Spot
01-03-2008, 07:20 PM
Now that the Holiday Sale is over and we're back to normal Storypoint use, I wanted to offer some clarifications to how we try to price things as staff.
One of the key things to think about is, am I asking for a new item or an item which has been slightly tweaked IC by a crafter. We use this ourselves in pricing.
So for example if I wanted a sharp steel sword, but had no access to steel and/or was not a weaponsmith, it would be considered a new custom item and would cost 100 Storypoints. However, if I had a steel sword already and went to a weaponsmith and we RPed him sharpening it, you could then ask for a changed description which would be a much more affordable 30 points.
To be clear this is to tune IC existing items, not to transform them the way we did in the sale. Thus going to a seamstress to turn a cotton dress into a embroidered samite dress is not a 30 point change as you are transforming an item.
Essentially if we are supporting IC actions and crafters we will discount the cost even though its the same time for us to do it as a way of encouraging such RP.
Another thing I have noticed is a tendency for there to be a drift of what is accepted. People will point to what was allowed for someone else and want that plus just a bit more. I will try to avoid allowing this drift to progress, and we as staff may sometimes have to come back to PCs after we take a second look at a StP item to retune it to be more suited to the theme.
In the end though, remember these items are plots to a story. Having stuff is not a story in its own right. However, when you have a story to tell and that includes working on an item we will try to help and make it affordable as we can.
Spot
One of the key things to think about is, am I asking for a new item or an item which has been slightly tweaked IC by a crafter. We use this ourselves in pricing.
So for example if I wanted a sharp steel sword, but had no access to steel and/or was not a weaponsmith, it would be considered a new custom item and would cost 100 Storypoints. However, if I had a steel sword already and went to a weaponsmith and we RPed him sharpening it, you could then ask for a changed description which would be a much more affordable 30 points.
To be clear this is to tune IC existing items, not to transform them the way we did in the sale. Thus going to a seamstress to turn a cotton dress into a embroidered samite dress is not a 30 point change as you are transforming an item.
Essentially if we are supporting IC actions and crafters we will discount the cost even though its the same time for us to do it as a way of encouraging such RP.
Another thing I have noticed is a tendency for there to be a drift of what is accepted. People will point to what was allowed for someone else and want that plus just a bit more. I will try to avoid allowing this drift to progress, and we as staff may sometimes have to come back to PCs after we take a second look at a StP item to retune it to be more suited to the theme.
In the end though, remember these items are plots to a story. Having stuff is not a story in its own right. However, when you have a story to tell and that includes working on an item we will try to help and make it affordable as we can.
Spot