[AOTA]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Spacer's Fairs:

On many Starports it is the custom for regular gatherings to take place. They will be places where goods from large numbers of places can be counted on to be traded and it will be a time of intense bargaining. They typically take place at times that have significance on the local calendar. Typical will be the end of the agricultural cycle on worlds where that is an important economic feature. On some worlds, weather is prohibitive to travel at times of the year, there is a regular arrival of a trade convoy, a radiation storm at a given time, etc. Or just a cultural event. Any excuse can be made to put a fair at one time of the year rather than the other and the most important point is to get traders to come in.

Aside from trading in goods there will be all sorts of events. It is a typical time for matchmaking among Freetraders and interstellar nomads as there are often few other times to see those outside their ship who are not dirtsiders. For similar reasons pets are often bred, and exchanged at this time; as all starship pets are out of need implanted, and many gengineered to remain close to the homeship they are likely to have few opportunities to mate. Other events include recreation, such as singing, dancing, storytelling, athletics and so on.

Spacers Fairs are typically attended by tramps and out-and-out nomads like The Forlorn. Scheduled Lines might arrive by coincidence but it is rare as they have a definite priority to keeping a dependable rate and less to scrape up goods. One group that does often attend is the IISS. Keeping track of shipping not least shipping from outside the Imperium is a prime source of intelligence.

A Spacer's Fair can be the source of all kinds of adventure seeds. Goods and people will be passing through, any of which can be the focus of a plot.

Fun idea. I think I will use it during one of the PCs landfalls.