My PC's Imperial bounty is causing them trouble. Their ship has been the main target, being the Empire's biggest lead. They want to change the ship's transponder codes, registration papers, owner's log, etc. in order to get the Empire off their back. Their ship is a VCX-100.

My real questions are: how should I describe all this to them? Is the transponder codes all there is to it? Does some kind of 'bill of sale' have to be made also to help hide the PC's as the true owners? What other modes can they take without buying a new ship. And also how much would you charge?

My understanding is that the transponder is linked to a specific drive signature and is not so easy to change. You would probably need to bribe an bureaucrat with access to the Imperial ship registries or engage the services of a slicer who can alter the necessary data (if you don't have one in your group itself).

Options: Retrofit a new drive and connect it to a clean registry. File a new registry and attach you current drive signature to it. Swap registry entries with another ship, even better if you can do it with the registry of a hated foe. Find a black-market dealer to sell your ship to and get a new one.

There is an Attachment (Secondary Transponder from Special Modifications) that grants a secondary transponder that can be switched out with an Action and an Average Computers check. The transponder must be linked to a ship of the same type for a couple reasons, but it can either be false or stolen, it doesn't have to be someone else's signature. Anyone who scans them can detect the deception with a Daunting Computers check.

This is expensive (20,000 credits) and highly illegal. It takes 1 HP and has a rarity of 7. It can be modded to add 3 additional ship identities and to downgrade it to a maneuver (though you still have to make the check).

Thank both of you, this is very helpful. I kind of had a ballpark of about 20,000 credits for this kind of expense so this kind of confirms it!

I do have slicer in the group who may want to take a DIY approach. They are in the middle of high-pay mission so they might fork over the cash and have someone else do it.

Fully operational has rules for re replacing engines

here is a really informative video on the subject. If you play it up you can totally milk a session out of this issue alone.

That video was awesome! Thank you thinkbomb.

16 hours ago, Shaheed the Gand said:

That video was awesome! Thank you thinkbomb.

sure thing. I just wish that guy would make more videos. lol

3 hours ago, thinkbomb said:

sure thing. I just wish that guy would make more videos. lol

Yeah, I'd never come across them before. Was devvoed to find only w more after the watching the one you shared.

My players have an interesting development along these lines.

Not only did the Empire find out about their ship being a Rebel Asset and discovering that they are a Rebel cell but the PC's also have an unknown ISB Agent planted among their crew!!!!!!

It's been fun to watch the paranoia* building.

* Note that it isn't really paranoia when they REALLY are out to get you!