Imperial Trading Station

[Ran Targas]

Transplanted from:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=33;t=000096

An idea I've been toying with ...

IMTU, I've established that the Imperial Scout Service routinely installs pre-fabricated trading stations on low TL worlds, in order to control access and impact to primitive native populations on worlds with significant available resources.

By demonstrating Imperial jurisdiction on these worlds, the Imperium hopes to prevent the unethical exploitation of the population or resources and thus avoid a planetary ecological disaster.

Administered by the Scout Service, the station also houses a compliment of Imperial Army infantry with equipment suitable for the environment.

The station is a walled hexagon, with security towers at each corner. Within the walls, there are three major sections; a large courtyard lined with warehouses, three secure landing bays for civilian craft up to 400t, and a citadel with two additional bays for official use.

Overhead, in stationary orbit, is a communications and navigation buoy provided to assist merchants establishing contact with the station itself.

Imperial citizens arriving at the station are met by a small delegation of station personnel including medical personnel. The new arrivals are screened for any potential contagions and also inoculated against any local diseases. They also receive a healthy lecture on suitable and acceptable behaviour while on planet.

Imperial citizens departing the walls are generally prevented from carrying technologies which may cause undue damage to the developing culture. Natives are only allowed within the courtyard for purposes of trading, unless escorted by an Imperial official.

These stations often become the center of scientific research as Scout Service academics study the native culture and the planet itself.

Please feel free to add or detract as you see fit.

 

[Jame]

My suggestion is that the IISS doesn't do this on all worlds, just on those where it gets to it before a megacorp does. Maybe it could go on those planets where the natives want offworld trade, but only limited contact, as well?

But I think I like it otherwise!

 

[LordVince]

Hey, the Scouts Service has enough problems funding things around the Imperium, they don't need to go BUILDING Trade Stations and paying for their MAINTENANCE....

However, that doesn't mean they don't ADMINISTER such places...

Basically, I would imagine that the system works thusly:

When a Planet is made available for mercantile contact, the various interested parties make bids to the IISS (or maybe a Colonial Bureau, whatever). The end result is that somebody -- a Megacorp, a smaller business concern, or even a Neighboring Planetary Gov't -- gets a CHARTER to set up a Trade Station on the planet. The Chartered Company would be responsible for building, maintenance, & staffing the Station. HOWEVER, the Scouts would assign a supervisor, someone to watch over the mercantile operations, make sure the locals don't get cheated, make sure everyone follows the rules, etc.

Once, I'd even worked up some notes on a sub-division of the IISS that handled such jobs -- the Imperial Scout Rangers. At the time I was assuming that the IISS was the agency for monitoring colonies, and that they assumed an administrative role in new colonies by sending out impartial, 3rd party Law Enforcement officers, and roving agents of the MoJ (sorta). The Rangers.

I like the design of the Trade Station, abouve, and the description of its operation, but I really think that the costs of such bases would be covered more by the mercantile interests.

 

[SJWaldock]

I really do like the idea. Would the supervisor be from the IISS or be a Marshal? from the Ministry of Justice?

I do like the idea of it being built and funded by mercantile interests. That way there could be areas of tension between the Imperial Representative and the merchant's who paid for the station.

Merchants (includin players) could try to sneak on planet weighing the potential benefits against the risks.

I think this is an excellent addition to Traveller.

 

[Ran Targas]

The only reason I suggested the facility be government run is so the Imperium could control access to the population and vice versa. Imperial infantry guarding the gates, Imperial Scout administrators (with first contact experience) calling the shots, Imperial bureaucrats collecting landing fees and tariffs, Imperial Ministry of Science researchers working to understand the culture and prevent social upheaval, and Imperial Scouts enlightening the populace to the benefits of Imperial citizenship. This also explains why starports IMTU are traditionally under sovereign Imperial jurisdiction. Why? They started as trading stations.

IMHO, a mega-corp has too much interest in profit to not exploit the situation, even if only subtle manipulation. They control the security force, they control the administration, they control the money. IMTU, there are several industrialized worlds that are administered by mega-corps and some are down right police states. The greater the available resources, the greater the temptation to bend the rules. In addition, a mega-corp would think little of preserving or recording the native culture, as these endeavors do not generally turn a profit.

With merchants paying to access the native economy, the Imperium could generate a steady income to support their activities; particularly those without immediate return like sociology or planetology. The greater the available resources, the greater the revenue, the greater protection afforded the native population.

 

[SJWaldock]

Hmmm. Good point about the starports Ran. I must admit I was thinking more from the GM's point of view than from the development of the Imperium. I do see your point of view. I'm not too bothered which is decided as I can see adventure possibilities from both.

 

[SJWaldock]

Oh yes, the station would presumeably be near some sort of unrefined fuel to count as a D starport. What do people think the trading post TL would be? TL9 or 10?

 

[SJWaldock]

Just had another thought. Trade pioneering teams would go out 'on the ground' from the trading post as having ships landing anywhere else on the planet might be evading taxes! The GM can then have more control on what the party take with them.

"I'm sorry sir, that FGMP-12 is prohibited on this planet."

 

[far-trader]

Hmm, having only quickly read the thread and its progenitor I'd have to say that this fits better with the (imtu only?) Imperial Ministry of Trade and the various Trade Guilds. That'd be most of your Merchants.

I've always figured the bulk of Merchants (in generation and as free-traders and subbies) filled this role. How else to explain mustering out with a ship? Why else would there be a chance of finding commerce on nearly every world? Each free-trader (a bit of a misnomer) is a trade rep of the Imperium on every planet they land on in my book.

Anyway some good ideas coming out of the posts, just thought I'd add a possible alternative to putting it on the Scouts shoulders.

 

[LordVince]

Y'know, Dan, it could be a little bit of both.

I was thinking the Scouts as the Administrators of the Station from an Operations view-point; that they were only "running" the station, and assuming a Customs role. Well, that, and making sure nobody "abuses" the Locals. The Scouts would be the "cops".

But you bring up a good point, though, that there would need to be a "Merchant Oversight" authority; someone who is BOTH interested in profit AND responsible for/to Imperial Law. Maybe a Ministry of Trade appointed Master Trader? The Scout Boss would be the station's Chief Scout, and the Merchant Boss would be the station's Master Trader?

The Master Trader monitor all trade activities at the station -- he'd licence/charter other traders to go out and make their deals with the locals, and he'd take a clean 5% off the top of THEIR profits. The Trade Station's Master Trader would also act as a common Factor for all merchants -- passing thru as well as planet-based. The Master Trader's job is to FACILITATE trade with the locals, and, while he wouldn't be forbidden, himself, from trading with the locals, the Chief Scout would be watching him closely, to make sure he didn't establish a total monopoly.

So a form of dual authority structure -- the Scouts running the "starport" elements of the Trade Station, while the Merchants are running the "business" elements.

And a thought just occurs to me -- as the concept of the Trade Station evolved from the question "What is a Class D Starport doing on a Tech-3 World?" -- I'm thinking that a Trade Station might also qualify a planet for Client State status. This could help to explain all those Client States within/along Imperial borders -- the Trade Station is a first step to assimilation. Well, short of conquest, that is.

 

[jatay3]

As a sidenote the IISS would have to have a sort of series of "interdict to imperium trade stations from which native goods are sold and at which announcments of goods desired are given. In effect trading with the interdicted planet would continue but only indirectly.

 

[Ran Targas]

^ I like the Master Trader concept but a lot of the details are dependent on the power and structure of the merchant organizations.

In a TU with unorganized trading, the Imperium would be firmly in control of the station, leaving the merchants without formal representation.

If trade is highly organized and there is an organization with Imperium wide influence (like the Imperial Traders Association), then things would be different.

In this case, we might see a Master Trader like this:

- Ministry of Trade licensed (training and professionally certified)

- Imperial Traders Association bureaucrat not affiliated with a specific mega-corp (like a U.N. staffer versus being a delegate)

- Responsible to negotiate trade agreements, settle trade disputes, fix currency exchange, develop new markets, etc.

- Responsible to prevent introduction of contraband or dangerous goods

- Reports to Scout Administrator locally and to ITA regional offices

 

[LordVince]

Yep. That's exactly what I had in mind. And, like I mentioned, the master Trader not only gets a pay stipend, he also clears 0.5% of everyone else's profits right off the top -- this puts it in his own interest to advance trade interests in the world; the more Trade, the more money he makes.

And, as noted, the IISS isn't in this just for the fun of meeting new faces! The Chief Scout probably takes a chunk of that 5-percent for operating costs of the Trade Station's physical plant.

AND...this would also go towards a T20 Prestige Class -- the Master Trader. Oh, and maybe the Chief Scout, too.
And I would make the distinction, here, for Prestige Classes, between the Master Trader (who is more of an Admistrator at a fixed location) and the Merchant Prince (who is a wandering Master Trader).

 

[endersig]

In all sorts of different games, I've always been a fan of the "Mobile base" and "Obscure outer rim base" ideas. Instead of all this building and stuff, why not have the base be a Large ship, that lands on planet and continues to serve as a Trade base until the planet builds a suffecient Inferstructure. Also, these bad boys could be loaded with sensor equipment so as to double as IISS bases anyway. This way, the IISS gets its scout base, the Imperium gets economic control, and the scout base can move around, requiring fewer of these city-ships. I'm thinking in the 3000 ton range, and basically just three X-boat Tenders welded together with a big Fuel skimmer and purifier. 180 tons of cargo (or fuel would be better)? 1800 ton ship bay (in 600 ton sections, but still) and entirely mobile and selfsuffecient? Sounds like a dream come true. Also, this could lead to a rogue pirated version, or maybe a primitive planet sending 100,000 of stupid cavemen to bang on the big metal thing. It just seems to work to me.

 

[Ran Targas]

^ That why I envisioned the base to be a pre-fab. Sections spaced in on bulk freighters and assembled on site.

Not that I don't like the idea that a starship is the centerpiece of the structure, that's a great idea. But once it was in place, systems would have to be converted to perform other functions, perhaps preventing the ship from ever spacing again. The power plant would prove useful to power the station, the computer could be reprogrammed to perform other functions, the fuel tanks used to hold water or other necessary liquids/gases.

I do expect also that these stations would be supporting Scout operations, in addition to the planetary surveys and mapping being done. Scout ships would be able to refuel and resupply at these stations, allowing deep range exploration.

 

[SJWaldock]

It would also give all the type S scouts something to do besides deliver the mail. The scouts ships would check on the stations to make sure everything is going OK, and deliver the mail of course.

 

[clair_rand]

think the BLM/MB from star fleet battles works well here..

two central modules, each teh size of a decent sized merchant ship (say 400-1000DT each) coupled nose to nose (identical modules, but maybe fitted out a bit differently) form the bulk of the base, then four more modules, similar sizes but different roles making a six pointed star shaped base, either in orbit of on the ground.

coupled with two smaller modules again with varying roles and you have a small portable base.

give it two large cargo modules (for 2000DT of storage space), say one repair module essentially acting as a small class C/D starport in capabilites if not actual capacity.

the last module depending ont he nature of the planet.

the smaller modules probably as a 200ton barracks and a vehicle hanger module of the same size.

you now have a base, transportable as 6 1000DT modules and a pair of smaller ones, capable of deployment anywhere.

i'd figure the scout service have a few of these dotted around as small scout bases, the navy using something similar as a small logistics base capable of rapid deployment.

may have to look at sorting a few plans out for the core modules, and maybe somethign to carry them..

 

[GBoyett]

Another way to build the trade station is the use of cutter modules. GT:Module Cutter has a whole bunch of modules that will do the job. The modules could even be linked and form temporary highports.

In terms of administration I could see joint venture between the SPA and the Scouts. If the security requirements are low, they could just use the internal security of the two organizations.

Still I like the concept of a trade fortress. The imagery will help in establishing Imperial authority among primitive feudal societies.