My group just captured a couple of stormtroopers and as heroic as they are, they decided they will fetch a nice price as slaves in Hutt space.

What guide lines would you be using for buying and selling slaves?

Selling captured stormtroopers as slaves is risky business... but I imagine there's a niche market for it

and as heroic as they are

Not very heroic, clearly.

I doubt many Hutts would be interested in buying Stomtrooper slaves, and risk ticking off the wrong Imperial Moff. No profit in that, for just a few slaves.

Selling stormtroopers as slaves will fetch you a nice price, plus 40 party obligation.

.... I can't conceivably think of a buyer for slaves that were formerly Stormtroopers. Not only would knowledge that such slaves exist cause the Empire to come calling, the slaves themselves would be less than useless. They would forever be trying to escape from their masters and, barring that, they'd destroy or sabotage anything they could find. Their mental conditioning would cost more to break than any possible value they could provide. I suppose it's possible they could be sold as human test subjects for some of the more... wayward... medical practitioners, but that's dicy business.

If you were going to sell them you've got two real choices.

1. Gladiators. They are military guys they should be at least sorta ok at it.

2. Sell them to rebels, but they are a bunch of cashless losers who'll never amount to anything.

What guide lines would you be using for buying and selling slaves?

Someone asked a similar question a few months ago when his players were thinking of selling an Imperial officer into slavery. Here (slightly modified) is what I said then:

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Slaves are an extremely valuable commodity, especially those with specialised skills useful to the buyer.

I can't quote you any specific references from the Star Wars universe; but based on what I do know of the Star Wars economy and the history of slavery in general (a hobby of mine), I would expect the market value of most slaves to be between 2,000 and 10,000 credits.

Older, weaker, less skilled people useful only for menial tasks like cleaning might cost 2,000.

Adults in their prime years would probably average around 5,000.

Those with special skills (e.g. higher education, a useful trade, et cetera) or special qualities (e.g. great beauty, membership in a rare and exotic species, et cetera) might run 6,000 to 8,000.

Prime slaves with exceptional skills (e.g. a master craftsman in his thirties) might fetch 10,000 or more.

Young children tend to cost substantially less than adults since they're not particularly useful immediately. The long-term nature of the investment tends to mean a discount for the buyer - the younger the cheaper.

Also, note that these estimated prices are intended to be final market prices. They are what I would expect the PCs to pay if they wanted to purchase a slave, or what they would probably get if they sold a slave directly to the new owner (and cut out the middle man).

In practice, most people would probably sell to a professional slaver (the middle man) since it's much quicker and easier. He would only offer a "wholesale" price (say 40%-70% of the prices above) because he'll be looking to turn a profit when he resells to the final owner. And like any middle man, he'll probably offer less for something that's easy to acquire, that he already has in stock, and that's in lower demand. He'll offer more for slaves that are more unique, unlike anything he currently has in stock, or that are in particular demand.

Imperial stormtroopers, specifically, should be worth a substantial amount provided they will cooperate. A pirate or mercenary band, for example, might easily pay 6,000-to-8,000 a head for stormtroopers if they can be convinced that the stormtroopers will do as they are told and not try to escape. As others have said, stormtroopers are likely to be well-disciplined and very resistant to life as slaves. And slaves who are not obedient aren't of much use.

Also, as was mentioned, stormtroopers would constitute an extremely "hot" commodity. So even if they were obedient and cooperative, it might still be hard to find a willing buyer. Many buyers (who might otherwise be interested) would be unwilling to risk the trouble it could bring down on them.

The best buyer would be one of the alien races who had suffered at the hands of stormtroopers, a wookie perhaps.

There was an episode of TCW where trandoshans were kidnapping worthy opponents and dropping them unarmed onto an island where they would be hunted for sport. They may want the troopers but would probably use the meet as a chance to grab the party and imprison them and the troopers.

Yea I think a mining colony or gladiator pits are where these stormtroopers are heading and then it doesnt really matter how unwiling they are. They arnt going to be anyones houseslaves and I doubt anyone is going to mention that they are stormtroopers more that they are fighters in prime physical condition and age

I would say that they are either getting low cred for them, from somebody who just wants able bodies to throw at their champ gladiator, or high cred from a unique buyer. If they go for the unique buyer, they're going to have to make some checks to get some leads and eventually get a name. Upgrade the checks with difficulty die and maybe setbacks if appropriate. Enough threat or a despair and the imperials come knocking to look for their missing stormtroopers.

The prices for slaves has to take into account that droids are plentiful and are generally going to last longer with much less upkeep. Because of this, slaves are less useful for menial work except in environments where droids are unreliable. Note that this excludes penal labor camps and such where the 'price' is essentially free so long as you were planning to keep your captives alive in the first place.

. . . as heroic as they are. . .

This word "Heroic", I don't think it means what they think it means.

Perhaps these particular PCs are classical heroes - the offspring of gods and their mortal conquests - and need not bother themselves with our contemporary puritanical morals.

Yea I think a mining colony or gladiator pits are where these stormtroopers are heading and then it doesnt really matter how unwiling they are. They arnt going to be anyones houseslaves and I doubt anyone is going to mention that they are stormtroopers more that they are fighters in prime physical condition and age

Unless your players cut the stormtroopers tongues out and cut their hands off, I think they might mention something about "might of the Empire" and "overwhelming retaliation".

All I can say that it's not going to be a good ending for the Stormtroopers or the players. If the Stormtroopers escape and alert the Empire, depending on the leniency of the Imperials if they don't get killed as deserters or for failing ( as seen in Rebels, some Imperial Officers / Moffs are not nice). Or take up revenge and hunt down the players.

If your players are smugglers, your players might run into more trouble as well. Some of the old WEG guides bring out that several smuggler groups and shadowports are opposed to slavers, so you might have the PCs suffer the consequences with both the legal and illegal communities.

I would think the cost associated with securing/breaking a stormtrooper, balanced with the risk of discovery, would make them a very bad investment as a slave.

Sell them as slaves, toss them out an airlock. It's all the same in the end.

Sure, drop 'em off at the mines or gladiator pits. Make a few credits from the less than "heroic" guys operating those joints.

A couple months later, after the stormtroopers break out, the PCs will find themselves having a few new and interesting nemeses.

What are Stormtroopers good at: Toting guns. What is their unique characteristic: Total infallible loyalty to the Empire. Quite a profitable combination for a new owner.

At that, they certainly are a respectable fighting force, en masse, much better than the ordinary rank-and-file conscript. But compared to a seasoned single fighter, say the average Wookiee warrior, not that outstanding anymore.

Who in their right mind would buy those, but to cannibalise them for organ transplants; at least they're supposed to be fit and healthy human specimens, when they're not clones.

In the end, the potential buyers might ask themselves what would be the bounty to collect on a bunch of Class-One-Offenders (whith extra icing and whipped cream, cherry on top) compared to the profit margin on a few, more than unreliable, slave soldiers; then do a risk-assessment!

I think the credit/Obligation-ratio will be better when borrowing from an especially greedy Hutt loan shark.

Edit: What my players do to possibly surviving Stormtroopers and other important Imperial personnel: Make sure that they don't! A bit harsh but sensible, I believe.

I can easily see anyone sold into slavery coming back to haunt a group.

http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-04-23

http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-04-24

Mad scientist who brainwashes and makes cyborgs... Rebel Alliance extremist/terrorist who does the same. only they are bombs being sent back to the Imperial forces. BOOM!

Stormtroopers would literally make the worst slaves. Elite soldiers with unquestioning loyalty to the Empire and a penchant for brutality are going to do everything in their power to escape enslavement, up to, and including, killing/maiming their owners and their owners' families.

What self-respecting Hutt clan leader or Zygerrian factory owner wants that headache?

Stormtroopers would literally make the worst slaves. Elite soldiers with unquestioning loyalty to the Empire and a penchant for brutality are going to do everything in their power to escape enslavement, up to, and including, killing/maiming their owners and their owners' families.

What self-respecting Hutt clan leader or Zygerrian factory owner wants that headache?

If they have been broken by the Empire, they can be broken by others... Or turned into monsters.

Not necessarily. The Empire is literally the biggest repository of technology and science during the Original Trilogy. If they can build a Death Star, I have no doubt they can break a person. But that's the thing, it's the Empire. They have scales of efficiency and access to science that a Hutt or some Outer Rim landowner isn't going to have. The amount of energy it would take to break a stormtrooper would make the practice so unprofitable it would be completely pointless. If you want free labor to till your fields or whatever, you're better off grabbing a bunch of colonial families, people who will bend under the threat of harm coming to their loved ones.

Also, stormtroopers aren't broken into their roles, they're conditioned and trained. There's a big difference. Rebels did an arc on this.

About the only thing you could do with a stormtrooper would be to throw him in a gladiatorial arena or a pit with a Rancor for a few seconds of amusement. And that's not a slave, that's just a prisoner.