black market

[Panda]

If players want to find something illegal, I use the Streetwise skill. They need to be looking for something specifically, not simply a clearing house of random illegal baubles. If they successfully make contact with whoever has the goods, that person may have other things of interest as well, but it isn't like visiting the Saturday Market with a bunch of stalls. Because then it isn't so much illegal as a normal occurrence; black market referring to a concept (as opposed to a place) which also has grey market and open market as other entries. A player who just wanted to browse illegal merchandise would be immediately treated as a sucker to be taken advantage, or one of the authorities who is pretty naive and to be avoided or taken advantage. It's not really nice, but you are explicitly asking to deal with criminals who are selling illegal merchandise. I cannot think of much which is more, by definition, not really nice.

[Flowswithdrek]

I agree that the Black Market is a concept rather than a place. The Black Market is all about making contact with people of ill repute that have their own network of people of ill repute. Someone always knows someone who knows something about who has just what you’re looking for or knows someone with the means to acquire it.

If you take Kratas as an example I would say there is a certain crossover between the concept of Black Market and Open Market, but only in the sense that Kratas operates what I would call a shadow economy and its Open Markets would contain a high proportion of stolen goods openly on sale, the same goods you might find in any other city with the exception they have been stolen from a passing merchant caravan rather than legitimately imported. But unique, one off items are in my opinion are unlikely to be found on sale in Kratas’ Open Markets, probably less so than other cities due to the very nature of its inhabitants and their light fingered tendencies. Kratas would likely also have goods openly on sale that might be just downright illegal in other cities such as poisons or certain blood charms.

Having said that, it’s your EarthDawn and it’s a fantasy world. Why not literally create a Black Market if that is the kind of experience your players are looking for. EarthDawn’s greatest strength is that it gives reason to why things exist. Don’t just create the ubiquitous magic shop that used to pop up in D&D in every town or dungeon where you could buy anything from a Love Potion to a Vorpal Sword, give it some thought.

Perhaps the local thieves have developed a competitive streak and at certain times of the year in a secret location known only to a few they come together to hold a competition that has come to be known as ‘Black Market Day’. They use this to brag about their greatest heists, show off the most precious of their ill-gotten gains and enhance their reputations. Fences and others in their networks also get invitations to judge the competition and this of course explains how fences know just who has what for sale. Finding out the location of the next Black Market could be an adventure all in itself.

[Slimcreeper]

Unless the ubiquitous magic shop is a horror establishment selling cursed and marked items to snare adepts. It could even claim to be an avatar of Chorrolis.

[Flowswithdrek]

[Heretikzer0]

My black market in Earthdawn is more like a glorified flea market. Anything that requires or has threads attached to things are far out of the hands of your typical fences. That being said, examples like the one mentioned are possibilities, but certainly not the norm.

[Tattered Rags]