[Glorthoron]

Hey guys,

Older editions of SR had a math equation to determine what a contact would charge a runner for his/her services.  I haven't seen anything like that yet (unless I've missed it) in SR4.  Has anyone devised anything, or do you just wing it?

G.

[Lethe]

Older editions of SR had a math equation to determine what a contact would charge a runner for his/her services.  I haven't seen anything like that yet (unless I've missed it) in SR4.  Has anyone devised anything, or do you just wing it?

Wing it. An equation could go like:  AxDxC/L
A = availability of the information, similar to data search threshold
D = how dangerous the leaking information might be for the contact
C = contacts connection rating
L = contacts loyalty rating
Not for accuracy, but for displaying what has to be considered while winging.

[All4BigGuns]

Personally, I'd say no more than 10% of what any single PC will be getting out of the run's pay. Any more than that and you're basically saying "No, you can't advance your character if you're mundane." This is because after paying for another month of lifestyle, there will be nothing left to get better gear and/or implants.

[Glorthoron]

Older editions of SR had a math equation to determine what a contact would charge a runner for his/her services.  I haven't seen anything like that yet (unless I've missed it) in SR4.  Has anyone devised anything, or do you just wing it?

Wing it. An equation could go like:  AxDxC/L
A = availability of the information, similar to data search threshold
D = how dangerous the leaking information might be for the contact
C = contacts connection rating
L = contacts loyalty rating
Not for accuracy, but for displaying what has to be considered while winging.

That's what I was thinking too.  Just wasn't sure if there was anything already published.

Personally, I'd say no more than 10% of what any single PC will be getting out of the run's pay. Any more than that and you're basically saying "No, you can't advance your character if you're mundane." This is because after paying for another month of lifestyle, there will be nothing left to get better gear and/or implants.

If the runners want to blow all of their income on calling all of their contacts rather than one or two specific ones based on the subject matter, I'm happy to let them waste their money.  It's theirs to waste as they wish.

[Blue_Lion]

Think like pay it is left entirly up to the GM to decide what they get.

[All4BigGuns]

Personally, I'd say no more than 10% of what any single PC will be getting out of the run's pay. Any more than that and you're basically saying "No, you can't advance your character if you're mundane." This is because after paying for another month of lifestyle, there will be nothing left to get better gear and/or implants.

If the runners want to blow all of their income on calling all of their contacts rather than one or two specific ones based on the subject matter, I'm happy to let them waste their money.  It's theirs to waste as they wish.

Charging more than 10% of what they're making on any given run though is just going to tell them that they might as well not buy any contacts because using them will just prevent character advancement.

[Glorthoron]

Personally, I'd say no more than 10% of what any single PC will be getting out of the run's pay. Any more than that and you're basically saying "No, you can't advance your character if you're mundane." This is because after paying for another month of lifestyle, there will be nothing left to get better gear and/or implants.

If the runners want to blow all of their income on calling all of their contacts rather than one or two specific ones based on the subject matter, I'm happy to let them waste their money.  It's theirs to waste as they wish.

Charging more than 10% of what they're making on any given run though is just going to tell them that they might as well not buy any contacts because using them will just prevent character advancement.

Are you saying 10% per piece of info or 10% throughout the entire job?

[Blue_Lion]

well how whould you get the job without the contact, the fee most likly for a non contact whould be twice as high also as some contacts such as fence pays non friends less.....

[TheNarrator]

I saw suggested rules somewhere for determining whether or not the contact asked for money and how much, based on the contact's Loyalty relative to the level of the information. I believe it was the Legwork section of an adventure module. I'm hunting through mine now to see if I can find it.

10% of a runner's payoff is a bit steep for just some general information. Are you going to set down 500 to 1,000 nuyen just to hear the rumors on the street? Save that for people who tell you about holes in the security system and the like.

[Blue_Lion]

well depends on the risk involved in getting the info. If The contact risked allot to get it he will charge more if it was easy for him to get may not be much depdending on the contact. I read in one of the short stories in SR4A some one paid his contact a 6 pack.

[Glorthoron]

well how whould you get the job without the contact, the fee most likly for a non contact whould be twice as high also as some contacts such as fence pays non friends less.....

I'm not talking about fees to a contact for getting you the job, although I have the fixer sometimes refer to his cut (which I don't actually take off the runners pay).  I'm just talking about information.

[TheNarrator]

The fixer's finder's fee (for finding a team of runners for the job) is usually paid by the Johnson, but there are exceptions.

Right. Just getting the word on the street should be as easy as taking the contact out for some beers and letting him talk for a while. Getting restricted information that could get the contact in trouble should cost a lot in nuyen or favors.


Found those rules I was thinking of. It was at the end of Dawn of the Artifacts 3.

When a PC gets in touch with a contact, make a Connection
+ Connection Test for the contact.  The results of this test determines
how many ranks of information the contact knows about
the question (apply die modifiers to this test based upon relevance
of the contact to the subject matter). A runner then makes a
Charisma + Etiquette + Loyalty Test.  The contact reveals that
many levels of information about that topic for free (up to the
number of hits scored by the contact for that topic). If the contact
knows more, additional information requires a payment to the
contact either in nuyen, favors owed, or information to trade.

[CanRay]

I usually make the group pay in something far, far more valuable and harder to get than money. 

[beowulf_of_wa]

soul!

and free info stuff stolen.