I have a player who decided they didn't want their Force Pike anymore. They sold it with a successful Negotiation generating 1 success, meaning it sold at a quarter of the cost.

I was looking over the trading rules in EotE core (pages 149-151) and noticed the rarity system should have been applied before factoring the final sale cost.

Force Pike:

rarity 4

500 credits

On an Outer Rim moon like Nar Shaddaa, rarity increases by +2.

When rarity increases by +2, the cost increases by x2.

500 x 2 = 1000

On a Negotiate to sell it that lands a single Success, it sells at quarter cost for 250 credits.

If I am doing this correctly or incorrectly, please let me know.

Your new math (including the rarity modification) is, AFAIK, correct. This is the main way that speculative trading is supposed to work.

Thanks. According to the book as well on page 150 Table 5-1 and the information surrounding it, one can just make a successful negotiation check to hear about an item based upon its rarity on that world?

So let's say someone wanted to hear about getting ahold of something really rare and actually succeed... this doesn't mean they just find it right, more that they just hear about it or have an idea where it might be, prompting side-adventures to acquire their precious blasters?

By RAW, the negotiation roll to "find" it is also the negotiation roll to "price" it (with the base price modified according to the rarity adjustments by RAW). However, for rare or unique items, it's up to the GM to decide how they want to handle it. There's also precious little guidance for lot, bulk or multiple purchases. Some GMs require a separate roll for each individual copy of the item, some allow it done in bulk, some allow it done by 2s or 5s.... I believe by RAW, you have to roll for each item individually, which can get tedious when buying 50 stimpacks.... That said, Rule #1 always applies (the GM can do whatever the heck they want 'cause it's their game).

Thanks again.

Note the multiplier is more for trade, not pawning your old junk.

So a player selling off his old force pike wouldn't get the x2, a player that buys a dozen pikes on planet A and takes them to planet B to resell would get the x2.

Otherwise you end up with the problem of having to note where the players bought every peice of junk they accumulate.

Note the multiplier is more for trade, not pawning your old junk.

So a player selling off his old force pike wouldn't get the x2, a player that buys a dozen pikes on planet A and takes them to planet B to resell would get the x2.

Otherwise you end up with the problem of having to note where the players bought every peice of junk they accumulate.

I've taken that account, in the past, by adjusting the price of the item when they got it. So buying a "standard blaster" on the rim is going to be more expensive than buying one in the core.

By RAW, the negotiation roll to "find" it is also the negotiation roll to "price" it (with the base price modified according to the rarity adjustments by RAW). However, for rare or unique items, it's up to the GM to decide how they want to handle it. There's also precious little guidance for lot, bulk or multiple purchases. Some GMs require a separate roll for each individual copy of the item, some allow it done in bulk, some allow it done by 2s or 5s.... I believe by RAW, you have to roll for each item individually, which can get tedious when buying 50 stimpacks.... That said, Rule #1 always applies (the GM can do whatever the heck they want 'cause it's their game).

One of my players is really into his Bothan Trader's focus on getting deals, so we play with the economy of scale a lot. I basically add a blue die for each increment of 10 (10, 20, 30...) if they're selling or buying in bulk.

I'm also a fan of using the Adv./Thr./Tri./Desp. drive the narrative when it comes to "...and I'll throw in this [item I think the PCs need but they don't realize it yet] to sweeten the deal!" or "Oh, that selection from our stock is only available to Premium Store Members. Would you like to buy a membership?"

By RAW, the negotiation roll to "find" it is also the negotiation roll to "price" it (with the base price modified according to the rarity adjustments by RAW). However, for rare or unique items, it's up to the GM to decide how they want to handle it. There's also precious little guidance for lot, bulk or multiple purchases. Some GMs require a separate roll for each individual copy of the item, some allow it done in bulk, some allow it done by 2s or 5s.... I believe by RAW, you have to roll for each item individually, which can get tedious when buying 50 stimpacks.... That said, Rule #1 always applies (the GM can do whatever the heck they want 'cause it's their game).

We haven't had the bulk problem come up on months. I think we did it by adding +1 Rarity for every doubling of amount purchased (+1 R for x2, +2 for x4, +3 for x8, etc). Made it interesting when the team tries buying a case of Stim packs and had to roll for Rarity. LOL

Here's another question.

Let's say my group has credits they want to spend but in-game they fail their negotiation rolls. When the session is over, they would prefer to obtain their equipment in their character's "off-time". How would this best be handled?

1. Make them roll negotiation once during the game and once at the end of session.

2. Let them just purchase said items without making any skill check.

3. Let them purchase the items without a skill check but with a price increase.

4. Something else entirely; the previous answers weren't that great.

Here's another question.

Let's say my group has credits they want to spend but in-game they fail their negotiation rolls. When the session is over, they would prefer to obtain their equipment in their character's "off-time". How would this best be handled?

1. Make them roll negotiation once during the game and once at the end of session.

2. Let them just purchase said items without making any skill check.

3. Let them purchase the items without a skill check but with a price increase.

4. Something else entirely; the previous answers weren't that great.

It's up the each GM, really.

For me: I prefer option 1, and require it for specific items (weapons, armor, unique tools and gear). Since it's one roll to sort locating and negotiating it's usually not much of a problem. Though I do only allow one check per item per downtime. No rolling over and over until you succeed, either you find what you want, or you don't.

If it's a mundane item with a low rarity the players are simply restocking or getting out of common necessity (stimpacks, repair patches, ration packs, ect). I allow option 2 for simplicity.

Of course specific details and situations will modify that, no buying stimpacks if the adventure ended with the players crashing on an uninhabited planet....

I've done it with rolls by the "negotiator" prior to the session, since the possibility exists for failure.

For items with a modified availability of 1 or lower, I tend to allow them to be available at the current trade price (in that situation, almost exclusively book) wherever the party currently happens to be.

If the party wants to purchase items for less, or find something that's other than ubiquitously available, they'll have to have someone make a roll.

Generally, as for the opportunities to roll, I'll allow them once per in game day to find something on an active trading world -- merchants and traders are coming and going, so stock should be changing fairly regularly. For places that are out of the way or without a large market, once per visit. For Core Worlds or central trading hubs (Nar Shaddaa, Corellia, Lianna, etc.) I'd allow a roll every in game hour or so. If the player's willing to commit the game time to find something, then they can keep looking. I'll also allow net advantages to provide leads that might bring the opportunity for another negotiation roll, a side-quest or a vendor "expecting a shipment any day now."

A lot depends on whether or not the players and the GM have a method of communicating with each other outside of game time, and what that method is.

For example, if you’re using a forum system like this one, then the GM could choose to let them do simple things outside of the main game, like some minor shopping or resupplying.

Major shopping and resupply should probably be done inside the game and role-played there, but the minor stuff could be done online, with a decent online roller like Orokos [1].

There is the potential for abuse of this system, in that players could choose to roll and roll until they get a result they like. So, the GM has to trust the players. But if the GM doesn’t trust the players, then I have to wonder what kind of game you have?

Other tools like Slack [2] could also be used, if the game is set up for that.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that there are options in this space, depending on the GM and players.

[1] http://orokos.com/

[2] https://slack.com/

In my game, I only tend to make the PCs roll for any Restricted items they want or any regular item over 6 in most places. I even had a new player (a sniper) pick up a badly damaged ES-11 Sniper rifle on Raxus Prime after the Imperial attack at the end of the module, after 3 players had failed to find one prior to the fight.

They then spent about 90% of the cost of the rifle sourcing replacement parts over the next 3 sessions.