Wear and Care

Wear and Care

This section expands on the rules for maintenance, breakdowns, and repairs.

Maintaining Gadgets

Complex TL5-8 equipment – especially electronic equipment – is sensitive to harsh conditions. Missed or failed maintenance checks can reduce HT; continued abuse will eventually mean a breakdown that requires repairs. Rough environments can also cause breakdowns; see Slime, Sand, and Equipment Failure. Cheaply made equipment suffers greatly in such circumstances. "You get what you pay for" is never truer than when shoddy gear is used under field conditions!

The simplest objects rarely require much maintenance. If an item costs less than 0.1% of average starting wealth ($5 at TL5, $10 at TL6, $15 at TL7, or $20 at TL8), the GM may assume that it's so simple that the rules for maintenance and breakdowns don't apply. If the GM feels that malfunction is possible, though, then even the cheapest device – especially if it's also cheap – isn't exempt. A water tester might cost only $20 at TL8 (see TDS Tester), but it could give a false reading, resulting in the PCs consuming tainted water. Maintenance checks and HT rolls for failure should always apply to complex items or those regularly placed under stress.

Ultimately, the GM should use common sense and dramatic license to decide whether a given item is subject to maintenance checks and HT rolls. The GM is encouraged to waive those rules when they would needlessly bog down play...and then enforce them ruthlessly in dramatic situations, such as when the PCs are cut off from a source of spare parts! The GM should also enforce them in campaigns that focus on firefighters, ambulance crews, and professional soldiers. In real life, such specialists spend much of their time checking and maintaining their tools. Weapons, life-saving equipment, scuba gear, medical kits, and even rope are always checked after each use, carefully cleaned, and stored for the next time.

Repairing Gadgets

If a gadget breaks down, it will need minor or even major repairs (see Repairs. Repairs require rolls against a suitable repair skill: Armoury for weapons and defenses; Computer Operation for software; Electrician for consumer appliances, such as hair dryers; Electronics Repair for electronic devices; Machinist for tools; Mechanic for power plants and vehicles; and Sewing (p. B219) for fabric other than body armor. At the GM's option, fixing a complex system might involve several skills, depending on what broke down.

Repairs also require appropriate tools; see Tool Kits. Major repairs call for a substantial investment in parts, too. If tools or parts are absent, the Machinist skill can be used to fabricate them.

Powering Gadgets

For a gadget that requires power to work, running out of batteries or fuel can be as crippling as a breakdown. The only way to solve this problem is to find a power source! For details, see Cost, Weight, Power, LC and Power.