Well, my group has finished world burning and we are very happy with the result (to be posted soon!). Now we have progressed quite merrily through the Character Burner and after a couple of initial hiccups we picked it up really quickly with regard to skill point and trait point allocation.
Then we came to Circles and Resources. The Circles bit was easy. That’s all done and dusted but I was a bit unsure with regard to some of the stuff for resources.
Player 1, an underworld boss with a planet wide reputation has 7 Resource points to spend. He wants a big mansion with guards, defence systems and the like. He also wants a secret hideaway with security systems. And a car with armour plating. Now I am uncertain how to define these using the Resource points.
Does the mansion cost 1 RP which gives 4 Tech points which can then be used to “man” the mansion or is it more complicated than that. How does the secret hideaway and armoured car factor into things? Are they just colour for the time being or do they need statting up.
I’ve read and re-read the section of the rulebook on Resources and Character Burning but it just doesn’t “click” yet.
Tactically speaking, I’d spend some time coloring the various odds and ends that are important to the mansion’s description so that you can burn them with Resources rolls as you need them. It’s like buying a gigantic starship: You don’t buy it all at once.
However, if you have a clear idea of the main systems you want, it’s way cheaper to buy tech trait points with RPs during character burning. But it’s a gamble – the stuff you buy may not come up in play, and buying in advance uses up your permanent Resources. My players usually prefer to buy a couple minor items for their HQs and whatnot (security system, tools for skills) before the game begins.
Let’s see…there’s a bunch of ways to deal with the secret hideaway. It could be a huge +Ob to an opponent’s Security and/or Observation, with the price backed way down with limitations. Or it could be +dice for Inconspicuous. Just describing it as “hidden” means your opponent now has to Circle up NPCs with “specific knowledge” in order for them to give up its location.
The armored car is a separate buy.
Make sense? It really is as easy as it sounds. Ridiculously easy if you stop and think about it, which it’s best not to do.
Tactically speaking, I’d spend some time coloring the various odds and ends that are important to the mansion’s description so that you can burn them with Resources rolls as you need them. It’s like buying a gigantic starship: You don’t buy it all at once.
However, if you have a clear idea of the main systems you want, it’s way cheaper to buy tech trait points with RPs during character burning. But it’s a gamble – the stuff you buy may not come up in play, and buying in advance uses up your permanent Resources. My players usually prefer to buy a couple minor items for their HQs and whatnot (security system, tools for skills) before the game begins.
Let’s see…there’s a bunch of ways to deal with the secret hideaway. It could be a huge +Ob to an opponent’s Security and/or Observation, with the price backed way down with limitations. Or it could be +dice for Inconspicuous. Just describing it as “hidden” means your opponent now has to Circle up NPCs with “specific knowledge” in order for them to give up its location.
The armored car is a separate buy.
Make sense? It really is as easy as it sounds. Ridiculously easy if you stop and think about it, which it’s best not to do.
Hey man! Yes. According to the Property section on page 113, he spends 1 Resource point to buy the property and then gets the equivalent of 1 Resource point worth of Tech points (as per the rules for Burning Technology on page 111) to outfit the mansion with security tech. The same goes for the secret hideaway. The car, of course, must be burned as a vehicle. Additional Resource points may be spent as per the Burning Technology rules to add additional capabilities to the security systems.
Or he can just descide that any or all of them are color and try to give them Tech with the Tech Burner rules as the need arises in play.
If he decides to spend the Resource points on them, then he should burn up the technology before play begins.
Remember though that if he goes for manned security stations rather than automated systems, he’ll have to use his Circles to make sure that he has followers that can man those systems for him.
So one mansion, one hideaway and one car in Character burning costs 3 RPs (1 each).
The mansion can be manned (which costs 4 Tech Points) with the minions which the player has from his Circles.
The hideaway can built for 1RP with extra points being spent to make it “hard to find”.
The car cost 1RP plus whatever nuts and bolts it has stuck onto it.
It seems deceptively easy!
As you both say though the easist way of doing it is through colour at the start and paying for them as and when they come up in the game. Of course this may not happen but it is in the interest of the GM and player to make this happen.
I have more questions but I haven’t sat down and thought them through yet.
“Property
If a player wishes to establish a location in the game, he must spend
a resource point on property. This can be a fortress, a safe house, his
business, etc. The character starts the game with sole access to and
knowledge of the property. He may share it as he wishes. Players who
wish to enter the property—or find out about secret locales—must
make the appropriate overtures to the owning player. They must ask
permission, do some legwork or break in.” (emphasis added)
I read this as saying you spend the 1 RP for the property. You don’t have to spend more RPs if you want it secret.
i’d also mention this to the player who wants all the cool stuff.
“if you put in on your character sheet, it means i’m gonna attack it, try to destroy it, etc.”
so it’s kinda like a belief. having spent resources on it means it’s an object of conflict. if you want a car chase, buy a car. if you want someone to attack your house to force you to run to your secret hideaway so they can attack you there, buy a house and a secret hideawy…
if none of these scene’s of conflict interest you, don’t waste resource points on them…
This is MY Turf: When I’m at home in my mansion, I get a +1D bonus to Steel checks.
Or whatever. I could see a noble getting a bonus to Etiquette in his court. Or an Archcotare a bonus to Suasion. Or a celebrity a bonus to Conspicuous. etc.
I’d look at his description of where its located and what steps he’s taken to secret it. Maybe make him spend some points on resources and tech if its some outlandish things. Way out in the countryside? Where’s he getting water and how is he hiding that source?
Or I wouldn’t charge him many points if he came up with something that really doesn’t need a lot of resources…he buys one warehouse as a secret base in a complex of warehouses (think the finale from Indiana Jones). It’s not going to cost a lot to buy, but it’s going to be damn hard to find among all those other warehouses.
Side note:
From a story telling point of view I don’t think I want to make my character’s bases hard to find, just hard to get into. You get more interesting results than just, “You look for it and can’t find it, blah.”
(also, I know people need “safe havens,” but I’d be a bit worried about people turtling up in their fortress of solitude)