Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-20-2012, 04:43 PM   #1
thom
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Default Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

OK so I'm running a Fantasy game (not DF!), and I'm trying to figure out how to handle the Cost of Living/Status issue. The PCs are presumed to be Status 0. They are all second sons/orphans who are leaving their homes to go to the far kingdoms and adventure (so, in effect, they are leaving their permanent 80% of wealth homes). When they hit the docks in the new city, it seems (by the rules) that they must immediately start paying the costs listed on B265, since they are (by definition) "living away from home". That means to find rooms in an Inn and start buying "3 squares a day" will cost them:

at Status 0:
Inn: $120 per day
3 meals: $24 per day
total cost = $144 per day!

They could choose to live at Status -1 (and impress no one!)
Inn: $60 per day
3 meals: $12 per day
total cost = $84 per day!

And they must continue to pay these costs until---when??

Note that Banestorm sez:
Status 0: A rural cottage (probably held in fief or rented), or several rented or small rooms in town. Possibly a servant or two, or at least family members to help you out. A couple of changes of clothes, one set adequately smart. A mule or ox in the country; in town, enough credit to hire or borrow a mount if you need to travel short distances.

So just when do the PCs get to stop paying the "living away from home" expenses? When they negotiate a long-term rent deal in town for several rented rooms?

How do y'all handle this in your Fantasy games?
thom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2012, 05:28 PM   #2
Sunrunners_Fire
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Quote:
Originally Posted by thom View Post
How do y'all handle this in your Fantasy games?
In my games, they stop paying the "living away from home" prices when they invest 80% of their Wealth ($Foo) value in the new location to purchase a settled lifestyle.

Assuming TL 3:
  • Wealth (Poor) [-15], costs G$160 for a settled lifestyle.
    80% of 200 is 160.
  • Wealth (Struggling) [-10], costs G$400 for a settled lifestyle.
    80% of 500 is 400.
  • Wealth (Average) [0], costs G$800 for a settled lifestyle.
    80% of 1000 is 800.
  • Etc, etc, etc ...
Sunrunners_Fire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2012, 06:00 PM   #3
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Quote:
Originally Posted by thom View Post
OK so I'm running a Fantasy game (not DF!), and I'm trying to figure out how to handle the Cost of Living/Status issue. The PCs are presumed to be Status 0. They are all second sons/orphans who are leaving their homes to go to the far kingdoms and adventure (so, in effect, they are leaving their permanent 80% of wealth homes).

How do y'all handle this in your Fantasy games?
I don't assume that they leave 80% of their wealth behind. If they're going to relocate permanently, why would they?
David Johnston2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2012, 06:09 PM   #4
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

When I started my Worminghall campaign, I had the PCs stay in inns for a day or two, while they searched for teachers and permanent lodgings. But as soon as they'd made a search roll to find a landlord, they were in.

Bill Stoddard
whswhs is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2012, 07:16 PM   #5
thom
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Well, since they are 2nd sons, and aren't going to inherit, I'm assuming their daddys didn't just say "here's $1,000--good luck!" Although they could, I guess. I don't seem to recall Kromm saying as such in his "how you allocate your starting money" post a while back.

Bill, that's what I was leaning towards; a variation between your post and Sunrunner's; that as soon as the PCs get semi-permanent lodging in the new town they start paying the standard amount again-and I kinda like the 80% idea, actually.

Of course, once they "hit the road" on an adventure, then they're buying travel rations and paying the Inn & Tavern prices again...
thom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2012, 08:29 PM   #6
Hans Rancke-Madsen
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Quote:
Originally Posted by thom View Post
Well, since they are 2nd sons, and aren't going to inherit, I'm assuming their daddys didn't just say "here's $1,000--good luck!"
In which case they'd be Struggling, wouldn't they? Or have some campaign-mandated (i.e. doesn't count towards disadvantage limit) CPs from starting with less money than their wealth entitled them to.


Hans
Hans Rancke-Madsen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2012, 08:44 PM   #7
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

When relocating, did they load up a wagon with all their worldly goods, or did they just shrug on a backpack filled with clothes and necessities, plus a few bags of gold and silver coins?

If the former, I'd start charging them cost of living as soon as they start unloading the wagon.
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2012, 05:16 AM   #8
thom
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Quote:
Originally Posted by tbrock1031 View Post
When relocating, did they load up a wagon with all their worldly goods, or did they just shrug on a backpack filled with clothes and necessities, plus a few bags of gold and silver coins?

If the former, I'd start charging them cost of living as soon as they start unloading the wagon.
I'm going with the latter actually (backpack and basic supplies), and now I'm thinking that I will let them spend the full $1,000 as "starting wealth & gifts". Inspired by what Hans was saying (actually I hadn't thought of a mandate before). That way seems to make it easier to hit them with the "away from home" costs until they find sem-permanent digs...

But even when they do have long-term rentals in the city, when they go out into the countryside on adventures they'll still have to pay the "away from home costs", right?
thom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2012, 07:33 AM   #9
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Quote:
Originally Posted by thom View Post
But even when they do have long-term rentals in the city, when they go out into the countryside on adventures they'll still have to pay the "away from home costs", right?
Yes, but let's face it: that's what most people traveling over the holidays do today, too. We normally don't stay in motels with fully-stocked kitchens; we stay in places with a bed, a sink, and a shower, and eat at diners, often looking to make sure we don't spend too much.
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2012, 09:36 AM   #10
Kromm
GURPS Line Editor
 
Kromm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
Default Re: Cost of Living and Status in Fantasy Game

Others have the right of it: You can take your money up front (100% of starting wealth as cash), spend it however you wish, and automatically become a wanderer who either pays exorbitant on-the-road rates or makes a lot of Survival rolls (and eventually fails a few, losing some FP or HP). Alternatively, you can take 20% of your money up front, leave 80% tied up in an established home and lifestyle, and have 1/5 as much for gear, but enjoy the assumption that you have a home where your food and lodging are covered.

Fantasy as presented in most RPGs is an unusual and sometimes annoying case. It assumes that the heroes are wealthy treasure-hunters with no fixed address in a world where the vast majority of people must labor long days to stay warm and fed (and sometimes that fails, too) . . . and yet are admired for it, not treated as murderous drifters. A fair GURPS treatment of this would probably be to insist that they take a Claim to Hospitality with perhaps a -40% Accessibility limitation ("Must save the town first"), and most likely to make them all Wealthy with Independent Income to cover the ability to spend all their money on arms and armor yet not be treated as negative-Status scum (Wealthy and Independent Income 12 would mean being constantly maintained at Status 0 without having to do a damned thing "on screen").
__________________
Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com>
GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games
My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News]
Kromm is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
kromm answer, wealth

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:22 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.