I know crafting rules have come up previously (and did not go over well), and I also know there was talk of a great deal of Edge of the Empire acting as stepping stones for the final product, but this is something that's come up at my table and I'm trying to decide the best route.

One of my players will be creating an Outlaw Tech for my soon-to-be campaign, and was commenting on the "constructing new items" side of things. As crafting rules don't exist yet, I've been at a loss as to what to do when this is brought up in game.

The closest idea I have is using the Repair and Rarity rules as a guideline. Use the Rarity rules to determine the difficulty of getting the parts (either buying or scavenging), set the building difficulty as a Major repair (or as a set of multiple checks over time), and move from there.

For "new items," common sense was going to be the main point, followed by using current weapons and armor as guidelines.

Anyone have anything they've used that has worked out so far?

I wouldn't mind seeing more about this.

I am creating an outlaw tech and I am honestly wondering about the inventing and upgrading.

I wouldn't mind seeing more about this.

I am creating an outlaw tech and I am honestly wondering about the inventing and upgrading.

My group is in the same boat. We've all seen some crafting done in previous Star Wars games, from the quirkiness of the d6 to the inane equations from the d20 version. Since FFG hasn't given us a crafting mechanic yet, I was hoping someone could chime in with it or, if it's in AoR, point me in that direction and offer some of the ideas presented therein. . .

I wouldn't mind seeing more about this.

I am creating an outlaw tech and I am honestly wondering about the inventing and upgrading.

My group is in the same boat. We've all seen some crafting done in previous Star Wars games, from the quirkiness of the d6 to the inane equations from the d20 version. Since FFG hasn't given us a crafting mechanic yet, I was hoping someone could chime in with it or, if it's in AoR, point me in that direction and offer some of the ideas presented therein. . .

My question is kind of the fact we have attachments in the core book, but I don't see why you would need this the outlaw tech considering anyone can make an attachment work.

My question is kind of the fact we have attachments in the core book, but I don't see why you would need this the outlaw tech considering anyone can make an attachment work.

Anyone can make an attachment work but enabling the Mod part of it is where it gets tricky.

With Inventor, I would guess that is material being saved for the technican splatbook. In the meantime, there are Outlaw Tech types of equipment on page 186. These should sort of act as samples of what you should let characters create. This is the kind of gear you want your characters to be making. If they want to make a blaster or armor, I would be more apt to let them design a mod that provides a specific weapon quality that isn't normally associated with that weapon. Maybe a high-powered blaster rifle that has a Blast 1 quality. Or a slugthrower with burn (phosphorus rounds) or breach (armor piercing). Anything else, and you might want to ask if they are just wanting to invent an item for the sake of saying they did, (in which case, I'd allow it), or if they are trying to min/max the situation to create a higher base damage blaster, or easier to activate crit, or whatever. In that case, I would proceed carefully, with low percentage success checks with some reds thrown in, and some potentially dangerous effects on a despair, that you warn them about.

As for why inventor is useful, well, it adds Boost or removes Setback, and you can take it twice. That includes on adding mods, which start at a Hard difficulty. I would imagine inventing new things are, at the least, Dauntingchecks, if not Formiddable. The Boosts are really going to help either way. The mods cost 250-10,000 credits, and its 100 additional credits in basic tools and spare parts and the like. You don't want to be wasting all of that with bad checks.

I believe it was referred to in an Order 66 podcast by a dev that it is intended to be forward compatible just like so many other things that are "missing" from the core rules.

While I know of the thread you speak of, I can only urge patience as they release more products.

I believe it was referred to in an Order 66 podcast by a dev that it is intended to be forward compatible just like so many other things that are "missing" from the core rules.

While I know of the thread you speak of, I can only urge patience as they release more products.

Patience is something I have in abundance. Patient players, on the other hand. . .not so much. (The link is to a demotivational poster that sums up just about every group of gamers I've worked with).

Thus why I posted here to see how others have dealt with it.

As for why inventor is useful, well, it adds Boost or removes Setback, and you can take it twice. That includes on adding mods, which start at a Hard difficulty. I would imagine inventing new things are, at the least, Dauntingchecks, if not Formiddable. The Boosts are really going to help either way. The mods cost 250-10,000 credits, and its 100 additional credits in basic tools and spare parts and the like. You don't want to be wasting all of that with bad checks.

True, but again, when a player saw the note about creating new items, they really wanted to know what they could and could not do with it, again, due to seeing crafting in previous games.

With Inventor, I would guess that is material being saved for the technican splatbook. In the meantime, there are Outlaw Tech types of equipment on page 186. These should sort of act as samples of what you should let characters create. This is the kind of gear you want your characters to be making. If they want to make a blaster or armor, I would be more apt to let them design a mod that provides a specific weapon quality that isn't normally associated with that weapon. Maybe a high-powered blaster rifle that has a Blast 1 quality. Or a slugthrower with burn (phosphorus rounds) or breach (armor piercing). Anything else, and you might want to ask if they are just wanting to invent an item for the sake of saying they did, (in which case, I'd allow it), or if they are trying to min/max the situation to create a higher base damage blaster, or easier to activate crit, or whatever. In that case, I would proceed carefully, with low percentage success checks with some reds thrown in, and some potentially dangerous effects on a despair, that you warn them about.

I saw the Outlaw Tech types of equipment, but they don't really offer guidelines for how they are being made beyond paying the credits and saying "Look what I made!"

As for your weapons note, that may be a way of doing things; just basically jack up the costs to allow the creation of an item with qualities attached, as in your example, a Slugthrower wouldn't have the HP to allow mods like that.

As for the splat books, I will simply say "ugh." I've gotten burned by enough splat books in previous RPGs to be rather bored with the concept at this point (I'm looking at the Vampire: The Masquerade, Star Wars d6 and d20, and Deadlands books on my shelf as I say this), so it saddens me to see a rule mentioned in a core rulebook and then NOT be available without purchasing multiple other books in order to do it properly. I'm hoping FFG fixes some of the "missing rules" in AoR, but if they are only available in splat books, I may have to reconsider this game.

As for the splat books, I will simply say "ugh." I've gotten burned by enough splat books in previous RPGs to be rather bored with the concept at this point (I'm looking at the Vampire: The Masquerade, Star Wars d6 and d20, and Deadlands books on my shelf as I say this), so it saddens me to see a rule mentioned in a core rulebook and then NOT be available without purchasing multiple other books in order to do it properly. I'm hoping FFG fixes some of the "missing rules" in AoR, but if they are only available in splat books, I may have to reconsider this game.

/nods in understanding

It has been many years since a system that sold splat books caught my interest enough to invest. I am going to stay optimistic, but worst case I can make up my own rules.

I have an Outlaw tech in one of my groups and what we've decided so far is that he'll get to Invent things and integrate those inventions into the Plot of the campaign.

Eventually he'll come up with something that he'll start a business venture based on his underworld profits, which in turn creates a responsibility obligation for him having to come back and deal with the business. Meanwhile his invention will award him credits over time.

For me there is an entire story arc of the Rebels getting wind of his awesome invention and want him to bring it over to the Rebellion, then have the ISB or the Hutts show up to try and grab it for themselves.

I have an Outlaw tech in one of my groups and what we've decided so far is that he'll get to Invent things and integrate those inventions into the Plot of the campaign.

Eventually he'll come up with something that he'll start a business venture based on his underworld profits, which in turn creates a responsibility obligation for him having to come back and deal with the business. Meanwhile his invention will award him credits over time.

For me there is an entire story arc of the Rebels getting wind of his awesome invention and want him to bring it over to the Rebellion, then have the ISB or the Hutts show up to try and grab it for themselves.

This makes a great plot hook, but doesn't really answer the mechanical side of things.

Still, plot hooks are always fun to have on hand :-D

Crafting rules in themselves seem fairly straight forward. Implementing crafting in a game is what's tricky. Want a "star trek" style transporter? No problem. The trick becomes finding all of the components and materials you're going to need. Maybe you need a rare metal that is in an imperial supply depot.. Perhaps a crystal that can only be mined on a particular planet guarded by whatever...

I find that as a GM, allowing players to build ridiculously overpowered items can be a great way to get them into a particular line of adventures. Sure a beam rifle that gets an extra hit for every advantages and crits on 1 advantage is great. It's easy enough to offset with a high-soak enemy. Perhaps a villain has a droid with a reflective plating on it causing the beam to go who-knows-where?

Sometimes it's great to allow players to have OP'd items for a couple of sessions. Eventually they always want bigger and better. Right now, I have one trying to develop a "neural net" cybernetic enhancement. Basically allowing his character to become a droid and switch from body to body.. Will it be allowed? Sure, will it make him immortal? Essentially, yes. Afterall how do you die if you can simply upload yourself to a different body? Easy enough, a failed transfer erases a skill. Perhaps gives the character gender identity disorder, ect...

In a game like this, the specific rules are not so important as the ability of the GM to adapt to any given situation. There will always be a player trying to be the biggest bad-ass in the galaxy. Let him... It does inspire their enemies, and it lets the player have fun in the meantime.