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Post by Doug on Mar 6, 2007 22:05:11 GMT
In the past, there's been alot of talk about trading leagues and merchants' guilds and that sort of thing, basically focusing on the way they would act as the go between for the hives and the continent...I thought I might as well set up a thread to discuss it...
So, what do people think? How do the guilds work? How many are there of them (or rather, how many big ones are there, roughly? I imagine there are going to be lots of them, but most of them will be quite small)? How divergent are they? That sort of thing...I've a few suggestions myself, but I'll see what other people think first...
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Post by thenephew on Mar 6, 2007 22:58:28 GMT
Having Noble families running [10?] main merchant guilds, of varying wealth, influence, political stance and temperament would be good.
The head of the House is on the senate/board, with trusted advisors guiding sons in the running of various aspects of the company's trade.
The first-born son will look after the land-based company, dealing with the dockside property, storage space, company-owned transport firms, transport off world and liasons with off world traders, as well as with the products' intended end buyers. This son will negotiate bulk contracts with other off-planet entities, such as other Guilds. He will also act as coordinatore and mediator between other sons.
The second and third sons will be given a hemisphere or major area of operations each, and will oversee projects and jobs there. It will be his job to negotiate specifics of contracts pertinent to his sector, and to ensure business arrangements work as planned at fairly small scale. He will also feed reports both ways along the chain, most importantly production reports and projections up to the number one son.
Under these will be family representatives on the Hives themselves - there may be representatives of more than one family on the same 'berg, but these are generally those who have recently had a 'regime change', and are renegotiating contracts and allegiances. These representatives deal with the captains of individual merchant ships, with section heads of the 'berg itself, and with various unions from among the workers. These sons tend to be stuck in PR type jobs among the hive-dwellers for large portions of their lives.
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On the dockside, there will be three main classes of trader:
Family owned - Traders payed by a family to conduct transport, loading and goods exchange. These tend to be the physical arm of the lower tiers of the family.
Successful independent - Traders that have small fleets of large tankers, generally self-made men, building a company from a tanker bought on borrowed money. These tend to be family affiliated, working for only two or three of the ten families, as it is the consistency of the service and patronage that keeps both sides healthy.
Starting independent - Usually living on their ships, these lone captains will own little more than the ship they trade from. Running small shipments, very quickly, from dock-to-Hive. Doing little shipping of actual metroline, these captains tend to carry components and luxuries for the middle classes on board the Hives. Have a high turnover rate, as Captains fail to pay off their loans, damage their boats with little money for repairs, or can't afford to pay their crew. Either way, they get good or nowhere.
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Several of the Guilds also run small enclaves on favoured Hives, with small populations of Family employed specialists, and Family sea-docking space. These can be hired out to the Hive, private individuals on board the Hive, or to traders in need of a berth and repairs. Obviously, a pledge of loyalty and a favourable shipping rate will get you a reduced rent.
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Post by Doug on Mar 7, 2007 21:38:21 GMT
While I think that's good as a basic model, I suspect it would vary alot between families...or it should, to provide some extra interest...if family members are used too, why only sons? Surely the first brother to the head of house, for example, will pull alot more weight than his...third son, say? It works as a basic concept, but needs a little more work, IMO
The last two bits seem largely fine - again, the section on dockside traders needs a little refining (there's bound to be more types than three), but apart from that it's good
So, a good start! Thankee kindly, mister infanticde...
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Post by kessedor on Mar 7, 2007 22:29:26 GMT
Major trade guild names:
St. Martius Federation of Trade: The largest trade guild on the planet (and in the system), the St. Martius Federation of Trade is a collection of nearly three dozen smaller guilds, joined recently. Members live in luxury, content that their guild has enough prosperity for an easy and relaxed life stlye. Four of the major families planet side have interests (and almost complete control!) in this guild.
Certified Traders of St. Martius Cove: Run by two of the worlds high families, the Certified Traders of St. Martius Cove, are second in size to only the St. Martius Federation of Trade. This guild has large interests in hadd fish, an abundant marine-animal that is part of the diet of most inhabitants of St. Martius Cove.
Velez-Abott Trade Meeting: Two of the worlds most famous private traders, Velez and Abott created this guild. Made up of middle-class private traders, the Velez-Abott Trade Meeting is for the common man.
Guardiano Corporation: Of the powerful trade guilds, this is by far the smallest, but the most elite. Run by members of the Guardiano Mafios family, members of this guild are respected and given "breathing room" because of fear. It is well known, and yet accepted that to cross the Guardiano Corporation is a risk that few are willing to accept.
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