Re: Money....

From: bethexton_at_...
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 20:16:00 -0000

There is a very specific reason for this, which is that the intended episodic nature of HQ is pretty strongly in conflict with my playing tendencies, which is too slowly build things up, using every tool available. I may be slowly coming up with a plot to do something fairly dramatic and permanent, and to me the option of hording oneoff  resources towards that end is appealing.

To take a simple example from an old Runequest game: I want to create a shrine to Mastakos where the three tracks meet near the ford on Griffon Island (part of a larger plot fo socio-engineer the island, but I digress....). I know I want the roads near their paved, which means bribing the dwarves. I need people to come and help with the ceremony. I need to make especially good sacrifices to ensure Mastakos favor.

Some of this is building relationships, having the right skills, having the wealth to pay for certain things.

BUT, I don't really need to be close buddies with the dwarves for life, I mostly need something that they want REALLY badly as a bribe. I need a congregation to provide continual support to the shrine, but I need mnore people to support the initial dedication, and that might be in return for some one off largesse or favor. There may be disposable things to sacrifice. And so on. So saving up bits and pieces for a year or more of playing time to try and pull it all off is what I want to do.

Now, you can say, that is what bumping with a hero point represents. Negotiating with the dwarves I bump my roll "Oh, remember the supply of red znaring from the water temple adventure, you give them that and they are very grateful". But....that doesn't reward forethought and planning on the players part at all.

Or you could say "well, you can get these things if you want to cement them with a hero point, and if you choose to sacrifice them for a specific bonus later on that is your choice." But in that case, why bother? Why not just save the hero point for whenever you need it?

Basically I'm looking for a way to encourage across episode planning, which is something that the rules as written quite deliberately don't address, other than through the currency of HP. I recognize that adding some other currency could be unbalancing, yet....there are certain things HP don't model so well it seems to me.

I don't know, mayb this would bother almost nobody else. It seems few players are as obsessed as I am about long term scheming.

Regards;

--Bryan
PS. I liked the contest idea....if you are giving an extra bonus, make them work for it!

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