GURPS BOARDROOM & CURIA example

[hal]

Am I doing this right?

I've a player character who intends to start up a business that employs somewhere in the vicinity of 30 people for a robot construction company.

Alpha Dynamics

Where automated security and war capable robotics need not hurt your bottom line...

Capabilities:

TL 8/9
Members: 30
Wealth: Wealthy
Member Traits:
Gadgeteer: (25)
Contact Group: Administration: 12 (5)
Contact Group: R&D robotics-21 (20)
Contact Group: Manufacturing 15 (10)
Enemy Group: Anti-Robotics Advocacy Group (-10)
Contact Group: Mercant-18 (30)
Permit: Lethal violence for robots (2)
Location: Undlisclosed (1)

Notable Resources:

Alpha Dynamics is located in a new industrial park with nearly top of the line equipment for the office and other odds and ends. Security is handled by the industrial park along with some internal scanners, cameras and such. Location is well lit and away from low income sectors, minimizing the incidence of petty criminal activity. All entrances require security badges and biometric scanners keep tabs on high security areas within the building.

Average Job Income level: Comfortable $5,200 per month

Reaction time modifier: +0

Costs and Values:

Startup Cost: 2,600 x 12 x 5 (wealthy) x 30 (Members) = 4,680,000
Multiplier for point costs (58) = 1.58
Final Startup Cost: 1.58 x 4,680,000 = 7,394,400

Resource Value: $36,972 per month

Did I mess this up horribly?

Question: the cost for the contact group - should I be including the reliability aspect in its cost or no? If not, then the one that I listed above for sales should be half the cost at 15 instead of 30.

[hal]

For what it is worth, the player intends to use the Alpha Dynamics experience as a learning experience for what it will take to start building ships that will carry cargo into low earth orbit. He's going to want to build his own Spaceships (via GURPS SPACESHIPS) and try and run a business that will hopefully make him rich. Eventually, I'll be using the following support books for the campaign:

GURPS CLASSIC VEHICLES
GURPS SPACESHIPS
GURPS TRAVELLER CLASSIC FAR TRADER (for the stock rules)
GURPS CLASSIC CYBERPUNK
GURPS CLASSIC CYBERWORLD
GURPS CLASSIC MARS
TRANSHUMAN SPACE UNDER PRESSURE
TRANSHUMAN SPACE memetics rules
TRANSHUMAN SPACE IN THE WELL
GURPS CLASSIC ULTRATECH
GURPS CLASSIC ULTRATECH II

I'm certain that I will be drawing in other books where needed... :)

[whswhs]

The calculation seems to be correct.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by hal

Contact Group: Administration: 12 (5)
Contact Group: R&D robotics-21 (20)
Contact Group: Manufacturing 15 (10)
Contact Group: Mercant-18 (30)

The first and last are individual skills rather than broad areas of competence, so they should be purchased as Contact and not Contact Group skills. Having two Contact Group skills is usually overkill (I'd be inclined to replace the robotics Contact Group with one or two suitable Engineering skills as Contacts rather than Contact Group), but not against the rules. For convenience, I'd probably also fold Administration into the manufacturing Contact Group skill.

Originally Posted by hal

Question: the cost for the contact group - should I be including the reliability aspect in its cost or no? If not, then the one that I listed above for sales should be half the cost at 15 instead of 30.

No. See B&C p. 6: "Use the base cost of the Contact or Contact Group,
unmodified for reliability or other factors"

[hal]

Thanks both of you for the comments.