Merchants' Guild

Merchants' Guild
Fee	1,000 credits

The Merchants' Guild or Merchant's Guild is a professional society for privateers which operates 46 offices across the Gemini Sector. It acts as a mission brokerage firm between businesses seeking cargo services and privateers. The guild guarantees all cargo and payments and also pays premium bounties on ships that are reported to harass members. The Merchants' Guild offers delivery and bounty hunting missions which offer a higher average payment than those found on the Mission Computer but not those offered by the Mercenaries' Guild. The majority of missions require jumping to another star system.

The guild is known for its professionalism. Guildsmen pay a service fee to register with the organization and are given unlimited access to the mission computers located in any guild office. They are allowed to take up to three missions at a time. Missions are stored on individual CD disks and offered as a selection of four at a time. The limit is imposed to prevent racketeering and overcommitting. Missions accepted from the Mission Computer and the Mercenaries' Guild count towards the limit. Members are paid immediately upon the completion of a mission and do not need to return to a guild office. Officers are staffed by a guild master who facilitates membership applications.

The guild was originally part of the Commerce Department of the Gemini Sector. When the Commodity Exchange was started in 2644 all transactions required Merchants' Guild approval. The guild became independent from the government after Governor Meshach's removal. The Merenaries' Guild and the Merchants' Guild were initially competitors. Starting around 2659, the Merchants' Guild established good relationships with the Mercenaries' Guild. By 2669, the number of pilots and small businesses in Gemini had increased because of the war effort and a heavy campaign to advertise the sector's opportunities. This resulted in the two organizations coming to depend on one another as these businesses increasingly needed cargo and protection missions. The Mercenaries' Guild advertises combat missions through the Merchants' Guild and the Mission Computer. The guild has remained very profitable and is known for its particularly nicely furnished offices.

The Mercenary Guild's service fee increased is 1,000 credits. Exploratory Services' officer Gabriel Quentin wrote about the organization in GEMINI SECTOR: AN OVERVIEW. The Merchants' Guild blocks Ship Dealers from selling surplus cargo during spacecraft trade-ins. The guild increased their investments in the Gemini Sector, signing deals with the region's fifteen refineries based on the quality of their ore. The agreements offered to waive 75% of the refineries' standard Merchants' Guild cuts in exchange for 10% of their gross profits. In 2670, the guild cancelled the agreements in the face of increasing instability in Gemini.

Locations

Agricultural Planets

• Bodensee
• Burton
• Edom
• Elysia
• Heimdel
• Helen
• New Iberia
• Nitir
• Oresville
• Palan
• Siva
• Surtur
• Trinsic
• Victoria

Mining Bases

• Achilles
• Basque
• Hector
• Kronecker
• Macabee
• Romulus
• Saratov
• Valkyrie

Pleasure Planets

• Erewhon
• Jolson
• Magdaline
• Matahari
• N1912-1
• New Reno
• Olympus
• Speke

Refinery Bases

• Beaconsfield
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Gracchus
• Joplin
• Liverpool
• Meadow
• Munchen
• Remus
• Rodin
• Thisbury
• Wickerton

Unique Bases

• New Detroit
• New Constantinople
• Oxford
• Perry Naval Base

Images

Screenshots

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Exterior

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Sprite Sheets

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Artwork

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  Privateer Playtester's Guide icon

Script

Initial Offer

Talk to Guild Master

GUILD MASTER

Hi, $NM, how are you? I'd like to invite you to join our guild.

We broker for the most ... reputable clients.

That means we guarantee your work AND your compensation.

The Merchants' Guild primarily schedules cargo runs...

...but we also place big bounties on pilots that attack our own members.

It will only cost you 1,000 credits to join our ranks.

How about it?

Accept	Refuse
GUILD MASTER Great! We will automatically debit the service fee from your current banking system. The Merchants' Guild appreciates your business. Thanks for joining. You'll be glad you did.	GUILD MASTER You'll wish you had, friend.

Can't Afford

Talk to Guild Master

GUILD MASTER

So you want to join the Merchants' Guild, huh?

Sorry, $NM, but guild records show that you lack the 1,000 credits required to join.

Guild membership guarantees cargo and payment...

...and provides unlimited access to our mission computers.

Please try again later when you have the proper funds.

Accepted

Talk to Guild Master

GUILD MASTER

If you're ready for a cargo run, feel free to make use of the mission screen.

Remember, we pay premium bounties on ships that harass Merchants' Guild members.

We take care of our own, $NM.

Computer

Text

Loading Screen

Scanning Merchant's Guild
records for available missions.

Please stand by...
.
.
.
.

Mission Selection

Thank you for visiting
the Merchant's Guild

Please select a
mission disc.

Mission

{mission type} (X of 4)
{mission description}

Mission Accepted

Mission accepted.
Thank you.

Schedule Full

We are sorry, Merchants'
Guild records indicate that
your mission schedule is
already full.

Thank you for visiting The
Merchants' Guild.

Not a Member

In order to get missions,
You must first join
the Merchants' Guild.

The guild master
can help you.

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Wing Commander Privateer Player's Guide

Merchants’ Guild

The Merchants’ Guild has, in the last decade, established good relations with the Mercenaries’ Guild. They realized that there is really no competition between them. In fact, each depends upon the other. This is especially true as the supply of pilots increases. With the war effort and the heavy campaign to advertise Gemini’s opportunities abroad, there has been an upsurge in prospectors panning for golden opportunities. This has led to more small businesses depending on the lone pilot to transport their wares and protect their flight paths. Not surprisingly, the guild has managed to keep its share of the moneys involved and has almost too nice offices.

Interacting with the Merchants’ Guild is similar to dealing with the Mercenaries’ Guild. You are charged to join and then may use their computer to accept missions. Any one individual may not have more than three missions accepted at any one time in order to prevent racketeering or simply over-committing out of ambition. For a mission brokerage firm, they are useful and professional. Do consider the type of work you would like to do before taking missions. For a military pilot with no cargo hold there is only a little work available through the guild.

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Wing Commander Privateer Reference Guide

Merchants’ Guild. The Merchants’ Guild brokers missions related to trade routes, including bounty and cargo missions. You must join the Guild to fly their missions. Talk to the representative to join. There’s a one-time 1,000 credit fee. After you’ve paid this, click on the computer to view available missions.

Click on the screen to activate the computer. When it is done scanning for available missions, click on a CD to view a mission. To accept a mission, click on the screen (the disk will disappear). Exit back to the Guild office by clicking at the bottom of the screen.

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Privateer Playtesters' Guide

Merchants' Guild. The Merchants' Guild requires an initial fee of 1000 credits. Most of these missions require jumping to other systems. Payment for all accepted assignments is guaranteed. Merchants' Guild delivery missions are generally less lucrative than any missions accepted through the Mercenaries' Guild.

Missions Offered. Bounty hunting, delivery.

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Appearances

• Wing Commander Privateer Player's Guide
• Wing Commander Privateer Reference Guide
• Wing Commander Privateer
• Privateer Playtesters' Guide
• Privateer Righteous Fire

Behind the Screens

A pre-release screenshot from an earlier build of Wing Commander Privateer shows blue hotspot text.

The greyscale image of the Merchant's Guild computer in the Wing Commander Privateer Player's Guide shows an earlier build where mission rewards were preceded by a plus.

Early concept art plans plans for the Mercenaries' Guild and the Merchant's Guild to use the same office with an interchangeable logo graphic.

The Merchant's Guild office source mesh is labeled JMERCEN.3DS and the Mercenaries' Guild is JMERCH.3DS, suggesting that they might have been swapped at some point in development.

The game's text includes a computer message which isn't ever displayed:

We are sorry, this mission is not available.

Please try another disc.

Thank you.

Pre-Release Screenshots

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  Pre-Release Build

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  Manual

Source Models

• J_MGCU - Office
• JMERCEN - Office
• JMRCNPC - Guild Master Backdrop

Concept Art

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Interfaces

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  Desk Computer

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  N66 (not visible)

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  Door Lock