Just wondering what people's thoughts are on 'how much' PC's should be able to get from reasonably high-risk, difficult jobs like illegal salvage, treasure hunts and so forth? A lot of the adventures I'm writing would include relatively uncommon components they could use to make other things with and possibly lead onto other adventures if they wanted.

There's a few factors I include in the group makeup in that they're fairly rubbish at negotiation and don't have any of the trader-type careers, so selling legal materials will mean they get bent over a bit and tend to go for swapsies of like for like value most of the time.

But good old hard cash for lower-end xp PC's (<200) would be reasonable per person so they don't get what they want all the time to keep them keen and angry, plus I don't really want full-blown military armour running around just yet on the off chance they find some.

I generally made the payout a function of how wealthy the employer is, with continued success usually leading to the more big time employers. With that said, I've paid as little as 3k (didn't cover ship repairs) and as much as 25k.

Have you thought about introducing a patron who in return for occasional favours will happily make available the means to repair and maintain their ship and even consider their more wilder ideas but in return would expect something in return?

Sorry about that, I tend to get a little carried away!

I'd was thinking offering them an advance of 5,000 credits with an additional 45,000 credits for completing their mission, but between taking the job and completing it, you just know something is going to go wrong...

For me it should be enough to keep them afloat with a possible few prizes along the way but nothing should be more valuable than the contacts, allies and friends they make along the way...

Dangerous Covenants gives the base cost for mercenary work and leg-breaking jobs. IIRC, a short job for a team of PCs ranges from 5,000-20,000 credits depending on the PCs' capabilities, the risk involved, and other factors.

Thanks fellas they're kind of the figures I was looking at, I've completely re-written the Beyond the Rim adventure to-suit our space hobos, the figures in that where a little high in some areas as I'm making it a bit more of a treasure hunt/mixed in with Apocalypse Now.

But figuring theres about 10 of them if you include NPC's that want their share (or will cause trouble) and off-screen PC's, it should work out ok with a few judicious bits of equipment breakage, a ship share towards mods/repairs and maybe the odd dismemberment to cut into their profit margin. A few lumps of stuff they can sell, but would probably prefer to use in making some neat bits of kit as well I think would take a little lump out of the 'actual' end credit figure.

Mind you, the follow up adventure could have a good profit margin, but it involves annoying quite a few organisations to the point of homicadal rage, so they'll earn it in the long run

Someone here a while ago made a good point that they keep their players credit-poor but happy with equipment.

I like this tactic as well, because I can't foresee what my players might buy with 100,000 credits, but because they spent 3 sessions and nearly died saving a group of orphans from a dangerous force cult on naboo, the local governor was happy enough to donate an old, used naboo fighter to the group.

So no credits, but they got the starfighter they sorely needed (6 players in one YT-1300 does not a happy group make) and I didn't have to worry that they'd just try and bribe every single NPC they came across with the equivalent in credits.