Far Trader

A Far Trader is a small starship commonly used for interstellar trade and commerce that is capable of Jump-2.

• Please see the AAB entry for the Beowulf class Free Trader to get representative performance characteristics for this broad supraclass of merchant vessels.
• It is a ship Supraclass.

Description (Specifications)

Fat Trader is a disparaging term used to describe a Subsidised Merchant. This is a 400-ton merchant starship of ubiquitous design, generally run under the auspices of a world government (with a subsidy). Only capable of Jump-1, the vessel has a much higher cargo capacity than its independent cousins. Even so, many independent merchants look on these ships with disdain, because they believe that receipt of the subsidy makes their captains and crew lazy. The Craft Type Code assigned to this class is R.

Using a 200-ton TL–10 streamlined hull, the far trader ranges far and wide, and deals with every world it finds. Even amber zones and red zones are not considered off limits by its captains, provided there is profit to be made and the risk of being caught is slight. It has drives capable of Jump-2 and 1-G acceleration. Fuel tankage supports Jump-2 and two months of operation, and the ship incorporates fuel scoops and fuel intakes for wilderness refuelling. The bridge is standard and has a computer Model/1 bis and a basic sensor suite.There are six hardpoints, but no weapons are mounted.

Like the free trader, the far trader is built around its cargo bay, in this case 78.0 tons, plus passenger staterooms. A single air/raft is carried for various ship duties. The ship is streamlined, and can land on uneven terrain. The far trader requires a crew of four: x1 pilot/astrogator, x2 engineers, and x1 steward.

Image Repository

No information yet available.

Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)

No information yet available.

Supraclass Roles

TBDs typically serve the following roles:

• TBD

Supraclass Archtypes

Far Trader Supraclass Archtypes
Archtype	Type Code	TL Range	Remarks
			None

History & Background (Dossier)

Hundreds of variants exist. The typical size equals 200 tons. A shorter ranged version called a Free Trader.

Basic Supraclass Definition: THE FAR TRADER: The basic ship involved in free trade is called the free trader. Variations on the basic ship have resulted in variations in the name. The subsidized merchant, partly because of its size, and partly because of its subsidy, is called the fat trader. Some well-equipped high-G traders employed beyond the Imperial border are called fast traders. The type A2 far trader derives its name from its jump capability: its drives are capable of Jump-2, twice what the standard free trader can do. The far trader can be encountered anywhere in the Imperium. It ranges far and wide, and deals with every world it finds. Even amber zones and red zones are not considered off limits by its captains, provided there is profit to be made and the risk of being caught is slight.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Merchant Vessel - Tramp Liner:
Merchant Vessel - (Free Trader / Tramp Liner):

1. Type A class Free Trader
   1. Alexandria class Free Trader
   2. Basil class Merchant
   3. Beowulf class Free Trader
   4. Bremen class Caravel
   5. Carrack class Tramp Liner
   6. Coriander class Free Trader
   7. Lune class Freelancer
   8. March Harrier class Free Trader
   9. Moraine class Free Trader
   10. Nymph class Merchant
   11. Regni Yards Type A class Free Trader
   12. Tequila class Free Trader
   13. Type A1 class Free Trader
   14. Type A-J2 class Free Trader
   15. Type A-P class Free Trader
   16. Type TC(S) class Free Trader

Civilian Ship - Merchant Vessel - Far Trader:

1. Type A2 class Far Trader
   1. Akkigish class Far Trader
   2. Akkigish class Subsidized Merchant
   3. April Hare class Far Trader
   4. Avian class Far Trader
   5. Empress Marava class Far Trader
   6. Fanzhienz class Far Trader
   7. Farrou class Far Trader
   8. Garu class Far Trader
   9. Gizicih class General Trader
   10. Hero class Far Trader
   11. Hnneshant class Trade Boat
   12. Hugin class Trader
   13. Independent Hauler class Far Trader
   14. Jayhawk class Far Trader
   15. Khershawn class Trader
   16. Maru class Merchant
   17. Nymph class Merchant
   18. Princess Gunnhilde class Far Trader
   19. Salamander class Far Trader
   20. Soho class Light Freighter
   21. Solostar class Far Trader
   22. Stage class Far Trader
   23. Treader class Free Trader
   24. Type A2L class Far Trader
   25. Type HR class Trader
   26. Type VA class Trader
   27. Wulf class Free Trader

Merchant Vessel - (Deep Trader / Long Trader / Fast Trader):

1. Type A3 class Fast Trader
   1. Fat Cat class Far Trader
   2. Swordfish class Merchant
   3. Trojan Reaches Type A3 class Trader
   4. Type A3L class Far Trader

Merchant Vessel - (Armored Trader / Frontier Trader / Fast Trader):

1. Type AA class Armored Merchant
   1. Jasper class Provincial Merchant
   2. Khoghue class Armed Junker
   3. Nguksu class Armoured Fast Trader
   4. Siyuihwye class Armored Trader
   5. Star class Armored Merchant
   6. Type RAX class Protected Merchant
   7. Venture class Frontier Trader

Merchant Vessel - Heavy Trader:

1. Type AH class Heavy Trader
   1. Dakaar class Freighter
   2. Dakaar class Merchant Transport
   3. Leviathan class Merchant Cruiser
   4. Type TI class Merchant
   5. Type TJ class Merchant

Merchant Vessel - Light Trader:

1. Type AL class Light Trader
   1. Anjou class Freighter
   2. Aoa'iw class Light Trader
   3. Burning Sky class Merchant Schooner
   4. Consul class Provincial Trader
   5. Fortune class Merchant
   6. Joshim P. Stone class Provincial Trader
   7. Liz Zhorka class Light Trader
   8. Manta class Small Merchant
   9. Panga class Merchant
   10. Paya class Light Freighter
   11. Rhapsody class Merchant Trader
   12. Tachyon class Light Trader
   13. Unholy Exile class Trader

Merchant Vessel - Medium Trader:

1. Type AM class Medium Trader
   1. Anhk class Merchant
   2. Bloodwell class Merchant
   3. Tyrfing class Freighter

Ship Summary List

0 Representative Far Trader (A2) Classes
No results

References & Contributors (Sources)

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.

• Twilight's Peak (book) (Classic Traveller Adventure 3)
• Merchant Prince (book) (Classic Traveller Book 7)
• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 81.
• Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Traveller: The New Era (Game Designers Workshop, 1993), 361.
• Joe Fugate. "Starship Deck Plans: The Far Trader." MegaTraveller Journal 4 (1993): TBD.
• Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Brilliant Lances (Game Designers Workshop, 1994), 20.
• Don Perrin. Starships (Imperium Games, 1996), 30-31.
• Steve Daniels, Jim McLean, Christopher Thrash. Far Trader (Steve Jackson Games, 1999), TBD.
• Loren Wiseman. Deck Plan 3: Empress Marava-class Far Trader (Steve Jackson Games, 2001), TBD.
• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 320.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science