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Old 10-01-2024, 02:30 PM   #1
Deathwindfr
 
Join Date: Nov 2022
Default Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Dear all,

Basic Set Characters p122 uses heroin usage as an example for calculating the point cost of the related addiction.

Heroin is very expensive, totally addictive and illegal.
Very expensive is 20 points,
Totally addictive is 10 points,
Illegal is 0 points.

That is a total of 30 points, yet the cost given is 40 points Addiction.

Is it a mistake or did I miss something?

Cheers,
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Old 10-01-2024, 02:39 PM   #2
Celjabba
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Luxembourg
Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Deathwindfr View Post
Dear all,

Basic Set Characters p122 uses heroin usage as an example for calculating the point cost of the related addiction.

Heroin is very expensive, totally addictive and illegal.
Very expensive is 20 points,
Totally addictive is 10 points,
Illegal is 0 points.

That is a total of 30 points, yet the cost given is 40 points Addiction.

Is it a mistake or did I miss something?

Cheers,
You missed incapacitating, 10 more points

Heroin is very expensive, incapacitating, totally addictive, and illegal;
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Old 10-02-2024, 04:49 AM   #3
The Colonel
 
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Of course "illegal" only applies during a modern campaign - anything set before the 1960s is going to have a different cost.

Edit: No it isn't - "illegal" is contributing 0 points.

Last edited by The Colonel; 10-02-2024 at 04:59 AM.
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Old 10-02-2024, 05:08 AM   #4
WingedKagouti
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Colonel View Post
Of course "illegal" only applies during a modern campaign - anything set before the 1960s is going to have a different cost.

Edit: No it isn't - "illegal" is contributing 0 points.
That's because "Legal" reduces the value of the Disadvantage by 5 points. So a heroin additction in places/times where it's legal is "only" -35 points.
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Old 10-02-2024, 09:08 AM   #5
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedKagouti View Post
That's because "Legal" reduces the value of the Disadvantage by 5 points. So a heroin additction in places/times where it's legal is "only" -35 points.
Correction: Legal is +5, not -5 (per B122).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Basic Set p. 122
Effects
Minimal or stimulating: +0 points.
Incapacitating or hallucinogenic: -10 points.
Highly addictive (-5 on withdrawal roll): -5 points.
Totally addictive (-10 on withdrawal roll): -10 points.
Legality
Illegal: +0 points.
Legal: +5 points.
And Alcoholism (same and next page) is treated as an Addiction and adds the equivalent of "Insidious (you're at risk of relapse even when sober): -5 points."

So when heroin is legal, that makes it -25, not -30 as RAW nor -35 as WingedKagouti claims. (Although, I'd probably add the Insidious modifier to it, as it's easy to fall off the wagon, so to speak.)

Clear as mud?
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Last edited by Phantasm; 10-02-2024 at 09:13 AM.
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Old 10-02-2024, 09:21 AM   #6
WingedKagouti
 
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Heroin is baseline:
Very expensive: -20
Incapacitating: -10
totally addictive: -10
Illegal: -0

Unless you also reduce the cost of Heroin it will be -35 if Legal.
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Old 10-02-2024, 10:44 AM   #7
Phantasm
 
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedKagouti View Post
Heroin is baseline:
Very expensive: -20
Incapacitating: -10
totally addictive: -10
Illegal: -0

Unless you also reduce the cost of Heroin it will be -35 if Legal.
Ah, missed that the cost was -40, not -30. I'm blind!
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Old 10-02-2024, 01:39 PM   #8
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

I'm not sure 'Very Expensive' is actually correct; at least by modern wealth standards it's typically 'expensive' (0.1% - 0.5% of starting wealth per day, which is about $20-$100 per day with TL 8 GURPS $, 50-100% higher if you account for inflation since GURPS Basic was originally printed). Also, addiction for an incapacitating drug is listed at two hours per day, so it doesn't represent the most severe addicts.

Very few street drugs should actually be 'very expensive'; that should mostly be for drugs that are only used by the wealthy.
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Last edited by Anthony; 10-02-2024 at 01:43 PM.
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Old 10-03-2024, 08:40 PM   #9
Polydamas
 
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
I'm not sure 'Very Expensive' is actually correct; at least by modern wealth standards it's typically 'expensive' (0.1% - 0.5% of starting wealth per day, which is about $20-$100 per day with TL 8 GURPS $, 50-100% higher if you account for inflation since GURPS Basic was originally printed). Also, addiction for an incapacitating drug is listed at two hours per day, so it doesn't represent the most severe addicts.

Very few street drugs should actually be 'very expensive'; that should mostly be for drugs that are only used by the wealthy.
See previous discussion about how the core GURPS authors are very interested in and knowledgeable about some topics with GURPS mechanics such as academic research or firearms, but not about others like athletics

Kromm likes mixed drinks but I don't recall that any GURPS author has expressed interest in other substances. The GURPS community is too autistic and broke for much other than alcohol, pot, and sugar. (Rich autists sometimes abuse proscription stimulants).
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Last edited by Polydamas; 10-04-2024 at 12:55 AM.
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Old 10-06-2024, 02:09 AM   #10
pawsplay
 
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Default Re: Is the point cost for heroin addiction in Basic Set wrong?

In fact one of the most pernicious aspects of heroin is that often becomes a cheap (sometimes $20 for a dose, even in 2024) substitute when someone can't afford or loses access to opioid pills like oxys and hydrocodone. So they get a cheap hit of heroin to tide themselves over, and end up getting hooked on it.
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