Hey, all, here's a question: does it make sense for PCs to make things? I
think the answer is: "It depends on the game."
First, let's look at the Craft skill in D&D 3E:
1. Total work (in "Work Points") = cost (g.p.) * 10. (And doesn't it seem
odd that the workload is ONLY based on cost, but not on complexity? Yeah,
complexity tends to be proportional to cost, but the relationship is not
exact. Am I missing something here?)
2. DC = function of complexity.
3. Material cost = one-third purchase cost.
4. Roll each week. Work Points = Weekly Result * DC. (And doesn't it seem a
little odd that you accomplish more work if the task itself is more
difficult? Am I missing something here?)
5. Gross Income = purchase cost.
6. Net Income = two-thirds purchase cost.
7. Lost income = the amount you could have made practicing the craft for the
same number of weeks. Equal to half your roll each week in g.p.
8. Return = Net - Loss.
OK, now let's do some real numbers for making a longsword, for example.
We'll assume a starting PC with maximum Weaponsmith starting ranks (4) and
+3 for Int.
1. Total work (in "Work Points") = 15 g.p. * 10 = 150 w.p.
2. DC = 15.
3. Material cost = 5 g.p.
4. Roll each week. Average roll for this PC is 17.5 Average Work Points =
17.5 * 15 = 262.5. So the longsword can be made in a dedicated week.
5. Gross Income = 15.
6. Net Income = 10.
7. Lost income = 8.75 g.p. on average.
8. Return = 10 - 8.75 = 1.25 g.p. on average.
So it makes sense for this weapon, but just barely. The PC would have to
give up adventuring for a week AND give up normal income as well. But it
could work out.
Now, though, let's try plate mail, made by an equally talented armorer.
1. Total work = 1500 g.p. * 10 = 15000 w.p.
2. DC = 18.
3. Material cost = 500 g.p.
4. Roll each week. Average roll for this PC is 17.5 Average Work Points =
17.5 * 18 = 315. So the plate mail can be made in about 48 dedicated weeks.
SCA armorers have told me that might be a little long; but it's not
outrageous, if the plate mail has a lot of chain mail pieces at the joints
and stuff.
5. Gross Income = 1500.
6. Net Income = 1000.
7. Lost income = 8.75 g.p./week on average, or 420 g.p.
8. Return = 1000 - 420 = 580 g.p. on average.
So hey, if your character has nothing to do for 48 weeks, you can turn a
profit by making plate mail. Not sure why you wouldn't want to adventure
instead, but...
But now let's look at Star Wars. The craft rules there are just a leeeetle
bit different:
1. Total work (in "Work Points") = cost in credits * 10.
2. DC = function of complexity.
3. Material cost = one-third purchase cost.
4. Roll each week. Work Points = Weekly Result * DC.
5. Gross Income = purchase cost.
6. Net Income = two-thirds purchase cost.
7. Lost income = the amount you could have made practicing the craft for the
same number of weeks. Equal to TWENTY TIMES your roll each week in g.p.
8. Return = Net - Loss.
Now let's do a concrete example: a simple 500-credit blaster.
1. Total work (in "Work Points") = 500 * 10 = 5000.
2. DC = 15.
3. Material cost = 166.67.
4. Roll each week. Average roll for this PC is 17.5 Average Work Points =
17.5 * 18 = 315. So the blaster can be made in about 16 dedicated weeks. Now
that seems a bit long for me. Good grief, if it takes 16 weeks to make a
blaster -- given the raw materials -- then you're in the wrong business!
Assuming 5-day work weeks, that's 80 work days. Assuming further that you
can precision-machine only one part per day (and I think that's abominably
slow progress, and some of the parts out to be prefab and need no
machining), that would mean a blaster has 80 working parts. Now I can
imagine the following working parts: stock, barrel, sight, sight lens,
trigger, safety, focus lens, fuel cell chamber, charging chamber, charge
release widget, control circuitry, power setting dial, power read-out... 13
working parts so far. Throw in some technobabble, and we might double that.
But I think that's a mistake. The basic blaster ought to be a simple
machine, easy to maintain in the field. 13 parts seems about right. What in
the world takes 80 days in building a blaster?
5. Gross Income = 500.
6. Net Income = 333.33.
7. Lost income = 340 g.p./week on average, or about 5440 credits.
8. Return = 333.33 - 5440 = -5106.67 credits.
Wow! In other words, if I make a blaster, I lose 10 times its cost, compared
to just taking job work as it comes along.
Now I'm not saying my character wants to spend time building blasters when
he could be adventuring. But when I'm shipboard, I'd like to spend my off
hours doing some tinkering, making useful devices for the party: spare or
custom weapons, sensing devices, traps, etc. It looks like this will be just
plain impractical. Am I the only one who thinks this is a bit broken?
In general, I'm finding the Star Wars game to be pretty short-sighted on
making and designing new stuff: lots of weapons and droids and ships (well,
lots of weapons, not so many droids and ships), but no good rules for
designing your own.
Yes, I know Star Wars is about cinema-style action; but now we're in a game,
where stuff happens between the action scenes. It seems like the game falls
short in that regard.
Martin L. Shoemaker
Emerald Software, Inc. -- Custom Software and UML Training
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.EmeraldSoftwareInc.com
www.UMLBootCamp.com
