Traveller trading game in the modern day

Levi Kornelsen · December 09, 2006, 10:31:13 PM

Quote from: JimBobOzI'm sure that among all the smuggling and piracy going on, there'll be the occasional person who'd like to disappear for a few weeks or months, then reappear in some foreign port, perhaps under a new name...

Which implies many kinds of underworld contacts, not just buying and selling.

It also implies at least a couple of regular harbours - or a significant amount of time spent 'making contact' with people you were referred to, with some 'joe sent me'.

Werekoala · December 09, 2006, 11:10:36 PM

Okay, who's running this?

We'll be using CT rules I assume?

David R · December 09, 2006, 11:14:08 PM

Quote from: Levi KornelsenWhich implies many kinds of underworld contacts, not just buying and selling.

It also implies at least a couple of regular harbours - or a significant amount of time spent 'making contact' with people you were referred to, with some 'joe sent me'.

Damn you Levi, you make me want to go all The Usual Suspects over all of this...

Regards,
David R

Kyle Aaron · December 09, 2006, 11:34:48 PM

Quote from: WerekoalaOkay, who's running this?

We'll be using CT rules I assume?

Well, probably I will run it - or I'll at least offer it among other campaigns pitched to the players I know. I think it has the right degree of familiarity combined with the right amount of new stuff to get players interested, so it'll probably score high.

As to rules... it'd depend on the tone. Something like Firefly works well with something light and descriptive, like Fate or d4-d4. Something grittier, with calculations of profit and loss and maintenance and wages and so on... perhaps GURPS?

Edit: here is one of 1,176 GWT actually called...

fonkaygarry · December 10, 2006, 02:37:16 AM

I CRAVE this setting. I can see lifepath tables ahead of me, paving the way to a diesel mechanic/sapper with one arm and an entry on the FBI watchlist.

I can see him burning a whole drum of 7.62 in his RPK, fighting off a boatload of Somali pirates off the coast of Madagascar or running through the streets of Cape Town, trying to get to the boat before the 28s catch up to him and his satchel of Rolexes.

Endless months of shipping gun parts to Gen San, then heroin to Taiwan, then motherboards to LA, always a step ahead of the creditors and Uncle Sam.

Kyle Aaron · December 12, 2006, 12:13:33 AM

So what would I call such a campaign? As you'll have seen from the campaign prospectuses thread, I like evocative names for them...

flyingmice · December 12, 2006, 09:27:35 AM

The StarCluster System would run this well - particularly In Harm's Way, with it's Honor/Practicality mechanic... I could easily customize it for this game.

-clash

J Arcane · December 12, 2006, 11:07:50 AM

You all seriously need to see Black Lagoon. It's not out in the US yet, but there's a half-done fansub floating around of the first 12 episodes, look for Shinsen Subs.

The main character is a Japanese businessman who gets hijacked by pirates and winds up with the crew, doing odd shady jobs in the South China Sea. Really cool high action deal, and should offer some definite inspiration.

flyingmice · December 12, 2006, 11:24:53 AM

Quote from: JimBobOzSo what would I call such a campaign? As you'll have seen from the campaign prospectuses thread, I like evocative names for them...

I named the campaign you just joined "1795," Kyle. Don't ask me for evocative names! My campaigns are usually named by default after where or when they take place, like the military. Informative but BOOOORING!

DavidR is awesome with them, though. Marco too! :O

-clash

Dr Rotwang! · December 12, 2006, 01:19:08 PM

How about a smaller-scaled game about the owners of an independent big rig? You could have an orangutan or other simian as a sidekick, and...uh...

...

...yeah, that's, that's a bad idea.

beeber · December 12, 2006, 05:53:48 PM

you could call it "for a few tons more" or "high seas drifters" maybe

i'd love to try it with CoC/BRP (been itchin' to play with those rules again). i guess i'd just co-opt the traveller trading ruleset for the mercantile element.

sounds awesome! great idea!

fonkaygarry · December 13, 2006, 02:36:59 AM

I say you run the foul beast on IRC. Give your pay for play plan a shot on it. I'll give it a $10 shot if you do.

If it sucks, though, you owe me the mediocre medium pizza that $10 would have bought at Cheezie's.

Kyle Aaron · December 13, 2006, 02:40:48 AM

Sounds fair. Let's say, for $10, you get four sessions, and a copy of d4-d4 (which normally costs eight bucks anyway, so only two bucks extra). I will run US eastern Monday evenings for four hours.

Casey777 · December 15, 2006, 01:44:31 AM

Quote from: JimBobOzSo what would I call such a campaign? As you'll have seen from the campaign prospectuses thread, I like evocative names for them...

Perhaps some slang/"trade" word mixed with a locale or common image? Locale could be a city, region, polity, district, neighborhood, etc. name. I've no idea of current slang for this stuff nor common non-English (loan)words that could spice up the title.

Some musings to spark ideas:
Crosstown traffic* (Transocean runs, running, smuggling, hauling, lifting, gunning)
Palm- (or other plant)
Beach- (or other terrain type associated with smuggling or a dock/port)
Rusty Bucket Bailing
(local smoke or drug, like beedis, kretek, khat) [Days] [Nights] [in (locale)] - or put the locale first
(Pirates, Smuggles, Runners) of the (sea, ocean, bay, river, etc.)

* I was listening to Hendrix and I like having music on during some games

Casey777 · December 15, 2006, 02:00:50 AM

If you need some ideas for ship names, there's over 1500 of them (for Traveller so not all will be immediately useable) here . I think they were compiled from here.
5d6 Traveller ship name charts.
Havoscope Market Segments - Trafficking and Smuggling Category (found in the wikipedia entry on smuggling)

And somebody should make a LBB cover for this campaign.

Here's the T20 trading program I mentioned before. T20 breaks down the trading categories nicely, not putting it all on the GM to ad lib but does have a lot of die rolls, this program automates that and gives you a taste of T20 trading.

(caffeine fading...Zzzz)