General How does this sound for Rewards in the Imperium?

[McPerth]

I don't believe current repossessors are comparable with Traveller ones, mostly because in RL if such an asses is located, the repossessor would know in a matter of minutes, while in Traveller it's a matter of weeks.

In RL you cannot hope to run faster than the news of the skipping of a ship.

 

[Condottiere]

Dawg, the space bounty hunter.

 

[mike wightman]

Ministry of Justice have agents with powers of arrest, as do the IISS Security Branch.

Agents of the llSS Security Branch have great authority to arrest, detain. or question individuals suspected of violations of
Imperial law, and can demand cooperation from local authorities as the need arises.

 

[Spinward Flow]

I don't believe current repossessors are comparable with Traveller ones, mostly because in RL if such an asset is located, the repossessor would know in a matter of minutes, while in Traveller it's a matter of weeks.

In RL you cannot hope to run faster than the news of the skipping of a ship.

This is true. For interstellar starships, the communications lag is going to be a pretty severe barrier and impediment.

However, even in the age of sail, it was possible for agents of financial interests to repossess craft when the owners/operators defaulted on their loans. Instant communications make things EASIER, but a lack of instant communications does not ipso facto make the work of repo agents IMPOSSIBLE.

 

[McPerth]

However, even in the age of sail, it was possible for agents of financial interests to repossess craft when the owners/operators defaulted on their loans. Instant communications make things EASIER, but a lack of instant communications does not ipso facto make the work of repo agents IMPOSSIBLE.

I didn't say it's impossible, just not comparable to nowdays...

 

[kilemall]

One point about fiscal sustainability of repo.

There is the cost/benefit of recovery vs write off.

But then there is the value of deterrence.

If a criminal knows there is going to be a relentless pursuit as opposed to get 8 systems over now safe, they may consider another line of work.

Plus taking out a serial pirate/skipper reduces the pool of criminals and crews that have proved they will do the deed.

That could justify paying higher amounts then the ship value alone can.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Ship cost depreciation is in the 2022 Update. One of the ship chapters. I'll look up the page tonite.

EDIT: pg. 188

 

[Spinward Scout]

I didn't say it's impossible, just not comparable to nowdays...

True, but X-Boat messages can have news of a repo request 16 parsecs away in 4 weeks.

In a ship that's got less than a J-4 drive, news is travelling faster than the stolen ship.

 

[Grav_Moped]

I s

True, but X-Boat messages can have news of a repo request 16 parsecs away in 4 weeks.

In a ship that's got less than a J-4 drive, news is travelling faster than the stolen ship.

I seen to recall that the average straight-line message speed is something like J-2.5, (since the network layout is inefficient) but your point stands.

 

[Spinward Flow]

In a ship that's got less than a J-4 drive, news is travelling faster than the stolen ship.

Well ... maybe ... depending on the map (and other considerations).
The thing is that (as we all know) the XBoat Network of the 3I is "far from optimized" for moving information around the network purely by XBoat.

LBB2.81, p5-6:

Skipping: Most starships are purchased on credit, and the monthly payments required against the multi-million credit debt are staggering. The owner or captain may decide to steal the ship himself instead of remaining under that load. Passengers have no way themselves of determining if a specific ship is in such a status. Throw 12+ to determine that a commercial ship is of this type. Ships which have skipped are subject to repossession attempts if detected by the authorities. Such attempts may range from the formal servlce of papers through legal injunctions to armed boarding parties. On each world landing, throw 12+ to avoid a repossession attempt; apply a DM of +1 per 5 parsecs distance from the ship's home planet, to a maximum of +9. If the ship has called on the same world twice within the last two months, apply a DM of -2.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Is there any Imperial law enforcement? Are planetary governments allowed to empower personnel with extra-planetary powers? Extradition policies among cooperating governments?

Imperial Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Imperial Regency of Intelligence and Security (IRIS).

 

[mike wightman]

True, but X-Boat messages can have news of a repo request 16 parsecs away in 4 weeks.

In a ship that's got less than a J-4 drive, news is travelling faster than the stolen ship.

Stay off the xboat routes and get out of the Imperium...

 

[McPerth]

In a ship that's got less than a J-4 drive, news is travelling faster than the stolen ship.

Along the main routes...

Imperial Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Imperial Regency of Intelligence and Security (IRIS).

As much as I liked it, IRIS is considered non official

 

[Grav_Moped]

Well ... maybe ... depending on the map (and other considerations).
The thing is that (as we all know) the XBoat Network of the 3I is "far from optimized" for moving information around the network purely by XBoat.

LBB2.81, p5-6:

Wait. This implies that 1 in 36 ships skips on its mortgage. That seems somewhat unsustainable from a lender's perspective....

 

[coliver988]

and funnily enough I am starting to a 3 session Traveller game about bounty hunters. Pregens on my blog as will be game recaps when we get there (starting 9/18). The Bounty Hunters book does mention that with the Traveller concepts, chasing across the stars is not likely to happen other than larger forces that already have stations/crew in various places. A good bit of the Traveller stuff is going to be handwaved away, but if they like this, then eventually costs and all that will become a bit more critical (i.e., only go after the really BIG bounties as you'll go broke otherwise).

edit: and so will re-read this thread a bit more carefully for ideas.

 

[Spinward Scout]

As much as I liked it, IRIS is considered non official

It's in the Traveller wiki.

 

[mike wightman]

So are a lot of things which are not canon.

 

[whartung]

I don't believe current repossessors are comparable with Traveller ones, mostly because in RL if such an asses is located, the repossessor would know in a matter of minutes, while in Traveller it's a matter of weeks.

I would imagine that a ship tracer would have some kind of warrant or bounty request identifying the vessel, with the tacit assumption that there is slack in the system, that ships pass in the night all the time, and that, yea, maybe the mortgage has been caught up and has been made good, but the warrant is still valid and this is part of the penalty for going into arrears in the first place -- someone can seize your ship even if you've paid up.

It gets more fun with fraudulent warrants, but I can see how the market could work toward the base presumption of guilt once in arrears, and that there are other controls. For example, when the ship is seized, it's basically locked down as the local authorities verify the warrant. Lock the ship up, send a message to the entity issuing the warrant. If the warrant is void, the ship is returned to the borrower, otherwise the repossessor now has control (and proper documentation stating such).

 

[Spinward Scout]

So are a lot of things which are not canon.

I didn't know that.

 

[Condottiere]

A lot turns out to be head canon.