Smuggler Archive
Thread: Smuggler Fences
This has been compiled from other posts of mine. I'm moving the topic here so the original topic can get back on track.
This is my proposed solution to the Merchant profession change. Fences for smugglers (It was proposed by someone else so don't credit me with the initial idea, I just took the idea and ran with it like a small boy in a field.)
I'm opposed to saying to merchants 'You can't sell spice and sliced items'. Nothing really physically stops them. What dose stop a merchant from selling illegal goods is the possibility of losing those goods and maybe his business. So, implement systematic sweeps of the galactic bazaar and random searches of merchant vendors. Any sliced items and any spices are confiscated. Depending how harsh SOE wants to be, the merchant may be fined or the merchant's vendor may be seized/arrested. (that is, the vendor deleted as the Empire arrests suspects and confiscates equipment and droids ).
Smuggler Fences:
One and only one NPC is designated as the smuggler's fence where other players can go up and buy the smugglers goods.
The same Fence could work for multiple smugglers ( after all, they have to diversify ).
Novice smugglers (or underworld 1) will get NPC vendors in places like Moenia. Masters get places like Theed and Coronet
They are never on the map... the only way you find out about them is word of mouth.
The Fence appears as NPC with the ( i ) icon, and gives out normal missions
- Has an additional question for customers.They can ask them. "I'm looking for something..... specical".
- The NPCthen prompts with a "Oh yeah? who sent you? I don't know what you are talking about...."
- The player replies with the smuggler's first name (popup, /whisper [name] in spiatial would be cool )
- If the name is one that the Fence works for... up pops a vendor window. NPC replies.. "Step into my office..."
- If not, the NPC replies, "I really think you need to go away...... " or some such.
Smugglers would access their products the same way. Only the initial question may be "I have something that may interest you... "
Just for fun, tring to buy something from a fence with a Storm Trooper nearby causes an immediate scan and failure. The NPC could reply "What are you talking about... you are not trying to buy something illegal are you?... Officer!... OFFICER!!.... "
Fences take a cut from the products they sell. Higher levels of underworld reduce the cut the fence takes.
If the fence becomes empty, the fence will want a bribe to keep the relationship lucrative. The smuggler has 2 options, pay the bribe or 'fire' his fence (see next).
The smuggler can move on and hire someone else to be he fence but there is a chance that the old fence may take offense and hire a bounty hunter.
Akiram_Glockem wrote:
That's a great idea, but like all great ideas about the smuggler professionit will never happen.
Yeah, I'm a bit jadedabout the smuggler profession myself. I figure the day I quit being a smuggler is the day I close my account andwhen I give up, it's not going to be because of a lack of effort on my part.
( You know... after proof reading, I noticed something in the way I phrased my thoughts. "..... and when I give up.... ". Not "if". I thought of going back to changing it to "if" but, as you see, I wanted to comment on it instead. If any developer or project manager at SOE sees this post, I hope they take note. )