New(ish) crafts and trades

[Matt W]

Still thinking about the goods & services available at a Trading Post. Any comments, or further suggestions, are welcomed

Tire repair:
This may be a promising local industry - and one that even low-tech communities could manage

(see the link for a 1930's view)

http://books.google.com/books?id=IikDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA31&dq=Popular+Science+1932+plane&hl=en&ei=TYpLTZ3EM8L38Abb2pmzDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q&f=true

Insect Killer & Harvester:
In a world with giant insects (most of them pests) this could be a useful trade. Chitin (the main component in insect exoskeletons) is used in various adhesives and can be made into surgical thread. It's also a good fertiliser and has several medical uses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitosan


Crowman:
Building mechanisms to scare off (giant) crows and other pests is an honoured skill in agricultural communities - and one that might include Witches/Warlocks. [also, quill pens might become common again]

Snake Handler:
The Smother and Timber Rattler would make excellent "guard dogs" (especially if the community has a problem with something like Maggots).

[ArmySGT.]

I can't think of anything new really. Just the return of some pre-industrial skill sets.

[mikeo80]

I was thinking about this topic. Here are a few ideas that I had.

1) Trader: This can be the person who actually seeks out trades OR values the items coming in for trade.

2) Silver/gold smith. I think that after a while, (i.e. after food production stabilizes and security is set) you will see people start to melt and reform gold and silver.

3) Miner. VERY userfull person. IF the town is near a usable raw material, this person would organize the extraction of this material.

4) Farmer. well duh!! You have to have food and then some kind of surplus for trading.

5) Smith. re-form or create new iron tools

6) Soldier. well duh!! You have to protect what is yours....

7) Hunter. Especially in the early days as your little community tries to survive the Big Bang. Someone who knows what and how to hunt can feed a LOT of people.

8) Woodsman. Again in the beginning, I think most of your power/heat/light/cooking/etc will be with wood. A person who can select, cut, and retrieve wood efficiently will be in great demand.

My $0.02

Mike

[Matt W]

Those are good "trades" - but I think some of them will change in a post-disaster world.

For example, a "miner" isn't always going to dig things out of the ground. Why look for iron ore when there's a dead city full of stainless steel?

[mikeo80]

Those are good "trades" - but I think some of them will change in a post-disaster world.

For example, a "miner" isn't always going to dig things out of the ground. Why look for iron ore when there's a dead city full of stainless steel?

Agreed: or this person might be called a scrounger.

A minor nit.

Iron is easier to work than stainless steel. I would send my "miners" after iron leftovers.

Also on the subject of miners, I was thinking along the lines of gathering sulphur, charcoal or coal, and salt peter. Gunpowder is SO usefull.

My $0.02

Mike

[ArmySGT.]

Barterman - Part Auctioneer / Salesman / Appraiser. For a cut will negotiate a Deal between two parties.

Gamecaller - Like a Huntsman for a Community increases success in harvesting wild game.

Shanghai - Kidnaps trades men or strong men for other groups like Oilmen, Lakers, and the KFS.

[Matt W]

COLPORTEUR: peddler of books

Colporteurs are itinerant booksellers (and bookbuyers). They sell "modern" books and buy "old" ones. They normally operate within 100 kilometres of a printing press, which usually means a University or Monastery, but they can also be found near the areas controlled by the Frozen Chosen or the Inquisition. Also, Texas and the Kentucky Free State supply a few of these literate entrepeneurs

The "modern" books are usually reprints of pre-collapse books. Unsurprisingly, the Bible is popular and so are "How to" books on such subjects as agriculture, diesel maintenance, gunsmithing and First Aid. Fiction is also printed; the KFS has several series of books about the "Aces of the Air Force", for instance.

A few Colporteurs sell books on an unusual subject: psionics. These "grimoires" are generally worthless - but a few have some genuine insights

[Gamer]

Also on the subject of miners, I was thinking along the lines of gathering sulphur, charcoal or coal, and salt peter. Gunpowder is SO usefull.

That's all well and good but you can't just throw the ingredients together and voila you have black powder you have to properly prepare them first.
Thats an important trade skill of it's own for any town.

[ArmySGT.]

Repeater- Memorizes a message to be relayed to another. The repeater has trained their memory to be able to repeat back a message word for word. Sometimes used by Traders to carry a message to another part of an organization.

Seedser - A specialist Trader that carries herb and vegetable seeds for Trade or Sale. Knows seeds of different species on site, and may or may not know how to breed plants for desirable results. Well versed in harvesting and drying seeds. A complex system of colored strings and intricate knots identifies the contents of any seed bags or barrels, to preserve the Seed Traders edge.

A Damned Man- A hopeless case, afflicted with a broken heart or a terminal illness; these are sought out by some for that special quality. They don't care if they come back. Sometimes picked or paid to enter high radiation,hot zones, to retrieve items; and kill/trap the monsters inside. May be as an assassin to remove a threat or rival in another faction.