(In)Dependent Income- Obligated into Adventure!

Right now my group is playing a party of High Class adventurers, which is easily the most fun we’ve had in Victoriana. The ability to do almost anything using power and prestige hasn’t broken the game at all. Both the Lower Classes and the Upper Classes have disadvantages. For the Lower Class it’s what they don’t have access too, for the Upper Classes it’s who has access to them.

Upper Class income is entirely dependent on the family’s willingness to fund the player character’s life of adventure. When the purse strings are threateningly tightened, what will it take to get the money flowing?

Keep in mind ninety percent of my high class playing advice is inspired by/stolen from the Wooster and Jeeves stories of P.G. Wodehouse. Hopefully this means this advice will be urbane, witty and well plotted.

Once every few adventures, the gamemaster could call on a PC’s familial loyalty to make the situation a little more stressful. When the family calls in time of need, it’s time for the PC to do his part or risk his monthly allowance.

-Aunt Mercy needs someone to keep her dog for a few days. Be a dear.

- Great uncle Harold keeps seeing his dead wife walking the halls. Make the problem stop.

-Dear cousin Claudia is spending too much time at the racetrack. It’s unseemly. 

-The man trying to court your sister Emily is not suitable at all. Discourage him.

If the PCs manage to solve their loved one’s problem their funds are no longer in danger. They may even earn a small reward like a fate point, the use of the family coach for an evening, or a simple thank you note from a potential future contact.

Here’s a random chart to help if you just a need a quick bit of familial interference:

Random Obligation Generator (1D6)

Your family wants you to…

1.”Volunteer” to help a worthy cause

                -Hand out Prizes at school

                -Deliver a lecture at a luncheon society

                -Help solicit donations or contribute yourself

2. Be a good host

                -Take a family friend out for an evening’s entertainment

                -Give an out-of-towner a tour of the city’s sights

                - Put up a visitor for a few days

3. Run an errand for families business interests

                -Keep an eye on a load of cash until the bank reopens.

                -Find applicants to fill job vacancies

                -Find out why production slowed in the factory/ tenant farms

4. Protect the Family’s Honor

                -Talk a family member out of rash action

                -Cover up a scandal

                -Solve a crime without involving the authorities

5. Participate in High Society

                -Attend a presentation ball

                -Don’t pester a suspect at dinner tonight

                -Befriend someone useful

6. Give up adventuring and live respectably (or at least appear to)

                -Stay out of the Rookery

                -Stop meeting unseemly contacts

                -Quit their current endeavor

Family Obligation doesn’t have to pull away from the adventure. It can also put the party in the adventure’s way. Is the ancestral manor haunted? Do the daring thieves plan to disrupt great aunt Azalea’s party? Family obligation could pull the party to the right place at the right time.

 Gamemasters intending to use family obligation in an adventure should keep an eye on their player’s character sheets. Certain Privileges (Blackguard, Hero, Higher Station, Peer) could affect how often the family asks the Player Character for help, and the type of help expected. A particular Asset (Independent Income) negates family obligation entirely.