High Living Rules

[Madhatter]

I was wondering how GMs out there are going to use the High Living rule. I understand it's purpose, but as written it seems pretty unrealistic. If a character is saving a bit of dough for a new weapon or armor, he'll be saving a long time until he hits the jackpot on one of his adventures. With a Greatsword costing 200sp, it seems pretty harsh to force a character to spend half his cash over 50sp. I really do like the intent behind it though, to keep characters from walking around with rucksacks bigger than they are and to keep them hungry for the next adventure. I've thought of a couple of ways that I could try to make it work, but they are flawed.
1. Make it a random chance that the High Living rule will go into effect. Say 50% chance per week that you will falll under the rule, so it does leave a good chance that a character can carry over some silver from week to week.
2. Allow a Will save to hang on to your silver. This would give Scholars an unfair advantage and turn them into money lenders or give them an unfair advantage in equipment.
3. Every week, subtract d100 silver from a character's hoard.
4. Allow characters a flex spending plan, if they are saving the money for weapons, armor, tomes, or even ships, that money set aside is immune to High Living. I think it's bean counting though.
Does anyone have some other ideas? The rule works at lower levels, but higher up you may want to invest in some armor worth 1,000 sp+.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I intend to play the game pretty episodic, so there will be no need for a character to save up. If a character needs equipment, and it is appropriate to the setting and the needs of that adventure, then that character can have the equipment.

You never had to see Conan purchase a sword in the stories. If Howard needed him to have a sword, then Conan had a sword. I will run my games the same way, so the High Living Rules will be in full force in my campaigns.

I am still working out a way to play in non-chronological order, like Howard wrote the stories.

 

[Madhatter]

I intend to play the game pretty episodic, so there will be no need for a character to save up........

Excellent point! I'm positive that's what Mongoose intended. I reread the GM's section and confirmed that. That would explain why the rule is vague since it was never intended to be a campaign standard, rather a guideline for scenarios lasting longer than a week. I'll have to figure out something for characters that want to purchase permanent things (houses, land).

 

[Jason Durall]

I was wondering how GMs out there are going to use the High Living rule. I understand it's purpose, but as written it seems pretty unrealistic.

Personally, I am going to use the rule as a guideline, making concessions if players mention specific financial plans, but ultimately, I want to do everything I can to dissuade characters from focussing on money as anything other than a nebulous goal - not on coin counting and saving up for stuff.

Weapons, armor, and other gear will for the most part be issued, scavenged, or stolen, as was done in the source material.

 

[rook111]

I am still working out a way to play in non-chronological order, like Howard wrote the stories.

Hi Vince, one way to do this is have all of your players create versions of thier character at certain points in thier careers say levels 1, 3, 9, 15, 20. Then have your adventure set between the various points with xp gained during an adventure used to move that career ponits version character up towards the next point.

That is how I am leaning towards running it myself.

 

[Mythos]

This is how I intend to enforce the rule.
Any single adventure that runs long enough for the players to need to worry about saving money for new equipment will require the characters to set aside the money for equipment. If their left over is enough to require the enforcement of the High Living rule, then it is applied as in the book.
If this leaves the character with so little money that they need to dip into their savings, then so be it. They will either have to buy cheaper stuff or go out and earn more money.

 

[Madhatter]

I was wondering how GMs out there are going to use the High Living rule. I understand it's purpose, but as written it seems pretty unrealistic.

Personally, I am going to use the rule as a guideline, making concessions if players mention specific financial plans, but ultimately, I want to do everything I can to dissuade characters from focussing on money as anything other than a nebulous goal - not on coin counting and saving up for stuff.

Weapons, armor, and other gear will for the most part be issued, scavenged, or stolen, as was done in the source material.

I think that will work very well, since the Conan RPG doesn't have entire volumes filled with magic items that characters just can't live without. No bags of holding here, that's for sure.

 

[VincentDarlage]

Hi Vince, one way to do this is have all of your players create versions of thier character at certain points in thier careers say levels 1, 3, 9, 15, 20. Then have your adventure set between the various points with xp gained during an adventure used to move that career ponits version character up towards the next point.

That is how I am leaning towards running it myself.

Thank you. I will try that. Excellent!