Creative crushing/depletion of resources
- Thread starter Paladin
- Start date
1) Put the players in charge of something really expensive, like a starship or a colony. This has the added fun of forming a conflict between their personal purchases and the needs of the expensive project they are leading. "Sure, this one million credits is big money for me, but just a snack for Beowulf.."
2) Decadent player characters. They can easily spend zillions in prostitutes, drugs, parties and other luxury items. My current Traveller campaign is centered around Bowman. The characters are new Baron of the system and his staff. The Baron is very good at spending money in funny things, hehe.
3) Trouble with the law. Having your bank accounts and credit cards frozen can cause immensive trouble for people who are not prepared for a such event. (Mostly concerns planetsiders, travellers need a way to carry wealth independently of banking systems.)
4) Being middle of nowhere. It is always fun to have the players literally swimming in money but with no way to use it.... on way back to civilization, there can be plenty of obstacles that each devour a part.
As a a general rule though, I hate railroading. I throw only "realistic" or at least belivieable obstacles on my players. If they can get through them without losing their loot - by all means, they have earned it.
2) Decadent player characters. They can easily spend zillions in prostitutes, drugs, parties and other luxury items. My current Traveller campaign is centered around Bowman. The characters are new Baron of the system and his staff. The Baron is very good at spending money in funny things, hehe.
3) Trouble with the law. Having your bank accounts and credit cards frozen can cause immensive trouble for people who are not prepared for a such event. (Mostly concerns planetsiders, travellers need a way to carry wealth independently of banking systems.)
4) Being middle of nowhere. It is always fun to have the players literally swimming in money but with no way to use it.... on way back to civilization, there can be plenty of obstacles that each devour a part.
As a a general rule though, I hate railroading. I throw only "realistic" or at least belivieable obstacles on my players. If they can get through them without losing their loot - by all means, they have earned it.
Majestic7 said:
And the way to avoid having to crimp their style is to be careful what you give to them in the first place. You need to have a good handle on their standard outgoings and scale the rewards they receive to that level. Rewards "in kind" are often better value for the patron, and can be adventure hooks of their own: "We've got 40Td of drop bear skins, and the licence to export them. Now we just need to find a market and make a killing!"
TrippyHippy
Emperor Mongoose
A mortgage on a starship usually does the trick.
Baron Sidur Haski
Mongoose
My players are stinking rich, but they are also so wanted by several Law enforcement arms and Navies that they have very few options on places to spend. They are on the lam. Plus, there is limited tech in the area.
The other players, do not have that problem. The Confederation Navy has everything they need...
The other players, do not have that problem. The Confederation Navy has everything they need...
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
Alternately, don't take the resources away. If they get filthy rich, let them. The game then changes for them from fighting the bad guys to fighting the Megacorporation trying to destroy the competition. Maybe they become a minor commercial power of their own, a minor trading house. Let them. There will be very few rules at this level, but lots of intrigue and wheeling and dealing.
If they enjoy that kind of game, then you are fine. If everyone eventually gets bored, then make the current PCs, NPCs and roll new characters with the "old" ones becoming Patrons.
I had to do this is one of my games. My merchant character was able to parlay some luck into a few billion credits. He moved into politics and ended up married to the Countess of Lunion. He then became an NPC and I rolled up a new character.
Occasionally, we would pull him out and the GM and I would have a little 1-on-1 game, but essentially he was not part of our adventuring group any more. It worked out well in that situation.
If they enjoy that kind of game, then you are fine. If everyone eventually gets bored, then make the current PCs, NPCs and roll new characters with the "old" ones becoming Patrons.
I had to do this is one of my games. My merchant character was able to parlay some luck into a few billion credits. He moved into politics and ended up married to the Countess of Lunion. He then became an NPC and I rolled up a new character.
Occasionally, we would pull him out and the GM and I would have a little 1-on-1 game, but essentially he was not part of our adventuring group any more. It worked out well in that situation.
