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Use for Puff Cash


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Hello everyone,

 

I know the MHI book gives a list of PUFF bounties per monster, but I was wondering when the players get the cash- what could they spend it on?

How would you calculate expenses like lifestyle, rent, etc?

 

And how much should weapons cost? Drones, ammo, vehicles, buildings, etc?

 

Let me know how you resolved this dilemma in the past.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

The game is all about a war.  And it ISN'T about the heroes vs the monsters.  It's about the heroes vs poverty.  

 

First off, the local team gets NOTHING from Cazador.  Nada, zip, zero.  "No problem, we've got a vendor.  Just give them a call.  You've got a credit card, right?"

 

Second, if the team is a franchise then Cazador takes 20% of all PUFF off the top.  If the local team is a "company owned" team then Cazador takes 30% off the top.  

 

Next, Uncle Sam sticks in his beak.  That's ANOTHER 30% off the top.  

 

Oh, and the PCs never even see that money.  It comes right off the top, like FICA.

 

So say the PCs bag 20 shamblers at $5000 each, that's $100k PUFF bounty.  Not bad for a night's work.  The PCs get a check for $40k.  

 

Silver ammo?  That's $10 a shot.  Dump a full magazine of silver ammo into a lycan from an H&K .45 UMP?  That's $300.  I hope you didn't miss.  A team can EASILY burn through $5000 worth of silver ammo on one full moon. 

 

Oh, and that full auto H&K .45 UMP?   That will be $35,000 please.  Oh, the gargoyle grabbed it and now the receiver is bent out of shape?  I hope you bought more than one.  

 

Team tooling around in a jacked up Escalade?  Sweet ride.  Too bad the flesh golem stepped on it.  It will take $15,000 to get it back on the road.  But that will take weeks.  You can pick up a used Explorer for just under $20k to use in the mean time.

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Also,

 

HERO assumes that, for zero points, a PC in a modern setting has a place to live, a car, a job that pays $75k/yr, and $5000 in cash to buy starting items.  For points you can buy a higher lifestyle.

 

I "allow" (that's a nice way to say "force") starting MHI PCs to pay one character point for one year's income.  That represents their "stake," savings or initial PUFF bounty, to start their monster hunting career.  

 

Looking back at cannon, both Owen and Chad used their initial PUFF bounty to buy weapons before showing up to Cazador for newbie training.  $75k will get the PCs several weapons including (probably only ONE) full auto weapon, lots of accessories, several thousand rounds of regular ammo, and a decent stock of silver ammo.  Each PC can kick in $5000 each for the team van.

 

So that kits out the MHI franchise of Dog Patch, Iowa.  The team is decently armed & equipped for moderate threats.  They can attempt tougher hunts, but if the team gets beat up too bad then they won't even have the equipment for even easy jobs like shamblers.  They'll have to pick and choose.  But there's a problem...

 

Briarwood Eradication Services also operates in Dog Patch.  If the PCs turn down a job then Briarwood will take it.  And they'll get the PUFF.  And the rep.  And the next time there's a problem then they will get the phone call, not MHI.  

 

So the team starts off trained but not experienced, equipped but not extravagantly so.  There's plenty of opportunity (turns out Dog Patch is a hot bed of necromantic activity, who knew?), and there's some competition.  

 

Now all they need is an MCB Special Agent In Charge and a local Sheriff to make their life hell, and a hot young medical examiner to woo, and you've got yourself a campaign.

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4 hours ago, phydaux said:

The game is all about a war.  And it ISN'T about the heroes vs the monsters.  It's about the heroes vs poverty.  

 

First off, the local team gets NOTHING from Cazador.  Nada, zip, zero.  "No problem, we've got a vendor.  Just give them a call.  You've got a credit card, right?"

 

Second, if the team is a franchise then Cazador takes 20% of all PUFF off the top.  If the local team is a "company owned" team then Cazador takes 30% off the top.  

 

Next, Uncle Sam sticks in his beak.  That's ANOTHER 30% off the top.  

 

Oh, and the PCs never even see that money.  It comes right off the top, like FICA.

 

So say the PCs bag 20 shamblers at $5000 each, that's $100k PUFF bounty.  Not bad for a night's work.  The PCs get a check for $40k.  

 

Silver ammo?  That's $10 a shot.  Dump a full magazine of silver ammo into a lycan from an H&K .45 UMP?  That's $300.  I hope you didn't miss.  A team can EASILY burn through $5000 worth of silver ammo on one full moon. 

 

Oh, and that full auto H&K .45 UMP?   That will be $35,000 please.  Oh, the gargoyle grabbed it and now the receiver is bent out of shape?  I hope you bought more than one.  

 

Team tooling around in a jacked up Escalade?  Sweet ride.  Too bad the flesh golem stepped on it.  It will take $15,000 to get it back on the road.  But that will take weeks.  You can pick up a used Explorer for just under $20k to use in the mean time.

this reminds me so much of the manga Area 88
in the book it was all MHI, no franchises
all weapons and ammo can easily be written off for taxes, along with most medical and lodging for trips
this is of course if you want to run paying taxes as a mini-game while monster hunting
 

From all that I have read in the series everybody who works for MHI lives a comfortable life(middle to upper middle class ,yes I have read them all including the John Ringo books)

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Quote

in the book it was all MHI, no franchises

 

Yeah, but this is the RPG.

 

If the player's team is 100% supported by MHI and all the weapons & equipment come out of a big barn in Cazador then OP is right - The players have no use for PUFF money.  And there will always be one player whose weapon of choice is a belt-fed machnegun firing silver ammo, and another whose go to move is "I ram it with the company van!"  And if the characters don't have to buy the machinegun, pay for the silver ammo, or pay for the repairs to the van, then now you're role playing a world where actions have no consequences.  Everyone is just a murder hobo.

 

I much prefer running a game where the players are the upstart independents and MHI is the competition.  

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 3/10/2018 at 8:14 PM, phydaux said:

The game is all about a war.  And it ISN'T about the heroes vs the monsters.  It's about the heroes vs poverty.  

 

First off, the local team gets NOTHING from Cazador.  Nada, zip, zero.  "No problem, we've got a vendor.  Just give them a call.  You've got a credit card, right?"

 

Second, if the team is a franchise then Cazador takes 20% of all PUFF off the top.  If the local team is a "company owned" team then Cazador takes 30% off the top.  

 

Next, Uncle Sam sticks in his beak.  That's ANOTHER 30% off the top.  

 

Oh, and the PCs never even see that money.  It comes right off the top, like FICA.

 

So say the PCs bag 20 shamblers at $5000 each, that's $100k PUFF bounty.  Not bad for a night's work.  The PCs get a check for $40k.  

 

Silver ammo?  That's $10 a shot.  Dump a full magazine of silver ammo into a lycan from an H&K .45 UMP?  That's $300.  I hope you didn't miss.  A team can EASILY burn through $5000 worth of silver ammo on one full moon. 

 

Oh, and that full auto H&K .45 UMP?   That will be $35,000 please.  Oh, the gargoyle grabbed it and now the receiver is bent out of shape?  I hope you bought more than one.  

 

Team tooling around in a jacked up Escalade?  Sweet ride.  Too bad the flesh golem stepped on it.  It will take $15,000 to get it back on the road.  But that will take weeks.  You can pick up a used Explorer for just under $20k to use in the mean time.

 

I wish you had posted this when I ran the campaign last year.  I think I ended up coming up with $1,000-2,000 per Real Cost of the equipment points. So like if a weapon cost 20 equipment points, it could cost $20,000 or $40,000.  

 

Do you have any kind of spreadsheet with these costs?

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