((The contracts are for next year, right?))
Their terms start at the 4th quarter. Initially I would offer more people but then their supply will soon dry up.
Rules on R&D: Each R&D unit will make 5 modified D10 rolls per quarter. Anything >=6 will be counted as a success; 1 is crit fail (-1 success) and 10 is crit success(2 successes).
Each component need a couple of successes to design, and their costs will only be known after they are proposed (Simply to prevent a long long long list of researches, and each builder will design system differently anyway).
For new spaceship designs, the outcome of the design is due to a few factors, including R&D dice rolls, material, technology, parts used, and organization.
There are no successes or failures on R&D Dice rolls when used to make a ship design, but only the first (5 x size) rolls will be considered (i.e. for size 1. only best 5 is considered). This roll can be modified by Organization. However, if you roll 1s, that means your design has encountered some dead-end, it partially cannot be improved further - a size n design can withstand so many 1s(This final part is tentative and open to discussion as as it stands it highly favors large ships atm).
Marketing improves the price or the sales volume of your products, and it is better done before you really start selling them.
Q4 2113Global Event: [63] Prosperity 4: It is a time of economic growth. Human nature seems to have changed little into the space age, and they tend to buy things they don't really need at an inflated price.
Produces 5 Altair III and try to sell them to the government.
R&D on the controls. Make them more intuitive via partial automation.
Tassal dabbles into a new area, [9][8][10] It seems that Size 1 Basic control automation is much easier than expected [8][4] and thus you try to make full automation and made very little progress.
Facilities:
Manufacturing(1): Max Size = 1, Production Capacity = 500/Quarter, Cost = 25/quarter
R&D (1): Cost = 10/quarter
Important People:
Angie Tassel (Weapon Engineering 1, Theoratical Physicist 1, Organizer 1)
Jacques Simpson (Power Engineering 3) Expires Q4 2114
Own Designs: Not yet
Own Tech: Size 1 Basic Control Automation(Full Rights)
Money: 110
Development
"Eye" Vraxian Automated Exploration drone
-A cheap, lightweight, automated exploration drone powered by a thermionic nuclear generator. Uses an Ion engine for sublight transportation, and is Hyperspace capable. It takes quite a lot of time to recharge between Hyperspace jumps. ((Basically, a fire and forget remote sensor. It jumps to it's designated location, gathers data (a process that might take years, for a full survey of an entire system), and then returns for data pickup. Best works in groups, where it can designate a single drone as data transporter))
Research
Basic Automation protocols
Micronuclear Power generation (thermionic)
Cheaper materials (Plastic based spacecraft?)/ Lighter materials
Micro Hyperdrive
Hyperspace Communicator
Production
5 Altair III
Audacious, but the Conglomerate decides that the eye need some very specific technologies, especially miniaturizaton of Hyperdrives. Anyway they decide to work on the autopilot first.
Robert work on a non-spec area [5][6][4][7][9] He finished Size 1 Basic Control Automation within a quarter. Still a long way to go to make the eye effective, and meanwhile humanity grows fast with or without automated bots to help them.
Facilities:
Manufacturing(1): Max Size = 1, Production Capacity = 500/Quarter, Cost = 25/quarter
R&D (1): Cost = 10/quarter
Important People:
Robert (Power Engineering 1, Theoretical Physicist 2)
Timm de Bruijn (Aesthetics 3) Expires Q4 2115
Own Designs: Not yet
Own Tech: Size 1 Basic Control Automation(Full Rights)
Money: 125
Manufacture 5 Altair IIIs.
Research a more efficient and powerful power plant.
Design a more structurally sound size 1 hull.
The Basic design on the Altair III is cheap and simple and you decide that you should improve it. Luckily no patents are held on them.
([8][3][9]+1)=2 This engine is slightly more powerful and efficient (you should name it). ([5],[6]+1) The hull utilizes aluminium, but is quite unfinished.
Facilities:
Manufacturing(1): Max Size = 1, Production Capacity = 500/Quarter, Cost = 25/quarter
R&D (1): Cost = 10/quarter
Important People:
Daniel Murray (Power Engineering 1, Structure Engineering 1, Organizer 1)
Joanna Jackson (Negotiaton 3 gov't only) Expires Q4 2115
Own Designs: Not yet
Own Tech: Engine 1(Full Rights) K-180 Rocket Engine (Full Rights)
Money: 65
Produces 5 Altair III and try to sell 4 of them to the government, the one left over to non-state buyer.
Design a bigger frame, use steel
Now it is interesting. You want to design a size 2 frame, but you do not have the facilities for one. However nothing limits your drawing board.
([2][1][1][9][6]+1)=2 You wasted time to expand on your initial design, then scraps everything and try to work from ground zero. Progress, but not quite finished.
Facilities:
Manufacturing(1): Max Size = 1, Production Capacity = 500/Quarter, Cost = 25/quarter
R&D (1): Cost = 10/quarter
Important People:
Robbet Stanton (Power Engineering 1, Structure Engineering 1, Organizer 1)
Own Designs: Not yet
Money: 135
-Produce 5 Altair 3s & sell to government
-Research a more efficient and powerful engine
-Produce a competitive railgun design
Start designing a basic cargo ship that's more capable than anything currently on the market. Include as many railguns as allowed on a civilian design for defense against pirates. Call it the Atlas-1
You start working on the engine. ([6][4][2][7]+1) You produced something similar to Engine 1 ([2]+1) No progress on railgun.
Facilities:
Manufacturing(1): Max Size = 1, Production Capacity = 500/Quarter, Cost = 25/quarter
R&D (1): Cost = 10/quarter
Important People:
Jotun Altrak (Power Engineering 1, Theoratical Physicist 1, Weapons Engineering 1)
Own Designs: Not yet
Own Tech: Engine 1
Money: 140
Market:
[2+4] Demand of Altair IIIs is Average. It can absorb at most 4 (Par 5) Altair IIIs at the price of 15 (par 15).
Sky Chariots Sold 1
New Tech discovered this turn:
Basically a kind of Space Autopilot system. Optimized for Civil Uses.
Design Cost: 3
Prereq: None
Public Domain: No
The System is now upgraded to military precision. Civil sectors will rejoice in automatic dock coupling systems. Cost: ? Prereq: Size 1 Basic Control Automation
Technically a Altair+ Engine, to be named by Murray's or Alteria. First come First Served.
Power 1.2
Relative Cost 1
Prereq: None
Public Domain: No
The Recent boom in the Spaceship industry has attracted a lot of people with good portfolio, as well as some suppliers.
Zhu is the son of a wealthy magnate, and he seems to be very well connected to people who can afford new expensive toys. That said, just like every spoiled brat, while he might be good at making it, he certainly has a poor grasp of money itself.
Skills: Negotiation 2, Organizer -1 (anything he worked on tend to be inefficient)
Contract Length: 3 Years
Minimum Bid: 5
De Bruno's last company was managed so well that it was bought out by a conglomerate. Not a big deal, and while he's already filthy rich, he need a new challenge.
Skills: Organization 3
Contract Length: 1 Year
Minimum Bid: 10
Yankovski was an ace space pilot and war veteran, but now in poor shape due to a couple of divorces and lack of government support. He now desperately need a job, and his name and weapon knowledge certainly sells.
Skills: Negotiation 1, Weapon Engineering 1, Control/Electonics 1
Contract Length: 2 Years
Minimum Bid: 10
Siphiwe was a University Professor who recently was forced to "retire" due to his relationship with an Undergratuate student. However everyone knows that people have affairs isn't a big deal in indusrty...
Skills: Negotiation 1, Theoratical Physicist 2
Contract Length: 3 Years
Minimum Bid: 20
This kind of hardwood is so exotic that its monthly production will not fill more than a container. Impractial, of course, but filthy rich people would love these.
Supply Contract, Length: 3 years
Minimum Bid: 50
While it is not powerful, not really accurate, and not really energy effective, The HAL-15 Space Laser is super easy to produce, and makes a practical deterrance against highwaymen.
Low Cost, Low Tech Weapon
2 years Exclusivity Deal; Best 2 bids wins; No deviratives; may go into public domain after agreed period.
Minimum Bid: 30
The Government offers a total of [6] Spare docks for sale for the starting price of 5 credits. You can spend 15 to make it IC or 10 to make it Research (at the end of next turn, instantaneous). Sales done by Uniform price auction: buyers should indicate the price and amount you are willing to buy. Best 6 offers wins at the price of the 6th offer.