While most roleplaying games go beyond the stereotype of, \u201cKill them and take their stuff!\u201d it is undeniable that equipment has a central place in the mechanics of almost every game.\u00a0 Characters almost invariably become insanely wealthy in order to afford upgraded equipment made increasingly expensive as a form of mechanical balance.\u00a0 Recently a new trend has emerged in some roleplaying games; many games now use alternate mechanics such as Deathwatch\u2019s Requisition or Dark Heresy Second Edition\u2019s Influence to use Fantasy Flight Games examples.\u00a0 These systems use more abstract means to model acquiring items, representing more intangible factors such as political influence or the advanced logistics offered to elite forces.\u00a0 Each method of handling item acquisition mechanics has an effect on the theme and feel of the game.\u00a0 On their own, these effects are neither positive nor negative.\u00a0 Rather, purchasing mechanics must match the theme and feel desired by overall design<\/p>\n
Traditionally, items are listed in core and supplemental rulebooks alongside a currency cost such as gold, credits, et cetera.\u00a0 Sometimes a rarity rating restricts the ease of acquisition beyond cost, but just as often this is subject to GM discretion.\u00a0 The primary balancing factor for items is cost.\u00a0 While rarity can also provide a control, even when provided there is often variation between GMs in how these mechanics are interpreted or even applied.\u00a0 Often, GMs will ignore the additional bookkeeping, calculations, and dice rolls recommended by rarity mechanics.<\/p>\n
Using costs expressed as currency puts a game into the grittier, and potentially more simulationist, side of the spectrum.\u00a0 Players, and therefore their characters, will all be motivated to varying degrees by the acquisition of currency as a means to power and utility.\u00a0 This may sound like a condemnation, but this may indeed be the effect you are trying to achieve.\u00a0 Consider Edge of the Empire, a game in which a sidebar discusses how to \u201ckeep the party hungry,\u201d or rather short on credits to motivate the adventure.\u00a0 Continuing with the Star Wars example, I find the use of Credits and Rarity in Age of Rebellion to perfectly support the feel of playing an underequipped and desperate Rebel cell.\u00a0 At the same time, a party of elite Rebel Special Forces, or a crack team of Imperials, would be provided with equipment as required.\u00a0 That disconnect creates additional work for the GM in determining equipment balance based solely on their own discretion.<\/p>\n
Related to credits but more appropriate to episodic, mission by mission play, is that of requisition.\u00a0 This is exemplified by the system used by Fantasy Flight Games\u2019 Deathwatch.\u00a0 Deathwatch, putting players in the role of genetically engineered elite commando-monk alien hunters, concerns character with the support of a galaxy wide logistics chain and no concern for such petty concerns as wealth.\u00a0 Deathwatch characters have standard issue equipment and weapons based on their specialty which are then augmented by both GM determined mission essential kit and finally player selected equipment using the Requisition system.\u00a0 Requisition is a currency granted to the players to select arms and equipment prior to commencing a mission.\u00a0 Each piece of equipment within the game lists a \u201ccost\u201d in Requisition, and has a further requirement that a player be at a sufficiently high level of Renown.\u00a0 Renown is a tiered rating system representing the fame of each individual player, the higher the Renown rating the more powerful the available equipment.\u00a0 On completion of a mission all excess equipment beyond the players\u2019 standard issue kit is returned to the armoury.<\/p>\n
Using a mechanic like Requisition creates a more military feel.\u00a0 Requisition points provides an abstracted, but dependable, representation of the characters acquiring equipment through a healthy, but ultimately non-infinite logistics chain.\u00a0 Adding Renown within Deathwatch models the increased willingness on the part of the armourers to provide difficult to replace kit to the characters.\u00a0 A veteran Deathwatch Space Marine is trusted with ancient relics, a fresh novice is not.\u00a0 The provision of standard issue equipment to characters greatly reduces any possible feeling of desperation.\u00a0 To use a fantasy example: while magical armour may be in short supply, the watch always has enough chainmail and longswords.\u00a0 While this system may work very well for reasonably supplied military parties, it does a poor job of conveying the feel of an underequipped rebel cell as discussed above.<\/p>\n
The final mechanic I will discuss is that of an Influence-type statistic.\u00a0 Fantasy Flight Games\u2019 Dark Heresy Second Edition has Influence as an additional characteristic; this is generated and tracked alongside more typical statistics such as Strength or Willpower. Influence much more abstractly represents wealth, political influence, access to logistics, in\u00a0generally much broader strokes.\u00a0 Items have a Rarity rating which corresponds to a positive or negative modifier.\u00a0 This rarity modifier is added to the Influence characteristic along with modifiers for other factors and a dice roll is made using roll-under d100, success indicates acquisition of the item.\u00a0 GMs are encouraged to allow minor expenditures without a roll for things such as drinks, accommodations, or a few coins to loosen a tongue.<\/p>\n
The aptly named Influence mechanic models characters with powerful connections.\u00a0 Dark Heresy Second Edition\u2019s characters are Inquisitorial Acolytes who have the right to demand assistance from local authorities in the name of the God-Emperor.\u00a0 An earlier product, Rogue Trader, provided inspiration through an essentially similar mechanic called Profit Factor.\u00a0 In Rogue Trader, starting parties possess such things as a multi-kilometer long spaceship, thousands of servants and soldiers, and an ancient warrant of trade giving fantastically broad authorities.\u00a0 As such, it would be inappropriate to track the immense wealth of the party and abstraction is not just welcome, in my opinion it is required.<\/p>\n
For Dark Heresy, there is some debate within the community.\u00a0 The previous edition used currency for starting play and introduced Influence in its high level play sourcebook, Ascension.\u00a0 Acquiring spending money for bribes or undercover operations was possible in Ascension using Influence, but this special rule has been removed.\u00a0 Some Dark Heresy GMs prefer the use of the currency mechanic so as to tempt players towards greed, and to convey how unimportant and disposable novice acolytes are.\u00a0 Others wish to emphasize the power of merely naming the Inquisition early on, and point to how this was the province of GM fit in the first edition.<\/p>\n
It is as with nearly everything in roleplaying: individual play experiences vary and what is right for some is not for others.\u00a0 Here is my advice to game designers and GMs considering house rules.\u00a0 Start with an understanding of the feel of your game and how that impacts the acquisition of equipment and resources.\u00a0 Then, determine the \u201cso what?\u201d as this leads to mechanical implications.<\/p>\n
A Firefly roleplaying game ought to emphasize how a handful of credits is the difference between protein paste and fresh fruit, therefore a currency system is likely required.\u00a0 Allied Commandos sent on daring raids during World War 2 will have little need for francs or deutschmarks outside of emergency spending money, so a system to Requisition equipment on a mission by mission basis will be appropriate.\u00a0 In that example, submachine guns and German uniforms may be needed in one mission, but those will be of little use in long range reconnaissance in North Africa.\u00a0 There the party would likely rather have optics, long range rifles, and rugged vehicles.\u00a0 What about a game in which players are Roman senators or patricians, navigating intrigue in the capital? \u00a0A measure of their influence is more likely to be required that an exact measure of their coin, perhaps balanced with mechanics to draw spending money. \u00a0Each setting and style of game has its own unique implications.\u00a0 Ultimately, no one mechanical system of\u00a0equipment acquisition is perfect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"