Shoe String Budget Campaign Quality

[Black Cheese]

In preparation for my Tues. Whedonverse game, I implemented the Shoe String Budget campaign quality. It reads…

Shoe String Budget (Seasons Only: +0 XP): Most people in the game live hand to mouth — some are even slave-wagers or homeless mercenaries — and gear is regularly scraped together from what’s on hand. The Caliber of each gear pick assigned to or gained by any character — including any NPC — decreases by 1 (e.g. a Caliber III gear pick becomes a Caliber II gear pick). If this decreases the Caliber of any gear pick below I, the character loses access to the item. Further, at character creation, each PC begins with a Debt Subplot (see page 55).

I have a couple of questions.

• The value of this (i.e. the +0 XP) seems to be based on the idea that I'm using stock NPCs whose gear will disappear because of this quality. Since many NPCs are useless without their gear ("I'm an assassin… with pepper spray! Muhaha!"), and the PCs suffer more because of their gear gap (fewer options = less power), shouldn't this be worth something by way of XP if I plan on extensively using custom NPCs rather than those straight from the book? That is, I know my custom-designed NPCs are operating under the Shoe String Budget quality's limitation, but the PC classes don't. Shouldn't that be worth an XP bump? I mean, adding is always easier (q.v. the Big Budget campaign quality) than subtracting: you can always give the shark lasers in its frickin' head, but you can't exactly take away its teeth.
  
• Does this affect picks from origins, like the Tribesman specialty?
• Does this affect PCs' personal vehicles?
• Is the gained Debt subplot in addition to the normally gained subplot at level 1 or does it replace the choice of suplots at level 1?

[Provocateur]

Good questions all.

But it sounds like it'd be easier not to use that particular campaign quality.

My thoughts:

1. Yes, if you're going to bone your PCs, you should at least leave some money on the nightstand...uh, I mean XP in their pockets.   

2. Yes, the word "gain" is in both the Specialty description and the Shoe String Budget description

3. No, the word "gain" isn't in the Vehicle description under Lifestyle

4. Yes, because the Shoe String Budget description specifies that the Debt subplot is only gained if the campaign quality is added at character creation. Obviously, if you were to add the campaign quality when your PCs were 10th level, character creation would have already taken place for them. Apparently, the game designers want to ensure that the PCs begin play owing no more than $50,000 (rather than, let's say, $1,00,000 at 20th level). Moreover, the game designers apparently feel that if you, as GC, are predeterminded to predetermine your PCs staring Subplots, then you can't have them deal with more at 1st level than having to pay back a bunch of money to stress-causing, critical-injury delivering thugs.

I share your hopes for a good game.

And for more gear.

--The Provocateur, hear for all your provoking needs   

[Antilles]

Don't forget that if you're adjusting NPC's gear Caliber, they're getting extra XP that way, too. If you don't, then both PC's and NPC's will have to deal with the same problems (gear shortage), and as such I don't think the players are entitled to extra XP.

[Bill Whitmore]

In preparation for my Tues. Whedonverse game, I implemented the Shoe String Budget campaign quality. It reads…

I have a couple of questions.

• The value of this (i.e. the +0 XP) seems to be based on the idea that I'm using stock NPCs whose gear will disappear because of this quality. Since many NPCs are useless without their gear ("I'm an assassin… with pepper spray! Muhaha!"), and the PCs suffer more because of their gear gap (fewer options = less power), shouldn't this be worth something by way of XP if I plan on extensively using custom NPCs rather than those straight from the book? That is, I know my custom-designed NPCs are operating under the Shoe String Budget quality's limitation, but the PC classes don't. Shouldn't that be worth an XP bump? I mean, adding is always easier (q.v. the Big Budget campaign quality) than subtracting: you can always give the shark lasers in its frickin' head, but you can't exactly take away its teeth.
  

I am in agreement with Antilles.

No, it shouldn't be worth XP and there is really no reason to change it.  Bear in mind if you DO use custom NPCs (which I recommend) and intentionally up the caliber of their gear, they are already worth more XP.  If an NPC has 4 gear picks before the quality is applied (say a weapon, vehicle and 2 other pieces of euqipment) that NPCs base XP value will have to be increased by 4 to keep him the same after the quality is applied.  If that NPC is a Special NPC, the 4 is added before the x4 multiplier, so it would actually add 16 to the base XP total.

Long and short of it is, if you don't add extra gear for the NPCs they suffer as much as the PCs do.  If you do increase the gear, you are basically increasing the base XP value of the mission anyways.  Having the quality add more XP would just be double-dipping.

• Does this affect picks from origins, like the Tribesman specialty?
• Does this affect PCs' personal vehicles?

The wording of the quality says "[t]he Caliber of each gear pick assigned to or
gained by any character...decreases by 1." This would lead me to say yes, it affects any picks they make.

• Is the gained Debt subplot in addition to the normally gained subplot at level 1 or does it replace the choice of suplots at level 1?

Page 27 SP:
"Subplots: The number to the left of the slash in this column is the maximum number of Subplots your character may simultaneously possess"

Strictly speaking, I would say you would start with a Debt subplot AS your first subplot, not in addition to your first subplot.  Having said that, as a GC, I would be bored if EVERY PC at the table had the same subplot.  I'd probably allow each one to take an additional subplot if desired.  None of the subplots come into play unless the GC wants them to anyways.  At least this adds some more variety to the mix.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed herein are solely those of this post's author and may not reflect in any way, shape or form the view and opinion's of the Crafty compnay or staff...and if you can read this you REALLY have a better monitor than I do.

[Black Cheese]

Long and short of it is, if you don't add extra gear for the NPCs they suffer as much as the PCs do.

Um. But they don't. PCs have two columns on their advancement tables dedicated to the gear system. An NPC has whatever I give them, and, given a choice between tossing the unarmed proficiency on them and a club or something, the unarmed proficiency stands to be a lot cheaper.

When it's a Tier I mission and the PCs have just their possessions and ignore A) their gear picks from their origins, classes, class features, and feats, and B) their extra gear picks from their high Cha, this really does have more impact on the PCs than on the NPCs.

Comparing it to the Big Budget quality is specious--you can always add things, but once you've subtracted everything, there's nothing left. I'm okay with Big Budget adding +0 XP as that really does affect everyone evenly, but Shoe String Budget can be a serious kick in the nads for the PCs while Big Budget never is.

Yeah, I know, "It is because the NPCs get to have more stuff with which to kill the PCs," but the PCs get more stuff with which to prevent that killing and do the killing themselves.

[Crafty_Pat]

As written and intended...

1. The quality doesn't generate any extra XP. There's an element of fair play involved here. Yes, the GC could conceivably walk away from this quality with more benefit than the PCs, but any GC that does this sort of thing on a regular basis isn't going to have his group for long.

2 and 3. Yes. This quality affects all of each character's picks, no matter their source.

4. The intent was that the Debt Subplot would be gained in addition to any other Subplots chosen or implied.

Of course, it's your license to improvise. If you don't agree with any of this, feel free to change it!