01-19-2020, 11:48 PM | #31 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: GURPS Dune
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Either PCs are agents of the house, which has built a ship and is looking for a navigator. Or they need to smuggle some vital parts in, onboard a Guild ship, somehow. Or Guild investigators are snooping around and the PCs have to put them off the track. Or, the PCs are the Guild investigators tracking rumours of ship parts going missing. Maybe a Guild ship was destroyed by the house and made to look like an accident, for the house to get just one vital part from its salvage.
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01-19-2020, 11:55 PM | #32 |
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Re: GURPS Dune
Canonically, the Fremen were harvesting melange and had secret dealings with the Guild themselves, there was a flow of melange off Arrakis into the galactic black market. The black market would have members all over the galaxy and would deal in other products as well.
A PC could be a smuggler working to get various products onto and off of 'legal' ships. Such a PC would likely have contacts in local law enforcement and business. The smuggling organization would likely employ Mentats, too. If he makes a lot of money at his illegal activities, his kids might attend BG run private schools, he probably has a 'legit' business front, and he might even harbor dreams of marrying off a daughter to the local minor noble (or even a Great Duke). There are other criminal niches as well.
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01-20-2020, 12:09 AM | #33 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: GURPS Dune
An alternative would be to allow synthetic spice, created by forbidden technology. It would be less effective than natural spice, but it would be sufficient to allow for slower travel through foldspace and to prevent the lethal withdrawal. If such a thing existed, it would likely be used to cut natural spice on the black market, meaning that the effectiveness of black market spice would be variable.
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01-20-2020, 05:40 AM | #34 | |
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Frederick, MD
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Re: GURPS Dune
So, what the most fertile time period to set the players? I am thinking about 100 years before the first book.
Right, and our economy does fine! Merchants in a city can generate considerable wealth just by trading within the single city. If they can trade with another city, all the better. If the continent they are on does not have any trade with other continents, their own profit does not decrease just because other countries are benefiting from inter-kingdom commerce! Quote:
But there is a problem for my minor house scenario. Would those nobles really be motivated to give up their land and castles just to have true independence? I think it would be more comfortable to be third-rate royalty over first-rate pirates! What that not a minor plot line in the books? Last edited by beetle496; 01-20-2020 at 05:51 AM. Reason: added reply to @AH |
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01-20-2020, 06:49 AM | #35 | |
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Thomaston, GA
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Re: GURPS Dune
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01-20-2020, 07:05 AM | #36 |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
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Re: GURPS Dune
Well, yes, but the larger the economic area, the better it will handle not trading with outsiders. The U.S. could do better than Sweden, which would do better than San Marino, which would do better than a city quarter, etc. If you can still trade within a solar system you'll do pretty well.
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01-20-2020, 07:24 AM | #37 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: GURPS Dune
Quote:
But an embargoed system also sounds like a good setting, particularly for breeding villains who are seething about being trapped on some dustball planet.
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01-20-2020, 07:51 AM | #38 |
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Luxembourg
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Re: GURPS Dune
Rogue systems in Dune could certainly survive being left alone, except for some with truly hostile planetary environments.
There are exemples in the extended corpus, iirc. 2 possible problem (that can be avoided with nice gaming scenarios opportunities) - some great house may decide it would be more profitable if that rogue system joined the fold under their guidance. Without the protection the great game status quo offer, the rogue state would be quite disarmed against an opponent with space superiority. -lack of official access to mentat, BG, ... training may tempt a rogue state into violating some tech prohibition... and get smashed down for it. However a rogue planet is very unlikely because if you don't follow the rules and play the game... no spice. No spice, no extended lifespan and vitality. Peoples would get unhappy fast. How long would a modern state exist if they closed all borders and they lacked a basic necessity such as fresh water with no means of producing it ? The spice must flow. Last edited by Celjabba; 01-20-2020 at 08:06 AM. |
01-20-2020, 07:57 AM | #39 |
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Thomaston, GA
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Re: GURPS Dune
Also, no spice, slowly go barking insane and then die.
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01-20-2020, 08:00 AM | #40 |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
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Re: GURPS Dune
I know very little about the Dune universe, but could you kidnap a guilder and force him to work in exchange for spice?
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