How do you handle High Living?

[Starkus]

So, after reading over the high living rules, which I like, I'm trying to figure out how to best implement them. Since it says to take 50% of the silver away from each party member, per week, and that accounts for high living and spending, how do you accomodate this rule when the party is out in the wilds for periods of several weeks?

Do you take the silver each week they are on the road? Do you note how many weeks they've been away from civilization and have them accumulate to a total which you then deduct when they arrive in a place they can spend their money? Do you only start the weekly high living 'clock' once they enter civilization?

What about purchasing equipment? Should you let them restock on gear first, then hit them with the high living rule?

Basically, what I would like to know is how you implement this rule into your games, specifically.

Thanks!

Stark

 

[Oly]

I tend to just wing it really, the rule's just an excuse for me to take away wealth when I think they've got a bit too much of it. I don't tend to keep too close a track of exactly how much they've got, "broke", "food & drink", "basic weapons" and "nice stuff" are usually sufficient levels of wealth.

If they're out in the wilderness then they don't loose anything. Once they return to town then I usually let them get their hands on what they want (within the rough levels above) and then let the rest be frittered away on a night of such debauchery as is seldom seen.

 

[Damien]

Oly has it right. The High Living rule is just an excuse for the GM to arbitrarily keep the players' wealth levels in check. You don't need to follow it as a concrete rule. Only implement 'High Living' when you feel that you should.

Take your wilderness example for instance. How are the PCs accumulating so much wealth by traversing the jungle? Did they find huge stores of wealth that you don't want them to have? Here's a good way to take it away from the: Have them chased, and the cart their earnings are in breaks and tumbles their newfound wealth over a gorge or into a river. Now they can only get away with whatever wealth they have in hand.

That is a take on the High Living rule. Call it the PCs Wealth Lack of Permenance Rule.

Have they accumulated so much wealth that issues like 'where to eat in town' and 'oh crap, my sword broke' aren't problems? Have them robbed or go into a fit of drunken revelry and whoring.

Simple. You use it when you feel its necessary. By my estimation, the High Living 'rule' only exists as a direct contrast to people who are used to D&D where no player would tolerate his DM just taking money away from him. In Conan, you have no expectation of wealth on any level, and that's the spirit of the High Living rule.

 

[urdinaran]

I only use those rules in-between sessions. If a month passes from one session to the next, I adjust their wealth accordingly. This is assuming of course they are in a civilized area, enjoying the fruits of their recent exploits. I allow my players to make any purchases they need prior to my making adjustments. I don't try to keep them poor, it just kinda happens that way.

 

[Castel]

Well i think that "High living rule" should be restrained to certain situations and most of the time acompanied by good roleplaying...

I just don´t like much that rule of taking away money (unless you need a reason for an adventure, and that reason is broke PCs...)

Money is a valuable thing... without it how can PCs bribe NPCs and other stuff that you can do with money? I think that it´s really much about how do you whant your characters to play...

To much wealth? Get them robed... drunk losing all of their money in a dice game... or just give them penaltys if they don´t spend money in drinking, whenching and stuff (this is actually a great ideia that i´m thinking of implementing in the future)

And i must say... give people a good reason for spending their money... or a good one for losing it...

 

[quigs]

Plus have you seen some of the prices for stuff in Conan? A good suit or armour or even a regular greatsword will cut a pretty big chunk out of any adventurer's spare change.

I think the book pretty much assumes you allow your PC's to buy one or two items after or during each adventure. Then, in between adventures, you can feel free to eliminate some of the excess

One of my players, who is a big D&D fan, didn't like this rule at all, but once I mentioned to him that it would only be applied if a character was obviously hoarding money, he settled down.

Basically, encourage your characters to spend spend spend and reward them for doing so.

Be sure to make the distinction between the warrior classes and Nobles and Scholars as well. The latter 2 classes spend their money in very different ways.