Slavery and the Economy in T2k

[B.T.]

Right at the moment I'm working out an adventure for my FtF-group. During our last session we had an encounter with a group of slavers. The slavers were on horseback and had disguised themselves as ordinary merchants (Which, by the way is odd: How can anyone clearly spot the difference between traders and slavers, if the slavers have no slaves with them, anyway!?). It was a group of 5 persons with six horses. Because of the things happening, I thought, a group of slavers would not have slaves with them. I imagine, these 5 guys are some kind of scouts, checking for an easily to capture group of civilians, they could lay their hands on in the next few days. These 5 persons are propably a small patrol, belonging to a much bigger group, someplace in the area. The encounter had been roled for, as described in the basic rules.

Now, I can see, that slavers play a role in the economy of the T2k-universe, but there are some questions to bear in mind.

Slavers will not roam the countryside and capture anyone, who encounters them (Well, some would, but I doubt, that those would be very succesful!). Slavery is a risky business. You need some buyer, who is interested in using slave-labourers. And it makes no sense, to search for victims, if you had to transport those slaves over a longer distance.
If you have slaves to transport, you will have to feed them. If you don't, the price would be minimized. I think, this is the logic behind it: Slaves are intended to do hard labour - if they are in a bad shape, it is not a good idea, to buy them: They are to weak and can't cope with their tasks. The better the physical shape of a slave is, the higher the price, you will get for them.

I can imagine, that slavery would be some kind of "business on demand": The employer of slaves (Mostly a very nasty bastard, who might be the commander of a marauder force or a ruthless criminal, who got his hands on an old coal-mine or something similar.) would pay "slavers" for a specific hunt. This could be something like: "I need 20 to 25 strong individuals, fit for hard labour. These have to be here in about 10 to 14 days. I'm not going to pay for children or disabled."

So, the head of the slavers will have to do some economic math:
How many slaves may be transported, and by what means? Usually slaves would be tied up and walking by foot. Still some transport would be used for food, water and minimal shelter for the slavers.
How much food and water is required?
How many slaves can be handled with how many slavers? You have to guard your goods (= slaves), you will need some kind of scouting unit, to check/clear the way and you will need more guards, if the party stops for a night - ordinary guards, guarding the camp, and some people, who have a look after the captives!
And you should better have some heavy weapons with you, if you encounter some policing force or a kind of posse! Ammo and the weapons themselves have to be transported.
What would be the travelling speed of a slave chaingang? Does such a group make more than 10 to 15 km a day in a wooded region.
How is dealt with the personal hygiene/lavatory needs of the slaves???

Keeping all that in mind: How can the price of a slave be determined? Is he worth the price of an oxen or an uncattled horse? Would that be to expensive and the price for a slave less?
Would a slaver be in the mood to sell his goods to a bidder, who just wants to free the slaves? How could the price be calculated in that case?

As you can see, this thing is quite complicated. I could use some thoughts and suggestions. How have you dealt with slavers and slave economy in your adventures? And what is your opinion on this whole affair?

[Targan]

Broadly speaking, slavers would fall into 2 varieties, those who are catching and transporting slaves to sell to others, and those who are catching slaves for their own use or the use of their patrons.

The latter type of slavers may effectively bear official or quasi-official "letters of marque" from a government or military command authorising them to capture and indenture fugitives, outlaws, bandits, maurauders, escaped POWs etc. Keeping such captives well-fed and healthy may be a low priority, especially if the governing body receiving such slaves intends to work them to death anyway. Some slavers may not have official sanction or support from a government or military command but will receive bounties in cash or kind for appropriate sorts of captives to be handed over.

The former type of slavers would definitely find it in their best interests, commercially speaking, to keep their captives healthy. I don't know where your current campaign is set, BT, but the problem with being a slaver and slave trader in a place like Twilight War Poland is that the whole region is a hodge-podge of overlapping and shifting jurisdictions and depending on the jurisdiction slavery will be anything from openly embraced to frowned upon to highly illegal. Indeed, areas under martial law may punish slavers with death or effective slavery themselves.

Moving chain gangs of slaves through areas where slavery is illegal would be frought with danger for slavers. Hefty bribes placed in the right hands might mitigate the risk somewhat, as would travelling away from major roads and moving at night.

Just a few random thoughts.

[B.T.]

Hey, Targan,

thanks for your thoughts.

My actual campaign is set in Poland. And I think you are defenitely right. The slavers, I have in mind, would not be in some official service. I think about a "unit" of independend slavers/slave traders, who's patron is a local strongman. This patron should be "bad", so he's not a person, who has any legal right to slave or imprison persons.

And that's the reason, why I think about the whole organisation or infrastructure of such a group. The slavers will be aware, that they will get in deep trouble, if they encounter any military or militia unit. Therefore they will avoid major roads and will have to scout their way through the "bushland". Such a transport will certainly be more difficult, for slavers and their victims alike!
They will obviously try to avoid encounters with anybody.

I was a little disapointed: Paul has no prices for slaves on his page

[Legbreaker]

So here's a question. How did slavery start in T2K?
My guess is the initial "slaves" were enemy POWs pressed into service or disposessed refugees looking for food and shelter. As conditions deteriorated, the local "leadership" moved from employing the POWs and refugees with humane conditions, to outright slavery complete with barbed wire and chains.
Perhaps some areas started out with good intentions, but over a couple of years slipped into barbarity.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

So here's a question. How did slavery start in T2K?

That's a bit of a trick question really, because slavery exists in the modern world in RL. In fact many people secretly kept as slaves in developed European countries are trafficked in from eastern Europe (and Asia, of course).

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

My guess is the initial "slaves" were enemy POWs pressed into service or disposessed refugees looking for food and shelter. As conditions deteriorated, the local "leadership" moved from employing the POWs and refugees with humane conditions, to outright slavery complete with barbed wire and chains.
Perhaps some areas started out with good intentions, but over a couple of years slipped into barbarity.

I'd agree with that assessment. There would have been some notable tipping points though, particularly in places like Poland. The Free City of Krakow's formalisation of its "Robotniki" program springs to mind, I'm sure that many criminal groups with an eye to the slave trade would've seen that as something of a "green light" for their own slavery endeavours.

[Bullet Magnet]

I realize this doesn't answer your question, but "slave" need not necessarily mean the classic hard labor/field hand type most of us (Americans at least) tend to think of. Another type of slave would rarely even need to get off her back.

Just one more thing to consider I guess.

[Badbru]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

So here's a question. How did slavery start in T2K?
My guess is the initial "slaves" were enemy POWs pressed into service or disposessed refugees looking for food and shelter. As conditions deteriorated, the local "leadership" moved from employing the POWs and refugees with humane conditions, to outright slavery complete with barbed wire and chains.
Perhaps some areas started out with good intentions, but over a couple of years slipped into barbarity.

Yup, that initial question and your answer was kind of like my initial response; Start by answering who needs or could use slaves in the first instance.

My answer would be just about any community but especially those with farming areas upon which they're trying to survive. You don't necessarily have to be evil to use slaves, desperate will do nicely. Most communities in Poland will have a reduced population, particularly on the male side of the equation, non mechanical farming is very labour intensive at seeding season and again at harvest season. I can see bands of slavers keeping slaves for their own use along these lines, but also to rent out rather than sell to nearby farming communities.

[B.T.]

I think, "enslavemant" of prostitutes would still be in the hands of (formerly) organized crime. From all I've heard about this, some illegal prostitution might not be called "slavery", but in fact it is IRL. Off course, some criminals could easily jump to this newer kind of business, espacially if contact to other cities/gangs survived until 2000.

A group of roaming slavers might have some good looking woman with them, for two reasons:
1. "Needs" of the slavers,
2. presenting this gem to a future patron as gift or bribe).

A 3rd reason might be the possibility to sell a single woman to whoever wants her. But I think, that would not be the main business interest of a slaver force, that normally provides working power to patrons in need of them.