The Planetary trade profile was an assessment of a planet and its inhabitants, specifically of its economic buying power, and was developed by the Federation.
Specifics
In the 23rd and 24th century, this profile was used in most of the galaxy known to the Federation to calculate import/export prices for material goods. The UFP/Independent Traders Association assigned the profile, which was expressed as a nine-letter sequence reflecting the demand for particular items. Items in high demand on a world tended to be imported more, whereas items in lower demand tended to be exported. (FASA RPG modules: Spacelanes: The Magazine of Interstellar Trade, First Year Sourcebook)
The scale
The first seven spots in the profile were for various specific types of raw materials: foods/agricultural products; bulk normal raw materials; special alloys/dilithium/radioactive materials; pharmaceutical products; low-tech manufactured goods; medium-tech manufactured goods; and high-tech manufactured goods, in that order. Letters, ranging from A through H, represented multipliers to the average Federation price for a material: A (x 0.25, i.e., one quarter of the price), B (x 0.5), C (x 0.75), D (x 1.0, i.e., no change to the price), E (x 1.25), F (x 1.5), G (x 1.75), or H (x 2.0, i.e., twice the price).
The eighth spot was separated from the first seven with a slash, and denoted the relative value for luxury items. It used a different multiplier scale: A (x 2.0, especially interested, double the price), B (x 1.5, moderately interested), C (x 1.0, neutral, no change to the price), and D (x 0.5, disinterested).
A ninth spot, in parenthesis, denoted the planet's relative population size. It was a modifier used to compute a planet's base consumption rate: A (x 4, very heavily populated), B (x 2, heavily populated), C (x 1.0, moderately populated), D (x 0.5, sparsely populated), E (x 0.25, very sparsely populated), X (x 0.1, applicable to a small colony or space station).
So, for instance, AAAAAAA/D (X) would denote the lowest selling prices for all goods, including the lowest prices for luxury items, on a world with the smallest population. Traders used the ratings in the trade profile to calculate the maximum quantity of a particular cargo that they could sell on a particular planet. (FASA RPG module: Trader Captains and Merchant Princes)
Select examples
2280s
- Alpha Centauri VII: AABAABB/A (B) [1] [2]
- Arken II: CDHFDEF/D (D) [2]
- Andor: AFGEABE/D (C) [1] [2]
- Ardana: BAABCBC/C (D) [1]
- Argelius II: AABCBCB/A (B) [1]
- : BCCCDCD/C (C) [1]
- Axanar: DDBFEEE/D (D) [1] [3]
- Baker's World: DDCFEFG/A (B) [4]
- Bonus Run: BDEFACF/G (C) [5]
- Cait: BEFCDEG/B (C) [1] [2]
- Cestus III: DDDCDED/D (C) [1]
- Coridan III: FCAGDEF/B (E) [1]
- Daran V: CAFEBCF/G (A) [6]
- Delta IV: ABABCCB/B (B) [1] [2]
- Deneb Kaitos IV: CCBCEDE/C (C) [1]
- Deneva: AABAABA/A (B) [1]
- Dyanthos: FCAGDEF/B (E) [7]
- Earth: DDDDDDD/A (A) [1] [8]
- Ectair: EBDFEFG/A (C) [9]
- Eminiar VII: BBABCDD/B (B) [1]
- Fillandia: GBDCECF/B (C) [2]
- Freeman's Port: EDCEDEFD/B (C) [10]
- Izar: BBABBBC/A (B) [1]
- Janus VI, Pergium Production Station: FBAFDFH/A (X) [8]
- K'linsann: BDCDEFF/C (C) [11]
- New New Aberdeen: DCBFBCE/B (B) [12]
- Platonius: DDEEDED/D (X) [1]
- Rigel I: GABGDFH/C (X) [13]
- Rigel VII: BDEEDFF/B (E) [13]
- Rigel XII: EABFBEF/D (X) [13]
- Sigma Iotia II: CBDEECC/C (C) [1]
- Spica IX: BBCCDCC/D (D) [1]
- Tasor: BBAFBEG/C (E) [14]
- Tellar: EAAGADG/(A) [1] [2] [8]
- Troyius: ABCBCCB/D (C) [1] [13]
- Valtor III: FGGDDDG/B (D) [15]
- : FBECAEF/D (B) [1] [8] [2]
- Wrigley's Pleasure Planet: ABDBBBB/A (C) [1]
- Xelata: BDFDBBE/C (B) [2]
- Zaran II: DCDDDCB/B (B) [2]
2360s
- Angel I: BDHCBCA/D (D) [16]
- Betazed: BBDDDDC/C (C) [16]
- Bynaus: EDCCCDD/A (B) [16]
- Deneb IV: BBBCBDC/B (D) [16]
- Mordan IV: HFFEEBC/B (C) [16]
Appendices
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 FASA RPG module: The Federation
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Return to Axanar
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Decision at Midnight
- ↑ FASA RPG module: The Outcasts
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Old Soldiers Never Die
- ↑ FASA RPG module: Margin of Profit
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 FASA RPG module: Trader Captains and Merchant Princes
- ↑ FASA RPG module: A Doomsday Like Any Other
- ↑ FASA RPG module: The Dixie Gambit
- ↑ FASA RPG module: The Klingons: Game Operation Manual
- ↑ FASA RPG module: The Triangle
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 FASA RPG module: The Orions: Book of Common Knowledge
- ↑ FASA RPG module: The Strider Incident
- ↑ FASA RPG module: A Matter of Priorities
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 FASA RPG module: First Year Sourcebook