Lackluster Legal Licenses, How to handle real licenses for stuff Options

[Jack_Spade]

Our group of switching GMs are having a bit of a disagreement about how to implement legal licenses ingame.

The book gives this vague guideline:

"Acquiring a license (legally) is, again, dependent on the laws of the country. For the most part, acquiring a license involves making an application, paying some sort of fee, a SIN check, and possibly passing one or more certification, testing, or training programs. The exact details of acquiring a license are left up to the gamemaster, but government bureaucracies are notoriously slow and frustrating"

My fellow GM wants the fees to be in the range of 1000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) plus 200 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) a month per license
I, on the other hand, feel this to be a bit... excessive.

So I'd like an opinion from the plenum of other GMs here: What costs would you assign to legally acquire a concealed carry permit, a pilot license or a permission to work as a private detective?

[DeathStrobe]

I'd just keep it as a part of the SINner negative qualities and say its rolled in to lifestyle costs, and that you probably need at least medium to pay for it.

Also, it should leave a very terrible data trail that can easily be traced back to the owner if it's used in a crime, followed by the Pawns bringing in the character for questioning. If the Pawns find any other illegal or unlicensed gear the character should be arrested and/or fined heavily.

This way its pretty much always better to go through the black market to acquire gear, but if you need something here and now you can buy legal items with a very high risk that you'll have to burn your fake SIN (or real SIN) afterwards.

[Drace]

Well seeing as how a large number of licenses in RL are one time payments and tests followed up by a re-issue/renewal of the license for a small fee, I would say just use the price of a rt6 fake license/2. Since there is no super expensive fake data trail or fake info put into a secure database for the license to be legit, it wouldn't cost as much but the price should cover the license and associated testing.

[Kyrel]

On my part an actual legal license in the game would require a (fake) SIN (opposed test, difficulty depending upon the nature of the equipment being licensed. It ought to be easier to get a license for something relatively harmless, than it would be to get it for something outright lethal), and possibly also some sort of Day Job that would validate the requirement for the license. I'd probably set the fee at something like 50-5000, depending on the nature of the license. A license for a Sequencer for a legit Locksmith would be cheap, but a "own and transport" permit for a sniper rifle for a private individual using it for target shooting at a gun range (valid membership required for the license) would probably be expensive. I'd probably go without an upkeep fee, or at least only an occasional upkeep fee (i.e. 25-500Y per year, depending on the nature of the permit). On the other hand, the legal carry permit for your Ares Predator stemming from your Day Job as a private security guard would likely be lost along with a loss of your Job (or any other type of incident proving you shouldn't have been granted the permit in the first place).

[Mach_Ten]

The process for owning a fire arm in the UK is basic, it is cheap and as mentioned above leaves a massive data trail

you need ID ( SIN)
you have to nominate a sponsor (someone to validate your ID, doctor, Lawyer etc.)
meaning that you don't just endanger your own livelihood !
the police have to visit the premises that the item is kept in, and you have to have a secure gun locker
the seller has to send copies of your LIC to the police once you buy a gun
so they know where you bought it and what the serial number is
and for "bored" weapons I thin the serial number is matched by the Manufacturer to a ballistics report too.

We don't generally have concealed carry (we're talking about ShotGuns here mostly) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
but I imagine as long as the justification is there, security agent etc.
that the process is also as simple as getting a rubber stamp

all of that costs £65 for 5 years !!

essentially I am with the poster above who says work it into lifestyle, but the risks involved in using it illegally are the prohibitive part !

in fact, were I a GM ... I would make it available at banks and shopping centres as well as city official buildings, cutting the time down.

and then the moment they shot it in anger, every agency would be hot on their tails !

[White Buffalo]

I thought I’d replay with the various licenses I have in real life

Drivers license - allows me to operate a vehicle - $15/3 years
Vehicle sticker A - State lets me have a car - $105/year
Vehicle Sticker B - City lets me have a car - $22/year
Firearms Owner Identification (FOID) - State lets me own a gun (and keep all my info on file) $5/5 years
PERC (security guard license) - State lets me be a security guard armed or unarmed - cost of class $300 + $65/3 years
NRA Firearms instructor - Allows me to teach firearms classes to others - cost of class $250 + $30/year ($10 per discipline)
Pet license - City allows me to have a dog or cat - $10/year