artellan
02-10-2008, 04:09 PM
A little while ago, playing our "Burning Greece" game, something clicked for me about the way Resources works. It's always been hard to explain how spending your wealth (making Resources tests) is the main thing that gets you more wealth (by advancing Resources). But then I realized, if you look at it from the point of view of the story's audience and what they can learn or guess about the characters' assets, it all makes sense.
Here's an example, a scene from my brother's "Burning Boldaq (http://www.burningwheel.org/forum/showthread.php?p=52238#post52238)" BE campaign:
"Kadaath, good to see you again," Draz Tolo says. "I've got a job that calls for your... unique methods, and I need to keep my hands clean now that I've gone legit."
"I'm listening."
"See this boy?" He yanks a leash tied around the boy's neck. "We are going to use him to blackmail the Pali. I want you to hang on to him, and when I ask for it -"
"I want double my regular rate."
"Done."
"Ten times, then."
"Ha! Done. Hell, I'll throw in some women, too."As the audience of the story, what did we learn about the characters in that scene? Draz Tolo, the one making the purchase, has a lot of money to throw around. Our impression of his Resources has gone up.
As for Kadaath, we didn't really learn anything about his actual wealth here. Maybe he's managed to put away a good chuck of cash from every job he's done, and is almost ready to retire ... or maybe he owes a huge sum to a crime lord and is just trying to stay ahead. All we do know is that temporarily this job is going to give him a big windfall, i.e. Cash On Hand.
So yeah, a character is consistently able to acquire the goods & services they need, in good quality? "He must be able to afford a lot", says the audience, and Resources goes up. Someone tries to make a purchase but either can't get it, or has to live with something less / poorer quality? "That was more than she could afford", and Resources is taxed.
It also explains why playing merchants - selling lots of items during play - doesn't advance Resources. If I was watching a TV show where the characters were always trying to make money, I'd figure they needed it badly.
What do you guys think?
Hmm. This gives me the idea that the complications for Gift of Kindness could extend beyond just the item purchased ... you could also choose to get the character (or his friends!) into trouble with lenders, etc.
Here's an example, a scene from my brother's "Burning Boldaq (http://www.burningwheel.org/forum/showthread.php?p=52238#post52238)" BE campaign:
"Kadaath, good to see you again," Draz Tolo says. "I've got a job that calls for your... unique methods, and I need to keep my hands clean now that I've gone legit."
"I'm listening."
"See this boy?" He yanks a leash tied around the boy's neck. "We are going to use him to blackmail the Pali. I want you to hang on to him, and when I ask for it -"
"I want double my regular rate."
"Done."
"Ten times, then."
"Ha! Done. Hell, I'll throw in some women, too."As the audience of the story, what did we learn about the characters in that scene? Draz Tolo, the one making the purchase, has a lot of money to throw around. Our impression of his Resources has gone up.
As for Kadaath, we didn't really learn anything about his actual wealth here. Maybe he's managed to put away a good chuck of cash from every job he's done, and is almost ready to retire ... or maybe he owes a huge sum to a crime lord and is just trying to stay ahead. All we do know is that temporarily this job is going to give him a big windfall, i.e. Cash On Hand.
So yeah, a character is consistently able to acquire the goods & services they need, in good quality? "He must be able to afford a lot", says the audience, and Resources goes up. Someone tries to make a purchase but either can't get it, or has to live with something less / poorer quality? "That was more than she could afford", and Resources is taxed.
It also explains why playing merchants - selling lots of items during play - doesn't advance Resources. If I was watching a TV show where the characters were always trying to make money, I'd figure they needed it badly.
What do you guys think?
Hmm. This gives me the idea that the complications for Gift of Kindness could extend beyond just the item purchased ... you could also choose to get the character (or his friends!) into trouble with lenders, etc.