Turning Extra RPs into Cash on Hand?

[jchokey]

In the Leftover Resource Points (http://www.burningwheel.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2724) thread posted earlier this year, TimP asked what might be done for a character who had just 1-2 points left over after the concept was fleshed out during character creation.

Several fine suggestions were made, including the idea of buying a 1-2 point relationship, improving a weapon with a beak or a point, buying a leaky hut, buying an extra pair of shoes, etc.

However, there was an idea that TimP had asked about that seemed intriguing... but which didn't seem to get attention. Specifically, he asked about whether it was possible for unused RPs to be converted into cash on hand... to provide a few short lived extra dice that could be used on a Resource roll or two. It seems to me that this might be an appealing option-- especially for characters who already have bought all the relationships and for whom buying a fourth or fifth might cause a loss of focus on the others. (And for whom the idea of buying a leaky hut or an extra pair of shoes doesn't fit in with the concept well.)

Can it be done? The rules don't suggest that it can, but I thought it was worth asking again.

[stormsweeper]

I think that with the current scales, I'd price out "cash on hand" at 5 RPs per die or thereabouts.

What could be nifty would be to have a 1 point "tchotchke" listing. Say an old family heirloom of some sort that doesn't merit the trait.

[TimP]

I think that with the current scales, I'd price out "cash on hand" at 5 RPs per die or thereabouts.

The dilemna of the leftover RP hardly ever comes up in actual play, but just for fun:

5 RPs to 1 Cash on Hand die is a total ripoff. I realize that RPs and the Resources stat don't scale 1:1 (especially when you compare starting RPs to the higher ob Resources tests), but look at what you can get with an ob1 Resources test:
Food for the day.
Lodging for the night.
Clothing, shoes, and other simple mundane goods
Keep in mind you're only getting ONE die, so you'll only be successful 50% of the time, if you assume the character has a Resources with an exponent of 0.

What can you get with 5 RPs at character generation?
Rotm Arms
Riding mount of pack animal
Finery
A small cottage
Traveling gear, shoes, AND clothes

5 RPs converting to one die of Cash on Hand don't seem a bit right. I guess the danger you run into is when a rich character says "Hey, I want to convert my 35 RPs into 35 dice of Cash on Hand!"

You'd have to houserule a limit to the amount of RPs that can be converted or just be a hard-assed GM to cut down on this sort of thing.

Would this be a totally nerfed alternative houserule?
If, at the end of character generation, you find yourself with one (1) leftover RP, you may spend it in order to round up when figuring the starting Resource exponent IF you would otherwise have a starting Resources of zero (0).

[stormsweeper]

I think the most elegant house rule would be to add unspent points to the pool used to determine your Resources ability. In many case that wouldn't make a difference, however.

I was ballparking my price at 1/3 the rate of that pool, actually.

[TimP]

I think the most elegant house rule would be to add unspent points to the pool used to determine your Resources ability. In many case that wouldn't make a difference, however.

I thought about that, too, and the only problem I could see is that you could end up with a high Resources with no real identifiable source for the income. Maybe that's not such a big deal, though.

[The_Tim]

Instead of doing a fixed ratio make cash on hand purchased with a payscale like Affiliations/Reputations.

What follows is me pulling numbers out of my ass for this thing.

3 Resource Ponts: 1D of Cash on Hand.
9 Resource Points: 2D of Cash on Hand.
27 Resource Points: 3D of Cash on Hand.

You could even allow Funds/Caches to be purchased. In ths case I'd do a 5/15/45 deal, as it would be essentially buying Resources directly, with the downside of it not being recoverable.

[luke]

moved to the proper forum

[TimP]

The more I think about it, the less I like being able to trade RPs for any sort of Resource dice.

At anything above the "I've got one spare RP!" level, trading absolutely guts what seems to be the intention of RPs during character generation: Building characters with interesting Relationships, Affiliations, and Reputations (and the tools they need to do their skills).

It's one thing to trade 1RP for a die of cash on hand, and something entirely different to spend 27 RPs for cash. You end up with a character who's not really engaged and has a dearth of story power.

[Dwight]

I think that's the crux of it, the issue is really only about that lone leftover rp. Or I guess more about the relatively limited menu to pick from when spending it. Sure that can really bite for characters that have limited rp to start with. When you only have 10 rp that remaining 1 rp is 10%. But in the big scheme of things I'm not sure it's worth sweating over. It just means you take the crappy door prize envelope and hope to get lucky and have it come out worth more than you paid, or you go back and shuffle your rp expenditures.

[stormsweeper]

The Jihad supplement has rules for buying a Salt cache, which happens to be a Resources cache/fund. It's priced exactly the same as property.

Nonetheless, I agree. The stray point here and there isn't that big of a deal. Add it to the property/affilaitions/reputations pool to determine Resources, or take a tchotchke.

[jchokey]

Can it be done? The rules don't suggest that it can, but I thought it was worth asking again.

So... based on the fact that this has been moved to the 'alternative rules and variants' forum, I am presuming that the answer is "No, at least not according the rules as written/designed."