Statting tycoons of the future

[Joseph Paul]

I want a pivotal NPC character to be a future tycoon that has managed to put a near monopoly on the transport of goods in the Solar system. Mercury to the gas giants - commerce and people move on his ships. Sure there are still puddle jumper surface to orbit services and the local haulers but they can't compete for the long haul etc. So a few iterations of multimillionaire and then what? How do you relate the power he can exercise with his various organizations? Are they Allies? Are the physical assets Signature Gear (he can always get another ship)? Extensive land holdings and rentals at orbitals etc? Claim to Hospitality/Passage? For things he owns? Or at least is CEO and majority shareholder of? The vertical integration of the business from resource extraction through manufacturing to fueling operations in the outer planets to the transport services themselves covers a lot of ground. How to represent them and what can they do? How about all of those sycophant executives as well as those people in bad suits on the 13th floor that are rumored to do 'dirty deeds, dirt cheap'?

[Flyndaran]

Isn't it just enormous status, like a king or president of some major nation?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

How do you relate the power he can exercise with his various organizations?

Rank is the Advantage that covers your ability to command an organization. Social Engineering and SE: Pulling Rank go into detail. Action 1 has a chapter as well, more focused on its own genre, of course. Boardroom and Curia covers statting the organization itself (sort of like City Stats).

Status isn't Rank in most settings. (Feudal medieval societies being a notable exception; SE also covers various combinations of the two and changes in the Advantage prices to match.) Status is mostly a reaction modifer, not command authority.

Are they Allies? Are the physical assets Signature Gear (he can always get another ship)? Extensive land holdings and rentals at orbitals etc? Claim to Hospitality/Passage?

Claim to Hospitality would cover stays that you don't pay for. Having your organization cover the expense doesn't make it free. All of these things are normally covered by Rank, assuming you can claim they're a reasonable business expense. (If you're the CEO, you don't have a boss to refuse, though you might have to argue with the board of directors.)

For things he owns?

Wealth covers personal possessions.

How about all of those sycophant executives as well as those people in bad suits on the 13th floor that are rumored to do 'dirty deeds, dirt cheap'?

Rank lets you give them orders. They may or may not obey, of course, in which case you can fire them. Or try to fire them; they might have their own political support, if it's the internal politics of the megacorp that interest you.

[Joseph Paul]

Funny how all of those books are on my PDF wishlist....

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

Funny how all of those books are on my PDF wishlist....

There's a sale on through the 15th.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Isn't it just enormous status, like a king or president of some major nation?

Wealth and Status are only indistinguishable in certain cultures. There might be a number of factors. Espers for instance might have a higher degree of social regard then tycoons.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Rank lets you give them orders. They may or may not obey, of course, in which case you can fire them. Or try to fire them; they might have their own political support, if it's the internal politics of the megacorp that interest you.

Presumably you can find fixers who have a profession of finding people to do dirty deeds without any of your normal employees having to be involved if you are so inclined.

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Presumably you can find fixers who have a profession of finding people to do dirty deeds without any of your normal employees having to be involved if you are so inclined.

That's one way to do it. It depends on just how powerful our hypothetical tycoon is, too.

For ex, is there a government he fears or has to answer to? Or is he close to being the government de facto?

Way back in the old days, there was a space opera in which part of the backstory was that a powerful interplanetary tycoon eventually grew so wealthy and powerful that he could declare himself emperor of the Solar System, and his family ruled for a couple of centuries.

Is this tycoon in that league, or approaching it? Or is he more like Carlos Slim, or the original Rockefeller?

The more de facto power he has, the less need he'll have to create layers of deniability between himself and the bone-breakers.

[ericthered]

I've seen it suggested that an organization that big could act as a patron to its owner. Its likely always available and has the equipment enhancement.

This is particularly well suited if he's not the sole owner with no strings of his wealth, and if its all one organization as opposed to owning stock and not interacting with various companies.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Presumably you can find fixers who have a profession of finding people to do dirty deeds without any of your normal employees having to be involved if you are so inclined.

Sure. But the question posed by the OP stipulated that the 13th floor had a dirty ops department for the corporation.

If you're hiring the work out, then likely the fact that you're a CEO is irrelevant, and you'd be using your personal wealth for the task. If your company doesn't have its own dirty tricks department, then you might also be able to get Accounting to pay your "consultants".

an organization that big could act as a patron to its owner...
This is particularly well suited if he's not the sole owner

Also a good way to model similar concepts.

As usual, the question isn't so much "I have X Advantages; what all can my character do?" but rather "My character needs to be able to do X; what Advantages do I need to support that concept?"