Rules you ignore/alter.

[JulianLW]

Kromm's alternate version of Signature Gear seems to me to strike the best balance between points (i.e. investment of character) and money.

Originally Posted by Kromm

One could take this point of view:

Currently, at 1 point per 50% of average campaign starting money, Signature Gear 2 [2] gives stuff worth 100% of starting cash, on top of cash. In effect, then, for 1/5 the price of Comfortable [10], someone with Average wealth gets the same boost in stuff as if he had taken Comfortable, as long as he accepts the boost in the form of plot-protected gear. One could extend this thinking. A possible reinvention of Signature Gear would be:

1. Buy your wealth level normally and note its starting money. Example: Sig Sigson is a TL3 warrior with Struggling wealth. This costs him -10 points (a disadvantage) and gives him just $500 in cash.
2. Select a higher wealth level and note its point cost and starting money. Example: Sig wants cool gear commensurate with that of a knight, who would be a Status 2 individual with a wealth level of Wealthy. Wealthy costs 20 points and gives $5,000 in cash.
3. Find the point-cost difference between these wealth levels, divide that difference by 5, and pay that many points for Signature Gear. Example: The difference in cost is 20 - (-10) = 30 points, so Sig pays 30/5 = 6 points for Signature Gear.
4. Find the starting-money difference between the wealth levels, note that with your Signature Gear advantage, and take up to that many $ in plot-protected gear. Example: The difference in cash is $5,000 - $500 = $4,500, so Sig notes Signature Gear ($4,500) [6] and is glad his GM didn't charge him 9 points for this.

This way, some would-be elven bow owner who has Average wealth and wants a $15,300 bow could just get Signature Gear ($19,000) [6] – which would be Signature Gear ($19,500) [8] for Sig. Those who want to mess with intermediate levels could do so, too, I suppose.

I guess intermediate levels are crucial. Those who want $100,000,000 starships at TL10 could take either Signature Gear ($49,950,000) [15] or Signature Gear ($499,950,000) [20], but might want in-between levels. So extend the Wealth chart:

×1.5 for 5 points
×2 for 10 points
×3 for 15 points
×5 for 20 points
×10 for 25 points
×20 for 30 points
×40 for 35 points
×60 for 40 points
×80 for 45 points
×100 for 50 points
×200 for 55 points
×400 for 60 points
×600 for 65 points
×800 for 70 points
×1,000 for 75 points
×2,000 for 80 points
×4,000 for 85 points
×6,000 for 90 points
×8,000 for 95 points
×10,000 for 100 points

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Alden Loveshade

http://mygurps.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.GURPSMoney

Originally Posted by JulianLW

Kromm's alternate version of Signature Gear seems to me to strike the best balance between points (i.e. investment of character) and money.

I used to use both of these but dropped the latter for the former. Signature Gear is just a simple point (I got that from DFRPG). Separate from it, you buy gear as per normal, but money costs half as much as Wealth. In fact, it's just Wealth (Money Only -50% with intermediate levels possible, but you right it on your sheet because you can buy the other half later.

Other slight rule; Certain specific traits are off-limits in RAW for Controllable Disadvantage (I think Berserk and Epilepsy?). Instead, you can still pick them, but you must follow the rules of the disad to turn it off. Berserk, namely, has it's own conditions both for turning off and on normally, so taking it as a perk just makes you immune to the disad turning on without you wanting it to. Even though it's based on SC12, I still see players prefer it over Berserk-15 just for the control aspect.

This isn't exactly a rules break, but I basically allow any Attribute Substitution and am far more willing to break verisimilitude for cinematic awesomeness; In a pokemon campaign a player took Throw: Pokeball based on Will to let 'sheer determination' help catch pokemon.

However, I do allow ST-based changes but with some caveats; Only one substitution, treat ST as 20 for any contests with this skill if ST is higher, the skill must absolutely make some amount of sense (for instance, already has ST-based possible rolls) and the skill can't directly use ST already. That last one is a bit fiddly, but namely no muscle-based weapons skills based on ST (guns are allowed!) or other skills that directly interact with thrust, swing, or basic lift. Uncontested skills are usually fine over 20 in my experience.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

Kromm's alternate version of Signature Gear seems to me to strike the best balance between points (i.e. investment of character) and money.

Eh, it just formalizes it so signature gear being overly efficient is true at all wealth levels. I prefer the DF version, where it doesn't affect money at all, it just flags an item you purchase in some other way as being plot protected.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Eh, it just formalizes it so signature gear being overly efficient is true at all wealth levels. I prefer the DF version, where it doesn't affect money at all, it just flags an item you purchase in some other way as being plot protected.

This is the version I use now. One point per item, buys it plot protection, though I do expect character to use that item in preference to other similar one whenever it's not clearly foolish to do so.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Rupert

This is the version I use now. One point per item, buys it plot protection, though I do expect character to use that item in preference to other similar one whenever it's not clearly foolish to do so.

I don't mind them using other things over it if it's part of the concept. One of my characters has a 'lucky ax' that he only uses once he's broken any better weapons in range. The ax is more of a good luck charm (with quirk-level delusion) than a preferred weapon and he'll still never go without it at his side.

On the flipside, I'm also entirely willing to upgrade signature gear as 'loot' for an adventure if it can make sense (effectively making the gear better by the amount based on loot they would have gotten plus the amount of money they'd get for selling it). This is especially relevant when enchanting is on the table, the PCs already want to improve this particular item over anything else for conceptual reasons.

I've also let characters upgrade their signature gear into either Ally (talking weapons!) and/or a special version of gadget advantages (the limitation is much smaller because it is assumed you will have it or get it back soon).

[Gumby Bush]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

I don't mind them using other things over it if it's part of the concept. One of my characters has a 'lucky ax' that he only uses once he's broken any better weapons in range. The ax is more of a good luck charm (with quirk-level delusion) than a preferred weapon and he'll still never go without it at his side.

On the flipside, I'm also entirely willing to upgrade signature gear as 'loot' for an adventure if it can make sense (effectively making the gear better by the amount based on loot they would have gotten plus the amount of money they'd get for selling it). This is especially relevant when enchanting is on the table, the PCs already want to improve this particular item over anything else for conceptual reasons.

I've also let characters upgrade their signature gear into either Ally (talking weapons!) and/or a special version of gadget advantages (the limitation is much smaller because it is assumed you will have it or get it back soon).

I'm with this. I use Signature Gear as perk (Plot Protected Item) and frequently build characters as having:
Signature Gear [1]; Named Possession [1]; and Weapon Bond [1].

I also let a signature gear item count as the gadget for gadget limitations. So, I currently have a character in the campaign I'm running with Alternate Form (Shark) with gadget limitations linking it to his (SG, Named, WB) fish hook... yes, the character was inspired by Maui.

However, I'm also happy to use The Captain's Boat (P3/71) and similar rules for Patrons in Boardrooms & Curia for large "Signature Gear" type things like spacecraft, abodes, etc. In fact, options like those (and the related "gear or ally?" puzzles) are what finally convinced me to switch, since the point values started looking skewed in comparison--it can be cheaper, otherwise, to have a tricked-out talking sword as an Ally than a regular sword as signature gear!

To the add to the thread: I tend to be quite charitable in letting players buy traits consistent with their concept. Occasionally, these are "oh, yeah, you probably should already have had that. Oops. Go ahead and buy it!" other times it's "yeah, I'm not going to bother making you do anything special to acquire that..." TbaM and WM are the notable examples here. I'd likely treat Talents and such similarly. Skills, spells, and the like I tend to treat normally, but if there's a skill which the player just didn't realize was needed--or where its complete lack from the party is causing issues--I'm pretty happy to let them buy it between sessions (e.g., Animal Handling (oxen) and Teamster after a session mostly consisting of chasing oxen, sometimes attached to a cart, around...).

I think it's standard practice, although not precisely RAW, to let players rejigger their PCs in the first few session as they realize what their purchases do. I have a player whose character has an Addiction. After realizing that it puts them practically unconscious for 2 hours at a time, we're looking at replacing that with some similar, but less severe, trait.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Anthony

formalizes it so signature gear being overly efficient is true at all wealth levels.

I'll need to reread it a few times to gain full understanding, but didn't Impulse Buys' repricing of points-for-cash (I think 10% > 100% ?) also balance out SG's superior efficiency?

I like the idea of giving cash CP value (you can use it to buy traits after all, like a cybernetic arm or getting yourself out of debt) but it gets complicated when you time-travel between different TL which have different values for wealth in terms of "earned per month" or Starting Wealth.

The value of cash for gear is static (higher TL are just wealthier and have access to more expensive stuff) so maybe Wealth, rather than pricing the % of a TL's SW, could just have a $$ based cost?

Then there's weirdness where you might have a different wealth or status in different worlds / times with different identities. how do you manage that?

It almost seems easier to anchor different NPC allies to manage your status/finance and then just piggyback off them when you visit their era/world.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Gumby Bush

I think it's standard practice, although not precisely RAW, to let players rejigger their PCs in the first few session as they realize what their purchases do. I have a player whose character has an Addiction. After realizing that it puts them practically unconscious for 2 hours at a time, we're looking at replacing that with some similar, but less severe, trait.

I totally agree with this. As for that Addiction, I've personally worked with a player to 'reverse' a quirk and a disad with each other; Instead of a full on addiction with Broadminded, it became a preference quirk to use that drug when they know they'll have free time (or basically a quirk that says some amount of money and time will be spent on it during downtime) and Xenophilia.