Open the Feedback Box on Your Shop Door
Open the feedback box on your shop door to check faction reputation in Probably Stolen. Improve standing by trading with that faction's customers, and weigh Security rewards against the underground relationships that reporting customers can damage.
These instructions cover the demo, with older playtest examples identified below. The full game is scheduled for October 28, 2026. The updated interface shown in the Aquafarmer announcement belongs to the full release, so those preview images can look different from your demo.
Check Standing Around Each Important Deal
- Open the door's feedback box to bring up the color-coded reputation chart. Find the faction you want to improve and note its current standing before making your next decision.
- Check the reputation multiplier in the bargain panel for the direction you are trading. Buying and selling have separate multipliers, so a bargain in the opposite direction does not change this trade's reputation gain.
- Reopen the feedback box after the deal or report and compare the relevant faction. Small gains can accumulate without changing the displayed whole number, so an unchanged display does not necessarily mean the trade earned nothing.
Know Which Faction You Are Helping
The tracked factions are Lower Levels, Upper Levels, Security, Black Market, Revolution and Sector 13 Cartel. Tourists and Middle-zone visitors are customer categories rather than separate reputation tracks. Match the customer to the faction you intend to help before spending money to improve standing.
In demo build 049-Rev3-L, the base trade rate is 1 reputation point per 400 credits of value. Buying counts the price you actually pay, while selling starts from the item's negotiated value. Overpaying a seller can therefore buy standing, but decide how much profit you are willing to spend on that relationship.
Purchasing stolen goods and serious contraband can multiply the reputation gained from buying, and those bonuses stack. That makes risky purchases useful for developing underground relationships, but fencing stolen merchandise also exposes you to Security investigations. Check your faction chart and case evidence separately before accepting another risky deal.
Choose Between Trading and Reporting
- Check whether the customer is genuinely wanted or has reportable stolen merchandise or eligible contraband before using the Security reporting process. Valid reports can improve Security relations and pay rewards; wrongful reports risk fines and reputation loss.
- Avoid displaying contraband just to trigger an inspection and then hiding it in the smuggler bay. Passing an inspection caused by that display no longer grants Security reputation, so repeating the loop will not rebuild your standing.
Standing Milestones That Affect Your Shop
| Faction and Standing | Perks and Consequences |
|---|---|
| Lower Levels positive milestones | Referral at +20, Rare Goods at +40, Word on the Street at +60 and Tight Lips at +80. |
| Lower Levels at +100 | Pillar of the Lower Levels gives 15% off purchases from Joe Wild and Dr. Jackson. |
| Black Market positive milestones | Small Time Broker at +20, Safe Hands at +40 and Underground Network at +60. |
| Security reaching +100 | VIP stops thieves targeting your store and stops inspections. |
| Lower Levels reaching −60 | Marked makes thieves target you more often and doubles insurance costs. |
| Security reaching −60 | Most Wanted makes investigations against you progress 1.5 times faster. |
| Upper Levels reaching −60 | Petition to Security doubles every Security reputation loss. |
The Thief's stock scales with Black Market reputation in the demo. Improving that relationship can therefore change the merchandise available to you. Treat stock progression as another reason to weigh a reporting reward against keeping underground contacts.
An earlier playtest change kept Janitorial Service available at −40 Black Market reputation, but doubled its cost. That rule concerns access to cleaning rather than an improvement to your standing. Budget for the service if you are pursuing a route that damages Black Market relations.
Check Perks and Avoid Compounding Losses
Check your starting perks if reputation gains or customer visits differ from what you expected. Diplomatic increases trade reputation by 33%, while Blabbermouth reduces gains with Black Market and Revolution by 50%. Known Snitch prevents wanted-poster customers from visiting and starts you at −10 reputation with both underground factions.
Avoid pushing negotiations recklessly while repairing negative standing. Reputation penalties double when your standing with the affected faction is negative. In the demo bargaining rules, a failed markup that makes the customer leave costs 3 points normally and 6 when you are already below neutral.
Use Joe Wild's protection services when you need help with an investigation. His offerings include inspection warnings, fixers and evidence removal. Those services address exposure to punishment; keep checking the faction chart separately as you rebuild your relationships through trade and reporting choices.