TRAVELLER TRADERS
By C Gerard Luft
A SOLO CARD AND DICE GAME OF TRADING IN THE IMPERIUM
INTRODUCTION
In this one player game you play the Captain and crew of the FREE TRADER
BEOWULF. The Goal is to profit 73 Mega Credits (i.e., 73,000,000Credits),
which is just enough to but a SUBSIDIZED LINER and become a Merchant Prince.
But in the 1350th year of the GALACTIC EMPIRE, this great utopian
civilization of Humanity is far from civilized. Trading in the Spinward
Marches Sector, even close to its ducal capital REGINA, can still be
dangerous.
SET UP
You will need to make three decks of cards: TRADER DECK (which you start with
all five cards of), ENCOUNTER DECK, MERCHANDISE DECK, and STARSHIP DECK.
You will also need some six sided dice (d6).
You begin with all the cards from the TRADER DECK: FREE TRADER BEOWULF,
CAPTAIN, FIRST OFFICER, SECOND OFFICER, and THIRD OFFICER.
Players begin with 1,000,000Cr at the start of the game to purchase
their first cargo.
TRADER CARD LIST
CARD NAME POWER
Captain 3
1st Officer 2
2nd Officer 1
3rd Officer 0
Free Trader Beowulf 2
BUY AND SELL! ROUND
PURCHASE PROSPECTING TURN
You must first find merchandise to buy, so you can sell it at the next planet
for profit (The game begins on the PLANET REGINA).
You obtain merchandise from a PATRON.
Draw cards from the ENCOUNTER DECK until you draw a PATRON CARD.
FIRST COMBAT TURN
All the cards you drew before reaching the PATRON you must battle (Space
Ports can be a dangerous place). Your Captain and Crew may battle one card
at a time, unless more than one of like cards are drawn. In that case they
battle together. If the ENCOUNTER DECK runs out, reshuffle its Discard
Pile.
" ENCOUNTERS ATTACK FIRST: The each opponent chooses a target. They select
targets in the following pattern: CAPTAIN, 1ST OFFICER, 2ND OFFICER and 3RD
OFFICER.
" Each OPPONENT rolls 4d6 and adds its POWER to the roll. The CAPTAIN OR
CREW who is targeted rolls 4d6 and adds their power to the total. If the
ATTACKER'S score is greater than the DEFENDER'S score, then the defender is
defeated (and dying; blasters (Fusion Pulse Guns) cause a lot of damage).
If the 3RD OFFICER is present and active at that point of the battle, he can
stabilize that officer's wounds, and prevent him from being defeated (dying;
though he is inactive for 1 week, which is explained below).
" The surviving CAPTAIN and CREW may now be the attackers. Each Crew surviving
and present targets one opponent (They may choose to attack the same opponent
as well). The ATTACKERS roll 4d6 and add their POWER to the roll. The
DEFENDERS roll 4d6 and add their POWER to the roll. If the ATTACKER'S
modified rolls are greater that the DEFENDER'S modified rolls, that the
target hit is defeated.
" If opponents remain, then the COMBAT TURN is repeated until all the
opponents in that battle are defeated, or the CAPTAIN and CREW are defeated
(at which time the game is over).
" DEFEATED CHARACTERS: OPPONENTS are discarded and defeated CAPTAIN or
OFFICER is removed from the game. If both the CAPTAIN and 1ST OFFICER are
removed, then the game is over.
" INACTIVE CHARACTERS: Characters who were defeated but saved by the 3rd
Officer are inactive. The other Officers may still deal with the PATRON. If
the CAPTAIN and his 1ST OFFICER are both inactive then there is no one to
pilot the FREE TRADER. The surviving Officers are effectively grounded.
" HEALING: An Inactive Character becomes active again when they reach planet
fall on the next planet. If the FREE TRADER is grounded, then the CAPTAIN
and 1ST OFFICER are active again after the player draws 7 more ENCOUNTER
CARDS (repeating the COMBAT TURN if necessary).
ENCOUNTER CARD LIST
CARD NAME # IN DECK POWER
Patron 4 -
Bounty Hunter 4 1
Space Pirate 4 2
Vagyr Space Pirate 4 2
Imperial Army Soldier 2 3
Mercenary 2 3
Imperial Marine 1 4
Zodani Invader 1 4
PURCHASE TURN
After all the OPPONENTS are defeated, the surviving and present officers may
conduct the deal with the PATRON. Draw a card from the MERCHANDISE DECK.
This is the merchandise available. Using the two tables below, roll a 4d6.
Subtract from the roll the POWER of the highest officer present. Multiply
this by the BASE PRICE OF THE MERCHANDISE. This is the price the PATRON
requires for the merchandise.
If you do not have enough Credits for the merchandise, or the price is too
much to pay, then draw cards from the encounter deck to find a new PATRON and
battle any OPPONENTS drawn.
MERCHANDISE CARD LIST
MERCHANDISE CARD BASE PRICE
Tools 9,072,000Cr
Luxury Items 4,800,000Cr
Vehicles 2,800,000Cr
Machinery 907,200Cr
Clothing 546,000Cr
Robotics 108,000Cr
Consumables 70,560Cr
Synthetic Foods 70,560Cr
Weapons 403,200Cr
Spare Parts 546,000Cr.
Metal Part 1,092,000Cr
Electronics 2,016,000Cr
Synthetic Materials 2,856,000Cr
Gravitic Equipment 3,528,000Cr
Pharmaccuticals 8,440,000Cr
Protective Equipment 13,440,000Cr
ACTUAL PRICE
4D6 PRICE
4 20
5 30
6 40
7 50
8 60
9 70
10 80
11 90
12-16 100
17 110
18 120
19 130
20 140
21 150
22 160
23 170
24 180
SPACE TURN
The Beowulf has a HYPERSPACE JUMP FACTOR of 1, so its path through the
subsector is limited. Below is a text flow chart of the Hyperspace Jump
course of your Ship.
REGINA -> HELFRY -> FORBOLDN -> KNORBES -> WHANGO -> UAKE ->
EFATE ->ALELL -> WHANGO -> KNORBES -> FORBOLDN -> HELFRY -> REGINA
It is easy cruising at sublight maneuver speed out of a system you have been
at a week, and making the Hyperspace Jump to your next destination. The
tricky part is exiting Hyperspace into the next system's space. Bounty
hunters, mercenaries and space pirates could be waiting for you (and they
probably will). So when coming out of Hyperspace into the next system, you
must draw one card from the STARSHIP DECK and battle it.
" You have a "souped up" Free Trader and a 1st Officer with a keen eye, so
you get to attack first in space. Roll 4d6 and add the Beowulf's POWER to
the roll. Then roll for the opponent's ship and add their POWER to the roll.
If your modified roll is higher than their modified roll, you cause one hit
to their ship.
" Now the step above is repeated with the opponent's ship as the attacker and
the Beowulf as the defender.
" DAMAGE: On the first hit received the ship is sided (rotated 90 degrees)
and receives a -1 to POWER.. On the second hit received the ship is inversed
and receives -2 to its POWER. On the third hit received it is dead in space
and defeated. If the Beowulf is defeated, then the game is over.
" REPAIRS: OPPONENT ships repair 1 hit if they do not receive any damage for
three consecutive turns. If the 2ND OFFICER is active and present, the
Beowulf repairs 1 hit if it does not receive any damage for two consecutive
turns (because your 2nd Officer is a top class engineer)! If the 2nd Officer
is inactive or defeated, the Beowulf has no one to repair her.
STARSHIP DECK
CARD NAME # IN DECK POWER
FIGHTER (IMPERIAL NAVY) 4 0
SCOUTSHIP (BOUNTY HUNTER) 4 0
FREE TRADER (SPACE PIRATES) 4 1
SUBSIDIZED MERCHANT (PIRATES) 4 2
PATROL CRUISER (IMPERIAL NAVY) 1 3
PATROL CRUISER (VAGYR SPACE PIRATES) 1 3
PATROL CRUISER (ZODANI INVADERS) 1 3
MERCENARY CRUISER 1 4
SALE PROPECTING TURN
The PURCHASE PROSPECT TURN is repeated, except now you are looking for a
PATRON to buy the merchandise off of you.
SECOND COMBAT TURN
This is the same as the FIRST COMBAT TURN except you are now on another
planet.
SALE TURN
This is the same as the PURCHASE TURN except when you roll the 4d6 to figure
the actual price the PATRON will BUY this merchandise from you you ADD the
POWER of the highest ranking officer present (the higher the more the
profit).
ALL SUCCEEDING BUY AND SELL! ROUNDS
After selling your merchandise it is time to repeat the turns sequence
starting on this next planet (HELFRY if this is your SECOND ROUND).
WINNING
You win when you accumulate 73MCr. Then its time to get a big ship and build
your Merchantile Principality.
FOR FREE TRAVELLER THOTH FILES< EMAIL ME AT:
themcganndoctor@aol.com
FOR TRAVELLER CARDS AND A MAP OF THE REGINA SUBSECTOR GO TO:
Here
TRAVELLER MERCHANT PRINCE
AN EXPANSION TO TRAVELLER TRADERS
INTRODUCTION
You've got a SUBSIDIZED LINER and you are now a MASTER TRADER. It's time to
build your MERCHANTILE PRINCIPALITY.
CARD DECKS
You have a SUBSIDIZED MERCHANT (with a POWER of 3 instead of 2) . And you
will not need a MERCHANDISE DECK (people are coming to you now to cart around
their cargo). And you will not need the ENCOUNTER DECK (no need to leave the
comfort of your new Captain's Cabin between HYPERSPACE JUMPS).
ROUND SEQUENCE
HYPERSPACE JUMP TURN
Each Round you receive 873,000 Cr for middle passage and low passage
accomidations and 200 tons of cargo transport to the next planet. Leaving
the star system you are at at sublight speed and making the Jump to
Hyperspace is uneventful. But when coming out of Hyperspace into the
destination system's space, you must draw 1 card from the STARSHIP CARD DECK
(no changes to this deck)
SPACE COMBAT TURN
This is done exactly as it is in TRAVELLER TRADERS.
This Simplified round is repeated for each Jump to a new system. If you want
to expand beyond the course plotted above (which is limited to the Regine
Subsector) you can adapt other maps of the SPINWARD MARCHES for your course.
Because you still have a HYPERSPACE JUMP FACTOR of only 1, and because
Subsidized Liners gain more profit with parsec to parsec transport, the coure
you set should be between star systems one parsec from each other. Try it!
It's a beautiful senic route around this corner of the Imperium.
WINNING
You win when you have accumulated another 73 MCr (time to build a merchant
fleet).
