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Post by Ymbert Montgomery on Sept 14, 2019 16:01:43 GMT
This is likely to be controversial so I thought I needed to actually check with people rather than just doing it.
I'm increasingly of the view that we don't need NPC hirelings and doctors in the game.
Where other NPCs are there to be influenced and command regiments, NPCs here only exist to take custom away from player characters.
Under this proopsal, the only NPC Doctors/Artists that exist would be regimental surgeons (who are needed).
This is arguably a bit unrealistic, but it would center the PCs as the protaganists of the story properly. It would also allow them to set their own prices according to the market.
A milder version would be to cap hireling abilities at 3 or 4 rather than 6.
What do people think?
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Post by Ymbert Montgomery on Sept 14, 2019 16:03:19 GMT
Note that if I did this I'd also probably allow people to request that they swap the med ability and military ability rolls before seeing the result. (I suspect most won't).
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Post by huillaume on Sept 14, 2019 17:00:09 GMT
This is likely to be controversial so I thought I needed to actually check with people rather than just doing it. I'm increasingly of the view that we don't need NPC hirelings and doctors in the game. Where other NPCs are there to be influenced and command regiments, NPCs here only exist to take custom away from player characters. Under this proopsal, the only NPC Doctors/Artists that exist would be regimental surgeons (who are needed). This is arguably a bit unrealistic, but it would center the PCs as the protaganists of the story properly. It would also allow them to set their own prices according to the market. A milder version would be to cap hireling abilities at 3 or 4 rather than 6. What do people think?
Caping NPCs doctors to 3-4 would mean they have 2 chances in 6 to have a bad result (5) and 1 in 6 to have a good one (2). So, you'd better go without him...
If so, I guess better to just forfeit them, or substitute by a stay in hospital (as now are in a convent).
As per Artists, I guess the main use of NPCs is to be a patron, and, if so, IMHO, better than to cap the skill, you vcould make increasingly rare higher skills (e.g. You fins one to be his patron with an AA o f 1d6, with a +1 if you invest money (on a non-lineal progression, as the bribes, for better DMs) in finding it.
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Post by enoch52 on Sept 15, 2019 0:16:40 GMT
I believe what he's suggesting is removing the ability to hire NPCs as artists (and instead hire PCs), not removing NPCs as patrons. In fact, there aren't currently any PCs capable of acting as patrons yet, and some (the king, the cardinal, etc) have to be NPCs.
Personally I'm in favor of it, but it's worth noting that I'm horribly biased, as I would benefit.
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Post by gaston on Sept 15, 2019 7:07:18 GMT
I must admit to being torn on this one.
On the one hand, the more NPCs there are fleshing out the background of 'our' Paris the more 'real' it becomes in a role-playing sense. Whilst the more PC-exclusive it is, the creakier the flimsy supporting scenery becomes.
On the other hand a PC Doctor with Skill 4, for example, isn't going to get any customers while NPCs with Skill 6 can be freely hired and, since he can't get better than Skill 5 at University, will be in something of a dead-end through the lack of opportunity to practice.
So, how about saying that NPCs will be 'too busy' to take on any commissions from PCs if suitably qualified PCs are available to take on the job? This has the added benefit that the NPCs _will_ still be available otherwise.
NPCs temporarily blocking PCs where appointments are concerned isn't really an issue. Like any other appointment, they will have fixed appointment dates (when PCs get priority) and incumbents can be persuaded to resign beforehand if PCs can't wait.
Actually, the 'NPCs too busy if PCs available' principle could be extended to making confession also. It seems pointless for characters to make confession to NPC priests while PCs are available (though PC Priests could possibly do with considering what extra inducements they could offer potential members of their flocks ;-) ).
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Post by Ymbert Montgomery on Sept 15, 2019 10:50:55 GMT
I must admit to being torn on this one. On the one hand, the more NPCs there are fleshing out the background of 'our' Paris the more 'real' it becomes in a role-playing sense. Whilst the more PC-exclusive it is, the creakier the flimsy supporting scenery becomes. I think the big question for me here is whether people prefer a very simulationist game or something a bit more 'cinematic'. In the former, this is probably a bad idea. In the latter, everything of interest happening to and around the PCs is more genre appropriate. What do you mean by "suitably qualified"? It sounds a good idea but I think the devil is in the detail here! We also have a similar situation with toadying. With some very narrow exceptions, it's generally assumed in the game that only the PCs are available to toady to. The main issue with confessions specifically is mechanical. While it doesn't apply at the moment (because all the PCs are Franciscans) there's generally quite a big penalty for losing your confessees to another priest. So there's the question of what I do if someone just doesn't remember to put that down, especially with new players not used to those rules. I could start doing SP penalties similar to lack of FC but that is pretty heavy handed. |
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Post by gaston on Sept 15, 2019 12:35:05 GMT
OK, let's change that to
"NPCs will be 'too busy' to take on any commissions from PCs if the game contains any PCs in the profession available to take on the job."
Which is how the game was meant to be played, I think, unless some important NPC (King, Queen, Cardinal, Crown Prince etc. specifically hosts an event at which it is stated that they can be toadied to...
Once a player orders making confesssion to a particular priest as a pre-monthly action, this could be taken as a 'sticky' standing order unless or until specifically changed...
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Post by Alain Andre Durant on Sept 15, 2019 22:20:30 GMT
ARTISTS:
Based strictly on rolls, I don't think eliminating the NPC artist is necessary. As a patron, being able to hire artists is essentially buying SP, but it is a gamble. Patrons were always the wealthy because they had the funds to support artists in the lifestyle necessary. The way the NPC artist is designed, a skill level of three is required for a 1 in 6 chance of per week of 1 SP. Four weeks are required for four skill checks. At skill level three, there is a better chance of losing SP than gaining. This means that for twenty-four livres, the average balance is a loss. To get a better than even chance (even is not possible) requires an artist skill level of five, which means that the minimum of four weeks requires 40 livres and "may" get anywhere from -8 to +8 SP, balancing around +2. Forty livres for +2 SP on average. Even at a skill level of ten, requiring a minimum of eighty livres, the max average is just over one SP: 80 livres per 1.167 SP. But it could be as good as 80 livres for 8 SP if the NPC artist makes the best rolls (average of 1 SP per 10 livres).
The concept was designed for the wealthy PCs to have a way (though a gamble) to get the few SP needed to tip them over to the next SL.
For the artist that is able to work without a parton (making the weekly time investment and losing other weekly opportunities), the opportunity cost is the potential generation of SP and the gradual improvement of skill, which leads to greater SP generation without the lose of income.
DOCTORS:
The NPC doctor was designed to address the issue of childbirth and illness and disease as a modifier when they were switched to a CON roll. I believe some work is still needed here.
I don't think eliminating NPC doctors and artists will affect the game at this point as no one can really afford them or benefit from them. Later in the game when PCs are more highly developed, they may have a minor influence, though a wealthy PC may gain a lot of if they patron several NPC artists, and this could in fact become the basis of their continued rise in SL, if they have the funds.
I think doctors should be able to raise their skill all the way to ten through the University. The cost and time commitment is high enough in opportunity costs to balance the monopoly that could be created and the prices they could demand.
NPC APPOINTMENTS: A system that has been used is that each month 2d6 are rolled for each NPC. On a 12, they die for whatever made up reason. On a 2, they resign for whatever made up reason.
CONFESSORS: When confessors were introduced, the SP penalty was -1 SP per month for not putting confession in the orders. But, confession could be a no-time add-on to going to church. Society people watch who goes in and comes out of the confessional. The best gossip happens in church.
Some games have used the "sticky" concept where confessor, COnCon, favoured merchant, and other matters that could remain steady from month-to-month were simply recorded on the character sheet and remained with the appropriate calculations until changed by the player or some event.
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Post by enoch52 on Sept 16, 2019 0:54:53 GMT
Don't forget that art generates 1 SP/week spent on it; that gets adjusted by the skill checks, but doesn't replace it.
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Post by Alain Andre Durant on Sept 16, 2019 1:28:02 GMT
True. Hence why being a patron of the arts is advantageous to those that can afford it. There comes a point when it becomes difficult to gain enough SP to advance in SL, thus if one is wealthy enough, on average, significant gains can be made by being a patron, which was indeed in vogue at the time.
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Post by enoch52 on Sept 16, 2019 17:13:56 GMT
True. Hence why being a patron of the arts is advantageous to those that can afford it. There comes a point when it becomes difficult to gain enough SP to advance in SL, thus if one is wealthy enough, on average, significant gains can be made by being a patron, which was indeed in vogue at the time. Agreed. Just pointing out that it's really not a gamble: unless you hire a very low-skill artist (who then rolls badly) you'll be getting some SP out of it, generally more than 1 SP/week spent. You can also bank it by choosing to display it in a month where you expect to be close to a tipping point. |
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