Steward Skill in Mrechant Prince

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Medium Passengers are the worst possible thing to carry, unless you are getting Cr500 per ton from Merchant Prince with no broker do not carry mediums. Push the furniture aside and carry 3 tons of cargo in the empty staterooms. Yes I know staterooms are 4 tons but 3 tons is the stateroom and the other ton is coridors and the common area. No cargo in the corridors, Imperial Elf and Safety.

Using core MT rules, often the problem is getting enough cargo to fill the hold, passengers are usually less of an issue. I tend to be stricter about the staterooms, and don't allow cargo containers in them (too big to fit, no you cannot unload a container, it's been customs checked and sealed, if you start ripping out the fittings, it will cost you to put them back etc). Anyway, some of that 4 tons is taken up in lifesupport machinery and corridors.

What we did find was the launch on the fat trader design was pretty useless for trading, get rid of it, save 14 MCr and gain 20 tons of cargo space

Egil

 

[rinku]

At the end of the day, Steward is a *required* skill to carry passengers, so should be available to any ship merchant career.

Well, there is the option of adding luxuries without requiring the use of the Steward skill to carry passangers. Also isn't required for any low berth passengers.

Oh, yeah - very tramp freighter, that

You need 1 level of Steward for every 2 high passengers or 5 middle passengers. Assuming a crew of 3-4 using double occupancy, a Free Trader has 8 staterooms to fill, meaning it needs 4 levels of Steward to cater for the high passengers. That's Cr400,000 and 4 tons of cargo, if you want to go that way. Worth noting that it would take years to rack up life support and wages costs of Cr400,000, though.

Main point is, this isn't some kind of high faultin' qualification. It's basic maid & cook work at the Free Trader level. First thing a new crew member is going to get assigned to is cleaning and galley duties, and any ship with passengers needs a purser. It's easier to teach than Gunnery, Navigation, Piloting or Engineering; yet these skills are easier to get.

 

[AndrewW]

You need 1 level of Steward for every 2 high passengers or 5 middle passengers. Assuming a crew of 3-4 using double occupancy, a Free Trader has 8 staterooms to fill, meaning it needs 4 levels of Steward to cater for the high passengers. That's Cr400,000 and 4 tons of cargo, if you want to go that way. Worth noting that it would take years to rack up life support and wages costs of Cr400,000, though.

Maybe not the cargo space. If you where carrying 2 stewards each with Steward-2 that's 1 double occupancy cabin that can be converted to luxuries or used for additional passengers if you still wanted to sacrifice the cargo space.

 

[rinku]

You need 1 level of Steward for every 2 high passengers or 5 middle passengers. Assuming a crew of 3-4 using double occupancy, a Free Trader has 8 staterooms to fill, meaning it needs 4 levels of Steward to cater for the high passengers. That's Cr400,000 and 4 tons of cargo, if you want to go that way. Worth noting that it would take years to rack up life support and wages costs of Cr400,000, though.

Maybe not the cargo space. If you where carrying 2 stewards each with Steward-2 that's 1 double occupancy cabin that can be converted to luxuries or used for additional passengers if you still wanted to sacrifice the cargo space.

True... you could scrap a Cr500,000 stateroom to cover the luxuries. Me, I'd keep it.

You're also assuming that those with the Steward skill aren't doing other duties. Most of the stewarding is done when the ship is in jump - as long as the regular crew have a few Steward skill points among then, you're covered.

 

[AndrewW]

You're also assuming that those with the Steward skill aren't doing other duties. Most of the stewarding is done when the ship is in jump - as long as the regular crew have a few Steward skill points among then, you're covered.

And you are assuming they are. Jump or not other duties need to be attended to. Also outside of jump passengers will still need care. Just the journey out to jump distance can take awhile.

Either way, doesn't change what I said originally that steward skill is not required for passengers.

 

[rinku]

Nope. Not disputing that. You are 100% correct that the use of luxuries does allow operating without a steward.

But if I were a merchant skipper and had a choice of finding Cr100,000 to allow carrying any passengers at all, or giving an existing crewmember a basic hospitality course to do so, I'd choose the latter.

 

[AndrewW]

Nope. Not disputing that. You are 100% correct that the use of luxuries does allow operating without a steward.

But if I were a merchant skipper and had a choice of finding Cr100,000 to allow carrying any passengers at all, or giving an existing crewmember a basic hospitality course to do so, I'd choose the latter.

Not any, low passage doesn't require a steward. But I don't see a need to discuss any further.

 

[rinku]

Yeah. Funny how you're allowed to operate low berths without having to have a certified doctor on board...

 

[AndrewW]

Yeah. Funny how you're allowed to operate low berths without having to have a certified doctor on board...

Maybe they just figure on having a medic at the other end to revive them, rather then dragging one along across the stars.

 

[Captain Jonah]

Medium Passengers are the worst possible thing to carry, unless you are getting Cr500 per ton from Merchant Prince with no broker do not carry mediums. Push the furniture aside and carry 3 tons of cargo in the empty staterooms. Yes I know staterooms are 4 tons but 3 tons is the stateroom and the other ton is coridors and the common area. No cargo in the corridors, Imperial Elf and Safety.

Using core MT rules, often the problem is getting enough cargo to fill the hold, passengers are usually less of an issue. I tend to be stricter about the staterooms, and don't allow cargo containers in them (too big to fit, no you cannot unload a container, it's been customs checked and sealed, if you start ripping out the fittings, it will cost you to put them back etc). Anyway, some of that 4 tons is taken up in lifesupport machinery and corridors.

What we did find was the launch on the fat trader design was pretty useless for trading, get rid of it, save 14 MCr and gain 20 tons of cargo space

Egil

Agree with the launch, its a streamlined ship, it can land itself. My modified Fat Traders go 15 tons cargo and 10 low berths. Its more profitable. Low berths bring in almost double the income per ton of cargo at jump 1.

As to problems with finding cargo. Not sure where you find this unless you mean Mega Traveller (MT) rather then Mongoose Traveller (MonT). On a decent run (Traffic Value 10) you can find D6+6 (ave 9) Major cargos at d6 x 10tons (ave 30 tons). D6+7 (ave 10) mior cargos (ave 15 tons), more than enough to fill a Fat traders hold.
On bad runs (Traffic value 5) you can find D6+1 major and D6+2 minor loads,4 major ave 120 tons and 5 minor ave 75 tons which is nearly enough to fill your 220 ton hold. See about mail or some speculative trade for the extras.
In terms of passangers a decent run (value 10) gives 5D6 low, 3D6 mid and 3D6 - 1D6 high. Ave 17 low, 10 mid and 7 high. Take all the highs and lows and only take the the mids if you have nothing else to put in the stateroom.
On poor runs 3D6 - 1D6 Low, 2D6 - 1D6 mid and 2D6 - 1D6 high. Ave 7 low, 3 mid and 3 high. Not enough to fill 9 staterooms or your low berths.
It seems to me that passangers are harder to find on bad runs than cargo and missing a few tons of cargo impacts monthly profit a lot less than having to carry middle passengers or empty staterooms.
Besides which if you are trying to make money trading on low value runs you are doing it wrong, get someone with streetwise and get back to a decent run or you will end up broke

 

[DFW]

Thanks for the info on no down payment needed. Just moved over to MT. Now my char can order that 400t trader without putting a penny out of pocket.

 

[alex_greene]

Of course, no player character in the entire run of Traveller has ever figured out that if you want to make some real money, stop buying and selling starship cargoes.

Start buying and selling the starships.

 

[rust]

Start buying and selling the starships.

Or, if you want life to be more interesting, start stealing and selling those
starships ... 8)

 

[Captain Jonah]

Of course, no player character in the entire run of Traveller has ever figured out that if you want to make some real money, stop buying and selling starship cargoes.

Start buying and selling the starships.

What and try to compete with all those greedy banks and money lenders, fast way to have an accident that
Besides a mortgage on a ship pays twice the value of the ship over 40 years, the ship is paid off and the bank makes as much again in profit with insurance fees etc taken off.
So a bank sells a Free Trader and will earn Mcr35.667 over 40 years, thats not even a Million credits a year profit. Hardly worth getting up in the morning for so little
On the other hand if you have the cash to buy the Free trader outright and run it you will need to pay fuel, wages, life support etc but you should clear Kcr200 a month, Mcr2.4 a year. A bit more like it now, even worth going into the office for.
Most important part of Free Trading is getting out from under the mortgage, once that is done you are away.

 

[DFW]

Start buying and selling the starships.

Or, if you want life to be more interesting, start stealing and selling those
starships ... 8)

Yep, just order an 800t merchant ship for no money, pick it up when completed and hop across the border and sell it!

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Start buying and selling the starships.

Or, if you want life to be more interesting, start stealing and selling those
starships ... 8)

Yep, just order an 800t merchant ship for no money, pick it up when completed and hop across the border and sell it!

Best not sell it, you will need it to spend the rest, of your very short life, on the run from the mortage company's bounty hunters.

I would expect that the real owners of the ship (the mortagage brokers!) would expect you to file regular updates of where you are and where you are going, as much as anything to ensure that you can pay your monthly payment on Regina when the ship was bought on Mora. Disappearing into the Trojan Reaches (e.g.) without telling would attract a certain amount of suspecion, and a visit from corporate agents or Imperial Navy acting on their behalf.

Egil

 

[DFW]

Best not sell it, you will need it to spend the rest, of your very short life, on the run from the mortage company's bounty hunters.

Nah, LONG gone out of the Imperium ID changed. Bu bye.

I would expect that the real owners of the ship (the mortagage brokers!) would expect you to file regular updates of where you are and where you are going,

Nope not in anywhere in the rules. It's GREAT! Order a large ship, take possession all for ZERO credits.

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Best not sell it, you will need it to spend the rest, of your very short life, on the run from the mortage company's bounty hunters.

Nah, LONG gone out of the Imperium ID changed. Bu bye.

I would expect that the real owners of the ship (the mortagage brokers!) would expect you to file regular updates of where you are and where you are going,

Nope not in anywhere in the rules. It's GREAT! Order a large ship, take possession all for ZERO credits.

You might well struggle to sell the ship at anything like its purchase price, after all, you don't own it (yet) and it is relatively hard to conceal. Why would anybody but a criminal buy it, and they would not offer very much (in fact, they may as well just board it and kill you). You need ownership documents to sell a space craft.

Agree that it says nothing about the mortgage company keeping an interest in its multi-million credit investment "anywhere in the rules". However, all sorts of things are not covered either, so it is down to MTU and GM rules. This GM thinks that corporations get rich precisely because they do watch investments. Without that being a given, then no one will ever allow a mortgage on a space craft, so no travellers.

Of course, some folk will always turn to fraud, some might even get away with it, but it won't be easy. The Imperium was set up by merchants and is driven by free trade, that only works if the laws of property are applied rigorously

Egil

 

[AndrewW]

You need ownership documents to sell a space craft.

Documents can be forged.

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

As to problems with finding cargo. Not sure where you find this unless you mean Mega Traveller (MT) rather then Mongoose Traveller (MonT). On a decent run (Traffic Value 10) you can find D6+6 (ave 9) Major cargos at d6 x 10tons (ave 30 tons). D6+7 (ave 10) mior cargos (ave 15 tons), more than enough to fill a Fat traders hold.
On bad runs (Traffic value 5) you can find D6+1 major and D6+2 minor loads,4 major ave 120 tons and 5 minor ave 75 tons which is nearly enough to fill your 220 ton hold. See about mail or some speculative trade for the extras.
In terms of passangers a decent run (value 10) gives 5D6 low, 3D6 mid and 3D6 - 1D6 high. Ave 17 low, 10 mid and 7 high. Take all the highs and lows and only take the the mids if you have nothing else to put in the stateroom.
On poor runs 3D6 - 1D6 Low, 2D6 - 1D6 mid and 2D6 - 1D6 high. Ave 7 low, 3 mid and 3 high. Not enough to fill 9 staterooms or your low berths.
It seems to me that passangers are harder to find on bad runs than cargo and missing a few tons of cargo impacts monthly profit a lot less than having to carry middle passengers or empty staterooms.
Besides which if you are trying to make money trading on low value runs you are doing it wrong, get someone with streetwise and get back to a decent run or you will end up broke

Sometimes poor runs are a necesity in a jump 1 trader, to get to where you think the better pickings are, and the passenger traffic number and the freight traffic number are often different, sometimes very different. Using MonTr the problem we hit was that two mid size planets would generate enough passengers, but may well have a poor freight value if the TL is very different Not complaining, I think it is a good rule, and forces the small trader to think carefully about his moves. At one time we ended up doing a lot of runs between to large population similar tech level planets simply to build up some working capital after too many half empty flights. That lead to involvement in local politics and a sequence of adventures as well.

Egil