I'm starting to play EOTE as an outlaw tech and read the section about mods. I didnt see anything about using advantages or triumphs to gain benefits, it only mentions if you succeed you gain the benefit.

Thanks for any info on this topic.

You're talking about the Mechanics check to apply a mod?

Advantages are usually used to gain some sort of one-time tangential benefit. Like, not only did you succeed, but you also get a Boost die or gain an extra Ranged/Melee defense during your first encounter, depending on what you upgrade.

Since mods are a one-time, spend money and if you you fail you can't try again sort of thing, I could Triumph providing an exceptionally good one-time benefit, or maybe even a persistent small benefit. Like you inherently grant the item the Quick Draw quality, or you always generate +1 Advantage, or you increase the Damage/Soak by 1, something like that. Depending on the cost of the mod.

But then I have been told I'm a fairly generous GM. YMMV.

I would have advantages or triumphs lower the cost of the mod.

I would have advantages or triumphs lower the cost of the mod.

Mod doesnt cost that much to begin with and that makes no sense from a realism standpoint.

I would probably be thinking in terms of; lower maintenance cost, some sort of longterm small buff, lower difficulty of future modding, etc

I could Triumph providing an exceptionally good one-time benefit, or maybe even a persistent small benefit. Like you inherently grant the item the Quick Draw quality, or you always generate +1 Advantage, or you increase the Damage/Soak by 1, something like that. Depending on the cost of the mod.

But then I have been told I'm a fairly generous GM. YMMV.

Yes, you are. I wouldn't grant a permanent benefited otherwise you get the buy a bunch of blasters and mod until I roll a triumph meta game issue. I would probably, reduce cost or give boost die on additional mods on that same item because you know it so well.

For Triumph and Despair results in general, it's easiest for me to think "What is the best or worst possible thing that could happen here?"

Sometimes the "best possible" thing is pretty amazing, and other times it's just good.

Perhaps with enough Advantage (3?) or a Triumph on an install roll, the next Mod attempted will not suffer the usual increase to Difficulty from having the previous Mod. Conversely, with enough Threat (3?) on an install roll, the next Mod attempted will suffer an additional increase to Difficulty from having the failed Mod.

The easy solution is to have the cost in supplies, or the time required, to drop if you get triumph/advantage. In the case of a triumph, I might increase some relatively benign statistic of the weapon/item. For instance, the custom blaster pistol you modify might get one extra HP, because you did something that increased the durability by doubllng up on soldering or some such. I would stay away from adding damage, or reducing hard point slots, or anything permanent and significant to the weapon, as that will encourage your players to just toss stuff away until they make one with a triumph. I might also allow a boost or free upgrade to their next mechanics check, even if it is much later in the adventure.

All that said, as a GM, I would tend to want to stay away from a lot of "between adventure" rolls for equipment like this. I'd want to put the party in situations where they are disarmed a lot, or ionization pulses ruin their equipment, and let the outlaw tech use his skills to arm the party out of improvised, makeshift materials. If you put your party in that sort of situation often, you will get some interesting moments out of the outlaw tech.

I had a PC roll a Triumph on his Mechanics check, yet fail the check overall. We decided that the Triumph meant that he wouldn't suffer the usual penalty of not being able to mod that attachment anymore. Certainly not game-breaking, but I think he felt it was a good use of the Triumph (especially as his second try went better).