On 22/04/14 17:26, Freelance Traveller wrote:
>
> What sort of adventures would, in fact, 'appeal' to a merchant mindset?
>

An idea culled from the pages of 2000AD - Ace Trucking:

A lucrative contract has just been announced.  For whatever reason(*),
the bureaucrats in charge of awarding it have announced a race, the
contract being awarded to the winner.  Three items must be delivered to
three separate locations each of which presents some sort of hazard or
difficulty to reach.  They must also be delivered within a specified
time slot.  The PCs have to battle the other contestants, many of whom
may be tempted to cheat, the deadlines, the natural/environmental
hazards and anything else a sadistic GM can come up with.

David Shaw

(*) Reasons could include

It's a cultural thing.  This, or something very similar, is the way all
important decisions are reached on this planet.

It's an experience thing.  The bureaucrats realise that they are not
properly qualified to assess the various tenders and do not have ready
access to anyone who is to do it for them.

It's a legal thing.  All the people who have tendered for the job have,
somehow, fallen foul of local laws and would therefore be automatically
disqualified.  Unfortunately, there's no-one else interested in bidding.
(This is the original 2000AD scenario.)

It's a military thing.  The INS/IISS have some dangerous mission that
for political reasons they cannot be associated with.  They are looking
for an enterprising and reliable crew to perform the mission with
plausible deniability.

It's an entertainment thing.  The bureaucrats are simply bored and want
to put some fun back into their lives.  Or the broadcast rights to the
race have been sold for a very high price.  Or, just possibly, it's all
a hoax - there is no contract, the 'bureaucrats' are a bunch of actors
and the whole thing is being filmed for the latest fly-on-the-wall
documentary/reality TV show.