Making your own drugs., Worth it? Options

[Christian Lafay]

Thoughts? Comments? Completely open.

[hermit]

If you have the skill, the lab and the raw material necessary, of course. Stuff won't be cut or anything, so it'll be a lot easier on you. Of course, most of the more interesting drugs require tropical plants, large bushes, both, half an acre full of colourful flowers (and loads of work) or profound knowledge of chemistry, so it's easier said than done.

It's reasonably easy with cannabis and drugs derived therefrom or hallucinogenic chemicals, which can basically be cooked in the kitchen, with relatively low probablility of you blowing yourself up (so no, no meth). Of course, smells can always give you away. All it takes is one trained dog.

So, it's worth it if you have a shack far off the beaten track, and decide for something that's not gonna give you away as easily as a cannabis plantation or a poppy field (hallucinogenics, X, ect).

And FWIW, it's also quite illegal. Especially in the states, I'd recommend against it for that reason. It'S a somewhat different manner in places where at least some drugs will only get you a good spanking, so to speak, rather than 20 years in an American prison.

Still leaves Alcohol. Mmmmh moonshine.

[Christian Lafay]

As a side business in the game, just to clarify. Haha. Or making your own Tranq patches. 'Cause nothing says lovin' like slapping someone with a tranq patch and watching them hit the dirt.

[CanRay]

Nothin' says lovin' like some "Home Cookin'"!

If nothing else, having some Homebrew is always a great way to kick back and relax! Especially if you're a Russian Troll and it's the only way you can get drunk! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[TheOOB]

Of course, smells can always give you away. All it takes is one trained dog.

Or a cybernose.

In Shadowrun, as with real life, making small quantities of most drugs, especially drugs that help runners would cost more than the street price of those drugs. In order to make a profit, or even break even, your going to have to do a lot of it which involves time, risk, and a significant initial investment, not to mention connections if you ever hope to move the stuff. Of course, at that point your a beginning drug lord and not a runner anymore, which really brings this beyond the scope of shadowrun.

[Fortinbras]

See Breaking Bad for more details.

[Sengir]

Of course, smells can always give you away. All it takes is one trained dog.

That would of course be bad, all the neighborhood junkies beating a path to your door (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Yerameyahu]

Side business? The GM shouldn't let you, under any normal circumstances. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) The basic rules *are* very abusable, so… he shouldn't let you. Hehe.

[HunterHerne]

Besides, why would anyone want a main job as a runner? Unless the characters are getting overpaid for everything, it's already kind of a side job.

[Ryu]

The cooking explosives side of chemistry can be very useful as you avoid asking for several kilos of the good stuff, which should raise eyebrows. Making your own medical drugs with such a char is a fringe benefit as the stuff is readily available otherwise.

Providing recreational drugs for the whole neighborhood means stepping on syndicate toes; IMO not worth it.

[CanRay]

See Breaking Bad for more details.

Also why you shouldn't mistake Murcury Fulminate for Meth.

And why you really, really shouldn't slot off the guy that's been told he isn't about to live any longer due to cancer. He's even crazier than the sociopathic gangster. And, yes, "Heisenberg" sounds like a really good street name!

[Christian Lafay]

Explosives are always good but I've got a thrown weapons blahbity blah character who likes to throw explosives, chems, and drugs at people. It's more "Is the discount four Home Cookin' worth it to throw a patch of K10 on the biggest chummer in sight as a distraction?" Or a Laes or Slab patch.

[Drace]

You could just use the rules for day job, and make them take a contact who their are either cooking for or is dealing for them. Maybe allow them to have small amounts of whatever they are making (If they take all they make, they wont have any to sell).

That way its all quick and clean and tidy. No extra work, no headache, and if they want to go more into the drug dealing/making route as a group then worry about it.

Or if they want to just make small amounts for themselves, simply make them buy it and tell them thats the prices and availability of all the collective ingredients, and if they pass the tests to buy, they succeeded in making it.

Personally though, I would find it easier for a runner to knock off a medical lab for an anarchist or community and keep the extra the johnson doesnt need to sell or use.

[CanRay]

Well, not much of an issue with drugs, but cooking your own explosives makes it a bit harder to trace in a lot of ways, especially if you do it in a place you don't stay at.

Professionally made explosives can be tracked to a batch number usually through a variety of means, IIRC. Whipping up your own, however, confuses this backtrail.

Especially if you use something like Black Powder. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) "Who the FRAG uses Black Powder any longer???" "This guy, apparently. Did we get any feed from him?" "Yes, and we have a facial match as well. To a historic picture of Guy Fawkes." "DAMNIT!"

[Ryu]

Explosives are always good but I've got a thrown weapons blahbity blah character who likes to throw explosives, chems, and drugs at people. It's more "Is the discount four Home Cookin' worth it to throw a patch of K10 on the biggest chummer in sight as a distraction?" Or a Laes or Slab patch.

The facility at 100k enables you to produce even "exotic" stuff. Not counting time spend cooking and aquiring ingredients, you´d need to produce a market value of 111k in drugs to break even. If you go into selling, I´d estimate the actually needed volume at about 500k. The distribution network will take their share, and getting a "marketing permit" is costly, too.

Take a Chemistry Shop at 5k, Black Market group connection for the ingredients, break even after a few kilos of high-grade plastic explosive. If you want to sell a bit on the side, I second the suggestion of Day Job.

[ggodo]

Well, not much of an issue with drugs, but cooking your own explosives makes it a bit harder to trace in a lot of ways, especially if you do it in a place you don't stay at.

Professionally made explosives can be tracked to a batch number usually through a variety of means, IIRC. Whipping up your own, however, confuses this backtrail.

Especially if you use something like Black Powder. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) "Who the FRAG uses Black Powder any longer???" "This guy, apparently. Did we get any feed from him?" "Yes, and we have a facial match as well. To a historic picture of Guy Fawkes." "DAMNIT!"

This is why I don't give Longbow large amounts of downtime between runs.

[Modular Man]

Especially if you use something like Black Powder. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) "Who the FRAG uses Black Powder any longer???" "This guy, apparently. Did we get any feed from him?" "Yes, and we have a facial match as well. To a historic picture of Guy Fawkes." "DAMNIT!"

Will definitely have my character do that in the near future (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
He's a latent pyromaniac, after all. Just needs a few new activesofts along the way.

You can also substitute some of the work with well equipped drones, if you happen to be the Rigger or something.
After all, it's not impossible, just going to be way too expensive for stuff like K-10 (I'd count this one as "exotic"). The lower paygrades, on the other hand, are quite useful and somewhat easier to produce.

[CanRay]

Or you could Bioengineer a cow to make NovaCoke. Just be warned, she'll be high on her own supply. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Or you could Bioengineer a cow to make NovaCoke. Just be warned, she'll be high on her own supply. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

There really has to be a better name for the Novacoke that a Bioengineered Cow Produces...

How about Nostrum? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

And if you can Bioengineer a Cow to produce it, why not a MetaHuman?

[Yerameyahu]

Cows complain less.

[Irion]

Where actually are the prices for drugs? I never found them.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Cows complain less.

Heh... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[TheOOB]

Besides, why would anyone want a main job as a runner? Unless the characters are getting overpaid for everything, it's already kind of a side job.

No one would run unless they were paid very well, and having a side job, especially a criminal one can dramatically increase the amount of heat you'd generate, as well as reducing your ability to lay low, which is what I imagine runners do a significant amount of time between jobs.

The police/corps usually don't bother catching runners because it's expensive, dangerous, the runner likely a)doesn't have who/what they stole anymore b)doesn't know enough about Johnson and his agenda to be useful and c)was just doing this on business. If a runner starts making drugs or something, that gives Knight Errant a reason to go after them.

[CanRay]

And if you can Bioengineer a Cow to produce it, why not a MetaHuman?

Cows complain less.

Cows are also less likely to pick up an assault rifle with an underbelly grenade launcher and go, "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" than a Metahuman while high on their own supply. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Where actually are the prices for drugs? I never found them.

Arsenal Page 188. Yeah, strange place to put it, I know.

It'll probably be in the Runner's Toolkit as well.

[Christian Lafay]

Arsenal Page 188. Yeah, strange place to put it, I know.

Looking over that list I can't help but think of a naga runner (I know, I know) who milks themselves for some spare cash. Giggity.