turds wip

The following prices assume that;

Your average crew member is dealing in a total of 1000 Thalers of spending money, but that they can also trade in goods equal to a total of 500-2000 additional Thalers. The effective worth someone can bring in is 1500-3500 Thalers total, with the majority bringing 1500 unless they are from RND / Security.

Command Staff can bring in a total of 2000 Thalers +, with the limitation total being 9000 Thalers in exceptional cases. They are also able to trade in goods at their disposal in total of 1000-5000 Thalers worth.

Antagonists for these same purposes should be considered able to trade in great deals of cash, whether or not their ability to spawn in Thalers at the cost of TC is a concern is a bit of a mystery. On one hand, the effective purchasing power of TC compared to the Thalers they spawn is limited to them contacting a merchant, how much the merchant charges and the TC worth of the gun they purchase from a merchant as opposed to their uplink. Generally speaking the worth is higher - but the cost of time should be considered also.

Addendums;
It is important to provide full, complete lists of what Merchants sell under the merchant’s console instead of randomizing what items are available for both immersion and for consistency in what a merchant can do each round.

Secondly making every merchant available from the getgo is more viable then having them disappear, certain purchases and trades take a great deal of time to commence and even if the merchants are bribed, they only stay for 5 minutes or less longer in exchange for the bribe. This means that if you contact a merchant, you must have what they ask for in advance and do not have time to ever obtain it, defeating the purpose of merchant ‘quests’ in the first place.

It also means that a Merchant can do something like inviting wealthier buyers to their station to commence a trade, which plays more onto the roleplaying aspect of the role and involves the crew more thoroughly. They are able to understand the market that is available to them and make plans in regards to that knowledge, the more someone knows - the more they can prepare. When everything is random and chaotic, they are put into a situation where any planning they make is ultimately futile.

I would also recommend allowing Merchants to be selected for antagonist roles as it gives security more reason to suspect them, generally speaking they are the most fun when they are played as criminals or ruthless traders, as opposed to happy go lucky space clerks. Storytelling is important in this respect, and the reality is, in space - when you encounter a shady merchant with their own private ship, you expect and want them to be a criminal. It’s just more interesting and it makes for a much better interaction.


Being a criminal means having to establish contacts and constantly be aware of each action you take, it’s why I do it myself. There’s a heavy emphasis on wordplay, teamwork and secrecy, every conversation suddenly has gravity and every friend or employee you find is a valuable asset. It creates tension where there wasn’t one as the command/security staff become unsure of your erratic actions, each step you take is like a footprint which forces you to play the game smart or in a prison. Often this means a massive, massive focus on roleplay and dialogue, because you understand that if you don’t roleplay things out people are more likely to be adverse to your actions. In my case I did act like a bit of a spook and that worked out in my favor, people seem entertained enough to not do anything about it because I made the round a bit more interesting.