Can folks give me examples of how endeavors are run? For such an important tool for increasing profit factor, I find the core book to be lacking in examples. Mostly I'm confused about how AP is handed out.

I understand an endeavor is broken into parts with AP divided into those subsections. What I don't understand if it's broken down into parts (how ever you spin it) how do folks net extra AP so they can raise their profit factor for every 100 points over the Endeavor total?

Easy Example: Mining Operation

Explore Mines 300

Protect the Miners 300

Find Buyer 300

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900 AP total (Lesser Endeavor) PF + 1

Where in this equation do you get the chance to earn extra AP if each subsection is only worth 300 for it's completion?

You get rewards for doing more then is necesary to finish the Endeaver. Sidequests, clever solutions to problems etc.

For example. your mining operation.

1. Explore said Mine. Travel to the place, find out if the mine does indeed produce what is needed. It takes a while to find it as it is on a planet that is nearly lost. Now if only the explorers take some time to create a good map and update the navigational data they can sell these for a heft price. If they find that old Pirate cache located on the moon that will make them good money and an enemy for life

2. Protect the miners. Well there are some Xenos species who claim that the planet is theirs. Nonsense of course and easily squashed by sending in the troops to put the fear of the Emperor in them. However, if you can convince the chieftain of these people to provide you with 'workers' in exchange for some lasguns so that he can defeat his enemies and turn them into the slaves that you can use for the mines. That saves you quite a bit of money, no paying expensive miners and you can trade with the aliens as well. Profit. Or the aliens might have a rumour about anotehr vessel that crashed somewhere on the planet, Exploring that wreck you recognize it once belonged to Winterscale himself. Plenty of goods to loot here and thus more profit.

3. Finding the buyer is a nice thing. But creating more of a market would be even better. Not only do you find a buyer, you make sure that the competition is unable to deliver for the next years. Making that you can demand an higher price for your goods. Or you could jump to the opportunity as you notice that the buyer has some trouble transporting his finished machineries in time to fulfill his contract and you could make a smll detour to deliver them, for a price.

That's all it takes actually, just sprinkle some things for the player to go that extra mile for additional AP.

Keep in mind there are components that increase AP for relevant Objectives.

Thanks for the great response Sister Callidia!

Errant, can you give an example?

The bes sensors give an exploration bonus, holds give criminal/trade bonus,barracks and munitoriums give military bonus. Close to half (maybe more) of the ship components give some sort of AP bonus.

Ogrehound said:

Okay, going for a quick example of a 'perfect' ship for this job. Starting off, we equip the ship with an R-50 Multi-band Auspex . Utilising the Auspex's deep-scan capabilities, your Explorers can find the richest seams in the mine, providing +50AP to the Exploration objective. Next, a Barracks . Using the Rogue Trader's personal army to protect the miners nets the Explorers an additional +100AP ; this also leaves you with a handy plot-hook later on. Perhaps the miners come to resent having military overwatch, or if your Explorers elect to bring the soldiers back with them afterwards, there's no longer anyone to protect the miners again... Next, it's time to start hauling that cargo. If fitted with a Main Cargo Hold, you'll gain +125 Achievement Points to your Trade objectives, from the simple raw amount of goods you can carry in your ship. Alternatively, use Compartmentalised Cargo Holds spread throughout your ship to get +100 Trade AP. Depends on how much space you have, or if you're worried about having all your eggs in one basket. Lastly, equip it with a Commerce Bridge . The enhanced cogitator relays and hololithic projector provide greater logistical control of your now-successful mining operations, providing +50AP to Trade objectives.

Gives you a minimum of 300AP on top of your completed objectives.

Ogrehound said:

This, I think, is the centre of your conundrum.

The achievement points for each objective (and, indeed, for the endeavour as a whole) aren't rewards, they're goals. Every task the Explorers successfully perform towards the desired objective is worth some value of achievement points, as is the presence of some components and certain talents/character options (the Bloodtracker talent for Arch-Militants, and a couple of the new Origin Path options in Into the Storm ). When the Explorers have accumulated a number of achievement points equal or greater to the number required for that objective, then the objective is complete, and as soon as they've completed all the objectives, the total number of achievement points greater than the minimum required value is used to determine 'bonus' profit factor.

The number of achievement points the group should gain for a given task performed as part of an objective is determined by the GM. Minor accomplishments could well only be worth 10 or 20 points, while significant achievements will invariably be worth more.

Errant said:

I this example, can my ship have multiple compartmented cargo holds for 100 AP for each hold?

There's no particular reason why not, but they do consume a fair amount of space and power.

Yes. In fact your players may one day aquire a fleet of ships with such holds, giving them huge bonuses.

Just remember to scale the campaign as time goes on. Eventually they SHOULD need a fleet of cargo ships to accomplish their goal, and the required number of AP should rise accordingly.

Another idea is that some endevors can only be completed if they have the requisit bonuses. For instance they may need 500AP to complete a new trade route endevor, but negotiations are only worth 200-400. They have to make up the rest either by having a hold or getting one by renting or buying ships that will increase their AP. They can only achieve a Military objective by having a barracks.

Basically what this does is make endevors related to their equipment easier. For example:

In an endevor to start a mining operation there is a military objective to secure the mines from the local xenos which requires 100AP. If they have a Barracks (+100AP or whatever) they can pass it automatically with their troops. If they don't have the requiset bonuses they have to get more creative. They may import troops or go down there personally to take out their leadership.

In a bigger endevor they may have to wage a war which requires 200AP. they get half way there with 100 from their barracks, but still have to do SOME gruntwork to get the rest of the way, in this case blow up a shield generator. If they had no military bonus they might have to blow up the shield generator (100AP) and assassinate their general (100AP) to achieve their goal.

I find it can be quite helpful to draw up the details of the endeavour AFTER the players have done it.

After all, as a massive abstraction, there is no particular need for your players to ever know the details and it stops the PCs from buggering up the whole plot/endeavour by doing things differently.

I've done this for Lure of the expanse, giving each area its own endeavour after the players finish there. Of course i create the endeavour and THEN factor in the PCs bonuses.

Be aware that a well equipped ship can bring some really hefty bonuses to an endeavour. My groups flagship gets +200 trade, +100 military, +100 criminal and +100 exploration. Very nice indeed.