Pallyup is home to the Shadowmall, according to Runner Havens. The shadowmall was an abandoned shopping center where a bunch of black market dealers set up, and works like a black-market version of a mall (With significantly increased security, I assume.) Due to everyone having contacts in Lone Star, no police agency has managed to close it down yet. Even Fatima (a frequent Jackpoints poster) has a talisman shop there. This is all established.

Question is: What if PCs go there?

Do they just get to bypass availability tests? What can a runner get if he takes a shopping cart down there (assuming he has the cash.) Can our Street Sam just walk into the weapons store there and walk out with an Ares Alpha without making an availability test? If he can, why on earth would he go through his contacts? What level gear can people find at the shadowmall? Can you find nothing more powerful than a Ruger Super Warhawk, or can you walk out with Bazookas? Also, is there any markup for the shadowmall?

Probably assume a larger handling fee than a lvl 4 contact would take. Price you pay for convenience.

I'd even consider using it as an expensive group contact that is basically all about black market purchasing and selling. Without the contact, and being unable to use it, means that you are unable to get past security. I'd even say without the contact you'd not even know where this "Shadowmall" was truly located.

Availability represents "I have it and I like you". Sure you can see the rocket launcher, but that's just a display item he's holding for someone else. You have to beat the availability test to convince the guy that he likes you more (that's why it draws on Etiquette).

How do you get into the mall? Do you need contacts and connections to get into the mall without the shopkeepers closing you out? How do you get the store you want? Do you know where it is, do you have to pay someone to point you to the right spot? Does the store actually have everything stocked on the shelf? Or just samples, and ARO/VR representations? Are the real goods sitting somewhere mobile and easily moved so when LS does their "Show the badge" raid nothing is there to be lost? What are the hours the store you want is available? Is it really open in standard hours?

While the facility is a Mall, you really need to think of it in terms of a floating flea market that takes place in a Mall. You have to know where to go to find the regular vendors. You have tons of vendors who are there temporarily. The hours are crazy. You might have stuff show up once a year.

A Shadow Mall isn't a mall that happens to have the word Shadow in front of it. The Mall is a Thieves Market. And if you haven't been to one I encourage to go visit one.

Availability is a representation of the extra effort and scarcity of certain items when purchased "off the books". It may or may not be included in the actual transaction for the item, but could be costs incurred in bribing your way into mall, paying to find the store you want, paying the roaming gangers guarding some other vendor to leave you alone, paying to get them to show their goods, paying them to deliver, paying for the actual item. Even paying for a shopping cart.

And one thing I always find fun to think about... do you really want to park your car in the parking lot of the shadow mall? (Why Run if you can just steal cars....)

I think any (or all) of the following are decent ways to handle the Shadowmall...

1) You can buy it as a group contact. In this case, you have connections to the people who keep the Shadowmall running. They're willing to keep and eye out for items you're interested in and pass your name on to the dealers.

2) You can buy individual vendors as contacts. Pretty straight forward.

3) And, of course, you can physically visit the Shadowmall. Heck, this could almost be an adventure unto itself. For quick play though, I'd probably allow a reduced time interval (day to hour, hour to minute, etc.) to find an item, but limit the number of rolls to see if someone has something on hand. I might also allow items below a certain Availability (6 or 8, maybe) to be available in limited quantities without a roll.

-paws

I've got a picture in my head of the markets in Kabul where EVERYTHING was for sale. You could get medieval armour, AK-47s, food, leather coats, carpets, treasure chests, Afghan Beheading swords, lapas trinkets, bed sheets, DVDs (the latest and greatest Afghanajapanimation), sunglasses (official Raybuns), and much much more.

Heck I'm guessing the Shadowmall would even let you barter on anything if you really wanted to (high negotiation skill required).

I was thinking of having the Crime Mall in my campaign, and I've already thought of a few things...

I ran the Crime Mall (the old name for it) as a Group Contact. However instead of having a permanent location with set hours, I said that the Crime Mall was mobile and would randomly set up in different locations in the Barrens for random amounts of time. Those that had the contact and maintained their "subscription fee" would be notified when the "mall" would be opened next. I still had the players makes availability rolls to see if they could find a vendor in the mall selling what they were looking for. However, if they made their roll then they could purchase the item right away instead of having to wait for it.