What’s the cost for expanding existing tech? To use the example from the book, let’s say someone gave color for a fleet, and made a Resources roll for the sensors. Later they need weapons to fire on something. Do they need another color scene, or do they just test Resources?
In other words, is the cost having to make another roll in a system where the total number of rolls is strictly limited?
Also, is it possible to build on another player’s tech- if in the prior example the player’s lieutenant (also a PC) was the one who needed the guns, could he test for the guns and use them (assuming he had the fleet-owning PC’s permission, of course)?
Just to beat a dead horse, let’s say you were adding a second point of Circles to a device that currently gives +1D to Circles. Would that be an Ob2 Resource test (for adding a second Circles point), then, or Ob5 (like it was the first point)?
I would assume you would test at the Obstacle of the full bonus you’re receiving. Otherwise you can just add a die again and again at Ob 2 until you’ve got some crazy +10D monstrosity of technology.
I suspect that’s the right answer. To play devil’s advocate, though, you have to make a second roll, complete with second color scene, so there is some additional cost. Also, there’s a limit on how much you can build them up: +2 to a skill, stat, etc., for Low Index worlds. At any rate, it’s now looking like a separate device is better anyway.