OK, there's been much handwringing and hairtearing over trying to actually not go bust running a trading ship.
It's possible to make a small profit and make the mortgage payment with a free or fat trader, more or less impossible with a far trader, and downright unlikely for any other kind of ship.
That is, by just using the trading rules.
However, there is a much underused skill that has the potential to end these woes.
GAMBLING
In the regular rules, Gambling only has any effect on cash benefits on mustering out roles. Pity the poor character that ended up with Gambling 3 in CT chargen. In T20 there is no incentive to get more than 1 rank in the Gambling Skill.
However, if a ship's captain was able to locate a high stakes poker style game in each port, and they have enough skill, then it's a valid way of paying the bills.
When I say high stakes game I mean one where the ante is 1000Cr. These shouldn't be actually that hard to find. Most class A and even lesser starports will probably have a casino where such a game may take place. There may be entrance fees, and a minimum stake, and they may be selective as to the type of person who can enter; these are not that hard to overcome by a (high status) starship captain with a modicum of cashflow.
You can expect at least half a dozen players at such a game, with perhaps between 20Kcr and 100Kcr each. If the character is good at gambling, and the player reasonably canny, then a decent profit is highly possible.
Even lower stakes games will be profitable: your opponents will have less skill and they'd be easier to find.
I've been playing a bit of solitaire, and came across this solution when I discovered it would be impossible to ever make the mortgage payments on my traveller's scoutship. I've roughed up some rules to 'simulate' a poker style game in T20, and I think it is easily possible to do such for CT too. She was able to win between 100kcr - 400kcr at each port she visited, given that she'd maxed her gambling skill and I luckily rolled only average or less opponents. She was very busy though locating the games (gather info to find, liaison or bluff to be let in), and it paid to dally at ports with easy high stakes games to build up a warchest.
Also, locating and participating in such a high stakes game would be good role playing fun.
Obviously high stakes card playing is a risky business, but so is speculative trade. All free traders are gamblers really.
It's possible to make a small profit and make the mortgage payment with a free or fat trader, more or less impossible with a far trader, and downright unlikely for any other kind of ship.
That is, by just using the trading rules.
However, there is a much underused skill that has the potential to end these woes.
GAMBLING
In the regular rules, Gambling only has any effect on cash benefits on mustering out roles. Pity the poor character that ended up with Gambling 3 in CT chargen. In T20 there is no incentive to get more than 1 rank in the Gambling Skill.
However, if a ship's captain was able to locate a high stakes poker style game in each port, and they have enough skill, then it's a valid way of paying the bills.
When I say high stakes game I mean one where the ante is 1000Cr. These shouldn't be actually that hard to find. Most class A and even lesser starports will probably have a casino where such a game may take place. There may be entrance fees, and a minimum stake, and they may be selective as to the type of person who can enter; these are not that hard to overcome by a (high status) starship captain with a modicum of cashflow.
You can expect at least half a dozen players at such a game, with perhaps between 20Kcr and 100Kcr each. If the character is good at gambling, and the player reasonably canny, then a decent profit is highly possible.
Even lower stakes games will be profitable: your opponents will have less skill and they'd be easier to find.
I've been playing a bit of solitaire, and came across this solution when I discovered it would be impossible to ever make the mortgage payments on my traveller's scoutship. I've roughed up some rules to 'simulate' a poker style game in T20, and I think it is easily possible to do such for CT too. She was able to win between 100kcr - 400kcr at each port she visited, given that she'd maxed her gambling skill and I luckily rolled only average or less opponents. She was very busy though locating the games (gather info to find, liaison or bluff to be let in), and it paid to dally at ports with easy high stakes games to build up a warchest.
Also, locating and participating in such a high stakes game would be good role playing fun.
Obviously high stakes card playing is a risky business, but so is speculative trade. All free traders are gamblers really.
