Interstellar Economics 101: Booze & Cigarettes

[Lemn0c]

I wonder if anyone else has thought through the implications of interstellar commerce for couriers or tramp freighters and, like me, has come to the conclusion that the only thing that makes sense for traders of this size is to deal in mildly interdicted items like booze and cigarettes?

I mean, lawful things that are needed in great quantities are going to be the purview of overwhelmingly large, probably corporate, transports. The volume of your typical Traveller ship doesn’t really lend itself to ores or grain... and, for that matter, the latter really doesn’t make much sense as an interstellar trade good.

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I moved my dormant GT:IW campaign into Vilani space with the assumption that the kimashargur might relish mild intoxicants, and that—for obvious reasons—the Sharurshid wouldn’t truck in these items. To keep the campaign from losing its PG rating and going all Scarface, I just arbitrarily decided Vilani wouldn’t favor heavily processed chemical substances, not interested, but might find mild, naturally occurring stimulants like tobacco something exotic and worth paying for.

I confess it has given the campaign a mild MadMan feel, with kimashargur beatniks wandering the streets with lit cigarettes and overlarge martini glasses. It's definitely party time on Dingir.

But, weirdly, it seems to make sense from the standpoint of economics. And it definitely gives small cargo Free Traders something naughty to trade in.

The next logical step would be to assume some markets are closed to this by syndication, which gives a kind of Sopranos feel to it.

I’m making the assumption that Terran Powers-That-Be recognize the corrosive aspects of booze and cigarettes on Imperial culture and Imperial control and look the other way on these shipments while sadly shaking their heads and tsk-tsking with complaining V dignitaries that, yes, it all very troubling, very troubling indeed, yes, yes, all this must end....

[Apache]

Umm...how to put this....

Most players in a Free Trader game start looking for planets with a need for....self-defense weapons and the like.....very, very quickly.

I remember running a Classic Traveller scenario on a planet called Pavabid...run by a theocracy that interdicted hi-tech except for the ruling class (they got to live in floating cities...)

After they completed the scenario, they then promptly began to smuggle ACR's and other fun stuff to the Resistance groups that were scattered all over the planet......

[Anaraxes]

Guess the designers of Traveller did something right, then. I don't think they really wanted you to spend the whole game moving mundane goods around a fixed route (profitable as that can be with some rule sets). You're supposed to be taking on the odd jobs to make ends meet -- or just for the adventure of it -- and that's usually something at least a bit shady.

[The Rampant Gamer]

Most of my players have been even less thoughtful, and just turned to high-margin smuggling from pretty much the second they signed the loan paperwork on their Type A. Drugs, sure - be they anagathics or psychedelics. Guns, of course, though they'd usually want to keep half a dozen for themselves. They never stooped to transporting slaves, but I think that was mostly because I never let the idea get into their heads that they could be...

[Apache]

Gotta use the low-berths for something, man...;)

[Anaraxes]

The low berths are also good for plausible deniability when the waifish unfortunate appeals to the crew for help escaping from the evil overlord, offering the pittance that is their entire life savings for freedom on another planet, the PCs agree, then charge the overlord another fee for permanently and untraceably removing a problem for him. Accidents happen.

[Flyndaran]

Has anyone played non-criminals / smugglers / terrorists?
Many Traveller games sound like taking Shadowrun players into an econ. simulation.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Has anyone played non-criminals / smugglers / terrorists?
Many Traveller games sound like taking Shadowrun players into an econ. simulation.

That's part of the charm, IMO. ;)

[AndreaVallance]

My games very rarely stray from the "lovable rogues" so smuggling booze and tobacco would be ideal stuff. Players who cross the line from ethically dubious to outright wrong tend to find a) their reputation spreads and b) karma is real IMTU.

[nightwind1]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Guess the designers of Traveller did something right, then. I don't think they really wanted you to spend the whole game moving mundane goods around a fixed route (profitable as that can be with some rule sets). You're supposed to be taking on the odd jobs to make ends meet -- or just for the adventure of it -- and that's usually something at least a bit shady.

"A ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying."