💰 Trade & Commerce
Tables for cargo trading, market prices, smuggling, and speculative commerce. Perfect for merchant campaigns and freelance traders navigating the space lanes.
📦 Common Trade Goods
How to Use: Standard cargo types found throughout civilized space.
Roll d100 for cargo type and consult size/weight/value tables.
Cargo Type (d100)
| d100 | Cargo |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | Food & Water (perishable) |
| 11-15 | Luxury Foods (non-perishable) |
| 16-20 | Medical Supplies |
| 21-25 | Pharmaceuticals |
| 26-30 | Textiles & Clothing |
| 31-35 | Electronics & Computers |
| 36-40 | Machinery & Parts |
| 41-45 | Raw Materials (ore, minerals) |
| 46-50 | Refined Metals |
| 51-55 | Chemicals |
| 56-60 | Manufactured Goods |
| 61-65 | Entertainment Media |
| 66-70 | Scientific Equipment |
| 71-73 | Weapons (legal) |
| 74-76 | Vehicles |
| 77-79 | Livestock/Animals |
| 80-82 | Colonization Equipment |
| 83-85 | Luxury Items |
| 86-88 | Art & Antiques |
| 89-91 | Illegal Goods (hidden) |
| 92-94 | Hazardous Materials |
| 95-96 | Military Equipment |
| 97-98 | Alien Artifacts |
| 99 | Classified/Unknown |
| 00 | Passengers (special cargo) |
Cargo Size (d6)
| d6 | Size |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Small (1-5 tons) |
| 3-4 | Medium (6-20 tons) |
| 5 | Large (21-100 tons) |
| 6 | Bulk (100+ tons) |
Base Value per Ton (Credits)
| Cargo Type | Value Range |
|---|---|
| Food | 500-1,000 cr |
| Medical | 2,000-5,000 cr |
| Electronics | 10,000-20,000 cr |
| Machinery | 5,000-15,000 cr |
| Raw Materials | 200-800 cr |
| Luxury Items | 50,000-200,000 cr |
| Weapons (legal) | 10,000-50,000 cr |
| Illegal Goods | 20,000-100,000+ cr |
⚠️ Cargo Complications
How to Use: Things that can go wrong with cargo. Roll d100 when taking on cargo, mid-journey, or delivering cargo.
Cargo Problems (d100)
| d100 | Problem |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | Cargo is not what manifest says |
| 11-15 | Perishable goods spoiling faster |
| 16-20 | Theft from cargo hold |
| 21-25 | Cargo is illegal in destination system |
| 26-30 | Owner/buyer changed mind |
| 31-35 | Cargo is alive and escaped |
| 36-40 | Refrigeration/life support failing |
| 41-45 | Pirates specifically want this cargo |
| 46-50 | Cargo is stolen (unknowingly) |
| 51-55 | Military wants to inspect cargo |
| 56-60 | Competitor wants to steal deal |
| 61-65 | Buyer can't pay full amount |
| 66-68 | Cargo is leaking/contaminating ship |
| 69-71 | Receiver is dead/missing |
| 72-74 | Cargo is actually contraband |
| 75-77 | Religious taboo about cargo |
| 78-80 | Cargo destabilizing in transit |
| 81-83 | Corporate interests in cargo |
| 84-86 | Cargo attracts dangerous attention |
| 87-89 | Customs will seize cargo |
| 90-92 | Buyer is actually a trap |
| 93-95 | Cargo is evidence in crime |
| 96-97 | Cargo contains tracking device |
| 98-99 | Cargo is a bomb/weapon |
| 00 | Cargo is sentient and objects |
💰 Market Price Modifiers
How to Use: Adjust base cargo values based on local conditions.
Roll d100 for market condition or choose based on situation.
Market Conditions (d100)
| d100 | Condition | Price Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| 01-10 | Crash | 50% of normal |
| 11-20 | Depression | 75% of normal |
| 21-40 | Recession | 90% of normal |
| 41-60 | Normal | 100% - base prices |
| 61-80 | Boom | 150% of normal |
| 81-90 | High Demand | 200% of normal |
| 91-95 | Shortage | 300% of normal |
| 96-00 | Critical Shortage | 500% of normal |
Local Modifiers
| Location Type | Modifier |
|---|---|
| War Zone | +100% (high demand) |
| Quarantine | -50% (no trade) |
| New Colony | +50% (needs everything) |
| Mining World | -20% raw materials |
| Agricultural World | -30% food |
| Tech Hub | -20% electronics |
| Luxury Resort | +100% luxury goods |
| Frontier World | +75% (scarce goods) |
| Trade Hub | -10% (lots of competition) |
| Blockaded | +200% (smuggled goods) |
Formula:
Final Price = Base Price × Market Condition × Local Modifier × Seasonal Effect
🚫 Smuggling Operations
⚠️ Warning: For transporting illegal cargo. Much higher risk, much higher reward.
Contraband Types (d20)
| d20 | Contraband |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Weapons (illegal models) |
| 4-5 | Drugs (recreational/illegal) |
| 6-7 | Slaves/Indentured |
| 8-9 | Stolen Goods |
| 10-11 | Counterfeit Products |
| 12-13 | Biological Weapons |
| 14-15 | AI Cores (illegal) |
| 16 | Alien Technology |
| 17 | Military Secrets |
| 18 | Pirated Media |
| 19 | Endangered Species |
| 20 | Proscribed Knowledge |
Smuggling Complications (d100)
| d100 | Complication |
|---|---|
| 01-20 | Routine inspection (close call) |
| 21-30 | Thorough search ordered |
| 31-40 | Snitch reported cargo |
| 41-45 | Tracking device found |
| 46-50 | Buyer is undercover cop |
| 51-55 | Pirates know about cargo |
| 56-60 | Inside man betrayed you |
| 61-65 | Cargo more illegal than thought |
| 66-70 | Military blockade |
| 71-75 | Random deep scan |
| 76-80 | Competitor tips off authorities |
| 81-85 | Equipment failure (detectable) |
| 86-90 | Customs seized ship |
| 91-95 | Arrested on arrival |
| 96-99 | Cargo stolen by pirates |
| 00 | Cargo is sting operation |
Smuggling Rewards:
If successful: 2x-5x normal cargo value, reputation with smugglers, future opportunities, criminal contacts
If Caught:
Ship impounded, heavy fines, prison time, blacklisted from ports, hunted by authorities
📈 Speculative Trading
How to Use: Buying cargo cheap in one system to sell high in another.
High risk, high reward trading strategy.
How It Works
- Roll on Trade Goods table
- Roll for Purchase Price modifier
- Travel to destination
- Roll for Selling Price modifier
- Calculate profit/loss
Purchase Price (d20)
| d20 | Purchase Condition |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Fire Sale (50% of base) |
| 4-7 | Discount (75% of base) |
| 8-14 | Normal (100% of base) |
| 15-18 | Premium (125% of base) |
| 19-20 | Gouging (150% of base) |
Selling Price (d20)
| d20 | Selling Condition |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Market crashed (50% of base) |
| 3-5 | Low demand (75% of base) |
| 6-14 | Normal market (100% of base) |
| 15-17 | High demand (150% of base) |
| 18-19 | Shortage (200% of base) |
| 20 | Critical need (300% of base) |
Tips for Traders
- Buy low, sell high (obviously)
- Check local news for demand
- Avoid perishables on long routes
- Get cargo insurance
- Watch for price trends
- Build relationships with merchants
- Keep backup plans
- Diversify cargo types