BEN'S COMPENDIUM OF 200+ CARGOS

This is not an exhaustive list. There is plenty of room for additions. There are over 200 different types of cargo represented, though, enough to take any merchant based science fiction RPG campaign and kick it up a notch. In addition to being a source for merchant campaigns, it is also a useful list to consult for ideas when a game master needs a quick answer to a question like "What is in the hold/truck/shipping container?" or ""What does that company produce?". Upon hearing that player characters in a fire fight are taking cover behind an overturned truck, for example, you may want to know what is in the truck. The "nice" game master might say "prefabbed collapsible structures" while the evil game master says "pyrotechnics".

Why the detail? Does it matter if the cargo is "Meat" or "Produce"? It's still just food, right? Maybe. On the other hand, maybe the colony you're trying to sell it in is vegetarian. The detail is there is because it affects role playing. In a "shoot-em-up" campaign, you want more detail than "bad guys with guns" right? Well, in a merchant campaign, success or failure, and your strategy, may hinge on exactly what type of cargo you're carrying.

Additionally, consider this. Industrial areas tend to specialize. Specialization creates production efficiencies, and both creates and in turn is supported by a specialized local skill base. Therefore, a particular area may specialize in a narrow area. In Broad Terms, it may seem, for example, that a certain planet is a machinery exporter. Looked at in detail, you might find the major export products are construction and mining machinery, drilling systems, and tool and die machinery, while other forms of machinery are imported. Trade becomes more complex.

The numbers organizing the list are taken from the World Trade Organization's classification system, a numbering format that is generally ignored by the national governments of the world, which use any one of a number of other formats. For example, Canada, The United States, Mexico, and New Zealand use the North American Industrial Classification system, New Zealand having obtained honorary North American status for trade classification purposes.

The other notations are part of a system under development to create "typical" cargos. I stress, however, that the game master should decide on what he wants in his campaign and not rely on a random system. The "Quarterly" or "Annual" note for markets and sources shows, typically, how often the market expects to be served at a minimum. A merchant should not expect, under most circumstances, to sell a 6 month supply of something to a "quarterly market". If they must make do, they must, but they won't be happy about it. Likewise, with a quarterly source, if the merchant wants more, he should make arrangements for return trips- the seller will be unwilling or unable to build up a full year supply before shipment.

The "Volatility" note is used to show how much either supply or demand changes over time. If the Volatility is Low, the game master should move demand or supply up or down no more than 25%, or not at all. If it is moderate, up to 50% percent. (But even with a moderate or high volatility, it could change not at all!) If it is High, up to 100% percent, and if Very High, even more.

The "base unit" is usually a container or pallet. Pallets have 2m3 of cargo space and occupy 2.25m3 of space. A single pallet can fit comfortably in the bed of an average pickup or van, and can be moved by forklift, skid loader, or walker work unit. Containers have 54 m3 of internal space (enough for 24 pallets) and take up 60 m3 of space. Cranes typically move containers. Pallets fit snugly into containers. Containers are designed to be loaded on ships,

trains, trucks, etc. Some small cargos which are typically sold in physically small amounts are packed in trays, cannisters, boxes, or crates, a number of which fit on a pallet. Occasionally, an item may take up such small room that it can easily be stored in areas other than a ship's hold, for example, jewelry.

Some cargos are designated "Refrigerated" "Liquid" or "Vehicular" or have other special notes. These are explained below.

To go to the Cargo Lists, select the basic cargo type:

AGRICULTURAL CARGOS

CHEMICAL, MINERAL, TEXTILE, METAL, AND OTHER BASIC MATERIAL GOODS

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

OTHER MANUFACTURES

OTHER CARGOS

Liquid cargos. Typically, when liquids are transported in large amounts in container sized loads, the entire container is a single tank, not a container full of pallets, as a large tank is more efficient to load and

unload. However, when the chemicals are designed to b distributed to smaller users, each pallet will generally contain several drums or a number of cannisters, and the pallets are then loaded aboard containers. An example of the former, a full container sized tank, might be organic solvents being shipped to a synthetics factory, or wood preservatives going directly to a lumber mill. An example of the latter might be flavoring syrup going to a candy manufacturer, or paint going to a builder. The Game Master is free to declare that a shipper is interested in shipping, or a buyer interested in receiving, container sized tank loads only, or on the other hand, cannot accept tanks that big. Tanks are typically built with internal baffles and compartments to prevent excess surge during acceleration. Typically, that is. All liquid cargos, though, pose certain risks. Leaks are obvious problems, so containers should be inspected often. Even if the baffles and compartments are intact, and especially if a large tank is only partly full, sloshing of liquid can have severe effects on the handling of a maneuvering spacecraft or interface craft. For this reasons, large tanks should always be nearly topped off.

Vehicle Cargos

Vehicles usually do not fit neatly into containers. This is obvious, as containers are meant to be transported on vehicles. Getting vehicles aboard starships, then, is a bit of a trick. There are several ways of doing this.

If the starship is interface capable, (sometimes, the cargo section is, with the rest of the ship, the portion having no real business on a planet surface, staying in orbit) the starship lands, the vehicles are driven or

placed aboard, and the starship leaves. Simple enough, but not every starship can do this. If the vehicles must be taken up via another interface craft, special oversize containers are sometimes used. This is a less efficient way of packing the vehicles, and they will use 10% more space. Or, the vehicles are individually manhandled (or robot handled, etc,) from the hold of the interface craft to the hold of the starship. Some starships will simply act as carriers for the interface craft, which will stay loaded for the whole trip, providing a "roll on, roll off" capability without landing an entire starship.

Many vehicle cargos consist of a substantial amount of empty space. If the trader is willing to put in the time and effort needed to use this, space can be used- by manually unloading other cargos and fitting them into the voids in and around vehicles. Not all cargos can be thusly packed, but if the game master agrees, use the "percent empty" figure to determine how much of the vehicle space can be filled with extra cargo.

Refrigerated Cargo: If a hold is not refrigerated, a container must be if the refrigerated cargo is to be kept refrigerated. If the container is refrigerated, 1 pallet space or 4% of tonnage will be lost to refrigeration equipment. Pallets are usually not individually refrigerated. If need be, refrigerated pallets can be obtained, which sacrifice 10% of internal space to the refrigeration equipment.