Is there any secrecy in communicating bounties? I assume for Imperial and Guild Bounty Hunters they can just get the info from their home office. And Independent bounty hunters have the necessary connections.

But how do bounty hunters and non-bounty hunters find out about bounties?

Trying to get an idea of how easy it should be for my PCs and NPCs (who are not bounty hunters) to find out about bounties that are out there? I see it as one of three possible situations

1 - can't miss them (they're clearly posted in spaceports, etc.) Have to be careful walking around because anyone might know you have a bounty even if they won't act on it.

2 - not hard if you look them up. You can walk into a Bounty Hunter Guild or look them up on an Imperial database and find out all the info. So the common person probably wouldn't bother, but it's not exactly hard-to-find info.

3 - restricted info, hard to find out. You have to be a registered bounty hunter to get access to this information because it's encrypted or hidden in someway.

How do you guys play?

Finding who is wanted is easy I'm sure. Having the resources and the latitude to operate freely is where having some kind of Bounty Hunter credentials comes into play.

I think they might be able to find low level bounties with streetwise checks, similar to finding a black market. They're not really in the business and I think the "Bounty Hunter" career section gives a nice little box about Bounty Hunters and how they operate.

I think they might be able to find low level bounties with streetwise checks, similar to finding a black market. They're not really in the business and I think the "Bounty Hunter" career section gives a nice little box about Bounty Hunters and how they operate.

It talks about everyone needing a specific license and goes into the breakdown of Imperial, Guild, and Independents. Like I said in the first post, I feel that if you have the specific license then that sets you up with getting bounty information.

I'm just trying to get a feeling for how non-hunters would come across this information.

Also, wouldn't you feel like high-level bounties would be easier to find than low-level? I assume more people would know that the Empire is looking for some guy named Skywalker because of the super-high bounty than some minor smuggler (a la FBI's Most Wanted).

I don't recall reading anything specific on this, but I'd run it this way: Finding out that someone is wanted from secondhand sources would typically require a Streetwise check. The official bounty posting would probably only be distributed to those with a reason to see it, like bounty hunter guilds and other databases and similar where only licensed hunters could register.

But a more important issue is that only liscenced bounty hunters can actually collect bounties. They're not free-for-all wanted posters like in the old west, especially not official bounties (private ones are another matter entirely). No law enforcement agency in the galaxy is going to want a bunch of "enthusiastic amateurs" with blasters running around shooting people who look like someone they saw on a wanted poster and then demanding money for it.

I think they might be able to find low level bounties with streetwise checks, similar to finding a black market. They're not really in the business and I think the "Bounty Hunter" career section gives a nice little box about Bounty Hunters and how they operate.

Also, wouldn't you feel like high-level bounties would be easier to find than low-level? I assume more people would know that the Empire is looking for some guy named Skywalker because of the super-high bounty than some minor smuggler (a la FBI's Most Wanted).

Sorry, I went off topic. If a non-Bounty Hunter wanted information I would say that some kind of Bounty Hunter Liaison could give information, but the information comes at a price. If they wanted a high value bounty I'd charge them an up-front fee for the information, or maybe they get nothing because they're unheard of/unskilled.

If I saw someone on the FBI's most wanted list I'd call that tip line they have, I don't think I could go toe-to-toe with anybody.

Probably a mix between numbers 1 and 2. For the really high profile ones posters are broadcast. There are two TCW episodes that show you how they were handled.

This one

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Revenge_%28episode%29

and this one

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/To_Catch_a_Jedi

The group should be able to check out the Imperial Enforcement DataCore at any location of the Imperial Office of Criminal Investigation. They will mostly be lower to mid level bounties (planetary to system wide). Any member of the Bounty Hunters Guild will have a bounty broker to feed them a stream of jobs.

Without the license, the Empire might charge you with illegal detainment and transport even if they are happy to have the criminal brought it.

In our game you can find and download bounty postings at any law enforcement office or at your guild hall (if you're affiliated).

Some bounties will only be offered to hunters the Empire trusts (political criminals, usually).

Through contacts / bribery, some guilds find out about certain bounties before they become public knowledge, so having a good reputation (and perhaps being generous with your own bribes) can get you a head start over other hunters. The guild will take 10% of the bounty as a fee.

Unlicensed hunters can get info at a law enforcement office, but when they turn them in will only get 50% of the bounty due to legal fees and the cost of running any investigation into your apprehension of the acquisition.

Getting a IPKC will set you back 1000c - IF you pass a background check.

I kind of see it as public knowledge but not necessarily distributed knowledge. There are a lot of industries where you pay for a subscription to a journal or follow a particular channel or news feed to get updates (commonly financial). If you've ever seen Cowboy Beebop think of the Bounty Hunter TV station where new bounties are announced and commentaries are made on them. It's not that the bounties are secret, it's just that no-one keeps going to the local station to see what's been posted that day (well, a few might). Instead, they pay their monthly subscription for the Bounty Channel. You can manage without it, but now you've got constant updates on when a bounty is closed (someone beat you to it), what's just been announced, and you have people filtering the trash out or doing a bulletin when someone big comes down.

Of course that's just an example and big bounties or controversial ones will filter through to the mainstream news. Similarly if you hang out in a bar popular with bounty hunters, the barkeep might have the station in there permanently tuned to a station catering to such people.

It's not that someone who isn't a bounty hunter can't get this information, but ask anyone who is outside the financial industry on major stock movements or interest rate adjustments. They'll have to go digging around. A professional has a terminal running with a direct line to Bloomberg (and pays for that). The news comes to them.

And keep in mind it's not just about knowing a bounty has been posted. It's knowing that it's already been collected on so you can stop wasting your time, it's knowing that a particular bounty is generating a lot of buzz so that you may decide there's too much competition, that the target was last seen in a canteen in Mos Eisley.

You can go down to the local station or Imperial office and look at the postings. But a pro Bounty Hunter will have their comm buzz when something comes up in their sector above a certain value, they'll know that Cad Bane is on it, you'll be in the loop when someone says they have a hot tip.

Maybe even the different levels of Bounty Licence membership in the guild also come with such a service.

This is all kind of loose and it will vary from place to place in the galaxy, but I think it gives a really good feel for how it works (or works in my setting).

EDIT: Found a couple of very short sequences from Cowboy Bebop with the in-Universe Bounty channel / show.

Unlicensed hunters can get info at a law enforcement office, but when they turn them in will only get 50% of the bounty due to legal fees and the cost of running any investigation into your apprehension of the acquisition.

This is kind of where I fall on the matter of the uninitiated. Getting the info on the bounty may or may not be that hard depending onthe bounty, but collecting on it is going to be a hassle, since you are not "in the system". Nothing "law enforcement" hates more than amateurs doing their job.

If you read the Bounty Hunter intro in the CRB, it goes into this.

Players need an Imperial Peace-Keeping Certificate [iPKC]. Bounty Hunters start the game with this for free. Basically, without this legal certification, any Bounty Hunting a player or group engages is legally considered as nothing more than murder or kidnapping, which would render the players Wanted Felons.

Moreover, there are 3 ways for a player to engage in Bounty Hunting. They can either be Imperial Agents, work for the Guild, or be Independent contractors.

The process for actually tracking down a Bounty is the same regardless. Basically, what makes you a BH is the fact that you have an IPKC. Your actual career doesn't matter. Your access to jobs is dependent upon if you work for the ISB, the Guild, or are an Independent. ISB Agents have pretty much no restrictions - there's always work to be had. The Guild has a few restrictions, but nothing major. I would presume that Independents would primarily work off of their Obligation for finding jobs and information.

Basically, the more Obligation you have, the more you have to work with the galaxy's underworld. The less Obligation you have, the more you are able to work for more official and prestigious folk. It's basically a reputation system as to whether or not you are friendly to nobles and the like, or criminals and low-lifes.

[redundant post - Raice made the same point.]

Life is hard today.

It's honestly going to be as hard or easy as your GM wants it to be, somehow I don't think anyone minds when a wanted fugitive is caught.

It's honestly going to be as hard or easy as your GM wants it to be, somehow I don't think anyone minds when a wanted fugitive is caught.

True, but that fugitive would technically be allowed a chance to press charges against an unlawful apprehension, or perhaps friends/family of the fugitive could press charges if the Bounty were slain. Not that a GM would ever really think to do something like that, but it could come up. Either way, the GM could decide that the party receives no reward for the Bounty, which would make the entire adventure somewhat pointless.

It's all open to interpretation for sure. I merely wanted to point out that there were rules for this since the OP was asking.

It's honestly going to be as hard or easy as your GM wants it to be, somehow I don't think anyone minds when a wanted fugitive is caught.

That will depend on how many laws get broken by the guy bringing the fugitive. Imperial laws being fairly inflexible, it's almost impossible to bring someone in against their will without breaking some laws. With the IPKC, you're given some wiggle room (but not necessarily a lot of wiggle room, so don't get stupid) around those issues.