Purchase Options

These lists provide the expenditures (optional and required) that can be purchased.

Investments

• Increase Planet Productivity: Most Minor Industrial worlds will remain at that level, unless considerable investment is made to bring a selected planet up to Major Industrial status. When the decision is made to improve the infrastructure of a world, so that it will grow and eventually produce more, roll 1d10+10. This is the number of years it will take to jump from Minor to Major status, assuming annual development funds are made uninterrupted. The project will require 120,000 RPs, spread evenly through those years (i.e., between 6,000 and 10,909 annually). If the development period is not disrupted (by inadequate funding), the planet's status will change to Major at the end of the last year. However, for each year the funding is not 100% complete, an additional year is required in order to catch back up on idled projects. If the funding is cut off completely, two years must be added on for every year of the pause.

The target planet will continue to provide 200 RP monthly to the sector income throughout the development project.

• Tech Investment: Each RP invested throughout the year increases the opportunity for a Tech Year Advancement at the end of the 12-month period. As the required investment equals 50% of the final month's Total Domestic Product (TDP) (income, expenses, but not counting the Previous Pool Point), each RP invested increases the chance of a Tech Year Advancement. If the required investment is met, the Tech Year Advancement automatically occurs. Anything less results is a reduced chance of the advancement; anything over allows for a (reduced) chance of a second advancement that same year.

To make a monthly Tech Investment purchase, determine how many RPs will be spent on Tech and deposit them into the year's Tech Investment Pool. Oftentimes, the estimated Tech Investment Requirement (TIR) is divided by 12 and that amount is purchased each month. However, as it is only an estimation, if the economy improves over the course of the year (and even just in December), the available pool may not allow for an automatic advancement. Similarly, if the economy worsens, then the pool may exceed the TIR, providing an automatic Tech Advance and even the opportunity for a second advance. In either case, the RPs invested within the pool in any given month

Intel/Diplomatic Actions

• Intel Point (1 RP to buy; 1 RP to maintain 10): Intel Points (IP) are used to conduct offensive and defensive Intel missions, as well as influence Diplomatic Actions. Intel Points can be pooled in two different ways: the first is on individual planets, representing intelligence assets, from which offensive missions can be launched, counter-intelligence operations can be waged or saved for future use; the second is saved in the Military Intel pool, disseminated when needed (especially in restoring points spent from planetary pools). Planets can only pool or spend a maximum number of Intel Points in a single month (see the Max Planet Intel Table). Any points not identified as being in a specific planet pool are stored in the Military Pool. Every month, 1 RP is required for every 10 IP stored within the nation, whether on a planet or in the Military Pool.

Strategic Actions

Certain events that are ordered cost RP to conduct, such as establishing a colony mission.

• Colony Fleet (100 RP): The RP investment into establishing a colony represents the funding and devoting of asset resources by commercial, Starfleet and other Federation agencies to ensuring the proper people, supplies and support makes it to the target planet. It is a one-time cost for the purpose of getting the colonists to the planet. It does not represent the purchase or construction of new ships or other assets that could be utilized elsewhere at a later time, but the direct investment in getting this specific colony started and on its way. (The colony will still require a monthly expense in it's Dependent 1st Stage.) Once the Colony Fleet purchase is made, the assembling of the necessary resources (including any Starfleet ships assigned) will take a minimum of 3 months before it may launch. The departure point will be a randomly-determined homeworld or major industrial world. Transit time will be determined by distance between the two worlds and the average commercial speed. A colony's founding will be the month of the fleet's arrival (though the year of arrival will count as Year 1).

• Trade Route (17 RP*): The establishment of a trade route costs 17 RP for each month of travel between the two systems, as determined by the average commercial speed. Purchase is handled as a complete funding of the entire route between the two systems, before development may begin. Each month-long segment requires 3 actual months of development before it is ready to host trade traffic. The whole transit route must be completed before commerce benefits begin applying. Trade routes may be no longer than 10-months' time.

If a trade treaty is signed, then a cross-trade route is to be built. Each month-long segment costs 25 RP (20 RP, if it is to a non-aligned system) to build, though often times the total length-cost is split between the two nations.

• Transport Fleet (67 RP): Sometimes, the SMM must activate commercial transports, in order to meet an emergent need to get Marines from one location to another. While existing SMM (or Starfleet) assets are preferred, there may not be enough time to assemble enough of them in the right location. When that happens, considerable expense must be met to disrupt the local trade ships and hire them for the purposes of loading and transporting the Marine units. For each regiment to be transported, 67 RP must be spent in order to purchase the necessary Transport Fleet. Like a Colony Fleet, transit time will be determined by distance between the two worlds and the average commercial speed, but it only takes one month to assemble the necessary ships (and load the Marines). The fleet will dis-assemble upon reaching the intended destination, so another fleet will have to be purchased or regular Fleet assets will have to be employed in order to return the Marine regiment to it's starting planet.

Note: the intention is the purchase of a Transport Fleet is a one-time affair, but it may be decided to have it paid for each month's transit (maybe at a reduced rate), to acknowledge the ongoing reduction in trade.

Asset Purchases

• Ships (RP: varied): The determination for the cost of an individual ship is covered elsewhere, but the resulting cost can be found on that Ship class page. However, while individual ships may always be individually authorized & ordered, most often the Starfleet Committee will authorize and fund more than one ship within a class at one time. When that happens, more often than not, they budget the cost for that complete run of the class from that same month up until the delivery of the final vessel (though final payment may occur well before then). In any case, indicate the purchase of the class and the funded RPs in the Debit section of the Turn Order Sheet for that year, as well as how many months are left to complete payment. Each month, much like Maintenance and Tech Investment, indicate funding for the new class that month, reducing the monthly count in Debit accordingly.

Unit Activations/De-activations/Re-activations

Below conversions are here as a place holder until more suitable page located VBAM-to-SFC Conversions The starting homeworlds in VBAM have 60 EPs, while the equivalent minor homeworlds in SFC have 200 RP, providing a conversion of 3.33 RP in SFC for every 1 VBAM EP. Round down in singular cases to 3, while multiples should be rounded out. SFC EP Costs Intel Points (for 1) 3 EP Intel Points (to maintain 10) 3 EP Military Special OperatioNS (MeSONs) team xx EP Starfleet Corps of Engineers (SCE) battalion xx EP Starfleet Ground Attack Marines (SGAM) battalion xx EP (later Starfleet Marine Corps)