How to use Trade skill

[magmagmag]

We, Japanese, cannot understand bellow rule detail.
Please help us.
We want to know how to use Trade skill:nonono:.

7 Actual Value, TRADE AND COMMERCE 5, MT REFEREE'S MANUAL, pp.54

If the players rolled one die in advance(allowed for Trader skill), remember to use the prior roll on this table.
Once goods are offered for sale and the Actual Value Table is consulted, the good must be sold at the price indicated. A sale may be stopped at any point before the final die is rollded on the tabel. If a sale is stopped, another sale cannot be attempted on the current world in the current week.

 

[Whipsnade]

Magmagmag,

There was no need to bribe us with one of your superb pictures! We would have answered your question anyway!

A player with Trader skill is allowed to throw one D6 before the Actual Value table is consulted. This allows to group to partially predict the selling price of their goods and make a decision of whether they should sell those goods or not.

The Actual Value table on page 54 has the players throw 2D6 to determine what price their goods will be sold at. The 2D6 throw produces a selling price ranging from 40% to 400% of the purchase price depending on the result of the dice roll.

Imagine one player has Trader skill. They roll 1D6 for a six (6). That means the 2D6 roll on the Actual Value will now actually be six (6) plus 1D6. The players now know the roll on the Actual Value table will result in a number between seven (7) and twelve (12). Those numbers produce a selling price between 100% and 400%, so the players know they will at least recover their money and decide to sell.

Next, imagine that the player with Trader skill roll 1D6 for a one (1). Now the group knows that the result on the Actual Value table will be a number between two (2) and seven (7). This means the selling price will be between 40% and 100%. The players now know they will lose their money and so they decide not to sell their goods that week.

Trade skill allows a player to partially predict the selling price of goods by rolling one of the two dice on the Actual Value table before the goods are sold.

Remember, the players can also use a broker and bribery to effect the sale price of their goods.

Hope this helps you and thank you very much for the new picture!


Regards,
Bill

 

[magmagmag]

Thank you for your comment.
I have some questions.:rofl:

Q1 When should we roll first die in the MT rules?

Q2 When should we roll second die in the MT rules?

Q3 When should we take out goods from our ship in the MT rules?

Q4 If we stopped the sale at some point, when can we begin next sale and next die roll?

 

[Whipsnade]

Thank you for your comment.

Magmagmag,

Thank you for your artwork!

Q1 When should we roll first die in the MT rules?

Whenever the goods are in your possession.

Q2 When should we roll second die in the MT rules?

Whenever you are ready to sell the goods. Remember, when you roll the second die you must either accept the price produced or wait one week to try again.

Q3 When should we take out goods from our ship in the MT rules?

There are no hard rules for this, so the GM should use what makes sense.

Some buyers will want to see the goods off your ship. Some buyers will collect the goods from the ship themselves. Just choose what makes sense for you.

Q4 If we stopped the sale at some point, when can we begin next sale and next die roll?

Once you roll the second die, you must either go through with the sale or wait one week.

Remember, this is all part of the trade system. The GM can and should make exceptions when they feel it will make a good game.


Regards,
Bill

 

[rancke]

A player with Trader skill is allowed to throw one D6 before the Actual Value table is consulted. This allows to group to partially predict the selling price of their goods and make a decision of whether they should sell those goods or not.

Not how I read the rules. What you predict is the sale value of the goods you're contemplating buying in three or six or nine days on the next world, thus allowing you to decide whether to buy and where to take your cargo.

An interesting variation that the rules don't take into account is arriving on a new world, using your Trader-1 to determine what the roll would be today and predicting what it will be in three days, and then possibly decide to wait until then to sell. After all, you're going to stay in the starport for five days, why rush into selling? And if you have Trader-2, you might even decide to stay for six days...

And can you predict what the rolls would be in one and two days' time?


Hans

 

[Whipsnade]

Not how I read the rules.

Hans,

You're talking about CT. Magmagmag's group uses MT exclusively and Trader skill is somewhat different in that version.


Regards,
Bill

 

[aramis]

Thank you for your comment.
I have some questions.:rofl:

Q1 When should we roll first die in the MT rules?

Either:
1) When you make the trader task roll to predict the first die.
2) When you commit to sell (if you did not roll to predict or if the prediction has expired).

Q2 When should we roll second die in the MT rules?

When you commit to sell; once you roll die two you MUST sell the goods. It presumes some form of auction occurs.

Q3 When should we take out goods from our ship in the MT rules?

you have to remove them from ship once the money arrives; that should be within 24 hours of committing to sale, tho that is not written in the rules.

Q4 If we stopped the sale at some point, when can we begin next sale and next die roll?

1st die: You can not make a new prediction for a given world until the old one expires.
2nd die: once rolled, you've committed to sale; you can not, per the rules, stop the sale. The GM might have a buyer cancel, as an event, or the payment not arrive as an adventure hook, but once the 2nd die is rolled, the crew has to sell if the buyer pays.

 

[magmagmag]

Thanks for many comments.
We could get details of trade rules.
I'm sorry, I have one important question.

Q5 A man does not sell goods in first week, and sells goods at the first day of second week. When does his ship go to the next distination? Maybe there is no rule.

1.The first day or second day of second week.
2.The end of second week.
3.The others.

Q6 If a man does not sell goods in first week and stay in the world, are numbers of passangers and freights influenced by overstay.Maybe there is no rule.

 

[rancke]

You're talking about CT. Magmagmag's group uses MT exclusively and Trader skill is somewhat different in that version.

Could you provide me with the page number where those differences are spelled out? The only reference I can find is on p. 47 of MT:Referee's Manual where it says that the Trader skill allows one die to be thrown early, but fails to state just when "early" is. It also states that the flowchart contains the exact procedure, but I can't find that particular detail anywhere.

You're quite right that my version is from CT (Merchant Prince to be exact) rather than from RM. But I can't find your version stated anywhere either. I know that maybe I'm just overlooking it, but I'd be happier if I could see it on print.


Hans

 

[DonM]

I'm very interested in this, because it comes real close to answering one of the open MT errata questions...

"How long do the effects of Trader skill apply? (RM 54)"

Remember that the MT Trade and Commerce rules have some changes that appeared in Knightfall.

 

[far-trader]

I was going to answer this earlier but couldn't remember where it was. Or if it was just a house rule. I still can't so...

I seem to recall something like 1 week per skill level. So Trader-1 was just enough to cover the call if you jumped as soon as you got the deal, but realistically you'd need Trader-2 to do a deal over 1 jump (1 week for the jump and 1 week in port), Trader-4 for 2 jumps (1 week per jump and 1 week in each port*) and so on.

* unless you rushed to the market and had fuel and life support to make 2 quick jumps (3 weeks total, 2 weeks in jump and 1 week in port) when Trader-3 would be enough

 

[E.D.Quibell]

I'm very interested in this, because it comes real close to answering one of the open MT errata questions...

"How long do the effects of Trader skill apply? (RM 54)"

Remember that the MT Trade and Commerce rules have some changes that appeared in Knightfall.

Don,

As MT tradeing is essencially the same as Book 7, would it not make sense to take the Trade skill definition from there?

Trader: The individual has an awareness of the techniques and practice of commerce in all its expressions.
Trader skill may be used to estimate resale value of items in the trade and commerce
rules. Use of Trader skill allows one die on the Actual Value Table to be rolled
before the table is consulted (giving the character a better indication of the actual
value of specific goods). For each level of skill, the throw may be made three days
prior to the actual sale. Thus, as a practical matter, Trader-3 is required to estimate
actual value before tansporting goods to another star system.
Since conditions can change, however, throw 10 + for the prediction to hold until
the time of sale; if 10+ is not made, recalculate on the Actual Value Table
normally.
Trader is also a favorable DM on the Reaction Table when involved in commerce.

I aways thought this was the case and missed the change in MT. Or _have_ I missed something fundermental?

Regards,

Ewan

 

[magmagmag]

My English is not good.:smirk:
I will try writing my opinion.

There are a lot of differences between CT and MT.
Ship construction time, Jump fuel, large ship which can be launched from a mother ship one turn, and so on.

So we can not use CT rule to MT easily in every case.

I read the rule as bellow now. It's simple and based on only MT's writen rule.

1. A ship arrives at a world. If crews have any Trade skill, they roll 1D.
2. If crews deside to sell goods, Go to 2.1. If they don't sell goods, go to 2.2
2.1 They roll another 1D. They spend one week in the world. Go to END.
2.2 They spend one week in the world too. Go to 3.
3. If crews deside to departure to the other world, Go to ENd.
If crews deside to sell goods again, go to 1.

 

[E.D.Quibell]

There are a lot of differences between CT and MT.
Ship construction time, Jump fuel, large ship which can be launched from a mother ship one turn, and so on.

So we can not use CT rule to MT easily in every case.

Agreed. However the trading in Book 7 Merchant Price is essentially the same as the trading in MT.

The trading skill as depicted in Alien Module 4 (Zhodani) is different again, however I believe that was intended for Book 2 Trading rules and not Book 7 (even though they (Book 7 and AM4) were published in the same year).

I read the rule as bellow now. It's simple and based on only MT's writen rule.

1. A ship arrives at a world. If crews have any Trade skill, they roll 1D.
2. If crews deside to sell goods, Go to 2.1. If they don't sell goods, go to 2.2
2.1 They roll another 1D. They spend one week in the world. Go to END.
2.2 They spend one week in the world too. Go to 3.
3. If crews deside to departure to the other world, Go to ENd.
If crews deside to sell goods again, go to 1.

When at System A and deciding to go to System B the crew looks at available trade goods and rolls 1D to find out their first D value in System B.

If they like the result the buy the goods in System A them and jump to System B.

When they get to System B they roll 1D to complete the actual value of the cargo and then try and sell them.

If you have Trader-3 that is. Anything less and all you can do is trade in-system for a profit.

YMMV of course.

Regards,

Ewan

 

[magmagmag]

Thank you for comment:rofl:
We, Japanese , will discuss about the trade rule using your opinions.:nonono:

 

[DonM]

Don,

As MT tradeing is essencially the same as Book 7, would it not make sense to take the Trade skill definition from there?



I aways thought this was the case and missed the change in MT. Or _have_ I missed something fundermental?

Regards,

Ewan

Well, the throws should be converted to tasks, yes?

 

[aramis]

Well, the throws should be converted to tasks, yes?

Yes. Task was missing in MT; it's in Don's errata as of last month.

 

[DonM]

So I've got HALF of the fix in the errata...

(sigh)...