Hello Folks, </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Here is the first of two documents for the Smuggler upgrade.  Please
remember that this is all concept, nothing in this document is set in
stone. What that means is once things start to get worked on, it
can/may/will be altered depending on issues that arise. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Smuggler - Smuggling Experience
</div>
<div>Overview</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The smuggler's life is defined by danger. He
is paid to be discrete, to avoid conflict, and to get his goods
delivered on time. In the Star Wars film, we see Han Solo use his
abilities to smuggle people through an Imperial blockade and we hear
stories of his previous trouble with angry employers.</div>

<div> </div>
<div>This experience will be introduced to Star
Wars Galaxies through a smuggling quest system. Smugglers will move
contraband from one location to another, with enemies at their heels
and only their chosen companions and their trusted ship to aid them.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Receiving a Smuggling Contract</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Instead of using the terms mission or quest
in game, we will refer to a smuggling assignment as a contract. A
smuggler will receive a contract and goods from one of his contacts.
Contracts are available at any time, but a smuggler may only have one
open contract at a time. Fictionally, we assume that most smugglers
will be asked to transport moderate sized loads of goods and that the
contacts don't like smugglers to have mixed priorities (or increased
exposure to interdiction).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Smuggling contacts will be placed throughout
the SWG world. There should be at least one contact per planet. Some
space stations will also serve as contacts. Contacts will be associated
with certain neutral factions as well as GCW factions:</div>

• A contact who works for Jabba could be located at Jabba's Palace.
• A contact for the Empire might be found in Bestine.

Each contact will have 3 contracts available
at any one time. The list of potential contracts will come from a large
datatable of goods and delivery destinations. The system will mix and
match goods & delivery destinations and destinations will be graded
by difficulty. For example, a contact may have a load of giggledust for
Anchorhead, a load of explosives for Mos Eisley, and an encrypted data
disk for an anonymous pilot in orbit around Dathomir. Every 24 hours,
the contact's script will pick 3 new contracts (to keep each contact
interesting).
<div>When the system goes live, we can have it
slowly dole out emails to smugglers telling them where contacts are.
"My name is Kulgrim the Finn and I hear you are smart and discrete.
We'll see. I have a package that needs to be delivered. Come see me at
the cantina in Mos Entha." Etc.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Once a player receives a contract, they have
a certain amount of time to complete it in. The time will depend on the
difficulty of the mission. The time might span from 1 hour to several
days.</div>
<div>
Delivering the Goods</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Delivering the goods won't be as easy as
walking (or flying) from point A to point B. Smuggling is illegal after
all. The smuggler will face several challenging events that will try to
obstruct their progress. Events will be pulled out of a datatable and a
smuggler may face more than one during the course of carrying out a
contract.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The kind of events the player will face will
depend on whether he is in space or on the ground, the composition of
his group, and the difficulty of the contract. Some examples of
smuggling events are:</div>

<div> </div>
<div> Ground Events</div>

• A rival smuggler wants the contract and
  thinks he can take the goods from the player. After an exchange of
  words (and potential skill checks to smooth his way out of it) a battle
  ensues.
• Thugs from a rival faction arrive to shake up the smuggler a bit and convince him to stop dealing with his current contact.
• Storm troopers (or whatever planetary
  occupying force) appears to perform a convenient "routine scan." Maybe
  they've been tipped off...either way it smells fishy and a fight might
  ensue.

• Pirates enter the sector and try to take the delivery by force.
• Similar events to those under ground, but in ships instead of on foot (rival smugglers, etc).

<div>Getting Paid</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Once the smuggler arrives at his destination
with the goods, he'll want to be paid. Successful completion of a
contract is worth credits, but also a portion of the goods delivered.
This system will replace the current method of crafting spices. In the
new system, the smuggler will pick up a load of spice and deliver it,
receiving a crate of spice and a few credits as payment. The type and
quantity of spice (or any other reward) will depend on the difficulty
of the mission.</div>
<div>
Option: Failure to Deliver</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is an optional system in which failure
to deliver the goods on time results in repercussions. Each time the
smuggler fails to make a delivery, they receive a "deadbeat" point.
Each deadbeat point has a drawback:</div>

• 1st Point: Reduced reward for completing their next contract.
• 2nd Point: More reduced OR no reward for completing their next contract depending on the level of the Smuggler
• 3rd Point: NPC bounty hunter randomly dispatched to take the smuggler out. (No reward for a successful contract.)
• 4th Point: Powerful NPC bounty hunter randomly dispatched to take the smuggler out. (No reward for a successful contract.)