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Old 12-10-2012, 10:50 PM   #38
Ulzgoroth
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Default Re: Gear rich, money poor

Quote:
Originally Posted by ErhnamDJ View Post
Imagine a deposed eighteenth century nobleman. He has his nice clothes and his powdered wig, but they're not going to help him make any money, even if they're worth many times the starting wealth of the campaign.

If I'm playing a duke that's just been kicked off his land and he's on the run, how much do I need to pay for his wig? Or his trousers or his exquisitely-crafted boots?

How would you figure that out? If he's wearing clothes that would cost $50,000 but he has absolutely no wealth he can use as an investment or as capital?

The way GURPS prices those sorts of resources is to make you pay the sticker price. Unfortunately, the way to get the money also comes bundled with an increase in income, which our duke does not have.
Actually, those clothes could pretty easily help in recovering a tolerable situation and means of support as a courtier somewhere...or could be cashed in for a fair bit of money. Though using it as an investment, in some times and places, would be setting your social capital on fire.

But, yeah, you can certainly justify something valuable that, even if in a pinch you could sell it off, wouldn't imply a Wealth level elevation.
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