Hello,

there's a lot of posts on the colonies, about the 90 day cycle or the growth of colony.

but I have question about the phase before the establishment of the colony, the mustering ressource phase.

What I understand:

- you have to discuss with players to make a list of required stuff (manufactorum, vehicles, several prefabricated hab, 10 pickaxes, cord, millions of salted biscuit)

- to buy the big stuff (manufactorum, space station) you create role play objective for the colony endeavour (with achievement points)

- for stuff your dinasty lack for (by example, a lab) you ask for an acquisition test

- for stuff you can found in your dinasty (equipment, ships, star charts, surveys, functionaries) you ask for an acquisition test (and this is where I need your expertise).

What I don't understand:

p102 of "Stars of inequity" about the acquisition test to find requisite materials among dinasty's asset; what means "makes a standard Acquisition test, modified by Scale, craftmanship and availability" ?

This test is for buying lot of different stuff, so what for the scale ? the million for salted biscuit or the several for prefabricated hab ? same for craftmanship, what if i want premium salted biscuit and crap hab. The point is this is an important test cause it can reduce the cost in PF of the colony (to a mximum of 4 point) and I dont know what to put as a modifier (-10, -30 ?).

"A RT may only make this internal Acquisition test once during the course of a colonial endeavour." Does that mean that the test is for all the stuff ? and then what is the modifier ?

or does that mean that the Rt can choose to make the internal test for, let's say an old truck, have a big modifier on test, succeeding easily and reducing the cost of the colony by 4 point ? because he has buy an old truck...

How you handle that ?

(PS: I hope you all understand me, english is not my first language, i can try to rewrite confusing sentences on demand.)

Welcome to RT Negaddar! Furthermore, welcome to some of the confusing natures of Stars of Inequity! As this is not my expertise and I have yet to actually use the listed rules (even though I have the book and play tested it), I will defer you to other more noble and enlightened forum members. Once I return to my humble quarters I will attempt to peruse through the book again, and possibly give you an accurate answer according to RAW.

Until then, my advice to you as a GM and as a player, is to keep it simple. Nothing is more frustrating then trying to find some obscure rules in the heat of the moment. Simply come to an agreement that is both amendable and enjoyable for everyone involved, and move on. Anyhoot, I wish you and your players the best of tidings though.

Welcome to another edition of 'Dear God, Do FFG actually playtest the rules they write?'! Brought to you by forgetting to include wounds and fate points for Tau, pretty much the entire acquisition system for anything that's not buying a gun (Although I've had more than a few arguments about the apparent logisitcal difference between buying one powersword and three powerswords), and Arby's!

This is one of those things that you need to do for the players, in my opinion. The way I ruled it is that after the players hashed out what they wanted to equip the basic colony with, I cherry-picked a cluster of items that their dynasty would have in their metaphorical attic, and presented them with an Acquisition modifier. "Your lex-savants have spent several weeks in your datastacks, poring over records of sale and inventory going back several centuries. Some of it is quite out of date and much of it may be in the hands of other parties at present, but the report indicates that you could acquire the ferrocrete, servitor labourers, foodstocks for the first five years and the lumen grid from your own resources. It will strain your finances somewhat (-40 Acquisition Test), but with up to two of your officers in charge of the logistics and negotiations, you may be able to reduce that cost somewhat. If you would sign here Lord-Captain, I'll begin the preparations immediately."

If my players are actually considering the number of salted biscuits required by their expedition, I'd give them an auto-pass on the acquisition test. I always made my players go through a narration scene of them gathering these materials, based on the needs of the colony type and the environment they were colonizing. I didn't make them actually roll the dice unless they were planning ahead and looking for a specific infrastructure upgrade past the initial founding.

But that's the whole point of the colony endeavour, isn't it?

I like your example, Errant, and find it very much in line with the way I do things. Instead of giving them the acquisition roll for the myriad of things they need to acquire (which is usually stuff laying around Dynasty holdings or those of their friends, allies, and investors), I find the few key components they are missing and roll for that (plasma generators, desalinization plants, atmospheric filtration plants, etc.).

Still, if they give thought to the minutiae and plan really well I make that part pretty easy. Instead of a roll, I just send them on a trip to the nearest world that manufactures what they need and consider the acquisition roll passed. Maybe they wind up owing someone a favor.

I usually throw some complications into the establishment of the colony itself, since they seem to prefer playing out that part. Mileage will vary for different groups of players...

Yea, I created another test colony, and once I applied the KISS method (Keep It Simple Silly), it was a simple 15 minute completion, compared to my first 30-45 minute headache. Good advice Errant. Now, if only creating a System using SoI was that easy........ Test System 2 still not complete after 2 hours working on it. Allot of confusing nuisances that you have to read between the lines to get.

Okay thank you all.

What I will do is some roleplay for the big stuff (to meet the technopriest, asking for servants and high qualified workers), I ll ask some Acquisition test for stuff that is cool but is not required (soldier of fortune for security) so if they fail they ll not be screwed.

And for the roll that was a problem for me (the salted biscuit and heavy truck) I ll keep it simple and ask for a single acquistion test. With a -20 malus for basic materials and -40 for top material (sealed building and equipment to work on ice world). If they fail, they dont have the PF reduction cost but they still have the equipment.