An extremely silly question, buut...

[dmm]

Maybe TF also starts with a huge planet (or base or ringworld or sphereworld, depending on the galaxy size) which is actually an intergalactic colonizer and they need to fill it with organics and radioactives so they can traverse the intergalactic void.

Maybe TF could act as a bank too. Allow players to "gift" excess production which the TF would store (after taking a cut). They could give loans, with colonies as collateral. Hmmm, how could we set it up so players would deal with the TF? It wouldn't be any fun to play TF if everyone ignored you and all you got to do was an occasional scavenge. Maybe we should let them also build ships/units on contract?

[Gryphin]

Dmm,
Banking Excess Resources, Nice idea
If this could be hard coded such that you could earn interest instead of having to build storage.
Maybe there could be 2 or more FT’s competing for “High Score”
It would be a pre requisite that they not be attacked
The FT would only be allowed one system
I guess the FT could be Mercs and gift their ships to the Highest Bidder.

[Batman]

There isn't really much to stop this happening in a regular game when one player is

a) rich
b) successfully able to remain neutral.

It would be like being Switzerland! You'd also need to be trustworthy (i.e. people have to believe that you're going to give resources back to them if they bank with you)

In all likelihood, the temptation to take the money and run would prove quite great. (Especially if other players have a lot invested in you, then they might protect you to protect their money)

[dmm]

Originally posted by The High Gryphin:
Dmm,
Banking Excess Resources, Nice idea
If this could be hard coded such that you could earn interest instead of having to build storage.

I am pretty sure that there have been many times in history where not only did you not get interest but you had to pay the banker to keep your money safe. Since these are resources, that makes it more likely that you would need to pay the "banker" to store them for you.

A hard-coded Trade Federation (TF) would be nice, especially since then we could argue about it and demand changes. But I'm trying to think of how it could be done (in an interesting way) with role playing and house rules.

[Gryphin]

Guys, I'd volunteer to "Play Sweeden" is someone wants to run a game of it.
I think it would be fun.

[Baron Munchausen]

Actually, there's no need for a special 'trade federation' at all. Only one very small hard-code change is needed. We need some way to track how much of a given resource another empire has given you, and how much you have given to them. With a 'running total' of the positive or negative balance, of course. It ought to be on the diplomatic information screens somewhere. Then, everyone can 'trade favors' reliably -- if they feel like being reliable. Once the resources are in your hands, who knows what might happen?

I can see certain players deliberately building huge amounts of storage space and using their ability to store resources for diplomatic advantage just like you would use any other ability in the game.

[ June 06, 2002, 18:00: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[dmm]

Originally posted by Batman:
There isn't really much to stop this happening in a regular game ...

Of course you could do _some_ of these things just as a regular player. But no way could you set the whole thing up merely on trust, as a regular player with the same victory conditions as everyone else, unless you are playing against a bunch of morons.

One of the things that this role-playing idea would accomplish is to make Organics and Radioactives more important without modding the game. Currently, a 120% Organics planet is no big deal. Most of us would use it for research, intel, etc. Maybe put one farm on it. But if you have the TF player trying to collect Organics and using it as currency, then you've altered the game a lot (without modding anything). That 120% Organics planet is now much more valuable than a 10%-10%-10% planet, because you can use the organics to buy tech, info, ships, units, other resources, resupply and/or repair of your ships, etc. (depending on the TF rules and setup that everyone has agreed to).

The key is that the TF doesn't want to take over the galaxy. At least, not politically. In fact, in one scenario, they are trying to leave. You could easily have a game in which the TF leaves part way through (so they "win") and then the remaining players slog it out for control of the galaxy. (Although they might well ask themselves why the TF was so intent on getting out! )