Independent Income at later TL stages

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

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.

So why does it scale in a completely different way from 'Trading Points for Cash', which is also intended as a way for characters to buy money with points?

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.

Note that those prerequisites might cost points, and the skills for the job roll definitely cost points.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Rupert

So why does it scale in a completely different way from 'Trading Points for Cash', which is also intended as a way for characters to buy money with points?

Trading points for cash is basically punitive. For whatever reason, it seems the designers wanted it to be something no-one in their right mind would want to do. Somewhere on the forum ( I will try to find it) is a much better model for it that assigns a money/point value based on present value calculations and the anticipated length of the campaign.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Trading points for cash is basically punitive. For whatever reason, it seems the designers wanted it to be something no-one in their right mind would want to do. Somewhere on the forum ( I will try to find it) is a much better model for it that assigns a money/point value based on present value calculations and the anticipated length of the campaign.

There's as many arguments for II being mispriced; after all, it's worse than points for cash in a campaign that lasts less than 10 months (including time value of money in a RPG, probably more like a year or two).

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Anthony

There's as many arguments for II being mispriced; after all, it's worse than points for cash in a campaign that lasts less than 10 months (including time value of money in a RPG, probably more like a year or two).

Well, if you're of Average Wealth. II scales with Wealth, Points for Cash does not, so its value rises rapidly for high Wealth characters.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Well, if you're of Average Wealth. II scales with Wealth, Points for Cash does not, so its value rises rapidly for high Wealth characters.

Oh, I failed to notice that stupidity.

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by Rupert

For people of Average (and under) Wealth, living at an appropriate Status, spending money should be quite limited. We're talking about the range where, even if not living paycheck to paycheck, people have to choose between expensive hobbies and savings.

That really really depends. In many societies, people spend their young adulthood gathering resources to get married (high savings rate), then marry and have children (low or negative savings rate) and then have further fluctuations. In Anglo countries today, it is often people over 50 who have a lot of disposable income. Someone of Average wealth with no dependents should have a significant amount of disposable income.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Oh, I failed to notice that stupidity.

I wonder if there are others you might have overlooked.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Oh, I failed to notice that stupidity.

I believe it's meant to allow Dead Broke characters and the like to start play with some gear. Essentially, Points for Cash is more an option for characters below Average Wealth; it has some limited utility for those with Average Wealth, but is largely useless beyond that (for Comfortable, the same points in II would match it in only 5 months, for Wealthy in two months, and for anything higher you exceed Points for Cash with the first II payout - although the GM may not have that happen until a full month has passed in-game, making Points for Cash's poor exchange rate essentially an "immediate gratification tax"). As I said before, however, I'm not a fan of Points for Cash; I'm currently considering an option that would let characters start with additional funds but being in debt (not as a Disadvantage, but actually having what amounts to a monetary loan that has interest and needs to be paid off), but will probably start a new thread for that once I have a jumping-off point.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

I wonder if there are others you might have overlooked.

I'm sure there are. Trading points for cash wouldn't be a very good deal even if it scaled with wealth level, it would just never be a good deal instead of being a way to get points for low wealth without suffering any penalties (depending on campaign details).