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Old 06-16-2021, 01:50 PM   #242
Stormcrow
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
Default Re: Independent Income at later TL stages

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
Right, that's why independent income should be the "doesn't need to spend time working" advantage. If you're not doing simulation, the point value should be based on the amount and quality of free time it gives you.
The character point doesn't give you or improve your free time. It gives you cash. That's all it does. That's all it's supposed to do. If you spend that cash on weapons for adventuring, you haven't earned any free time. It's a character point for monthly cash.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
From a gamist ("not a simulator") perspective, what makes more sense to base a wealth-generation trait on - the rules that are already in play for generating wealth (jobs) or something tangentially related (starting wealth, which is equal to 10 months' wages minus 10 months' CoL)?
The question is a false dichotomy. Jobs are cash-for-work; Independent Income is cash-for-no-work. You have to have prerequisites and job rolls to have a job; you have to spend character points for Independent Income.

The reason both jobs and Independent Income scale with TL and Wealth is because they reflect prosperity at high TLs. Getting money is easier at high TLs. Spending money is easier at high TLs. That's why you HAVE more money at higher TLs in the first place. That's why higher TL jobs pay more. That's why Independent Income pays more at higher TLs.

Quote:
I'd argue for the former as more narratively useful - "Each [1] means you need to work 4 hours less each month to gain your normal monthly wages" makes more sense as a trait to me.
Independent Income is NOT about replacing wages! It's NOT about paying your Cost of Living. It's about getting extra cash, to do anything you want with.

Since it's not about these things, it doesn't have to scale with them.

By the way, I'd argue that it's more narratively useful to decide whether a character has enough cash to buy a blaster than it is to decide whether he can write 4 fewer hours on his Time Use Sheet.
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