Trade

Freight

Freight shipments pay Cr. 1,000 per ton for shipping a ton for one parsec, +200 Cr. per additional parsec. Freight lots must be transported in their entirety, and come in three sizes:
  • Major cargos are composed of 1d6 x 10 tons of freight.
  • Minor cargos are composed of 1d6 x 5 tons of freight.
  • Incidental cargos are composed of 1d6 tons of freight.
To determine the number of cargos available, add the destination planet’s Population value to the modifiers from the Freight Traffic table, then consult the Freight Lots Available table. A freight lot cannot be broken up. Cargo is paid for upon delivery, assuming it is delivered on time. Failing to deliver cargo on time reduces the amount paid by 1d6+4 x 10%.

Mail

Mail is a special form of freight, consisting of large data storage drums which contain a vast amount of information that must be transported from one world to another, but is not vital enough to be entrusted to the X-Boat service or a private courier. To determine if there is mail available, determine the applicable Mail DMs, then roll on the available mail table. Mail Dice Modifiers Freight Traffic modifier of -10 or more: -2 DM Freight Traffic modifier of -9 to -5: -1 DM Freight Traffic modifier of -4 to +4: +0 DM Freight Traffic modifier of 5 to 9: +1 DM Freight Traffic modifier of 10+: +2 DM Characters’ ship is armed: +2 DM + characters’ highest Naval or Scout rank + characters’ highest Social Standing DM World has a TL of 5 or less: -4 Roll 2d6. On a 12 or more, after modifiers, the characters can transport mail to the destination world. A mail container takes up five tons of space and the characters will be paid Cr. 25,000 for transporting the mail.

Speculative Trade and Smuggling

Finding a Supplier

Characters can search for multiple suppliers, but there is a -1 DM per previous attempt on a planet in a given month. Finding a supplier: Broker, Education or Social Standing, 1-6 days, Average (+0). Finding a black market supplier: (Illegal goods only) Streetwise, Education or Social Standing, 1-6 days, Average (+0). Finding an online supplier: (Worlds with TL 8+ only) Computers, Education, 1-6 hours, Average (+0). The size of the Starport provides a bonus to finding a supplier. Class A starports give a +6 DM, class B starports give a +4 DM and class C starports give a +2 DM.

Determine Goods Available

Goods are divided into two categories of goods – Common and Trade Goods. Common Goods can be purchased on any world. Trade Goods can usually only be found on a world with a matching trade code. The amount of each type of goods available is limited – the tons column determines how many tons of a given type of goods are available for purchase. A given supplier has all Common Goods available, the Trade Goods that match the world’s trade code, and 1d6 randomly determined goods. Roll d66 on the table to determine the goods available, ignoring results 61-65 unless dealing with a black market supplier. If you roll the same type of goods multiple times, then the supplier has extra amounts of those goods available. Some goods are illegal, and can be purchased only through a black market supplier. A black market supplier has whatever illegal goods match his world’s trade code, as well as any randomly rolled illegal goods.

Determine Purchase Price

To determine the purchase price, roll 3d6 and apply the following modifiers: + the character’s Broker skill (or the local broker’s skill). + the character’s Intelligence or Social Standing DM, whichever is higher. + the largest Dice Modifier from the Purchase DM column. – the largest Dice Modifier from the Sale DM column. – any Dice Modifiers from the supplier. Some especially rich or powerful suppliers can demand high prices. In cases where multiple Purchase or Sale DMs apply, use only the largest ones from each column. Next, consult the Purchase column of the Modified Price table. The trader does not have to accept this price, but if he rejects the deal, then he cannot deal with that supplier again for at least one week. After that week, he may reroll one of the dice thrown to determine the purchase price for those goods.
Item Cost (Cr.) Purchase DM
Basic Electronics 25,000 +0
Basic Machine Parts 10,000 +0
Basic Manufactured Goods 20,000 +0
Basic Raw Materials 5,000 +0
Basic Vehicles 30,000 +0
Crystals and Gems 20,000 +1
Petrochemicals 10,000 +2
Pharmaceuticals 100,000 +0
Precious Metals 50,000 +1
Radioactives 1,000,000 +0
Spices 6,000 +2
Uncommon Raw Materials 20,000 +0

Selling Goods

Selling goods works just like purchasing goods, with the following changes: A character must find a buyer, instead of a supplier. The same rules apply. When selling goods, add the largest Sale DMs for the world trade code and subtract the largest Purchase DMs. If a character does not accept the price offered for his goods, he must find another buyer or wait a week, in which case he may reroll one of the dice thrown to determine the purchase price.
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