The Math According To GT

GURPS Traveller: Far Trader is a great deal more complicated about shipping rates than anything in the LBB. The rate for shipping a dTon of cargo varies based on the lead time of an advanced purchase and ranges between CR 450 (with 16 weeks advance) and Cr 700 (less than a week's notice) per dTon per parsec. There's also a fairly realistic description of how cargo contracts are let and what a tramp freighter might encounter. There are certainly people who contract with the customer and then hire the ship to haul it. Middlemen! The good news is they will nearly always have something for the owner to haul, the bad news is they pay less than negotiating directly with the customer.

A more basic example shows Cr 600/dTon/pc; that's what we're using for our examples.

Passenger service on small ships like the players have access to is Cr 3,500 for high passage, Cr 1,750 for middle and Cr 125 for low; all per parsec. We're going to assume that the players don't sell any high passages.

Tramps are assumed to work on a two week schedule, so 25 jumps a year on average.

GURPS Traveller also makes some major changes in how ships are done.

Type A. 200 dTon. Mcr 28.8552. 20 dTons fuel. 69 dTon Cargo, Six crew and ten staterooms, 20 low berths. If you give the captain his own stateroom and make the rest of the crew double up you end up with six rooms for rent.

Expenses = Cr 574,160.20 per year owned outright.
Monthly payment Cr 120,230, annual Cr 1,442,760. Berthing Cr 100,000 per year. Customs duties Cr 36,225. Handling fees Cr 34,500. Fuel Cr 175,000. Port Fees Cr 12,500. Annual maintenance Cr 28,855.20. Cr 26,280 for food that you'd WANT to eat. Salaries Cr 160,800 (Captain Cr 30,000, Navigator Cr 27,600, Sensor/Comm Operator Cr 25,200, Steward Cr 25,200, Chief Engineer Cr 27,600, Assistant Engineer Cr 25,200.)

Revenue = Cr 1,360,000.
Cargo Cr 1,035,000. Mid-Passengers Cr 262,500. Low-Passengers Cr 62,500

Obviously that not enough to make a monthly payment and cover other expenses; but of owned outright it's a solid Cr 785,839.80 a year profit. The detailed system in Far Trader has many opportunities to up the revenue (and all of it legal!). And there are many means of cutting costs.

Type A2. 200 dTon. Mcr 37.6602. 40 dTons fuel. 48 dTon cargo, Six crew and 10 staterooms, 12 low berths.

Expenses = Cr 745,440.20 per year owned outright.
Monthly payment Cr 156,917.50, annual Cr 1,883,010. Berthing Cr 100,000 per year. Customs duties Cr 25,200. Handling fees Cr 24,000. Fuel Cr 350,000. Port Fees Cr 12,500. Annual maintenance Cr 37,660.20. Cr 26,280 for food that you'd WANT to eat. Salaries Cr 160,800 (Captain Cr 30,000, Navigator Cr 27,600, Sensor/Comm Operator Cr 25,200, Steward Cr 25,200, Chief Engineer Cr 27,600, Assistant Engineer Cr 25,200.)

Revenue = Cr 1,790,000.
Cargo Cr 1,440,000. Mid-Passengers Cr 262,500. Low-Passengers Cr 87,500.

The Far Trader, again, is not profitable with a monthly payment unless the Captain works harder than the averages presented above. Owned outright, though, Cr 1,044,559.80 a year. Unfortunately that assumes a J2 at all times, and it just never works out that way so in reality it works out to be just about identical to the J1 Free Trader.

Type R. 400 dTon. Mcr 57.2174. 40 dTons fuel. 146 dTon cargo, Ten crew and 13 staterooms, 8 low berths.

Expenses = Cr 1,059,437.40 per year owned outright.
Monthly payment Cr 238,405.83, annual Cr 2,860,870. Berthing Cr 200,000 per year. Customs duties Cr 76,650. Handling fees Cr 73,000. Fuel Cr 350,000. Port Fees Cr 12,500. Annual maintenance Cr 57,217.40. Cr 28,470 for food that you'd WANT to eat. Salaries Cr 261,600 (Captain Cr 30,000, Pilot Cr 27,600, Navigator Cr 27,600, Sensor Operator Cr 25,200, Comm Operator Cr 25,200, Steward Cr 25,200, Purser Cr 25,200, Medic Cr 22,800, Chief Engineer Cr 27,600, Assistant Engineer Cr 25,200.)

Revenue = Cr 2,565,000.
Cargo Cr 2,190,000. Mid-Passengers Cr 350,000. Low-Passengers Cr 25,000.

A big change with GURPS Traveller over Traveller is the subsidizer wants 50% of the gross profits and not 50% of the gross revenue!  With the subsidy the ship can make Cr 752,781.30 a year profit. But there's some excellent news with the Subsidized Merchant! Cargo brokerage is included with the subsidy so 35 jumps a year is the norm over the 25 a year tramping gives!

Expenses = Cr 1,344,297.40 per year owned outright.
Monthly payment Cr 238,405.83, annual Cr 2,860,870. Berthing Cr 280,000 per year. Customs duties Cr 107,310. Handling fees Cr 102,200. Fuel Cr 490,000. Port Fees Cr 17,500. Annual maintenance Cr 57,217.40. Cr 28,470 for food that you'd WANT to eat. Salaries Cr 261,600 (Captain Cr 30,000, Pilot Cr 27,600, Navigator Cr 27,600, Sensor Operator Cr 25,200, Comm Operator Cr 25,200, Steward Cr 25,200, Purser Cr 25,200, Medic Cr 22,800, Chief Engineer Cr 27,600, Assistant Engineer Cr 25,200.)

Revenue = Cr 3,591,000.
Cargo Cr 3,066,000. Mid-Passengers Cr 490,000. Low-Passengers Cr 35,000.

Cr 1,123,351.30 a year for the ship is to be expected routinely and like the 200 ton ships above, more is definitely possible!