From:	Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.UMICH.EDU>
Subject:	Re: With all this new stuff.
Date:	Thu, 21 Sep 1995 13:03:36 -0400

On Thu, 21 Sep 1995, Gurth wrote:

> By using availability figures. Let them roll for the pieces of equipment
> they want to buy, no matter if it has an Avail of 2/5 minutes, let them
> roll. The way I play availability is that the _characters_ make an Etiquette
> test to see if the item is there, not the fixer, so it depends much more on
> the char than on the person they're talking to.

I run this in a similar way. If the group is going through a
well-established fixer, gun-runner, technician, whatever, then it's the
contact that makes the rolls. The other alternative is to find the stuff
yourself. Patronize the local black markets, drop a little cred to
someone who could point you in the right direction, and eventually meet
the right people to sell you the stuff. This requires that the *player*
make the rolls. Both ways have their advantages. If for some reason you
can't or don't want to go through your normal channels, or if what you're
trying to find lies outside your fixer's area of expertise, get it
yourself. You may even make a new contact. The drawback is that it takes
some time.

> So when they start running out of APDS, they will try to get new and likely
> fail against the TN of 14. Oops, wait for 14 days before you can try again...

True enough. Some of the really wizzer tech-toys have
astronomical availabilities. Don't forget them, and especially don't
forget street indices. Once they finally find the stuff, make them pay
through the nose for it.

Marc