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Imperial Economics and Rollerball.
Jan. 26th, 2018 05:57 pmOK, I got a little off-topic at the end, but I can fucking WRITE again! I like this new medicine.
I've been thinking a great recently about how economies work in various fiction settings, from the ridiculous amount currency floating around in most fantasy settings to the odd assumptions made to force interstellar merchants to be viable in science-fiction.
Which, of course, led me to my second home, Traveller's Third Imperium. A state built on the howling wasteland (or at least it should have been, I write, scowling at Imperium Games) that resulted from the collapse of trade in the Second Imperium after faith in interstellar currency fell apart. For those wondering how that could happen, imagine what would happen around the world if the dollar lost all value over the next week. Trillions of dollars evaporating. The oil market is backed by the US dollar. By the time a new currency could stabilize the market (probably the German mark) it would be too late.
But anyway, the Third Imperium was built on the idea that Trade Must Flow, because humans are stupid and settle everything they find. The end of regular trade would doom trillions, again. To that end, the first Emperors laid down a strict set of rules: a universally accepted currency (the Credit, backed by nothing but faith and dreadnaughts), a universal calendar, and the decree that while the Imperium ruled the space between the stars, they would own a starport on almost every Imperial world that was not subject to local law so that trade could take place. More often than not, the starport expands to include the local Imperial Consulate if the world rates one, or the offices of the poor sap who got knighted and assigned to be the Imperial watchdog.
On many poorer worlds with starports that are little more than flat bedrock and a few shacks, you may find that the local Colonial Administrator is also the Starport Authority Port Master, the Customs Officer, and run the best bar in town. It's the only bar in town, and he's out hunting for a week.
But with worlds having almost total autonomy on everything except interstellar affairs, how do you get the Imperium the money you need for all those suits of battle dress and heavy cruisers? An income tax would be a nightmare, as most worlds with strong economies have local currencies used on the planet. Some worlds don't even use money, their populations living in communist settlements where everyone works for survival and takes what they need.
The answer is very simple. Every subsector Count (in a previous piece I changed the noble rank in charge of subsectors to Count-elector) taxes worlds directly based on their Gross Planetary Product. 20%, off the top. Payable to Finance Ministry at the Count's complex. The subsector government keeps about half of this income and sends the rest to the Sector Duke, who skims his half for running the Imperial interests in the sector and sends it up the chain to the Domain and on to the Throne.
It may seem like the Emperor is getting the short end of this deal, but recall that he will be getting income from close to a hundred subsectors. On the other end, 20% of GPP may seem high, but Imperial worlds don't have to pay for defense, their freedom of trade is protected, and they don't have to support embassies on dozens of worlds. The Imperium does that for them. Even if a world wants a Navy to protect its territory, the Imperial Navy is quick to sell off older, out of date ships to member worlds. The Imperium subsidizes the required muster of regiments for the Unified Army of the subsector. Member states actually come out ahead with this taxation deal.
As an example, let's use one of my favorite places, Lunion March in the Spinward Marches. Yes, I changed that as well. I figure if you're going to call a place "the Marches" it makes sense for the subdivisions to be called (Name) March.
Lunion has 25 systems with an approximate population of 16 billion sophonts and a Subsector Gross Product (SGP) of roughly 149.46 Trillion Credits (TCr). Taxing at 20%, the Markgraf's government (yes, German titles. I mess with things! Besides, they sound cool) receives 29.892 TCr in tax payments. After forwarding half up to Herzog of the Marches, they have 14.946 TCr to spend.
Much of that is going to support the Subsector Navy and the subsector's share of the Unified Army forces. Aside from the allowances to nobility (who get paid based on the economic output of their fiefs) and the maintenance of the Count-Elector's holdings, the rest will be invested back into the well-being of the subsector. The government will invest in infrastructure projects to increase trade, back industrial factions, give grants and scholarships to institutions of education and research, back cultural exchanges to reduce tensions in-between member worlds.
One important event that the Count's offices give support to is triannual Strouden Cup Rollerball tournament. The game is played almost everywhere in the subsector and a few places beyond. Teams are raised based on world population, so there are always several teams from Lunion and Strouden and smaller worlds field consolidated teams. The entrants and seeded in pools and play in a round-robin tournament for gaining points rounds, gaining points to move on to the next stage. The last eight teams play in elimination games until a champion is crowned.
The 1114 Tournament was canceled due to the Fifth Frontier War. The up-coming 1117 event, hosted on Lunion this year, is already controversial, as Border Worlds Consolidated, a team from the worlds stripped from the Sword Worlds in the late war, has applied to play and has been approved by the Marches Rollerball Association.
I've been thinking a great recently about how economies work in various fiction settings, from the ridiculous amount currency floating around in most fantasy settings to the odd assumptions made to force interstellar merchants to be viable in science-fiction.
Which, of course, led me to my second home, Traveller's Third Imperium. A state built on the howling wasteland (or at least it should have been, I write, scowling at Imperium Games) that resulted from the collapse of trade in the Second Imperium after faith in interstellar currency fell apart. For those wondering how that could happen, imagine what would happen around the world if the dollar lost all value over the next week. Trillions of dollars evaporating. The oil market is backed by the US dollar. By the time a new currency could stabilize the market (probably the German mark) it would be too late.
But anyway, the Third Imperium was built on the idea that Trade Must Flow, because humans are stupid and settle everything they find. The end of regular trade would doom trillions, again. To that end, the first Emperors laid down a strict set of rules: a universally accepted currency (the Credit, backed by nothing but faith and dreadnaughts), a universal calendar, and the decree that while the Imperium ruled the space between the stars, they would own a starport on almost every Imperial world that was not subject to local law so that trade could take place. More often than not, the starport expands to include the local Imperial Consulate if the world rates one, or the offices of the poor sap who got knighted and assigned to be the Imperial watchdog.
On many poorer worlds with starports that are little more than flat bedrock and a few shacks, you may find that the local Colonial Administrator is also the Starport Authority Port Master, the Customs Officer, and run the best bar in town. It's the only bar in town, and he's out hunting for a week.
But with worlds having almost total autonomy on everything except interstellar affairs, how do you get the Imperium the money you need for all those suits of battle dress and heavy cruisers? An income tax would be a nightmare, as most worlds with strong economies have local currencies used on the planet. Some worlds don't even use money, their populations living in communist settlements where everyone works for survival and takes what they need.
The answer is very simple. Every subsector Count (in a previous piece I changed the noble rank in charge of subsectors to Count-elector) taxes worlds directly based on their Gross Planetary Product. 20%, off the top. Payable to Finance Ministry at the Count's complex. The subsector government keeps about half of this income and sends the rest to the Sector Duke, who skims his half for running the Imperial interests in the sector and sends it up the chain to the Domain and on to the Throne.
It may seem like the Emperor is getting the short end of this deal, but recall that he will be getting income from close to a hundred subsectors. On the other end, 20% of GPP may seem high, but Imperial worlds don't have to pay for defense, their freedom of trade is protected, and they don't have to support embassies on dozens of worlds. The Imperium does that for them. Even if a world wants a Navy to protect its territory, the Imperial Navy is quick to sell off older, out of date ships to member worlds. The Imperium subsidizes the required muster of regiments for the Unified Army of the subsector. Member states actually come out ahead with this taxation deal.
As an example, let's use one of my favorite places, Lunion March in the Spinward Marches. Yes, I changed that as well. I figure if you're going to call a place "the Marches" it makes sense for the subdivisions to be called (Name) March.
Lunion has 25 systems with an approximate population of 16 billion sophonts and a Subsector Gross Product (SGP) of roughly 149.46 Trillion Credits (TCr). Taxing at 20%, the Markgraf's government (yes, German titles. I mess with things! Besides, they sound cool) receives 29.892 TCr in tax payments. After forwarding half up to Herzog of the Marches, they have 14.946 TCr to spend.
Much of that is going to support the Subsector Navy and the subsector's share of the Unified Army forces. Aside from the allowances to nobility (who get paid based on the economic output of their fiefs) and the maintenance of the Count-Elector's holdings, the rest will be invested back into the well-being of the subsector. The government will invest in infrastructure projects to increase trade, back industrial factions, give grants and scholarships to institutions of education and research, back cultural exchanges to reduce tensions in-between member worlds.
One important event that the Count's offices give support to is triannual Strouden Cup Rollerball tournament. The game is played almost everywhere in the subsector and a few places beyond. Teams are raised based on world population, so there are always several teams from Lunion and Strouden and smaller worlds field consolidated teams. The entrants and seeded in pools and play in a round-robin tournament for gaining points rounds, gaining points to move on to the next stage. The last eight teams play in elimination games until a champion is crowned.
The 1114 Tournament was canceled due to the Fifth Frontier War. The up-coming 1117 event, hosted on Lunion this year, is already controversial, as Border Worlds Consolidated, a team from the worlds stripped from the Sword Worlds in the late war, has applied to play and has been approved by the Marches Rollerball Association.
