Rolling multiple resources tests, also repairs.

Burning Wheel First Reading
1

Due to failed lifestyle checks, and generally being dirt poor, the characters in my game found themselves with alot of gear that needed repair.

One character needed to have a longsword and a shortsword repaired, and his armor had suffered alot of damage in the last fight he was in. He was also out of travelling equipment.

Another character needed to replenish his travelling equipment too, needed new shoes, and wanted to get his hands on a tailoring kit.

Question 1: I decided that paying to have your equipment repaired would be a resources test with an Ob equal to the buying a new item, minus 1, to a minimum of 1. Would you make a different call? What should it cost the travelling knight to have his hauberk mended if a swamp-monstrosity has chewed 5 dice off it, in random places?

Question 2: One player used his relationship to his merchant uncle, and, knowing he himself wasnt good at haggling, or rich enough to pay for the repairs, asked his uncle to take the financial lead on their transactions, in return for later payment. So I had the uncle do a series of haggling and resources tests, and the players helped him with what few cash dice they had, bolstering themselves from B0 to B2 Resources over the course of a day at the market. Any comments? Was this a respectable way of running it?

Question 3: When the players need to make a series of expenses, like repairing armor, and longsword, and longsword, and getting new shoes and getting new supplies, is it right to solve this as a series of resouces tests? This gives them the chance to earn alot of tests, but also has lots of opportunities for them to get taxed. Should I instead figure a single Ob for repairing all of it, and have the players roll once?

Your feedback is appreciated.

2

1: If a player were having multiple pieces of equipment repaired, I’d probably just come up with a base Ob - looking at the cost to purchase a new one seems legit to me - and then adding +1 Ob for each additional piece after the first.

2: I personally don’t like having NPCs make rolls on the PC’s behalf, in general. I probably would have either had the NPC offer a loan to the character, or just said yes and had the uncle demand restitution through service.

3: I’d handle it as a single test for each player. I’d grab the highest Ob from the new purchases, then add 1 for each additional good or service they needed. I’d totally let the players Help each other. If you do it as a series of tests, you only earn one test anyway, at the highest Ob the player rolls. This way, you cut down on the individual rolls. They’d still be able to get a couple of other Tests through helping, assuming the acting player succeeds.

3

  1. That sounds reasonable as a rule of thumb.

  2. I think that is a reasonable use of a relationship to help with financial matters. After all, that is exactly what I’ve seen groups of PCs do to help get up low Resource scores. Just make sure that it is something they don’t take advantage of too often without the Uncle demanding work or repayment.

  3. That is a tough call. I don’t want a trip to the market to take multiple rolls for every little item, but rolling it all into one Ob could easily take what should be affordable items out of the reach of a PC. I would use judicious amounts of say yes here. Some wear and tear repair would be covered under the Lifestyle maintenance roll after all.

As an aside, this is a perfect opportunity for one of them to open or improve a skill like mending or sewing or cobbling if they wanted to try and make their own repairs. :slight_smile: