The general starting point for trade is the base price of the item. This can be determined by consulting the equipment lists. This price is modified by other factors which I will mention below.
Wear Value
Remember when selling vehicles to divide the base price by the wear value, as stated on page 152. A price of $20000 and a wear value of 8 give you a base price of $2500. So much for selling junkers.
If you want to do the paperwork, you can use wear value for basically anything in the game. Alternatively you can roll the wear value for an item when it becomes relevant. Maybe Chico has dropped those NVGs just once to often and now you are going to get nothing for it at the market. It does add interesting detail to the campaign.
Buying or Selling
Generally, I will modify the base price depending on whether the merchant wishes to buy or sell the product. The merchant wants to make a profit, so there will be a difference (generally) between the price he will pay for an item compared to the price he will ask for the item - buy low, sell high.
When buying a product, the base price for the merchant will initially offer is (D6+3) * 10%, resulting in a price that is 40-90% of the base price. Reduce the price by the following amounts if the NPC is greedy (based on his motivation):
Very greedy -15%
Moderately greedy -10%
Somewhat greedy -5%.
For a practical example, the characters want to sell an M16 (Price $400) to a merchant. I roll a 3 on a D6, resulting in a 3. The merchant is willing to pay (2 + 3) * 10% or 50% of the base price. This results in an initial price of $200. The same M16 being bought by very greed merchant would result in a base price that is 30% - 15% = 15% of the base price, in this case $60.
Selling functions in a similar way. The base price here is determined with a random roll (D6+7) * 10%, resulting in a value between 80-130% of the base price. Using the M16 above with the same roll, the base price would be (3 + 7) * 10% or 100% of the base price or $400.
Here again, the greediness of a merchant modifies the base price, this time as a positive value:
Very greedy +15%
Moderately greedy +10%
Somewhat greedy +5%.
Our M16 being sold by a greedy merchant would then be 115% of its base price or $460.
Persuasion
The characters can try to persuade the merchant to accept a different price. This is a Difficult:Persuasion task normally, but may be changed to Formidable:Persuasion if the merchant is difficult or hostile.
A successful check will reduce the base price (if the characters are buying) or increase the base price (if the characters are selling) by 10%. The task may be attempted a second time but the difficulty level is increased by one. The task may not be attempted more than twice. Outstanding success causes the price to be increased or decreased by 15%. Catastrophic Failure has the exact opposite effect. Note however, that normal failure has no effect.
Paying for it all
So, now you know the price, how are you going to pay for it? Basically, you have to come up with something of value that matches the price being asked (if you are selling) or you have to choose items you want to have.
To make it simple, I usually determine the buying price of the item to be bought compared to the selling price of items to be used to pay for it. We can, however, use the Persuasion skill again to get the seller to accept payment that is up to 10% less than the asking price, This is Difficult but failures have no negative effects. This is a go/no go kind of thing.
An Example
Let's try an example: Our very greedy merchant is offering to sell us an M16 for $460. We are desperate for some reason so we start putting things up for offer.
First of all, we have a Bicycle, with a base price of $100. We will use the variant with wear value and the 1 (practically right out of the package), giving us a revised base price of $100 (=100 / 1). Of course our merchant is not going to give us $ 100 for it. Instead he offers us (4 + 3) * 10% = 70% - 15% = 55% (greedy bastard). Klasha starts to haggle with him and has a Persuasion Asset of 8. She attempts to get him to raise his offer.
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the bicycle – Asset Level 8 – Difficult (x1) – Target Number 8 – Roll(s): 7] - She succeeds
The merchant raises his offer by 10% or $60. Can she convince him again?
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the bicycle again – Asset Level 8 – Formidable (x1/2) – Target Number 4 – Roll(s): 8] - She fails but she at least go the 10% out of it.
We now have a total of $60 on the table of the $460 that we need. Next we have two 20l Jerrycans with ethanol. Each is worth $160 (for the ethanol) + $25 (for the jerrycan) = $185 ea. or $370. What is that cheap bastard going to give us for it? (6 + 3) * 10% = 90% - 15% = 75% or $278 (rounded).
Klasha will try to convince him again.
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the ethanol – Asset Level 8 – Difficult (x1) – Target Number 8 – Roll(s): 12] - She fails
The old geezer is sticking to his price. We now have a total of $338. Still not enough.
Next we have a Geiger Counter, with a base price of $500. Here is something we could use the wear value on again. Rolling randomly, we get a wear value of 6, reducing the base price to 500 / 6 = 83 (like he is even going to pay that). He is willing to us (3 + 3) * 10% = 60% - 15% = 45% or $37. No we unleash Klasha on him,
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the Geiger counter – Asset Level 8 – Difficult (x1) – Target Number 8 – Roll(s): 5] - She succeeds
He will now offer us $40. Still, Klasha persists.
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the Geiger counter again – Asset Level 8 – Formidable (x1/2) – Target Number 4 – Roll(s): 20] - She fails badly. Maybe the last comment about his family tree was uncalled for.
The price for the Geiger counter is now 15% less than it was before, meaning we actually get less than we originally had. His final offer is $34. We now have a total of $372. Still not enough.
Next up is an L42 (Price: $400). Again we use the wear value (7) and we have a base price of $400 / 7 = $57. The merchant will give us (4 + 3) * 10% = 70% - 15% = 55% or $32. Despite the last snafu, Klasha tries again.
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the L42 – Asset Level 8 – Difficult (x1) – Target Number 8 – Roll(s): 5] - She succeeds
He raises his price by 10% or 35$. She tries again.
[Convince the merchant to raise his offer for the L42 again – Asset Level 8 – Formidable (x1/2) – Target Number 4 – Roll(s): 1] - She succeeds.
The price is raised by 10% again, giving a total of $39 (rounded). Now we have a total of $411. Still not there.
Finally, we have an antitank mine (Price $100). We will not use the wear value, as they are pretty durable. That gives us a base price of $100. The guy is only willing to give us (4 + 7) * 10% = 70% - 15% = 55% or $55. No need to haggle, as that is enough.
So, after some haggling, we have our M16 but somehow the feeling that we have been swindled. We leave the merchant with a few choice words and take aware our "new" M16 before we use it on him.
Gold, Gold, Gold
In major cities and towns, gold may be used as payment medium. I generally set the price of gold at $50 per gram (which I googled today, as a matter of fact). Jewelry is a convenient form of gold and the following table has a list of generic jewelry items and their average weights:
Jewellery item (Average weight)
- Small ring / Women's ring (2 grams)
- Big ring/ Men's ring (4 grams)
- Chevalière (8 grams)
- Thin mesh bracelet (5 grams)
- Medium and rigid mesh bracelet (15 grams)
- Big mesh bracelet (20 grams)
- Thin mesh necklace (10 grams)
- Thick mesh necklace (30 grams)
- Small pendant (1 gram)
- Big pendant (4 grams)
- Pair of earrings (6 grams)
This conjures up images of treasure boxes filled with gold, but we need coins. Here are some real coins for comparison.
- 1 Ounce Gold Britannia (31 grams = $1500 in T2K).
- 1/2 Ounce Gold Britannia (15 grams = $750 in T2K)
- 1/4 Ounce Gold Britannia (7 grams = $350 in T2K)
- 1/10 Ounce Gold Britannia (3 grams = $150 in T2K)
So, when all is said and done, we have a barter system, a new use for the Persuasion skill and a rule set for using gold. Good days work, if I do say so.
