Freelance Traveller

by Ken Pick

A large variety of commercial ships ply the Jump routes of Traveller campaigns, varying in size, capacity, and efficiency. How do they compare to each other? Which is the best ship for its size range?

This is a comparison analysis of several common/popular ship types from various sources.

Ships considered were:

• From Classic Traveller Book II (c.1977): Type A Free Trader, Type R Subsidized Merchant (Fat Trader).
• From The Traveller Adventure (c.1980): Oberlindes Type CT Cargo Carrier, Imperiallines Type TI Frontier Transport and Type TJ "Frontier Transport" (used as a tug), Tukera Type AT Freighter, Akerut Type AH Bulk Freighter.
• From Freelance Traveller: Type AL2 Stretched Free Trader (Far Trader), Type R2, RL, & RL2, RX, and RX2 Stretched Subsidized Merchants, Type AH2 Bulk Freighter, Type AHL Superfreighter, Type AH3 & AH4 Fast Express Freighters.

All the ships compared were primarily freighters, with little or no passenger capacity. Liner versions of most of the AH-series ships exist, and have the same relative efficiency as their freighter sisters; the greater expense of passenger liners is offset by the higher per-ton rates paid by passengers compared to cargo.

Tables contain the following:

• Ship Type
• Gross Tonnage -- the size of the ship, in Traveller tons.
• Net Tonnage -- the "revenue space" of the ship (i.e. the cargo hold, passenger staterooms, and passenger low berths), in Traveller tons.
• Cost in MCr
• Commercial Efficiency Ratio (CER) -- measure of the relative profitability of the ship in service, calculated by the formula (Net Tonnage * Jump Number) / Cost in MCr.

Type A Free Trader -- Smallest and cheapest of commercial starships, and reasonably efficient (CER 3.14) for small-lot speculative trading. The usual choice of free-traders and fledgeling lines (i.e. player-characters) because of its price.

Type R Fat Traders -- The stock Type R is called the "Subsidized Merchant" for a reason; with a CER of only 2.35, it needs a constant subsidy to stay in service. Without the subsidy, it is a bust. The Type RL "stretched" version is a much better choice; at a 12% increase in price over the Type R, it has over 90% greater capacity and a CER of 3.78 -- more profitable than the Type A in speculative trading. For under 1000 tons, the 600-ton Type RL is the preferred upgrade from the Type A.

Type AH Bulk Freighter -- With a CER of 2.95, the stock Bulk Freighter is borderline profitable in speculative trade, or as a subsidized merchant in common-carrier service.

Type TJ Tug-and-pod -- At Jump-1, the tug-and-pod is the best way to go in common-carrier service. CERs averaging around 5 and the quick turnaround of uncoupling one "barge train" and coupling up another make tug-and-pod the preferred ship of megacorp freight lines on high-traffic Jump-1 routes.

Type AL2 Far Trader, Stretched Type R Subsidized Merchants -- For small lots over Jump-2 routes, all four of these stretch ships are roughly equivalent; the 500-ton R2 is a bit more efficient than the 600-ton RL2, and is preferred to its big brothers unless the larger ships' capacity is needed; in which case the RX2 is slightly more cost-effective than the RL2. The RL2 must usually operate under a subsidy to stay in service; the other three can operate as Jump-2 free traders without a problem.

Type TI Frontier Transport -- Medium-sized, the Frontier Transport is good for large-volume (kiloton lots) mixed common-carrier/speculative trade, or as a medium-sized subsidized merchant.

Modified Type AH Superfreighters -- Both Superfreighters are profitable in service, but the 6000-ton Type AHL has the best CER of any ship in the comparison, and can turn a profit as a common-carrier. Even forced into a Jump-1 route, it can break even by including speculative trade. Best for medium-sized lines on heavy-traffic routes.

Type TJ Tug-and-pod -- At Jump-2, the tug-and-pod has about equivalent capacity and only slightly less CER than the Superfreighter. Its main advantage on high-traffic Jump-2 routes is its flexibility; large lines can stock just one type of tug and tailor the speed of the route by shuffling pods as needed.

Type CT Cargo Carrier -- Used only by Oberlindes, this ship is basically a giant Jump-3 Free Trader carrying on the Oberlindes tradition of well-armed ships for frontier routes. Too small to achieve the scale efficiency of larger ships and with a minimal Maneuver Drive handicapping its run out to Jump point, its CER places it roughly equivalent to the standard Type A and R variants.

Type AH3 Express Freighter, Type TJ Tug-and-pod -- Both these ships are good Jump-3 common-carriers, and are roughly equivalent. The choice between the two is the choice between a streamlined monohull or a tug-and-pod configuration.

The AH4 is the only choice for Jump-4 routes if atmospheric entry is a requirement. The CER is a little lower than its Jump-3 half-sisters, but could be offset by the ability to charge higher common-carrier rates (premiums for speed). Tukera's proprietary AT has a higher CER, but at the price of a minimal Maneuver Drive and lack of streamlining.

Conclusions:

Free-traders & Fledgeling Lines: If Jump-1 is adequate, start out with the 200-ton Type A Free Trader and upgrade to the 600-ton RL Stretched Fat Trader; skip the stock 400-ton Type R if at all possible. The 600-tonner is not only more profitable than the 400, has almost double the cargo capacity at a 12% increase in cost. If Jump-2 is a requirement, start out with the 300-ton Type AL or AL2 Stretched Far Trader and upgrade to the 500-ton Type R2 Stretched Fat Trader and/or 1000-ton Type RX2, depending on capacity.

Example: UTP is a fledgling line consisting of a coalition of five free-traders (presumably stock Type As) handling small-lot speculative trade down the Jump-1 chain of stars between Efate & Regina. If the line becomes profitable enough to "add another ship", instead of adding another Type A, they could retire one or two of the existing Type As and buy a Type RL as the "flagship" of the line, increasing capacity and return on investment. If any of the free-traders are Jump-2 Far Traders, they could trade in a Far Trader for a Type R2 with greater capacity and efficiency at Jump-2.

Example: The March Harrier is a Type R Subsidized Merchant which has come into a multi-MCr windfall from a little "adventure" in a tradewar, which has paid off the ship and let them go free-trader (or rather Fat Trader). MCr12 of the windfall could be used to either trade in the ship on a more-efficient Type RL or have the March Harrier refitted and stretched to RL standards.

Medium-sized Lines: A lot depends on the traffic volume; for low-volume routes, the high-end of Fledgeling Lines (600-ton RL and 500-ton Type R2 Stretched Fat Traders) is adequate. For high-volume routes, the 6000-ton Type AHL Superfreighter is the best large monohull, and can operate at Jump-1 or Jump-2 without going bust. Most of the other larger ships (1000-ton RX2, 2000-ton Type TI, 5000-ton Type AH & AH2) will also work, but must operate over routes at their maximum jump speeds. If Jump-3 is a requirement, the 4000-ton Type AH3 is the best candidate, and can operate at Jump-2 if necessary.

Example: Akerut is a subsector-wide subsidiary of the Tukera Lines megacorp, primarily providing high-volume feeder freight service to its parent company. I would expect Akerut to maintain a fleet of mostly Type AHL Superfreighters, with a secondary mix of Type AH, AH2, and Type TJ Tug-and-pods leased from its parent megacorp. Pods could also be attached to the AH2 and AHL freighters for extra capacity.

Large /MegacorporateLines: Except for Jump-4 express shipments (which require the 3000-ton Type AH4 Express Freighter), or routes where atmospheric entry is required, the 2000-ton Type TJ Tug with pods is the best way to go. One standard Jump-tug throughout the megacorp eases logistics, and the pods can be stockpiled and loaded/unloaded at leisure at the various corporate installations along the routes.

Example: Tukera Lines is a megacorp "providing Jump-3 and Jump-4 transport... along major routes". I would expect Tukera to maintain a fleet primarily of Type TJ Tug-and-pods, with some Type AH3 and AH4 Express Freighters for freight and Type AM3 Fast Packet Liners for passenger service. (Tukera's proprietary Type AT is roughly equivalent to the AH4 Express Freighter, but limited to orbital facilities.)

Appendix A: Ship Benefits

In inital character generation, Merchant characters can roll "Free Trader" as a mustering-out benefit. This confers ownership (and responsibility for payments) of a 200-ton Type A Free Trader. Subsequent "Free Trader" benefits each pay 10 years of the payments on the ship.

Alternatively, subsequent "Free Trader" benefits could mean cascading upgrades to larger and larger types of small merchant ship instead of payoffs on the initial Free Trader:

1. Type A Free Trader
2. Type AL or AL2 Far Trader
3. Type R Fat Trader
4. Type RL or R2 Stretched Fat Trader
5. Type RL2 Stretched Fat Trader

A similar benefit cascade could be done for Scout characters as well:

1. Type S Scout/Courier
2. Type SD Deepscout
3. Modified Type T Heavy Scout

Appendix B: Starship Encounters

The multiplicity of ships can be worked into existing Starship Encounter tables by a simple "cascade" method. Once a ship encounter of a particular ship type is rolled, roll 1D; if the roll is a 1 or a 6, go down the encounter list, rolling at each entry until the roll is not 1 or 6.

Type A Encounter

1. Type A Free Trader
2. Type AL Far Trader
3. Type AL2 Far Trader

Type R Encounter

1. Type R Fat Trader
2. Type RL Stretch Fat Trader
3. Type R2 Stretch Fat Trader
4. Type RL2 Stretch Fat Trader
5. Type RX Obese Trader
6. Type RX2 Obese Trader