Game in the Brain

Doing a simple write up of observations into a Traveller type mechanic. If you are familiar with Mongoose Traveller, I made a “Laborer” Career. It represents a type of “class” broken down into 3 groups: Laborers Low-Market-Value skilled workers (Installers, Helpers, haulers, Stock replenishers in retail), Peddlers people who hawk good, give out flyers, and have to deal buying and selling in very difficult conditions, and Messengers – errand boys and typically used for a lot of all-around work. 

I notice there is a DISTINCT bias to Officer or Airconed work place vs Field work. We have construction and manufacturing and I notice the difference in both pay of labor inside the Factory vs Labor outside (Construction). Definitely Outside Labor is a HIGHER Con Check for Survival. 

Then there are the Clerks: Encoders, Cashiers, Transcribers, and other Semi-Skilled workers etc… people who are need only a high school education. This includes the sales person in Ace/Handy man, or those who entertain people in an Oppo catching their attention and trying to bring them into the store. 

Clerks and Laborers is 2 careers that make up a LARGE percentage. Its the AMOUNT of people who easily qualify for this is what drives their Salaries down. Supply vs Demand. 

What is telling is their Status if I model their “Take Home” using the Status System in Traveller. When you compare it to the “ideal” of 60k combined household income by Gov’t Analysts, the huge break in reality vs ideal becomes depressing. As a gamer and world builder, I realize – there should be a roadmap on how Workers and Clerks become Technicians – and how Technicians become Specialists. 

When I go to Technicians: Engineers, Knowledge Workers, Nurses, and IT is where things get more complicated, which is simplified by their Salaries and the Ebb and Flow of the Market. One day in 2019 there was a Construction Boom and PCAB was struggling to Certify a bunch of Biz to perform the work, and of course, that meant a lot of Biz hired Laborers and Clerks in this field. Next thing in 2020 a Pandemic. 

In converting Traveller SRD to Philippines 2021 I know it may be offensive to MODEL the system, Again modeling a system how I see it: the exploitation of the Market for Low skilled and Semi-Skilled labor, the challenges of “Raising” Status and how Status comes before Competence (the Perception of Competence will always be a Leading Indicator of Actual Competence). 

Good thing its just a Homebrew and coming from Family biz that has Manufacturing, IT, Engineering, Logistics, and Construction I have my blind spots. The food industry is something I have relatives in and I can only make educated guesses about it. Everything is my experience problems of seeing broken systems creating vicious cycles.  

The inquisitive mind will make HIGHLY Offensive questions. Again if Offense was a criterion we’d never get anywhere – nothing will be discussed and we never find out the forces that put good people in bad systems. 

I’d like to run that. Roll up a 22 year old, 34 year old, or 50 year old or 60 year old in 2021 and see how you make do in a BAD situation. Fail spectacularly or Succeed accidentally are interesting stories for me.