The Campaign Builder's Guild

SabrWolf- My pleasure. Answering questions like that helps me prepare more for the game and to elaborate on the setting. (Although I may have gone a little overboard with my response to Steerpike above. :o)

Very helpful response!  It seems that wild imagination isn't valued too highly; I suppose the ideology of "this is utopia! WORK IS HAPPINESS!" tends to discourage escapism.

Yes, you've got the idea! Although your Xue fellow falls pretty highly on the imagination scale, as you mentioned earlier. :)

Yeah, he seems above it all.  Like he's figured out the system and how to work it, so why bother trying anymore, really?  Perhaps the money-making frenzy that grips the rest of society seems a bit hollow to him, since he's able to succeed financially with minimal effort.  Hence seeking unknown vistas in the pages of fiction and playing games with people to entertain himself.

I love "Among the Socialists..." :D
All in all a pretty great overview of an often ignored setting element!

Thanks Crow, I wouldn't have been able to develop it to the extent I did without Steerpike's amazing prompt.

For the Tax Collection, do you want to invent your own reasons for why you are collecting taxes on the behest of a Committee, or should I invent a backstory reason?

I think some characters already have some mention in their backstories of owing debts, but just wondering if anyone has any specific backstory plans?

If you have your own reason for answering the Council's call, please let me know so I can incorporate it into the plotline!

Thanks.

Ideas for why Xue would want in on this would be welcome.  Boredom?  A sense of the perverse?  Or perhaps he owes someone on the Committee a favour?

I'm not sure of Pavel's exact reason for starting the tax collection, and any backstory you could provide for me in that regard would be appreciated LD, but I'm sure that he would try to find a different way to collect the money for the road without having to contribute to the cause himself. There's just not enough direct profit in the venture for him. hahahaha

How about this Steerpike:

[ic=Xue's Backstory]
T.I.M., the Incredible Marquis and current Chair of the Committee met you at a function and took you aside, he mentioned how your efforts at the Empyrean stock exchange were well noted, but he also noted that there are many at the exchange and many with connections who are jealous of your success. He mentioned that if you are brought before the court again (you have been arraigned a few times under suspicion of Socialist tendencies-think Alger Hiss Trials), he will use his considerable weight to speak in your favor. His word is his honor and it has always been so, for that is why he is known as the "Incredible" Marquis (he made his money by creating and popularizing the Truth Markets about 40 years ago). However, he asks that you assist with a particularly troublesome issue that has arisen. There is, he says, "a need for a new road to stimulate trade and to grow markets. And there is a need for funding for this road, which will run through the mountains rather than winding around them--travel times will be cut and all in the city will benefit. But the funding will not be raised by a bake sale, or by an issuance of stock this time--the project is too large to attract interest from the usual quarters and the only individuals with enough money to fund the project think it too much of a risk for too little reward. Instead, the committee needs to make an assessment."[/ic]

SabrWolf, How about this for Pavel (I just riffed a bit on what's in his current writeup; would this work):

[ic=Pavel's Backstory]
It's straight-up blackmail. At least that's how you see it. Your home is being held in abeyance by the Committee pending an investigation of your latest "rescue" of a Socialist that went bad.

Essentially, a "thankful relative" of rescued kids isn't so thankful any more. She's threatened to get you brought up on charges of malappropriation of duty and for a host of associated crimes (including rape by fraud in the inducement...last time you take part payment in that kind).

She is no "light weight"--her words are probably even stronger than yours. You could slander her name, but her twin sons are both back in the Socialist underground and are saying you helped get them in touch with the principles and the principals (of Socialism), is going to be a difficult problem to overcome.

After you rescued the Kids, you got extra cash for not having them branded ("Rescued" kids are supposed to be branded). They thanked you by immediately running back to their Socialist friends the first minute they were out of their mother's sight.

The Lady wants the kids back safe, or she wants you to pay her a huge settlement, recompensing her pay (which you already drank away), plus interest, plus emotional damages. Getting a settlement, even at exorbitant prices will be easier than would be locating these two kids again, who knocked off for Tientan or even the Socialist Lands themselves last you heard.

You worked your connections and heard about a great chance to score a deal of cash. It's tax collection, but you can swallow your pride for this...maybe work a bribe off from some luminaries who don't want to pay the tax and milk others for higher tax-rates maybe? Anyway, you did the math and you figure that a 5% cut will get you well set to pay the lady's fees, and it would set you up nicely so you wouldn't have to work for a while. 4% might pay the hag, but you know you can negotiate better than that from these saps who are going to be working with you.
[/ic]

Light Dragon - Perfect. It's an underhanded tactic to do dirty work that's solely about saving his own bacon. Love it.

7PM EST Monday Dec 5th is still the game time (Just a reminder). (in about 2 weeks)

Best,
LD.

[ooc]Thank you all for playing.

You accomplished your goal and achieved it by judicious use of words, logic, and above all, your Virtues and Vices.

Alternative outcomes would have been-
1-Same outcome but achieved wholly by logic and horse trading- would have been better for Cotton, who's essentially been bamboozled by Pavel and Xue here. He's getting very little return for his buck. His only consolation is if his competitors have to pay too... and not all of them do, but at least the large ones are being taxed.
2-Failure; but there would be a way for a second chance.
3-They start their own private project that they and not the public owns. Toll Roads. Difficult to convince them of this plan, and it would be a risky project and it would annoy the committee.

All in all, you chose the optimal solution for yourselves and Melonmonseuir... Less so for Cotton, but as stated in the game- Cotton is a bit of a fool :D.[/ooc]

Sorry lessons got in the way Xathan; if we have this game again, you are still welcome to join.

If people are interested in continuing we maybe could do a session on the 19th of Dec (we could do that one early in the day (e.g. 3:30PM EST to 6PM EST?) since I am off from work- although if Steerpike is planning on doing his game, then this would be after that) or Monday Jan 2d? at 7PM EST?

Go ahead and take the 19th, we should be finished up next session for the Sixguns scenario, touch wood.