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Author Topic: A question about money.  (Read 10396 times)

Silvermane

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A question about money.
« on: February 23, 2009, 06:15:45 pm »

Hi there, I had the pleasure of reviewing your game for a german RPG website - a nice, lean little game, if I might say so.

The reason why I'm posting is a bit different, though - The currency used in-game caused a few raised eyebrows. At first I assumed that one writ would be equal in value to the woolong used in a certain well known animé series, and would in turn be worth about 1¥, meaning that 100 writs would be roughly equal to one US-Dollar.

Judging from the provided prices in the book, the ratio however seems to be more of a 1:10 thing, meaning that 10 writs are roughly equal to a dollar - am I judging this correctly or is the ratio something wholly different?

(I admit that I know quite little about the market price of previously-owned surface-to-air missile launchers, but the price for fast food did indeed ring a bell...)

-Silver
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Rule 6: If violence wasn’t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it. Rule 34: If you’re leaving scorch-marks, you need a bigger gun. Rule 37: There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire' and 'time to reload.'

BerkaZerka

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Re: A question about money.
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2009, 09:30:23 pm »

Hi Silvermane and welcome  :)

Yes, you are correct, we went with about 10 Writ to a Dollar to reflect that Yen feel, but didn’t want too many zeroes trailing the cost of everything.

And thank you for taking the time to write up a review.  I don’t read German, but I did take the time to check it out on Babel Fish (which did a fair job of getting across the gist of your review). 

I thought it was well written and appreciate the depth of the information you provided.

And the typos – yeah, they keep popping up – but at least with Dessert Camouflage, you won’t have a hard time sneaking up on an ice cream sundae ;)

BZ

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Silvermane

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Re: A question about money.
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2009, 10:20:45 pm »

Okay, here's a few more questions that cropped up during character generation - mostly concerning setting fluff, so I'll post it in here as opposed to the rules subforum.

Io Eyes:
Just which part of the eyes are discoloured? The iris or the eyeball itself, of even both (in which case, the condition would be an Io Eye in the truest sense of the word...)?

Vehicle Cargo Bays:
It's not explicitly stated, but from the list I assume that a standard human-sized body would be an M-size cargo for all intents and purposes, or am I reading that wrong?

Scout ship:
What were the inspirations for this one? The size/type seems familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Psionics:
Just how common are they? From the rules, they're not the type of people you want to hang around with you, since they have a nasty tendency to flip out (and kill people). (Myself, I'd think most of them would want to keep the fact they're psychic hidden, with the possible exception of faith healers. That said, they make excellent targets.)

Law enforcement:
Let's face it - all the really cool toys have this "illegal" tag attached to them, and being cool toys it's only a question of time before the players will try to get their grubby little paws on some milspec weaponry.
So...who enforces these gun permits, and what will happen if Joe Cowboy is seen flaunting his military assault rifle on TV, happily shooting grapeshot at the bad guys with the attached grenade launcher? (Assumption: The bad guys care little and would also like to obtain military assault weaponry. The megacorporations would probably care little if Joe Cowboy actually gets the Bounty Head they want. And the SSPD would probably be outraged, but are spread to thin to actually prosecute Joe.)

-Silver
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Rule 6: If violence wasn’t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it. Rule 34: If you’re leaving scorch-marks, you need a bigger gun. Rule 37: There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire' and 'time to reload.'

BerkaZerka

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Re: A question about money.
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2009, 10:50:56 am »

>>>Quoted From Silvermane<<<

Okay, here's a few more questions that cropped up during character generation - mostly concerning setting fluff, so I'll post it in here as opposed to the rules subforum.

Thanks for the questions Silvermane, it seems a lot of folks are hesitant to post around here, which is opposite the intent of the site, so I’m glad you’re willing to step up and get something started  :)

Io Eyes:
Just which part of the eyes are discoloured? The iris or the eyeball itself, of even both (in which case, the condition would be an Io Eye in the truest sense of the word...)?

In my games, it is limited to the iris (which I envision as being bright, and perhaps slightly luminous, yellow).  The concept is similar to the luminous blue eyes of Spice users in the Dune novels.  Of course, folks are free to interpret it any way they like – the whole eye being yellow is something though…  Ew, gross ;)

Vehicle Cargo Bays:
It's not explicitly stated, but from the list I assume that a standard human-sized body would be an M-size cargo for all intents and purposes, or am I reading that wrong?

This is correct.  We offer more in-depth info in our forthcoming Starship Supplement, including the use of cargo space to carry personnel.

Scout ship:
What were the inspirations for this one? The size/type seems familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Again, there is more detailed info to come in the Starship Supplement (including ship deck plans), but basically, the scout ship is a small craft with a small multi-person cockpit and an attached living space – unlike a fighter, which is just the cramped cockpit.

They are the backbone of the SSPB fleet; a small ship to patrol in, with a place to accommodate up to six prisoners.  The ubiquitous police ships of the Cowboy Bebop series inspired the concept. 

Scout Ships also fit the profile for any small private vessel.  In the forthcoming Starship Supplement we offer write-ups for them in the form of SSPB Patrol Ships, Long Range Scout ships, Smuggler ships, and Pirate Hijackers.


Psionics:
Just how common are they? From the rules, they're not the type of people you want to hang around with you, since they have a nasty tendency to flip out (and kill people). (Myself, I'd think most of them would want to keep the fact they're psychic hidden, with the possible exception of faith healers. That said, they make excellent targets.)

Excellent question – and one that could be answered a multitude of ways, depending on the flavor of your games.

In my games, Psychics are feared and mistrusted, sought by the government (who wants to use and control them), and the target of eradication by the paranoid.  “Faith Healers” are only marginally accepted by those not their followers.  Psychic PCs have to keep this in mind, especially when using powers in public or taking Psychotherapy to reduce Psychosis – as the government is more than happy to help them manage their Psychosis – for a price…

Small time Psychics (with only one or two powers) would be common enough that among the thousands of Dial-A-Psychic Hotlines in the System, a handful would actually be legit.  Awareness, Biokinesis, and Psychometabolism are the most commonly manifested Psychic Spheres.

We explore this concept further in the 3rd Adventure, Session Three: Operation A.P.E., where A.P.E. (the Anti-Psychic Evolutionists) are out to cause much mayhem for the Psychic community.


Law enforcement:
Let's face it - all the really cool toys have this "illegal" tag attached to them, and being cool toys it's only a question of time before the players will try to get their grubby little paws on some milspec weaponry.
So...who enforces these gun permits, and what will happen if Joe Cowboy is seen flaunting his military assault rifle on TV, happily shooting grapeshot at the bad guys with the attached grenade launcher? (Assumption: The bad guys care little and would also like to obtain military assault weaponry. The megacorporations would probably care little if Joe Cowboy actually gets the Bounty Head they want. And the SSPD would probably be outraged, but are spread to thin to actually prosecute Joe.)

The SSPB enforces all permits, though the level of enforcement depends on what will make the game more interesting, dramatic, or fun.

For example, in our 5th Adventure, Session Five: Fortune Cookie fix, the characters have the opportunity in one Scene to bribe their way out of trouble with the SSPB.  So, again it depends on what you want.

In one of my games, (Session Two: Ghost in The Machine actually) the characters were cornered by the SSPB after a firefight with their Bounty in a casino.  After the PCs indicated who they were, the SSPB checked all their permits and confiscated weapons from those without the proper permits.  One character, who actually had a permit to wear armor, was told to get out of public with it of face a fine.

Again, if they are dumb enough to get seen using military stuff in public, they will be investigated by the SSPB and might gain the Outlaw Flaw (at least temporarily) until it is cleared up.  Continued flaunting of the law might even get them the Bounty Head Flaw.

Hope this helps :)

BZ

« Last Edit: February 27, 2009, 10:56:09 am by BerkaZerka »
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