Our new season is now open: Spring 1677 !
Wealth Level
We have quite a few financial details laying about in our setting, but we try and keep the accounting to a minimum. The following article is specifically aimed at creating a character, of which finances is an essential part of the noble life. A ledger is still necessary (and will be provided to you by a moderator) to keep track of the wider view of your finances.
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Definition of Wealth Level
Your Wealth Level determines the amount of money your character has available at the start of the game, and the day to day expenses he can have without needing to keep a ledger (just assuming them being paid in the background). It is important to realize these are starting levels, you can always break the mold and be richer than mentioned here by working for it IC.
Rather than get a specific income from an estate or allowance each month, people are assumed to have enough income to support the lifestyle of their class (e.g. servants, food, wine, coaches, upkeep of estates, clothes). In addition your character can pursue jobs and other forms of preferment to gain money for extra expenses or start living above his wealth level. Your character can also choose to go in debt to live about his wealth level. We leave this up to you to pursue IC.
Impoverished
Your character took the challenge Poverty for 2 points.
- Your starting money is 50 pounds
- You get the poor Starter Kit for clothing, once per season. It contains no silk or velvet. It contains modest jewellery.
- You will be housed in St. Marks Hall without extra cost
- Events to be paid out of pocket.
Financially Secure
This is the standard in the game.
- Your starting money is 200 pounds
- You get the average Starter Kit for clothing, once a season. It contains velvet and silk, but not the extra expensive cloths. It contains an average amount of jewellery.
- You will be housed in St. Marks Hall in your first season at no extra cost. In your second season you will qualify for a modest townhouse on Piccadilly Street (exclusion: unmarried ladies, who qualify for separate housing upon their marriage, appropriate to the wealth level of their husband.)
- One event per IC month in season without extra cost when in London
Financially Well-to-Do
Your character took the benefit Wealth for 1 point.
- Your starting money is 500 pounds
- You get the opulent Starter Kit for clothing, once a season. This includes any fabric you wish. It contains several sets of expensive jewellery.
- You will be housed in a location of your choice at no extra cost:
- St. Marks Hall (easy access to courtly intrigue, but somewhat cramped)
- Red Lion Inn (more opulent and wider spaced)
- the respectable Dorchester House (ladies only) during your first season.
- In your second season you will qualify for a townhouse on St. James Square (exclusion: unmarried ladies, who qualify for separate housing upon their marriage, appropriate to the wealth level of their husband.)
- One event without extra cost per IC month in season when in London
Financial Abundance
Yes, your character is filthily rich. You took the benefit Wealth for 3 points.
- Your starting money is 1000 pounds
- You get the opulent Starter Kit for clothing, twice a season. This includes any fabric you wish and many sets of expensive Jewellery.
- You will be housed in a location of your choice at no extra cost:
- St. Marks Hall (easy access to courtly intrigue, but somewhat cramped)
- Red Lion Inn (more opulent and wider spaced)
- the respectable Dorchester House (ladies only) during your first season.
- For your second season you will qualify for a modest townhouse on Pall Mall (exclusion: unmarried ladies, who qualify for separate housing upon their marriage, appropriate to the wealth level of their husband.)
- As many IC events without extra cost per IC month in season, when in London
What to do with your Starting Money
With your Starting Money you should equip your character with everything he bought previously. The wardrobe kit with clothing and all necessities will help you not spending it only on fabric and jewellery. Think also of your horse, your weapons and any scientific or other equipment you might need. If you wish you can also spend it on extra assets or investments.
You will notice that items have a Wealth Level limitation. This is for assumption of ownership during the season. You can swap a collection of poorer items from your wardrobe kit for an item in a higher level, as indicated with points per kit.
Please spend all your Starting Money via the Inventory. You don't need it for day to day expenses. At the end of the first two weeks IC any starting money not used will mysteriously evaporate. It is allowed to earmark money without detailing it till later in the game, e.a. 20 pounds on extra clothing.
How do I get money for my ledger after the Starting Money
- Try and get a paying job or Preferment by toading up to the rich and famous
- Perhaps you have elected an extra Lump Sum as a benefit at character creation. You are well advised to spend it on assets that give income, like investment in trade, an annuity etc.
- Highway robbery, smuggling, blackmail. Name your crime and a noble was involved with it somehow, providing protection, even initiating some things. A peer cannot be tried but in the House of Lords and often got away with as much as murder.
- You could try and borrow money
- You could simply buy things and not pay for them. There would be consequences for that.
We are sure there are other ways, be creative.
Dowry
You can also try and gain a dowry by marrying a rich wife. While there is a link to her wealth level, it will also depend on your negotiating skills and the circumstances of your character.
- Impoverished: 0-5000 pounds
- Financially Secure: 5000-15000 pounds
- Financially Well-to-do: 15000-25000 pounds
- Financial Abundance: 25000+ pounds
Women and their own extra money
Some of these options will also work for widowed women, though they get a widow's bed, and not an inheritance. Only Widows have free control over their money. Note that married women take on the wealth level of their husband.
One very sure way of gaining extra money is gaining jewellery from admirers. It is not always necessary to actually sleep with them, you can be just a tease.
What Kind of Expenses are assumed in the background?
All day to day expenses that fit with your Wealth Level:
- housing, clothing & jewellery
- weapons
- servants (one NPC in first season, a household starting the 2nd season)
- coaches and other forms of transport
- tips, bribes
- food, drink
- gifts
Please do keep mentioning paying for things as part of your normal RP, as part of your background. Go shopping. Tip the waitress. It adds colour. You simply do not have to account for it.
What Kind of Expenses do you need to account for in your ledger?
- any attempt to live above your station. So e.a. if you want silk clothes while you have an impoverished wealth level, then you are going to have to detail how you are paying for that (or indeed if you are just amassing debt at the tailor).
- investments, buying and selling stock, and trade related finance
- extensions to your home, estate or other dwelling
- extra housing (e.a. to set up a mistress in)
- fines by the King
- conversation pieces, things or animals that have a fame of their own and therefore bestow on the owner an advantage because it is a talking piece and some of the fame rubs off.
In short anything out of the ordinary, where we might suspect there is a story to tell with a bit more precise accounting.
