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 01-20-2014, 07:33 AM   #1
Voyager
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Default Money transfer between sessions?

How do you handle large adventuring windfalls for poor characters?

Two things came up in the Caravan to Ein Arris game I ran. At the end of the adventure, one character, a dead broke thief, managed to steal the wedding jewels, valued at $8,000, and had further managed to pocket another 2k or so from working for the bad guys.

A second character, a spice merchant who was struggling because a band of bandits had robbed him blind and left him for dead, through a combination of our hastily cobbled together house rules for trading, and a number of good trading rules had managed to trade his way up to a pretty sizable amount of cash.

Supposing we ran another session, how would their wealth be handled? I'm leaning toward some sort of rule that wealth also controls how much cash you can carry with you from adventure to adventure. I.e. you're not broke because yo don't have any money; you are broke because when you get money you drink and party it all away.

Does anyone know of example rules like that?
Voyager is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 07:53 AM   #2
Nereidalbel
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Assume he fenced the jewels, and allow him to turn that value, minus cost of living, into gear. Either that, or bring their wealth level up as Advantages Gained In Play (or just let them buy up their wealth with earned points).
Nereidalbel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 08:02 AM   #3
Figleaf23
Banned
 
Figleaf23's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Although it is hidden away in the Jobs section (B517), the official rule I believe is:

" ... if the PC’s savings
reach the starting wealth of the
next-highest wealth level, he must pay
the points to buy up his Wealth (see
Adding and Improving Social Traits,
p. 291)."

Unfortunately, there is no guidance on how to implement the 'must'.

Many GMs would allow you to spend away the money instead, and/or to put aside newly earned CP toward buying up Wealth over time. Another way would be to impose a Disad to make up the point balance.
Figleaf23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 08:04 AM   #4
Nereidalbel
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Figleaf23 View Post
Although it is hidden away in the Jobs section (B517), the official rule I believe is:

" ... if the PC’s savings
reach the starting wealth of the
next-highest wealth level, he must pay
the points to buy up his Wealth (see
Adding and Improving Social Traits,
p. 291)."

Unfortunately, there is no guidance on how to implement the 'must'.

Many GMs would allow you to spend away the money instead, and/or to put aside newly earned CP toward buying up Wealth over time. Another way would be to impose a Disad to make up the point balance.
Savings are also different from one-time gains. While our thief simply has some spending money, our merchant is actively gaining more money, which means either he buys up his wealth, or he has no recourse when the GM rolls to see how much he lost to a robbery of some kind.
Nereidalbel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 08:17 AM   #5
Fred Brackin
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Voyager View Post
How do you handle large adventuring windfalls for poor characters?
Money is money and lost is lost and found is found. Wealth is thing purchased with character points and neither gained nor lost by adventuring.

If no one has the Independent Income Advantage (or the Debt Disad) it's only the optional Jobs rules that are affected by Wealth. The thief wouldn't be able to get a very good one at all and the merchant wouldn't be able to get a better one than he had before he started the adventure.

Without II or Jobs neither character is getting any benefit he didn't pay for or suffering any penalty not already accounted for by his _Starting_ Wealth..
__________________
Fred Brackin
Fred Brackin is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 08:42 AM   #6
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

The rags-to-riches, farmboy-to-demigod arc of dungeon fantasy is the game where the Wealth rules are perhaps least applicable. If you want the characters to seize fabulous treasures with "adventurer" as their only job, the Wealth rules aren't all that applicable. Note that DF1 redefines Wealth as simply a fractional multiplier for selling your loot.

Quote:
allow him to turn that value, minus cost of living, into gear
Non-cash wealth is still wealth. You're not Dead Broke if you have magical armor and weapons, a castle, lands, herds, forests, fish, swans, and servants including the one that carries your Privy Purse to make sure you personally never touch the filthy lucre as coins per se. If you're squandering your gains to maintain a Wealth level, the money needs to be squandered to no good effect. You don't buy more gear. You lose it all gambling, or in a stupid investment, or buying drinks for everyone in town (without becoming famous or well-liked). If you have something to show for it, then you've just turned one form of wealth into another.
Anaraxes is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 08:58 AM   #7
SCAR
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Yorkshire, UK
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

This thread discusses this matter, with several posts by Kromm.
The basics are to use the rule from B517, quoted by Figleaf23 above.
SCAR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 09:06 AM   #8
Lamech
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Figleaf23 View Post

" ... if the PC’s savings
reach the starting wealth of the
next-highest wealth level, he must pay
the points to buy up his Wealth (see
Adding and Improving Social Traits,
p. 291)."
You are missing some major context here. Notably
Quote:
If a PC lands a job associated with
a higher wealth level than his own
(which isn’t easy – see Finding a Job, p.
518), the GM should let him earn the
usual pay for that job.
"The" means it refers to one singular PC. The PC who landed a better job. Unless the Dead Broke thief also landed a great job it doesn't apply. That's why its in the jobs section!



That said in the section on wealth you find.
Quote:
If a poor PC becomes wealthy, the GM should require the player to
“buy off” the disadvantage with character points
So there is arguably a good reason to require the guy to buy off the disadvantage. Or spend some of the money. Also its up to you to decide what wealthy is. But no where is there anything that requires the PC to buy wealth.
Quote:
If you have something to show for it, then you've just turned one form of wealth into another.
No. No, no, no. "Something to show for it" is not another form of wealth. The PC is allowed to get a reputation, acquire better gear, or become well like! Dead Broke does not prevent any of those things. Its not another form of wealth!

When a PC buys a disadvantage it can get suppressed. You shouldn't punish a PC for taking advantage of a temporary boost.
__________________
John
Cee
Martel
Hiriko
Andrew
Lamech is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 09:25 AM   #9
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamech View Post
he PC is allowed to get a reputation, acquire better gear, or become well like!
If and only if he pays the points for those advantages -- much like paying points to use the windfall to get a higher Wealth level. If the player doesn't want his concept to change, then he won't want to pay points for any of this stuff, and should be happy to fritter the windfall away.
Anaraxes is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2014, 10:19 AM   #10
Oggsmash
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Default Re: Money transfer between sessions?

Look at real life examples. 70 percent of lottery winners end up worth LESS than before they won the lottery within 5 years. 55 percent file bankruptcy. Wealth, and building it are character habits, having some money to spend is not the same thing.

Simple answer is the character does some silly things with his money (gets that 1000 dollar jewel encrusted belt buckle he always wanted), Overspends on rented lodging and throwing a party, etc. money is easy to get rid of, real life ABOUNDS with people who come into windfalls and do really, really dumb things with it. Being dead broke does not mean you never have money, it means you never figure out how to build your money, and are not too wise in how to spend it.

As for the wealth rules not being so great for fantasy adventuring, heros like Conan disagree, who was excellent as losing a king's ransom in record time again and again.
Oggsmash is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

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 08:54 AM.


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