Simple rules for a TL 4 business?

Talonos · 03-07-2012, 06:30 PM

One of my TL 4 characters recently (and somewhat accidentally) acquired a Guildhall... and it's very heavy mortgage. He is now trying to make monthly payments by offering to let an NPC spellcaster he knows (who has teleport as a high level of skill) sell spices and magical items in the front room, so when his character eventually retires from adventuring, he can set up shop as a guild leader, with a guildhall already set up.

It strikes me that GURPS probably has some sort of simplified business rules, where costs such as advertising, stock acquisition, and so forth provide bonuses or penalties to a skill roll that determines weekly or monthly profit margin or so forth. (I'm thinking of the amazingly streamlined and yet helpful rules in GURPS spaceships 2 that allow for the buying and selling of interplanetary commodities.) Do you know of any way to simulate a running business in GURPS, preferable in a way that occurs "in the background" requiring no more than a few rolls per session? (Similarly to how "profession rolls" work?)

If not, perhaps I'll take a crack at writing such rules myself and post them somewhere...

whswhs · 03-07-2012, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talonos

It strikes me that GURPS probably has some sort of simplified business rules, where costs such as advertising, stock acquisition, and so forth provide bonuses or penalties to a skill roll that determines weekly or monthly profit margin or so forth. (I'm thinking of the amazingly streamlined and yet helpful rules in GURPS spaceships 2 that allow for the buying and selling of interplanetary commodities.) Do you know of any way to simulate a running business in GURPS, preferable in a way that occurs "in the background" requiring no more than a few rolls per session? (Similarly to how "profession rolls" work?)

GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3 has one set of rules, aimed specifically at a sales business. This seems like the sort of business that could optimally be handled with a monthly job success roll. Take a look and see if it's any help.

Bill Stoddard

03-07-2012, 06:30 PM	#1
Talonos Join Date: Jan 2007	Simple rules for a TL 4 business? One of my TL 4 characters recently (and somewhat accidentally) acquired a Guildhall... and it's very heavy mortgage. He is now trying to make monthly payments by offering to let an NPC spellcaster he knows (who has teleport as a high level of skill) sell spices and magical items in the front room, so when his character eventually retires from adventuring, he can set up shop as a guild leader, with a guildhall already set up. It strikes me that GURPS probably has some sort of simplified business rules, where costs such as advertising, stock acquisition, and so forth provide bonuses or penalties to a skill roll that determines weekly or monthly profit margin or so forth. (I'm thinking of the amazingly streamlined and yet helpful rules in GURPS spaceships 2 that allow for the buying and selling of interplanetary commodities.) Do you know of any way to simulate a running business in GURPS, preferable in a way that occurs "in the background" requiring no more than a few rolls per session? (Similarly to how "profession rolls" work?) If not, perhaps I'll take a crack at writing such rules myself and post them somewhere...