So, I have this friend. Frank. My friend Frank. And he noticed, once, looking outside his window that his life is missing a 180 foot boat when, kismet, up pops this ad for a ship auction!
What Eateries are in YTU
- Thread starter Timerover51
- Start date
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
Tell you what, if the moderators would like to move this to a distinct thread, then I will write about trying to buy a ship.
I can't figure the interface to do it in my current mental state (up nearly 40 hours)... but if you want, click the +Quote button on the needed posts for context, create a new thread, and then insert the quotes.
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
Okay, I will work on it. I assume that it would go into Random Static?
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
To be fair, MacDonald's may have cloned the same cow.
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
This is my food article and system for use with Traveller:
Food Availability and Traveller
One aspect of Traveller in all of its forms is that you are given only the barest information for many activities. With planets the UPP gives the referee a pretty vague description of a world. I see this as a problem in running or playing a game.
Without additional information what often happens is the game devolves into a poorly done paint-by-numbers picture rather than a satisfying portrait of an alternate reality that engages the imagination. The UPP is a starting point for making that portrait when dealing with a world or system. Government type, climate, atmosphere, law level are all central to the player's experience. Law level, for example, is more than just what weapon you might carry. A repressive government needs to act and be repressive towards the players.
Food is one aspect of this palate the referee has to work with. As food is a central part of human life it should be in the game too. But there is currently no real indication of what a planet's food supply is like in Traveller.
I began to look at methods to add more details, like food, into the game. That way there was one more thing the players could both use and envision in making a world come alive. I also tried to make the system that I would use available as part of the larger trade between planets.
It has been suggested that Traveller is often a game about economics. Whether the players are merchants running a starship or, just playing a limited scenario all-to-often a critical item is coming up with enough credits to make ends meet. Everybody has to eat so everybody has to pay for food.
The system:
The system I evolved for determining food availability was based on existing Traveller information: The planetary UPP and associated information about the main world. The result is a simple label that describes the relative abundance of food on a planet. It is sufficiently simple that it takes little additional time to add to the game. But, the increase in detail gives the referee a guide to how much food the party might find and, how much it will cost.
One other reason I like increasing the detail of a world is to try and make it sufficiently interesting that players will spend more time on one rather than hopping from one to another in search of something interesting to do.
The addition of a food abundance in the game also opens up potential angles for the referee in many scenarios. Traders now have to be aware of their location and destination. Food may be a good or bad trade item. For survival scenarios it gives the referee a starting point to determine if the party can find in the wild. A planet with a starvation level of food is unlikely to have much in the way of edible plants or animals while one with abundant food makes finding something to eat much easier.
That is my intent in putting a more detailed system of food availability in Traveller. I want the portrait. I would prefer that players get too much detail that they can filter out or pick and choose from rather than leaving them starving with just the basics.
Food trade and other possibilities
The cost column on the food availability table gives a rough idea of the cost of food locally on a given world. Note that when food is in abundance its price does not go down more but rather bottoms out after reaching a certain level. This reflects the minimal cost of production and a certain level of profit.
Some possible scenarios involving food include:
Survival scenario where the party has to find food on a planet with a scarcity of it.
Bringing food and medical relief to a planet that is starving. Lack of food long term can cause serious health related issues. On a world with an overabundance of food gluttony and over eating might be issues the players have to deal with.
On high tech worlds issues with "process" or "synthetic" foods that may cause health issues versus "natural" foods could arise. Or, the locals might have an aversion to "real" food instead of the stuff from a factory vat or some sort of food processing equipment.
Likewise, players with high tech backgrounds might be totally unfamiliar with natural foods never having eaten them. Many people on Earth today, particularly in well-developed urban areas, have little concept of farming or how to butcher an animal for food.
Then there is the "What the locals eat" scenario. This is particularly true when dealing with alien races. Not everybody eats the same thing, even humans. What might be a delicacy to the locals could be nauseating to the party.
Food also can be a brake on the action. A good scenario is one that takes a while to complete. Making the party break for a meal is one way to give yourself time to adjust upcoming events rather than be rushed.
Food Availability and Traveller
One aspect of Traveller in all of its forms is that you are given only the barest information for many activities. With planets the UPP gives the referee a pretty vague description of a world. I see this as a problem in running or playing a game.
Without additional information what often happens is the game devolves into a poorly done paint-by-numbers picture rather than a satisfying portrait of an alternate reality that engages the imagination. The UPP is a starting point for making that portrait when dealing with a world or system. Government type, climate, atmosphere, law level are all central to the player's experience. Law level, for example, is more than just what weapon you might carry. A repressive government needs to act and be repressive towards the players.
Food is one aspect of this palate the referee has to work with. As food is a central part of human life it should be in the game too. But there is currently no real indication of what a planet's food supply is like in Traveller.
I began to look at methods to add more details, like food, into the game. That way there was one more thing the players could both use and envision in making a world come alive. I also tried to make the system that I would use available as part of the larger trade between planets.
It has been suggested that Traveller is often a game about economics. Whether the players are merchants running a starship or, just playing a limited scenario all-to-often a critical item is coming up with enough credits to make ends meet. Everybody has to eat so everybody has to pay for food.
The system:
The system I evolved for determining food availability was based on existing Traveller information: The planetary UPP and associated information about the main world. The result is a simple label that describes the relative abundance of food on a planet. It is sufficiently simple that it takes little additional time to add to the game. But, the increase in detail gives the referee a guide to how much food the party might find and, how much it will cost.
One other reason I like increasing the detail of a world is to try and make it sufficiently interesting that players will spend more time on one rather than hopping from one to another in search of something interesting to do.
The addition of a food abundance in the game also opens up potential angles for the referee in many scenarios. Traders now have to be aware of their location and destination. Food may be a good or bad trade item. For survival scenarios it gives the referee a starting point to determine if the party can find in the wild. A planet with a starvation level of food is unlikely to have much in the way of edible plants or animals while one with abundant food makes finding something to eat much easier.
That is my intent in putting a more detailed system of food availability in Traveller. I want the portrait. I would prefer that players get too much detail that they can filter out or pick and choose from rather than leaving them starving with just the basics.
Food trade and other possibilities
The cost column on the food availability table gives a rough idea of the cost of food locally on a given world. Note that when food is in abundance its price does not go down more but rather bottoms out after reaching a certain level. This reflects the minimal cost of production and a certain level of profit.
Some possible scenarios involving food include:
Survival scenario where the party has to find food on a planet with a scarcity of it.
Bringing food and medical relief to a planet that is starving. Lack of food long term can cause serious health related issues. On a world with an overabundance of food gluttony and over eating might be issues the players have to deal with.
On high tech worlds issues with "process" or "synthetic" foods that may cause health issues versus "natural" foods could arise. Or, the locals might have an aversion to "real" food instead of the stuff from a factory vat or some sort of food processing equipment.
Likewise, players with high tech backgrounds might be totally unfamiliar with natural foods never having eaten them. Many people on Earth today, particularly in well-developed urban areas, have little concept of farming or how to butcher an animal for food.
Then there is the "What the locals eat" scenario. This is particularly true when dealing with alien races. Not everybody eats the same thing, even humans. What might be a delicacy to the locals could be nauseating to the party.
Food also can be a brake on the action. A good scenario is one that takes a while to complete. Making the party break for a meal is one way to give yourself time to adjust upcoming events rather than be rushed.
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
Planetary Food Availability
What the system below does is describe in more detail what the food situation on a given planet is. It allows players and referees to have more options for trade and game situations as food is a major component of our lives and meals often are social events.
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
Explanation of results:
Starvation: Means there simply is not enough food to feed everyone. Even with imports food is going to be hard to come by and people are starving. The typical person is not going to get many choices on what they eat even if the planet's rulers do.
The planet is a net importer of food unless interdicted (amber / red zone). A very high law and oppressive government may indicate that they will not allow imports for some reason too. Food related health issues are common (malnutrition, scurvy, rickets, glaucoma etc.).
Scarce: The available food is insufficient to meet typical daily calorie requirements. Malnutrition and poor health may occur but starvation is not common. Selection will still be limited for most people. The planet is a net importer of food. Food related health issues occur on a regular basis.
Below average: The available food is sufficient to meet people's needs but the selection is often limited. Malnutrition and starvation are rare but there may be instances of poor health. The planet requires imports of food to sustain itself.
Average: There is sufficient food and a reasonable selection is available. The planet can manage to grow most or all of its food needs locally and imports some items.
Above average: There is a good selection of food available at low cost. Most persons get a wide variety of foodstuffs to eat. The planet may export some food items.
Plentiful: Food is as cheap as it can be. The planet exports a variety of food items.
Abundant: There is a cornucopia of food available. It is as cheap as can be and the variety is astounding. A feast can be had for little cost. The planet exports mass quantities of food. Gluttony may be a common issue on such a world.
Scoring:
Starport. A good starport means more ships and regular imports. It also means less waste and more efficiency.
Class Score
A. 5
B. 3
C or F. 1
D or G. 0
E or H. -1
X or Y. -4
Amber zone -1
Red zone -4
What the system below does is describe in more detail what the food situation on a given planet is. It allows players and referees to have more options for trade and game situations as food is a major component of our lives and meals often are social events.
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
Explanation of results:
Starvation: Means there simply is not enough food to feed everyone. Even with imports food is going to be hard to come by and people are starving. The typical person is not going to get many choices on what they eat even if the planet's rulers do.
The planet is a net importer of food unless interdicted (amber / red zone). A very high law and oppressive government may indicate that they will not allow imports for some reason too. Food related health issues are common (malnutrition, scurvy, rickets, glaucoma etc.).
Scarce: The available food is insufficient to meet typical daily calorie requirements. Malnutrition and poor health may occur but starvation is not common. Selection will still be limited for most people. The planet is a net importer of food. Food related health issues occur on a regular basis.
Below average: The available food is sufficient to meet people's needs but the selection is often limited. Malnutrition and starvation are rare but there may be instances of poor health. The planet requires imports of food to sustain itself.
Average: There is sufficient food and a reasonable selection is available. The planet can manage to grow most or all of its food needs locally and imports some items.
Above average: There is a good selection of food available at low cost. Most persons get a wide variety of foodstuffs to eat. The planet may export some food items.
Plentiful: Food is as cheap as it can be. The planet exports a variety of food items.
Abundant: There is a cornucopia of food available. It is as cheap as can be and the variety is astounding. A feast can be had for little cost. The planet exports mass quantities of food. Gluttony may be a common issue on such a world.
Scoring:
Starport. A good starport means more ships and regular imports. It also means less waste and more efficiency.
Class Score
A. 5
B. 3
C or F. 1
D or G. 0
E or H. -1
X or Y. -4
Amber zone -1
Red zone -4
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
Planetary size. Small planets lack the land area to easily farm on a large scale
Atmosphere: Lack of an adequate atmosphere makes outdoor farming impossible. This raises the cost considerably having to build greenhouses and other enclosed structures. An exotic or inhospitable atmosphere also is bad for agriculture and might often result in excessive cloud cover reducing sunlight.
Water: Lack of water makes farming very expensive. Too much water means no land to farm or, only agricultural activities associated with sea life. It may also mean little fresh water is available as all the water is in salt oceans
Size Score
<0-0 -8
1 -6
2 -2
3 0
4 +1
5 +2
6+ 4
Atmos Score
0 -6
1 -5
2 -4
3 -3
4 0
5 +1
6 +2
7-9 +4
A+ -6
Water Score
0 -8
1 -4
2 -2
3 -1
4 0
5 +2
6 +4
7 +6
8 +6
9+ -4
Atmosphere: Lack of an adequate atmosphere makes outdoor farming impossible. This raises the cost considerably having to build greenhouses and other enclosed structures. An exotic or inhospitable atmosphere also is bad for agriculture and might often result in excessive cloud cover reducing sunlight.
Water: Lack of water makes farming very expensive. Too much water means no land to farm or, only agricultural activities associated with sea life. It may also mean little fresh water is available as all the water is in salt oceans
Size Score
<0-0 -8
1 -6
2 -2
3 0
4 +1
5 +2
6+ 4
Atmos Score
0 -6
1 -5
2 -4
3 -3
4 0
5 +1
6 +2
7-9 +4
A+ -6
Water Score
0 -8
1 -4
2 -2
3 -1
4 0
5 +2
6 +4
7 +6
8 +6
9+ -4
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
Population: Too small and you have no workers. Too large and you have too many mouths to feed.
Pop Score
1 -5
2 -3
3 -1
4 0
5 +2
6 +4
7 +6
8 +2
9+ -4
Tech Level: The higher the better. Technology can make up for a lot of other issues particularly at higher levels.
TL Score
0-1 -8
2 -6
3 -2
4 -1
5 0
6 0
7 +1
8 +3
9 +5
A +7
B +9
C +11
D +13
E +15
F +18
G +21
H +24
Government: Oppressive and intolerant ones will limit personal freedom and land ownership making farming less efficient. Oppressive dictators may use food as a political weapon to stay in power.
Gov Score
0 -4
1 +4
2 0
3 +2
4 +1
5 -4
6 0
7 -4
8 -8
9 -2
A -6
B -2
C -6
D -6
E -6
F -6
Pop Score
1 -5
2 -3
3 -1
4 0
5 +2
6 +4
7 +6
8 +2
9+ -4
Tech Level: The higher the better. Technology can make up for a lot of other issues particularly at higher levels.
TL Score
0-1 -8
2 -6
3 -2
4 -1
5 0
6 0
7 +1
8 +3
9 +5
A +7
B +9
C +11
D +13
E +15
F +18
G +21
H +24
Government: Oppressive and intolerant ones will limit personal freedom and land ownership making farming less efficient. Oppressive dictators may use food as a political weapon to stay in power.
Gov Score
0 -4
1 +4
2 0
3 +2
4 +1
5 -4
6 0
7 -4
8 -8
9 -2
A -6
B -2
C -6
D -6
E -6
F -6
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
Secondary planets and satellites
If the extended system generation system is used and secondary planets and satellites are generated these can be scored like the main world. Use the main world starport value for these worlds rather than the secondary port values. Secondary planets and satellites may change the overall food situation in a system.
Notes on the Regina Subsector, Spinward Marches
Knorbes: A lack of technology ruins food production. Horse drawn plows and dibble sticks are not conducive to large yields. Everybody farms with Middle Ages technology.
Pixie: If you are not in the Imperial Navy, what are you doing there?
Boughene: Technology allows production for a very manageable population
Hefry: Insufficient technology
Yori: Technology allows for food grown in an otherwise desert wasteland.
Enope: Overpopulated. Lacks air and water for food production. Technology isn't up to fixing the problems.
Shionthy: Bring your own food the asteroid miners have nothing to share.
Moughas: Try the fish!
District 286 subsector, Spinward Marches
Avistan and Inchin are a good comparison. Both are poor and non-industrial worlds with similar tech and population levels. But, because of the planetary conditions on Inchin food is scarce while on Avistan it is above average.
Bowman: Asteroid mining apparently means bring your own food. This could be a major drawback to long-term prospecting in asteroid systems.
Trexalon and Collace: Technology, technology, technology.
Matmos: Low technology and a poor government (bureaucrats telling farmers how to do their job) combine to ruin what could be a much more productive planet.
Tarkine: An amber zone and captive government make for poor food sources.
The third example is a system. In this case Burukansse (1511) in the Kraxin Sector, Glimmerdrift Reaches.
Note how some of the sparsely populated secondary planets and satellites have much lower levels of food in a system that has plenty. Simply a result of living in a remote location that doesn't necessarily get regular deliveries.
If the extended system generation system is used and secondary planets and satellites are generated these can be scored like the main world. Use the main world starport value for these worlds rather than the secondary port values. Secondary planets and satellites may change the overall food situation in a system.
Notes on the Regina Subsector, Spinward Marches
Knorbes: A lack of technology ruins food production. Horse drawn plows and dibble sticks are not conducive to large yields. Everybody farms with Middle Ages technology.
Pixie: If you are not in the Imperial Navy, what are you doing there?
Boughene: Technology allows production for a very manageable population
Hefry: Insufficient technology
Yori: Technology allows for food grown in an otherwise desert wasteland.
Enope: Overpopulated. Lacks air and water for food production. Technology isn't up to fixing the problems.
Shionthy: Bring your own food the asteroid miners have nothing to share.
Moughas: Try the fish!
District 286 subsector, Spinward Marches
Avistan and Inchin are a good comparison. Both are poor and non-industrial worlds with similar tech and population levels. But, because of the planetary conditions on Inchin food is scarce while on Avistan it is above average.
Bowman: Asteroid mining apparently means bring your own food. This could be a major drawback to long-term prospecting in asteroid systems.
Trexalon and Collace: Technology, technology, technology.
Matmos: Low technology and a poor government (bureaucrats telling farmers how to do their job) combine to ruin what could be a much more productive planet.
Tarkine: An amber zone and captive government make for poor food sources.
The third example is a system. In this case Burukansse (1511) in the Kraxin Sector, Glimmerdrift Reaches.
Note how some of the sparsely populated secondary planets and satellites have much lower levels of food in a system that has plenty. Simply a result of living in a remote location that doesn't necessarily get regular deliveries.
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
TL is. Starport modifiers are roughly a third to a fifth of what tech level is. Why I didn't use ag and non-ag, rich / poor in this is those are far more arbitrary and inaccurate based on far coarser values. In fact, I largely, if not completely ignore them in assessing planetary and system economics, trade, or food.
kilemall
SOC-14 5K
When I was responding the TL post wasn’t visible to me yet. That’s more like it, interstellar transport and trade isn’t going to help things like advanced synthesis/tech will.
Still think full on rich and poor would indicate resources plentiful or short to maximize resources.
Tainted should probably be less of a positive.
Still think full on rich and poor would indicate resources plentiful or short to maximize resources.
Tainted should probably be less of a positive.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Hydroponics.
I would think nutritious, but bland.
On the other hand, impurities could be spicy.
I would think nutritious, but bland.
On the other hand, impurities could be spicy.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Stables.
Rice, I'm guessing soybeans, palm oil, potatoes, wheat.
And whatever is being used for that drug, sugar.
Caffeine.
Rice, I'm guessing soybeans, palm oil, potatoes, wheat.
And whatever is being used for that drug, sugar.
Caffeine.
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
I am not sure why hydroponics would be bland. If you can raise tomatoes that way, you can raise peppers as well, along with ginger root, and a range of other spices. Trees would take a bit longer to grow, but with them you can get cinnamon and nutmeg, along with allspice and the whole range of fruits and nuts. Water tanks would provide you with fish. Meat-bearing animals would require some work, in limited numbers should be doable. Poultry should be available if nothing else.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Comparatively bland, or vanilla.
It's the differences in the environment that tend to make some foodstuff distinctive.
It's the differences in the environment that tend to make some foodstuff distinctive.
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