the owner of the freight or the passengers would pay any tarriff or excise, and if those aren't paid for they'll be impounded or refused entry - not generally the concern of the carrier. Could be useful as a plot seed, though.
If the cargo is owned by the carrier, I guess that sort of stuff is generally assumed into the random of the trade tables.
Smuggling isn't done casually; I'd think it's best done as an opportunity. The character discovers a potential profit and then has to actively smuggle to exploit it. There's a Smuggler on the Patron D66 - any transport jobs from them are probably Opportunities. Likewise, any of the Transport Goods jobs could be smuggling, especially the Transport Goods Secretly one.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Asset forfeiture.
Specifically, your spacecraft.
Specifically, your spacecraft.
OriginalCaruso
Banded Mongoose
With the FFW in full-flight I would expect resources to be diverted into other activities such as counter-terrorism, bolstering outlying and vulnerable colonies etc leaving wider scope for smuggling activities
