Enterprises for Classic Traveller

Rick Guidice

 

The player characters in my Traveller campaign began to set up (and steal) various enterprises, so I had to get some enterprise rules.

These rules are based on the enterprise system from Into the Odd.

Enterprise Basics

An enterprise has an economic level, which determines its base amount of credits (BAC). The BAC value is used to determine the enterprise’s income and losses.

Level   Base amount of credits (BAC)

1          1,000
2          2,000
3          5,000
4          10,000
5          20,000
6          50,000
7          100,000
8          200,000
9          500,000
10        1 million
11        2 million
12        5 million
13        10 million
14        20 million
15        50 million
16        100 million
17        200 million
18        500 million
19        1 billion
20        2 billion

Maximum Economic Level

The maximum economic level an enterprise can reach depends on the planet where it is based. Add the following scores together to calculate the maximum level.

Population: Add full population level

Tech level: Add half tech level, rounding down

Rich: +2

Poor: -2

Agricultural: +2 for agricultural enterprises

Non-agricultural: -2 for agricultural enterprises

Industrial: +2 for industrial enterprises

Non-industrial: -2 for industrial enterprises

Trade-focused economy: +2 for trade-focused enterprises, -2 for locally focused enterprises

Locally focused economy: -2 for trade-focused enterprises, +2 for locally focused enterprises

Example: The enterprise Futuron Farms is located on planet Alpha, which has a population level of 5, a tech level of 9, and is classed as agricultural. The maximum level of Futuron Farms is 5 + 4 + 2 = 11.

Running an Enterprise

An enterprise can be established at any economic level up to half the maximum possible, rounding down. The cost of establishing the enterprise is 10 times the BAC of the starting level.

An enterprise generates 2d6 BAC of income each year. It also faces a threat that causes 2d6 BAC in losses unless dealt with.

If an enterprise makes a profit of at least 3 BAC, its economic level increases by one. This increases the enterprise’s BAC. An enterprise cannot grow past the maximum possible level.

If an enterprise’s losses are greater than its income, it must pay the debt with extra capital, or downsize. When an enterprise downsizes, it loses economic levels. Each lost level pays for up to 3 BAC.

An enterprise that downsizes risks collapse. The controller of the enterprise must throw 2+, with DM-1 per level lost. DM+2 per level of Administration expertise; DM-3 for no expertise.

An enterprise that downsizes past level 1 always collapses.

Overleveled Enterprise

Changing circumstances can lead to an enterprise being higher level than its maximum possible level. If an enterprise’s level is higher than the maximum possible, it rolls 1d6 extra for losses.

Competition

If an enterprise is max level or higher, and shares its planet with another enterprise that is within the same field and the same level or higher, it rolls 1d6 less for income.

Interstellar Enterprises

An enterprise can expand to another planet at the cost of 10 times BAC.

If an enterprise spans several planets, use the population level of their combined population when calculating maximum economic level. (Add the actual population numbers together, not the population levels!)

Use the tech level of the planet where the enterprise has its headquarters.

Use all additional bonuses and penalties (rich, poor, etc) of every planet the enterprise spans.

An enterprise suffers the penalties of competition only if the planets with competition-worthy enterprises have at least half of the total population of all planets the enterprise spans.

Example: Futuron Farms expands to planet Beta, which has the same properties as planet Alpha. However, Alpha and Beta each have a population of 700,000, for a total population of 1,400,000, which gives a population level of 6. The bonuses of both planets' agricultural classifications are counted. The new maximum economic level is 6 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 14.