Ticket to Ride

[Steamtastic Vagabond]

I have a question, after realizing that a lot of my NPC’s can’t affort a ticket back to Earth from Malifaux for plot reasons, I realized that I don’t think that the price of a ticket to of from Malifaux is stated anywhere. I’m curious as to what that might be. Any insight into this matter would be appreciated.

[Didor]

There was a question like this on the FB page recently, the answer from Mason came to 20 scrip in and 30 scrip out of Malifaux (possibly less with the right connections)

[diki]

On 8/4/2018 at 9:12 AM, Didor said:

There was a question like this on the FB page recently, the answer from Mason came to 20 scrip in and 30 scrip out of Malifaux (possibly less with the right connections)

30 seem's very cheap. Although I guess a lot of people in Malifaux would have plot reasons for avoiding the journey back as well.

[Lithaine]

The Chronicles #14 introductory adventure "An Easy Mark" also states that it costs 20scrip for a ticket into Malifaux. 

6 hours ago, diki said:

30 seem's very cheap.

It may not sound like a lot, but a lot of regular weapons are sub 20scrip for example. If your players are just starting out, that could mean pawning their good(only) equipment for a ticket back Earthside.

Also, from what I have read of the one-shots at least (we don't play enough to warrant one of the longer modules/custom adventure), cash rewards are pretty small and often spread amongst the party. It would probably take them some time to save up enough for each person to afford the 30scrip ticket, assuming they aren't spending it on equipment and living expenses.

[diki]

There are a few pursuits or a combo of crafting and bargaining that would make it trivial though.

[Bazlord_Prime]

On 8/7/2018 at 3:21 AM, Lithaine said:

Also, from what I have read of the one-shots at least (we don't play enough to warrant one of the longer modules/custom adventure), cash rewards are pretty small and often spread amongst the party. It would probably take them some time to save up enough for each person to afford the 30scrip ticket, assuming they aren't spending it on equipment and living expenses.

My Fated are bl**dy vultures, always rifling through corpses and picking up weapons to sell off later, so they're all getting pretty cash-rich. Hmmm... Might have to have a Guild Investigator start shadowing them, taking an interest in this "new gang of arms dealers" that's cropped up 😉

[Lithaine]

@diki Definitely, there are many ways for the players to make money in the game (and having the pricing sheets for goods and sundries besides equipment tells me it was probably anticipated characters will be buying and selling for various reasons). Another example:

3 minutes ago, Bazlord_Prime said:

rifling through corpses and picking up weapons to sell off later

Cheap is relative to the player's ability to afford it. Characters that can make money easily will find it cheap, characters who cannot find it expensive. Another way to look at it: is the [insert item] cheap or expensive? Equipment is cheap or expensive depending on the character's ability to pay for it. Starting out their first adventure, my players had a hard time buying 'good' gear (there were some complaints about the starting funds), but to your point, it takes very little to get going and being able to afford better stuff - that starting pistol is now cheap in comparison.

Not sure if this is a more helpful way to look at it than pure economics: do you as the Fatemaster want the ability to purchase the ticket to be hard or easy for your characters? The assumption that a ticket is cheap signals to me that you would like it to be difficult for your characters to get the tickets, perhaps to prevent them from making the trip? Cheap is also the same as easy until money is no longer an issue, so if it's the case that you want it to be difficult, then finding non-monetary obstacles sounds like the way to go. Some things that spring to mind: Fated are infamous and can't buy tickets normally; travel Earthside is temporarily closed; passengers need special permission from the Guild in addition to the ticket; Fated have their money stolen/jailed/ other direct delays.

[Mason]

It should be noted that it's not impossible to go back to Earth; plenty of people do it every day.

For a lot of the poorer people in the world, however, buying that ticket is a big deal... and even then, they need to purchase passage from Santa Fe back to wherever their home is, and feed themselves along the way, which all adds up pretty quickly.

If you're someone who is taking dangerous jobs, getting into shootouts, looting the dead, and stealing Soulstones, that ticket isn't going to be too big of a deal (especially if you're a Fated character who doesn't pay rent or purchase food ). If you're one of the working poor... you might as well be trying to save up for a ticket to the moon.

 

[Nikshe]

Also, if your players are "scavengers", you can use more neverborns, gamins, beasts and undead enemies.

The Guild investigator looking for Fated is a good idea, but the group can be also considered as a threat by Arcanists after they eventually kill a smugler. Or they can be hunted by Frei Corps after murdering their squad. If every fraction in the city is the Fated's enemy, their money will not serve them well.

[Bazlord_Prime]

On 8/10/2018 at 4:55 AM, Nikshe said:

Also, if your players are "scavengers", you can use more neverborns, gamins, beasts and undead enemies.

The Guild investigator looking for Fated is a good idea, but the group can be also considered as a threat by Arcanists after they eventually kill a smugler. Or they can be hunted by Frei Corps after murdering their squad. If every fraction in the city is the Fated's enemy, their money will not serve them well.

We're just getting rolling with TTB, and as it's my first time FM-ing, we're just running straight with A Night In Rottenburg, using the set encounters there. Which means, so far, they've killed/KO'd about 6 Cauldron Gang, 7 Brass Irregulars, 16 Cold Street & 3 Shock Spiders. And yes - they've rifled every single one of them for cash & guns. They were even trying to figure out whether they could remove the legs & cannons from one of the Spiders, to be integrated later into their Augmented character (a la Howard Langston)...

It's fine - I just need to impose a limit on the level of junk that they can carry. And the spider legs were never coming off without a Toolkit (which they don't have). And even then, they'd be too heavy to carry.

What's funny is they gave more thought to recovering the spider legs than they did the lightning cannons. The heart wants what the heart wants. I guess?

[DarkSpade]

Thought I read somewhere that your average mercenary made at most 2 script a day.  So if they're taking weekends off, 30 script is 3 weeks worth of pay.  That sounds pretty pricey to me.   And like Mason said, your trip isn't over once you make it back to earth.

Still, it's reachable goal if you set your mind to it, so if you need financial reasons for a player or NPC to be stuck in Malifaux, I'd just give them some kind of large debt on top of that.  Something that they have to pay back before they can leave.  Like maybe someone funded their incoming trip so they technically have to pay that still. With interest!

[Spyder Revenant]

So looting the dead especially in the quarantine zone is a great way to catch a disease like tuberculosis.

[diki]

58 minutes ago, Spyder Revenant said:

So looting the dead especially in the quarantine zone is a great way to catch a disease like tuberculosis.

Even more freebies

17 hours ago, Bazlord_Prime said:

We're just getting rolling with TTB, and as it's my first time FM-ing, we're just running straight with A Night In Rottenburg, using the set encounters there. Which means, so far, they've killed/KO'd about 6 Cauldron Gang, 7 Brass Irregulars, 16 Cold Street & 3 Shock Spiders. And yes - they've rifled every single one of them for cash & guns. They were even trying to figure out whether they could remove the legs & cannons from one of the Spiders, to be integrated later into their Augmented character (a la Howard Langston)...

It's fine - I just need to impose a limit on the level of junk that they can carry. And the spider legs were never coming off without a Toolkit (which they don't have). And even then, they'd be too heavy to carry. 

They should have hacked the spiders to carry all their loots!

[Lithaine]

Additionally, the game assumes the characters are paying for their living expenses (or at least I remember reading it somewhere) either through adventuring money or by doing a 'day job' and thus not adventuring during that time. As much as the players would like the characters to sleep in the gutter so as to not incur costs, it's probably a good idea to remind them that the characters will not want to sleep in the gutter (would you no matter what you're saving up for?). After all, it is about roleplaying that character, right?

Edited August 15, 2018 by Lithaine

[Bazlord_Prime]

11 hours ago, Spyder Revenant said:

So looting the dead especially in the quarantine zone is a great way to catch a disease like tuberculosis.

They've ALL passed their TB checks so far, dammit. And one of them is even a Ghoul, eating the diseased flesh of the fallen! 

[Steamtastic Vagabond]

If they are literally eating tuberculosis victims, no flip should be necessary!

[diki]

On 8/16/2018 at 3:04 AM, Steamtastic Vagabond said:

If they are literally eating tuberculosis victims, no flip should be necessary!

If you care about realism* it really depends on the disease.

Quote

What causes TB?

In most healthy people, the body's natural defence against infection and illness (the immune system) kills the bacteria and there are no symptoms.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tuberculosis-tb/

*not that realism is neccisarily the most fun option in an RPG.