CORELINE (D20 Modern/D20 BESM Setting).

Lord Zack said:

I had an idea for an organization. The Earth-Ferengi Trade Association, whose stated goal is facilitating trade between the Ferengi Alliance and Earth. However they are also interested in regulating trade to ensure future profits. Therefore they have lobbied to limit imports of certain technologies like replicators that might devalue their goods. They have even engaged in sponsoring privateers to do their bidding.

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interesting idea, but i doubt they would be able to limit replicators as the Federation will push it, as it will reduce poverty, which would actually be good for Ferengi as they can get more people to buy arts and items that can't be replicated. they just have to invest in more stuff that is not replicateable, like food stuffs (yes can be, but a lot of people can tell the difference and generally prefer the real thing).
lots of other factions would love replicators and will push to get them. groups like the galactic empire would fight replicators to a point.. under palpatine's rule, he'd want to limit their control to the military and government, maybe the elites, to allow greater control.
Mars WH40k would go crazy and probably call it heresy and a mockery of the STCs.

The Federation has the Prime Directive though, so that would limit them from importing tech to parts of Earth that they don't directly control I think.

Lord Zack said:

The Federation has the Prime Directive though, so that would limit them from importing tech to parts of Earth that they don't directly control I think.

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while the prime directive prevents interference in the cultures, that doesn't stop them from trading common, non military, non classified technology with allies. replicators fall into this category. so Los Angeles can purchase replicator technology with the idea to reduce poverty, homelessness, as large ones allows creation of materials faster and cheaper.
the federation would provide ones that have lockouts to prevent several types of items from being created (explosives, etc). but this doesn't mean someone can't hack them later to do this.
i doubt the complete rules for the prime directive would apply to all groups on earth, but not interfering in their governments/laws would apply, but they would provide aid where the prime directive would prevent a pre-warp society, as Coreline Earth knows they exist, can access FTL tech with a little time and work. so if the federation offers replicators, in a licensing type situation, or with a number of restrictions of use, but not restrict access to them, they can control, to an extent, how they're used.
this would reduce crime around trying to acquire replicators, where the only crimes would be hacking them to make stuff they wouldn't normally make.
only thefts would be the big industrial ones, which requires more work to pull off, which has a higher chance of catching the criminals

@Lord Zack I threw together a quick blurb of the Earth-Ferengi Trade Association if it was actually created, as I thought maybe could work, as: SPACE CAPITALISM.. . A few adventure hooks. I might throw together some more stuff for it.

Earth–Ferengi Trade Association (EFTA)
Founded: Coreline +20 years Post 23 Hours
Headquarters: San Francisco Commerce Annex, Earth — with a joint office on Ferenginar in the Tower of Opportunity
Member Entities: United Earth Commerce Ministry representatives, Federation-licensed merchants, Ferengi DaiMons and trade clans, select neutral brokers

Purpose
The EFTA was created to stabilize and expand trade between Earth-based merchants and the Ferengi Alliance, addressing a recurring issue:
Earth’s access to replicators made many Ferengi goods unprofitable, while Ferengi trading practices were often… incompatible with Federation norms.
The Association functions as a legal buffer zone, an arbitration board, and a joint profit-maximizing mechanism that protects both sides from unintentional economic sabotage.

Lore & Background
Origins
After the 23 Hours, Earth’s industrial output soared thanks to reconstruction efforts and access to a lot of new technologies from multiple factions. Ferengi merchants saw enormous opportunity, but Earth’s civilian replicator access made entire classes of Ferengi goods (textiles, basic foods, trinkets, synthetics) nearly impossible to sell.
Several ambitious Ferengi clans (notably the Kossura and Nagalor lines you’ve used earlier) proposed creating a controlled trade partnership where multiple Earth governments agreed to restrict certain replicator patterns within designated commercial zones in exchange for exclusive deals on Ferengi raw materials, logistics, and financial backing.
Surprisingly, Earth’s Commerce Ministry agreed—seeing benefit in:

• Increased cultural exchange
• A fresh flow of unique Ferengi products
• Access to Ferengi shipping networks
• Off-world redundancy in goods distribution

Thus, the EFTA was born.

Organizational Structure
1. Board of Dual Interests (BoDI)
The ruling body, always composed of:

• 3 Earth members (Commerce, Trade Security, Cultural Relations)
• 3 Ferengi members (appointed by the Grand Nagus from profitable Houses)
• 1 tie-breaking neutral (typically a Vulcan, Andorian, or Betazoid)

The neutral’s role is mostly mediation—Ferengi complain this lowers profit margins, while Earth insists it prevents “predatory wraparound clauses.”

2. Trade Pattern Review Office (TPRO)
This is the controversial division.
Purpose:
To evaluate which replicator patterns Earth should “temporarily suspend” to preserve trade volume.
Examples of restricted patterns:

• Handwoven fabrics
• Certain luxury snacks
• Specialty artisan goods
• Simple tools Ferengi traditionally cornered markets on

Earth civilians complain regularly.
Ferengi profit margins skyrocketed.

3. Interstellar Logistics & Transit Bureau (ILTB)
Handles the shipping lanes, customs rules, Ferengi transports docking at Earth orbital platforms, and licensing human haulers to operate inside Ferengi space.
This division also inspects for:

• Smuggled replicator units
• Illegal pattern buffers
• Underreported manifests
• Bribe attempts (a very busy department)

4. Common Goods & Cultural Exchange Forum
The “soft power” arm. They host:

• Earth–Ferengi entrepreneur seminars
• Cooperative business academies
• “Cultural profit-sharing fairs”
• Contests on who can create the most profitable international venture

Earth students often excel. Ferengi insist the students are cheating by using logic.

Goals & Motivations
Primary Goals

• Expand Earth–Ferengi market circulation
• Prevent replicators from destroying Ferengi merchant revenue
• Build joint commercial ventures
• Encourage stable shipping networks
• Promote peaceful economic competition rather than piracy or sabotage

Secondary (Unofficial) Goals

• Covertly limit how much technology Ferengi traders can obtain
• Extract business intel on Ferengi markets
• Exploit Earth’s stability as leverage
• Encourage dependency on EFTA trade routes
• Influence Ferengi politics via “preferential tariff weighting”

Internal Conflicts
1. Earth Factions

• Progressive Federation Economists: Oppose limiting replicator patterns
• Terra-based Merchants: Love the profits, want more restrictions
• Ethics Councils: Constantly battling loopholes that allow Ferengi exploitation

2. Ferengi Factions

• Traditionalists: Want fewer regulations, more profit
• Modern Reformers: Like long-term stability
• Ultra-Capitalists: Try to sneak in banned tech anyway

3. Black-Market Replicator Brokers
A dangerous rising force because the EFTA restrictions created artificial scarcity and massive profit margins.

Key NPCs
Director Amira Holt (Human, Earth Commerce Ministry)
Role: Earth Co-Chair
Traits: Pragmatic, fiercely protective of Earth economic sovereignty
Secret: Supports increasing pattern restrictions to bolster Earth’s trade leverage
DaiMon Bruk Tiril (Ferengi)
Role: Ferengi Co-Chair
Traits: Silver-tongued, flexible morals, obsessed with cornering the Federation artisan goods market
Secret: Running a shadow trade ring circumventing replicator restrictions
T’Valun (Vulcan)
Role: Neutral Tie-Breaker
Traits: Stoic, values logic, surprisingly sympathetic to Ferengi logic-of-profit
Secret: Has been quietly enhancing EFTA’s algorithms to minimize system-wide economic instability
Rana Vehl (Andorian)
Role: Head of ILTB Inspections
Traits: Tough, incorruptible, terrifying to bribe
Secret: The only one preventing ILTB from becoming a goldmine of smuggling

Adventure Hooks
1. The Replicator Ring
A surge in illegal replicator pattern circulation threatens EFTA profits. Players must:

• Intercept smugglers
• Discover who leaked pattern files
• Decide whether to expose the corruption or profit from it

2. The “Cultural Exchange Fair” Sabotage
A new Ferengi-Earth fair is underway when sabotage threatens to cause diplomatic chaos.
Was it:

• A rival Ferengi house?
• Anti-restriction Earth activists?
• A third-party pirate cartel?

3. The “Restricted Commodity” Crisis
A Ferengi shipment of goods that Earth has blocked from replicator access goes missing.
Those goods must not be recreated locally, so the EFTA hires players to:

• Recover the shipment
• Prevent pirates from scanning it
• Stop an economic cascade

4. The Ferengi Buyout
A powerful Ferengi House tries to buy majority control of a crucial Earth supply chain.
The EFTA must intervene or Earth might lose economic autonomy.

5. Federation Council Review
The Council challenges the legality of the EFTA’s replicator restrictions.
Players may act as:

• Investigators
• Lobbyists
• Enforcers
• Saboteurs, depending on the faction they favor.