Typical example - It costs me 1000 fang to TRY to make my first platemail (never mind the 1000's it cost me to get to this level)... Hurrah!!! I did it first roll! Lucky me I don't need to spend another 2-3 thousand on failed rolls at -5.
Great... now who wants it? Its full plate, its steel but it doesnt have the backing that does give cold etc protection... so, any takers?
Lets say you find a
sucker customer to unload it onto at a price that MIGHT get you your 1000 fang back... you are screwing yourself out of a potential customer because once someone has full plate... they may not be too willing to spend 2K+ on a new set of armour in the short term unless you offer a trade in deal. Sell it to Murnu? Not only are you gonna make a loss BUT you are again screwing yourself out of a potential customer.
So you go on the market against the likes of the Silver Lady... who can't fail on most armour rolls (mind you she PAID for that right, shes worked DAMN hard at it)... whereas you are looking at investing and buying 3 templates for every 2 because you fail the odd roll here and there.
Crafting is a bottomless pit for most. In the early days you could sell to Murnu and recoup your losses and make a small (not obscene) profit but I understand that the Dev's needed to step in.
I lose money on it, then I break even, then for some reason everyone who can craft disappears for a week, I log on and get a dozen tells for stuff, I overcharge (hey, its a character flaw not driven by greed), make enough to bank some... then pour thousands more into making armours that go into the bin getting good at making armours with the new backings (love those!!!) and am back at break even or loss.
Sounds BAD for the Smiths, right? I mean 1000 fang a template? Eventually they can break even, sooner or later they'll get their chance and hell, aventuring fang needs to go into SOMETHING, right?
Armourers get the best of the deal - they can make armours, shields and weapons. Leather makers just get armour and it takes FOREVER to get good at Curing, Leatherboiling and then Leatherworking (three skills to the smiths two, smelting and smithing)... Hides are more or less free but take longer to gather (smiths can just hack at ore seams, most leatherworkers have to run all over the place hunting if they dont want to pay) and longer to work (hides are worked one at a time, ore can be smelted in lots), and the CXP system really favours smiths, with big gains on certain item combinations, whereas leather workers plod along.
Weapon eating monsters are increasing so it is doing some good for the crafter community.
Completed leather goods with special backing at least need to be sold for 20 fang-30 fang so there is SOME profit even selling to Murnu. It lessens the community marketplace but until crafted boots, capes, belts etc come in the leather makers are working at a loss... they need to throw a lot of work in the trash before they can get good enough to make the leather backed armours that can command 500-1000 fang a sale - Ebon cat and Elder Scrag Hide (not sure on the Bodak yet)