Smuggler Archive

Recently took leadership of my guild, and find myself at the head of a table with more than just my own pocket to line. Being a banevolant boss, I dont completely mind sharing the tips and tricks I've picked up over the years(!) as a smuggler.

The concept I am struggling with is the totaloverlap of service offerings. Setting a guild-wide rate is good for starters, and certianly applies well when working with spice and slice sales- whoever you see first makes the sale. FP sales on the other hand have me a touch baffled.

As FP sales are not nearly as prolific, and certianly not limited to a specific planet or region, a regional-based division does not seem to apply. Limiting anyone to a single zone is simply impossible. The best approach has been both galactic word of mouth, and galaxy trade forum advertizing to pull in new customers. Since the majority of customers are not "regulars", being either able to farm their own, or having only occational needs, loosing any of them could be quite detrimental in the long run.

On the flip side, a enormous amount of FP is sold to the first smuggler to risk his neck at a visible/high-traffic recruiter. In this way, more sales can be made as more people are online from the group to make them.

The concepts I have begun to toy with are sofar rough at best. Tithing to the guild a percent of the income certianly helps the guild run more events, etc. But the sales still suffer for the other smuggling members.

An even division of profit may be a fairer approach, but runs the risk of generating resentment in those members who feel they are "doing all the work".

A hybrid method has come to mind, keeping a % for the individual smuggler, tithing 10% to the guild itself, and splitting the remainding % between allselling smugglers.

Have any of you been involved in a "smuggler's union" or conglomorate? Has it worked well? Were there inherent problems?

I dont want to be re-inventing the wheel, struggling with the same problems some others have faced, nor do I want to create a system that is unfair to anyone.

And believe me, it takes great effort for this formerly greedy loner to "share"!

Thanks for any and all insight you can offer!

jnoh | master smuggler + master pilot | starsider

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If you don't want me to "play the forums," then I suggest you make time playing the game more rewarding and less repetitive than "playing" here!

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READ THIS before telling me I cannot complain about Smuggler
GOT SMUGGLING? - I AM STILL NOT A SMUGGLER - GOT SPICE?