Legit licenses, How much? Options

[Tekumel]

In the SR4 core book, Fake Licenses are listed as (Rating x3)F Availability with a cost of Rating x100 :nuyen:. My question is, how much would a legitimate license run? Obviously availability isn't going to be a factor, as it'd be more role-played out & require a legitimate (or fake with enough rating to make it seem so) reason to acquire the license, as well as a legitimate SIN, but what would the paper fees be?

[Geekkake]

I guess that would depend on the license. What's it for? Magic? Firearms, and what kind? Fishing?

[DireRadiant]

Some in my game with a legitimate SIN could have all the legal licenses they could ever want for free.

[Tekumel]

[James McMurray]

Id' set it at 1.5x the cost of a fake license, modified by the circumstances. Licenses for F restricted gear would be nonexistent for most characters. Lecenses for R gear would cost the 150 :nuyen: given above, and licenses for other stuff (like fishing) would be so cheap I wouldn't bother with them.

[Tekumel]

1.5x the cost of a fake? I'd think it'd be cheaper than a fake, as a fake license would require some database hacking to implant, all the background work to make it believable & such.

And yeah, I know Forbidden gear you're not gonna be able to get a legitimate license for. That's why it's FORBIDDEN, and not Restricted.

[Smokeskin]

Your cheapest license would probably cost 20 :nuyen: . This just covers the cost to issue it.

If the license requires a bit more work, like a cursory security check that you don't have a criminal record and registering a serial number, might run it up to 50-100 :nuyen:

Sometimes licenses cost more because you have to pay for related expenses (for example a fishing license you might pay for releasing new fish, caring for streams etc.), or because the license cost is kept high to discourage all but professionals from attaining one. This could be any amount really.

There might also be other requirements for a license (a car license might require you get a responsibility ensurance costing 500 :nuyen: a year, a sewage installation license you might need to present a 3,000 :nuyen: bank guarantee to cover any damage you might make to the public sewage system).

[Brahm]

You could just assume that the cost of a Restricted item includes any licensing fees, and that the Fake License represents the extra effort of getting it safely attached to a Fake SIN or to a real SIN that shouldn't have the license.

[Moon-Hawk]

Meh, if it's a legitimate license then it's attached to a legitimate SIN, and that comes with its own problems. Beyond that, I'd just go with the lifestyle handwave.

[James McMurray]

I was thinking it should cost more because of the beauracratic nonsense that goes intot he process. That and the way the fake SIN rules work a rating 1 false license is little more than a piece of paper that says "me can use gun" on it, as it has to get incredibly lucky to survive even the most cursory inspection.

[Tekumel]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding...you're saying 150 :nuyen: for a legit? I see the number in your previous post, but I don't quite understand the context of it.

[James McMurray]

It's one and a half times the cost of a really crappy fake license. I picked it mostly out of a hat based on the pain in the butt getting a legal license for a restricted item would be. You'll probably have to take a class on how to handle it and pay some fees.

It's just a generic number though. If it came up in a game I'd base it more on the license being sought. For example, a license for really expensive cyberware would cost more than a license for a handgun, because people that can afford really expensive cyberware can afford more expensive licenses.

[stevebugge]

It shouldn't be based on the cost of the fake at all in my opinion. Figure a goverment paper pusher is paid around 30,000 NuYen per year, or roughly 15 Nuyen per hour, and it costs 3 times that to actually employ the person, just to make the mat easy make cost of employee an even 50 per hour. Figure if there is no background check required the employee can process 5 applications in an hour (OK this might generous as it took 45 minutes last time I had to renew my drivers liscence). Based on this I'd use 10 :nuyen: x Availability rating for Restricted items, spells, vehicles, etc. and 50 :nuyen: x Availability for Forbidden.

[James McMurray]

[stevebugge]

[HullBreach]

IRL a concealed permit with all the red tape involved will run roughly $110-200 USD.

A Class 3 permit, needed for the ownership of automatic, select-fire, short barreled or other restricted weapons will run upwards of $300-400 after all the hoops are jumped through.

A full FFL (Basically a gun dealers license) can get stupid expensive, but its so dependent upon the state I can't even give a figure on that. I'd guess in the $7-15k USD range though.

Hell in some parts of Florida a liquor licence goes for damn near 100k.

[Backgammon]

[Cenobite]

Ok, so we've got a few ideas on the pricing on license for various objects, but what about non-tangable things like being a magician (I seem to recall the old Lone Star book covering that a bit, but I don't remember if there was anything about cost), or certain kinds of employment such as a press pass or a private detective's license?