Bargaining is binding

[Dredwulf60]

I've seen that some GMs have bargaining rolls to determine a price for something and then allow either party to walk away without the transaction if they don't like the final value.

I used to do this. I don't anymore.

The way I currently think about it is that the skill represents the ability to present a price in a way that convinces the other party that they are getting a good deal (whether they are or not; the ability to realize this is why the skill is with Perception.)

The one who rolls lower technically doesn't realize they are getting the poor end. They might not like the price, but the other party has made it seem REASONABLE.

Having characters or NPCs walk away after the bargaining process diminishes the point of the exchange.

PCs will usually walk away from a poor bargain roll in an attempt to find another vendor and get another roll, until they 'win' or until the GM tells them...no one else has one.

On the other hand, the players will get upset if every NPC walks away whenever the PC gets a great bargain roll.

So the only transactions actually completed will be those at more or less the base price.


My solution is too make the results of the bargain roll binding.

First there is a bit of roleplay between the PC and NPC, to stake out the base price and the primary angle of approach;

PC: "your hyperdrive is old and is getting taken out of a junker..."
NPC: "Yeah, but it was a show model that never left the system. It was sold at auction when the dealer went bankrupt."

Based on the interaction, I may adjust the base price.


(if interested the PC can make a perception roll, if successful I'll let him know the NPC's bargain skill.)


Now at this point the base price can be paid or walk away.

If the PCs want to take advantage of their Bargain skill, they can go ahead, knowing they may be able to talk themselves a great deal. However, they also realize that they might get swindled.

Player last game rolled abysmally when trying to buy a hyperdrive. The vendor raised the price by throwing in fine-print warranty, complimentary undercoating, charged for ecologically sound disposal, service charges...etc.


If by some reason the character lacks the funds of the final inflated price; it's treated as a debt; payment plan option, or with interest, depending on who they are dealing with.

They can't walk away after the bargain roll any more than they can take back an attack that does no damage to a foe when they were counting on a killing blow, and hope to avoid the fight altogether.

How do you handle bargaining?

[jmanski]

I agree, it must be binding. If not the PCs would use it (abuse it) to only get good prices. If you wish to bargain, it is a risk.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[Rusharn]

For me the bargaining process goes something like this:

Determine the price: Players roll value and planetary knowledge checks to determine the base price of the items they wish to buy or sell where they currently are.

Locate the best buyer / seller: This is done with either a bureaucracy, streetwise, investigation, or cultures check determined by who they want to try to sell to (Government, Black Market, Private Company, or Private Citizen.)

Bargain with buyer / seller: The above rolls set the base price and the players can take it or leave it. If they want to try for a better deal they can take a risk and try to bargain. If they succeed they can now get the better deal. If they fail they get a worse price, if they roll one on the wild die and fail the person they are bargaining with retracts their offer to buy / sell. They can leave, but they know that they have already found the best person in their area for the goods they were buy / selling so anyone else they go to will set a lower base price.

The above process usually takes twelve hours though they can reduce the time by taking a higher difficultly. The base difficulty is set by how much demand there is for the item. If they fail in their bargain check they can wait a week and try again in the same population area. Most of the time my players don't like waiting because that is time where enemies catch up with them, or complications occur especially if they are the ones with the cargo that needs to be sold.

I like this system because for the players to really get the best price, they need a variety of skills which usually means getting the whole group involved in the price hunting process, as well as creating role playing opportunities for the group. Do they sell to Imperials or a vicious crime family because they have the best price or do they sell to a private group knowing they need it more but will get a lower price. With some groups it is an issue and with others it isn't but it often it causes the group to have discussions about where their morals and priorities lay.

[Dredwulf60]

[garhkal]

I agree, that its borked in that they can just walk away since they know they got a poor bargaining roll.

As to how i do it..
Know- Business, Cultures, Investigations and maybe Bureaucracy to find a good seller
Tech - Comp prog to hack info on said seller
Know - value to know if you're getting a good deal or not

Then a mix of RP and bargaining rolls..
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Whill]

[Rusharn]

I normally only allow bargain rolls for large purchases of several items. Like a seller will not haggle over the price for ten blasters, but when you buy a crate of fifty blasters that opens up some room to negotiate, especially if the players seem like they will be making repeat purchases. Like wise when you start talking tons of cargo that is another place where bargain can come in. Also expensive items, usually starting around 25,000 credits or higher usually have room to start negotiating price.

The other place where bargain can come into play is on backwater worlds where the sporting blaster you see for sale maybe the only blaster for sale on the entire planet or when bartering is the only why to make exchanges. Just a few sessions back the players needed parts to repair their star ship but couldn't make it to a real landing field. They ran into some pirates. Fortunately they had an empty cargo hold, the pirate already had a full cargo bay, and the old shot to pieces tramp freighter didn't seem worth the trouble attacking. But the players made a deal using persuasion and bargain where the pirates would give them the parts they needed, and the players would take the pirates stolen goods and sell them in systems where the pirates were wanted, for well piracy, to get the best price and return with cash, materials, and a few star fighters the pirates needed.

It worked out and the players became the gofers for a pirate group for a few sessions. They made friends that will probably be useful later on in the campaign if they choose to use them. They are kind of a moralistic group so working for pirates didn't sit well with them, but they had worked themselves into a corner so they were willing to make an exception.

[garhkal]

[Dredwulf60]

[Whill]

[garhkal]

[Dredwulf60]

[MrNexx]

So, to the original post, what do you do if the bargain turns out to be unaffordable?

Say, the characters have 1000 Credits, but need an item that would normally costs 1200 credits. If they bargain REALLY WELL, they can just afford it. If they bargain less well, they won't be able to. What happens when the bargaining drives the cost down to 1100 credits, and they don't have that?
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[garhkal]

They are SoL.. Or they can borrow that 100 credits from someone, or sell an item THEY have off for it..
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Dredwulf60]