I want to begin with a disclaimer. I don't have a problem with games where the players have money. My main game has characters who are constantly broke, but it's due to them always spending their buckets of cash right away.

So, then. There's a new campaign I've begun GMing for; one where the players began imprisoned for being able to use, or feel, or hear the Force. They are tasked with a game of exploration, to explore the galaxy to learn not of the Jedi, but of the Force as a whole and the myriad traditions that use and celebrate it.

I began them at Knight Level. All chose a lightsaber except for my wife, and she asked for something equally potent, so nobody took the money.

I want them to have stuff, this is a stuff heavy system. But I warned them to not begin looting wildly and to work with me. I expect wish lists soon.l, but all the same, does anyone have any experience with money free games?

In order to limit wild looting, make sure the pacing keeps them running. Only let them rest where you want them to be able to loot. Also, enforce encumbrance. And vehicular damage is a cash drain. My current game I have done better with that. They face the initial fight, then near the end, they hear/see reinforcements, and have to move. They steal a truck full of gear, but it gets shot in the escape. Big enough enemies keep them on the run, and they are smart enough not to stick around. When they do have a moment to loot, they usually are grabbing stimpacks, ammo, grenades and other light items. They leave the armor and weapons unless it is clearly modded, need a disguise, or have a vehicle and time to strip the bodies.

TLDR: Don't let them slow down where they can loot.

TLDR: Don't let them slow down where they can loot.

In my experience that's easier said than done. I would have to send literal waves of enemies at my players in every scene I didn't want them to just loot because they would just fight until they couldn't. Sure that might be okay here and there and they can get captured but it's not really a solution I can use every single combat.

If the enemies they are up against are only 2-3 times the amount of people than them and are mostly Minions and they know this then it's not a cause for concern.

Would any of these ideas work better?

1. Don't tell them the full amount of enemies that are likely to be there

2. Don't tell them the type of Adversary they are up against

3. Bring in a constant supply of reinforcements until they get knocked out or realize they need to keep moving

I'm asking because it seems appropriate for there to be pauses in the action and not every combat seems to narratively call for a chase scene or a reason to flee the immediate area. So far just about every group of mine is super into looting and short of telling them "NO YOU CAN'T LOOT THIS TIME" I don't have any ideas to keep them moving. I have ideas and plans for the consequences of looting Stormtroopers and important figures but aside from that I'm at a loss.

It may be difficult to find it, but there was a thread that went over the topic of looting in depth. I think there were some pretty good suggestions in it.

EDIT:

I realize party looting is only related to your OP, but here it is: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/132579-looting-bodies/?hl=looting

My F&D game tends to hand wave money to an extent. I told the players 2 things upon start.

1) Cargo fees would cover basic supplies, docking fees and incidentals.

2) Heavy looting would be discouraged. Of loading a surplus of Milatary issue gear would red flag them. Unique items MAY bring ppl who the former owner knew out for vengeance.

I have then given them 2 chances so far to aquire gear. A large thank you check for disposing of a despot, and a force vision that led them to a clone wars stash just ahead of the Imperials.

Force & Destiny makes things a bit easier than Edge of the Empire - whenever someone has an appropriate morality, you can poke them with conflict for looting the dead (or allowing the dead to be looted).

There is money everywhere in this game's galaxy. And equally dizzying numbers of ways to get it.

Let me try to understand the problem: is the problem that the players are not able to do anything because they are chronically short of money, or that you want them to have more stuff to make doing things easier (which will itself require money)?

If the former, you need to present ways to allow them to obtain money.

If the latter, it seems like they are choosing a harder road. That's fine -- just requires different scripting. Money-free is perfectly doable on primitive planets or in hostile conditions. Barter systems can also work well as a substitute for money: just use relative rarity for items. (The classic example is "Sell lava to the Hoth resident and ice to the Mustafar resident."

But if you're looking to get money into their hands and they are willing to get it, let me suggest that looting corpses to sell items for cash is so D&D. Think bigger.

If you've got any Edge characters in your party, let them take out a loan from a loanshark or a Hutt -- in exchange for a growing Obligation. I find the Obligation mechanic to be highly under-utilized in terms of allowing out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to game resources. Need 15,000 credits? Talk to the Falleen over in the strip club, the one everyone knows is a front for the Black Sun. He will hook you up, no questions asked. But then you'll be on their list, and they WILL come and reclaim that money (with interest) some time in the near future.

So, my players have been cautioned against looting, knowing that I would push hard against them with encumberance and the dangers of selling hot items.

I'm looking for some feedback from anyone who might have done something similar to a no income game. The players want for stuff, of course, and I want them to have stuff, but negotiating over credits is a tedium I cannot currently tolerate.

Does anyone have suggestions for them getting items beyond looting and buying? Just find placed items I leave? Bartering? Jobs paying in items?

An NPC offers a job for X amount. They get one Negotiation roll to try to increase it. Be judicious and creative in interpreting Threat, Advantage, Triumph, Despair. There is no need for back and forth negotiating as one roll covers the entire exchange. Same with bartering an item for an item, one roll will cover the entire exchange.

Also, look into the Duty and Contribution mechanic of AoR, the kind of no income you're looking would be best suited with it. Yes it precludes an organization of some type but as contribution rank goes up, the better quality stuff they can trade their old equipment for.