Mission of Gravity
This is a postal (or PBM) game of Star Trader run by Mike Dommett and published in my postal games 'zine, To Win Just Once. This is the web version of the latest turn. Follow the link for an introduction to Star Trader.
Sections: Report, Corporations Table, News, Press, GM Notes, Star map (separate page)
Previous reports: Turn 6 Turn 5 Turn 4 Turn 3 Turn 2 Turn 1 Start-up
Turn 7
Ping!
"Target acquired, sir!"
"Jam their communications and fire a warning salvo."
"They've cut their engines."
"Good, tell them to expect a boarding party from their new owners."
"Umm, message from HQ, sir: we're now owned by the bank!"
"."
Ping!
"Another target!"
"Oh, forget it."
The big happening this Quarter was the closure of SEMPER DURUS. Their bankers called in the loan due this quarter. With no assets on the ground, other than three empty warehouses, the ships in system space above Mu Herculis were disposed of. This brought a fraction of what their value would have been in the Spaceport. The Corporation's offices were closed. Then Federation enforcers arrived to arrest all the executives after the Inquiry into their conduct had ruled them unfit to run a Corporation even in this less-regulated sector. TRANSURANIC, who lost a ship to the pirates, suffered the most - though ZWILLINGE was incredibly fortunate to avoid joining him in unhappiness.
The Sabotage at Mu Herculis continued; this Quarter CAESAR WHOLESALE's facilities were damaged, as were ISNOT-ISTOO's. Loss of goods was fortunately light. This time the guilty party was identified as TRANS SOLAR TRADING INC., presumably cross at the loss of custom.
NEIKAN-DO tried to hire an agent, but their 40 HTs was taken with no agent turning up for employment. Their Business Connections increased from 2 to 3 and they purchased 2 more Isotope Factories and 1 Spice Factory on Sigma Draconis. Their Reputation rose steadily on their advertising campaign and the revitalised Corporation is doing well.
SOLAR WINDS TRADING COMPANY accepted that it had built a Factory at Alpha Centauri and sent its ship there to collect the goods.
CAESAR WHOLESALE INC. delivered their passenger at Alpha Centauri and found him suitably grateful. They increased their Criminal Connections too.
TRANS SOLAR TRADING INC restarted their Passenger fleets criss-crossing the sector, but found that they have competition nowadays.
SOLAR SPICE, MONOPOLES AND LIQUOR did a private trade with SWISS MERCENARY for 12 Liquors at Alpha Centauri, apparently involving a substantial Consultancy fee to the Helvetian Chairman.
HONEST DARTH'S QUALITY USED SPACE SHIPS bought a new Warehouse at Delta Toucanis, and increased their Political Connections.
ZWILLINGE sold the passenger pod from Doppelganger for more lucrative Cargo Pods, and bought a Warehouse at Sigma Draconis.
VOGON INDUSTRIES sold their slaves at Gamma Leporis, bought 3 new Alloy Factories there and launched their new ship, Death, at Tau Ceti. Though ferociously named, it has Cargo pods and an A class crew.
Finally ISKANDER FIRE AND ACCIDENT sold the Passenger pod from Trust, upgraded the crew to A class and added a Passenger pod to complete the vessel.
Trading was brisk on some systems this quarter. At Gamma Leporis ISKANDER bought 7 Alloys for 3 HTs each and gained a Contractorship. There was still enough left for TRANSURRANIC to buy 3 more at the rock bottom price of 1 HT.
Epsilon Eridani had ZWILLINGE selling 2 Isotopes for 7 HTs and SOLAR SPICE, LIQUORS & MONOPOLES sold 12 Monopoles for 12 HTs apiece to get a Dealership.
No one was trading at Delta Toucanis, which was a shame as the blockading fleet had moved away.
At Tau Ceti, ISKANDER FIRE & ACCIDENT sold 4 Alloys at a price of 9 HTs, TRANSURRANIC bought 6 isotopes for 4 HTs each and gained a Contractorship and then ZWILLINGE sold 12 Petroleum for 9 HTs apiece and a Dealership.
Mu Herculis saw ZWILLINGE selling 8 Isotopes for 10 HTs each and a further Dealer's position. SSLM sold 5 Monopoles on Contract and ISKASNDER bought 9 Petroleum at the price of 9 HTs and took a Contractor's position for themselves.
SSLM bought 5 Spice on Contract at Sigma Draconis as the price dropped. ISKANDER disposed of a single Petroleum for 9 HTs and bought 6 Isotopes for 6 HTs. But NEIKAN-DU had already bought 10 Isotopes for 7 HTs and gained a Dealer's position.
VOGON INDUSTRIES found themselves disposing of 5 Units of Isotopes on Contract at a much better price than they can have expected.
ISKANDER sold 5 Isotopes for 8 HTs each at Alpha Centauri, but spent more buying 5 Liquors at 11 HTs apiece.
Beta Hydri saw TRANSURRANIC selling 6 Alloys for 4 HTs each and taking a Dealership. HONEST DARTH's used their Market Managership to sell 8 Isotopes at the rate of 11 HTs. SSLM sold 2 Spice on Contracts as the price crept up.
Corporations Table
| Corporation letter & name | Conn'n Levels Bus/Crim/Pol |
Init Bid |
Turn Order |
Cash | Rep'n | Player | |||
|
A |
Neikan-do | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6th | 155 | 28 | Paul Wilson |
|
B |
Solar Winds Trading Co | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 10th | 65 | 25 | Steve Bunce |
| C | Caesar Wholesale | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 11th | 199 | 31 | Simon Burling |
| D | Trans Solar Trading, Inc | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9th | 273 | 19 | Jerry Elsmore |
| E | Solar Spice, Liquors and Monopoles | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8th | 264 | 40 | Paul Evans |
| F | Semper Durus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1st | 0 | 0 | ELIMINATED |
| G | HDQUS | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3rd | 235 | 39 | Howard Goble |
| H | Trade Wind | 1 | 0 | 8 | N | 76 | 27 | Available | |
| J | ISNOTISTOO | 8 | 0 | 3 | N | 13th | 52 | 32 | William Hay |
| K | Swiss Mercenary Fleet | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7th | 162 | 32 | Martin Jennings |
| L | Zwillinge | 8 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 12th | 250 | 40 | Michael Martinkat |
| M | Transuranic Trade Corp | 10 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4th | 227 | 40 | Bob Parkins |
| N | Vogon Industries | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5th | 77 | 40 | Nathan Richards |
| P | Iskander Fire and Accident | 7 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 2nd | 147 | 40 | Przemyslaw Orwat |
| 'N' under Initiative Bid indicates No Move Received | |||||||||
News
There were four new chits this turn. New chits are shown in Bold:
Turn 9 B10, P1
Turn 10 C4, B10
Turn 11 P4
GM Notes
Factories are built in Systems where a commodity is abundant - see the table bottom of page 17 in the rules. You can't build a Liquor factory at Mu Herculis, for example.
Players who took out loans on the first turn have to repay them by the end of next turn. You repay the loan before you get your Reputation bonus, if any.
A ship laid down in Turn 6, will be launched in Turn 7. It can only Hyperjump in turn 8. You can load it with passengers in turn 7, and goods, if you had a warehouse to store the goods in on turn 7.
I don't update the Market Positions table every turn. In future I will put the turn it was updated on it.
Corporation F, Semper Durus, was eliminated this turn, both for being unable to pay its debts (ships are sold for just 50 HTs if in space) and for failing an Inquiry. (Rules 22.7, 22.8) Firing on ships reduced its Reputation to 0 and it stayed there until the Inquiry phase, which went badly.
There will be a double deadline this turn, as I am away in North Africa over the next deadline.
Pevans
Postal games
Mission of Gravity
Railway Rivals 3
Railway Rivals 4