Question Regarding Available Passengers

[ovka]

The info on passenger availability says Flux+Pop. I imagine that this is the Pop of the world that the ship is currently on, but I don't know that for sure.

If so, then why would a trip to a high pop, high TL world with an excellent starport have the same number of passengers as a trip to a low pop, low TL world with a frontier starport?

The reverse question is also valid. If this is intended to be the Pop of the destination world, does that mean that a ship coming from on a high pop, high TL world with an excellent starport travelling to the given destination world attracts the same number of passengers as a low pop, low TL world with a frontier starport when travelling to the same destination?

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[robject]

I assume it is the source world's pop digit.

I also assume:

Since this is for player ships, i.e. small operations, then these are irregular passengers to begin with. So, the number of outbound passengers is liable to be in this range regardless of the target world.

 

[ovka]

I just went back and checked some other versions of Traveller. CT, T4, and T20 all add the following DMs based on the destination world:

Population 4-, -3.
Population 8+, +3.
Red Zone, -12; no middle or low.
Amber Zone, -6.
TL difference (source world - destination world)

MT is the same except the Pop 8+ DM is only +1.

TNE is the same as MT except that the Red/Amber Zone DMs are -8 and -4 respectively.

MgT applies DMs based on source/destination world TCs.

GT uses BTNs.

I think T5 should probably have some kind of DM to the roll based on the destination world.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[JFGarber]

Since this is for player ships, i.e. small operations, then these are irregular passengers to begin with. So, the number of outbound passengers is liable to be in this range regardless of the target world.

I agree. It seems appropriate that the table is intended for interaction with player characters, and is not intended to model a world's overall economy or total number of travelers.

That whole economy model question is a rabbit hole.

 

[robject]

An apt description.

Albeit, a fun rabbit hole.

 

[pendragonman]

For very loose definitions of "fun", yes.

I have always preferred letting the passengers/cargo rules give me (the gm) an idea of what and how much is available and letting the players role play to increase/decrease/narrow the passengers to the acceptable personages on board their ship and what cargoes they hope to make money on spec.

After all, who really cares what the cargo is if you are just being paid to carry it (unless the gm is using the carried cargo as a mcguffin)?

I can't recall the title of the story right now (thanks old age), but I remember a story where the Captain of a freighter bought a bunch of teak fishing rods, and then tried going from planet to planet to unload them...

 

[Selandia]

For very loose definitions of "fun", yes.

I have always preferred letting the passengers/cargo rules give me (the gm) an idea of what and how much is available and letting the players role play to increase/decrease/narrow the passengers to the acceptable personages on board their ship and what cargoes they hope to make money on spec.

Agreed, and the only way for the players not to notice the "problem" for what it is when it shows up at the gangway, is to make even the insignificant passengers and goodies look like "potentials". So everything is gamed, even if lightly.

roll dice,
Ref:" you have 5 passengers, one is a lady, you do not need to care for the others"
PC: " ya sure... lets space out the lady as soon as possible"

of course, you may create false imprressions and game the paranoia of your PC:devil:

After all, who really cares what the cargo is if you are just being paid to carry it (unless the gm is using the carried cargo as a mcguffin)?

...

Little respectfull note: As per T5, that is freight. Cargo is not the generic designation for Payload but a specific designation for speculative trade goods.

have fun

Selandia

 

[ovka]

So, I'm trying to read between the lines on the thought process here. The idea of *NOT* having destination world DMs would be that all of the major carriers with regular routes have already picked up many of the available passengers, and a free-trader (or other PC ship) is just picking up the slack. The majority of the regular route customers are going to the higher pop worlds. That being the case, there is a smaller percentage of them available to the free-traders. That postulates a distribution like this (I'm just making up numbers):

Destination   Total             Major       Free
Pop           Passengers       Carriers    Traders
0-3                25                 5         20
4-7                50                30         20
8+                100                80         20

That way, regardless of the destination world, the number of passengers is the same (based on the SWPop + Flux roll). Does that capture the essence of it?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just trying to make sure I have it straight in my mind. If I don't understand the logic behind the rule (or lack thereof), I have difficulty using it.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[Ulsyus]

Since this is for player ships, i.e. small operations, then these are irregular passengers to begin with. So, the number of outbound passengers is liable to be in this range regardless of the target world.

Plus if it's in a ref-run game then they should be applying some oversight to the nubmers in order to help drive the scenario/campaign. Of course, this falls over when doing a solo free trader game.

I agree. It seems appropriate that the table is intended for interaction with player characters, and is not intended to model a world's overall economy or total number of travelers.

That's how I use it in my campaign. I also apply a modifier based on the TL of the players' ship vs the TL of the source world. Read: "You want me to travel in those conditions? Forget it, I know there's another ship likely in a week or two and I'll wait for that one rather than take low-berth on this corroded collection of badly soldered toaster parts..."

 

[Selandia]

"You want me to travel in those conditions? Forget it, I know there's another ship likely in a week or two and I'll wait for that one rather than take low-berth on this corroded collection of badly soldered toaster parts..."

:rofl:

Selandia

 

[SanDragon]

"It's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!"

Or...

"But you put them together, you got a Firefly."

 

[Ulsyus]

Passage, even the middle type, on a TL14 vessel could be a great experience for travellers from a TL9 or 10 world. They have IS travel, but to do it in the sort of style offered by a much higher TL vessel would have people lining up to use it.