From:	Jonathan Andrews <jmandrews@*******.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Fencing vs. Street Index
Date:	Tue, 5 May 1998 22:16:53 -0500

On Tue, 5 May 1998, Joshua Bell wrote:

> I know that this is overly simplistic, but I think that you get my drift...
> Why would a runner sell to a fence when he can sell the stuff on the street
> (or to a fixer) at a much higher profit?
>

If my shadowteam wants to go around looking for buyers themselves, I have
no problem with it, but they might. Observe:

* First of all, I think the established fences aren't going to like it.
_When_ they get wind of a freelance group muscling in on their turf, I
think it would be worth a nasty phone call or even a hit on the offending
group. After all, they could be cutting into sales eventually...

* Then, anybody else who has an ear to the ground for the team might be
tipped off. This is especially true for the "hot loot" variety--or, if you
ask me, that APDS ammo that (in my games) is so hard to come by. A corp
will try plenty of funky things to get back at a team that hurt them, from
staging a false meet to tracking a true meet or tracing a call or sending
an astral watchdog after that business card they just left...

* Then, there's always the consideration that fences are good at fencing
because that's what they do. Just because a fence can find somebody to buy
hot stuff doesn't mean the team can--how many contacts has he raked up in
his years of buying and selling and laundering? A good fence doesn't just
go down to a dark alley and set up a card table with cyber prototypes and
hot ammo and guns and info and such. He has his contacts.

So basically what I'm sayiong is this: respect your fence. And if your
players don't, then make 'em suffer. <eGMg>

Jonathan Andrews