Basic Action Super Heroes!

Unlike many RPGs, BASH does not keep track of Player Characters' money. This is probably because in the comics this isn't done either- some characters are noted as being wealthy or poor, but that's it. But in a RPG, keeping track of what a character buys may be important. So, lets take a look at how BASH handles economics.

Characters are not assigned any amount of money. We just know that someone with the Destitute Disadvantage can only pay for the bare minimums [not including things like a TV.] Conversely someone with the Resources Advantage can buy pretty much anything in the game. This includes buildings and vehicles; the difference between this and having the Headquarters and Super-Vehicles Advantages is that the Narrator, not the player, gets to design them, and can decide what happens to them [like, your money could be embezzled as a Subplot.]

In theory, any character can buy any piece of equipment [since they have no cost listed] except for Destitute characters. [Note some items are Restricted not by cost but because they are illegal, like sniper rifles] and in as many amounts as they want. So you could say, "I own one of every equipment!" or even "I own a hundred copies of every item!" Even if the Narrator allows that, there has to be a limit to how many items a character can carry. Brawn is indicated as limiting this, but Equipment is not given weight ratings. Presumably, you can only wear one item per body part- a helmet, a suit, two hand-held items, one backpack, and one pair of boots. This is modified by body shape of course, such as the Extra Limbs Power. Some items are so small you can carry dozens in pockets and such. Whatever the case, carried equipment should be listed.

Note that Awesome Powers vol. 6 greatly expanded BASH's equipment options, and that some of them cost character points. [Vol. 8 further updates some weapons.]

The fact that equipment has no monetary value affects some skills, such as Appraise. For these, I suggest three levels of value: "Low", "Average" and "High". Anyone can buy Low Value items, nyone except Destitute characters can buy Average items and only People with Resources can buy Highly Valuable items. The Narrator sets the DN to determine the item's value correctly. Such skills can also be used to identify [or make] fake or contraband items.

Also affected are skills for repairing items, like Craftmaship or Technology. If your equipment is damaged or lost, why roll to fix or replace it? You can just assume you buy a replacement as soon as you get a chance,. Only if you are in a real hurry -like if you are an archer and your bow breaks in mid-battle- should you roll.

One option for those who want a more realistic system is to adapt the monetary systems from BASH Fantasy or BASH SCi-Fi to regular BASH. I'll cover this option next time.

Counting money works pretty okay in the Fantasy and Sci-Fi games, but how often are Heroes buying things in a supers campaign?

A character with the Resources Advantage might buy a rival company-- but this, to me, would be a role-play situation, or possibly a skill check. And Resources are a lever a Narrator can use to pull the player into plot hooks the same as a certain someone's elderly aunt. But instead of "I have to rescue my aunt!" it is "I have to rescue my company from bankruptcy!" The inverse is true with Destitute. "I have to keep this job or I won't make rent this month" can definitely be a complication when it is in conflict with super-heroic duties.

But I think it is probably a lot simpler and easier not to have characters worry about the cost of their dinner and such because resource-management is more in-genre for dungeon-crawling type adventures.

That's my point- this is up to each Narrator to decide. That said, some skills are redundant without an economic system.