Ship Shares

[Daddicus]

I want to make sure I'm interpreting things correctly. On page 60, merchants are given ship shares in an arithmetic sequence (1 the first time, 2 the 2nd, 3 the 3rd, etc.)

Originally, I thought that applied to ship shares in general. But, on reading it again, it seems limited to merchants during chargen.

Is this latter opinion correct?

Jim

 

[OjnoTheRed]

Yes, that's my reading too. Different careers handle ship shares differently.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Indeed.

Yep, that is a special Risk/Reward for the Merchant Career, much like Medals and Campaign Ribbons for military and Discoveries for Scouts and so on.

 

[David Johansen]

I really hope they make ship shares equate to megacredits rather than tonnage. Heavily armed ships with great drives shouldn't be as available as unarmed ones with minimal drives.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Arrrgghhhh.

I really hope they make ship shares equate to megacredits rather than tonnage. Heavily armed ships with great drives shouldn't be as available as unarmed ones with minimal drives.

Why not? They're supposed to Adventure Class Starship, Adventure can often come with combat why not let the Adventurers have nice stuff?

 

[Daddicus]

In my campaign (which is all players new to T5 and mostly to Traveller), they're getting an older TL-8 100T free trader/explorer. The system which built it built it with an early Jump-A and early Maneuver-A, so it's only jump 1 capable. (I'm evil that way.) But, I am giving them a double-sized fuel tank -- the makers had no idea where they were going, so they wanted to be able to get back from wherever jump space took them.

The way I figure it, they're all new to the game, so they should have a ship that matches. It's not a rust-bucket, but it IS early tech. So, they're going to want to spend some money fairly quickly.

 

[Whipsnade]

It's not a rust-bucket, but it IS early tech. So, they're going to want to spend some money fairly quickly.

A wise move on your part.

For a referee, controlling the players' money is one of the better ways of controlling the game. Also, having the players chasing after upgrades, parts, and whatnot is both a good way to "steer" the players in the direction you want them to go and makes for nice minor campaign goals.

 

[David Johansen]

Why not? They're supposed to Adventure Class Starship, Adventure can often come with combat why not let the Adventurers have nice stuff?

Because a TL 15 killing machine shouldn't cost the same as a TL 9 cardboard box?

And, given enough ship shares, you can still get just about anything.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Yee gods...

Because a TL 15 killing machine shouldn't cost the same as a TL 9 cardboard box?

And, given enough ship shares, you can still get just about anything.

Yeah, that is the beauty of it. :devil:

For example, my meatspace crew's token Merchant ended up with a ridiculous amount of Ship Shares and ended up with a decommissioned, or more honestly detached 1200-ton Q-ship with an AM PP and 5 fighters. And of course a Letter of Marque and Reprisal.

It let's the players have whatever sort of ship they want to get, I think it lovely.

A wise move on your part.

For a referee, controlling the players' money is one of the better ways of controlling the game. Also, having the players chasing after upgrades, parts, and whatnot is both a good way to "steer" the players in the direction you want them to go and makes for nice minor campaign goals.

Why is it always with control with some of you Refereees? Seriously from "No Nobles!" to "Holy crap, 'money for players?', that's heresy you daft bugger!" it seems Traveller has this aversion to money and power. Or at least for players.

[REDACTED FOR CONTENT AND TO KEEP FROM CITING MYSELF]

I swear you Refs kill me with your over controlling keep players weak, poor, and on the railroad attidude. Man, where is your sense of adventure? What is the worst that could happen, players have fun?

 

[SanDragon]

Yes! Wouldn't it be maddening fun to throw them into Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination?

Where everybody has teleport and a wealthy, 'noble' class of megacorporation executives rule/run everything?!?

Mwuhahahhaa!!



Yes. I have recently read it... again!

 

[Daddicus]

Well, with the price of weapons so low compared to the ship, it's a no-brainer that they're going to buy weaponry if they can afford the ship.

But, NOT if it's their first ship. It's a "present" from the ref. So to speak.

BWUAHAHAHAHAhahahaha!

 

[David Johansen]

Yeah, that is the beauty of it. :devil:

For example, my meatspace crew's token Merchant ended up with a ridiculous amount of Ship Shares and ended up with a decommissioned, or more honestly detached 1200-ton Q-ship with an AM PP and 5 fighters. And of course a Letter of Marque and Reprisal.

It let's the players have whatever sort of ship they want to get, I think it lovely.

Why is it always with control with some of you Refereees? Seriously from "No Nobles!" to "Holy crap, 'money for players?', that's heresy you daft bugger!" it seems Traveller has this aversion to money and power. Or at least for players.

[REDACTED FOR CONTENT AND TO KEEP FROM CITING MYSELF]

I swear you Refs kill me with your over controlling keep players weak, poor, and on the railroad attidude. Man, where is your sense of adventure? What is the worst that could happen, players have fun?

Well, with how broken the Noble and Rogue careers are in first printing I can see restricting them. I had two PCs for a while with enough clout and status to crush the emperor.

But, no, if we set a ship share at 30 megacredits, one will get you a scout courier and eleven will get you a patrol cruiser. It's about consistency not oppression. If not so, why do we need all these rules. They serve the players and the referee as well.

 

[pendragonman]

Snip

Why is it always with control with some of you Refereees? Seriously from "No Nobles!" to "Holy crap, 'money for players?', that's heresy you daft bugger!" it seems Traveller has this aversion to money and power. Or at least for players.

[REDACTED FOR CONTENT AND TO KEEP FROM CITING MYSELF]

I swear you Refs kill me with your over controlling keep players weak, poor, and on the railroad attidude. Man, where is your sense of adventure? What is the worst that could happen, players have fun?

Well, very few players, once they get piles of megacredits and titles, want to keep doing dangerous stuff, and a game of slide rules and spreadsheets just isn't fun for very long.

Speaking of, Mags, I know a Baronet that would take umbrage with you claiming Nobles gots oodles of cash...I can't even afford my own HusCarls.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Blah, blah, woof, woof.

Well, very few players, once they get piles of megacredits and titles, want to keep doing dangerous stuff, and a game of slide rules and spreadsheets just isn't fun for very long.

Speaking of, Mags, I know a Baronet that would take umbrage with you claiming Nobles gots oodles of cash...I can't even afford my own HusCarls.

Bah, I have both played in and run games where the PCs had scads of cash and gear but we still adventured...because we were bored sometimes, others because we still had Patrons who tasked us and sometimes to do things just cause.

You do have oodles of money, I never specified cash. Most of it is tied up in non-liquid assets but those I hear can be leveraged and used for collateral.

Have you read Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan Sage? If not, I highly suggest it and if so think of Miles and see what pops out.

 

[pendragonman]

Bah, I have both played in and run games where the PCs had scads of cash and gear but we still adventured...because we were bored sometimes, others because we still had Patrons who tasked us and sometimes to do things just cause.

You do have oodles of money, I never specified cash. Most of it is tied up in non-liquid assets but those I hear can be leveraged and used for collateral.

Have you read Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan Sage? If not, I highly suggest it and if so think of Miles and see what pops out.

Don;t get me wrong Mags, I think Noble characters have a very large reason to be adventurers. We are the long arm of the Emperor and have a duty to see his domains increase and are trouble free-ish.

Most of the people I have played with, as soon as they got scads of cash and/or lands started playing the abstract trading game. Building warehouses on a few planets to they could maximize the buy low-sell high (ala the tea Clippers of the 19th century) and without artificially introducing corrupt officials, pirates, and other malefactors the game is just an exercise in spreadsheet calculus.

 

[Daddicus]

I swear you Refs kill me with your over controlling keep players weak, poor, and on the railroad attidude. Man, where is your sense of adventure? What is the worst that could happen, players have fun?

Well, in my case it's a campaign that's just starting. I don't intend to KEEP them poor. I just don't want to hand them the Taj Majal of starships.

 

[Whipsnade]

I swear you Refs kill me with your over controlling keep players weak, poor, and on the railroad attidude. Man, where is your sense of adventure? What is the worst that could happen, players have fun?

Horses for courses. My players never had interest in a noble or otherwise "wealthy & powerful" style campaigns, so I prepped, plotted, and refereed accordingly.

I guess we were just following CT's lead; the PCs presented in it's materials were always scrounging for their next mortgage payment, middle passage, or meal. That's not the only way to play, but it was the way we played and we missed out on a lot by only playing that way.

My players were never interested in playing psions or aliens too, so we missed out again because of that.

Someone else wants to play with uber-wealthy PCs, noble PCs, etc., go right ahead and please share with us how the sessions went.

 

[maksimsmelchak]

Hi Whipsnade,

Horses for courses. My players never had interest in a noble or otherwise "wealthy & powerful" style campaigns, so I prepped, plotted, and refereed accordingly.

My players were never interested in playing psions or aliens too, so we missed out again because of that.

Sounds like you have had some very interesting games yourself.

You'll have to remedy the lack of psions and aliens... LOL

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[robject]

Why is it always with control with some of you Refereees? Seriously from "No Nobles!" to "Holy crap, 'money for players?', that's heresy you daft bugger!" it seems Traveller has this aversion to money and power. Or at least for players.

Referees may not be quite sure about proper care and feeding of players.

Although, I must admit, my one player's wish to control an armada of dreadnoughts tends to stop my higher brain functions get me stuck in lizard-brain mode.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Yeah booooy!

Referees may not be quite sure about proper care and feeding of players.

Although, I must admit, my one player's wish to control an armada of dreadnoughts tends to stop my higher brain functions get me stuck in lizard-brain mode.

Give that fellow follower of Saint Timmii the Power Gamer my love. Nice to know there are brothers and sisters of the faith still out there spreading the good word. :devil:

And Rob, I am more than willing to toss in a few mean GM tips if you ever need them. I once ran my fellow Timmiis in an All-Books 1200 point GURPS game with 12 players, I think I can help you handle your proto-Admiral just fine. I have handled demigods to cursed troopers to multinational ultra-wealthy megacorps rulers. :smirk: