==================================================================================================

This is the OTU depicted as a single planet.

I contend that such an analogy, while having some validity, is simply too simplistic for large-scale wide-spread application to such a gigantic expanse as the OTU.

But then, I do NOT like 'monster' merchant ships, obviously others do.

Also, there's the old, old canon that the OTU represents the 'Age of Sail' & NOT the post-container cargo ship 20th century.
(A point that I suspect DGP was NOT aware of)

I recall reading am article about the big 'ships-of-the-line' back in the 18th century where it was stated that merchant ships were no where near that large.

So, it all really comes down a case of personal preference.
It was more than 20 years ago that I read a post here on the TML where the author compered the various morphs of the OTU as it progressed from CT to MT to TNE. He spent quite a bit of space detailing how much trade concepts changed.

It's still just a matter of personal preference...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Wed, 5/6/15, sjard <sjard@emerytelcom.net> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [TML] Finding transport
 To: tml@simplelists.com
 Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 1:48 PM

     Also consider
 that here on earth today,
       almost every large passenger service overbooks.
 Airlines, cruise
       ships, buses, etc. Usually this doesn't cause
 problems because
       they overbook by the margin of no-shows. But sometimes
 everyone
       shows up, and then something has to be figured out.

       In Traveller, that's where I see the major
 passenger pool for Free
       Traders coming from. Those who don't want to wait
 too long to
       travel, but have been bumped due to overbooking.

       That, or people like me. If given the choice and time
 isn't an
       issue, I'll take the train (several days) instead
 of flying
       (couple of hours), simply because I like that mode of
 travel.

       On 5/6/2015 2:33 PM, Craig Berry wrote:

       I agree that "big trade" is
 the only reasonable
         model. The bush pilot or charter service analogy is
 spot on.
         Between major hubs, essentially all traffic goes on
 scheduled
         liners (akin to commercial jet traffic in the modern
 developed
         world). Out in the less populated "wilds",
 there might be
         occasional scheduled runs, but there's a lot
 more room for
         entrepreneurs to nab what little passenger traffic
 exists. And
         even between hubs, you'll occasionally find a
 passenger who
         simply can't wait a day for the Tukera liner;
 she needs to be in
         the ducal court at Mora in 7 days, not 8. And that
 sure sounds
         like an adventure seed right there. :)

         On Wed, May 6,
 2015 at 1:22 PM, Bruce
           Johnson <johnson@pharmacy.arizona.edu>
           wrote:

               > On May 6, 2015, at 11:57 AM, Richard
 Aiken <raikenclw@gmail.com>
               wrote:

               >

               > On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 2:12 PM, Ethan
 McKinney <ethan.mckinney@gmail.com>
               wrote:

               > The actual number of hulls going back and
 forth isn't
               going to increase at the same rate as the
 increase in
               passenger traffic because the size of the
 hulls is also
               going to increase with traffic volume.

               >

               >

               > Wouldn't there also be jump lag
 involved? E.g. it
               would take time for it to become known that
 Route X needed
               more passage space, while Route Y didn't
 need as much.

               >

             Again, we’re running into the issue of
 is the OTU
             small trade or big trade.

             All of the trade rules in all the supplements
 are oriented
             towards PC scale ships; ie: free traders.

             If there’s a LOT of trade between systems in
 the OTU, then
             pretty much any passage you ant is available,
 presuming the
             systems in question are large enough to warrant
 the traffic.
             Akin to airline travel in the US today. The
 PC-scale stuff
             is equivalent small single aircraft bush pilots
 or charters,
             which is all well and fine, but I don’t hire a
 bush pilot to
             fly between NY and London.

             If not, travel on small PC-scale ships is all
 there is.

             (and I contend that the OTU simply could not
 exist with so
             little trade between systems).

                 --

                 Bruce Johnson

                 University of Arizona

                 College of Pharmacy

                 Information Technology Group

                 Institutions do not have opinions, merely
 customs

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           Craig Berry (http://google.com/+CraigBerry)

             "Eternity is in love with the productions
 of time." -
             William Blake

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