Planetary food availability

[Enoki]

In going along with the food aboard ship I was thinking about this in terms of planets too. I think that in many scenarios the party could find food availability on a particular world of some importance to them. Cost and availability would have an impact and could lead to some interesting scenarios on its own such as food smuggling.

To that end I devised the following tables. They work for any planet (I tried them out on about 50 or so).

Planetary Food Availability

Score Situation Cost Selection
-16 or greater Starvation Extreme x8 Minimal
-10 to -15 Scarce Very High x4 Minimal
-1 to -9 Below Avg. High x 2 Poor
0 to 9 Average Moderate x1 Average
10 to 15 Above Avg. Moderate x.75 Good
15 to 20 Plentiful Cheap x .5 Great
20+ Abundant Very low x.5 Excellent

Scoring:

Starport. A good starport means more ships and regular imports
Class Score
A 5
B 3
C 1
D 0
E -1
X -4

Planetary size. Small planets lack the land area to easily farm on a large scale
Atmosphere: Lack of an adequite atmosphere makes outdoor farming impossible. This raises the cost considerably. An exotic or inhospitable atmosphere also is bad for agriculture.
Water: Lack of water makes farming very expensive. Too much water means no land to farm or, only agriculturial activities associated with sea life.
Size Score Atmos Score Water Score
<0 or 0 -8 0 -6 0 -8
1 -6 1 -5 1 -4
2 -2 2 -4 2 -2
3 0 3 -3 3 -1
4 1 4 0 4 0
5 2 5 1 5 2
6 4 6 2 6 4
7 4 7 4 7 6
8 4 8 4 8 6
9+ 4 9 4 9+ -4
A+ -6

Population: Too small and you have no workers. Too large and too many mouths to feed.
Tech Level: The higher the better
Government: Oppressive and intolerant ones will limit personal freedom and land ownership making farming less efficent.

Pop Score TL Score Gov Score
1 -5 0-1 -8 0 -4
2 -3 2 -6 1 4
3 -1 3 -2 3 0
4 0 4 -1 4 2
5 2 5 0 5 1
6 4 6 0 6 -4
7 6 7 1 7 0
8 2 8 3 8 -4
9+ -4 9 5 9 -8
A 7 A -2
B 9 B -6
C 11 C -2
D 13 D -6
E 15 E -6
F -6

 

[Icosahedron]

Interesting concept. It looks viable, I can't really comment without playtesting, but my first thoughts are that an 'intolerant' government may actually increase production by means of regimented working practices, reduction of 'slacking', reduction of duplication, coherent application of resources, etc. I have a suspicion that output may be more a function of corruption than tolerance - not that Traveller has a corruption factor.

I would also add in a substantial random factor - freak weather, strikes, war, pandemics, etc can all have substantial effects - especially if output is already low.

 

[Enoki]

Interesting concept. It looks viable, I can't really comment without playtesting, but my first thoughts are that an 'intolerant' government may actually increase production by means of regimented working practices, reduction of 'slacking', reduction of duplication, coherent application of resources, etc. I have a suspicion that output may be more a function of corruption than tolerance - not that Traveller has a corruption factor.

I would also add in a substantial random factor - freak weather, strikes, war, pandemics, etc can all have substantial effects - especially if output is already low.

The system is designed to give you the typical conditions. History shows that regimented authoritarian governments generally reduce food availability rather than increase it. Look at the Soviet Union as an example. Others would be nations where an unpopular dictator used food as a weapon (most recently Zimbabwe as one). It was withheld from opponets and given to supporters. Also central planning and land re-distribution schemes have generally resulted in disasterous agriculture outputs.

Here are some planetary results from the Glimmerdrift Reaches Sepik Sector

Li E564416-6 Ni Lo average +2
Devon's Find B100756-B De, Na, Va average +5
Steppe D31099C-5 De, Hi, In, Va starvation -26
Ellipse C555132-7 Average +2
Shiri Kal D243845-3 Below Average -1
Paltry B100522-A De, Ni, Va Below Average -7
Better Place C568752-8 Ag Ri Abundant +21
Cantrell's Grant C648200-9 Lo, Ni Average +9
Center Point B100557-E Average -1
Shaka B557555-8 Ag, Ni Plentiful +18
Khar B100564-D Below Average -8
Ourland B67988D-9 Above Average -8
New Challenge B778635-9 Ni, Ag Abundant +26
Kido CA9A236-7 Lo, Ni, Wa Above Average +11
Duru Gialt C543545-A Above average +13
Arshur D4478A9-5 Average +7
Naki D466310-6 Average +4
Ishukli C86977B-8 Ri Plentiful +19
Korge B527300-C Plentiful +17
Mirla C364735-8 Above Average +12
Aboukh D100A97-C Starvation -21

I've done a bunch more. The only one that comes out a bit strange are planets that are listed as "poor." These can have food listings from below average to above average. It appears that one listing doesn't fit well with this system. But, the system could still be economically poor even if reasonably well fed.

So, if say an average meal at a resturant were 10 credits on Aboukh or Steppe would cost at least 80 credits and there would be little choice about what you got for that; maybe a plate of "protien substance." On say, Korge on the other hand you could get a wide selection of foods and meals, like the proverbial 'surf and turf' for 5 credits and up.

A speculator in trade like a Far Trader or other merchant with a ship might go to New Challenge to load up and then make a killing delivering to Steppe or Aboukh assuming that the local dictatorship didn't frown on you dumping a couple hundred tons of good food on the local market without their permission....

 

[Hemdian]

Are you not reinventing to a degree the ‘Ag’/’Na’ trade codes? A trade code of ‘Ag’ indicates the world in question is a significant net exporter of agricultural products, a trade code of ‘Na’ indicates it is a significant net importer of agricultural products. (If the world is in balance then it gets neither code.) I know not all agricultural products are food related but still …

 

[BytePro]

Sounds very good actually... and like a lot of things, reality often differs 180 from 'intuitive expectations'.

In the RW many 'poor' places have quite good tasting and respectable supply of food:

-> they eat 'everything' (nothing goes to waste)
A great many foods that are not served in fancy establishments simply because of the 'sensibilities' of its patrons would otherwise be considered exquisite fair indeed - i.e. the intestines and tongue, for example.

-> and trade time for quality
Time is money having a double meaning that way. Often, the best tasting food is that cooked/marinated the longest, a feature required for less desirable meat cuts, vegetables, fruit, etc. and foods that could otherwise have developed pathogens (uh, for health reasons). Slow cooked meats, sauces that have been stirred all day long, soups and marinades that take overnight, etc. Cheap labor and free time is one 'luxury' always to be found among the poor.

Re: the authoritarian government... IIRC, the worst man-made disaster in recorded history, in terms of lives, exceeding even the world wars, was caused by the decrees of one unqualified Soviet official. He required that farmers plant X amount of seed per Y area in order to provide so much for 'the state' - way too much for the ground to support. Not only was mass starvation and indirect death from malnutrition the result, but farmers who did not comply/produce were hauled off to labor camps (basically death sentences for most), and ground was made infertile (also increasing erosion). This went on for many years. China then adopted the same policy (though for a shorter period). Basically, if the leaders are taken care of (a 'logical' requirement of the state, just like protecting generals in combat), the potential for efficiency is under-realized in most of these regimes. Most of these regimes focus on weapons - for defense or aggression - failing to realize just how deadly grain can be...

(The U.S. President, Jimmy Carter, a former ICBM submarine commander, was the man single handily most responsible for reducing the world's nuclear threat. His primary leverage in doing so was the threat of grain embargo's against the U.S.S.R.)

 

[Enoki]

Are you not reinventing to a degree the ‘Ag’/’Na’ trade codes? A trade code of ‘Ag’ indicates the world in question is a significant net exporter of agricultural products, a trade code of ‘Na’ indicates it is a significant net importer of agricultural products. (If the world is in balance then it gets neither code.) I know not all agricultural products are food related but still …

This extends those codes by better quantifying how agriculturial or non-agriculturial a planet is. It also tells you how other planets fare as well. There are lots of planets not listed as Na or Ag that do better or worse in this scheme particularly ones that have large or small populations or low or high tech levels.

 

[HiverLord]

A great many foods that are not served in fancy establishments simply because of the 'sensibilities' of its patrons would otherwise be considered exquisite fair indeed - i.e. the intestines and tongue, for example.

For 'current' examples of this, watch "Bizzare Foods" on the Travel Channel, hosted by Andrew Zimmern. Tongues, intestines, deer... 'privates', you name it. It should give any referee 'great' ideas for making players think (if not actually making the ones with weaker stomachs sick...

Anthony Bordain's "No Reservations" is another good one, though not quite at the same level of extremes, from the little I've seen of the shows.

 

[Enoki]

For 'current' examples of this, watch "Bizzare Foods" on the Travel Channel, hosted by Andrew Zimmern. Tongues, intestines, deer... 'privates', you name it. It should give any referee 'great' ideas for making players think (if not actually making the ones with weaker stomachs sick...

Anthony Bordain's "No Reservations" is another good one, though not quite at the same level of extremes, from the little I've seen of the shows.

I agree and the below average and scarce ones would no doubt do that. Starvation on the other hand is where there simply isn't enough of anything to feed everyone properly. Such a planet might not really be in that condition if it could manage to have a net balance of trade that allowed sufficent imports to make up for the lack of local food sources. I'd say the Grand Duchy of Stoner might be a good example of this sort of arrangement.

 

[aramis]

For 'current' examples of this, watch "Bizzare Foods" on the Travel Channel, hosted by Andrew Zimmern. Tongues, intestines, deer... 'privates', you name it. It should give any referee 'great' ideas for making players think (if not actually making the ones with weaker stomachs sick...

Anthony Bordain's "No Reservations" is another good one, though not quite at the same level of extremes, from the little I've seen of the shows.

Or just look at the detailed manifests for the cheap hot dog manufacturers.

Sausages hide a LOT of less desirable meats in a tasty and "I don't need to think about it" casing...

 

[FreeTrav]

Enoki, please write this up in more detail, and send it to me via email to submissions@freelancetraveller.com or editor@freelancetraveller.com along with your real name for credit.

 

[Enoki]

Enoki, please write this up in more detail, and send it to me via email to submissions@freelancetraveller.com or editor@freelancetraveller.com along with your real name for credit.

How much detail?....

 

[FreeTrav]

I've received what you've sent, and sent you a response... Thanks; this promises to be an interesting house rule...

 

[altasilvapuer]

Enoki, please write this up in more detail, and send it to me via email to submissions@freelancetraveller.com or editor@freelancetraveller.com along with your real name for credit.

So, as much as I love using freelance traveller as an amazing wealth of ideas, I can't help but be amused that everytime I see something here and think "Huh, that's an interesting idea," you come along within a post or two and nab it for the website. Keep hunting, you seemingly tireless ninja.

 

[FreeTrav]

Understand that I don't insist on exclusive rights; I just figure that if I'm going to be a Traveller resource, I'm gonna be the best resource that I can be, which means collecting and curating anything and everything I can find that in my judgement has good value. Greed it may be ; selfishness it is not - if creators want to allow multiple others to post their work to other websites, by all means, go for it!

Sometimes, an idea might have good potential to appear in something like JTAS or Signs and Portents; every so often, I need to remind people that if they think an idea has that kind of potential, go for the paying venues FIRST - posting to forums or submitting to Freelance Traveller is a value-impairing deal; it generally counts as "first publication", and that's a right that the paying venues are almost NEVER willing to relinquish.

 

[Enoki]

Look, I don't mind sharing my ideas at all. I would like the game to be as interesting and innovative as possible. The original idea that Traveller would be based largely on plausable technology and science alone is a draw for me. I'm just one of those people that's detail driven.
I just think the game is more interesting when you have lots of options and lots of details to choose from.

 

[FreeTrav]

Look, I don't mind sharing my ideas at all. I would like the game to be as interesting and innovative as possible. The original idea that Traveller would be based largely on plausable technology and science alone is a draw for me. I'm just one of those people that's detail driven.
I just think the game is more interesting when you have lots of options and lots of details to choose from.

Exactly! Options and ideas and details are good. There are several reasons *I* think they're good; you choose which ones you like - or add your own to the list:

1. They show that people are putting their own creative effort into the game, which means that the game is alive, of interest, and inspiring - a game that isn't won't have a community that generates its own ideas.

2. They expand the game universe - both in terms of what the RULES handle, and what the SETTING handles. For example, while Traveller was really always capable of handling adventures in a preindustrial setting, it took the creation by a fan of the Mercator supplement to really bring that kind of setting into focus - and it can now serve as a baseline for further expansion of preindustrial Traveller.

3. They PERSONALIZE the game - it's no longer just The Books From The Publisher, it's stuff that makes it more suitable for the tastes of a particular gaming group - whether your preference in style is Star Wars, Space: 1999, Indiana Jones IN SPAAAAACE!, or any of the other myriad SF tropes out there.

If you prefer, the short forms might be...

1. IT'S ALIVE!
2. IT'S BIGGER THAN EVER!
3. IT'S MINE!

 

[rancke]

1. IT'S ALIVE!
2. IT'S BIGGER THAN EVER!
3. IT'S MINE!

4. IT LOVES ME!
<CHOMP!!>​

Ahem... Sorry about that. Carry on. Don't mind me.


Hans

 

[aramis]

The following is entirely personal opinion NOT mod-mode

Jeff, personally, I find the constant in-thread begging for content for FT to be a bit of a nuisance. Technically, it's off topic, and should be handled by a PM. I can see I'm not the only one annoyed by it.

Such a PM might look like

Hey, FreeTrav, I would love to see the post you made submitted to Freelance Traveller.
Post: http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showpost.php?p=378148&postcount=16​

You can obtain a post's direct link by right-clicking on the # in the black bar above the post, and picking "copy link location", then pasting it into a PM.

 

[Icosahedron]

The following is entirely personal opinion NOT mod-mode

Jeff, personally, I find the constant in-thread begging for content for FT to be a bit of a nuisance. Technically, it's off topic, and should be handled by a PM. I can see I'm not the only one annoyed by it.

People only tend to post if they're unhappy. If we have a couple of thousand regular users and only two find it irritating enough to post a mild tut-tut about it, maybe it's not so bad.

OTOH, Jeff doesn't want to alienate his customers. Depends what the concensus is.

Personally, I don't find it annoying; it reminds me he's there. Of course if every magazine editer were doing it regularly, it could get annoying fast, and certainly correspondence beyond the initial request should be taken private.

Just my 2Cr.