[DF] - Party wealth disparity

[Whyte]

Originally Posted by ericbsmith

Half of the excess would still be McMoneybags getting his full share plus 1/4 of everybody else's (everybody keeps the 40% they would have gotten, then splits the extra 40% halfsies with McMoneybags). In a 5 member group that's equivalent to McMoneybags getting a 2.66 shares when everybody else gets only 1 share. Which isn't far off from Langy's earlier suggestion...

Yes, part of the reason I mentioned that psychology experiment was because I recalled seeing 'halfsies' in the previous posts. It indeed seems to be the 'acceptable' level of graft, while you correctly point out that McMoneybags gets almost three times as much money in the end. And this 1:2.66 seems a mite large difference for a 20 point advantage in a 300 point game (?). But it of course depends a lot how you use money in your game. What I have heard so far from Kromm and TBC about DF, it seems that money is pretty much a background feature and the true prizes are the magical items that are not for sale and the experience. In this kind of game, it indeed is no big deal.

To answer Icelander...

It not about money, per se, but what that money buys in the campaign. I am from a gamer background where more IC money meant better IC equipment which allowed the chars to leverage their adventuring potential quite a lot. To take that scifi campaign as an example, a 1:3 disparity in money inflow would have meant that the Wealthy Guy would have had equipment pretty much impervious to the guns that the other PCs (and most of the NPCs) would be using, allowing him to 'muscle in' to other character's niches.

I believe that I am not alone in feeling that every character should feel like they are the main character occasionally. When they can do their thing. When they are constantly overshadowed by someone else, that is when the annoyance sets in.

And yes, humans tend to be spiteful when it comes to resources, imaginary or not. Must be a survival trait to some extent to dislike the guy 'hogging' the resources. :)