Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - [RPM] Cultists of the Cold Ones (Apocalyptic Cult of the Path of Nonexistence)

Icelander · 02-15-2020, 10:34 AM

As benchmarks for Status in modern US society, specifically in Southern California, can forumites name examples that they consider to have Status 3-4?

I'm aware that many celebrities have Reputation with their more enthusiastic fans, but a lot of the hallmarks of celebrity in modern America are indistinguishable from the game effects of Status in GURPS terms, not to mention that being able to maintain a certain lifestyle is often a requirement for a certain social set, just like Status in GURPS.

As partial benchmarks, Status 1 is often the equivalent of any military officer other than very junior ones, established doctor or lawyers, even if they aren't all that wealthy, and Status 2 can be people who aren't all that well known publicly, as long as they are clearly wealthy and well-connected; i.e. successful lawyers and doctors. Status 3+ is where people start being treated like historical nobility, i.e. celebrities and important politicians.

I'm specifically looking for Asian-American families to serve as the real relatives of a fictional cult leader for my campaign.

To take real people as examples, what would forumites say is the Status of a Youtube personality like Anna Akana? She's maybe Very Wealthy in GURPS terms and I'd guess she has Status 1-2, with maybe some Reputation that applies to her fans, whoever those are. From further research of this person, I doubt that she is Status 3+, but I don't really have any feeling for how influential she is or how much help her alleged celebrity is in getting tables at restaurants and the like.

Or a reality TV star slash low-level celebrity like Jamie Chung? Filthy Rich and famous enough so that I know who she is, but not so famous that I can name a movie she has done without Googling. What kind of Status does that reflect?

Or a real celebrity like Lucy Liu? About Multimillionaire 1 (technically about half that, but that's far closer than Filthy Rich) and seems like she would get a lot of the benefits of high Status from pretty much everyone knowing who she is.

What about Benihana magnate Rocky Aoki (before his death)? Multimilionaire 1, all sorts of business ties (legal and illegal), famous and infamous and had numerous relatives who were also well known?

How about Kevin Tsujihara, CEO of Warner Bros Entertainment? His job is only Very Wealthy or so, but his salary is not necessarily his major source of income and studio heads are traditionally extremely influential in Hollywood.

And can anyone name examples of real-world Asian-Americans who live in California and would, in their opinion, have Status 3 or Status 4?

02-15-2020, 10:34 AM	#25
Icelander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Iceland*	California Status, Celebrities, Youtube Personalities and Socialites As benchmarks for Status in modern US society, specifically in Southern California, can forumites name examples that they consider to have Status 3-4? I'm aware that many celebrities have Reputation with their more enthusiastic fans, but a lot of the hallmarks of celebrity in modern America are indistinguishable from the game effects of Status in GURPS terms, not to mention that being able to maintain a certain lifestyle is often a requirement for a certain social set, just like Status in GURPS. As partial benchmarks, Status 1 is often the equivalent of any military officer other than very junior ones, established doctor or lawyers, even if they aren't all that wealthy, and Status 2 can be people who aren't all that well known publicly, as long as they are clearly wealthy and well-connected; i.e. successful lawyers and doctors. Status 3+ is where people start being treated like historical nobility, i.e. celebrities and important politicians. I'm specifically looking for Asian-American families to serve as the real relatives of a fictional cult leader for my campaign. To take real people as examples, what would forumites say is the Status of a Youtube personality like Anna Akana? She's maybe Very Wealthy in GURPS terms and I'd guess she has Status 1-2, with maybe some Reputation that applies to her fans, whoever those are. From further research of this person, I doubt that she is Status 3+, but I don't really have any feeling for how influential she is or how much help her alleged celebrity is in getting tables at restaurants and the like. Or a reality TV star slash low-level celebrity like Jamie Chung? Filthy Rich and famous enough so that I know who she is, but not so famous that I can name a movie she has done without Googling. What kind of Status does that reflect? Or a real celebrity like Lucy Liu? About Multimillionaire 1 (technically about half that, but that's far closer than Filthy Rich) and seems like she would get a lot of the benefits of high Status from pretty much everyone knowing who she is. What about Benihana magnate Rocky Aoki (before his death)? Multimilionaire 1, all sorts of business ties (legal and illegal), famous and infamous and had numerous relatives who were also well known? How about Kevin Tsujihara, CEO of Warner Bros Entertainment? His job is only Very Wealthy or so, but his salary is not necessarily his major source of income and studio heads are traditionally extremely influential in Hollywood. And can anyone name examples of real-world Asian-Americans who live in California and would, in their opinion, have Status 3 or Status 4? __________________ Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela! Last edited by Icelander; 02-15-2020 at 03:05 PM.