So a Hardhold has a “a bustling, widely-known market” there is a big merchant there that sells nearly everything. You want to play that Guy.
What Playbook do you use?
Maestro’D ? Operator?
So a Hardhold has a “a bustling, widely-known market” there is a big merchant there that sells nearly everything.
So a Hardhold has a “a bustling, widely-known market” there is a big merchant there that sells nearly everything.
I guess Maestro’D works quite well but it is intended to do something different and you have no mechanical way to get barter.
Either would work I think. The Maestro’d doesn’t have a move to make money though, so you’ll be a poor businessman if you use that playbook. I would think Hardholder could be used as well, you could justify your gang as a trade caravan that brings the goods/money in to you (or you could simply be “the merchant who really runs this town”).
HOARDER!
How does he have “nearly everything” to sell? If it’s brokering deals or scavenging, then the Operator really makes sense — especially since your crew might be the people who get you resupply. I get more of a Bartender feel from the Maestro’D.
Yeah. The Maestro’D in general is someone that has a “recreational” facility. Could be a Cage Fight arena or a Porn-Cinema in an old Bowling alley or could be a high-class bar.
The options don’T really work for a Merchant.
Operator with Scavenging and Brokering deals, basically as “getting inventory” might work yes.
With the Maestro’d you don’t have to choose drinks as one of your business options. Your primary feature could be “scene” followed by “drugs” and “coffee”
I am still mostly interested in “Spectacle” with “Coffe” and “Alcohol” as lube.
Think gladiator arena with Mudders Milk for drinks.
Hoarder probably works better than either Maestro’d or Hardholder might. Operator probably works best.
When you sell bit’s of your hoard for money …
Operator Gigs for a merchant
Deliveries
Scavenging
Honest Work (manufacturing stuff)
could work
Skinner, definitely Skinner
How David?
Take ‘Artful and graceful’ with your art being salesmanship. Then take lost and hypnotic. You might not have a beginning of session move or a lot of barter to start with, but you can really rake up the jingle that way and create all sort of interesting plot lines with ‘loyal customers’.
I wouldn’t really accept Salesmanship as an Art…
Why not?
The example list for Artful&G.
“Singing or performing music, dancing, making jewelry, creating functional and beautiful tools, working fur or leather, training dogs or birds — any craft or art that suits the environment and the character.”
Salesmanship doesn’t really work in that list. You could probably explain it in some way but it wouldn’t fly in my game.
I don’t see how it doesn’t work. ‘Any craft that suits the environment and character’. The environment is a marketplace and the character is a trader. As a former sales person I can definitely tell you that there is a craft and an art to it. Further more, the purpose of the MC isn’t to say what characters can’t do, it’s to make PC’s live’s interesting and to be a fan of said characters. So long as the PC makes it awesome it’s totally in the rules (which are impossible to break anyway). So there really isn’t a reason not to allow a character to try it.
In my eyes A&G is about creating something of beauty in the apocalypse – a (transcendental) experience that let’s you forget your problems and the crapsack world.
You could be a kickass shopping consultant but I am not sure this is a thing of beauty. Furthermore -they must have my service would mean they want your shopping advice again not that they want to buy your guns next week.
I know that the MC doesn’t deny people moves but
To do it do it and
Let AW be real
are a thing too. You could maybe be a professional shopping assistant (and that would be stretching it for me personally) but that still doesn’t make you a merchant
I don’t know where shopping assistant came from. Are you using it as an alternate example? In any case you might like A&G as a thing of beauty but that doesn’t mean that it’s limited to your view. Heck, there are people out there who do idolize a perfect sales pitch. I think the key is that it has to make sense in the environment. I could be an amazing painter, but in the light less apocalypse that would not be considered a desirable thing. If the world has strong markets then selling and bartering well totally be a captivating skill, and it would be feel real. The effects of A&G works in the setting.
The Person must meet me—>they come over and and strikes up a conversation
The Person must have your services—>they come over to buy something
The Person loves me—>there are definitely people who use sex and seduction to sell
The person must give me a gift—>you sucker them into a bad deal and they are happy to do it
The person admires my patron—>brand loyalty baby
I have to agree with Tim Franzke that Artful & Gracious couldn’t really be used for selling, since what you’re producing is the ability to sell. But in the same spirit of interpretation that I brought to my suggestion of the Hardholder, Artful & Gracious could be used for drawing people to a market, like carnival barking. In that sense I would have to agree with David Rothfeder.
Essentially this just boils down to how does the player interpret the moves and how much the MC will allow. Personally, I like the idea of a Skinner merchant who is drawing people to his swap meet with Artful & Gracious. It seems like this would compliment Lost really well! And it’s only one improvement away from leading the whole marketplace (get followers + fortunes).
I kinda love the idea of a skinner who is an expert salesperson. There’s a beauty in a certain kind of artisan that makes you want to stop at their booth and chat with them and buy from them, rather than the person selling similar stuff five booths down. I’ve been that craftsperson, and watched others be that crafter, and watched other vendors fuss and fume and wonder why they’re not getting any traffic.
Also, I just remembered/realized, while playing my Maestro’d I’ve been taking Skinner moves, I think those two playbooks are more complimentary than Maestro’d + Operator.
Meguey Baker , I totally agree. There is way more to getting somebody interested in buying than people realize. I also believe that the Skinner play book is far broader and versatile than people think. It really isn’t just being about talented or attractive. It’s a book about people and how you draw them in.
Maestro D could work if you take Fingers in Every Pie. (“You know what I could use? Five barter.”) Or if you’re selling something specific like food, drugs, art, etc. You don’t have a specific move for barter generation but you’ve got an entire establishment, just use that to make barter the same way a gunlugger uses her propensity for violence to make barter.
That said, I could see a Skinner or an Operator. Or any of the playbooks? Be a gunlugger merchant that nobody dares screw over or try to rob! Be a savvyhead merchant sitting on an entire junkyard of merchandise, or a wandering tinker. Be a brainer merchant who trades in secrets. A hardholder who runs the markets, and just the markets, of a much larger settlement. Or so on.
Well that is the question, does a Maestro’D Establishment create barter or does it create enough to be self-sufficient?
I guess you could charge everyone 1 barter for 1 week of “free” drinking or whatever but maybe that is already implied in the Playbook?
I think it is that way. You pay your cast&crew with the supplus from your establishment. If you want to do something extra you have to pay them extra
“1-barter will also cover your cast & crew’s cut of a spectacular event or two.”
And then it depends how you interpret
As a one-time expenditure, and very subject to availablilty, 1-barter might count for: a night in high luxury and company
is that what happens at a Maestro’D club? If it is that there are probarbly not many people coming to your thing because it’s damn expensive…
The way we’ve been playing it, it’s self-sufficient. Though the MC will throw wrenches into my monkeyworks from time to time, with “The cult of Americans have run up a huge tab and don’t seem ab; to pay.” “The generator is almost out of fuel.” and “The local enforcers are scaring your customers away.”
Though, in our next session I may just ask if I can send out my crew for paying customers (with Fingers in Every Pot) because I’ve been living off of 0-barter for too long.
As an MC, I’d make it a bit better than self-sufficient. I mean, the club’s the player’s entire THING, it would suck if they weren’t even turning a profit. On the other hand, that’s a great couple of questions to ask the player. “So, what’s your average profit on a good night? That much, huh? Probably explains why Rolfball wants in on your thing so badly, right? Okay, what does it take to have a good night? Who do you rely on for that stuff? Okay, why aren’t you totally satisfied with that arrangement? What alternative are you looking into, and why haven’t you gone with it yet?”
An Maestro’s establishment hands the MC a LOT of plot hooks. It’s cool to be a little generous in response. (Plus, you’re a fan of their character, remember?) Of course, if they WANT to play someone whose Sexporium is going under and is desperate for every scrap of barter, that’s pretty cool too, right?
A specific merchant type Playbook could work, as could a gig for moonlighting, but any Playbook for the most part could be used to be a merchant. However, I do think that arbitrage is something the operator is well suited for.
Based on a Tremulus Move
Have i got a deal for you!: You can get nearly anyone to put down hard coin for anything you own. When you do, roll +hot.
10+ choose 1
O They buy it right now for 1 barter
O They pay you 2 barter but choose 1 from the 7-9 list
On a 7-9 choose 1
O They need a bit of time to come up with the amount
O You also own them a favour
O It’s not the best deal and they buy something more from your store with that money
Or something like that.
In the Apocalypse, making a profit is the stuff of legend. The fact that a Maetsro’D can have a luxe place and a large, happy (?) staff that makes enough to keep going is enough.
Now I want to play a Maestro’D who’s running a travelling show. Carnivale, anyone?