Trade Map Key

This page is a key to the pdf sector trade maps included with some sectors. The maps are largely unadorned. The trade routes are calculated in the following manner:

Each world is given a World Trade Number (WTN), a relative ranking of economic influence on outside worlds. It is based upon the world's population and starport. Larger worlds with poor starport facilities have less influence than smaller population worlds with better starports.

For each pair of worlds a Bilateral Trade Number (BTN) is calculated. This is a ranking of the volume of trade between these two worlds. It takes into account distances, allegiances of the worlds, and other economic factors. The BTN numbers on these maps range from 8 to 12, representing the most active routes.

The third number is the Traffic classification (TC). This value represents how much of the trade traffic generated by the worlds around this one stops in this world.

Worlds

Each world on the map is placed on a hex grid and given three lines of information. The first line is the Universal World Profile in standard format. The second line is the world name. The third line consists of several pieces of information:

• A two or four character Allegiance Code
• A + for a subsector or empire capital or a * for a sector capital world, or blank if neither.
• The world's WTN in e-hex format. The calculated WTN is doubled, as shown in the sector data file.
• The world's incoming trade, as a BTN value in e-hex.
• The port's transient trade, as a BTN value in e-hex.
• The trade count, the number of different individual trade routes running through the system.

The values of the incoming and transient trade BTN values can be converted back to credit values by looking up the value in the table on p.16 of GURPS Traveller: Far Trader. As calculated there are no half steps (e.g. BTN 5.5).

The trade count is the number of different routes from individual world pairs which run through this port.

Amber and Red zones

Some worlds are marked with an amber or red circle. The Amber Zone worlds (or Zhodani unincorporated worlds) have some cautionary element to them. The Red Zone worlds (or Zhodani Forbidden worlds) are forbidden to Traders. Trade routes will avoid these worlds for this reason.

Trade Routes

The trade routes on the map are shown as colored lines, each color representing a trade volume category. The trade route colors and their meaning are as follows:

BTN 8 route

The red lines represent BTN 8 minor routes. These routes are the smallest which still have regularly scheduled traffic. Usually between four and eight small liners and an equal number of free traders ply this route, with a general average of one ship per day entering or leaving each port. As an average there is 1,000 dtons of cargo and 20 passengers per week.

BTN 9 route

The yellow lines represent BTN 9 feeder routes. These routes are served by the larger freighters, generally between four and eight, with an equal number of smaller liners and free traders. While only two to four ship per day leave or enter port, they are larger ships than on a BTN 8 route. As an average there is 10,000 dtons of cargo and 200 passengers per week along the route.

BTN 10 route

The green lines represent BTN 10 intermediate routes. These routes are served by twenty to forty freighters and a smaller number of liners and free traders. On average ten ships per day enter or leave port. As an average there is 100,000 dtons of cargo and 2,000 passengers per week along the route.

BTN 11 route

The cyan lines represent BTN 11 main routes. These routes see the use of the very large mega-freighters, and there are still dozens of smaller freighters and liners. There may be as many as 20 ships per day entering or leaving port. As an average there is one million dtons of cargo and 20,000 passengers per week along the route.

BTN 12 route

The blue lines represent BTN 12 major routes. These routes are the largest and most active in all of charted space. A dozen mega-freighters and as many as 100 smaller ships regularly travel this route. There can be as many as 50 ships per day entering or leaving port. As an average there is ten million dtons of cargo and 200,000 passengers per week along the route.

If there is no line between two worlds, it means that there isn't enough trade to reach the BTN 8 requirements. There may or may not be a regularly scheduled ship or two between the worlds. One or two ships, probably free traders, provide service between the worlds.

Sector Data

The trade generation system also calculates a number of additional data points for each world. This data is stored with each sector under the <sector page>/data page. The columns of the data files and their meanings are as follow:

Hex

Position in the sector

Name

Name of the world

UWP

Universal World Profile - Basic Statistics as copied from the generated values on TravellerMap

{Ix}

The Importance ranking of the world as generated from the T5: Core rules on p. 435.

WTN

The World Trade Number as generated from GT: Far Trader, but multiplied by 2. So a listed WTN of 5 becomes WTN of 2.5 when referencing the table on p. 16 of GURPS Traveller: Far Trader.

GWP(MCr)

The Gross World Product (in MCr) as generated p. 14 of GT:Far Trader.

Trade(MCr)

The volume of trade coming into and leaving the world (in MCr) per year.

Passengers

Number of passengers entering and leaving the world per year, as generated by the rules on p. 17 of GT: Far Trader

RU

Resource Units as generated from the T5: Core rules on p. 435, and as updated according to errata.

Build Cap

Starport capacity for constructing starships (in Tons) as generated from Trillion Credit Squadron.

Army

The size of the standing army on the world, as generated from GURPS Traveller: Ground Forces

Port

The size of the port on the world. A log scale value from 0 (the smallest) to 7 (the largest) as generated from GURPS Traveller: Starports p. 59.

SPA pop

Star Port Authority employee population, as generated from GURPS Traveller: Starports p. 65.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• GURPS Traveller: Far Trader