Holdings - Help

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Vardaen
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Holdings - Help

Post by Vardaen » Tue Apr 07, 2015 2:53 pm

So my players in a ToW game want to help out the Easterly Inn by making it a holding, sort of going in as partners with Dody. I figure the Inn is a rank 3 holding according to the tables, and so the group needs a Valour of 3 or a Hobbit could have a Standing of 3 (since its the eastern most point of the Shire!)

Minimum Score
Heroes cannot own a holding unless they possess a minimum score in an appropriate characteristic. The rating of a holding is limited by a character’s Standing if it is found within the borders of a hero’s homeland, while it is limited by a hero’s Valour score if it is located anywhere else (owning property beyond one’s station is seen as unusual and rather suspect almost anywhere).

How are most folks doing this? As written? My Hobbit character with a Standing 0 (since how do you earn 72 Treasure?!) and a 1 Valour since he's a Hobbit and is focusing on Wisdom, wants to join in. We are having a bit of of hard time wraping our heads around why he needs 3 Valour to cook at a Inn?

zedturtle
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by zedturtle » Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:05 pm

For this to make sense, look at what the heroes are bringing to the table, from Dody's point of view. They are obviously not bringing money. Are they famous? No, not with Valour of one. So why would he going to partnership with them?

I think you are better off if you just declare the easterly inn as a sanctuary for the group. That, according to the info in the books, is enough to keep the inn safe, and that better fits the reality of the situation.
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Vardaen
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Vardaen » Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:10 pm

Actually, they have it as a Sanctuary already.

I think we just worked out the rules for it, our Hobbit cook will just have higher TNs since he's eating too much of the profits (and smoking them too). While our Dwarf who is setting up the forge there, and the Lake-man who's from a business family is handling trade and play music on certain nights have lower TNs since they have higher Valour at this point.

Our RP and IC situation makes all of this very realistic and not allowing it because of crunchy rules goes against the flow of the good RP we hare having with Dody and the Inn.

It is interesting that its generally easy for PCs to get holdings outside of their own culture with a high valour than it is inside their own culture with Standing.

This is what's inspiring me to ignore being to technical on the matter.

The book says: "There are many ways for a hero to come into possession of a holding. For example, a lucky hero might inherit a holding from a wealthy family member. Typically, a companion gains a holding as the result of an adventure, perhaps as a gift, or perhaps by finding an unoccupied holding and taking possession of it."

zedturtle
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by zedturtle » Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:34 pm

I certainly agree with the idea of interpreting the rules generously to make the story work better. Are you having each player roll for Standing Upkeep then?
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Vardaen
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Vardaen » Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:46 pm

Yeah, it will show their contribution to the Inn and their cut of things.

Falenthal
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Falenthal » Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:30 pm

Before even considering house rules that could modify the situation, like Rich H's Renown (gained by heroic deeds, not only by Treasure) or alternative Holding rules (sorry, don't remember the author. Zed? Robin?), I think the RAW rules for Holdings might be reinterpreted to make your situation fit, without deeming them inappropiate.

I had thought about it because I foresee some of my players might share a Holding in the future. I consider that a single Holding can have different Ratings for every "partner". As an example, the owner of an inn won't gain as much profit from it as the cook or the stable boy.

So, if a Holding is going to be shared among various heroes, don't take into account a rating for the whole Holding, but for every hero. If the Hobbit can only be the cook, maybe he'll calculate his profit with the lowest rating, but another hero might be a financial partner and use a higher rating to calculate his.

On the other hand, if your players are roleplaying the situation, don't let the numbers and rules ruin the fun.
Hope it makes sense.

Falenthal
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Falenthal » Tue Apr 07, 2015 6:19 pm

Btw, if the Hobbit cook rolls a Gandalf for his Upkeep, don't forget to explain how Gandalf happens to stop by the inn and praises his meal, blessing it with a spell, thus attracting more customers and, therefore, increasing the Holding Rating for the cook! :D

Vardaen
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Vardaen » Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:49 pm

So, if a Holding is going to be shared among various heroes, don't take into account a rating for the whole Holding, but for every hero. If the Hobbit can only be the cook, maybe he'll calculate his profit with the lowest rating, but another hero might be a financial partner and use a higher rating to calculate his.
Yeah this is what I decided to do. They each have a stake, based on their own stats and how they came to be partners in the hold. So they each have their own roll, but a Sauron rune can cause problems for all of them, as can a Gandalf help them all out in some story-based way.

I like the Gandalf comes for dinner. As long as Sauron also doesn't stop by!

Blubbo Baggins
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Blubbo Baggins » Wed Apr 08, 2015 4:20 am

Lol!

Falenthal
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Re: Holdings - Help

Post by Falenthal » Wed Apr 08, 2015 7:28 am

In fact, even the Trait usage to gain an AP can be different: the hobbit cook can use Cooking, of course. The Man of the Lake can use Minstrelsy to amuse the patrons. A dwarf can use Smithing to make repairs and improvements to the house. Being imaginative, even a Beorning with Watchful can use his Trait to act as a protector of the inn, or Anduin Lore can be used to bring travelling costumers to the inn or to negotiate the buying of supplies from the best farms and herds of the region.

In fact, even Gandalfs and Eyes can be individual: an Eye for the cook can mean his mutton run out at the worst time possible and he couldn't serve his famous meal to a big group of dwarven traders. But that doesn't mean the minstrel had to have a bad time, too.

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