Smuggler's Run Changes... From: dvistas@aol.com (D Vistas) Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 00:00:00 +0000 <<< INTERGALACTIC NEWSWIRE SERVICE >>> SUBJECT: Rules Additions/Changes To Smuggler's Run TO : All Intergalactic Citizens FROM : Megafalagon University, Sol (dvistas@aol.com) >>> THE WIND IS BLOWING... Smuggler's Run is a continually evolving game, and as such, there will be times when we change the way things get done. We always strive to make the changes positive ones, eliminating redundancy, and helping to keep orders simple, yet flexible. The following changes to Smuggler's Run will be in effect as of Saturday, July 1st, so issue your orders as usual until the orders for the first turn in July are due. One of the biggest changes is that you are now only allowed 10 orders instead of 15. This may seem like a problem at first, but as you will see, we've improved the way numerous orders work, and so you should be able to do just as much fun and interesting stuff in a turn as you could do before. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, and good luck! >>> NEWS FLASH: PRIVATE TRADER COMPANIES DISSOLVED! A recent revocation of an overturned imperial law now prohibits the formation of private Companies. All such illegal ventures are hereby disbanded. All orders that once pertained only to members of private companies are now available only to corporate aligned traders. Early in I.Y. 995, the once great Cargomaster's Guild fell from grace and was shattered. Massive financial losses, political intrigue and bad hair was touted as the primary cause. In order to prevent a complete collapse of independent interstellar trade, seven huge mega-corporations took over the Guild's function as protectorate and guide to the many thousands of members who had nowhere else to turn. Without protection, imperial oppression would destroy free trade in The Core forever. Without corporate protection, you would probably fall prey to pirates or other smugglers on your first trip out... or end up in a Macovian prison. But The corporate ships continuously scout the trade routes, blasting away bad guys, marking imperial customs beacons and keeping things a lot safer for you, the little guy. And they don't do it for love, or for country, or for any noble or philanthropic reason. They do it for money. Your money. The dues you pay every turn for their protection. To align with a corporation is a privilege, an honor and (some say) a necessity. You don't have to align, but without their help, you'll be on your own. Your dues are based on the value of your corporation's stock. The more powerful corporations offer better services, so you pay more. Each one of these corporations is made up of one or more companies. There are 50 companies in all, and they provide the majority of the goods and services that are used by the billions of citizens everywhere. You can invest in any company, even one you're not aligned with. Investing using the IN order is a fair way to make a quick fortune if you have good insight, or perhaps an insider's trading tip. Each corporation is listed below with the corporation's code, name, and all of the companies that make up the cartel with their stock codes: ABA: Abahz-Metro Importers MAX: Maxim PowerKil Industries (INS) Instant Art (BBP) Big Bang Pyrotechnics (LOF) Lester's Old Fashioned Books (SPS) Solomon Particle Splitting (ATM) Atmospheric Seeding Specialists (ZER) Zeerocks Clones (PIL) Piltdown Fossils (POW) PowerThrust Weapons Mfg. (KTM) K'Karkh'uk's Textile Mills (MYR) Myrmidon Security Systems (SPA) Slipping Penguin Artifacts (END) EndlessLoop Armaments BIO: The Biomed Consortium UNI: Universal Built (CHE) Chemico Corporation (WID) Widgets Incorporated (NLG) New Life Genetics (PET) RoboPets (PHR) Pharmicon (ZGM) Zero-G Tool Manufacturers (SCR) Screaming Organisms (GTV) Galaxy Terravehicles (RAR) Rare Air Radiates (ELI) Eliza Microbrains (PML) Perpetual Motion Limited (SYN) Synthoceramics (NUK) Nukonium Industrials (MCS) McSquared FTL Jumpdrives (6MB) 6M Bioprotheses (UNI) Universal Robotics (REE) Reerdin Steel Corporation GAL: Galactic Transport Cartel (TOX) Toxiwaste Shipping Co. XEN: XenoChem Mining Ltd. (HOA) Haul-O-Rama (DUR) Duraplast Industries (GUA) Guaranteed Tame (AUT) AuthentiCoal (PHO) Phoenix Recycling (HYD) Hydroponics Lumber (TAG) Tagert Transport (SNS) Strip'n'Ship (EVE) Eversharp Elementals KLU: Kludge/TriNutriate (MET) Metals and Minerals (FOO) FoodCo (MNM) Magma-Neutron Mining (DRD) Driheeve's Distilleries (CRY) Cryo-Fresh (ORB) Orboid Fruit Growers (GRE) Green & Leafy Spice Company (KLC) Kludge Cola & Beverage Company (REP) RepliPod (XEN) Xenosplice (WTO) Warped Tree Orchards Use the latest issue of The Galactic Inquirer to check on stock values owned by your corporation, and total them to determine the corporation's net share worth. Take this number and divide it by 500 to determine your dues percentage, which must be paid each turn. For example, if your corporation's net share worth is 2,507 QPs, then 2,507 / 500 = 5.014, so you'd have to pay 5.014% of your onhand cash at the end of your turn as corporate dues. This is very similar to how the old Cargomaster's Guild used to work. The more powerful corporations have more ships and resources, but also charge higher dues. The choice is yours, and you may decide to be completely independent of the corporate squeeze, which many smugglers insist on doing. So the question remains: to join or not to join? >>> ALIGN CORPORATION ORDER Align Corporation: AC Code --- You like your independence and freedom, but sometimes you feel like it's just too dangerous out there to go it alone. Then don't! Aligning yourself with one of the 7 galactic corporations is the way to go. Protection from interstellar piracy, ship insurance and policy voting privileges are just a few of the useful services they provide. To align yourself with one of these business powerhouses, just use this order. See the section Aligning With A Mega-Corporation elsewhere in this guide for more information. Each corporation is listed below with the corporation's code, name, and they types of companies that comprise them: THE GALACTIC MEGA-CORPORATIONS: ABA: Abahz-Metro Importers - Art, Books, Textiles BIO: The Biomed Consortium - Medical, Biological Products GAL: Galactic Transport Corporation - Transportation, Disposal KLU: Kludge/TriNutriate - Foods, Agriculture, Drinks MAX: Maxim PowerKil Industries - Armaments, Defenses, Security UNI: Universal Built - Tools, Machines, Robotics XEN: XenoChem Mining Ltd. - Chemicals, Raw Materials, Mining >>> CITY TRANSFER ORDER City Transfer: CT City# -- Planetfall can be an interesting experience, especially if you take advantage of the wonderful public city transfer system. Take a high-tech streamlined hoverbus, a low-altitude taxi cab or a magnorail train. It's all up to you as you zip across the planet in style! Travel is inexpensive, less than 100 QPs for a one-way pass, and you can enjoy the more remote parts of the world. City# is the number of the city that you wish to visit. Planets will have from 2 to 5 cities that you can travel to, with varied goods and services available. Some cities offer ship repair or modification services, while others offer gambling, resorts and entertainment. There are no city transfers at outposts. You will automatically return to City#1 whenever you use the JU order from any other city. >>> GAMBLE ORDER Gamble: GA Game#, QPs -- Gambling is a good way to lose your shirt, get arrested, beat up, shot, robbed, etc. But the lure of the sleazy casinos and imperial gambling houses is sometimes more than you can take. Just enter a Game# from 1 to 5, and the QPs (up to 100,000) that you are going to gamble with. The higher the game number, the riskier the game, but the more you'll get if you win. >>> HIRE CREW ORDER Hire Crew: HC Pro, Level# -- Your crew can be an important addition to your company, and this order us used to hire and fire crew members. Pro is the first 3 letters of the crewman you want to hire, like MER for mercenary or DOC for doctor. See The Crew Professions above for more details on crewmen. Level# is the skill level of the crewman needed. If you don't have the money to pay a crewman's salary, you will not be able to hire him. Once you hire a crewman, the name and other info will be listed on your Character Status Sheet. To fire a crewman, enter the order HC followed by the crewman's Pro. Your crew includes yourself and it cannot be any larger than the level of your ship's computer. So a ship with a level 5 computer could have a crew of up to 5 members, including yourself and 4 crewmen. >>> INVEST ORDER Invest: IN Corporation, Shares# -- With this order, you enter the Corporation code, which is a three-letter designator or the company you want to invest in, and the number of Shares# for the transaction. Use a plus sign (+) to purchase shares, and a minus sign (-) to sell shares. So the order IN ATM +100 would allow you to purchase 100 shares of ATM stock. You may own any number of shares in any number of corporations, and they can be bought or sold anywhere in the galaxy at any time. Each 100 shares of stock in a company you are aligned with is worth 1 vote. You will not make any money from a stock until you sell your shares back to the stock market, at which time your profits or losses will be collected. Also, you'll have to pay a 5% fee to your broker when selling stock certificates. You may purchase or sell up to a maximum of 50,000 shares per transaction. Stock prices fluctuate on the open market along with the standard economic indicators. See the Economic Page in the latest Galactic Inquirer for economic details and stock values. >>> IMPROVE SKILL ORDER Improve Skill: IS Skill1... Skill3 -- This order is used to improve your skills. Just write the first 3 letters of the Skill you want to change, and you can list up to 3 skills per IS order. So if your Haggling is +3 and your Pilot is +1, entering the order IS HAG PIL would increase Haggling to +4 and Pilot to +2, if you had the VPs to spend. Also, you will be charged a nominal but necessary number of QPs in order to learn your skills. This is to pay for such incidental expenses as books, computer tapes, instructors and, of course, pencils. You must be at a city that provides training services in order to improve a skill. See Table E below for information on VP point costs for increasing skills. Remember, the maximum level for any skill is +6, but cybernetic implants can increase this. You can't improve skills at an outpost. Table E: Skill Advancement Chart Skill Level....... +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 VP Cost........... 10 20 40 80 160 320 640 >>> JUMP ORDER Jump: JU Dir# Dir#... Dir# -- To get from here to there, you use this order. Different ships have different drives... some faster, some slower. Dir# is a direction number as shown on your Map Of The Core, and it indicates a 1-quad jump in that direction. You can enter as many jumps as your drive is capable of handling in a single order, and you can use multiple jump orders for long distance travel. For example, the order for a level 2 jumpdrive, JU 7778, means jump 3 quads in direction 7 and one quad in direction 8. Slow drives can only jump 2 quads, while Imperial Navy ships can jump up to 12 quads, which is the hyperjump limit for space travel. A single jump uses up one unit of Nukonium Petrolex fuel, no matter how far the distance is. Valid direction numbers are 1 through 8. You may end your jump anywhere on the map, including deep space. Use 0 as the Dir# to dock your ship on a planet or outpost. When you dock your ship, the computer takes control, contacting the local authorities and landing your ship at a planet's capital city (city #1) or an outpost's docking bay. Whenever you dock, your Bigelow's Guide will give a listing of all cities, available services and special orders available, and this information should be recorded in your Exploration Log. Once on-world, you must go through the usual Customs inspections to receive your docking papers. Your ship might get scanned for illegal cargo, depending on the empire and underworld levels, and confiscation is possible. To avoid customs altogether, you can try a forced landing by using 9 as the Dir#, but only on planets. Forced landings are dangerous, and failure might result in a crash landing, so beware! Using 0 or 9 to dock does not count as a jump and uses no extra fuel. So, a ship with a level 1 jumpdrive could use the order JU 330 to move 2 Quads in direction 3 and then dock, expending 1 unit of fuel. Once landed, you are free to shop the bazaars, check out local taverns, enjoy the hospitality of the native inhabitants, and buy or sell items where available. You can also use the public city transfer system (CT) to travel to other cities on the world. See the entry on Bigelow's Guide in The Smuggler's Equipment section in this book for more information. >>> MODIFY SHIP ORDER Modify Ship: MS System1... System3 -- To upgrade a ship system one level, use this order. System is the first 3 letters of the system that you want to modify, like LAS for laser cannon or COM for computer, and you can list up to 3 systems per MS order. The order MS COM HUL would upgrade your computer and hull one level each. You must have enough money for this order to work, and the QPs will be automatically deducted from your account. See Table F below for a list of system costs, which are standardized throughout the galaxy and stimulated by government subsidies. Your ship must be docked at a qualified planet before you can use this order. You cannot skip levels and you cannot modify a damaged system. Outposts do not have facilities for modifying ships. Table F: Cost For Ship System Upgrade Or Repairs System Level 2 3 4 5 6 Computer........... 200 K 430 K 850 K 1,600 K 3,500 K Jumpdrive.......... 100 K 210 K 420 K 900 K 1,700 K Cargo Bay.......... 75 K 140 K 300 K 650 K 1,200 K Hull............... 125 K 250 K 480 K 1,100 K 2,500 K Laser Cannon....... 150 K 290 K 580 K 1,400 K 2,800 K Maneuver Jets...... 50 K 110 K 230 K 450 K 800 K Sensor Array....... 90 K 180 K 350 K 700 K 1,300 K Shield Generator... 165 K 340 K 720 K 1,500 K 3,200 K >>> REPAIR SHIP ORDER Repair Ship: RS System1... System3 -- When your ship gets damaged in combat, you can dock at any qualified planetary spaceport and use this order to fix the damage. Just enter the first 3 letters of the system being repaired, and just like the Modify Ship order, you can repair up to 3 systems with a single RS order. If your hull is damaged, then the cost is 5,000 QPs for labor plus 5,000 QPs per point of hull to be replaced. Otherwise, the cost to repair a system is 1/2 of the cost of a new system. As an example, to repair a level 3 jumpdrive, you would enter the order RS JUM. The job would cost you 105,000 QPs, more or less. You can also do repairs to your ship if you suspect that damage was done during your turn using RS CHK. This order will cause skilled repair technicians to check over your vessel, and they'll fix the first damaged ship system they find, with a surcharge of 10,000 QPs per level of the system repaired, of course. If you don't have enough money for a repair, it will not be performed. You cannot repair your ship at an outpost. >>> VOTE ORDER Vote: VO Decision -- Responsibility comes to those who align with a corporation. There will be times when major policy decisions will require a vote from all corporate members, and these resolutions can alter your future and fortune forever! The number of votes you get is your ship level squared, so a level one ship gets 1 vote, but a level 4 ship gets 16. You also get 1 vote per 100 shares of stock you own in the same corporation you are aligned with. Your strength and power in your corporation are directly related to your own worth and influence. Whenever a vote is proposed, it will be published in The Galactic Inquirer. Once published, all corporate members may cast a vote Decision of AYE or NAY. A non-vote is automatically cast as a NAY, and if you vote more than once, only your last vote is tallied. This allows you to change your mind later in the month. All proposed votes are placed on ballot by the 7 intergalactic mega-corporations. >>> ORDERS SUMMARY It is vitally important that you enter your orders correctly, or your turn will most likely be a terrible mess instead of a successful venture. Use this handy guide to remind you how the various orders work, and refer to the page numbers for more detailed information on each order. Align Corporation................. AC Code Attack Ship....................... AS Ship# Bar Hop........................... BH Change Flags...................... CF Flags# Communicate....................... CO Ship# City Transfer..................... CT City# Drop Cargo........................ DC Ship#, Cargo#, Quantity Explore........................... EX Find Ship......................... FS Ship# Fuel Up........................... FU Units# Gamble............................ GA Game#, QPs Give Item......................... GI Ship#, Item# Hire Crew......................... HC Pro, Level Hospitalize....................... HO Invest............................ IN Company, Shares# Improve Skill..................... IS Skill1... Skill3 Jump.............................. JU Dir# Dir#... Dir# Loan Shark........................ LS QPs Morph............................. MO Attribute Modify Ship....................... MS System1... System3 Purchase Cargo.................... PC Cargo#, Quantity QP Transfer....................... QT Ship#, QPs Regenerate........................ RE Repair Ship....................... RS System1... System3 Sell Cargo........................ SC Cargo#, Quantity Snoop............................. SN Cargo Special Order..................... SO Parameters Tactics........................... TA Aggr#, Retr#, Atk Lvl#, Atk Class Trade Item........................ TI Item#...Item# Use Item.......................... UI Item#, System Vote.............................. VO Decision Distant Vistas - P.O. Box 90993, Industry, CA 91715-0993 Email: dvistas@aol.com (c)1995 Distant Vistas. All Rights Reserved. Up