Ship Shares

[Spartan159]

Just what are they? Something physical with value to someone or just a mechanism to give characters a ship? How does a new character "buy into" an already crewed and financed ship? Does the bank/corporation pay off some portion of the debt for X shares? What if the ship is already paid off in full, will the bank/corporation pay X funds per share into the operating fund? Something else altogether?

While on the subject, how do you calculate remaining financing on a ship, divide the tonnage by 25, then divide the total cost by that result, then multiply that value by shares paid in to get the total financing already paid?

Example 400 ton Subsidized Fat Trader = 400 / 25 = 16, Cost is 101.03 MCr (Source TTA page 129), per T5 page 48-49 the monthly cost is 1/240 of the cash price, or 420,958.3333333333. Since a bank probably does not round down we'll call it 420,959 Cr per month for 480 months; equals 202,060,320 total financed cost.

Share value equals total financed cost divided by ship share total, or 202,060,320 / 16 = 12,628,770 Cr per share. The Crew has 12 Ship Shares, 12 * 12,628,770 = 151,545,240 Cr paid with a balance of 50,515,080 Cr remaining, divided by 420,959 = 120 payments remaining.

Does this look correct? I am not including the 20% down payment that someone had to have made in my calculations.

If this ship was subsidized it looks to me that whatever government financed it would be making payments, in which case the PC's are only paying 50% profit per month for 120 months, have to run a specified route for 70% of a year (Source TTB page 52 and TTA page 129) and be subject to mobilization by the subsidy holder.

 

[DickNervous]

A Ship Share represents partial ownership of a ship, but it has no actual monetary value (so they can't be sold). In other versions of Traveller (like MgT) they would represent a percentage (I think it is 1%/share). In T5 they represent tonnage (25 tons/share) as detailed on page 108:

Purchased Ships. Virtually any ship (although usually Merchants or Corsairs) can be acquired with Ship Shares: one Share acquires 25 tons of the ship (thus, a 200-ton Free Trader requires 8 Ship Shares to acquire full control). Fewer than the required shares may be used, with the remainder financed and subject to monthly payments. Several characters with Ship Shares may pool their resources to acquire a ship, and they take ownership in proportion to their shares.

It also shows that a Scout ship is 1 Ship Share for any ex-scout, Lab Ship is 3 for ex-scholar, Corvette is 3 for ex-Navy, and Yacht is 3 for any Noble or person with Fame 17+.

 

[Spartan159]

A Ship Share represents partial ownership of a ship, but it has no actual monetary value (so they can't be sold). In other versions of Traveller (like MgT) they would represent a percentage (I think it is 1%/share). In T5 they represent tonnage (25 tons/share) as detailed on page 108:



It also shows that a Scout ship is 1 Ship Share for any ex-scout, Lab Ship is 3 for ex-scholar, Corvette is 3 for ex-Navy, and Yacht is 3 for any Noble or person with Fame 17+.

Scouts, Lab Ships and Corvettes are all loaner ships. Does only 3 shares grant ownership of the Yacht? It's good to be the king. For Fame 17+ maybe it's a loaner from the homeworld nobility?

In the example I gave, the Intrepid Crew have 12 shares invested in the ship already when along comes new player X with 4 Ship Shares. What happens? easiest answer is s(he) is only a hired hand and saves those 4 ship shares. But what if s(he) wants to invest in the ship for a share of the profits?

 

[DickNervous]

Scouts, Lab Ships and Corvettes are all loaner ships. Does only 3 shares grant ownership of the Yacht? It's good to be the king. For Fame 17+ maybe it's a loaner from the homeworld nobility?

In the example I gave, the Intrepid Crew have 12 shares invested in the ship already when along comes new player X with 4 Ship Shares. What happens? easiest answer is s(he) is only a hired hand and saves those 4 ship shares. But what if s(he) wants to invest in the ship for a share of the profits?

Well, if the total value of the ship is 16 ship shares, and they already invested 12 of them, then the 4 the new character has would pay off the ship if they invested them.

MgT describes ship shares as representing "contacts, credit ratings, savings, and favors owed that a character can put towards ownership of a space vessel." So they are kind of like a store-specific gift card.

 

[aramis]

Just what are they? Something physical with value to someone or just a mechanism to give characters a ship?

They're a game artifact, a mechanism for giving characters ownership of a ship. If combined with other PC's, shared ownership.

 

[Selandia]

Scouts, Lab Ships and Corvettes are all loaner ships. Does only 3 shares grant ownership of the Yacht? It's good to be the king. For Fame 17+ maybe it's a loaner from the homeworld nobility?

My options for Shares for Yacht, before rolling for benefit, put up the question "...what did you seek to acheive during your carrer..."


- This is a fully paid family yacht and you have a 1/3 undivided ownership. It may be used either by family members or rented to earn money when not in family use. If you use it, you have to pay the running cost and if you use it more than 4 month a year, indemnities have to be paid to the those of the family that gave-up their turn. If you do not use you receive cash (much like a proxy). It cannot be sold.

- You have a fully paid 1/3 time sharing. Going to subsector capital, 1 1/2 month to do 3 jumps, a month carousing/intriguing with the Duke, another 3 jumps to go back home, your third is used and you pay running cost. Your time sharing part could be sold. If not using it, you might get rental money

- You have paid 1/3 of a new ship, and have cash payment to make every month, and yes the yatch is then an asset that could be sold and made to fructify by chartering.


The ref may also open the cookie jar:

- You have an old fully paid yatch that have only 1/3 of the value of a new one. It could be sold. but since it allows players to go around with only running cost to pay, they should keep it.

Selling a part involve figuring aging and market condition. 1/3 of a brand new yatch is a huge asset, enough to buy a rundown free trader. 1/3 time sharing of a 60 yo yacht is less likely to be a game changing asset. 1/3 of the family yatch might generate revenues if someone use it, it is however more of a way to get the game going than a way to gain riches.

have fun

Selandia