Interstellar Corporations(beta)
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Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Okay , here's the beta of my latest foray into world-building:
Interstellar Corporations(Random Roll Tables):
“Naruni.....such a simple-sounding word. Such an innocent-sounding name. How can one sound encompass so much meaning? How much of the megaverse resounds to that simple word?”
“Due to an economic shortfall in this quarter’s profits, the home office has directed resource optimization measures be enacted. As such, those of you in the divisions declared redundant have been sold for medical experimentation.”
“I’m a Company man and proud of it. The Company’s fed, clothed, and educated me since I was a nipper. They’ve trained me and paid me, and told me what I need to know to do my job, then equipped me for the task. And when that wasn’t enough and I found myself in hot water and plasma fire, the Company came and got me out and fixed me up afterwards. I met my spouse through the Company. A Company clinic helped deliver my kids. The Company provides the housing my family lives in. The Company has never abandoned me and I’m not about to do the same.”
Ask a merchant anywhere and he’ll tell you TRADE is the lifeblood of civilization. Trade in materials, trade in products, trade in services. And to manage all that trade, economic organizations emerge to handle, organize, run, and exploit it all. These can broadly be called the corporations, and when one is talking about INTERSTELLAR trade, corporations can become quite large and powerful as organizational entities. Some rival planetary, even galactic, governments in size and power, some effectively ARE governments, or else dictate terms TO governments who want their support and business. Some become cultural icons, immediately known and recognized, and revered as foundations of the economy and pillars of society. However, many more rise, climax, then fall, victims of the cycles of economic activity, prey to more avaricious corporations, or eaten from within by their own greed and corruption. Others work away for years, decades, even centuries, riding the good times and the bad, and providing income and revenue in steady, if undistinguished, fashion. Corporations can be the benevolent nurturing mother of an interstellar colony or community, or it can be a vicious slave driver, draining the lifeblood out of a world or trade network.
The following are general guidelines for generating random Interstellar Corporations, which generally work on a level of scale that planetary companies and corporations don’t or can’t. These are broad-stroke GENERAL assumptions/facts about a given company. Especially in the larger businesses, with multiple divisions, the various arms of the company can be producing a variety of goods/services in addition to what the company is best known for, and those same divisions can even be working(apparently) at cross-purposes to the publicly-stated goals/philosophies/ethics of the company(and there’s always the possibility of rogue company officers).
Concepts such as Technology Level are NOT included, since depending on the company’s business, it may employ plantation serfs using animal-drawn plows to tend crops that are later transported by state-of-the-art starships to distant markets. Similarly, I have not included Transport as a category, because part of that was addressed by my Starlines charts and the (hopefully soon) coming Interstellar Freight charts(and transport is hard to define anyway, when you’re telling with companies such as Banks and Communications who don’t rely much on conventional transport anyway).
Categories:
A. Product/Services
B. Ownership
C. Size/Manpower
D. Distribution
E. Communications
F. Security
G. General Alignment
H. Business/Trade Connections
I. Illegal Activity
J. Pay
K. Benefits
L. Available Funds
M. Reputation
N. Current Corporate Status
A. Product/Services: How does the corporation make (most of) its money?
01-10 Agriculture---Food is the primary focus of the company’s business, with possible sidelines in agriculture-related textiles and energy.
11-20 Manufacturing(Commercial)---Consumer goods, from home furnishings to entire homes, and industrial goods, from tools to entire factory furnishings.
21-30 Materials----Feedstocks for other companies, from chemicals to metals, minerals to plastics.
31-40 Transportation---Building vehicles and transport systems is the company’s main focus, from automobiles to starships. (+15% to Distribution rolls)
41-50 Manufacturing(Military)---The company produces weapons primarily(+20% to Security rolls)
51-60 Energy---The company is in the business of selling go-power, from combustion chemicals to antimatter.
61-70 Civil Engineering---They may not make things, but they BUILD things, like infrastructure, buildings, powerplants, spaceports, dams, canals, highways and monuments. From raising a convenience store on the corner to terraforming an entire planet, these are the people with the hardhats and shovels.
71-80 Labor---The company does contracting work, selling/renting the services of workers.(+15% to Size/Manpower rolls)
81-90 Medicine---From pharmaceuticals and band-aids to surgical cybernetics and regeneration technology, the company produces and sells medical supplies.
91-95 Media---The company deals in information; news and/or entertainment(+20% to Communications rolls)
96-00 Financial----The company is in the business of handling money; stockbroking, banking, and the like. (+15% to Communications rolls)
B. Ownership: Who runs the company?
01-25 Family -owned---Management and ownership are solely in the hands of a hereditary directorship of one or more(no more than three or four) families, most likely the founders of the company.
26-80 Stockholder-owned---Management is by whoever has the controlling number of shares.
81-00 Nationalized----The company is run by the government. Depending on the sort of government, immediate management can range from an appointed political official to a scion of the ruling royal family.
C. Size/Manpower: How big a corporation are we talking here?
01-05 Tiny----The corporation is, by the standards of such things, tiny(though it may still be huge by planetary company standards). This can mean the corporation is going to be stretched thin on its operations, or else it is extremely efficient in operation, with influence beyond its relative numbers. Dedicated employee numbers are within the 50,000-200,000 range.
06-30 Small----The company is a lightweight and boasts at best 200,000-500,000 employees. Still more than most planetary corporations, but remember, we’re talking INTERSTELLAR operations here.
31-60 Modest----Has roughly 600,000-1 million employees throughout its various operations.
65-85 Large----These companies swagger in manpower, boasting of employment numbers of employees in the double- or triple- digit MILLIONS.
86-97 Gigantic----The upper echelon of corporate size, with numbers of 1 billion+ employees.
98-00 Megalithic----Few companies rise to this level, employing double- to triple-digit BILLIONS of employees.
D. Distribution: How concentrated/dispersed are they?
01-10 Narrowly Concentrated----The corporation is focused entirely on one solar system. Distribution of goods/services elsewhere is through third parties such as independent retailers and agents.
11-35 Regional----The company has influence and offices throughout a specific group of solar systems(typically 1d4x10)
36-59 Sector---The company can boast influence throughout the equivalent of a small star cluster or sector of roughly 3d6x10 star systems
60-79 Arm---The company has offices and operations throughout an entire ARM of an galaxy, which can cover several hundred star systems.
80-97 Galactic---Offices and goods, as well as public relations, can be found throughout an entire GALAXY(two or three if they’re close by).
98-00 Interdimensional---The corporation extends not just beyond galactic boundaries but EXTRADIMENSIONALLY as well, opening up megaversal market fronts.
E. Communications: How secure are corporate communications?
01-15 Wide Open----The company uses commercial communications channels, with little, if any, attempt at security
16-40 Basic----The company uses bonded commercial couriers and basic encryption to keep its people in touch.
41-75 Secure----The company has invested heavily in encryption systems and has long-term contracts with high-level bonded courier services.
76-97 Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service.
98-00 Extreme---The company has gone to the far end to insure its corporate communications are kept private, including stealth courier drones, deep-brain imprinting of couriers, and magically or technologically generating their own dimensional communications rifts.
F. Security: How well protected are they?
01-10 None; facility security is dependent on a few locked doors, a fence or two, and the employees’ own diligence. Heavier assets are almost unheard of.
11-25 Light---The equivalent of a night watchman or two, fences, a basic security system, and better locks, maybe a watch animal or two. A day watchman or two may be on hand to check employee IDs and wander about the premises. The company may also spring for a few light armored vehicles or aircraft, not both.
26-75 Modest---A more elaborate set up with automated defenses, reinforced walls and structures, a professional force of a dozen or more security men (of at least 4th level of experience) with weaponry, and maybe a security robot and/or automated sentry towers. Employees are expected to have passcodes to enter certain sections and facilities. The company may also have a few armored or ‘specially equipped’ vehicles and aircraft.
76-89 Heavy---A dedicated security force equal to 10% of the employee population, well-trained(at least 6th level of experience) armed and equipped for action, with specialized vehicles, robots, and automated defenses. Employees have to be registered and pass elaborate biometric sensors between sections. Other assets may include heavily-armed ‘security shuttles’ and starfighters.
90-97 Strike Force---The corporation has a large ‘flying’ task force that is well-trained(roughly 8th level of experience or better, typically ex-military) and equipped. Structures are heavily reinforced and purpose-built facilities is designed with seige-style conditions in mind. The strike force may also include a private warship or two, and definnitely privately-owned starfighters.
98-00 Small Army---The company’s got a military force roughly equivalent to 25% of the employee numbers in a given area. These company troops are armed to the teeth and on guard 24/7. Company base facilities are built for siege conditions and may include one or more reinforced inner ‘keeps’ with surrounding bunkers and multiple weapons emplacements. Employees are likely to not only be biometrically registered, but may be required to have security transponder implants. The company also most likely has a few private warships of its own hidden in the accounting.
G. General Alignment: What are the corporation’s general ethical guidelines?
01-05 Diabolical & Miscreant---The corporation will do ANYTHING to gain profit and dominate the industry, including sabotage, blackmail, enslavement and murder. Government and industry regulations are to be ignored. In-house corporate culture tends to be rather cutthroat at companies like this
06-15 Aberrant ----The company is dedicated to achieving success, but has lines it will not cross. Such companies generally limit their practices to blackmail, corporate espionage, and political bribery. Government regulations are skirted, and ideally changed through influence-peddling.
16-50 Anarchist---The company is out to gain profit, and is fairly freewheeling in its practices, including skirting regulations, but it will not do anything OVERTLY illegal or DELIBERATELY murderous.
51-90 Unprincipled & Scrupulous----The company comports itself with a certain amount of fair-mindedness and fair play, but will take advantage of loopholes in the law to gain small advantage.
91-00 Principled---The company has a strict code of ethics and sticks by it, even if it hurts them, including adhering to government regulations.
H. Business/Trade Connections: Who are they willing to work with?
01-20 Anybody---The company will deal with anybody, regardless of alignment and ethics clashes. May make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
21-60 Liberal----The company will readily deal only with groups one or two alignment shifts away from their own.
61-75 Like-Minded---The company will only deal with others of like alignment and objectives, even if they’re competition
76-90 Anti-Corporate----The company refuses to work with any other corporation, regardless of their alignment or ethics, seeing the other company only as competition.
91-00 Antigovernment---- The corporation refuses to deal directly with national governments, preferring to deal directly with ‘the people’.
I. Illegal Activity(Optional): What are they REALLY up to?
Note that some activities will NOT be conducted by companies of certain ethical alignments at all, while the more ruthless corporations may have SEVERAL unethical activities going at the same time.
01-10 High Finance----The company is seeking to manipulate the financial markets, either to gain a profit or to sow economic sabotage(and ideally make a profit at the same time). This can include insider trading, stock manipulation, market cornering, embezzlement(the corppration is basically running a giant Ponzi Scheme) and other accounting tricks and market gimmicking.
11-20 Smuggling---Be it illegal materials or illegal migrants, the company is using its resources as a cover for smuggling and blockade running.
21-30 Slavery---Be it trading in the black-market trade in sentients, or simply ruthlessly exploiting the natives, the corporation is knowingly abusing somebody’s freedom.
31-40 Front Company---The company is a front for a government operation or organized crime, be it producing illegal technologies or laundering money. Roll again to determine the primary illegal activity being conducted.
41-50 Knock-Offs----The company is involved in producing illegal knockoffs of another company’s products
51-60 Corporate Espionage---The company specializes in ‘black ops’ in industry, ferreting out the secrets of rivals(or whoever they’re paid to go after), sabotaging other companies, and selling others’ secrets.
61-70 Narcotics---The company uses its legitimate activities as a cover for the production and distribution of illicit substances, typically narcotics.
71-80 Illegal Research----The company is involved in illegal scientific research, such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, weapons technologies, and dimensional warping.
81-90 Racketeering-----The company acts as an organized crime syndicate, muscling their clients and neighbors, blackmailing them or short-selling them. This category also includes monopolies over ‘company towns’, space stations, and migrant workers. The company may also be a haven and sponsor of piracy.
91-00 ‘Planet-Ripping----Planet-ripping refers to any illegal and unchecked exploitation of a planet’s resources, such as strip-mining, gene-raiding, and over-harvesting. It can also include unchecked polluting and improper cleanup of abandoned industrial sites(typically to save money).
J. Pay: What will they pay me to work for them?
01-05 Poor----Employees are lucky to get 25% of the industry standard(and more likely to get only 5-10%). Pensions, medical insurance, and paid vacations are mythical under such conditions.
06-15 Paltry---Employees get at best 75% of the industry standard for their job. High-rated employees MIGHT get a one-time pension payment or benefits package.
16-60 Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry. Benefits vary by rank, but generally every employee gets SOME paid leave time, medical insurance, and severance pay.
61-80 Good---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average
81-94 Superb---Pay is 50-100% of the average, plus additional perks.
91-00 Excellent----Employees are VERY well paid, at 150%+ of the industry standard, and likely enjoy additional benefits and perks.
K. Benefits: What else to I get for working? This table can be rolled on multiple times, depending on how generous the company is to its employees. Others use Benefits to balance lower pay.
(Note that truly EVIL corporations can/will subvert these programs: the free medical clinic is used to weed out weak workers...or even recycle them as spare parts, while the vacation facilities are brainwashing facilities, and the stock offerings aren’t worth the electrons they’re recorded on).
01-10 None----Your pay is your benefit.
11-25 Medical Clinic----The company has an in-house medical service that attends to minor medical needs and emergency procedures.
26-35 Full Hospital---The company offers FULL medical coverage, including catastrophic crisis rehabilitation, reconstructive treatments, and life-extension treatments.
36-40 Cybernetics/Bio-Augmentation----The company offers a cybernetics or genetic medicine clinic and will pay 1d10x10% towards elective cybernetic implants or biogenetic tweaking/augmentation, especially if the procedures are related to work.
41-45 Legal Services----The company offers the services of its legal department for a reduced cost or pro bono to employees
46-50 Company Transport----The company provides employees who commute or travel free transportation. This can range from special company taxis or buses, or can be company-purchased/produced vehicles provided at no cost. The perk can also extend to vacations and special travel(subject to company approval).
51-60 Stock Shares----The company offers employees shares in the company at reduced or no price(though often contingent on job performance).
61-70 Vacation Facilities ---The company maintains its own vacation facilities for the exclusive use of its employees, who can take their leave at these ‘company spas’. These can include health spas, training camps, campgrounds, and the like.
71-80 Free Communications---The company offers its employees free use of their communications(free internet surfing at the lower end of the scale up to use of company couriers and FTL systems at the upper). Note that the more selfish or evil companies may monitor employee communications.
81-90 Swag---The company gives employees considerable (40-60%) discounts on products and services it produces, and may even give examples away free.
90-00 Retirement Colony---Beyond pensions, the company takes care of its employees after retirement by offering them housing at an exclusive colony/community(more unscrupulous corporations may use this to sequester employees with still-useful corporate information).
L. Available Funds: How much reserve capital does the company have against emergencies?
01-05 None----The corporation is operating on a shoestring without ANY emergency cash reserves and nothing to spare for special projects.
06-20 Petty Cash----In event of a crisis, the company can scrape together enough reserve cash to keep the company going for 1d4 weeks, and can offer loans typically in the hundred-credit range.
21-50 Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects.
51-74 Large Reserve----The company can extend loans in the triple credit range for dealing with situations and special circumstances.
75-89 Big Bucks-----The company has massive cash reserves and can make loans/payoffs of several million credits.
90-00 Mega-Reserve---The corporation has some serious assets in reserve that could keep the company running at full bore for 1d4x10 years, even if the market collapsed overnight. It can make very large loans( in the billion credit range) available to its agents for special operations and projects.
M. Reputation: How well known are they?
01-25 Relatively Unknown----Outside their limited market, the company isn’t well known.
26-75 Known--- Their name is known and recognized on the street, though typically more than half those polled about the name don’t know what the company actually DOES.
76-90 Well-Known---- The company’s name is recognized, its business is known, and most of those who hear the name have an opinion one way or the other about them and their products/services.
91-00(In)Famous---The company is regarded well and wide as an icon of the industry, with a name known even on the streets. The company’s name may even become a slang term or catch phrase. They are beloved/feared by society/government.
N. Current Corporate Status: ---How’s the company doing?
01-25 Puttering Along--The company is making ends meet with a small, but steady, flow of profit (perhaps 20% over operating expenses) keeping it going.
26-54 Modestly Successful---The company is currently doing well, enjoying a good income(50-60% profit)
55-70 Rising Stock----The company is enjoying a surge in business(70-100% profit)
71-79 Waxing Wealthy---The company is currently fairly rolling in profits(200+% profit)
80-89 Troubled---The company is showing signs of strain due to economic downturns or bad management. In another three years’ time, roll on the previous tables at -5%
90-98 Foundering---In another year’s time, roll on the previous tables at -10%
99-00 Dire Straits----The company is in deep trouble. In another year’s time, roll on the previous tables at -20%
Interstellar Corporations(Random Roll Tables):
“Naruni.....such a simple-sounding word. Such an innocent-sounding name. How can one sound encompass so much meaning? How much of the megaverse resounds to that simple word?”
“Due to an economic shortfall in this quarter’s profits, the home office has directed resource optimization measures be enacted. As such, those of you in the divisions declared redundant have been sold for medical experimentation.”
“I’m a Company man and proud of it. The Company’s fed, clothed, and educated me since I was a nipper. They’ve trained me and paid me, and told me what I need to know to do my job, then equipped me for the task. And when that wasn’t enough and I found myself in hot water and plasma fire, the Company came and got me out and fixed me up afterwards. I met my spouse through the Company. A Company clinic helped deliver my kids. The Company provides the housing my family lives in. The Company has never abandoned me and I’m not about to do the same.”
Ask a merchant anywhere and he’ll tell you TRADE is the lifeblood of civilization. Trade in materials, trade in products, trade in services. And to manage all that trade, economic organizations emerge to handle, organize, run, and exploit it all. These can broadly be called the corporations, and when one is talking about INTERSTELLAR trade, corporations can become quite large and powerful as organizational entities. Some rival planetary, even galactic, governments in size and power, some effectively ARE governments, or else dictate terms TO governments who want their support and business. Some become cultural icons, immediately known and recognized, and revered as foundations of the economy and pillars of society. However, many more rise, climax, then fall, victims of the cycles of economic activity, prey to more avaricious corporations, or eaten from within by their own greed and corruption. Others work away for years, decades, even centuries, riding the good times and the bad, and providing income and revenue in steady, if undistinguished, fashion. Corporations can be the benevolent nurturing mother of an interstellar colony or community, or it can be a vicious slave driver, draining the lifeblood out of a world or trade network.
The following are general guidelines for generating random Interstellar Corporations, which generally work on a level of scale that planetary companies and corporations don’t or can’t. These are broad-stroke GENERAL assumptions/facts about a given company. Especially in the larger businesses, with multiple divisions, the various arms of the company can be producing a variety of goods/services in addition to what the company is best known for, and those same divisions can even be working(apparently) at cross-purposes to the publicly-stated goals/philosophies/ethics of the company(and there’s always the possibility of rogue company officers).
Concepts such as Technology Level are NOT included, since depending on the company’s business, it may employ plantation serfs using animal-drawn plows to tend crops that are later transported by state-of-the-art starships to distant markets. Similarly, I have not included Transport as a category, because part of that was addressed by my Starlines charts and the (hopefully soon) coming Interstellar Freight charts(and transport is hard to define anyway, when you’re telling with companies such as Banks and Communications who don’t rely much on conventional transport anyway).
Categories:
A. Product/Services
B. Ownership
C. Size/Manpower
D. Distribution
E. Communications
F. Security
G. General Alignment
H. Business/Trade Connections
I. Illegal Activity
J. Pay
K. Benefits
L. Available Funds
M. Reputation
N. Current Corporate Status
A. Product/Services: How does the corporation make (most of) its money?
01-10 Agriculture---Food is the primary focus of the company’s business, with possible sidelines in agriculture-related textiles and energy.
11-20 Manufacturing(Commercial)---Consumer goods, from home furnishings to entire homes, and industrial goods, from tools to entire factory furnishings.
21-30 Materials----Feedstocks for other companies, from chemicals to metals, minerals to plastics.
31-40 Transportation---Building vehicles and transport systems is the company’s main focus, from automobiles to starships. (+15% to Distribution rolls)
41-50 Manufacturing(Military)---The company produces weapons primarily(+20% to Security rolls)
51-60 Energy---The company is in the business of selling go-power, from combustion chemicals to antimatter.
61-70 Civil Engineering---They may not make things, but they BUILD things, like infrastructure, buildings, powerplants, spaceports, dams, canals, highways and monuments. From raising a convenience store on the corner to terraforming an entire planet, these are the people with the hardhats and shovels.
71-80 Labor---The company does contracting work, selling/renting the services of workers.(+15% to Size/Manpower rolls)
81-90 Medicine---From pharmaceuticals and band-aids to surgical cybernetics and regeneration technology, the company produces and sells medical supplies.
91-95 Media---The company deals in information; news and/or entertainment(+20% to Communications rolls)
96-00 Financial----The company is in the business of handling money; stockbroking, banking, and the like. (+15% to Communications rolls)
B. Ownership: Who runs the company?
01-25 Family -owned---Management and ownership are solely in the hands of a hereditary directorship of one or more(no more than three or four) families, most likely the founders of the company.
26-80 Stockholder-owned---Management is by whoever has the controlling number of shares.
81-00 Nationalized----The company is run by the government. Depending on the sort of government, immediate management can range from an appointed political official to a scion of the ruling royal family.
C. Size/Manpower: How big a corporation are we talking here?
01-05 Tiny----The corporation is, by the standards of such things, tiny(though it may still be huge by planetary company standards). This can mean the corporation is going to be stretched thin on its operations, or else it is extremely efficient in operation, with influence beyond its relative numbers. Dedicated employee numbers are within the 50,000-200,000 range.
06-30 Small----The company is a lightweight and boasts at best 200,000-500,000 employees. Still more than most planetary corporations, but remember, we’re talking INTERSTELLAR operations here.
31-60 Modest----Has roughly 600,000-1 million employees throughout its various operations.
65-85 Large----These companies swagger in manpower, boasting of employment numbers of employees in the double- or triple- digit MILLIONS.
86-97 Gigantic----The upper echelon of corporate size, with numbers of 1 billion+ employees.
98-00 Megalithic----Few companies rise to this level, employing double- to triple-digit BILLIONS of employees.
D. Distribution: How concentrated/dispersed are they?
01-10 Narrowly Concentrated----The corporation is focused entirely on one solar system. Distribution of goods/services elsewhere is through third parties such as independent retailers and agents.
11-35 Regional----The company has influence and offices throughout a specific group of solar systems(typically 1d4x10)
36-59 Sector---The company can boast influence throughout the equivalent of a small star cluster or sector of roughly 3d6x10 star systems
60-79 Arm---The company has offices and operations throughout an entire ARM of an galaxy, which can cover several hundred star systems.
80-97 Galactic---Offices and goods, as well as public relations, can be found throughout an entire GALAXY(two or three if they’re close by).
98-00 Interdimensional---The corporation extends not just beyond galactic boundaries but EXTRADIMENSIONALLY as well, opening up megaversal market fronts.
E. Communications: How secure are corporate communications?
01-15 Wide Open----The company uses commercial communications channels, with little, if any, attempt at security
16-40 Basic----The company uses bonded commercial couriers and basic encryption to keep its people in touch.
41-75 Secure----The company has invested heavily in encryption systems and has long-term contracts with high-level bonded courier services.
76-97 Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service.
98-00 Extreme---The company has gone to the far end to insure its corporate communications are kept private, including stealth courier drones, deep-brain imprinting of couriers, and magically or technologically generating their own dimensional communications rifts.
F. Security: How well protected are they?
01-10 None; facility security is dependent on a few locked doors, a fence or two, and the employees’ own diligence. Heavier assets are almost unheard of.
11-25 Light---The equivalent of a night watchman or two, fences, a basic security system, and better locks, maybe a watch animal or two. A day watchman or two may be on hand to check employee IDs and wander about the premises. The company may also spring for a few light armored vehicles or aircraft, not both.
26-75 Modest---A more elaborate set up with automated defenses, reinforced walls and structures, a professional force of a dozen or more security men (of at least 4th level of experience) with weaponry, and maybe a security robot and/or automated sentry towers. Employees are expected to have passcodes to enter certain sections and facilities. The company may also have a few armored or ‘specially equipped’ vehicles and aircraft.
76-89 Heavy---A dedicated security force equal to 10% of the employee population, well-trained(at least 6th level of experience) armed and equipped for action, with specialized vehicles, robots, and automated defenses. Employees have to be registered and pass elaborate biometric sensors between sections. Other assets may include heavily-armed ‘security shuttles’ and starfighters.
90-97 Strike Force---The corporation has a large ‘flying’ task force that is well-trained(roughly 8th level of experience or better, typically ex-military) and equipped. Structures are heavily reinforced and purpose-built facilities is designed with seige-style conditions in mind. The strike force may also include a private warship or two, and definnitely privately-owned starfighters.
98-00 Small Army---The company’s got a military force roughly equivalent to 25% of the employee numbers in a given area. These company troops are armed to the teeth and on guard 24/7. Company base facilities are built for siege conditions and may include one or more reinforced inner ‘keeps’ with surrounding bunkers and multiple weapons emplacements. Employees are likely to not only be biometrically registered, but may be required to have security transponder implants. The company also most likely has a few private warships of its own hidden in the accounting.
G. General Alignment: What are the corporation’s general ethical guidelines?
01-05 Diabolical & Miscreant---The corporation will do ANYTHING to gain profit and dominate the industry, including sabotage, blackmail, enslavement and murder. Government and industry regulations are to be ignored. In-house corporate culture tends to be rather cutthroat at companies like this
06-15 Aberrant ----The company is dedicated to achieving success, but has lines it will not cross. Such companies generally limit their practices to blackmail, corporate espionage, and political bribery. Government regulations are skirted, and ideally changed through influence-peddling.
16-50 Anarchist---The company is out to gain profit, and is fairly freewheeling in its practices, including skirting regulations, but it will not do anything OVERTLY illegal or DELIBERATELY murderous.
51-90 Unprincipled & Scrupulous----The company comports itself with a certain amount of fair-mindedness and fair play, but will take advantage of loopholes in the law to gain small advantage.
91-00 Principled---The company has a strict code of ethics and sticks by it, even if it hurts them, including adhering to government regulations.
H. Business/Trade Connections: Who are they willing to work with?
01-20 Anybody---The company will deal with anybody, regardless of alignment and ethics clashes. May make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
21-60 Liberal----The company will readily deal only with groups one or two alignment shifts away from their own.
61-75 Like-Minded---The company will only deal with others of like alignment and objectives, even if they’re competition
76-90 Anti-Corporate----The company refuses to work with any other corporation, regardless of their alignment or ethics, seeing the other company only as competition.
91-00 Antigovernment---- The corporation refuses to deal directly with national governments, preferring to deal directly with ‘the people’.
I. Illegal Activity(Optional): What are they REALLY up to?
Note that some activities will NOT be conducted by companies of certain ethical alignments at all, while the more ruthless corporations may have SEVERAL unethical activities going at the same time.
01-10 High Finance----The company is seeking to manipulate the financial markets, either to gain a profit or to sow economic sabotage(and ideally make a profit at the same time). This can include insider trading, stock manipulation, market cornering, embezzlement(the corppration is basically running a giant Ponzi Scheme) and other accounting tricks and market gimmicking.
11-20 Smuggling---Be it illegal materials or illegal migrants, the company is using its resources as a cover for smuggling and blockade running.
21-30 Slavery---Be it trading in the black-market trade in sentients, or simply ruthlessly exploiting the natives, the corporation is knowingly abusing somebody’s freedom.
31-40 Front Company---The company is a front for a government operation or organized crime, be it producing illegal technologies or laundering money. Roll again to determine the primary illegal activity being conducted.
41-50 Knock-Offs----The company is involved in producing illegal knockoffs of another company’s products
51-60 Corporate Espionage---The company specializes in ‘black ops’ in industry, ferreting out the secrets of rivals(or whoever they’re paid to go after), sabotaging other companies, and selling others’ secrets.
61-70 Narcotics---The company uses its legitimate activities as a cover for the production and distribution of illicit substances, typically narcotics.
71-80 Illegal Research----The company is involved in illegal scientific research, such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, weapons technologies, and dimensional warping.
81-90 Racketeering-----The company acts as an organized crime syndicate, muscling their clients and neighbors, blackmailing them or short-selling them. This category also includes monopolies over ‘company towns’, space stations, and migrant workers. The company may also be a haven and sponsor of piracy.
91-00 ‘Planet-Ripping----Planet-ripping refers to any illegal and unchecked exploitation of a planet’s resources, such as strip-mining, gene-raiding, and over-harvesting. It can also include unchecked polluting and improper cleanup of abandoned industrial sites(typically to save money).
J. Pay: What will they pay me to work for them?
01-05 Poor----Employees are lucky to get 25% of the industry standard(and more likely to get only 5-10%). Pensions, medical insurance, and paid vacations are mythical under such conditions.
06-15 Paltry---Employees get at best 75% of the industry standard for their job. High-rated employees MIGHT get a one-time pension payment or benefits package.
16-60 Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry. Benefits vary by rank, but generally every employee gets SOME paid leave time, medical insurance, and severance pay.
61-80 Good---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average
81-94 Superb---Pay is 50-100% of the average, plus additional perks.
91-00 Excellent----Employees are VERY well paid, at 150%+ of the industry standard, and likely enjoy additional benefits and perks.
K. Benefits: What else to I get for working? This table can be rolled on multiple times, depending on how generous the company is to its employees. Others use Benefits to balance lower pay.
(Note that truly EVIL corporations can/will subvert these programs: the free medical clinic is used to weed out weak workers...or even recycle them as spare parts, while the vacation facilities are brainwashing facilities, and the stock offerings aren’t worth the electrons they’re recorded on).
01-10 None----Your pay is your benefit.
11-25 Medical Clinic----The company has an in-house medical service that attends to minor medical needs and emergency procedures.
26-35 Full Hospital---The company offers FULL medical coverage, including catastrophic crisis rehabilitation, reconstructive treatments, and life-extension treatments.
36-40 Cybernetics/Bio-Augmentation----The company offers a cybernetics or genetic medicine clinic and will pay 1d10x10% towards elective cybernetic implants or biogenetic tweaking/augmentation, especially if the procedures are related to work.
41-45 Legal Services----The company offers the services of its legal department for a reduced cost or pro bono to employees
46-50 Company Transport----The company provides employees who commute or travel free transportation. This can range from special company taxis or buses, or can be company-purchased/produced vehicles provided at no cost. The perk can also extend to vacations and special travel(subject to company approval).
51-60 Stock Shares----The company offers employees shares in the company at reduced or no price(though often contingent on job performance).
61-70 Vacation Facilities ---The company maintains its own vacation facilities for the exclusive use of its employees, who can take their leave at these ‘company spas’. These can include health spas, training camps, campgrounds, and the like.
71-80 Free Communications---The company offers its employees free use of their communications(free internet surfing at the lower end of the scale up to use of company couriers and FTL systems at the upper). Note that the more selfish or evil companies may monitor employee communications.
81-90 Swag---The company gives employees considerable (40-60%) discounts on products and services it produces, and may even give examples away free.
90-00 Retirement Colony---Beyond pensions, the company takes care of its employees after retirement by offering them housing at an exclusive colony/community(more unscrupulous corporations may use this to sequester employees with still-useful corporate information).
L. Available Funds: How much reserve capital does the company have against emergencies?
01-05 None----The corporation is operating on a shoestring without ANY emergency cash reserves and nothing to spare for special projects.
06-20 Petty Cash----In event of a crisis, the company can scrape together enough reserve cash to keep the company going for 1d4 weeks, and can offer loans typically in the hundred-credit range.
21-50 Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects.
51-74 Large Reserve----The company can extend loans in the triple credit range for dealing with situations and special circumstances.
75-89 Big Bucks-----The company has massive cash reserves and can make loans/payoffs of several million credits.
90-00 Mega-Reserve---The corporation has some serious assets in reserve that could keep the company running at full bore for 1d4x10 years, even if the market collapsed overnight. It can make very large loans( in the billion credit range) available to its agents for special operations and projects.
M. Reputation: How well known are they?
01-25 Relatively Unknown----Outside their limited market, the company isn’t well known.
26-75 Known--- Their name is known and recognized on the street, though typically more than half those polled about the name don’t know what the company actually DOES.
76-90 Well-Known---- The company’s name is recognized, its business is known, and most of those who hear the name have an opinion one way or the other about them and their products/services.
91-00(In)Famous---The company is regarded well and wide as an icon of the industry, with a name known even on the streets. The company’s name may even become a slang term or catch phrase. They are beloved/feared by society/government.
N. Current Corporate Status: ---How’s the company doing?
01-25 Puttering Along--The company is making ends meet with a small, but steady, flow of profit (perhaps 20% over operating expenses) keeping it going.
26-54 Modestly Successful---The company is currently doing well, enjoying a good income(50-60% profit)
55-70 Rising Stock----The company is enjoying a surge in business(70-100% profit)
71-79 Waxing Wealthy---The company is currently fairly rolling in profits(200+% profit)
80-89 Troubled---The company is showing signs of strain due to economic downturns or bad management. In another three years’ time, roll on the previous tables at -5%
90-98 Foundering---In another year’s time, roll on the previous tables at -10%
99-00 Dire Straits----The company is in deep trouble. In another year’s time, roll on the previous tables at -20%
Last edited by taalismn on Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- drewkitty ~..~
- Monk
- Posts: 17782
- Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2000 1:01 am
- Location: Eastvale, calif
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
nice...wish this was in the Rifter (to be optional) or in a book to be canon.
May you be blessed with the ability to change course when you are off the mark.
Each question should be give the canon answer 1st, then you can proclaim your house rules.
Reading and writing (literacy) is how people on BBS interact.
Each question should be give the canon answer 1st, then you can proclaim your house rules.
Reading and writing (literacy) is how people on BBS interact.
- taalismn
- Priest
- Posts: 48602
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
drewkitty ~..~ wrote:nice...wish this was in the Rifter (to be optional) or in a book to be canon.
Well, you're getting for free now...AND having the opportunity to make suggestions.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- Chronicle
- Megaversal® Ambassador
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2001 1:01 am
- Comment: Your Local Lurker. THAT'S the Reality.....
Email: Chronos47@gmail.com - Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Always pushing out the quality Taal, i like it
Your local Lurker and Temporal Wizard Extrodinaire,
Chronicle
Cosmic Forge or bust.
Love me some Phood
Where is the wood in Wormwood.
"How Are you a Super Power" -Sterling Archer
Chronicle
Cosmic Forge or bust.
Love me some Phood
Where is the wood in Wormwood.
"How Are you a Super Power" -Sterling Archer
- taalismn
- Priest
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- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Chronicle wrote:Always pushing out the quality Taal, i like it
Thanks. I don't know enough about corporate organization, however, to offer more than the three basic managements I put up. I figured 'Boards of Directors' would qualify as either Family-owned, if hereditary, or Shareholder, if the position could be bought, or the Board members served as proxies for the shareholders.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- drewkitty ~..~
- Monk
- Posts: 17782
- Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2000 1:01 am
- Location: Eastvale, calif
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
taalismn wrote:drewkitty ~..~ wrote:nice...wish this was in the Rifter (to be optional) or in a book to be canon.
Well, you're getting for free now...AND having the opportunity to make suggestions.
actually it needs converting to the point system if it is to conform to the other city/cover org./circus/etc.../etc.. tables style.
Not that I'm saying it needs it.
or... Maybe incorporate the point system conversion as a after note to each item.
May you be blessed with the ability to change course when you are off the mark.
Each question should be give the canon answer 1st, then you can proclaim your house rules.
Reading and writing (literacy) is how people on BBS interact.
Each question should be give the canon answer 1st, then you can proclaim your house rules.
Reading and writing (literacy) is how people on BBS interact.
- taalismn
- Priest
- Posts: 48602
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
drewkitty ~..~ wrote:taalismn wrote:drewkitty ~..~ wrote:nice...wish this was in the Rifter (to be optional) or in a book to be canon.
Well, you're getting for free now...AND having the opportunity to make suggestions.
actually it needs converting to the point system if it is to conform to the other city/cover org./circus/etc.../etc.. tables style.
Not that I'm saying it needs it.
or... Maybe incorporate the point system conversion as a after note to each item.
I WAS thinking of that, but figured that most people creating companies for their own use are going to fudge the points anyway.
This is more for the random background corporation/possible employer/corporate villain than anything else, with a big dash of 'no company is created equal'.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- Nekira Sudacne
- Monk
- Posts: 15572
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- Comment: The Munchkin Fairy
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- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Want to say, I like
Sometimes, you're like a beacon of light in the darkness, giving me some hope for humankind. ~ Killer Cyborg
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
- taalismn
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Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Next, I'll format some well-known(and not so well-known) corporations using the above format.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- Veritas476
- Adventurer
- Posts: 488
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:38 am
- Location: Oswego, NY, USA
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Paladin Steel perhaps?
- taalismn
- Priest
- Posts: 48602
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Veritas476 wrote:Paladin Steel perhaps?
To be fair, yes, but I'll also profile Naruni Enterprises, Hartigal Combine, and Network Omni News as well.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- Nekira Sudacne
- Monk
- Posts: 15572
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2003 7:22 pm
- Comment: The Munchkin Fairy
- Location: 2nd Degree Black Belt of Post Fu
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Hmm. Something occurs to me.
These numbers only work for companies that only spawn one solar system or so. A Galatic company that simply operates over one of the three galaxies would have hundreds of millions of employees major intergalatic comapnies would employ multiple planetary populations, numbering in the tens to hundreds of billions of employees.
C. Size/Manpower: How big a corporation are we talking here?
01-05 Tiny----The corporation is, by the standards of such things, tiny(though it may still be huge by planetary company standards). This can mean the corporation is going to be stretched thin on its operations, or else it is extremely efficient in operation, with influence beyond its relative numbers. Dedicated employee numbers are within the 500-5,000 range.
06-30 Small----The company is a lightweight and boasts at best 10,000-50,000 employees. Still more than most planetary corporations, but remember, we’re talking INTERSTELLAR operations here.
31-60 Modest----Has roughly 60,000-100,000 employees throughout its various operations.
65-85 Large----These companies swagger in manpower, boasting of employment numbers of 100,000-800,000 employees
86-97 Gigantic----The upper echelon of corporate size, with numbers of 1 million+ employees.
98-00 Megalithic----Few companies rise to this level, employing double-digit MILLIONS of employees
These numbers only work for companies that only spawn one solar system or so. A Galatic company that simply operates over one of the three galaxies would have hundreds of millions of employees major intergalatic comapnies would employ multiple planetary populations, numbering in the tens to hundreds of billions of employees.
Sometimes, you're like a beacon of light in the darkness, giving me some hope for humankind. ~ Killer Cyborg
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
- Veritas476
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Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
taalismn wrote:To be fair, yes, but I'll also profile Naruni Enterprises, Hartigal Combine, and Network Omni News as well.
I kind of figured that you would do PS under this rule-set but thought I'd poke the sleeping idea monster anyway. I might be persuaded to do Wildstorm Industries, Covenant Arms, and a couple others myself.
- taalismn
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Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Nekira Sudacne wrote:Hmm. Something occurs to me.C. Size/Manpower: How big a corporation are we talking here?
01-05 Tiny----The corporation is, by the standards of such things, tiny(though it may still be huge by planetary company standards). This can mean the corporation is going to be stretched thin on its operations, or else it is extremely efficient in operation, with influence beyond its relative numbers. Dedicated employee numbers are within the 500-5,000 range.
06-30 Small----The company is a lightweight and boasts at best 10,000-50,000 employees. Still more than most planetary corporations, but remember, we’re talking INTERSTELLAR operations here.
31-60 Modest----Has roughly 60,000-100,000 employees throughout its various operations.
65-85 Large----These companies swagger in manpower, boasting of employment numbers of 100,000-800,000 employees
86-97 Gigantic----The upper echelon of corporate size, with numbers of 1 million+ employees.
98-00 Megalithic----Few companies rise to this level, employing double-digit MILLIONS of employees
These numbers only work for companies that only spawn one solar system or so. A Galatic company that simply operates over one of the three galaxies would have hundreds of millions of employees major intergalatic comapnies would employ multiple planetary populations, numbering in the tens to hundreds of billions of employees.
Yeah...I've belatedly realized this, so an update is in the works.
Don't hardcopy this all just yet.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- taalismn
- Priest
- Posts: 48602
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Size category edited.
Example Corporations:
Naruni Enterprises
“What Choice Do You Really Have?”
The archetypal Megacorp, both loathed and respected, with enough clout to effectively destroy worlds and shatter civilizations. Naruni Enterprises’ sleek products have become icons of technological sophistication and power-projection and their corporate culture defines megacorp high society and mindset. Naruni seeks not to overturn galactic civilization; they just want to own and run it by proxy, and the various galactic wars, crusades, and crisis situations mean that there’s a steady demand for their products.
A. Product/Services--- Multi-division corporation, but best known for weapons and weapons systems.
B. Ownership----Stockholder-owned, with the True Naruni having controlling interests.
C. Size/Manpower---- Megalithic, with employee numbers in the double-digit billion+ range. The Anvil Galaxy branch ALONE employs some 3 billion(counting slaves and ‘temps’).
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Extreme---The company has gone to the far end to insure its corporate communications are kept private, including stealth courier drones, deep-brain imprinting of couriers, and magically or technologically generating their own dimensional communications rifts.
F. Security---Private Army. Beyond its infamous Repo-Bots, Naruni can easily whip up a nice mercenary army to deal with problems.
G. General Alignment----- Aberrant, shading towards Miscreant/Diabolical.
H. Business/Trade Connections---Pretty much anybody, with the notable exceptions of the Splugorth and the Coalition States(whoever they are).
I. Illegal Activity---The short list:
-Slavery---Entire planets, for non-payment on bills typically.
-Corporate Espionage----Destroying the competition is virtually a Naruni-invented sport.
-Illegal Research----Often conducted on planets of people who defaulted on their payments
-Racketeering---The Naruni make neighborhood loansharks look like charity-managers. And their influence-peddling and jury-tampering makes sure that local laws can’t touch them.
-Planet-Ripping---Naruni doesn’t exactly tread softly on many of its worlds.
J. Pay--- Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits---None for the average worker, though upper echelon management get the full across-the-board benefits packages.
L. Available Funds---Mega-Reserve, with a large war chest for special operations.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous---Who HASN’T heard of Naruni(thanks to their massive PR campaigns)?
N. Current Corporate Status----Waxing Wealthy---The company is currently fairly rolling in profits(200+% profit). Galactic war is good for business.
Hartigal Combine
“The SAFER Choice for Your Security Needs”
Naruni Enterprise’s breakaway subsidiary, now engaged in a stiff corporate war with them. Slightly more ethical, slightly less predatory, a lot nicer to its employees and clientele, and trying to make a name for itself. Though a step behind Naruni technologically, Hartigal perhaps has better insight into how NE works than anybody else, and in business, knowing is half the battle.
A. Product/Services---Weapons and weapons systems. Branching out into other products and services, in imitation, competition, and knocking-off of Naruni.
B. Ownership--- Stockholders
C. Size/Manpower--- Gigantic(one billion employees)
D. Distribution--- Galactic(Anvil Galaxy)
E. Communications--- Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service.
F. Security--- Private Army, well-armed with Naruni knockoffs.
G. General Alignment--- Anarchist
H. Business/Trade Connections--- Liberal
I. Illegal Activity---
-Knockoffs---Especially Naruni designs
-Corporate Espionage---Especially against Naruni
J. Pay--- Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits---
-Medical Clinic---Under Naruni, you had to bandage yourself or suck the poison out on your own. Hartigal Combine offers free medical care to its employees, making for happier, healthier, motivated workers.
-Stock Shares----The company offers employees shares in the company at reduced or no price(though often contingent on job performance).
-Vacation Facilities ---The company maintains its own vacation facilities for the exclusive use of its employees, who can take their leave at these ‘company spas’.
-Swag---Hartigal tends to pay off its armed employees with weapons it produces.
L. Available Funds--- Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects. It tends to pay off its agents in products.
M. Reputation--- Well Known. Good PR and the audacity of bearding Naruni Enterprises at its own game has earned Hartigal some decent street cred, especially among those who are aware of Naruni’s own checkered reputation.
N. Current Corporate Status--- Rising Stock. Hartigal is on the up and up, at least in the Anvil Galaxy.
Paladin Steel/Aegis Stellar Industries ---(Just to be fair)
“The Right Gear, for the Right Purpose, in a Right Cause, at a Right Price.”
A newcomer to the Three Galaxies and the interdimensional stage, Paladin Steel is the mothership corporation of Aegis Stellar Industries, its wing in the Three Galaxies. Though generally a generation of technology behind the standard in the Three Galaxies, PS products often compensate by being multirole, multi-accessoried, or innovative in other ways, and by being less expensive than many of their contemporaries’ offerings in the Three Galaxies. Their home offices on Rifts Earth(or -A- Rifts Earth) gives them many options and opportunities larger galactic companies do not.
A. Product/Services----Known primarily as an arms manufacturer(though they have many divisions and interests), with a reputation for relatively low-tech, but durable and readily customizable, products.
B. Ownership----Shareholder-owned, with a strong nationalist sponsorship(Greater New England).
C. Size/Manpower---Massive, in the 100 million+ range(though its Rifts Earth home offices employ only about 10 million employees between its various enclaves)
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Private(bordering on Extreme) ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service.
F. Security---- Small Army, leavened with house mercenary units and national armed services personnel.
G. General Alignment----Scrupulous and Unprincipled
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal, with a ‘trust but verify’ attitude.
I. Illegal Activity---
-Knockoffs----The company is involved in producing illegal knockoffs of another company’s products. Or, at the very least, of reverse-engineering technologies from the Kittani, Naruni, Triax and the Coalition States.
- Corporate Espionage---The company has some truck in ‘gray ops’ in industry, ferreting out the secrets of rivals and conducting ‘proactive defense’ against their competition.
J. Pay---Good---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average
K. Benefits---
-Medical Clinic----Healthy workers are happy and productive workers, and PS means to be both happy and productive. That means free health and dental.
-Cybernetics/Bio-Augmentation----Based on their experience ‘growing up’ on Rifts Earth, where one can easily lose a limb or two(maybe even a whole body) to a bandit or supernatural predator, the company offers a cybernetics or genetic medicine clinic and will pay 1d10x10% towards elective cybernetic implants or biogenetic tweaking/augmentation, especially if the procedures are related to work. Since PS’s medical and biologicals divisions produce most of the necessary material in-house, they can afford this sort of largesse.
-Swag---The company gives employees considerable (40-60%) discounts on products and services it produces, and may even give examples away free.
L. Available Funds---Large Reserve----The company can extend loans in the triple credit range for dealing with situations and special circumstances.
M. Reputation---Known. Paladin Steel is working on a ‘slow but steady’ policy of building up their brand-name recognition and customer base.
N. Current Corporate Status---Modestly Successful in breaking into a large market.
WZTech Yards
“Starflight the Way YOU Want It!”
A consortium of smaller aerospacecraft manufacturers who have pooled resources to compete with the bigger, more politically-aligned, corporations like Naruni Enterprises, Galactic Armory and General Galaxy. WZT has kept a number of older and smaller companies afloat in the face of economic turbulence and the depredations of the established megacorps.
A. Product/Services---Aerospacecraft manufacturing(Civilian/Military)
B. Ownership---Shareholders
C. Size/Manpower---Gigantic, with over one billion associated and affiliated shipyard workers, mechanics, engineers, and designers.
D. Distribution---Galactic(Three Galaxies)
E. Communications--- Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service(using their own ships).
F. Security--- Overall, would be considered to be Light, especially in the commercial shipyards, but upgrades to Heavy around sensitive facilities and military yards. WZT also has its own (unadvertised) starfighter and warship force to protect and escort its deep space assets.
G. General Alignment----Scrupulous and Unprincipled
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal
I. Illegal Activity---None per say; WZT doesn’t want to lower itself to the same level as the megacorp competition, so they tend to keep their act clean. The best(or worst) that can be said about it is that some parts of it have sometimes been accused of producing knockoffs of others’ still-under-copyright-protection ship designs(and, as of recently, WZT has been approached by the CCW to manufacture copies of Naruni designs).
J. Pay--- Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits
-Company Transportation---As a producer of spacecraft, especially relatively inexpensive commercial spacecraft, WZT can readily provide its employees with company transport.
L. Available Funds----Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects.
M. Reputation---Known. Word is getting around about WZT’s quality and competitive prices, especially as something of a ‘mongrel underdog’ facing off against the big established megacorps.
N. Current Corporate Status---Rising Stock. WZT has recently been gaining government contracts, even in the face of stiff competition from the likes of NE, Bushido Federation, Galactic Armory, and General Galaxy. Resource-sharing seems to be paying off for WZT.
Merzot’s Universal Hearth Bakeries
“Cosmic Love In Every Mouthful.”
Everybody agrees that the baked confections mass-produced by Merzot’s UHB are hardly gourmet cuisine; the ubiquitous little yellow cakes, dark dish-patties, fruit-analogue pastry pouches, and other similar plastic-wrapped ‘goodies’ barely qualify as either nutritious or tasty. However, they are cheap, strangely addictive, and amazingly enough, compatible with a wide range of biochemistries and metabolisms(so, despite the fact they aren’t terribly nutritious, a great many species CAN safely digest them). That has kept Merzot’s going, despite labor problems, fast-food wars, various attempts to ban their products by various health fanatics, and a flood of jokes about shelf-life and ingredients.
A. Product/Services--- Agriculture; specifically stabilized baked goods and food substrates.
B. Ownership--- Family; the Merzots have been running the company for over three generations.
C. Size/Manpower--- Modest, roughly 900,000 employees(though most of the actual baking is automated)
D. Distribution--- Galactic. MUHB products are a stable of convenience stores, spaceport food marts, and adventure outfitters throughout the Three Galaxies.
E. Communications--- Basic----The company uses bonded commercial couriers and basic encryption to keep its people in touch.
F. Security---Modest; would be Light, but Merzot’s had to step up security after several attempts to blackmail the company with food tampering.
G. General Alignment--- Principled
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal
I. Illegal Activity--- Despite the biological warfare jokes, MUHB is NOT involved in any illegal activity.
J. Pay---Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits---
-Swag; All the baked goods you can eat.
L. Available Funds---Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous. Even if you haven’t tasted one of Merzot’s products, you’ve surely heard the jokes.
N. Current Corporate Status--- Puttering Along--The company is making ends meet with a small, but steady, flow of profit (perhaps 20% over operating expenses) keeping it going.
Network Omni News(NON)
“Yeah, We See That.”
A renegade Splugorth and his domain that claim to have gone legit, NON is a media network specializing in news reporting. They’ve since branched off into telecommunications and some entertainment programming, but their bread and butter continues to be hardline investigative reporting and combat journalism. Their no-holds-barred media treatment of rival Splugorth clans, the TGE, corporations and government officials in the CCW, UWW, and Republik, among others, has earned NON more than a few enemies, though nobody dares move against the network openly for fear of what dirty laundry on them Cybssynthcryth might air in retaliation.
A. Product/Services---News Media and Communications
B. Ownership---Arguably Family-owned by its founder Cybssynthcryth, who simply loves being the top editor-in-chief.
C. Size/Manpower---Megalithic, with several billion employees.
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Extreme; they own their own galactic/interdimensional communications network.
F. Security---Strike Force. NON reporters frequently go into the field with security escort, and Cybssynthcryth keeps a reserve of ‘old-school’ minions ready to respond in the event somebody’s stupid enough to try taking his employees hostage or try killing them to keep them silent.
G. General Alignment---Anarchist
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal. You gotta deal with folks of all stripes when you’re mucking for the truth.
I. Illegal Activity
-Spying/Muckraking/Information Extortion. NON’s reporters are infamous for breaking local law in pursuit of a story and the truth, and for extracting tell-all interviews at gun point.
J. Pay---Good---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average
K. Benefits---
- Free Communications----Employees can chat online all they want and phone home on the company dime.
L. Available Funds---Big Bucks-----The company has massive cash reserves and can make loans/payoffs of several million credits.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous, particularly for their gunpoint-interviews and no-holds-barred reporting.
N. Current Corporate Status---Rising Stock
Society of Sacrifices
“Perfect Rituals Require the Proper Human Element.”
Regarded by many as a cult, others as a criminal syndicate, The Society of Sacrifices claims to be able to provide willing and completely voluntary ‘blood and PPE’, and more innocently temp help, and has been legally recognized on some worlds as a corporation, supposedly providing happy health servants and domestic labor. The company is constantly under investigation on charges of prostitution and slavery, as well as catering to illegal human experimentation and worse, so it goes under a number of aliases, which allows it to operate (at least for awhile) under the noses of the CCW and UWW.
A. Product/Services---Labor
B. Ownership----Believed to be a hereditary priesthood.
C. Size/Manpower---Small----The company is a lightweight and boasts at best 50,000-90,000 employees.(not including the ‘human resources’ they manage, which supposedly is 2-5 times that number).
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including magic means.
F. Security---- Heavy, with many of its security personnel wielding magic or psionics. Though it’s claimed the security is to keep their ‘human resources’ IN, rather than keep people OUT.
G. General Alignment----Aberrant
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal; the Society caters more legitimate and innocent services to more law-abiding clientele, but also, almost by definition of its name, deals with the darker side of society on a regular basis.
I. Illegal Activity
-Smuggling---People in particular
-Slavery----While almost all of the Society’s ‘asset employees’ claim they work voluntarily for the Society and its clients, allegations persist of kidnapping, forced conscription, and brainwashing.
-Extortion---It’s also claimed that the Society uses its services lists to blackmail those (former)clients who purchased less-than-savory services from the group.
J. Pay---The registered employees receive Good pay---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average, and the ‘sacrifices’ get similar compensation.
K. Benefits
-Medical Clinic----The Society prides itself on the glowing health of its employees and ‘assets’, through free healthcare.
-Hospital----Includes magic therapy and treatment. Supposedly this is to treat the ‘assets’ if clients overstep the ‘do-not-mutilate-or-kill’ clauses in work contracts.
-Vacation Facilities---The Society keeps its employees close, providing them with their own sequestered and exclusive spa-clubs(others would disagree and call these slave-camps).
-Retirement Colony---Society members can look forward to pleasant retirements at Society temples(Rumor: The PRIESTS can; anybody else gets sacrificed to some dark god at these temples).
L. Available Funds---Large Reserve----The company can extend loans in the triple credit range for dealing with situations and special circumstances.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous. Lurid rumors abound about the Society, and it’s rumored that the Society does little to discourage them, figuring that even negative publicity is still publicity.
N. Current Corporate Status----Rising Stock----The company is enjoying a surge in business(70-100% profit). When it isn’t busy running from the law, the Society is actually doing pretty well, catering to the borderline market in adult entertainment, BDSM and dark magic, or else blackmailing former clients with the lists of services purchased in the past. With the crackdown on the Splugorth by the TransGalactic Empire and the Shemarrian Star Nation, many smaller independent slavers(and slave-buyers) are turning to the supposedly more aboveboard Society to move living product.
Example Corporations:
Naruni Enterprises
“What Choice Do You Really Have?”
The archetypal Megacorp, both loathed and respected, with enough clout to effectively destroy worlds and shatter civilizations. Naruni Enterprises’ sleek products have become icons of technological sophistication and power-projection and their corporate culture defines megacorp high society and mindset. Naruni seeks not to overturn galactic civilization; they just want to own and run it by proxy, and the various galactic wars, crusades, and crisis situations mean that there’s a steady demand for their products.
A. Product/Services--- Multi-division corporation, but best known for weapons and weapons systems.
B. Ownership----Stockholder-owned, with the True Naruni having controlling interests.
C. Size/Manpower---- Megalithic, with employee numbers in the double-digit billion+ range. The Anvil Galaxy branch ALONE employs some 3 billion(counting slaves and ‘temps’).
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Extreme---The company has gone to the far end to insure its corporate communications are kept private, including stealth courier drones, deep-brain imprinting of couriers, and magically or technologically generating their own dimensional communications rifts.
F. Security---Private Army. Beyond its infamous Repo-Bots, Naruni can easily whip up a nice mercenary army to deal with problems.
G. General Alignment----- Aberrant, shading towards Miscreant/Diabolical.
H. Business/Trade Connections---Pretty much anybody, with the notable exceptions of the Splugorth and the Coalition States(whoever they are).
I. Illegal Activity---The short list:
-Slavery---Entire planets, for non-payment on bills typically.
-Corporate Espionage----Destroying the competition is virtually a Naruni-invented sport.
-Illegal Research----Often conducted on planets of people who defaulted on their payments
-Racketeering---The Naruni make neighborhood loansharks look like charity-managers. And their influence-peddling and jury-tampering makes sure that local laws can’t touch them.
-Planet-Ripping---Naruni doesn’t exactly tread softly on many of its worlds.
J. Pay--- Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits---None for the average worker, though upper echelon management get the full across-the-board benefits packages.
L. Available Funds---Mega-Reserve, with a large war chest for special operations.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous---Who HASN’T heard of Naruni(thanks to their massive PR campaigns)?
N. Current Corporate Status----Waxing Wealthy---The company is currently fairly rolling in profits(200+% profit). Galactic war is good for business.
Hartigal Combine
“The SAFER Choice for Your Security Needs”
Naruni Enterprise’s breakaway subsidiary, now engaged in a stiff corporate war with them. Slightly more ethical, slightly less predatory, a lot nicer to its employees and clientele, and trying to make a name for itself. Though a step behind Naruni technologically, Hartigal perhaps has better insight into how NE works than anybody else, and in business, knowing is half the battle.
A. Product/Services---Weapons and weapons systems. Branching out into other products and services, in imitation, competition, and knocking-off of Naruni.
B. Ownership--- Stockholders
C. Size/Manpower--- Gigantic(one billion employees)
D. Distribution--- Galactic(Anvil Galaxy)
E. Communications--- Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service.
F. Security--- Private Army, well-armed with Naruni knockoffs.
G. General Alignment--- Anarchist
H. Business/Trade Connections--- Liberal
I. Illegal Activity---
-Knockoffs---Especially Naruni designs
-Corporate Espionage---Especially against Naruni
J. Pay--- Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits---
-Medical Clinic---Under Naruni, you had to bandage yourself or suck the poison out on your own. Hartigal Combine offers free medical care to its employees, making for happier, healthier, motivated workers.
-Stock Shares----The company offers employees shares in the company at reduced or no price(though often contingent on job performance).
-Vacation Facilities ---The company maintains its own vacation facilities for the exclusive use of its employees, who can take their leave at these ‘company spas’.
-Swag---Hartigal tends to pay off its armed employees with weapons it produces.
L. Available Funds--- Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects. It tends to pay off its agents in products.
M. Reputation--- Well Known. Good PR and the audacity of bearding Naruni Enterprises at its own game has earned Hartigal some decent street cred, especially among those who are aware of Naruni’s own checkered reputation.
N. Current Corporate Status--- Rising Stock. Hartigal is on the up and up, at least in the Anvil Galaxy.
Paladin Steel/Aegis Stellar Industries ---(Just to be fair)
“The Right Gear, for the Right Purpose, in a Right Cause, at a Right Price.”
A newcomer to the Three Galaxies and the interdimensional stage, Paladin Steel is the mothership corporation of Aegis Stellar Industries, its wing in the Three Galaxies. Though generally a generation of technology behind the standard in the Three Galaxies, PS products often compensate by being multirole, multi-accessoried, or innovative in other ways, and by being less expensive than many of their contemporaries’ offerings in the Three Galaxies. Their home offices on Rifts Earth(or -A- Rifts Earth) gives them many options and opportunities larger galactic companies do not.
A. Product/Services----Known primarily as an arms manufacturer(though they have many divisions and interests), with a reputation for relatively low-tech, but durable and readily customizable, products.
B. Ownership----Shareholder-owned, with a strong nationalist sponsorship(Greater New England).
C. Size/Manpower---Massive, in the 100 million+ range(though its Rifts Earth home offices employ only about 10 million employees between its various enclaves)
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Private(bordering on Extreme) ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service.
F. Security---- Small Army, leavened with house mercenary units and national armed services personnel.
G. General Alignment----Scrupulous and Unprincipled
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal, with a ‘trust but verify’ attitude.
I. Illegal Activity---
-Knockoffs----The company is involved in producing illegal knockoffs of another company’s products. Or, at the very least, of reverse-engineering technologies from the Kittani, Naruni, Triax and the Coalition States.
- Corporate Espionage---The company has some truck in ‘gray ops’ in industry, ferreting out the secrets of rivals and conducting ‘proactive defense’ against their competition.
J. Pay---Good---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average
K. Benefits---
-Medical Clinic----Healthy workers are happy and productive workers, and PS means to be both happy and productive. That means free health and dental.
-Cybernetics/Bio-Augmentation----Based on their experience ‘growing up’ on Rifts Earth, where one can easily lose a limb or two(maybe even a whole body) to a bandit or supernatural predator, the company offers a cybernetics or genetic medicine clinic and will pay 1d10x10% towards elective cybernetic implants or biogenetic tweaking/augmentation, especially if the procedures are related to work. Since PS’s medical and biologicals divisions produce most of the necessary material in-house, they can afford this sort of largesse.
-Swag---The company gives employees considerable (40-60%) discounts on products and services it produces, and may even give examples away free.
L. Available Funds---Large Reserve----The company can extend loans in the triple credit range for dealing with situations and special circumstances.
M. Reputation---Known. Paladin Steel is working on a ‘slow but steady’ policy of building up their brand-name recognition and customer base.
N. Current Corporate Status---Modestly Successful in breaking into a large market.
WZTech Yards
“Starflight the Way YOU Want It!”
A consortium of smaller aerospacecraft manufacturers who have pooled resources to compete with the bigger, more politically-aligned, corporations like Naruni Enterprises, Galactic Armory and General Galaxy. WZT has kept a number of older and smaller companies afloat in the face of economic turbulence and the depredations of the established megacorps.
A. Product/Services---Aerospacecraft manufacturing(Civilian/Military)
B. Ownership---Shareholders
C. Size/Manpower---Gigantic, with over one billion associated and affiliated shipyard workers, mechanics, engineers, and designers.
D. Distribution---Galactic(Three Galaxies)
E. Communications--- Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including wholly company-owned transmission facilities and its own in-house courier service(using their own ships).
F. Security--- Overall, would be considered to be Light, especially in the commercial shipyards, but upgrades to Heavy around sensitive facilities and military yards. WZT also has its own (unadvertised) starfighter and warship force to protect and escort its deep space assets.
G. General Alignment----Scrupulous and Unprincipled
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal
I. Illegal Activity---None per say; WZT doesn’t want to lower itself to the same level as the megacorp competition, so they tend to keep their act clean. The best(or worst) that can be said about it is that some parts of it have sometimes been accused of producing knockoffs of others’ still-under-copyright-protection ship designs(and, as of recently, WZT has been approached by the CCW to manufacture copies of Naruni designs).
J. Pay--- Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits
-Company Transportation---As a producer of spacecraft, especially relatively inexpensive commercial spacecraft, WZT can readily provide its employees with company transport.
L. Available Funds----Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects.
M. Reputation---Known. Word is getting around about WZT’s quality and competitive prices, especially as something of a ‘mongrel underdog’ facing off against the big established megacorps.
N. Current Corporate Status---Rising Stock. WZT has recently been gaining government contracts, even in the face of stiff competition from the likes of NE, Bushido Federation, Galactic Armory, and General Galaxy. Resource-sharing seems to be paying off for WZT.
Merzot’s Universal Hearth Bakeries
“Cosmic Love In Every Mouthful.”
Everybody agrees that the baked confections mass-produced by Merzot’s UHB are hardly gourmet cuisine; the ubiquitous little yellow cakes, dark dish-patties, fruit-analogue pastry pouches, and other similar plastic-wrapped ‘goodies’ barely qualify as either nutritious or tasty. However, they are cheap, strangely addictive, and amazingly enough, compatible with a wide range of biochemistries and metabolisms(so, despite the fact they aren’t terribly nutritious, a great many species CAN safely digest them). That has kept Merzot’s going, despite labor problems, fast-food wars, various attempts to ban their products by various health fanatics, and a flood of jokes about shelf-life and ingredients.
A. Product/Services--- Agriculture; specifically stabilized baked goods and food substrates.
B. Ownership--- Family; the Merzots have been running the company for over three generations.
C. Size/Manpower--- Modest, roughly 900,000 employees(though most of the actual baking is automated)
D. Distribution--- Galactic. MUHB products are a stable of convenience stores, spaceport food marts, and adventure outfitters throughout the Three Galaxies.
E. Communications--- Basic----The company uses bonded commercial couriers and basic encryption to keep its people in touch.
F. Security---Modest; would be Light, but Merzot’s had to step up security after several attempts to blackmail the company with food tampering.
G. General Alignment--- Principled
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal
I. Illegal Activity--- Despite the biological warfare jokes, MUHB is NOT involved in any illegal activity.
J. Pay---Fair----The company pays its employees about the average for the industry.
K. Benefits---
-Swag; All the baked goods you can eat.
L. Available Funds---Small Potatoes----The company has a modest reserve that can allow for loans of several thousand credits for special projects.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous. Even if you haven’t tasted one of Merzot’s products, you’ve surely heard the jokes.
N. Current Corporate Status--- Puttering Along--The company is making ends meet with a small, but steady, flow of profit (perhaps 20% over operating expenses) keeping it going.
Network Omni News(NON)
“Yeah, We See That.”
A renegade Splugorth and his domain that claim to have gone legit, NON is a media network specializing in news reporting. They’ve since branched off into telecommunications and some entertainment programming, but their bread and butter continues to be hardline investigative reporting and combat journalism. Their no-holds-barred media treatment of rival Splugorth clans, the TGE, corporations and government officials in the CCW, UWW, and Republik, among others, has earned NON more than a few enemies, though nobody dares move against the network openly for fear of what dirty laundry on them Cybssynthcryth might air in retaliation.
A. Product/Services---News Media and Communications
B. Ownership---Arguably Family-owned by its founder Cybssynthcryth, who simply loves being the top editor-in-chief.
C. Size/Manpower---Megalithic, with several billion employees.
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Extreme; they own their own galactic/interdimensional communications network.
F. Security---Strike Force. NON reporters frequently go into the field with security escort, and Cybssynthcryth keeps a reserve of ‘old-school’ minions ready to respond in the event somebody’s stupid enough to try taking his employees hostage or try killing them to keep them silent.
G. General Alignment---Anarchist
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal. You gotta deal with folks of all stripes when you’re mucking for the truth.
I. Illegal Activity
-Spying/Muckraking/Information Extortion. NON’s reporters are infamous for breaking local law in pursuit of a story and the truth, and for extracting tell-all interviews at gun point.
J. Pay---Good---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average
K. Benefits---
- Free Communications----Employees can chat online all they want and phone home on the company dime.
L. Available Funds---Big Bucks-----The company has massive cash reserves and can make loans/payoffs of several million credits.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous, particularly for their gunpoint-interviews and no-holds-barred reporting.
N. Current Corporate Status---Rising Stock
Society of Sacrifices
“Perfect Rituals Require the Proper Human Element.”
Regarded by many as a cult, others as a criminal syndicate, The Society of Sacrifices claims to be able to provide willing and completely voluntary ‘blood and PPE’, and more innocently temp help, and has been legally recognized on some worlds as a corporation, supposedly providing happy health servants and domestic labor. The company is constantly under investigation on charges of prostitution and slavery, as well as catering to illegal human experimentation and worse, so it goes under a number of aliases, which allows it to operate (at least for awhile) under the noses of the CCW and UWW.
A. Product/Services---Labor
B. Ownership----Believed to be a hereditary priesthood.
C. Size/Manpower---Small----The company is a lightweight and boasts at best 50,000-90,000 employees.(not including the ‘human resources’ they manage, which supposedly is 2-5 times that number).
D. Distribution--- Interdimensional
E. Communications---Private ----The company maintains its own private communications network, including magic means.
F. Security---- Heavy, with many of its security personnel wielding magic or psionics. Though it’s claimed the security is to keep their ‘human resources’ IN, rather than keep people OUT.
G. General Alignment----Aberrant
H. Business/Trade Connections---Liberal; the Society caters more legitimate and innocent services to more law-abiding clientele, but also, almost by definition of its name, deals with the darker side of society on a regular basis.
I. Illegal Activity
-Smuggling---People in particular
-Slavery----While almost all of the Society’s ‘asset employees’ claim they work voluntarily for the Society and its clients, allegations persist of kidnapping, forced conscription, and brainwashing.
-Extortion---It’s also claimed that the Society uses its services lists to blackmail those (former)clients who purchased less-than-savory services from the group.
J. Pay---The registered employees receive Good pay---Pay is 10-25% above the industry average, and the ‘sacrifices’ get similar compensation.
K. Benefits
-Medical Clinic----The Society prides itself on the glowing health of its employees and ‘assets’, through free healthcare.
-Hospital----Includes magic therapy and treatment. Supposedly this is to treat the ‘assets’ if clients overstep the ‘do-not-mutilate-or-kill’ clauses in work contracts.
-Vacation Facilities---The Society keeps its employees close, providing them with their own sequestered and exclusive spa-clubs(others would disagree and call these slave-camps).
-Retirement Colony---Society members can look forward to pleasant retirements at Society temples(Rumor: The PRIESTS can; anybody else gets sacrificed to some dark god at these temples).
L. Available Funds---Large Reserve----The company can extend loans in the triple credit range for dealing with situations and special circumstances.
M. Reputation---(In)Famous. Lurid rumors abound about the Society, and it’s rumored that the Society does little to discourage them, figuring that even negative publicity is still publicity.
N. Current Corporate Status----Rising Stock----The company is enjoying a surge in business(70-100% profit). When it isn’t busy running from the law, the Society is actually doing pretty well, catering to the borderline market in adult entertainment, BDSM and dark magic, or else blackmailing former clients with the lists of services purchased in the past. With the crackdown on the Splugorth by the TransGalactic Empire and the Shemarrian Star Nation, many smaller independent slavers(and slave-buyers) are turning to the supposedly more aboveboard Society to move living product.
Last edited by taalismn on Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- ZINO
- Knight
- Posts: 4097
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:02 pm
- Comment: NEVER QUIT..... I got lucky
- Location: new york
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
holy cow how i missed this
let your YES be YES and your NO be NO but plz no maybe
- Nekira Sudacne
- Monk
- Posts: 15572
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2003 7:22 pm
- Comment: The Munchkin Fairy
- Location: 2nd Degree Black Belt of Post Fu
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Hmmm. I do have to disagree with one part of Naruni
Naruni is explicitly listed as being an Omni-Congolmorate manufacturing every conceiveable product. It's true the game focus's on the arms trade, but at least in my games, having naruni-branded coffee makers and sunglasses is a status symbol
A. Product/Services---Weapons and weapons systems.
Naruni is explicitly listed as being an Omni-Congolmorate manufacturing every conceiveable product. It's true the game focus's on the arms trade, but at least in my games, having naruni-branded coffee makers and sunglasses is a status symbol
Sometimes, you're like a beacon of light in the darkness, giving me some hope for humankind. ~ Killer Cyborg
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
- taalismn
- Priest
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Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Nekira Sudacne wrote:Hmmm. I do have to disagree with one part of NaruniA. Product/Services---Weapons and weapons systems.
Naruni is explicitly listed as being an Omni-Congolmorate manufacturing every conceiveable product. It's true the game focus's on the arms trade, but at least in my games, having naruni-branded coffee makers and sunglasses is a status symbol
So noted and corrected, as well as for Hartigal, trying to imitate NE(and steal customers).
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- glitterboy2098
- Rifts® Trivia Master
- Posts: 13530
- Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2003 3:37 pm
- Location: Missouri
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
it might also be worth adding a 2nd products entry for "products they are best known for". so for example, Naruni makes it's money off everything.. but they are best known for weapons. in rifts, Northern Gun makes it's money off guns and gear, but is best known for robots and Powered Armor. Wilks makes most of their money off appliances and civilian stuff, but is best known for their laser weapons. etc.
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70)
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
- taalismn
- Priest
- Posts: 48602
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
glitterboy2098 wrote:it might also be worth adding a 2nd products entry for "products they are best known for". so for example, Naruni makes it's money off everything.. but they are best known for weapons. in rifts, Northern Gun makes it's money off guns and gear, but is best known for robots and Powered Armor. Wilks makes most of their money off appliances and civilian stuff, but is best known for their laser weapons. etc.
Maybe just add a note to roll twice on the same table for primary products and 'best known for' products? Could get funny though, if you come up with the equivalent of a food products company like Ralston-Purina being best known for combat equipment.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- glitterboy2098
- Rifts® Trivia Master
- Posts: 13530
- Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2003 3:37 pm
- Location: Missouri
- Contact:
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
taalismn wrote:glitterboy2098 wrote:it might also be worth adding a 2nd products entry for "products they are best known for". so for example, Naruni makes it's money off everything.. but they are best known for weapons. in rifts, Northern Gun makes it's money off guns and gear, but is best known for robots and Powered Armor. Wilks makes most of their money off appliances and civilian stuff, but is best known for their laser weapons. etc.
Maybe just add a note to roll twice on the same table for primary products and 'best known for' products? Could get funny though, if you come up with the equivalent of a food products company like Ralston-Purina being best known for combat equipment.
"your army seems to be going through these MRE's pretty fast."
"well, the troops hate them, but it turns out that if we drop cargo cases full of them over the enemy lines, the moral of the rebels drops even faster than when we were starving them out. and they make great sandbags for our bunkers. got any more of the Chicken patty's? the troops have taken to lining their armor with those, doubled the protection of the flak vests.."
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70)
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
- taalismn
- Priest
- Posts: 48602
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
- Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
glitterboy2098 wrote:[
"your army seems to be going through these MRE's pretty fast."
"well, the troops hate them, but it turns out that if we drop cargo cases full of them over the enemy lines, the moral of the rebels drops even faster than when we were starving them out. and they make great sandbags for our bunkers. got any more of the Chicken patty's? the troops have taken to lining their armor with those, doubled the protection of the flak vests.."
And the reverse could be true...
"Well, the battleship we built for the United Worlds of Warlock is a bust, but they were suitably impressed by the cafeteria donuts we served during the launch ceremony and put in an order....How quickly can we make and ship thirty million fresh donuts?"
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"
--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
- ZINO
- Knight
- Posts: 4097
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:02 pm
- Comment: NEVER QUIT..... I got lucky
- Location: new york
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
aslo which from A to N can the compmany have more than one choice ? example
like Civil Engineering ,Energy and Manufacturing(Military)
would this be allowed ?
A. Product/Services: How does the corporation make (most of) its money?
01-10 Agriculture---Food is the primary focus of the company’s business, with possible sidelines in agriculture-related textiles and energy.
11-20 Manufacturing(Commercial)---Consumer goods, from home furnishings to entire homes, and industrial goods, from tools to entire factory furnishings.
21-30 Materials----Feedstocks for other companies, from chemicals to metals, minerals to plastics.
31-40 Transportation---Building vehicles and transport systems is the company’s main focus, from automobiles to starships. (+15% to Distribution rolls)
41-50 Manufacturing(Military)---The company produces weapons primarily(+20% to Security rolls)
51-60 Energy---The company is in the business of selling go-power, from combustion chemicals to antimatter.
61-70 Civil Engineering---They may not make things, but they BUILD things, like infrastructure, buildings, powerplants, spaceports, dams, canals, highways and monuments. From raising a convenience store on the corner to terraforming an entire planet, these are the people with the hardhats and shovels.
71-80 Labor---The company does contracting work, selling/renting the services of workers.(+15% to Size/Manpower rolls)
81-90 Medicine---From pharmaceuticals and band-aids to surgical cybernetics and regeneration technology, the company produces and sells medical supplies.
91-95 Media---The company deals in information; news and/or entertainment(+20% to Communications rolls)
96-00 Financial----The company is in the business of handling money; stockbroking, banking, and the like. (+15% to Communications rolls)
like Civil Engineering ,Energy and Manufacturing(Military)
would this be allowed ?
let your YES be YES and your NO be NO but plz no maybe
- Aramanthus
- Monk
- Posts: 18712
- Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:18 am
- Location: Racine, WI
Re: Interstellar Corporations(beta)
Very nice. I like this alot. I know I can use it in my own game. Thanks Taalismn!
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
"As you will it, your Grace."
HH....FIE
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
"As you will it, your Grace."
HH....FIE