Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Dancer (group)

[atpollard]

Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 7 Bells [Poage Fleet]
Josephine Baxter-Smith

Jo set out on her own to see Poage and do a little trading. The population placed the community right in that middle position of large enough to be self-sufficient, but too small to generate an economy of scale surplus. Most goods hovered around FMV (fair market value = base price).

One of the better options was Spices (Cr 6/kg) available at FMV, however they were likely to sell for 15% to 30% more at any Deep Water Community smaller than 100 people. Having something to trade with locals that is in high demand might be both useful and profitable. Jo located a seller with 1900 kg available with a 200 kg minimum purchase (he would not split a 200 kg crate).

Jo also located Luxury Foods (Cr 20/kg base) available for Cr 18/kg, however such items tended to be in high demand in Rich Communities and Large Cities (Hi Pop) and you were heading away from such markets at the moment. So you could buy some luxury wine and cheeses, but it could be a while before you had a chance to sell them.

While out and about, Jo spotted a group of three beggars that inexplicably made her feel nervous. Keeping a discreet eye on them while you worked the market, Jo happened to catch a glimpse of a very serious combat knife that one of them carried. Whatever was going on, they were not just simple beggars. One of them cast something in the gutter in obvious frustration.

After they had moved on, Jo had an opportunity to examine what had been thrown aside. She held a small wooden box with no lid or hinge or keyhole. Jo identified the 3” cube as a wooden puzzle where pieces slide to unlock it. This puzzle was extremely hard to open.

[If Jo chooses to keep the box and work on opening it, roll 10+ to solve it every 8 hours spent studying it in your spare time (every 2 hours if working on the box full time).]

[Urson]

Jo
Jo moves through the market, making notes on what is available and what is a likely candidate for purchase. She makes every effort to be friendly and charming, and makes NO promises to any of the merchants.
She pockets the puzzle cube, intending to use it to while away the long shifts in the engine room. After an hour or so, she returns to the Dancer to confer with the others.

[Zhym]

Finding that his services are unneeded—or at least unwanted—and not really being all that interested in speculative trading, Mercutio returns to the Dancer. If Jo shows him the puzzle box, he will take a keen interest and offer to help her open it if he can.

[AsenRG]

"I would advise us to buy some spices, some tin, and a lot of pharmaceyuticals....what a 50-cents word for medicines", Remy says. "We're travelling towards people who would have use for bronze, and tin is the part that's actually hard to find. Second, medicines are always in high demand in such places as we go...and we have people who can also explain how they are to be applied, and in what cases. As for spices...those are for sale once we get back. We might find some where we're going, but it's not a given. Oh, and of course, we need food for our needs, and for any captives we manage to free."

[atpollard]

Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 8 Bells [Poage Fleet]
Jacques Bonnet, Remy Hernandez, Mercutio Routledge, Samuel Linkletter, Josephine Baxter-Smith, Nathaniel

The group has returned to the boat. Time to wrap up the trading and move on with the real adventure, so your weapons to choose from are:

WEAPONS (damage @ range ‘ToHit’ = 8+):
9 cm/L12 Bronze Howitzer (267 kg; Cr 1366; 23D@450m) purchase price = 1069 Credits +1%
10 cm/L6 Iron Carronade (266 kg; Cr 133; 20D@321m) purchase price = 160 Credits +1%
8 cm/L12 Iron Howitzer (272 kg; Cr 136; 16D@442m) purchase price = 231 Credits +1%
7 cm/L12 Bronze Howitzer (126 kg; Cr 629; 14D@432m) purchase price = 692 Credits +1%
7 cm/L6 Bronze Carronade (63 kg; Cr 314; 11D@308m) purchase price = 440 Credits +1%
7.5 cm/L4 Bronze Swivel Gun (52 kg; Cr 258; 10D@256m) purchase price = 310 Credits +1%

The 7 cm & 7.5 cm guns are mounted on a removable vertical pole.
The 8-10 cm guns are mounted on a sliding carriage fixed to the deck.

“As the guys consider a mount for the gun, Nathaniel will make a few notes and discuss any adjustments necessary to bulwark the deck and cushion the recoil effects of such a weapon on the ship stresses. With his carpentry forte, he can make himself useful while the ship is at anchor. Nathaniel uses skill to assess Craft (ship building) [2d6+2] = 9+2 = 11”

[The ship was designed to mount a gun on the bow (a small Mortar was stolen when the ship was looted), however I am loathe to allow a roll like that to go to waste …]

Nathaniel began examining the deck and Gun Mount and soon drew Mercutio into the conversation. Between the two natural ‘tinkerers’ they had devised an improved mounting for the new gun based on the latest theories that would make it more effective. If the party chooses a large (8-10 cm) gun, they suggest a pivoting mount rather than a fixed sliding mount to give the weapon a 90-degree arc of fire. If the party chooses a small (7-7.5 cm) gun, then they suggest a storage box-like enclosure on the bow from which it can “pop-up” from concealment at the turn of a lever on the bridge using steam drawn from the boiler to power the mechanism.

Either improvement will require a 24 hour delay in the Poage Shipyard to make the improvements. Without the improvements, the weapons can be bolted in place and the ship underway in an hour.

Discuss and make your choice.

[atpollard]

Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 14: Shift 3: 8 Bells [Poage Fleet]
Jacques Bonnet, Remy Hernandez, Mercutio Routledge, Samuel Linkletter, Josephine Baxter-Smith, Nathaniel

The group has returned to the boat. Whatever the decision with the Gun, you have some options for buying Speculative Cargo to take or leave. Here are your choices all gathered in one place:

RICHARD (charges a 1% Fee)
Basic Food (2 Cr/kg) 1.7 Cr/kg
Luxury Food (20 Cr/kg) 17 Cr/kg
Pharmaceuticals (100 Cr/kg) 90 Cr/kg
Deep-Water Spices (6 Cr/kg) 5.7 Cr/kg
Illegal Luxuries (50 Cr/kg) 47.5 Cr/kg
Tin Ore (20 Cr/kg) 20 Cr/kg
Illegal Biochem (50 Cr/kg) 52.5 Cr/kg
Illegal Drugs (100 Cr/kg) 115 Cr/kg

LOCAL MARKET (No 1% Fee)
Basic Food (2 Cr/kg) 1.9 Cr/kg
Luxury Food (20 Cr/kg) 18 Cr/kg
Pharmaceuticals (100 Cr/kg) 95 Cr/kg
Deep-Water Spices (6 Cr/kg) 6 Cr/kg
Tin Ore (20 Cr/kg) 21 Cr/kg
(Requires Streetwise Roll)
Illegal Luxuries (50 Cr/kg) 50 Cr/kg
Illegal Biochem (50 Cr/kg) 55 Cr/kg
Illegal Drugs (100 Cr/kg) 120 Cr/kg

JOSAPHINE CONTACTS
Deep-Water Spices (6 Cr/kg) 6 Cr/kg … 1900 kg available with a 200 kg minimum purchase (he would not split a 200 kg crate) … likely to sell for 15% to 30% more at any Deep-Water Community smaller than 100 people.
Luxury Food (20 Cr/kg) 18 Cr/kg … high demand in (Rich) Communities and Large Cities (Hi Pop)

Discuss and make your choice.

[atpollard]

I like the swivel gun, the spices from Richard (assuming they are the same as the others, just cheaper), pharmaceuticals from Richard, and maybe one crate of technical manuals Mercutio found on Gwynedd.
Plus any basic resupply.

So: How about the L12 bronze howitzer for 692. It could be fitted into that elevator platform idea.
100kg of Pharmaceuticals for 9000+1%=9090
1900kg of Spices for 10830?+1%=10938
plus a crate of manuals(2000kg) for 17000
a total of 37720

Cycle 1063 (Winter): Day 15 [Poage Fleet]
Jacques Bonnet, Remy Hernandez, Mercutio Routledge, Samuel Linkletter, Josephine Baxter-Smith, Nathaniel

The Hemisphere Dancer remains in Poage for 24 hours as the modifications are made and the 7 cm/L12 Bronze Howitzer installed at the Shipyard by Nathaniel and Mercutio.

While in port, you purchase …
1 Crate of Pharmaceuticals (Cr 10,000; 100 kg)
8 Crates of Deep-Water Spices (Cr 1200; 200 kg)
1 Crate of Deep-Water Spices (Cr 1800; 300 kg)

… and Richard finds a buyer for
1 Crate of “Technical Manuals” [Computers] (Cr 20,000; 2000 kg)
Offering Cr 26,000 for the crate (NOTE: Since Jacques expressed interest, Jacques purchased it and I took the Cr 17,000 purchase price out of Jacques cash reserves). Is Jacques interested in selling now?

Does the group want to establish a ship’s fund for buying and selling cargo?
If not, then who will pay Cr 9090 for the Drugs and Cr 10,938 for the Spices?

Does anyone want to do anything in Poage, or shall we move on to the next event?

[AsenRG]

"We should really establish a ready sum for buying and selling cargo. Then everyone who wants to buy something the rest of us don't agree with can risk on his own funds", Remy suggests.

[Monsieur Rose]

Jacques

Jacques will sell the manuals.

I'm good with the idea of a ship's fund.

As he finalizes the purchases and arranges for storage, Jacques seems rather upbeat. "This is nice. Steering a ship, making trades, living on our own. It's almost a pity we have places to be." He starts to prepare for the next leg in the journey to save the royalty and get handsomely rewarded.

[Urson]

Jo
Jo will help with installing the howitzer, if she can. Otherwise, she'll watch.

A ship's fund is an excellent idea. I have some ready cash to put into it, depending on what the rest of you decide.

[Bluetongue]

Nathaniel

Well if we have a ship's fund, how is that divided. Who owns the ship? Captain, pilot, steward. How would I get an equal share? (I am not too familiar with a lot of the trading nuances).

If everyone out in an equal share into a trading pot, ($10 Kcr ?) then we all take an equal personal share out of trading profits but we include the ship repair & maintenance, fuel and upkeep, fees, etc as one additional equal share (or two? depending on upkeep costs).

Does that work?

[AsenRG]

Remy

"That is possible, but what if someone is willing to risk more, or less, than the others? A system where you can invest more or less, entitling you to an com-men-mesurate part of the profits, seems like the better option to me..."
Remy is listening intently, and trying to remember those overwrought words the others keep chucking around, as can be heard. But they can be hard to pronounce, too...which is, he supposes, one of the reasons those people use them. Setting oneself apart from the rest is A Thing every chief or wise man aspires to, ain't it?

[atpollard]

Continue to talk in character if you want. I just wanted to give notice that Day 16 is available to all. Adventure waits for no trade!

[Urson]

Jo
In any business, operating expenses are deducted before profit is calculated. If we all own equal shares in The Dancer, then the costs of upkeep should be subtracted first.
Remy, I see your point- but if someone were to buy a controlling interest in The Dancer, then the rest of us would become his (or her) employees. I would personally prefer that we remain equal partners, and that anyone wishing to risk more be allowed to speculate on specific cargoes, or invest in other vessels.

[ffilz]

Doc Linkletter will propose the Society of Gentlemen Adventurers be the owner of the Dancer, and we become members of said society. We can decide how to accept new members.

Additionally, we will have a brokerage that operates on the basis of shares. Since the brokerage is using the Dancer for profit making, it will funnel 5% of it's profit into the SGA.

That way the SGA will have assets for ship upgrades and repairs and such without worrying about what percentage share of the ship any PC has, or what to do when a PC leaves (a PC leaving can remove their share from the brokerage, but has no interest in the ship. We also don't have the problem of what if a new PC doesn't have much cash to buy into the ship.

[Zhym]

"What about the ladies?" asks Mercutio. "Shouldn't we include them too? Although I guess the 'Society of Lady and Gentleman Adventurers' may not have the most appealing acronym."

[ffilz]

Society of Gentle Adventurers...

[AsenRG]

Remy just looks dumbfounded at this discussion... the idea that whether women are mentioned actually matters, is totally foreign to him.
These foreigners. With islanders, if an woman becomes head of household, she can just do the same as any male head of household. Why do they have to complicate matters?
"And if we mention that, wouldn't men and women who don't consider themselves "gentle" feel disinvited? I, for one, don't think it applies to me. Similarly, if anyone doesn't feel adventureous, but has money to invest, wouldn't you take it?", Remy asked, just to make sure.
"Seems to me that we should just call it Society of Friends. We can live without outlaws and people who don't wish to be our friends, methinks."

[Bluetongue]

Nathaniel

avoids the name tag discussion ...

He works quietly on any ship crafting tasks while we navigate the oceans.

[Urson]

Jo
I honestly do not care what the group is called... but isn't there a religious group that calls themselves the Society of Friends?
"Hemisphere Dancer Investment Group" might be an easy solution to the problem.