The Cost to run Amateur Night...

[ak_aramis]

Because of Swordtart's thread, I got thinking...

Rules in use: Compendium 2.5

Scenario: Amateur night, using Killer Carts (or other Div 4 vehicles)

Let's look at costs of mechanics:

Mech +0 Makes upkeep plus $8K - roughly $305/week
Mech +1 Makes upkeep plus $10K - roughly $345/week
Mech +2 Makes upkeep plus $15K - roughly $440/week
Mech +3 makes upkeep plus $20k - roughly $535/week
We can probably round these further.
Mech +0 makes probably $310.
Mech +1 makes probably $350.
Mech +2 makes probably $450
Mech +3 makes probably $550 (and gets more than 2x the work done.

Now, repairing a killer kart, with a good shop...
Average time is inverse of success rate, in hours, time halved for Mech +3's.
replace armor§, replace the MG, or repair a hit on the MG: Medium task.
+0: 3.6 hours average time $27.90
+1: 1.7 hours average time $14.88
+2: 1.2 hours average time $13.50
+3: 0.5 hours average time $6.88

Repairing a hit on a PP or install a new one
+0: 12 hours average time $93.00
+1: 3.6 hours average time $31.50
+2: 1.7 hours average time $19.13
+3: 0.6 hours average time $8.25

MG Repairs:
1 hit: 66+ Mechanic time (+3=$72.88)(+2=$79.50)
2 hits: 200+ Mechanic time (+3=$213.76)(+2=$227)
3 hits: 1000+Mechanic Time (+3=$1006.88)(+2=1013.5)(+1=1014.88)(+0=$1027.9)

PP Repairs
1 hit: 66+ Mechanic time (+3=$74.25)(+2=$85.13)
2 hits: 200+ Mechanic time (+3=$216.5)(+2=$238.26)
3 hits: 333+ Mechanic time (+3=$357.75)(+2=$390.72)
4 hits: 466.67+ Mechanic time (+3=$499.67)(+2=$543.19)
5 hits: 600+ Mechanic Time (+3=$641.25)(+2=$695.65)
6 hits: 733.34+ Mechanic Time (+3=$782.84)(+2=$848.12)
7 hits: 866.67+ Mechanic Time (+3=$866.67)(+2=$1000.58)
8 hits: $1000 plus install time (+3=$1008.25)(+2=1019.13)(+1=$1031.50)(+0=$1093)

Armor Repairs are $33 per point plus mechanic time.

Replacing the whole armor kit is only $217.80... but we get to 2/3 that for doing the work ourselves, making it $145.2 plus mechanic time. Call it a nice round $173.1 for that mechanic+0 to do it.
Edit: To take Swordtart's interp, where you don't get the discount on replace armor, but don't pay the 10%, replacing the shell is $198+Mechanic Time (+3=204.88)($+2=211.5)(+1=$212.88)(+0=225.9). Comments later in thread.

If we presume my experience is accurate (which I doubt), about 1/4 of kills are PP kills†, 1/4 are driver dead, and 1/2 are weapon kills‡. Tire shots are pretty rare, as Amateurs don't often succeed at them.

Typical AN is 6 cars.

1 car needs replacing: $3900 (rounded up hundred)
5 cars needing armor repairs. Up to 3 points, repair. More than 3, replace. $865.5/AN if all replaced

2 need new engines: $2100 or so
2 more need 6 DP: $1600 or so.

3 need new MG's: $3100 or less.

All need ammo (20x25x5) $2500

A couple need tires, since the winner filled his boot with ammo and tires... Call it 8 tires: $800, plus install times...

Works out to around (10965) $11,000 per AN, since only a couple of tires will go missing.

So, if the average city is 1/3 weffies, and 1/3 of them are interested in AN, and 1/3 of those can afford the $10 ticket, we need 1100 tickets sold to pay for the cars upkeep. Which means we need at least 9900 people in the city to go. AN is actually affordable... due to large scale crowds. Keep in mind, most cities are 30K people, so you can afford 3 rounds on the AN card just from locals. And if you get corporate or TV sponsorship, add another ticket each. Keep in mind: people in 1981 paid $10+ to go see 2x 3-minute fights, spaced over 30 minutes, in boxing.

§ISTR being able to replace armor a side at a time. I'm not figuring it, tho. If I did, it's always replace except for only one hit on the front...
† The PP is dead, or the driver realizes he's next and bails when the PP is under 3 DP left of its 8. Note that I've almost never seen a PP fire in an AN, due to MG's being used most of the time. Simply presume replacement if you allow lasers or FT's...
‡ Since the MG is up front, most of the time, these also have some PP damage...


Of course, I expect mechanics often work, as they do in the real world, more like 50 hours a week, so the costs are even lower. And an arena would probably have a shop worth +3, not +2, making things even faster and cheaper.

Edit 1: I misread a ⅓ as a ½ on page 73, rt col. Had to zoom to 200% to be able to tell it was a 3, not a 2. Caught by Swordtart.