Depths of Regina - Turn 1.3 – Stellar Consulting Enterprises Opens
The second week of May brings some surprising results. Vamperina, Vareq and Jack’s extra legwork got the remaining ‘paperwork’ through the system. Jack returns from the Small Business Administration Office in Lower Royal View with the final license for Stellar Consulting Enterprises to legally offer its consulting services. Surge reports that net traffic on the company portal is increasing daily though no leads have come from it yet. As each new license is approved Surge adds it quickly to the business’s façade on the Imperial Net.
On May 8th, Surge gets SCE a nice business vehicle. It’s a Vortair SkyVan LX. It’s a hybrid air-ground car that can seat 9 with several storage compartments. While not very efficient or fast in the air, it does handle well. On the ground it’s a bit large but otherwise is comparable to an all-terrain vehicle. It’s lightly armored and can repel most non-military grade weaponry. It also has a good computer and communications system. Its primary downside is fuel capacity and ability to travel long distances. However, for a vehicle within Cape Goliath it is well-suited for the group’s needs.
VAMPERINA: Vamperina will become familiar with the vehicle.
JACK: Goes without saying, Jack will too :) Jack is paying the lifestyle cost for a decent vehicle, but hasn't actually gotten a personal vehicle yet, he's torn between getting something that will support the higher class image he occasionally needs to project, and getting something affordable. For now, he uses CART or cabs or whatever is available, and saves the rest of his transportation budget toward the cost of the vehicle. He will ask Surge to watch the net, looking out for a deal on a Upper Middle or even High class vehicle, perhaps one that needs a little mechanical work to get it back in working order or something. (He's trying to keep costs down, so he's willing to be patient and see what develops, for now).
GM: All who want to become familiar with the company vehicle can. The aircars can be flown by anyone (part of your everyman skills) but most of the vehicle is controlled by its computer system. If you want to use combat pilot with the vehicle then you will need TF: Science Fiction/Space Vehicles. While in ground mode it functions like a common ground vehicle.
----------
On May 17th, Jack gets some additional good news. SCE is now licensed to operate and repair military grade weaponry and explosives. This clears the way for the group to set up a secure armory in their offices if they wish as well as legally purchase military grade components for such systems. No local permits exist yet until the business gets a viable contract requiring such services. Finally, Midnight can put some of his skills to work, if the group deems it so. There are additional requirements for an on-site armory but it’s nothing that the current business location couldn’t handle with some work.
The final two weeks in May do not result in any business opportunities though several inquiries have been made about possible contracts.
May 6570
SCE Expenses: 22,000cr
SCE Income: 0cr
JACK (OOC): I welcome anyone who wants to keep track of this business credit balance, I am also keeping track of it and we can back each other's numbers up in case of discrepancy. We started out with 90k capital, so we're down to 68k, but the first month was bound to be a bad one with all the licensing fees, startup expenses, and equipment purchases.
VAMPERINA: I am also keeping track of this.
----------
GM: I have several private turns to send out this week. I will be including any side income you have earned with them. Also, please post your credit totals and lifestyle expenses for May. You can do this privately; it does not need to be made to the whole group. If you aren't seeking any jobs then you can send them in whenever. For those that have side jobs, please wait until I send you those totals.
JACK: 135000 before May after 15k invested in SCE.
JACK: I'm figuring on 2500cr a month lifestyle expense for Jack, which is half of Upper Middle. The other half I was assuming was being included in the business expenses, being the rent on his apartment (within the business HQ) and quite a few of his wardrobe and meal expenses and 'going out' expenses, because they are all about building the business. Jack doesn't eat at all outside of business meetings, to save money, though he does go out late clubbing and doesn't expect the business to pay for those outings because it's a longshot at best that they would turn into business opportunities. If you think about it the clubbing is about 90% of his expenses outside the business, so he should probably be paying less, but I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting.
JACK: Assuming this is agreeable, his end of May balance is 132500cr.
VAMPERINA: Most of her time this month was spent on business-related stuff such as getting licenses and other bureaucratic stuff. She did find an apartment a short distance from here. She can look out her window and see the SCE storefront below. She also has a private vehicle that, like the SkyVan LX, is a hybrid. Vamperina spends 5000 cr for her lifestyle this month. She has 115,000 cr remaining.
KYLE: So how did we decide we were handling side income? Kyle made 4800 Cr. from doctoring. Does some of that go into the main pot, or does he get to keep it all? I know Surge also made some money consulting. Is anyone else gainfully employed while we're waiting for SCE to start bringing work in?
KYLE: Kyle started with 115,000 Cr. at the beginning of the month. He went for a middle lifestyle, with a cost of 3000 Cr., and made 4800 Cr., giving him a net gain of 1800 Cr. and a final total of 116,800 Cr.
VAMPERINA: Ultimately it is up to you. Vamperina deliberately did not seek other employment because she wanted to focus most of her efforts into getting SCE going. If those who did make something on the side want to donate it to the pot, that would be great but it should be voluntary.
JACK: I don't think we ever truly decided, to be honest. There are apparently some misconceptions between us as well, so let's spell it out. Jack is working full- time and then some on building the business for SCE, so he does not have any outside income. He is paying 2500cr Upper Middle lifestyle out of his personal funds, figuring the other half of that is already being covered by the business, being rent and utilities for the main office building, in which he has a very modest apartment so far (barely any furnishings, probably just a mattress to start, he will furnish it VERY slowly, to save costs). All of his lifestyle money is going toward wardrobe and socializing for the purpose of making contacts. He dines out occasionally with contacts, attends social functions with contacts, even clubbing in the evening in search of more contacts, etc. He does not even eat at all outside social functions, to save money. If anything is superfluous, it's the clubbing, since that has a low chance of being business related, but that's one of the reasons he's paying it out of his own pocket ;)
JACK: I think that the figure for income sharing that was most acceptable to the most people is 1/2 of your gross income goes toward the business. In your case that would be 2400cr, and you'd pay your personal lifestyle out of the other 2400, but that would not be the full 3000 unless you do -everything- outside the business. If you have your sleeping arrangements in the office building, you can take off at least 1/3 of that, if you have your phone# or voice mail through the business, that takes off some, etc.
VAMPERINA: Another possibility is that those of us who are working full time to get the business going get a salary out of the operating fund. That probably makes the most sense though it will deplete the fund a little faster.
GM: I'm not going to get too involved in how you guys want to work it out. I will say that Surge and Kyle are currently using their no need for sleep (or very little sleep) to bring in some extra income. Both are available and have made time to help the business in anyway. Kyle is limited on what he can do due to his skill set (much like Midnight). Surge is actively helping but it also doesn't take him as long as others to do the work. Once the initial Imperial Net portal is completed his daily duties are quite minimal.
VAMPERINA: I think the point here is that some people are working full
time to try to get the business going while others are not. If everyone
decided to take other jobs to earn money for themselves, then the
business would pretty much fail. Personally I think that both Kyle and
Surge have huge potential to help the business prosper by developing
contacts among the intellectual and scientific communities. Scientists
like to go places to study things and in many cases, the places they
want to go might be very dangerous and so they might want to hire a
group such as ours. At this stage of the business, it is all about
developing contacts and publicizing our business.
VAMPERINA (OOC): I just wanted to clarify my last turn. I am not trying to start an
argument about how people spend their time. If we don't get any solid
leads in the next couple of months, then Vamperina will probably look to
find a job of her own as well. However, if Jack is going to be working
full time to continue trying to drum up leads that might lead to a
business opportunity, then he should not be punished financially for
trying to keep the company going. He is the most likely person to be
able to find something and I would like to see him work full time on it
without feeling like he is losing out.
JACK (OOC): I appreciate that. Jack is not one who is going to worry about
it
until half his personal funds have dried up and nothing seems to be coming
of his
efforts, and then he will just blame himself for failing to come up with
any
contracts.
JACK (OOC): The fun part is that Surge and Kyle both can be developing
contacts WHILE working, because those type of contacts in their own fields
are
probably the best for them to develop from a working relationship. So they
end up
with income AND contacts. Jack, on the other hand, SPENDS money to make
contacts ;) Each method is great, and of course we will continue pursuing
both.
The reason I suggested the 'half of gross' approach is because it gives the
individual working some additional disposable income to have fun with,
since they
are putting in extra effort, which isn't always enjoyable. Jack's efforts
may not
always be completely fun, but they are never 'drudge work' either (other
than the
occasional bout with red tape). There's also the matter of being your own
boss vs
working for someone else, and I would be happy to encourage those working
outside the company, sacrificing some of those freedoms, by letting them
keep
some of their money to go out and 'play'.
GM: Also, trying to figure out what is fair will be quite challenging as in the real world those involved with sales usually get commissions. So Jack realistically would be paid virtually nothing but he'd skim a portion off the business he drew in. You could go this route as it wouldn't take much to figure out what approach brought in the business.
VAMPERINA: We should definitely keep things simple in this regard. The
 easiest formula is that everyone participates fully and everyone shares
equally in the profits generated by anything that comes our way.
My suggestion would be to make it the easiest for accounting purposes. One option is to have everyone put more money into the business and then have it essentially support all of the character's expenses (within reason). Each person would get an equal salary (for fairness) and a lifestyle appropriate for their business activities. It happens that most characters are picking the appropriate lifestyle already. Only Vamperina is a bit higher than necessary. Jack and Vareq, if they decide to do the socialite thing, will need the higher lifestyle as an investment in drumming up business. I think once the business starts generating credits it won't be such a big deal. I'm cool though with however you want to hash it out.
VAMPERINA: I'd rather maintain a separate account for the business and
pay out dividends when we have profits. What we could do for now is a
very simple fomula for a salary for those who are working full time for
the business. They will get a deferred salary of 3000cr per month.
They won't get the salary until we start making profits. An easier
option is that everyone works full time for the business and then we
don't worry about salaries at all until we show a profit.
SURGE: Surge is willing to donate some of his income to support the business. He can see the point of keeping side income completely separate and contributions on a voluntary basis. He's easy going on this so if the group wants to go one direction, he'll be fine with it.
KYLE (OOC): I'm happy with whatever we decide. Mostly I just need to know
how to divvy up Kyle's paycheck. ;-) Seriously, the theory is that this
enterprise will start making money at some point, and that we'll all get
returns from that. In the interim, I'm happy to have Kyle put some of what
he makes into the pot to defray expenses. 50/50 works, as would dropping it
all in and getting some kind of a draw or salary.
KYLE (GM): As a related note, what is the official ruling on lifestyle
costs for those of us staying at the apartments above the office? Do we get
a reduction in our lifestyle costs for that? Keith says yes, but I just
wanted to get a GM nod to that. Again, I mostly want to know so that I keep
track of expenses properly.
GM: For those that are sharing living expenses by being in the SCE
building, you can pay your lifestyle as if it were one below your
current level. Thus if you wish to live at the middle lifestyle you
would only pay the cost of low. So instead of 3000cr per month you
pay 1000cr.
Also, if you feel you have a hybrid lifestyle, discuss it with me
privately and I'll indicate what level it would be at. Surge would be
a good example as he really doesn't need much. However, he uses what
he saves in not eating on Imperial Net and computers. So in the end
he maintains a middle lifestyle with elements of upper middle/high
when it comes to computers and Imperial Net.
----------
GM: Additionally, I am leaving it up to each character to share what they learn privately. Feel free to add in roleplaying interaction between the group with each turn number to share such information. This can be general explanations to played out dialog. The nature of this part of the adventure is mostly going to be private so if it will make the week seem a bit more lively, please share. ;)
VAMPERINA: I don't have any information to share.
JACK: The only unusual contact of note that I made was with an old show-biz friend from before Black Moon, a man named Hartoon Blaylock. He seemed genuinely curious and not put off knowing that I had been sent away, and later found innocent, which of course includes my mutancy. Most of my other friends and contacts from that time have moved on, as might be expected, but Hartoon may actually be able to help us in the long haul, getting me into some parties and social circles it isn't as easy to get into from the outside.
VAMPERINA: "Let me know if any interesting parties are coming up and if you can wrangle an invitation for me. I'd be interested in meeting some of the interesting people of Cape Goliath."
JACK: "Sure thing, I'm sure most of the higher society functions the invite will include a date ;)"
GM: This is very true. Most of the party functions that Jack will be attending expect couples. Depending on the image that Jack wishes to portray, going stag may be more appropriate. In most cases Jack will want a companion. Given Jack's socializing, he is never short on date possibilities though Vamperina might want to join him if she's interested in getting involved in the socialite thing.
VAMPERINA: Vamperina is interested in the occasional upper-crust
socialite thing but not on a regular basis. Basically if something
looks promising with regard to a possible business venture, then she
will suggest that she come along.
----------
JACK: All my other contacts were pretty much business as usual. Several of them are promising leads into other social circles of course, but Hartoon struck me as unusual simply because he knows more of my backstory than the others, and still stuck with me.
VAMPERINA: "My only contacts have been with some of my neighbors, the landlord, they guy that I bought the car from as well as a seemingly unlimited supply of bureaucratic types."
JACK: "They aren't unlimited, they just all seem so much the SAME that you never know if you are getting the same one twice," Jack comments with some humor. "I think we're gonna have to start tagging their ears with numbered plastic tags before we release them back into the herd."
MIDNIGHT: "I haven't really done much for the business besides help get us settled in. I'm converting part of the garage into a workable weaponsmithing shop--leaving room for the company car and one other car. I have made contact with Aeria who's actually working in Cape Goliath, but I don't think that counts as a business contact."
VAMPERINA: "That's great, Midnight! How is she doing? Is she still staying with Scout?"
JACK: Jack too looks interested and glad to hear that she made it here and seems to be adjusting... (OOC) I don't suppose she'd want to hire on occasionally as a consultant ;)
MIDNIGHT: "We've just made contact and have plans to meet for dinner tomorrow night, so I don't know many details. She mentioned Scout helped her get her current job, but I didn't get the impression he was around. I'll know more after we catch up tomorrow, and I'll invite her to come by to see everyone again. By the way, Jack, can you recommend a decent restaurant?"
JACK: "Certainly." Jack will recommend a couple of nice restaurants that accept mutant clientele.
TECH: AK: Cape Goliath 15- w/ level, [rolled 10]
TECH: CuK: Cape Goliath 15- w/ level, [rolled 14]
GM: Jack knows of several nice and tolerant restaurants in the area.
---------
MIDNIGHT: "By the way, if we're going to follow trough with our military grade weapons and explosives options, we need to reinforce our storage room to store some sensitive materials. I've done some checking, and it's going to come to around 12,000cr.
JACK: "Hmmmm, that's a pretty decent sized bill for a single sector of potential work, how long would the work take to get done? Could we wait until we have a potential client before making that further investment? Just trying to keep our initial costs down until we have some paying clients helping to foot the bills," he finishes with a grin.
MIDNIGHT (GM): How long would it take?
GM: The actual work on the building would only take a week, assuming you had all the materials available. Some of the work would require skills not in the group (construction skills) so there might be some scheduling delays with the various contractors. Barring usual delays, you could get the job done in three weeks, including delays in ordering the materials.
----------
KYLE: In speaking to Kyle over the month you'll learn that he has been trying to reacquaint himself with people at the university. He's met up with two former colleagues and is trying to make more contacts. Nothing seems particularly promising at the moment, but he's doing what he can to meet people and make friends. He tends to take the overnight shifts (we don't like to use the term 'graveyard shift' in the medical biz) at the clinic he works at, leaving him his days to do scientific work or visit the university.
JACK: Sounds good, you can just do the random name-dropping and plug the business when the opportunity presents itself, and if someone sounds intrigued or in need, that's the time to ask them to meet me.
VAMPERINA: Are you talking about the Institute of System Studies or is this something else?
-----------------
JACK: On the 23rd of May, Jack has some news to report to everyone at SCE. "A little over a week ago I met Bradley Powell, a COO from Waterfall Environmental Services. After a brief chat while waiting at a CART terminal, he indicated that they might have some possible opportunities for SCE. The only specific that he was able to give at that point was that it would be dealing with hazardous materials. Given a few more follow-ups this lead seems to be the more realistic for SCE's first job and sure enough this morning he sent us a draft proposal of the contract bid.
--------- Waterfall Environmental Services
Regina Station Spartus #5
Environmental Extraction Team needs escort to and from Regina Station Spartus #5. This processing plant handles highly toxic and dangerous waste products that must be moved off-planet under strict regulations. Due to the sensitive nature, extraction teams have come under attack from criminal elements. The waste products are known for their extremely high value on the black market. Escort team should be prepared to defend and protect both the extraction team and its cargo.
Bid Due Date: July 1st Contract Start Date: September 1st ------------
JACK: Bradley confirmed what licenses and registrations will be required to qualify for the contract. SCE has a good portion of them but there are several more specific ones that will need to be acquired. I estimate that it will take another 3-4 weeks to get SCE ready for contract. Bradley also revealed that this is an ongoing need and that they will choose the winning bid by August 1st. The contract is open to the bidding process and there is no advanced payment of any kind.
GM: Several things must happen next. First, SCE must research the contract and propose a bid. You know that going too high or low both present pitfalls that may lose the contract. The several points in the middle range offer different advantages so doing good research and knowing the competition is important. Second, the licensing costs run 8000cr. The bigger unknown is how to handle the escorting part. WES expects SCE to have its own escorting vehicles and weapons. Buying them new would run over 1,200,000cr easily which is not feasible. Other options include leasing them from another company or partnering with another security company on some level. The delay in finalizing the contract will allow the group to discuss and choose a strategy.
JACK (GM): Have I made any other potential contacts yet that would seem promising for either a partnering agreement or a leasing agreement for these vehicles? Getting another company to provide both vehicles and drivers while we become the primary security team is another option too.
GM: Not specifically. There are a few leads you can follow and we'll resolve those in the next turn.
JACK: "It's not work for tomorrow, but it's definitely potential work for this summer, and bears looking into. Anyone have any objections or thoughts?
VAMPERINA: "Do you have an idea of what kind of bid we could make that would be competitive? If we can put in a bid that will make us money, then I am all for it. However it we are going to have to spend more money than we're likely to make, then we might want to decline this one and hope something better comes along."
JACK: "That will take a little research, presumably Surge can handle that. I'm sure it will be profitable, even considering the licensing costs, but not sure that it will be profitable after leasing vehicles and/or hiring drivers. I am going to pursue trying to find a possible leasing/partnering option in my free time, just doing some cold-calling and such to check out rates, hopefully we can get some more info and re-convene tomorrow?
VAMPERINA: Sounds good. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help with this.
SURGE: Surge agrees to assist in the research on the WES bid.
GM: I will include Surge's results in the next turn. Jack feels pretty confident that the group would be profitable if they weren't buying too much equipment. If more work that used these same sort of assets could be secured then it would be more profitable to own your own equipment and hire your own drivers but that's not the case for a one off job.
-----------------
GM: On the discussion involving getting the business going, I'm going to treat some of it as OOC and some of it as IC. After the first week the group meets together to discuss how things are going. I would assume that these meetings would happen at least weekly, if not daily. Vareq, Vamperina and Jack initially would be meeting every day coordinating their efforts. When the paperwork portion was mostly done the group shifted gears and went into 'hunt down business' mode. Kyle has been looking for possibilities all this time so he was already on board with this. Surge however was not seeing much chance for him to drum up business. After a short talk with Jack and Vamperina, Surge realized he could by doing a few things slightly differently.
-----------------
JACK: Vamperina does get one invite to a high society function in May, but not as many as Jack intended. He has found a girlfriend that is getting him into some VERY good social circles, but she also kinda expects to be his date to such things ;) He's meeting scores of useful people through her, so it's worth it to us.
VAMPERINA: "No problem there. If she is helping you meet a lot of the right people then I would rather that you take her.
-----------------
GM: I've still got 2 private turns that I'm resolving, but I have the next turn mostly sketched out and will ask for rolls now. On another note, next week I'm going to be back in Kansas for my sister's wedding. I'll be offline Wednesday night and won't be back until Sunday night. Tuesday, Nov 1st will be my first night where I can really work on responses so expect a week long lull. I do plan to get the next turn out by Monday or Tuesday so you will have that to chew on while I'm away.
SCE rolls (anyone can submit these)
[rolled 11][rolled 6][rolled 14]
Jack - [rolled 12] [rolled 13]
Kyle - [rolled 7] [rolled 14]
Midnight - [rolled 14]
Surge - [rolled 14] [rolled 13]
Vamperina - [rolled 9]
Vareq - [rolled 12] [rolled 10] |