Do you let them search the bodies, and sell the loot?

[TheCrispyBit]

Again somewhat of a conversion problem. I am very used to GMing D&D and the like where every piece of gold and equipment on every body is raided and the proceeds collected and sold.

I realise that this is a complex procedure, and some GMs wouldn't allow it I'm sure. I was just wandering how it it handled in Gurps, can players sell loot they find (ie spare weapons/armour they find and don't want) into shops. Is there a 20% of original value to sell junk back to shops, or is it more of a haggling dice rolling affair, or should I just make something up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Chars

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

You should just make something up. That said, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy starts with a 40% resale value for gear.

And I randomize it a bit to reflect usage - not all used gear is equally valuable.
http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com...n-empties.html

[starslayer]

There is no 'hard and fast' rule- mostly because different things loose value differently.

A suit of armour covered in blood with a giant hole in the chest is not going to sell as well as the sword that poor dead guy was holding when he was stabbed through the chest.

Further a merchant is going to offer less money for a bulk of goods, then for individual items from a set (where they can pick the ones that have good resale).

For a hard and fast I would go with something like: 10% of the items value, modified by the reaction roll, with a bonus/penalty based on the margin of success of contested merchant rolls (which means that if the merchant make there roll by ten you are convinced that the whole lot is worth basically nothing and you let it go for a song), multiplied by your wealth level modifier.

That will make the merchant skill very applicable in your game, wealth level important for the game, and reaction rolls applicable for your game, while preventing there being too many scenarios where items sell for more then there actual value.

[Fwibos]

Originally Posted by TheCrispyBit

Again somewhat of a conversion problem. I am very used to GMing D&D and the like where every piece of gold and equipment on every body is raided and the proceeds collected and sold.

I realise that this is a complex procedure, and some GMs wouldn't allow it I'm sure. I was just wandering how it it handled in Gurps, can players sell loot they find (ie spare weapons/armour they find and don't want) into shops. Is there a 20% of original value to sell junk back to shops, or is it more of a haggling dice rolling affair, or should I just make something up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Chars

Gently educated answer.
Depends on their social status and morals. Looting was useful and worthwhile, but those of status would be looked down on for engaging in the practice. Instead, those under their command would likely loot, and then they, the commanders, would account and take what they wish.

As common soldiers, or lesser knights, they would be expected to loot - by Jove's hanging cod, that's how they profit!


Sell using the merchant rules/influence checks. Remember, most people only have default skill.

I ran exalted once, one of the NPCs was a mortal obsidian merchant. Profit per item was small, but siince he followed a Twilight Solar who knew "Deasth of Obsidian Butterflies" he had plenty of supply.

[whswhs]

GURPS Social Engineering has both quick and dirty haggling rules, and alternative rules for greatly extended haggling.

Bill Stoddard

[gilbertocarlos]

You should probably be able to sell armor and weapons, but there are loads of problems:
1)You won't get full price: Okay, you paid $600 on a sword, but, if you want to sell it, to whom will you sell? The smith won't buy it back, not for $600, maybe for $200, you can sell to one of the city guards, again, not by $600, because that's the blacksmith price, and they trust him, you're just a stranger that should be happy for at most $250.

2)You need to find a buyer, you have 5 swords, 10 axes, 10 spears and just got into the city, the first sword you will be able to sell at $250, the second and third for $200, the other guards aren't interested. The axes and spears can probably be sold for $10-$15, but will be hard to find people to buy all of them for more than that.

3)Most people don't need goblin armor. you killed all the goblin raiders, there are at least 10 suits of leather armor, the size for goblins, let's say that the cost of production would be $400 for them, you would get $150 since no one knows you, but, no one needs goblin armor, if you get $50 a piece you will be lucky.

4)Gun Control: What? you want to enter the city with all that weapons? in your dreams, you can carry one sword at most, unless you want trouble with the guards.

5)Cheap weapons: Most swords that bandits use would be cheap, that makes the price down to 40% of what it would be, most armor are specific to someone, and would cost to tailor to someone else, they would probably be sold as cheap.

6)That's the sword of the baron, you killed him: Nice, you found a fine balanced sword, it have jewels in the scabbard, the blade have runes on it, you go to sell it, just to find out that you shouldn't probably take weapons from that guy in the shining armor, now everyonw knows that you killed him, and all the city guard is after you.

7)Time: You need to sell this sword today? well, at the end of the month I could probably pay 20 pieces of silver, but today I only have 10, is that enough?

8)The most important part, weight, swords can be easily carried, but a 30 pound suit of armor won't be. Even more so if you're carrying 5 of them. Animals can help with that, but they cost to maintain.



All that said, most players would pick some swords to sell them for $100, but, unless you're a known merchant who can wait to sell, have a horse to carry it and know how to negotiate, it will be hard to pick anything else.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by TheCrispyBit

Again somewhat of a conversion problem. I am very used to GMing D&D and the like where every piece of gold and equipment on every body is raided and the proceeds collected and sold.

I realise that this is a complex procedure, and some GMs wouldn't allow it I'm sure. I was just wandering how it it handled in Gurps, can players sell loot they find (ie spare weapons/armour they find and don't want) into shops. Is there a 20% of original value to sell junk back to shops, or is it more of a haggling dice rolling affair, or should I just make something up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Why allow/disallow?

Why not let the PCs do as they wish, but then have consequences for it?

OPH (Corpse Looter)? Or gradually accumulating a negative Reputation for robbing bodies? Or even for being murderhobos?

Or some of the PCs might have a Code of Honour that forbids such a practice. Or all the PCs might have it, but then you won't have fun in-party conflicts.



For selling loot, you can take a look at GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. IIRC the material is in volumes 1 or 2 (get both).

AFAIK GURPS Vikings don't contain anything of that kind (at least in the 2nd Edition volume I have), even though the Vikings were very fond of sailing around and being murderhobos.

[Icelander]

In games with little or no centralised control of society, sure. Might makes right and once you've disposed of enemies, their arms belong to you by the ancient laws of war. This generally describes lower TL games, or post-apocalyptic ones.

In games with laws that are enforced by a centralised authority holding a monopoly on violence, PCs who kill people are generally regarded as criminals. As such, anything found on the bodies of their murdered enemies has the potential to be evidence that is dangerous to them. They are therefore unlikely to want to risk selling it, and depending on the sophistication of forensic technology, they may want to destroy it instead.

This describes the standard throughout most of the world in the average TL5+ game, but pockets of territory where laws are effectively enforced by the ruler's personal men exist all the way down to TL0. By contrast, as well, there will be lawless areas in many settings with higher TLs, where killing your enemies and looting their bodies is regarded as not especially remarkable.

Even settings where the laws and traditions of society can usually be effectively enforced may feature legalised looting in some form during warfare. If so, PCs certainly can indulge in such activities. In the past, I've even had PCs act as commanders of Roman armies, which means that they can legally sell any surviving enemies as slaves, pocketing the proceeds. That's 'not kill them, but loot their bodies nonetheless', which is probably the height of lootery.

[Purple Haze]

Sell? In my low tech games metal weapons and armour are the most valuable, portable, easily negotiated form of wealth. Cattle may be the exception, but player characters seem even less thrilled about travelling around with a herd. Gems, jewelry, "precious" metal are of interest to perhaps 2% of the population. Arrowheads, spearheads, and knife blades are of use to perhaps 90-95%.

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by Icelander

In games with little or no centralised control of society, sure. Might makes right and once you've disposed of enemies, their arms belong to you by the ancient laws of war. This generally describes lower TL games, or post-apocalyptic ones.

And D&D. largely. "Yours by right of conquest" is thoroughly built into the game.