Cat and Mice in the City

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by MattV

I think underperforming for a lenght of time in autodueling means you are pushing up daisies.

Not necessarily -- think "Amateur Night Redux" in whichever-ADQ-it-was; the
guy loses, but survives. I could see a situation where a duellist has a run of
bad luck (or overconfidence) which sees him having to surrender, or spending
a good chunk of a duel upside-down and/or tireless, a lot. The result of this
would be someone who keeps showing up to the arena, but always leaves
with a shot-up car and little prize money; he might even become "famous" for
being a perennial loser without actually dying -- to the point where an
"outsider" duellist who tries to take him out permanently might be ganged-up-
on by the other locals! :)

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by Jeffr0

the Richard Petty effect.

[coughs, as he indicates his choice of handle... :) ]

[Earlburt]

Originally Posted by 43Supporter

he might even become "famous" for being a perennial loser without actually dying -- to the point where an "outsider" duellist who tries to take him out permanently might be ganged-up-on by the other locals! :)

That's actually a really good kernel idea for an adventure.

[Earlburt]

I think of most autoduellists as having analogs in the pre-1990s boxing world. Most boxers were underinformed about the economics of their own industry, they did not often have agents, and many were exploited by handlers in a sport where their bodies broke down on them quickly. Smart, responsible, level-headed and forward-thinking duellists are probably about as common as having those same attributes in boxers, which is to say, not very.

Since the lethality rate in autoduelling is so high, I was kind of thinking that sponsors would spread their money around a lot. A very small number of duellists would receive substanital sponsorships, but most would receive small stipends. Afterall, why invest a lot in a couple duellists who may not live long when you can splash your logo on a whole bunch of short-lived drivers?

Sponsorships might also take the form of add-ons to arena winnings, as a sort of performance-based incentive program. For example, if in a Div 15 event the house puts up a $12,500 pot for the winning driver, maybe a sponsor then ponies up another $1000 per kill scored... but only to drivers sporting their logo. Kind of like when radio stations do spontaneous giveaways to cars flying that station's bumper sticker.

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by Earlburt

That's actually a really good kernel idea for an adventure.

Ten steps ahead of you.... :)