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Old 10-13-2013, 08:52 AM   #91
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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In which case, you have effective wealth equal to the resources you are granted for doing your work.
Nah. Cops and soldiers are given guns and ammo but there's nom guarantee those items are the ones they want and/or even very reasonably believe they seriously need.

Also of course, they get to keep this gear. It goes back to the PD/Army when their service is finished. Obviously not Weath or even Patron w/Equipment.

Your argument is subject to reductio ab absurdum as well. The Captain of a Nimitz-class CVN is not "effectively" a Billionaire. He does have a nice Lifestyle that he gets from the levels of Status derived from his Rank but he does not get the +3 Status he'd get from multiple levels of Multi-Millionaire.
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Old 10-13-2013, 08:55 AM   #92
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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No, I was saying that something with gear that costs money (rather than points) should have an appropriate level of wealth, even if the gear is provided by a patron rather than personally owned. It's just wealth (provided by patron, -X%).
I thought that the gear that we are talking about here is the AI and it's hardware. I'm pretty sure that's what Vicky meant.
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Old 10-13-2013, 09:09 AM   #93
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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I thought that the gear that we are talking about here is the AI and it's hardware. I'm pretty sure that's what Vicky meant.
Err, I didn't go into that sort of specifications. We might as well include both the C9 computer that the C7 NAI is using, the bunch of Skill Programs that a SAI is using, or whatever. Or even the aforementioned Nimitz. It's pretty much the same category as your cat getting to sleep on a monitor, getting TL8 medical care despite being <IQ6 and/or <TL8, getting Status goodies one level lower than his owner etc. I.e stuff that the Patron/patron/master/boss gives to the Minion/minion/property/underling, but strictly on the former's terms.
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Old 10-13-2013, 09:56 AM   #94
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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In which case, you have effective wealth equal to the resources you are granted for doing your work.
Mostly what people pay points for is guaranteed access to something. In the case of Wealth, what you pay for is a built-in multiplier to your income prospects. Mere stuff is not worth points. Which is why your character's acquisition of a vast mount of treasure after killing Smaug plays no role in the calculation of your character's point total and neither did it finding a nice glowey sword in that grave you robbed.
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Old 10-13-2013, 01:50 PM   #95
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Mere stuff is not worth points. Which is why your character's acquisition of a vast mount of treasure after killing Smaug plays no role in the calculation of your character's point total and neither did it finding a nice glowey sword in that grave you robbed.
No, the reason those things don't play a role is because the GM isn't charging points for advantages acquired during play.
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Old 10-13-2013, 02:04 PM   #96
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No, the reason those things don't play a role is because the GM isn't charging points for advantages acquired during play.
Agreed. Those things really should alter the character's CP cost if you were to bring them into a new game, for example. I know there's no way I'd allow someone to bring in a Dead Broke character with billions of dollars in loot they gained from adventuring into any game I ran without making them spend the points for it!
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Old 10-13-2013, 02:06 PM   #97
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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No, the reason those things don't play a role is because the GM isn't charging points for advantages acquired during play.
Agreed on that one, mostly. The big important point is that stuff not bought with points is 'uninsured' - if you rob a dragon, you can't blame the GM when someone eventually robs you too; if you make friends with someone, no blaming the GM when 'friend' turns out to be a traitor.
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Old 10-13-2013, 02:30 PM   #98
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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Agreed on that one, mostly. The big important point is that stuff not bought with points is 'uninsured' - if you rob a dragon, you can't blame the GM when someone eventually robs you too; if you make friends with someone, no blaming the GM when 'friend' turns out to be a traitor.
To be fair, things paid with points aren't particularly insured, either; you can still lose an arm or a leg even if you paid points for Extra Arm, for example.

The only things that do have proper 'insurance' are things bought through Signature Gear, since that's explicitly part of the advantage.
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Old 10-13-2013, 03:43 PM   #99
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Default Re: Cost of Living Breakdown

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To be fair, things paid with points aren't particularly insured, either; you can still lose an arm or a leg even if you paid points for Extra Arm, for example.

The only things that do have proper 'insurance' are things bought through Signature Gear, since that's explicitly part of the advantage.
Well, there's this post by Kromm:

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Ah, no . . . capital-W Wealth the advantage is in itself a measure of social connectedness, credit rating, and economic power. It doesn't go away just because you lose money in bad times. You still have the connections and the credit history; you just don't have the cash. Small-w wealth the real-world concept certainly varies, but on the other hand isn't anything but your bank balance.
So losing it doesn't seem to be trivial, at least.
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Old 10-13-2013, 03:56 PM   #100
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Well, there's this post by Kromm:

So losing it doesn't seem to be trivial, at least.
It may not be completely trivial, but it can certainly happen - for example, an Enemy of a really rich guy may do some financial chicanery with the rich guy's books and then leak the frauds to the cops, thus getting the SEC on his tail and eventually bankrupting him, destroying his credit rating, etc. Hell, it could even go like what happened to Hodges in Bones last season or to Bruce Wayne in the last Batman movie - hacker guy hacks into rich guy's bank account and stock portfolio and drains both, destroying rich guy's credit rating and making him seem like a complete loon to his richy-rich connections.

Yeah, it requires a bit more than just 'steal the sword of magicness', but it's certainly available for a GM to mess with if he pleases.
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