Signature Gear - that can of worms...again.

Humabout · 02-11-2012, 01:29 PM

I know I'm openning a can of worms with this question, but I'm kicking off a game and one of my players wants to dump a ton of points into Sig Gear. I'm a little worried that all fo his plot-protected goodies will amp up his capability beyond that of players who use thier points on attributes and traits.

Has anyone run into any issues with a PC droping 50+ points into sig gear? He hasn't made his PC yet, but he's looking at buyig a few different signature items that will pretty much be central to his concept - weapon, armor, etc. He's just a combat maniac, really. But this game will be extremely combat-heavy.

So, should I worry? How should I contend with his crazy gear? Should I just lean back and it ride? How would you handle it?

ULFGARD · 02-11-2012, 01:33 PM

What's the genre? And what sorts of abilities can gear grant?

Basically, I'd limit it to something consistent with the genre and game balance. Just because I can calculate the cost of a +5 SWORD OF DOOM doesn't mean that they're for sale ANYWHERE. And there may be other considerations. Sure, I have a mech. Unfortunately, it's LC 0 which means that I can't even BRING it to most worlds...

Flyndaran · 02-11-2012, 01:43 PM

The most important word in any GM's arsenal is always, "No!"

warmachine · 02-11-2012, 01:46 PM

I wouldn't worry about it because the broken maths will work against him. Assuming he's meant to have Average wealth, 50 points gives gear up to 25 times his wealth in price. He's probably better off skipping the plot protection by buying Filthy Rich [50] and getting 100 times wealth.

David Johnston2 · 02-11-2012, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Humabout

I know I'm openning a can of worms with this question, but I'm kicking off a game and one of my players wants to dump a ton of points into Sig Gear. I'm a little worried that all fo his plot-protected goodies will amp up his capability beyond that of players who use thier points on attributes and traits.

Has anyone run into any issues with a PC droping 50+ points into sig gear?

Never run into a PC who thought that was a good idea. That's dumping a lot of points into something that won't actually make him much more effective than any other person who has the same gear without the plot protection. I think he needs to be worried more than you.

johndallman · 02-11-2012, 01:52 PM

How long is this campaign due to run? If better gear becomes available, he doesn't get to upgrade his signature gear, which could leave his choosing between 50 wasted points, or using obsolete kit. Pointing this out to him might cause him to revise his plans.

Humabout · 02-11-2012, 02:01 PM

Thank you for all of the responses!

From what everyone is saying, it seems like it'd be okay to let it ride. I can still prevent anything too nasty from happenning, and since the game is intended to last a while, the lack of upgrade potential is a real killer.

I might even be nice enough to warn him of his potential folly...

mlangsdorf · 02-11-2012, 06:13 PM

In my first DF game, the Swashbuckler dropped ~14 points on a pair of Balanced Sabers. One of the other players noted that they could have been bought with Trading Character Points for Money for 3 CP, leaving him enough point to buy +2 skill in Saber and still have 3 CP left over. Which would have made him much more competent.

I can't imagine that 50 CP in stuff gets him a better return than 5 CP in stuff and 45 CP in abilities unless you have a really odd pricing scheme for stuff.

Langy · 02-11-2012, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

In my first DF game, the Swashbuckler dropped ~14 points on a pair of Balanced Sabers. One of the other players noted that they could have been bought with Trading Character Points for Money for 3 CP, leaving him enough point to buy +2 skill in Saber and still have 3 CP left over. Which would have made him much more competent.

I can't imagine that 50 CP in stuff gets him a better return than 5 CP in stuff and 45 CP in abilities unless you have a really odd pricing scheme for stuff.

I'm not sure how that works. Trading Points for Money gets you exactly the same amount of stuff as Signature Gear does in DF, and it gets you less stuff than Signature Gear in other games.

talonthehand · 02-11-2012, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Langy

I'm not sure how that works. Trading Points for Money gets you exactly the same amount of stuff as Signature Gear does in DF, and it gets you less stuff than Signature Gear in other games.

It works if mlangsdorf meant Trading Points for Money to just get vanilla sabers, then using the points to increase saber skill, rather than having the sabers be balanced.

02-11-2012, 01:29 PM	#1
Humabout Join Date: Aug 2008	Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. I know I'm openning a can of worms with this question, but I'm kicking off a game and one of my players wants to dump a ton of points into Sig Gear. I'm a little worried that all fo his plot-protected goodies will amp up his capability beyond that of players who use thier points on attributes and traits. Has anyone run into any issues with a PC droping 50+ points into sig gear? He hasn't made his PC yet, but he's looking at buyig a few different signature items that will pretty much be central to his concept - weapon, armor, etc. He's just a combat maniac, really. But this game will be extremely combat-heavy. So, should I worry? How should I contend with his crazy gear? Should I just lean back and it ride? How would you handle it? __________________ Buy My Stuff! *Free Stuff:* Dungeon Action! Totem Spirits My Blog: Above the Flatline.

02-11-2012, 01:33 PM	#2
ULFGARD Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Seattle	Re: Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. What's the genre? And what sorts of abilities can gear grant? Basically, I'd limit it to something consistent with the genre and game balance. Just because I can calculate the cost of a +5 SWORD OF DOOM doesn't mean that they're for sale ANYWHERE. And there may be other considerations. Sure, I have a mech. Unfortunately, it's LC 0 which means that I can't even BRING it to most worlds... __________________ Seven Kingdoms, MH (as yet unnamed), and my "pick-up" DF game war stories, characters, and other ruminations can be found here.

02-11-2012, 01:43 PM	#3
Flyndaran Untagged Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon	Re: Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. The most important word in any GM's arsenal is always, "No!"

02-11-2012, 01:46 PM	#4
warmachine Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Reading, England	Re: Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. I wouldn't worry about it because the broken maths will work against him. Assuming he's meant to have Average wealth, 50 points gives gear up to 25 times his wealth in price. He's probably better off skipping the plot protection by buying Filthy Rich [50] and getting 100 times wealth. __________________ Matthew Greet Air hostess: Would you like anything from the duty free trolley? Tank Girl: Yes! I'd like everything that's bad for me! - Tank Girl, Tank Girl 3

02-11-2012, 01:52 PM	#6
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	Re: Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. How long is this campaign due to run? If better gear becomes available, he doesn't get to upgrade his signature gear, which could leave his choosing between 50 wasted points, or using obsolete kit. Pointing this out to him might cause him to revise his plans.

02-11-2012, 02:01 PM	#7
Humabout Join Date: Aug 2008	Re: Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. Thank you for all of the responses! From what everyone is saying, it seems like it'd be okay to let it ride. I can still prevent anything too nasty from happenning, and since the game is intended to last a while, the lack of upgrade potential is a real killer. I might even be nice enough to warn him of his potential folly... __________________ Buy My Stuff! *Free Stuff:* Dungeon Action! Totem Spirits My Blog: Above the Flatline.

02-11-2012, 06:13 PM	#8
mlangsdorf Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Austin, TX	Re: Signature Gear - that can of worms...again. In my first DF game, the Swashbuckler dropped ~14 points on a pair of Balanced Sabers. One of the other players noted that they could have been bought with Trading Character Points for Money for 3 CP, leaving him enough point to buy +2 skill in Saber and still have 3 CP left over. Which would have made him much more competent. I can't imagine that 50 CP in stuff gets him a better return than 5 CP in stuff and 45 CP in abilities unless you have a really odd pricing scheme for stuff.