Retainer Upkeep Costs

[Pixie]

Ehh. Freemen probably shouldn't have bodyguards to begin with. It's very... thematically jarring, and limiting that ability by making it so they can't afford it is actually the way it would be, IC. Even inheriting an NPC from someone else would become impossible unless that first person were still footing their bill (and they could by sending the silver!).

Is the 5% charge once per OOC week or month? I do tend to feel that per week might be a bit much, considering the high, high cost of guard retainers to begin with, but if it's per month it seems a lot more reasonable. Like maintaining a massive stone estate. Yes, you paid a huge amount of money just to have it, but it still requires a monthly payment to maintain.

[Geras]

I hope there will be an exception made for players who go inactive and their retainers.

[chronodbu]

I'll second that I hope this is going to be a monthly payment and not a weekly.

Discretionary or not, silver does go quickly ingame. Having to pay for this stuff, if too high, may very well damage the crafting economy too since folks aren't gonna have nearly as much coin to put into it for buying things like furniture, clothes, etc.

Not to mention that we have plenty of things to sink xp and coin into already. This just kinda feels like more of a chore to me to enjoy a game that's supposed to be my happy fun time place. Realism/IC or not, TI shouldn't be a second job.

Honestly think this could've been better handled by making "bodyguard" and "staff" slots then pricing them accordingly to make them a stretch goal to work for, but not another thing to juggle.

[Voxumo]

Is the 5% charge once per OOC week or month? I do tend to feel that per week might be a bit much, considering the high, high cost of guard retainers to begin with, but if it's per month it seems a lot more reasonable. Like maintaining a massive stone estate. Yes, you paid a huge amount of money just to have it, but it still requires a monthly payment to maintain.

It's per ooc week.

[The_Last_Good_Dragon]

Ehh. Freemen probably shouldn't have bodyguards to begin with. It's very... thematically jarring, and limiting that ability by making it so they can't afford it is actually the way it would be, IC. Even inheriting an NPC from someone else would become impossible unless that first person were still footing their bill (and they could by sending the silver!).

Is the 5% charge once per OOC week or month? I do tend to feel that per week might be a bit much, considering the high, high cost of guard retainers to begin with, but if it's per month it seems a lot more reasonable. Like maintaining a massive stone estate. Yes, you paid a huge amount of money just to have it, but it still requires a monthly payment to maintain.

I very much agree with both sentiments here. Freemen really shouldn't be having guards — their guards would be, like, a bulky dog! Seeing Freemen with guards can be jarring. I also like the idea of making the cost come every OOC month like taxes are much more reasonable. I know, for me, I don't want TLI to become Managing Salaries the Text Simulator, which it might threaten to become if the costs are weekly or so high!

[Tremere]

I agree, the charge being every ooc month makes it a bit more palatable, also especially with a drop in the base cost of these mobs.

[Kinaed]

The costs must be weekly because that matches the activity cycle in the game.

With regards to the burden this places on characters, I'm not certain if the costs are too prohibitive, too permissive, or actually just right. As mentiomed earlier, all purchases on TI are discretionary - nothing in the game is actually required to play. Since it is subjective about what is right - I'd rather hurt everyone once and work from a position of future changes being improvements than find out that we were too generous and continually nerf income (and therefore create long term unhappiness) to find a balance that we view as comfortable.

By game design, XP is intended to be the difference between playing your average character and playing a wealthy one. Purchasing wealth changes the dynamic of being able to foot the bill for a menagerie.

Yes, we are reviewing mob costs in light of the change. Right now, upkeep standards are 5% of the mob's base cost, but that may change.

[Voxumo]

I've already stated by p's and q's on this, but I'll say this one thing. No one wants to play a game where it feels like a chore to play said game. As someone said above, I don't want TI to become Managing Salaries the Text Simulator. Heck I personally don't want it to become budgeting the text simulator, but sadly that's what it's become in recent times. I have three alts, but the xp gathered from all three of them goes to one to get that single character to squeak by. Now you add this ridiculous cost. I'm not saying the concept is ridiculous, but the cost is, for reasons stated in my prior post. No Bodyguard should be making the same amount as a several GLs, let alone a freeman bodyguard.

However as they say, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs first. As long as this is open for change, I'm willing to see how it goes.

[chronodbu]

This question has already come up but I didn't see an answer to it:

If a character is inactive, is the charge going to still hit the character or does it freeze like income does until they become active again?

[Kinaed]

It works exactly like taxes, but with a four week max accrual. At four weeks in arears, retainers won't answer hail until the payment is made.