Re: [HoE] Junker/Armor ?

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

>>Ummm, does anyone see a problem with this?  You need to pay $750 to buy a
>>Kevlar vest which has much less protection, and loses a pt. of armor
>>against
>>certain attacks.
>>
>
>No, I don't think it's a problem for two reasons:
>1) The entire system for making this armor depends on having a) scrounged
>materials and b) a Junker.  The cost expended to buy a Kevlar vest

Interesting.  But two things:

1) Junkyard _sells_ components, so all you need is "money".  Plus scroungin' 
really isn't that hard.  well, okay, if the Marshall wants to be a prick, he 
can play hardball ("You want a chemical supply house to scavengin'?  Hah!  
There isn't one within 2000 miles! Bwah-hah-ha!"

However, if you limit scrounged materials, then you limit _all_ aspects of a 
Junker PC, not just his ability to make cheap armor (here's that "Let's 
penalize the player for a potentially screwed-up rule" thing again).  In 
that case, you might as well just not bother letting anyone play Junkers.

I also think my 100% mark-up on component costs covers availability and 
stuff like that.  So I _am_ factoring in availability and time-to-scrounge 
when working out costs.

2) Junkers (i.e., the techno-mages) hang out in Junkyard big-time (according 
to Iron Oasis, at any rate).  Anyhoo, the issue of a Junker being a "limited 
resource" is a moot point if a player takes a Junker character.  It doesn't 
matter how rare, or how hard it is to find Junkers, since that rarity 
doesn't impact on character selection.

>from the
>book would be cheap compared to the time/energy/resources to train and 
>equip
>such specialized talent.  After all, it would be just cheaper to make my 
>own
>furniture, but I don't have the knowledge base to do it.

But Junkers do....

>2)  The things I could do at home (start a garden for example) would be
>cheaper than going out to the grocery store and buying all of my food.
>Instead of money, I would invest my time and energy.  Therefore, in 
>strictly
>financial terms, the homemade project would be cheaper.
>

I think I mentioned the time-factor as well when noting it takes (tops) 60 
minutes to actually build the armor.  The scroungin' time-factor is a 
possibility, but A) it's part and parcel of any Junker PC anyway, whether 
building abusive or non-abusive devices, and B) if they're in Junkyard it 
appears to be a moot point.

>In other words, what that junker put into that suit o' armor in terms of
>time and energy balance the cost of what it would take to buy it off the
>shelf.
>

Well, that would, honestly, be a tough call.  A Kevlar Vest costs $750.  A 
full-body Junk-suit AV 2 costs $132 (again using my formula of multiplying # 
of components by 12 to figure "dollar" cost.  Using an 'average" cost of $6 
a component actually inflates the cost of such a suit further!).  You only 
need 9 structural and 2 chemical components.  Is gathering up that many 
component points, and spending the (average) 35 minutes to actually build 
the stuff, really "worth" the 618 "dollars"?

Given that Kevlar Vests aren't that common an item (remember back when we 
discussed them vis a vis Black Hats and how you couldn't probably unload 
such vests for money? :) ), I guess I'd have to say that, yes, the time and 
effort (particularly when, if you're a Junker PC, you're going to do that 
kind of thing anyway) more than balances out the dollar difference.  Your 
mileage may vary.

>Of course if you really want a kevlar vest you could always find an owner
>and take a called shot to the Noggin'...
>

See back in the archives our previous discussions on Black Hats.  Since 
they're the folks who seem to most often wear K-Vests (and the ones you're 
going to get in the least trouble overall for shooting), wandering around 
the wastes wearing BH Kevlar could have its own problems...  :)

Besides, why would anyone _want_ a Kevlar Vest when they can buy a AV2 
full-body suit in Junkyard (one hopes!) with no risk to life and limb (plus 
the cost of some bullets).

>matt


---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/

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