So the individual items they spent credits on at character creation should really be viewed as the group's items then?

Totally up to the players. If I'm a doctor, currently unconscious, and the pilot is bleeding out you are most welcome to use my medpac. Unless I'm stingy about that, maybe it is part of my obligation because my mother was a doctor and gave it to me right before her landspeeder crashed.

My datapad on the other hand I wouldn't share...for personal reasons. Nobody needs to see my digital collection of the wookie swimwear catalog.

For me, if it doesn't defy common sense (or the social construct of the group ingame) and the players are happy with it, it's allowed.

(personal tip/opinion, always declare at the start of the campaign that everyone is (at least) friendly to each other, makes gaming way easier, unless you want the tension and you and the group can handle it)

.Many of my players assume they can do computer or medicine checks without having any kind of slicing gear or medical equipment.

By RAW they can totally make a computers or medicine check without the proper equipment.

You'd be in your rights as GM to increase/setback/upgrade the difficulty of that check, but you should absolutely be letting them attempt it if they want to. If they succeed on that computers check despite the odds stack against them, maybe somebody used the password "guest", "password", "123456", or some other silly password.

For the medicine check maybe they just duct tape a wound or something. It's not pretty, but it does stop the bleeding for the moment. You'll still want to see a real doctor later, but it's good enough to hold you for now.

To clarify: I never said I don't let them let them try, that's half the fun. Especially when FFG even devises a mechanic to succeed at tasks deemed impossible .

In the context of this thread, "can do" is "succeed without fail." If a group is caught discussing who should do a certain skillcheck, they should consider deferring to the person who has the right tools or equipment (or largely, just the most narrative sense). Because hypothetically, what good is a Medic/Doctor/whatever in your group when the party favours the computer technician doing Medicine rolls because they have the highest Intellect? Granted there is lots to take into account (skill ranks, Triumphs, etc.) but that's a video game attitude and it's no fun at the table.

I guess I misunderstood then. Your statement seemed to imply that you were requiring equipment to attempt certain checks.

As for the rest of it, I definitely agree. I don't ever really think about comparing dice pools for checks as a player. As a GM, if they are debating in character whether to kick the front door in or pick the lock on the back door that's all good. But if they are meta-gaming for the best results on dice pools, it's time to move things forward, "While you guy are all standing around chatting, a patrol of Stormtroopers happen by. The one with the Sergeant insignia calls out demanding that you identify yourself, the others raise their carbines and point them in your direction". So now the PCs are going to still get into the building, but now they are all in binder cuffs, and have had their weapons and gear confiscated. Maybe next time they will do less meta and more gaming.

That's my approach to what I consider to be a pretty lame way to play table tops. YMMY of course.

Many of my players assume they can do computer or medicine checks without having any kind of slicing gear or medical equipment.

By RAW they can totally make a computers or medicine check without the proper equipment.

You'd be in your rights as GM to increase/setback/upgrade the difficulty of that check, but you should absolutely be letting them attempt it if they want to. If they succeed on that computers check despite the odds stack against them, maybe somebody used the password "guest", "password", "123456", or some other silly password.

For the medicine check maybe they just duct tape a wound or something. It's not pretty, but it does stop the bleeding for the moment. You'll still want to see a real doctor later, but it's good enough to hold you for now.

To clarify: I never said I don't let them let them try, that's half the fun. Especially when FFG even devises a mechanic to succeed at tasks deemed impossible .

In the context of this thread, "can do" is "succeed without fail." If a group is caught discussing who should do a certain skillcheck, they should consider deferring to the person who has the right tools or equipment (or largely, just the most narrative sense). Because hypothetically, what good is a Medic/Doctor/whatever in your group when the party favours the computer technician doing Medicine rolls because they have the highest Intellect? Granted there is lots to take into account (skill ranks, Triumphs, etc.) but that's a video game attitude and it's no fun at the table.

I guess I misunderstood then. Your statement seemed to imply that you were requiring equipment to attempt certain checks.

All good. It does sound like that out of context, even though it can be argued that is true in some cases.

The CRB does miss a lot of opportunities to clarify that as an issue.