THE TRADER

Hints for playing the TRADER Character

The collapse of the Old Empire created huge paradoxical swings in sophistication in the many cultural remnants of the first Empire. Barbaric tribes lived in beautiful cities with breathtaking architecture, yet stilled by the trash of thousands of years of neglect, unaware and unable to use the technology surrounding them. After the thousands of years of the Interregnum, itinerant Star Traders began to be seen among the Imperial star lanes, trading commodities from one race to another. These technological vagabonds probably shared more in common with a space-bound 'linker or itinerant Gypsy of an era gone by than the landed gentry they attempted to portray.

The Trader's main two stocks in trade were their remembered knowledge of the Old Empire's technology, imperfect as it was, and the attributes of their BattleStars and Freighters. The Trader's ponderous BattleStars, turned to use as mobile Factories, brought good news to poorer planets as their untapped Raw Material wealth could now be processed into Imperial Credits. But all knew that for a better offer those BattleStars would be on their way to another World instantly. To carry more cargo, Trader's often loaded their Ships to the locks, tearing out all weapons and defenses. Many of their Freighters were moving death traps pushed to the edge of safety in the Trader's relentless pursuit of the maximum Credit. More often, however, the true worth of the Trader was the gossip he carried of wondrous places and races in the far reaches of the growing Second Empire...

- excerpt Encyclopaedia Galactica

TRADER SCORING:

Each Turn:

• 7 points for each Raw Material delivered to a World not owned by the Trader, not to exceed Raw Materials stockpiled on world at time of delivery of twice the number of Factories on the World. World will accept any Raw Materials delivered but only earn points for the amount up to twice the number of factories on the world.
• 1 Imperial Credit for each Raw Material point, deposited on the delivering Fleet.
• Trader’s Freighters can carry twice as many Raw Materials as other Character Types’ Cruisers but fully loaded Freighters are the most vulnerable ships to enemy fire.
• 7 points for each Mobile Factory (BattleStar not engaged in conflict at a non-enemy world) used by a World other than the Traders’ as a factory. The Credit produced is deposited to the world’s bank. The Mobile Factory counts with World factories in building ships.
• 10 points for each Fleet owned
• Traders can Pickup (and deliver) from Non-allied worlds

Gems: ZIRCONS

Relics:

• The Glass Bead (Also Philosopher)
• The Silmarin (Also Houri)
• The Eye of the Tiger (Also Raider)
• The Pearl Pendant (Also Houri)

TRADER ADVANTAGES: The Trader's Freighters can carry twice as much cargo (raw materials) as their fellow Starlord's Cruisers, even though they are more vulnerable to attack. Trader BattleStars can operate as Mobile Factories when they are not flying or in battle at any non-enemy world, gaining points. And last, Traders can pick things up from Neutral worlds as well as Allied worlds, another nice advantage over their fellow Starlords.

TRADER STRATEGIES: How nice it is to be popular. Everybody needs a Trader. You’re special attribute lets you buy Freighters instead of Cruisers and they carry twice as many Raw Materials to those hungry factories that everybody has. And that creates Imperial Credits, that means ships and that is how the universe runs! You don’t have to bend over backwards to anyone but on the other hand, you need trade routes. You only get points for doing your thing at OTHER PEOPLE’S WORLDS. So no matter how efficiently you carry these needed resources around, you have got to have somebody to carry them for.

So you’ll have plenty of customers as soon as they hear about you. Get them to give you fleets near their high industry worlds, map information so you can move around, instruction for what they’d like moved and where. Trade fleets where it seems sound, give your worlds where it seems safe so that you can carry Raw Materials to your own worlds and build things up in your own empire and make points in your own space, too. Say, guess you’ll see a lot of places, a lot of worlds. Probably fair to say that you’ll be talking to a lot of people, meet a lot of Starlords. In fact, I bet you end up being the source of a lot of information, wonder what that’s worth…

THE BARON
This is a natural of course. Barons have got the worlds and they need those factory worlds to produce not only Imperial Credits but also points! For half the number of ships, or possibly fleets, the Baron can get up to full production, and leave the details to you. This should be a no-brainer contract for you.

THE HOURI
Just depends upon which character the chameleon Houri is playing this turn. A really good Houri ally can be whatever you need Everybody needs fleets and ships and no matter who the Houri is today, producing factories is a part of it. If you are working inside a Houri empire, you are going to know a lot of secrets about what this Houri is doing. You better work to earn the trust of this character if you want to last long. On the other hand, you could get a very nice ride up the points ladder from this character. One of the more interesting combinations is when you are the Houri’s client and the Houri Trader both carry stuff around at your own worlds to build things up really fast.

THE RAIDER
Even the independent Raider can use a Trader. These can be pesky critters but persevere and you can work out a great deal if you are trustworthy. Raiders need those big fleets. Just make sure your alliance is in place so that he doesn’t Raider-Capture your fleets whenever he decides your usefulness is over. He is a profitable customer but bears watching.

THE PHILOSOPHER
Philosophers need big fleets so are obvious customers. You may find this character to be your very best customer and his worlds may change ownership right in front of you. No problem to you as long as he doesn’t lose control of his empire, maybe not even then. There is a lot of room for you to decide to be an honorable character or a real backstabber.

THE TERMINATOR
Here’s a Cyborg creature that needs you more than any of the fleshy characters. He will be a good customer because he’s not dangerous, not likely to turn on you, at least until late in the game but by then you can direct him to the right targets. He is not the best protection but if you have a strong Terminator, and that’s partly up to you, no one will want to antagonize him.

THE WARLORD
Here’s a guy who needs big fleets and you’re just the one that can help create them. You need to convince him that you are an integral part of his campaign, especially with your Mobile Factories that can keep right up with his nomadic sweeps across the Universe. You can easily move your fleets (safely at peace so they don’t disrupt his conquests) right in the midst of all the conflict and drop Raw Materials all over the place. You’ll probably even run across opportunities to drop raw materials on worlds that are high factory that no one owns. That’s okay, you’ll get the points and no competitors will get anything!

TRADER HINTS FROM THE GALACTIC EFFECTUATOR: Traders work well with everybody since all Character Types need the added capacity of the Freighters and the mobile factories of the Trader BattleStar. They are generally peaceable fellows themselves, wanting Peace or War, depending on whether or not it’s good for business. Because they work for so many Players, Traders generally have a better idea of the game Map than other Players and gather a hoard of information, an important commodity in the Trader's commerce.

As a Trader be willing to set most of your fleets At Peace so they don’t threaten your customers’ worlds and fleets. That shows good breeding and that you didn’t sleep through your Trader MBA courses. The Trader is a character whose scores rise in the middle game. The challenge to the Trader is not only to make points but to continue to make them in big enough bunches when dependent upon working at other owner’s worlds. The best way to combat that is to spread wide your customer list so that if any one turns on you, you can adjust your other contracts.

It is always going to be a temptation for you to backstab another character. You are needed and you are at the heart of your friends (also read competitors) empires. You will know more about everything going on in the game than anyone else. What you do with this information will test your abilities to define just what honor means.