Resources questions from starting GM

By koriakin97, in Game Masters

I'm new to RPGs and so are other players. We played a few games and we don't have problems with rules or game fluency, but I don't know one thing-how much money should I give players for successful mission? Sample adventures suggest high values. If I gave them 5 000 credits for mission or two they would quickly aquire all weapons and gest they want. But if I give them too little they may find it hard to buy more than consumables. Which ammount is the best?

Another question regards buying items. Should players be able to roll on streetwise table whenever they are on civilized planet for any item? I understand that items like lightsabers or wookie crossbows are not popular, but what about blasters and armours?

This is as much a GM style/tone thing as anything else, yes it will affect gameplay but it really changes the way the players behave and use what resources they have. Some GM's are miserly and make the party work very hard for everything and by god do they look after their stuff well. Some throw sweet toys around like no tomorrow and expensive items start to feel disposible very quickly (I'm not a fan of this method when I'm playing). One very memorable GM would giveth and taketh away at an alarming rate.

Talk to your players and talk about what your players and you would enjoy, if you're all enjoying them living hand to mouth then make it hard to keep their head above water, if they like new toys then give them plenty to play with but find ways to make sure they struggle to hold on to their new toys or funds. Or give them choices. Pay them well but hit them up with expensive ship maintenance, until certain work is done the hyperdrive works intermittently (When it suits the plot) or the dorsal turret won't track targets smoothly (Adding a disadvantage die). I'm sure you get the idea.

This is all hot air really, you could mix all of the above at different times. Find or figure out what you and yours find fun and then let that guide you.

Good luck.

A good place to start is the Pay table near the back of Dangerous Covenants (the Hired Gun splatbook). I think FFG put that in specifically because this question was asked so much.

As Stumblefish said above, the choice is somewhat dependent on how you want the game to run. Part of it is finding that balance, and if it takes a few missions, that's OK.

There are ways to correct it over time, too. For example, if you overpay for a mission, you can hit them with a sizable fee for repairs or docking, or a fine for not having the right permits for their weaponry, etc. If one of the players have a Debt/Favor obligation, have their creditor call in a payment.

On the other hand, if your players are starting to feel a little underpaid, you can always have them find some nice loot during their mission, like a crate of high-value cargo they can pawn off at the next starport.

So talk to your players about expectations (seriously, this will save you a lot of headache on any issue you come across), and give it a go. If you make a mistake, fix it. The twin rules of Fun and Cool override everything else; this is, after all, just a game.

I recently read that as their group obligation increases their ability to get black market access increases as well. The trade off is that legitimate people won't do business with the group.

I do think that the group obligation needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I currently have 4 active PCs and only 2 of their total 5 obligations would be known at all to anyone outside of themselves. The other PCs often don't know what each other's obligations are beyond vague table talk.

Remind them to squirrel away funds for ship repairs. Even minor damage can be a couple grand in repairs.

And remember that while 5000 might seem like a lot, divided among 4-5 it gets used up fast. Also consider tossing the need to bribe certain officials or pay exorbitant docking fees(also gets that negotiation skill warmed up)