Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by Hilary_155

Maybe there is something wrong with my brain. But I think role playing a bunch characters who are salesmen or cashiers or lawyers is "drill a hole in your own head" B O R I N G !!!!!!

I've never played a lawyer...though I have played a law student. On the other hand, whenever someone says...I can't imagine playing x, y, or z, I think to television, because TV is often a very good medium to inspire RPG campaigns--I think, at least. TV tends to have ensemble casts (as opposed to films which are often about singular heroes, perhaps with some NPCs). TV has ongoing stories that mirror how my campaigns often work. Yeah...for me TV is great as inspiration for RPGs (I think also epic novels as well).

Anyhow, my point is, I have seen a gazillion TVs shows featuring lawyers. And if there can be a gazillion lawyer TV shows that aren't boring, then I'm sure I could run a campaign where the PCs are lawyers. I don't know if I'd want to go Perry Mason or LA Law or Shark or Law and Order...

After watching Dallas and Dynasty I can see lots and lots in interesting to do in a campaign where the PCs are business people.

Southland, Hill Street Blues, The Wire? All lots of inspiration for a cop campaign.

I don't know of a cashier TV show...but I believe Unknown Armies has a campaign centered around Mac Attax--the cultists who work at MacDonalds.

I can see a campaign of Doctors a la Scrubs or ER.

Thinking of Boston Public or Friday Night Lights, I could see an interesting show where everyone is a teacher or a student.

I can see lots of interesting and exciting campaigns where people have jobs and aren't itinerant.

But then, I find excitement in character interaction and character conflict...which for me, doesn't have to come through shooting people and getting loot. Sometimes excitement might be figuring out how to find out who murdered the Football star when you're a cop; sometimes excitement might be from finding a way to wrest control of Ewing oil from your nemesis (who is blackmailing you!); sometimes excitement might be that you are the defense team and you have to find a way to get your client off the hook for murder...can you find some new evidence before it is too late?; sometimes excitement might be that you've got to get the best date to prom...gosh there is a whole world of interesting stories to tell!

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by Brett

That is not very well explained in Basic. On B.516 the rules say "In many game worlds those with high social standing must buy up Wealth by one level past Average per Status level above 0, but can have high Wealth without high Status. In others wealthy characters must buy an additional level of Status per level of Wealth past Average, but can purchase high Status without high Wealth. The GM might even enforce both requirements and rigidly associate Status levels with Wealth levels...." This describes three options for connection between Wealth and Status all of which are different from the one described on B.26 ("In **some** game worlds... if you are Wealthy or better you get +1 Status for free. This bonus increases to +2 at Multimillionaire 1 and to +3 at Multimillionaire 2."), and from the presumed default in which there is no connection.

In total Basic implies the existence of five different types of connection between Wealth and Status: six if you include "Classless Meritocracies" from B. 28.

Sure there are different subtleties in those connections, but there is one thing that doesn't change...Status relates to cost of living. The higher your status, the more expensive your cost of living. If you don't have the money to pay for that cost of living, you lose that Status.

How that happens probably comes from Wealth.
But it could come from being a freelance adventurer (though that is a very insecure position to be sure)
If your status comes from Rank, then it is paid for by your job.

So, the core thing for me is: If you have status, you have to pay for your cost of living or you lose it. Most people do that through Wealth, though there are other options.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by trooper6

So, the core thing for me is: If you have status, you have to pay for your cost of living or you lose it. Most people do that through Wealth, though there are other options.

I think that depends on the game world. In some worlds, if you're an aristocrat, you're, say, Status 3—and that can't change. If you're so poor you don't live any better than a peasant, then you have one of (a) a Secret, (b) a bad Reputation, (c) Debt, (d) liberal use of Scrounging by yourself or a servant, or (e) a lot of Influence rolls to get credit, loans, or handouts from wealthy patrons.

Whether things work that way, or being short of cash just drops your Status, is a big variable in a society.

Bill Stoddard

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by trooper6

If you have status, you have to pay for your cost of living or you lose it.

Unless it comes from Rank, in which case someone else will pay for it. (See B.265)

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Hilary_155

Maybe there is something wrong with my brain. But I think role playing a bunch characters who are salesmen or cashiers or lawyers is "drill a hole in your own head" B O R I N G !!!!!!

If the players want it, then there are rules for it and that is fine. But I think it is "clowns riding pantomime horses" silly.

As others have said, you don't need to have a boring job in order to adventure.

The idea of the 80%/20% split is to avoid nickel-diming the character's inventory to death, particularly when playing a character who owns a lot of stuff that may never come into play on an adventure.

A few examples:

Speed Racer. His family builds race cars; he drives one - or two, depending on whether you go cartoons or live action movie - of them. The Mach 5 (and Mach 6, for movie!Speed) is Signature Gear; it's not Speed Racer without it. Assuming he's Average to Comfortable Wealth, that leaves a lot of money left over. 80% of Starting Wealth in this case would go towards his wardrobe, his furnishings at home, etc. His Cost of Living would go towards replacement clothes, food, and gasoline and repairs for the Mach 5.

John McClane, from the Die Hard movies. He's a police officer, likely Average wealth, at least to start (not sure what he's pulling down in the later movies). He presumably maintains an apartment or house in whatever city he's living in at the time. His only "adventuring gear" is his pistol (presumably, as he was carrying it off-duty, it's his own and not the precinct's). That pistol comes out of the 20%; everything else he might own would be part of the 80% from his settled lifestyle. And you can't tell me he lives a boring life! ("How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?")

Bruce Wayne/Batman. Here's a man who has Multimillionaire 2 - AT LEAST! 80% of that wealth is tied up in Wayne Manor and the Wayne Foundation/Industries/Enterprises. 20% of that goes towards supporting his role as Batman - and outfitting whoever is playing the role of Robin at the time. (I believe the current (fifth) Robin is Bruce's son, Damien.)

Tony Stark/Iron Man. Pretty much the same deal as Bruce. His own Cost of Living also includes paying for any damages incurred by the (classic) Avengers during their battles. He pretty much owns 90% of Stark Industries/International/Enterprises.

Other professions which may lend themselves to adventuring: Investigative Reporter. Old West Rancher. Long-Haul Trucker. Sailor (cruise liner or merchant marine - exotic ports of call are always fun for adventures). Photojournalist. Mineral Prospector. Private Investigator.

And don't discount "lawyer" as a profession for an adventurer! In the comics and the movie, Matt Murdock's day job was as a lawyer, while he adventured at night as Daredevil. And occasionally, as in the director's cut of the movie, the two lives would intersect, and his role as a lawyer would give him clues to follow up as Daredevil - and sometimes vice verse.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

(I believe the current (fifth) Robin is Bruce's son, Damien.)

In that case isn't the current (second-ish, if you don't count Azrael) Batman (Gotham City) not Bruce Wayne, but rather Dick Grayson (whose job is literally being Batman)? Dick works for Bruce who is now the head Batman of an international franchise.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

In that case isn't the current (second-ish, if you don't count Azrael) Batman (Gotham City) not Bruce Wayne, but rather Dick Grayson (whose job is literally being Batman)? Dick works for Bruce who is now the head Batman of an international franchise.

Well both Dick and Tim are his Sons too via Adoption.