One point I got from Far Trader was that for a system of freight charters(I.E. Merchant hires carrier for his goods)requires a well organized communication system so that the transporter knows he can get paid and the trader knows his goods will arrive safely.
Also a planet-bound trader will want to have a good chance of knowing what is going on in other ports and will desire the ability to send his orders.
The result of that would be that the proportion of charter cargo will diminish and the proportion of speculative cargo owned by the shipowner himself, or by a travelling merchant aboard a ship will increase in proportion to the closeness of the frontier. For instance in the core most cargo will be chartered, and in the extants most will belong to the shipowner himself or a travelling merchant.
Also Freight Rates and again proportion of speculative to freight will change according to the percieved difficulty of dealing in a given port. This will change according to circumstances.
For instance John Doe captain of Free Trader Getabuck is heading for the Spinward Marches when he hears that the Fifth Frontier War has broken out. He quickly sells off all the sweet freight contracts he had to a not-very-bright newbie Free Trader named Richard Roe. Then he loads up from the nearest markets on stuff he is guessing will soon be scarce. Dodgeing around the stars he sells off his cargo and comes back rolling in dough. In the meantime Richard Roe finds that his destination has been iced by the Zhos and he is nabbed by the Vargr on the way back. Half of Richard's money goes to pay ransom and half goes to pay when he is sued by the owners of the cargo. John Doe who is nothing if not chivalrous uses part of his money to rescue Richard Roe from his bad luck and part to refit his ship and by a second one-hopefully John Doe's decendants will be remembered as founders of a new Megacorperation. But in the meantime John Doe spends the rest of his life annoyingly reminding Richard Roe what happens when he doesn't watch his back.
An interesting story. But what does it prove? Well it illustrates how trade and communication tie in. When communication is secure, when financial institutions are trustworthy, traders can trade for many parsecs away simply by contracts. Transporters can live on freight contracts alone. When this security breaks down there will be more likly hood of personal involvment.
There will still be some freight contracts left. These pose a problem. The transporters will have fewer contracts on offer. But the traders will demand fewer. So both supply and demand will go down. Or is that the effect? Demand at the destination point will go up encouraging the go-getters to make it big. Will that replace the rest who are lying low?
In the Far-Trader setting one can recognize this factor by using "probability modifications" factored into a contracts price. Of course we already have the Amber and Red Zone modifications. However those are simplistic for they represent only single planets, not the effect of an entire intersteller trade system being disrupted(or constructed). Also they don't represent financial fluctuations: a run on a local bank can have a similar effect the traders pocketbook though not on his physical welfare. But the banking disaster is not enough to make it a red planet.
Also a planet-bound trader will want to have a good chance of knowing what is going on in other ports and will desire the ability to send his orders.
The result of that would be that the proportion of charter cargo will diminish and the proportion of speculative cargo owned by the shipowner himself, or by a travelling merchant aboard a ship will increase in proportion to the closeness of the frontier. For instance in the core most cargo will be chartered, and in the extants most will belong to the shipowner himself or a travelling merchant.
Also Freight Rates and again proportion of speculative to freight will change according to the percieved difficulty of dealing in a given port. This will change according to circumstances.
For instance John Doe captain of Free Trader Getabuck is heading for the Spinward Marches when he hears that the Fifth Frontier War has broken out. He quickly sells off all the sweet freight contracts he had to a not-very-bright newbie Free Trader named Richard Roe. Then he loads up from the nearest markets on stuff he is guessing will soon be scarce. Dodgeing around the stars he sells off his cargo and comes back rolling in dough. In the meantime Richard Roe finds that his destination has been iced by the Zhos and he is nabbed by the Vargr on the way back. Half of Richard's money goes to pay ransom and half goes to pay when he is sued by the owners of the cargo. John Doe who is nothing if not chivalrous uses part of his money to rescue Richard Roe from his bad luck and part to refit his ship and by a second one-hopefully John Doe's decendants will be remembered as founders of a new Megacorperation. But in the meantime John Doe spends the rest of his life annoyingly reminding Richard Roe what happens when he doesn't watch his back.
An interesting story. But what does it prove? Well it illustrates how trade and communication tie in. When communication is secure, when financial institutions are trustworthy, traders can trade for many parsecs away simply by contracts. Transporters can live on freight contracts alone. When this security breaks down there will be more likly hood of personal involvment.
There will still be some freight contracts left. These pose a problem. The transporters will have fewer contracts on offer. But the traders will demand fewer. So both supply and demand will go down. Or is that the effect? Demand at the destination point will go up encouraging the go-getters to make it big. Will that replace the rest who are lying low?
In the Far-Trader setting one can recognize this factor by using "probability modifications" factored into a contracts price. Of course we already have the Amber and Red Zone modifications. However those are simplistic for they represent only single planets, not the effect of an entire intersteller trade system being disrupted(or constructed). Also they don't represent financial fluctuations: a run on a local bank can have a similar effect the traders pocketbook though not on his physical welfare. But the banking disaster is not enough to make it a red planet.
