Need some Megacorps

[JBRocky]

Looking to start a pretty standard 2300AD game but I there are going to be some differences. First I need some ideas for some more Megacorps this is what I have so far.

-Trillon Have to use the 2300 classic but with some changes. Biggest thing is I am not sure I want them to have the colony out on the French Arm, so instead I want them more involved in the American Arm.

-Weyland-Utani Of course taken from the Aliens movies but as a British/Japanese corp I want to give them the Colony out on the French ARm. Figured they would have had alot to do with the ESA. I think I want to have them looking for extra stuff with the Kafers and Pentapods.

-Blue Sun Straight out of Firefly I want to have them big out in the Chinese Arm but looking to get inroads out the American and French Arm.

-OCP Robocop corp I want more involved in basic consumer goods but have alot in Military Hardware.

-Tyrell Corporation Maybe a French corp but I do want them involved in the Pentapods and Transhuman type plots.

Ok this is just the basic big guys dbut I am looking for anyt basic idea and even change any of mine if you got a better one. This is just basic stuff I have thought about while at work.

 

[epicenter00]

I've always thought that 2300 should be a more cosmopolitan future and shouldn't be the usual the "a bunch of white guys with the token Japanese" for big companies. The background of 2300 suggests that of the top companies are going to have a lot of French names, obviously. However, we're missing a lot of the Central - South American companies that should be in there given that Mexico, Brasil, and Argentina are supposed to be wealthy, high-tech nations able to challenge the ESA at Alpha Centauri with warships. We're also missing any kind of peep about the Manchurians, who are mighty enough to have given the French a black eye during the Central Asian War and Cantonese who were able to put a colony on another world.

There's probably too many American names in the top given that America isn't nearly the economic powerhouse it was.

-Weyland-Utani Of course taken from the Aliens movies but as a British/Japanese corp I want to give them the Colony out on the French ARm. Figured they would have had alot to do with the ESA. I think I want to have them looking for extra stuff with the Kafers and Pentapods.

Weyland-Yutani is how it is canonically spelled in the Aliens Universe.

 

[robject]

Assuming French names, the corps might be:

"Trillion". This is acceptable French, perhaps not typical.

"Blue Sun" of course has different names based on which Arm it's in. Its "real" name is probably like Lán sè xīng (or is that the other way 'round?). I guess products from Blue Sun by way of the French Arm would be labelled "Soleil Bleu" or, if bastardized, "Sol Bleu". That could help disguise the corp from the players, at least for a moment.

"Tyrell Corporation" -- since "Corporation" is also French, it could be Francofied simply by reversing the words. "Corporation Tyrell".

 

[Reban]

Sticking to French names start them with "Société".

Société General
Société Espace or SOCESP
Société D'Exploitation des Astéroïdes or SEdA

 

[Dulinor]

Société General

That should be Société Générale.
And it's already the name of a real french bank.

 

[Kilgs]

=Meganti-Fauss=
A corporate entity out of old Europe that merged to capitalize on the colonization of planets and the support inherent. They purchase colonization contracts, recruit populations, and then make their money by providing continual support to the communities for a decade or two before they become self-sufficient. They are a bank, agricultural combine and trouble-shooter all in one.
-Perfect employer for PC troubleshooters due to their far-flung interests.

=Pan-Galactic Corporation=
Because every space game since I was 12 has a PGC. I don't know what they are in 2300...

=Viasyn=
Originally formed out of a pharmaceutical merger nearly a century ago, Viasyn is the epitome of the "evil mega-corps." While the overall corporation is stable, its interests are too diverse and far-flung to allow manageable oversight. Therefore regional directors and sub-directors are given a strong mandate to be profitable... you just have to be discreet. The corporation has so many tendrils that it is easy for it to put a spin on one of their "unsupervised" subsidiaries as engaging in "non-approved" activities. It has a strong presence in the colonies and is still recovering from a PR nightmare wherein a small orbital lab station was found to be conducting "black" gene research. Interests include colonization, mineral extraction, pharmaceuticals, military applications and all-around evil corporate thuggery. They are considering a move similar to Trilon.

 

[McPerth]

Weren't also some important corporations in Pournelle's Future History and (with Niven) Mote in god's eye that could be used?

Sorry, I cannot give you specific names, as there's a longtime since I read them, but they always made me think in 2300...

 

[Reban]

That should be Société Générale.
And it's already the name of a real french bank.

I knew that....I just couldn't find my Alt Gr key......and my French is rusty....plus given 300 years of linguistic dilution and parsecs of distance from the Académie française*, French colonists might get as lazy at spelling as I am



*The body that regulates French grammer.

 

[SnichtheWalrus]

BITS UK: 101 Corporations

Look up 101 Corporations from British Isles Traveller Support. Not only does it provide plenty of examples and adventure ideas but includes a universal corporate profile for generating new companies.

http://www.bitsuk.net/Products/101Books/101Books.html

 

[Golan2072]

Feel free to mine Outer Veil for corporations, as there are several such corps there, complete with logos. Such as the Tirovsky-Yang Consortium (TYC), the no-nonsense Russian-Chinese heavy indusrt/military-gear giant with their brutalistic design principles and the legendary durability of their goods; Hydracorp, the sneaky, sometimes downright creepy biotech megacorp who typically end up with borderline-legal gentech research projects; or the mining/investment firm called Kentaurus Holding.

Another option is to use TriOptimum from the old computer game System Shock. Big, corrupt megacorp where a vice-president did very illegal genetics research and then hired a hacker to turn an AI rogue to cover up (and ended up a cyborg serving that AI!). TriOptimum - For a Better Future! Perfection through Genetics!

 

[Kilgs]

A direction that I have taken with Project_SN has been to look at developing countries and their corporate giants. Some really good information there.

Ecuador happens to have a strong arms manufacturing base. This provides for an interesting anecdote to the Rio Plata Wars and Aztlan/Inca conflicts.

India has a growing aerospace industry.

Take a look at Malaysian corporations (the ones building 300 story 'scrapers).

There are lots of very powerful corporations out there that have nothing to do with the West or traditional superpowers. In fact, they are more likely to be ascendant because of higher survival rates from the Twilight.

 

[savage]

Consider merging modern names;

General & Deere Motors (G&DM)
Mercedes Porsche (MP)
Chev Petroleum (CP)
OracleSoft

 

[aramis]

Consider merging modern names;

General & Deere Motors (G&DM)
Mercedes Porsche (MP)
Chev Petroleum (CP)
OracleSoft

possibly also condensing them by contraction after:

GenDeere Motors
MP Automotive & Aerospace
ChevPetro
OraSoft

 

[savage]

possibly also condensing them by contraction after:

GenDeere Motors
MP Automotive & Aerospace
ChevPetro
OraSoft

Good point.


Some of these companies have long standing business relations, others may prop each other up during a major market failure. The off world market would be extremely profitable but requires extensive liquid assets.

The story lines could be interesting as well. Let's take General Motors and John Deere's partnership and put something together quickly:

The decline and wars of the 21st century left General Motors company (GM) near bankrupcy while Ford Motor Company gained control of most of the American market by moving factories back to the United States. John Deere had successfully designed it's off world farm implement line and utilized its assets to purchase a major stake in GM. The century old relationship has created a strong player in the vehicle market by 2300.​

 

[SanDragon]

Necro some!

Oldsmobile

Mercury

 

[savage]

Necro some!

Oldsmobile

Mercury

Another good point. Remember Indian Motorcycle. A group bought the name and built their own bikes. There are many examples of that.

 

[AtlanticFriend]

Some suggestions for French companies :

- ExoGène or XenoGène for genetic research companies
- NovEspace for spatial designs
- Martel Industries for weapons manufacture
- PlaNet for internet/computer services
- Société Nationale de Secours Spatial (SNSS) - Space rescue (based on present-day Société Nationale de Secours en Mer which operates fast boats to rescue sinking ships)
- Élan Véhicules Autonomes (EVA) : self-driving vehicles
- Infocéan : News services or software designer
- IFREspace (Institut Français de Recherches Spatiales, based on present-day IFREMER)