How do you GMs reward your crew? Some missions like salvage and ye olde trucking runs provide their own reward via the Cargo and Barter systems. And bigger missions could be rewarded by clearing Debt. But what about other situations? Say a passenger wants to charter passage (or even charter passage in a hurry)? Or variations on the Fetch Quest (go deliver the McGuffin to the Tatooine system)? What other carrots have GMs baited their plot hooks with?
How do you GMs reward your crew?
How do you GMs reward your crew?
Plot hooks and information, characters who might need our mighty hero’s help are usually the shady type, so they barter with information and secrets.
However feel free about fictional rewards too. In first episode of Firefly Shepard pays the crew with some money but a cool meal with fresh strawberries as well.
In the city based game I ran, the characters were both well off financially, but involved in the communities deeply. They mostly did stuff for social gain, which worked out mechanically to favors, reduced debt, and data points.
Basically… Whatever fits the narrative.
When I’ve run it before, working in the mechanical rewards always felt clunky to me, so it has always seemed easier to tailor it to whatever the PCs are most invested in.
“This person has information you need and they want you to do a job for them.”
“Your beloved family member has been kidnapped and you need to go rescue them.”
“Doing this job will tweak the nose of the faction you’re working against.”
And so on. Make the job important to the PCs and you won’t have to bait the hook too hard.
Adjusting their relations can be a reward – getting out of debt or into favour is a long game reward.
My players were even satisfied with going from hunted by a mercenary outfit to owing them a favour
Unique trophies that are cooler than useful – the space pirate captain’s golden micro nuke launching golden pistol was a short range high explosive pistol, impractical but cool