[act iii] ways to get fast n' easy gold?

[geraltsgirl]

[act iii] ways to get fast n' easy gold?

I was just wondering what other people's opinions were on this subject...I found myself really scraping around for money in the early parts of the game, but towards the end ended up with major cash, and nothing to spend it on. Now, I just absolutely loved the game - I have never played a better RPG, or anything for that matter. I think The Witcher did a fantastic job balancing most things, except the money situation. I'm sure for some people this is not a big deal, but if you end up making money in a game, I kind of like having something to spend it on. For me, it kind of took the fun out of gambling, fist fighting, and that "hey, I found some Alber's Crystals!" feeling. So I was wondering - is balancing the money vs. things to buy in the game important to anyone else? What would you like to see them do with the money situation in the next game? I tried coming up with some ideas. Of course, the obvious is always new equipment - armor, swords, etc. There's always blowing some money on hookers...I thought maybe for a role-playing effect, he could have options of helping out friends...say if a buddy of his lost their business to a fire, or a monster attack, you would have the choice of refusing help, or giving them 500, 1000, or 2000 orens to get them back on their feet. Paying debts for people to get them out of trouble, or bailing someone out of jail. Maybe the chance to make some really exotic potions, but you would have to purchase an extra exotic ingredient to make it...Maybe I just don't know what to do with myself now that I have finished playing the game... :wall: Does anyone else the same way about accumulating tons of money in a game, and end up with nothing to spend it on at some point? What would you like to be able to do with your money?

 

[starwolf]

I totally agree. Totally. Fine with being broke, I roleplay the process of making money and being broke and hungry. What I would spend my gambling and monster killing orens on: New cool armor like Geralt has in the TV show, all black. A horse maybe.I don't really know what else Geralt would actually buy, in character. He's not exactly a packrat....Probably a week long drinking binge?

 

[username_2069465]

There's not a single RPG in existence where the economy isn't broken.

I totally agree. Totally. Fine with being broke, I roleplay the process of making money and being broke and hungry.

Is dat sum LARP?

 

[starwolf]

LARP?My L337speak isn't quite that fluent.... AH, nevermind. its late. and technically, I've done making money/ be broke/be hungry IRL also...........

 

[username_2069465]

LARP?My L337speak isn't quite that fluent....

Eh?

 

[coelocanth]

I like the idea of having some sort of 'money sink' to drain a bit of that wealth away. Along with possible donations, maybe some way to customize your weapons and gear that costs money. Not necessarily upgrading the properties, but just the looks of it. Maybe some tailors to make him some nifty new clothes or boots and an option at the blacksmiths to alter armor and weapon appearances. That way you could opt to spend your cash if you wanted or you could hoard it if you want to. I must say though, that The Witcher does a far better job than many other games at limiting wealth.

 

[petra_silie]

I'm stingy and housewifely and I like to have at the end of the game many thousands of Orens ;DWell, I'm pleased with how money is arranged in the game. At the beginning Geralt is always broke, at the end he is rolling in Orens. I have no idea how he should spend money. From the short stories I know he is always short of money. When he finally has enough to buy a new armor it's something very special. It's a bit strange to see Geralt in the game with so much money. And it would be a bit strange if he can buy lots of precious equipment. Maybe I would tend to donate money to the poor though it's a bit stereotype.

 

[username_2073100]

Ach, I'm also always broke, it seems.I had close to 3K orens in Trade Quarter and was already salivating over the prospect of a new jacket. But I ended up blowing over 2,000 coins on booze and books. I'm compelled to buy any "monster manual" book I come across, and since there's a dearth of helpful grandmas in Vizima, I can't save a few orens by exchanging sandwiches for knowledge...

 

[petra_silie]

...over 2,000 coins on booze and books...

In the middle of Act 2 Geralt could afford the enhanced leather armour and still had Orens left for books. I don't buy all books at once, only those which are needed. And if there is money left one or the other book as well. I never (very seldom) spend money on booze. You can find many of alc on the road 8)

 

[planewalker]

Money is hard to come by in the first two chapters, but later it becames more plentiful, plus you have nothing to spend it on. It'd be better if you had to pay 10,000 orens for the best armor. Aside from armor and weapons (generally, you get the latter for free after completing certain quest), witchers don't really need anything. Only books. They find food in barrels and ingredients in nature.

 

[username_2071599]

There's not a single RPG in existence where the economy isn't broken.

I second that. Every single RPG, you start out with nothing but the clothes on your back (sometimes not even that) and when you are around 60% of your way into the game, you sit on a pile of money and don't have anything to spend it on.It's worth noting that this is about every RPG, not just cRPGs. Pen and paper games are equally 'broken' in that respect.

 

[neomagalie]

Though I was broke for the most of the game I did not really mind. To me it was a minor aspect of the game. You dont NEED the money that much as you can get most thing other ways and you can always save for what you want. Geralt seems to have simple needs and desire anyway and its not like I have a lot of room for stuff.

 

[coelocanth]

It's worth noting that this is about every RPG, not just cRPGs. Pen and paper games are equally 'broken' in that respect.

If the PnP games you're playing are equally bad in that respect, then your GM is at fault. In the PnP D&D games I played, we players never had too much money. There are tons of ways to drain wealth from players in the table top game.

 

[username_2071599]

If the PnP games you're playing are equally bad in that respect, then your GM is at fault.

It's not about the GM, I had many GMs and played various systems. What I meant by my previous post was that many PnP games assume that the players will be accumulating wealth at a much greater rate than would be acceptable. Sure, there are lots of ways to drain money from players, but it's not opening a magical sink which drains all the money into nothingness. If you meant that there is rarely a situation in which you don't have a way to spend money, then I'll agree with you - in PnP, a way can ALWAYS be found. But the economy still doesn't work as it should be.I'll try to put it differently: PCs always seem to be exempt from the economical laws that govern the rest of the world.

 

[coelocanth]

I'll try to put it differently: PCs always seem to be exempt from the economical laws that govern the rest of the world.

Interesting. I'm still not sure I see exactly what you mean though. Can you elaborate? (I confess I'm intrigued). How do you mean they're exempt?

 

[username_2071599]

Interesting. I'm still not sure I see exactly what you mean though. Can you elaborate? (I confess I'm intrigued). How do you mean they're exempt?

I mean that accumulating wealth - in whatever form - is much easier for them than for anyone else in the world, NPCs doing a similar "line of work" included. I can give you one specific example, and that's only because I've got some WFRP materials here in my room. The core rulebook claims that an average yearly income of a "mercenary" - that is, similar to most WFRP PCs - is "20-50 gc". One of the official adventures, a short affair for PCs in their first or second careers (if you are unacquainted with WFRP, let me tell you - that's in early stages of character development), grants 50 gc for surviving it, with an additional possible bonus of 250 gc if one of the PCs takes up an optional fight of medium difficulty. And this adventure spans a single night, going up to a single week of game-time, if the optional fight is incorporated.This is an extreme example, but if I dug around a bit, I'm sure I could find more.Of course, I'm not saying that you HAVE to do that. I'm not saying that the GM cannot skilfully adjust official adventures, or create their own, that would be more realistic in their approach. It's just that the creators seem to write the games assuming that the characters will collect pots of money along the way.I'm also not saying that this approach is inherently bad. If the PC had to be literally sitting on a trasure hoard to afford a suit of plate mail armour, that would make the game a bit more realistic logic-wise, but would also render it less playable, I think. In my opinion, the RPG economy is inherently, and I daresay, often deliberately, "broken", it's just that in cRPGs it is much more noticeable (and there are various reasons of that).

 

[starwolf]

Sure, there are lots of ways to drain money from players, but it's not opening a magical sink which drains all the money into nothingness. If you meant that there is rarely a situation in which you don't have a way to spend money, then I'll agree with you - in PnP, a way can ALWAYS be found. But the economy still doesn't work as it should be.I'll try to put it differently: PCs always seem to be exempt from the economical laws that govern the rest of the world.

A magical sink which drains all the money into nothingness.... Isn't that also known as TAXES?

 

[coelocanth]

Ah, I see what you mean now, Ryk. And yeah, for the most part I agree with that assessment.

 

[username_2071599]

A magical sink which drains all the money into nothingness.... Isn't that also known as TAXES?

Well, if you want to use scientific terms... By the way, can you remember any cRPG game - any game at all - which incorporated taxes in one form or another? Just think about all the schools and roads that could be built if typical cRPG heroes had to pay taxes...Well, yes, "Majesty" had a sort of an RPG element and the heroes' income WAS taxed. But what about all the transport taxation? I've never met THAT in a cRPG, and from what I know, it was pretty much universal in high Middle Ages, which are the root of a standard setting for cRPGs...

 

[chabalxv]

I addressed this point in another thread, and agree with what everyone has said.I take the "role play" scenario , in my head, beyond the end of the game.... and donate all gold I accrued to the village chiefs and elders of the towns I "borrowed" money and items from to complete the game.I must do..because every sequel I ever played in CRPG, started the sequel with no money or items...lolBioWare, the people behind the engine of this game, implemented a system way way back in the game Baldur`s gate , where the main character could donate money at various temples for the protection of the poor and hungry.For those of us who like to play Heroic and honorable, that may be an easy feature to implement