Game in the Brain

Help people understand how run a ship. Know their costs and how to use the various KPIs.

Make that FUN – its FUN to not be in DEBT!!! Its fun NOT TO STARVE, its FUN not to suffer necessarily. 

Role-playing the Details. At work the heights of Emotion comes from the Risks, Opportunities and Uncertainty. Stability is great – but that’s an ideal, learning to live with the Uncertainty – not by giving up and never making plans or studying – but Learning what we can Control and Learning to accept what we cant control, and the opportunity uncertainty may reveal. 

Living Below the Poverty line in Cepheus Engine 30 days x 90Cr = 2700 Cr per month but Salaries are 1,000 Cr for Gunner, Marine, Etc…  But I think its in MGT2E its 1000Cr (Core book p145) That’s about 35Cr/ day in MGT2E vs 90-100Cr/day in MGT2E. 

page 76

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because PC are supposed to be Crossed Trained in everything they all should be at least 5000 Cr./month In the 3rd world Salaries are a sensitive topic. One of the most Unrealistic things in Traveller is the lack of crosstraining – I worked as a graphic designer for Magsaysay Shipping and they asked us to read up on the Seaman manual for Powerpoint presentations, I have friends who did ship thing (as Filipinos were the most common Crewman in the world), I work in IT, I work in Manufacturing, etc… Specialization is a Luxury – its like thinking Every Musician is a Rock star not a struggling performer – Specialist is Rare. I’m a PM, manager, artist, writer, etc… I dont not have the luxury of specialization and many of my more grounded and less privileged peers dont either. 

What does this mean  Crew is cross Trained and since they have Equal duties but different specialties they are roughly the Same salary 4000-6000Cr. I recommend a new Crew start at 4K and set goals to achieve for their 5k level. 

Also note that in a Harder scifi where the Navigator programs the flight because humans cannot react fast enough there are no “Pilots” manual operation of the ship is when the Mult-redundant and distributed ship computers fail this is not something for humans. 

Part of the Book I’m writing is the Economic Analysis of the profitability of the Ships we designed. At least the KEY points – I’ve listed and read so many Traveller stories that do not make biz sense – particularly the Pricing and the basic budgeting – I grew up with my Dad the Salesman and Dreamer and my mom the Accountant. Balancing the ability to Pursue Opportunities and Objectives with a Grasp of reality has always been a key aspect because I always learn something out of it when I accept the reality. I like knowing I can’t afford X or the cost of Doing Y. I like growing by doing this and learning to do things better – Process-Based and Quality based approach. I think its a really great experience – so writing up that the Shipowners will need to get X or else they go into the RED seems like a Need. 

I get it a game can have NO money no way to Keep track if they are fiscally sound or not – but Credits are stakes in a story. Its a powerful tool in creating stakes as well as playing around with stakes and behaviors. My favorite thing about money in games is its Stakes that don’t have to be about violence all the time. It can also come in non-cash forms and in kind. 

Dont players want to retire their characters not because the Referee threw cash at their lap but because of their Hustle and eye how to convert an opportunity? 

I agree that the Ship should be Risky – a McDonalds (or any) Franchise has everything Spelled out and Written but its still Risky. A Ship with cost and income analysis is an opportunity for specifics – specifics are the Building Blocks of Context. Context is that layer that allow us to make the Improbable Possible: Pigs can fly because of the context that they are flown regularly as Black Iberico Hammon. Context happens with Details and Specifics – it allows Players and Gms see strange and wonderful things – that Spin Gravity is Like gravity but not – that two contradicting people can be both correct. 

Context is only possible though with a Mindset that is Open to understanding. If you are into Harder scifi or Using Scifi as a Vehicle to explore many parts of Human Experience then yeah Context is something you learn to be cautious about but willing to explore.