| From: | Ereskanti@***.com Ereskanti@***.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Enchanting Revisited (Re: MitS - Mages get shafted?) |
| Date: | Mon, 17 May 1999 18:01:02 EDT |
griffinhq@****.com writes:
> Oh, but they can. One of my favorite methods of money making for
mages
> isn't 'running, it's enchanting. Thanks to the Connected Edge, a mage
> can now buy and sell radicals for the book price. The ingredients for a
> unit of Orichalum cost 44k and the average enchanter will get about 3
> units (at 88k each) out of it.
> Even if you count lifestyle costs, you're still coming out in the
> neighborhood of 500+% ahead.
Okay, this is something of my personal "contention bones". Sure, they can
sell it. First question that would come out of my mouth is..."are you
selling it legally or illegally?" That usually brings most players I've
seen, tournament, convention, or house level, to a thinking standstill for a
few moments.
In order to sell it legally, you have provide the documentation for being a
capable/licensed magician. Please remember that such stuff is requiring a
"magically active" individual to produce such. Additionally, the *SELLING*
price is listed at 88,000 Nuyen. The *BUYING* price is actually much less
than that, unless the individual producing it is selling it directly to the
end-buyer, and not a middle man (such as a Talismonger).
Imagine that if you are caught producing anything that requires special
licensing to produce (such as a gun ...which may be a poor analogy, but not
quite). Orichalcum requires similar due to the magician-producer.
Trafficking in such stuff without a licensed producer is literally *begging*
for somebody like the Star to come beating on your door.
Now, you are correct. You could sell it directly yourself. At the "street"
or "market" value known.
However, a Talismonger (or worse, a collection of interchanging Talismongers
like the UTA listed in the Will) will NOT enjoy somebody moving and
undermining their buyer's market away from them. And they'll "perform
appropriate action steps" to ensure they can keep their market.
Even if you do sell it on your own, you still need to find a way to get in
touch with your given/potential buyer. And that likely has some kind of
intermittent cost as well (shadowy fixers, strange corporate buyers,
scary-looking magic types) because all of them are "doing you a service" and
want something in return.
True, there is ALWAYS the chance of a lucky encounter. IF and WHEN they
happen, count your magical blessings...
-K
