The group I'm mastering wants for obvious reasons to change the Krayt Fang's transponder.

I decided on leading them to Nar Shadda.

My question is how much would you make them pay for it (don't want to use it as an adventure hook). I guess you'll need some skill checks to acquire the necessary information (Knowledge - underworld/Streetwise/Negotiation), but how much has to be paid?

There are the factors of:

- mechanical modifications to the sublight drive

- having BOSS data changed

- bribes needed....

What would all of that cost? My idea is something between 5000 and 10000 credits.

What do you think?

And what would it take to 'highjack' an identical ship's existing transponder?

Please give your thoughts asap.

THX

Our group seems to have a running theme of having to change our transponder... in 4 sessions, we were supposed to have changed it 3 times (forgot the 3rd time).

Our GM charged us 2,000 credits for a used transponder and forced our mechanic to make a 4 purple die Mechanics check the first time to replace/reprogram the transponder.

Keep in mind, these components aren't supposed to be replaced by design. A ship constantly changing its ID sounds highly suspicious in regards of illegal activity. (And for the record, I've created a list of the next 10 names for our ship)

Well thanks but tampering with the 'hardware' isn't that big an issue. The problem is to have a decently valid BoSS entry so that your ship can stand more than the lowest level of scrutiny....

Why not throw some Obligation into the de facto cost?

Why not throw some Obligation into the de facto cost?

Because running at already 45% seems quite crippling for my liking. Don't like to overuse obligation so the group should first get rid of some of it before I throw some more into the fray.

Mind you, I'm going from memory, but I seem to recall that it was something like 10 grand for a complete transponder re-working. Check the Cracken's Field Guide - it had a section on jiggering the transponders. I've got that book and can double check, if you can wait the 10 hours for me to get home. . . .

Desslok, very much apreciated, I think I have that time

I'm suggesting Obligation in lieu of part or all of the cost in credits.

My players had their Wayfarer stolen, and had to get a local crime boss to loan them his Citadel Class Cruiser for their bounty hunting mission(of course the boss wants 50% of the bounty and his ship back when they're done). Well they want to steal the ship now(surprise!). So I am in a similar situation. They will be needing to tamper/replace the transponder.

10,000 credits seems steep, but then again, it's a highly illegal and difficult thing to do. Maybe I will have the outlaw tech they find to do the job offer to sell them the parts and they can do it themselves for 5,000 credits. This means that they have to stay in the Outer Rim though, because the tighter security of the more Core-ward systems would detect their false transponder (unless they roll a Triumph on the Mechanics check to install it, of course).

Either way, they took on a new Obligation when they crossed Fane (Governor/Crime Boss of Formos).

Why not throw some Obligation into the de facto cost?

Because running at already 45% seems quite crippling for my liking. Don't like to overuse obligation so the group should first get rid of some of it before I throw some more into the fray.

Wow, you're thinking of 45 as high? My group started at 80 and has only gone higher.

Obligation is meant to be used as a valid PC resource--if the PCs want to call in a favor with the folks at BoSS for a new transponder entry, that's what the Obligation system is designed to let them do.

Try not to think of Obligation as an only-bad thing. And don't fret about the Obligation roll 'derailing' your story; just come up with some explanation for why the character is stressed out, causing the lower Strain Threshold. For instance, in my game, I had one of my PCs see news feeds about his political rival's recent successes, putting him off-kilter, but not interfering with the mission at hand directly.

This is something that came up quite a few times in my D6 campaign, so I eventually came up with some house rules for getting it done. Here's a version I've converted on-the-fly to the EotE system:

1. Make an Average: Streetwise roll (setback dice as appropriate for the location) to find someone who can patch you into the BoSS data network. Figure on 1,000 to 5,000 worth of bribe money.

2. Browse the database for a transponder code that looks sort of like yours and belongs to a ship of the same make and model. This takes a week of work and a Hard: Computers roll. Successes reduce the time taken by one day for every two successes, and Advantage lets you find a closer match in terms of weapons loadout etc. Threat could mean the ship you're copying is wanted or has a bad reputation in some places, while a Despair means the ship you're copying is in even worse trouble than your own.

3. Next you must program the false transponder signal into your own engine. This requires an Average: Skulduggery or Computers roll. If it is your first false transponder code it costs 1,500 credits worth of parts and gives no Setback dice. It you already have one false code from before it costs 3,000 and gives you 1 Setback die. If you have two false codes from before it costs 4,500 and gives 2 Setback dice, and if you already have three it's 6,000 credits and 3 Setback dice. You cannot have more than four fake codes at any one time.

And keep in mind, the more false codes your engine is holding at a time, the easier it gets for anyone scanning you to notice the signals bleeding into each other...

What are transponder codes? Where is this information in the book? Are you guys just making stuff up to add to the game?

Thanks,

J

I don't think it is discussed in the book, but it's like airplanes today... It's the identification code and how iff works, for example

I've got an almost identical scenario with my group going on now but I've opted for a slightly different approach. I look at it like this; changing the codes is like respraying a car and changing the licence plates. The engine still carries a serial number which is unique.

My players were caught up in their employer's attempts to aid the nascent Rebellion, so they've been branded traitors by the Empire. The scope of their employer's aid is not yet known to them, but it was significant and the Empire will increasingly try and locate them.

In order to get clear, there's a two step process - the first being to spend the creds to get a new transponder code for the ship (complete with new name, new paint job, etc). The second is to break into an Imperial base, use the slicer to find the "wanted" entry for their ship (the Empire has the "serial number") and change it from there.

Frankly, any class of freighter with the same crew makeup is going to arouse suspicion and a boarding party could expose the player's ruse in a heartbeat. This gives me a set piece to plan and a fair amount of work (plus obligation, for getting the slicer's aid) for the players to have room to breathe .

The reason I'm doing this to conscious avoid the classic MMO/CRPG trap of "trade currency for necessary, game advancing object."

I checked Cracken's Rebel Field Guide (as per Desslock's comment), and here's the basic rundown:

First, you do a scan of your own Transponder Code as a baseline. This is pretty easy to do.

Second, you need to spend about a week doing research to find a ship of the same make/model with a similar code. This is rather easy to do (most codes are "public" as long as you have access to the records), but time consuming.

To add a fake code, it's 1,500 credits for the first code, 3,000 for the second and 4,500 credits for the third. Anything beyond three and it's clear that your ship is showing multiple codes. The Technology (Computer for EotE) difficulty also raises each time (Easy, Moderate, and then finally Very Difficult; these are from the original book, but I think it would equate to 1 purple, 2 purple, then 4 purple).

Removing or blurring your code requires a 300 credit tool and a "Moderate" roll to blur it and a "Difficult" roll to restore it.

Now, keep in mind that this is taking an already existing code from someone else's ship and adding it to your own so that you look like that ship in the registry. If you are flat our making a new code, you're looking at a lot more work.

From Platt's Smuggler's Guide (another book from WEG):

Step 1: Find someone who's good at document forgery, have them get an official BoSS secure datapad, and imprint the required documents on it and your ship. They will also have to create a transponder/verification code and imprint it on your ship.

The comment is they'll charge half the value of the ship for the datapad and documents, and the other half to imprint the documents.

In reality, the estimate is between 6,000-10,000 credits, depending on how good (or bad) your forger is and how well your can bargain the price down.

Step 2: Find a slicer to get all of that information into BoSS's databanks as though it were legitimately there. The service can run from 3,000-5,000 credits.

This is to create a brand new transponder and making it appear legal to anyone who's looking.

Remember, not everyone can afford to deal with BoSS directly and always be up to date, so most smugglers stick with backwater planets that don't bother confirming if the ship is legally in the system or not.

I hope that helps!

What are transponder codes? Where is this information in the book? Are you guys just making stuff up to add to the game?

Review pages 384-385 for some information on doing business in the Empire; some discussion on transponder codes as well.

Desslok, very much apreciated, I think I have that time

Looks like you might have to wait longer - it would seem that my copy has grown legs and went on walkabout. I'll look about some more after the pizza arrives, (:

In a campaign I ran a while back I priced it at about 10k credits, and made a point of having the players look for a hidden shadowport (they were in a pretty tame part of the galaxy) to find people with the right skills and connections to make the modifications, bribes and the rest of it.

Thanks for your input. Considering your ideas I divided the process into different options and came up with the following options:

1. Option: no tampering with BoSS data / faking a valid code in the ship's BoSS datapad / reprograming the transponder

2. Option: copy existing BoSS data of a similar ship onto ship's BoSS datapad / reprograming transponder

3. Option: add fake data into BoSS database / adjust ship's datapad / reprograming transponder

The game mechanics concerned are so far:

faking a code on the datapad: average skulduggery check costing 100 cred OR find someone to do it for you (average streetwise check maybe add a boost die if a knowledge - underworld was successful) for 1000 cred (on Nar Shadda)

reprogram transponder: 2000 cred for the parts AND average skulduggery OR hard mechanics check to reprogram the transponder OR find someone to do it for you (average streetwise check maybe add a boost die if a knowledge - underworld was successful) for 1000 cred (on Nar Shadda)

Add info into BoSS DB: slice BoSS db with a hard computers check plus 2 setback dice due to security protocols, then insert fake data with another hard computers check without the setback dice (an average skulduggery check must be passed before to come up with an authentic looking entry) OR find someone to do it for 5000 credits with a hard streetwise check again boosted by a successful knowledge - underworld OR pay 4000 cred and take 10 points of obligation to have someone find a forger for you

Find existing BoSS data: average computers check with boost or setback dice added according to the access point OR find a slicer to do it for you (easy streetwise check maybe add a boost die if a knowledge - underworld was successful) for 300 cred (on Nar Shadda)

So having the full job decently done would cost 8000 Credits (perhaps more if loads of threats are rolled).

Once again thank you and your thoughts are welcome...(one more day before my party will gather again)

The other side of the coin, dealing with BoSS and transponders, is the fact you might end up having a Skiptracer sent out on you to recover the ship. Really suck for the players if one day you come back to the Dock where your ship was and find it is locked down, or worse, no longer there.

Just because you steal a ship doesn't mean someone else can't

The other side of the coin, dealing with BoSS and transponders, is the fact you might end up having a Skiptracer sent out on you to recover the ship. Really suck for the players if one day you come back to the Dock where your ship was and find it is locked down, or worse, no longer there.

Just because you steal a ship doesn't mean someone else can't

If you duplicate another ship's transponder code, it's probably a good idea to do a little slicing and find out how much is owed on that ship and whether any amount of it is delinquent. It would be a real shame if some skip tracer mistook you for a delinquent owner....