Fairly new to the system. The players have just managed to get their hands on several containers of Nergon-14, the new active ingredient in the mix for Proton Torpedo construction. They have 5 barrels with about 70kg in each. Id like this to be worth quite a sum but don't want to hand them the kind's ransom or anything. So how much should it be worth? I was thinking maybe $200 per kg? Its supposed to be pretty rare, an improvement over an older ingredient no longer in use. That would be $70,000 for the lot. Is that enough? Doesn't seem like a lot but I don't want them being able to just go out and buy a ship with it or something? It should just take care of operating expenses for a good while (months)

Do you just want to give them money for operating costs or is there another purpose for giving the PC's this sort of loot? If you want to just give them money for operating costs for a month, then say that the sale of the Nergon-14 can keep the party flying and conver operating costs for the next X-number of months.

If you want to just give them money to upgrade their ships, then just state that one of the party knows someone who'll trade the loot for a couple of upgrades.

If you just want to give them cash, then I think you answered your own question at the end of your post: " Doesn't seem like a lot but I don't want them being able to just go out and buy a ship with it..." That's your answer. Give them the price for the Nergon-14 and make sure the total is not enough to buy a ship.

Cheers,

K

Award whatever you feel it is worth as goes along with the plot you are running with. Remember the cost/sell factor as to where you are in the galaxy (which goes along with its rarity) and the fact that the PC's will have to find a buyer on the Invisible Market (I assume they're not hauling this for a legitimate business - but that is just my assumption).

If you need a hard and fast number, I would say Cr200/kg may actually be a bit high since proton torpedoes only cost Cr750 each, IIRC (I don't have the book in front of me). The detonator is just a small part of the overall torpedo.

Hope this helps and MTFBWY.

(And to any fellow Ordies out there - I.Y.A.O.Y.A.S.!)

You allways have to keep in mind that they want to resell it, so they need to distribute it, need to keep their ship in shape, maybe some repairs or upgrades and unless they are Droids they need food and other living stuff.
Maybe if they just go around and sell some rare weapon ingredient, some Hutt or other criminal organisationwill come around and want them to make regular shipments, which they can't do, which creates a hot situation.

Allways keep in mind that money is power and with power comes responsibility, which can, if not controlled, bite the groupe in the hyperdrive.

The most iconic starship most people I know would want to start with would be the YT-1300 Stock Light Freighter. It weighs in at 100.000 credits for a new one, without any modifications. Going purely Edge of the Empire, the group could already have started with one after all players participated in character creation. Most starfighters also start at the 55.000 range and up. So a couple of barrels fetching 7.000 credits don't seem too much. Perhaps even a bit too little.

Assuming, again, Edge of the Empire, perhaps the group would fetch a far more agreeable price than 'only' 7.000 credits. After all, in the Outer Rim 10.000 could buy you a chartered flight from Tatooine to Alderaan if the travelers are desperate enough. Also, when you say "Nergon-14, the new active ingredient in the mix for Proton Torpedo construction", I would say "Black Market sale involving military grade supplies". The real question then becomes "Who do we sell this stuff to, and what can be done with military grade stuff used to produce high-yield explosives that can take out capital starships?"

I say, you have an opportunity. Will the group accept a 'low' price of 'only' 7.000 credits? Or will they enter in illicit trade for a nice profit with buyers who have a questionable morality?

I've had windfalls of ten grand for four players and it kept them in operating expenses. Buying even moderate things (let alone nice things) can still kill a nest egg quick. And then you add in repairing ships and upkeep - yeah, suddenly that doesn't sound like that much money.

My bad guys, just realized a type above. That's $70,000 for the whole shipment. Makes a big difference. Also, I get that proton torpedoes are in comparison very cheap but Im guessing maybe only a few grams of the stuff per detonator so we are looking at enough material here to make hundreds of them.

I really played up the difficulty in gaining this stuff (highly volatile requiring specialized processes and equipment to transport etc.) so it needs to be worthwhile - there were several powerful groups trying for it. The quoted "market" price was almost double this, the $70,000 was going to be the negotiated price offered by their contact.

Thanks for the input guys. I think IM going to use the age old D&D routine. Handing out the goodies then taking them away! Nothing like poor PCs to garner fun adventures. Ill come up with some plot element that is going to cost them a bundle.

Thanks for the input guys. I think IM going to use the age old D&D routine. Handing out the goodies then taking them away! Nothing like poor PCs to garner fun adventures. Ill come up with some plot element that is going to cost them a bundle.

Run as you wish, but it seems . . . I don't know, kind of cheesy to give them a windfall and then arbitrarily take it away again.

I've always been baffled by this "keep them poor" mentality. Yes, rich characters close off one avenue of gaming, but it opens up a whole different world of different games. Some problems you cant buy your way out of, some problems don't go away because you're a high roller - and, more importantly, a whole new crop of problems can arise for the stinking rich.

I've had Lint Farmers without two credits to rub together and Princesses that owned entire planets, and there was never an issue with getting into trouble with either.

Even stepping this up from 7.000 credits to 70.000 changes little. It might be enough to buy one starship, or big vehicle. So what, they have another something that can be shot to pieces, or used creatively to further the story. Also, the increase by a factor of 10 also means the black market value might become just that much more interesting, and increase the chances of a double-cross, or the chances of a morally very dark organisation trying to buy the barrels including the contents.

Again, ample opportunities to further your story.

Thanks for the input guys. I think IM going to use the age old D&D routine. Handing out the goodies then taking them away! Nothing like poor PCs to garner fun adventures. Ill come up with some plot element that is going to cost them a bundle.

Run as you wish, but it seems . . . I don't know, kind of cheesy to give them a windfall and then arbitrarily take it away again.

I've always been baffled by this "keep them poor" mentality. Yes, rich characters close off one avenue of gaming, but it opens up a whole different world of different games. Some problems you cant buy your way out of, some problems don't go away because you're a high roller - and, more importantly, a whole new crop of problems can arise for the stinking rich.

I've had Lint Farmers without two credits to rub together and Princesses that owned entire planets, and there was never an issue with getting into trouble with either.

Cheesy perhaps but GMs pull all kinds of stunts on the players, it comes with the role. Afterall, without the GM making stuff up they don't have a lot to do.

Even stepping this up from 7.000 credits to 70.000 changes little. It might be enough to buy one starship, or big vehicle. So what, they have another something that can be shot to pieces, or used creatively to further the story. Also, the increase by a factor of 10 also means the black market value might become just that much more interesting, and increase the chances of a double-cross, or the chances of a morally very dark organisation trying to buy the barrels including the contents.

Again, ample opportunities to further your story.

True, I was just a little iffy on what amounted to "a lot" in this system. It takes a while to get a handle on the marketing aspect. Comparing prices of goods is the best way I suppose. I was looking at the optional Ship refueling/maintenance rules out there and its not unusual for an average hyperspace trip to cost a couple thousand in fees and such when you arrive. At that rate the 70Gs could keep them in business quite a while and provide some capitol to make some good investments, yet not make them independently wealthy.

Yes, true indeed. However, some items also seem to be off scale. Only 750 credits for a proton torpedo? So a high-yield explosive capable of taking out a starship of modest size is slightly more expensive than a heavy blaster pistol at 700 credits? The same goes for vehicles and starships. I would say a hyperspace capable starship would be quite more expensive than a 'mere' 100.000 credits. Some of our own modern luxury cars cost more than 100.000 dollars, euros, or likewise currency. Tha would be nothing more than a luxury land speeder incapable of lifting off. Now upscale that to airspeeders or even 'flying trucks', as we might call a stock light freighter.

Such low prices also lower what might amount to "a lot". If every starship would have cost at least 500.000 credits, 70.000 credits is still quite an amount of money, but far from the amount needed to buy a new starship. It would then represent not even a fifth of the price. When starships cost between 50.000 and 100.000 credits, that same 70.000 credits can be quite a lot. Enough even to buy a new starship.

My bad guys, just realized a type above. That's $70,000 for the whole shipment. Makes a big difference. Also, I get that proton torpedoes are in comparison very cheap but Im guessing maybe only a few grams of the stuff per detonator so we are looking at enough material here to make hundreds of them.

I really played up the difficulty in gaining this stuff (highly volatile requiring specialized processes and equipment to transport etc.) so it needs to be worthwhile - there were several powerful groups trying for it. The quoted "market" price was almost double this, the $70,000 was going to be the negotiated price offered by their contact.

Thanks for the input guys. I think IM going to use the age old D&D routine. Handing out the goodies then taking them away! Nothing like poor PCs to garner fun adventures. Ill come up with some plot element that is going to cost them a bundle.

Hi rgrove0172,

Might I make a suggestion? This could be the start of a pretty interesting adventure. This Negron-14 stuff sounds like a troublesome substance. You said that it is volatile, dangerous to transport, and requires a specialized process to create. This all leads to the expensiveness of the substance. But it also leads to something else - the fact that the empire probably has a tight control on this substance. It's not something a poor nerf-herder will pbe in possession of. Indeed, it's something that only a very few will really be willing to buy: Rebels, powerful Hutts, and other powerful criminal gangs.

The adventure comes out of the party trying to sell it or "move" the substance. It's not going to be easy. Some things to keep in mind

• Hutts and Criminals willing to buy it are probably willing to kill for it too.
• the Empire will be on the look out for people dealing in Negron-14
• The Rebellion might be a good alternative but this has risks too

Do you watch Firefly? In the first episode Captain Reynolds had a couple of creates of foodstuffs, expensive food stuff. They were worth a lot, except for the fact that the alliance had stamped each molecule of the foodstuff. No legitimate or even illegitimate inner world Criminal group would be interested in buying them now. This expensive savage was pretty much worthless. To get any sort of profit Mal and crew had to deal with a very fringe world group, one that would pay only a fraction of the cargo's worth because the crew knew they couldn't sell it for much more than that, and they knew the fringe world types would know that two. There was also the possibility of the fringe worlders double-crossing them. They had no other choice either dump it and get nothing or deal with this fringe world settlement.

Build the scenario this way:

• the party attempts to sell to criminals but most won't touch the cargo and the ones that will are very very sketchy.
• The imperials have caught wind of the cargo and are closing in
• Finally, a rep from the Rebels contacts the party and offers to buy the cargo at a very much decreased price.
• He kn ows the spot the party is in and is the best offer they get.
• It's either take it or dump the cargo altogether

This works probably best because rather than making up some big contrived expense that the party have to use the 70 000 credits on you are giving them an adventure, and most importantly a choice. You present them with the options that yes they can make 70 000 credits on the sale to a sketchy group, but more than likely the party will be killed or at best case come out with just their lives; or take maybe 20 000 credits from a sale with the rebels, which is b etter than nothing, is probably safer and less prone to having the buyer kill them. And of course in both scenarios, there is always the possibility of imperial entanglements...

Hope this helped.

Good luck

Cheesy perhaps but GMs pull all kinds of stunts on the players, it comes with the role. Afterall, without the GM making stuff up they don't have a lot to do.

If all you can come up to do to your characters is to F them, then you are a terrible GM.

Yes, true indeed. However, some items also seem to be off scale. Only 750 credits for a proton torpedo? So a high-yield explosive capable of taking out a starship of modest size is slightly more expensive than a heavy blaster pistol at 700 credits? The same goes for vehicles and starships. I would say a hyperspace capable starship would be quite more expensive than a 'mere' 100.000 credits. Some of our own modern luxury cars cost more than 100.000 dollars, euros, or likewise currency. Tha would be nothing more than a luxury land speeder incapable of lifting off. Now upscale that to airspeeders or even 'flying trucks', as we might call a stock light freighter.

Such low prices also lower what might amount to "a lot". If every starship would have cost at least 500.000 credits, 70.000 credits is still quite an amount of money, but far from the amount needed to buy a new starship. It would then represent not even a fifth of the price. When starships cost between 50.000 and 100.000 credits, that same 70.000 credits can be quite a lot. Enough even to buy a new starship.

I wont disagree with you but what do you propose? We somehow alter the listed prices of everything in the rules? Eeek!

I have been heavily criticized for making some less than admiring comments about some sections of the rules that appear to have suffered from insufficient play testing. It appears this may be another.

My bad guys, just realized a type above. That's $70,000 for the whole shipment. Makes a big difference. Also, I get that proton torpedoes are in comparison very cheap but Im guessing maybe only a few grams of the stuff per detonator so we are looking at enough material here to make hundreds of them.

I really played up the difficulty in gaining this stuff (highly volatile requiring specialized processes and equipment to transport etc.) so it needs to be worthwhile - there were several powerful groups trying for it. The quoted "market" price was almost double this, the $70,000 was going to be the negotiated price offered by their contact.

Thanks for the input guys. I think IM going to use the age old D&D routine. Handing out the goodies then taking them away! Nothing like poor PCs to garner fun adventures. Ill come up with some plot element that is going to cost them a bundle.

Hi rgrove0172,

Might I make a suggestion? This could be the start of a pretty interesting adventure. This Negron-14 stuff sounds like a troublesome substance. You said that it is volatile, dangerous to transport, and requires a specialized process to create. This all leads to the expensiveness of the substance. But it also leads to something else - the fact that the empire probably has a tight control on this substance. It's not something a poor nerf-herder will pbe in possession of. Indeed, it's something that only a very few will really be willing to buy: Rebels, powerful Hutts, and other powerful criminal gangs.

The adventure comes out of the party trying to sell it or "move" the substance. It's not going to be easy. Some things to keep in mind

• Hutts and Criminals willing to buy it are probably willing to kill for it too.
• the Empire will be on the look out for people dealing in Negron-14
• The Rebellion might be a good alternative but this has risks too

Do you watch Firefly? In the first episode Captain Reynolds had a couple of creates of foodstuffs, expensive food stuff. They were worth a lot, except for the fact that the alliance had stamped each molecule of the foodstuff. No legitimate or even illegitimate inner world Criminal group would be interested in buying them now. This expensive savage was pretty much worthless. To get any sort of profit Mal and crew had to deal with a very fringe world group, one that would pay only a fraction of the cargo's worth because the crew knew they couldn't sell it for much more than that, and they knew the fringe world types would know that two. There was also the possibility of the fringe worlders double-crossing them. They had no other choice either dump it and get nothing or deal with this fringe world settlement.

Build the scenario this way:

• the party attempts to sell to criminals but most won't touch the cargo and the ones that will are very very sketchy.
• The imperials have caught wind of the cargo and are closing in
• Finally, a rep from the Rebels contacts the party and offers to buy the cargo at a very much decreased price.
• He kn ows the spot the party is in and is the best offer they get.
• It's either take it or dump the cargo altogether

This works probably best because rather than making up some big contrived expense that the party have to use the 70 000 credits on you are giving them an adventure, and most importantly a choice. You present them with the options that yes they can make 70 000 credits on the sale to a sketchy group, but more than likely the party will be killed or at best case come out with just their lives; or take maybe 20 000 credits from a sale with the rebels, which is b etter than nothing, is probably safer and less prone to having the buyer kill them. And of course in both scenarios, there is always the possibility of imperial entanglements...

Hope this helped.

Good luck

Good stuff and thanks! Yes, you have the same idea I did that the Empire does indeed maintain a closely guarded monopoly on the mining, processing and transportation of the stuff. Just being in possession of it without proper licensing and permits is a felony.

Cheesy perhaps but GMs pull all kinds of stunts on the players, it comes with the role. Afterall, without the GM making stuff up they don't have a lot to do.

If all you can come up to do to your characters is to F them, then you are a terrible GM.

And you, as evident by this post, are an incredibly helpful member of this community. Thanks so much.

Cheesy perhaps but GMs pull all kinds of stunts on the players, it comes with the role. Afterall, without the GM making stuff up they don't have a lot to do.

If all you can come up to do to your characters is to F them, then you are a terrible GM.

And you, as evident by this post, are an incredibly helpful member of this community. Thanks so much.

You'll forgive me if I don't give the snarky retort of someone with 30 posts and a week old account much weight.

So that's what penguin ***** looks like.

<<<where the hell did my emoticons go?>>>

Well, really it's more like this:

(Warning: erupting volcano not to scale)

Cheesy perhaps but GMs pull all kinds of stunts on the players, it comes with the role. Afterall, without the GM making stuff up they don't have a lot to do.

If all you can come up to do to your characters is to F them, then you are a terrible GM.

And you, as evident by this post, are an incredibly helpful member of this community. Thanks so much.

You'll forgive me if I don't give the snarky retort of someone with 30 posts and a week old account much weight.

Cheesy perhaps but GMs pull all kinds of stunts on the players, it comes with the role. Afterall, without the GM making stuff up they don't have a lot to do.

If all you can come up to do to your characters is to F them, then you are a terrible GM.

And you, as evident by this post, are an incredibly helpful member of this community. Thanks so much.

You'll forgive me if I don't give the snarky retort of someone with 30 posts and a week old account much weight.

I don't want to get nasty here, I was just adding my opinion along with everyone else. I would have to wonder though if you were that rude all 7085 times you posted.

Yes, he was, every single time. Filthy unlicensed penguins...........

Laugh...geeze guys..cmon.

Well, really it's more like this:

(Warning: erupting volcano not to scale)

Speaking as a healthcare professional, you should really get that looked at. While the purple vein might not be an issue, all that redness is surely a bad sign...

Do they have trusted contacts who could broker a deal for them? If so they can entrust it to them and wait for money to trickle in. It's a standard practice I use to control PC's wealth from treasure sales. All they'll ask is 20% off the top.

Whenever possible, I offer barter for the PCs too, rather than cash.

Or pay them in cash credits only to find out later Republic Credits ain't so good around here any more.