Crafting - Are iterations intended or am I being cheesy?

By Darksyde, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

Been joyfully playing with the expanded construction rules and was comparing what it takes to make some standard items already in the game. Now, I fully agree that FFG did not use these (or probly any) construction rules for their equipment but it does give a base line. What I was looking at was a fellow players 2 handed vibro weapon. And to re-create that item I'm needing, near as we can tell, I'm needing 8 advantage. I have some pretty good stats but at a 3p difficulty that isn't going to happen.

However, if I spend what I do get on the 'practice makes perfect' option and do a 2nd or even 3rd weapon to build up advantage, (spending the requisite time and $ on resources. In this case 600$ and 3 days working time base) I can get the 8+ I need. Now I also concede that all this is up to gm approval as well but I was just curious if you guys think this is what they had in mind. If so, I guess you'd sell off your 'practice' items if possible to fund more building? Just not sure if going this rout is playing it smart or gaming the system and was curious on other peoples thoughts.

I admit I haven't playtested this yet, but my sense is that, "rules as intended", s0-called practice items, if you're using them to build up advantage for a final "keeper" attempt, aren't really worth selling. Obviously, if it makes for a cool character scene, then I'd happily rule that you could sell them. Otherwise, I'd likely rule that you can only scrap the "practice" item and take 1/2 off the materials cost for the next one.

In the back there's a table about different amounts of credits Techs can pull in for making and selling items. You don't get much for making an item and trying to sell it without a buyer lined up, and if I were the GM, I'd rule that you'd (or one of the other PCs who wants to lend you a hand) need to spend some time looking for a buyer before you could find someone willing to buy your early attempts.

Alternately, if you have a Tech Recycling Station and/or a Reclamation benefit for your workshop, I would say you could probably scrap the item as though it were a failure to recover some of your costs. If you combined both, you could potentially recycle all of the materials used in the practice item, making time the only real expense in trying to generate schematics or bonuses for later attempts.

It's true. Practice does make perfect.

That's why there's an option to permanently lower the difficulty of making weapons of a certain schematic by one. If you craft enough swords, you eventually become an expert at it. (Difficulty becomes simple.)

If you had some kind of smithing type character, I would totally let you do it.