Economy
Planet Resources
Resource Points (RP) are accumulated through the capabilities of the member worlds of a nation. Each inhabited world is described as one of the following: Nation Capitol, Sector Capitol, Major Industrial World, Minor Industrial World, Colony (independent), Colony (dependent), Other and Non-Resource. RPs are received monthly. They are described as follows:
Nation Capitol: This is the capitol planet of the nation. Assuming it is of least Sector Capitol definition, it receives the capabilities, resources and talents of all its member worlds through indirect flow towards the political center of the nation. The most RP revenue it will ever generate is 1000, but can be lower, based upon the number of inhabited worlds within the nation. It is generally referred to as a Nation Capitol (planet category). (ex: Nation Capitol (Minor Industrial)) Where a Nation Capitol also serves as a Sector Capitol, the Sector status is disregarded, in favor of the National.
Sector Capitol: Within a (general) twenty lightyear-cubed sector, there is generally one world which represents all the others within that sector and benefits from the inflow of resources. As long as there are two inhabited worlds within a sector, one is generally established as the sector capitol. It generates a maximum of 500 RPs, but that is dependent upon the state of the sector. It will always generate how many RPs itself develops, (i.e. industrial, other, colony), but will have added to it according to the other sector worlds. It is generally referred to as a Sector Capitol (planet category). (ex: Sector Capitol (Minor Industrial))
Major Industrial Worlds: There are usually more than one important world within any given sector of note, but only one has the title of sector capitol. The other major worlds, usually racial homeworlds, generally provide a number of RPs (400, actually) to the national economy based on the attributes associated with that world.
Minor Industrial Worlds: Planets that are member worlds but are not known for their large vibrant population still bring value – and RPs – to the national economy. These worlds may be racial homeworlds of no great stature or they may be former colonies that have reached their own. In any case, they generate 200 RPs. Generally, they will not achieve Major Industrial status within the time-span concerned.
Colony (Independent): At some point, colonies become self-sufficient and start providing payback for the support provided by the nation. They generally provide only a minimum amount of RPs, and that is determined both by time and success of the colony. The table below indicates how many RPs any given colony (by time period) provides, with the annual chance per year that the colony will enter the next stage. A Colony at Stage 9 has a 20% chance of achieving a promotion to an Industrial stage world. When it does achieve that level, there is a 10% chance it will become a Major (vice a Minor) Industrial world. If a Stage 9 colony has three (or more) categories of Abundant Resources (see the Colony (Dependent) entry below), the chance that it will be come a Major Industrial World jumps from 10% to 30%.
Colony (Dependent): A new colony requires the support of the nation in order to get going, and such all – if any – resources it provides will be overshadowed by the cost of support. For at least the first 10 years, a colony will actually require 30 RPs to be dedicated from the national budget. After that point, there is a 10 percent chance annually that it will enter Stage 2 (self-support). There is an opportunity for the rare colony to become profitable much earlier than usual. If the colony is established on a planet with at least the minimum mining opportunity for one of the resource types below, then there is a 10% chance of reaching Stage 2 as early as after 2 years (no additional chance for multiple resource types):
| Types | Availability |
|---|---|
| Normal Metals | 85% or higher |
| Special Metals | 3% or higher |
| Radioactives | 6% or higher |
| Gem Stones | 6% or higher |
| Industrial Crystals | 3% or higher |
(To see more information about surveys and resources, see Starfleet Command:Surveys and Starfleet Command:Starfleet Surveys.)
Others: A number of worlds are neither colonies nor industrial worlds, but planets, that for some reason or another, don’t provide a great deal to the economy. It may be a Jovian world that has hydrogen miners or deuterium processors overhead or an inhabitable rock ball with a secret dilithium mine. In any case, until further developed through colonization, these worlds will never offer more than 100 RP monthly.
Non-Resource: A world described as a Non-resource simply indicates that it is only claimed by the nation, but has no industrial capacity nor a resource-spending colony upon it. It may be a lonely super-giant orbiting around a single star, a large unexplored moon or a as-yet unsettled Class M planet.
Pre-warp: A world that has not yet achieved warp technology will not be able to produce the equivalent RPs of a society that has. Instead, determine the otherwise appropriate level for the world (usually no higher than Minor Industrial) and apply no more than 75% of the RP for that level. (For example, Earth would be a Minor Industrial World when pre-warp and would accumulate no more than 150 RP.)
The following table indicates the numbers of RPs a particular planet can pull in (or draw out).
| Types | RPs |
|---|---|
| Nation Capitol | |
| 100+ member worlds | 1000 (max) |
| 90+ member worlds | 900 |
| 80+ member worlds | 800 |
| 70+ member worlds | 700 |
| 60+ member worlds | 600 |
| 60 or less member worlds | 500 |
| Sector Capitol | (500 max) |
| each Major Industrial World | +100 |
| each Minor Industrial World | +50 |
| each Colony (Independent) | + ½ of colony’s revenue |
| Each Other | + ½ of Other’s revenue |
| Each Non-Resource | 0 |
| Major Industrial World | 400 |
| Minor Industrial World | 200 |
| Colony (Independent) | |
| Stage 9 (20%) | 180 |
| Stage 8 (20%) | 150 |
| Stage 7 (15%) | 130 |
| Stage 6 (15%) | 100 |
| Stage 5 (10%) | 80 |
| Stage 4 (10%) | 50 |
| Stage 3 (5%) | 30 |
| Stage 2 (5%) | 0 |
| Colony (Dependent) Stage 1 (10%) | -30 |
| Other | 1d10x10 (fixed amount) |
| Non-Resource | 0 |
Economy Fluctuations
The revenue of RPs from within a sector can be averaged out over a year to represent the fluctuation within that sector’s economy. The economy is represented as a percentage of its capability (as represented above) and is modified annually. The modified amount is what is actually attributed to the national economy. The one exception is for the Nation Capital, as its economy is represented as an average of all the nation’s sectors’ economies, as in the average of each sector's fluctuation is the fluctuation for the Nation Capital.
| Roll 1d10: | Flux Amount |
| 1 | Current value – 3d6% |
| 2 | Current value – 2d6% |
| 3 | Current value – 1d6% |
| 4 | Current value – 1d6/2% |
| 5 | No change |
| 6 | No change |
| 7 | Current value + 1d6/2% |
| 8 | Current value + 1d6% |
| 9 | Current value + 2d6% |
| 10 | Current value + 3d6% |
| Modifiers | never above 10 or below 1 |
|---|---|
| -1 | Minor military actions within sector (1-4 worlds) |
| -2 | Major military actions or minor military actions (5+ worlds) within sector |
| -1 | Occupation-style empire (Klingon, Cardassian) |
| -1 | last year’s change was down 15% or more |
| 0 | Corporate-style empire (Romulan) |
| +1 | UFP or similar confederation |
| +1 | last year’s change was up 15% or more |
| +1 | sector colony achieves Stage 2 (independent) status |
| +1 | cessation of all minor military actions (from previous year) |
| +2 | cessation of all major military actions (from previous year) |
These RPs represent only the resource capability that is provided for government use (usually military). RPs accumulated here don’t represent the industrial capacity used to develop commercial capability. The RPs can be increased (or lowered), too, though doing so will affect morale, as it is essentially a tax on the capabilities of the source. The starting ‘tax’ is 30%, which provides the above-listed RPs, per planet type. Therefore, a planet with a 30% tax rate and an RP base of 200 (Minor Industrial world) would see its tax rate change to 34%, if the RP amount were increased to 225 (30 x 225 / 200 = 33.75, rounded up to 34).
If more RPs are needed, the tax rate is increased accordingly. For each percentage point above 30% it increases, there is an increase in the Unrest Rate by 1-20% (rolled randomly for each new point added). (Under 30% taxation rate, there is generally no Unrest, unless it is a remainder of the previously high Tax Rate.) Each month, any planet with a recorded Unrest Rate rolls against that rate. Failure means no change, while success means a revolt is occurring and the present planetary ruling body is in danger of being overthrown. If the unrest level gets to 80% (or higher) before the revolt occurs, when it does, the coup is quick and over within the month. If a revolt occurs while the Unrest Rate remains below 80%, then the unrest will grow by 1d6% every month of the revolt. The revolt will only be contained once the Unrest Rate falls below 20%.
The Unrest Rate can be lowered by an increase in military presence. For each 1,000 Marine Points (that is the equivalent of 1,000 Starfleet Marines) present on the planet, the Unrest Rate is lowered by 1 point. However, to keep a contingent on a planet for greater than three months requires that a camp be built. A starship can decrease an Unrest Rate further, according to the following chart. The reduction of the Unrest Rate remains when the starship departs, unless the Unrest Rate increases again due to other reasons. Follow-on visits by the same or other starships will not reduce it further, for at least another year. If a more ‘influential’ starship arrives during the same period of Unrest Influence (one year), it only reduces it by the amount of influence it has greater than the previous starship.
| Starship Classification | Decrease |
|---|---|
| Battleship | -25 |
| Explorer/Warship | -20 |
| Cruiser | -15 |
| Destroyer | -10 |
| Frigate | -5 |
| Escort | -1 |
- Ex: The planet Rasimus has been taxed at the default amount of 30%. In April 2254, the tax rate increased to 35%. Because it went up 5% points, the Unrest Rate will increase from 0% to the result of 5 1d20 rolls. The results are : 5, 5, 15, 8 & 10, for a total of 43%. At the end of April 2254, 1d100 is rolled with a result of 97, which mean no change occurred. However, a destroyer was dispatched to the planet and arrives in May, reducing the end-of-month Unrest Rate to 33% (43 – 10 = 33). Following the ship's departure, the Unrest Rate will remain at 33% (and can be reduced further with another visit after a year). If, within the year, a cruiser visits, the Unrest Rate would drop another 5 points (because the cruiser has 5 more points of influence than the destroyer). The government may also choose to send a marine force to help quell unrest, but at 33%, that would mean 33,000 troops would have to be deployed, and the rate would only be artificially decreased, as it would rise again if the numbers of marines were reduced.
The Unrest Rate can also be lowered by involvement of the UFP's diplomatic corps. The ambassador sent to negotiate between the government and the aggrieved parties may be brought to the planet by a starship, which will bring an immediate Unrest Rate drop (as indicated above), but to keep it going down requires in-depth negotiations, from which agreements and compromises will be ironed out. The conference will either succeed or fail. Succession will result in an immediate drop of the Unrest Rate by 25 points (same as with a visit by a battleship), but will also allow for a monthly decrease of 3 points, as long as tensions are not affected by increased taxes (post-conference) or open Revolt (if rolled). The ambassador does not need to remain present on the planet in order for a monthly reduction to occur. If it fails, the Unrest Rate will immediate jump by 10 points and another negotiation conference will not agreed upon by both parties for at least 1d6+2 months.
Success is determined by a roll against the Negotiation skill of the ambassador. To determine the skill level, use the Command Skill Generation table for the appropriate era, under the CAPT column.
If the tax rate decreases, 1d20 is rolled for each percentage point it is lowered and the Unrest rate is lowered by that determined amount. It is very possible that, even with a tax rate of 30% re-set, there remains an Unrest Rate greater than 0%. That tax rate can be continually lowered to get the Unrest Rate to 0%, but the Rate will decrease by 1% point every month the tax rate is 30% or lower, if no other action is taken.
- Ex. Rasimus is able to avoid a revolt through sheer luck, but chooses to reduce the tax rate some. The first month it lowers it by 1 point, to 34%. The Unrest Reduction roll of 1d20 results in a reduction of 13% points from the Unrest Rate, to 20%. As Rasimus is generally a peaceful world, this is still troubling, so the rate is again dropped the next month by two tax points, to 32%. There are two Unrest Reduction rolls of 1d20 each, with a result of 18 & 1, for a total of 19%. This reduces the Unrest Rate to 1%, which suits the Rasimus government as just fine.