A few questions on Smuggling mechanics (C&G)

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

We have a companion who's a ship captain and a smuggler, and we are using the rules from City and Guild. However, there are a few points that are not entirely clear; so I am looking for the forum's consensus here, and perhaps even a few words from the author himself (Timothy Ferguson, I think)! Without further ado:

  1. Smuggling as a seasonal activity generating labor points based on the (Int+Intrigue) total rather than on the (Com+Profession:Merchant) total of "standard" trade. However, a merchant can simply choose to help the smugglers as a fence or procurer of goods, in which case he gets a "bonus" equal to a season's worth of labor points per year. Is this bonus season computed with the (Int+Intrigue) total or with the (Com+Profession:Merchant) total?

  2. Can a full-time smuggler (one whose labor points are entirely from smuggling, i.e. based on the (Int+Intrigue) total) also act as a fence and procurer of goods and gain the bonus season -- or is this bonus only open to legitimate merchants?

  3. Setting up a smuggler's nest is "worth a season and a half of labor points". This means that the smuggler who successfully does so gains those labor points, not that he must invest those labor points in order to create a smuggler's nest, right?

  4. Are those points based on the (Int+Intrigue) total, or on the (Com+Profession:Merchant) total?

  5. Is a smuggler's nest strictly necessary to gain income from smuggling?

2

I'm shamelessly bumping my previous post up, hoping for answer :slight_smile:

3

As I read it:

  1. I would count the merchant's points based on his Profession:Merchant total. He is doing business with shadily-acquired items, but he is presenting a face of good and honest labor to the world.

  2. I would say that no. The merchant gets extra revenues because he is acquiring stuff cheap (smuggled stuff) and selling it for a profit. he can do so because he can hide his smuggling activities among his other 4 season's worth of work as a honest merchant. If you invest 90% of your time smuggling, there is not much stuff where you can hide your smuggled goods, eh? :mrgreen:

  3. I would make you pay the season and a half labor points. Looks fairly obvious from the intent of the text. "A season and a half worth" is exactly that. it is irrelevant if you use your "profession: pole dancer" labor total here. It is a season and a half of labor points. But if you want a concrete answer, i would allow both.

  4. No smuggler nest would incur in a smuggling penalty for sure, risking discovery on a 8+ per season. Or something like that. A Major Hook, by all accounts. If your SG allowed it, that is.

4

I dont have any books to base myself on, but anyway...

  1. If the way the merchant does it is legal then stick with his usual, if illegal switch to Int+Intrigue.

  2. Probably only for already legit merchants yes.

  3. Int+Intrigue as a base at least, depending on what the nest looks like, where it´s placed, other totals will be realistic as well. Although i would think that "Pole dancer" wouldn´t work very well unless the nest is inside a nightclub. :smiley:

  4. No but it will much harder and possibly much more dangerous without i would guess. There´s good reason why it´s a cliche that smugglers keeps hideouts wherever they are. Lacking a base of operations tends to make things troublesome.