The standard method is to reduce the wealth award by one per person being paid. However, this doesn't work mathematically. If Wealth 30 divides into two even splits of Wealth 29, then each split of Wealth 29 should divide evenly into two of Wealth 28. So the payout of a lump sum divided amongst a crew would be as follows:

1 recipient: Full Award

2 recipients: Award -1 each

3-4 recipients: Award -2 each

5-8 recipients: Award -3 each

9-16 Recipients: Award -4 each

17-32 Recipients: Award -5 each

...and so on.

The way I figure it, the excess that theoretically exists if there are fewer recipients than the maximum possible for a given bracket gets blown on booze and hookers, and divided evenly so it isn't sufficient to bump up to the next wealth level.

This method also makes it possible for the 10th level La Cosa Nostra to pay off all his sodiers without A: reducing his take on any job by ten wealth, and B: Being able to pay his soldiers in more than fiddling small change if he pulls any scheme less ambitious than knocking over Fort Knox.

Thoughts?

I guess I finally have to buy the d20 Modern book and look at their explanation of the logic...

That won't help you, as the wealth advancement system in D20 Mafia is its own separate development. D20 Modern just has it that if a wealth bonus is awarded, it stacks on top of whatever you have regardless of whether that +2 wealth is supposed to add straight onto Hobo Bob's Wealth of 0, or Scrooge McDuck's Wealth of 214.

Hm, I didn't see it last night while reading through the CM book...

The things gamers consider light reading...

Chapter Seven: Wealth is only pages 104-105, so its easy to miss.

Honestly, I only thought to actually look up the D20 Modern take on wealth acquisition after you brought it up. And its half-assedness makes me very sad inside.

Basically, the Wealth system is sort of expontential. So if you split a Wealth award of 22, both PC's get 21. If you split it three ways, each PC gets 20 and so on.

The GM may make exceptions for certain PC's that have been hovering at 10 or 20 or 30 for a long time. He might rule that the cumulative effect boosts his Wealth anyway.

Mr. D.

Its just that mathematically, dropping by one per person just doesn't work. By the time you get to a four person split, half the wealth has magically vanished assuming an exponential progression per point of wealth. By the time you get to an eight person split, you are actually only splitting 1/16 of the money that is supposed to be there. If, god forbid, you somehow have a monster sixteen person crew, literally 99.975 percent of the money has vanished into the ether once you finish subtracting one for each mook.

Of course, the easy way to account for this(at least at the smaler numbers) is to just say that its the capo, underboss, boss, boss of bosses, and supreme grand overlord of bosses from the nth dimension taking their cut. But even that excuse wears thin if you are literally only seeing pennies on the dollar at best.

Let's see. Let's say the take is $120K. According to the book that equals a 34 Wealth award.

You split, in game terms and you each get 33, but according to the book that's $90K each. So in reality, you're making out.

Now let's split it 17 ways. Each person gets 17 Wealth or, according to the book, $900.

Let's try it 8 shares (the max allowed for a crew in the game) that drops you down to 26 Wealth or $12K each. Which, if you multiply it by 8 comes out to $116,000. It's about as close as you're gonna get with the system. So up to 8 you're okay.

Now, let's assume you're an unfortunate Familiy Associate and you're on the crew with 17 freakin' guys in it. Thing is, as long as your Wealth is below 20, you're gettin' a bump. If you're at 20 or over, you don't.

Now, regardless of the back and forth money to rating ratio, the higher you are on the Wealth ladder, the bigger the wad of cash in your wallet. Consequently, the more money you need to get to increase that wad significantly. So if you're at 20, you need at least a 20 Wealth award or more ($2,000 from the book) for it to make a difference. But if you're at 29 Wealth, $2000 STILL makes a difference.

Consequently, it's easier to rise up as you get closer to the tier than it is at the bottom. This is representative of the fact that once you start makin' money, it's gets easier to move in the next tax bracket, but gettin' over dat hump is tough.

You could simply make the cut off 8 for shares. It would probably not be a good idea to count money and transfer that into WP. I predict everyone will be at 50 WP in very few adventures dat way!

You can look at it this way, sometimes people get money and it just doesn't significantly change their current income level. So many crew members may mean that the money has to change many more hands and some of that "disappears". Money from a job disappears quickly though. It's the schemes that players should probably be more concerned about because once they accumulate they become regular income. Twenty schemes that pay 1 or 2 Wealth are much better than a score that pays 40 or 50.

If all else fails, be the GM. Make an executive decision and say, "Well, you got screwed in the last two missions, I say your Wealth goes up anyway." Remember, the GM is da boss!

Mr. D.

Well, you gotta live a little! And laundering money costs a bit... hm, maybe my drycleaner could do it for less...



See Gino? Told ya I was better off working my own schemes than selling your foxy undies!

On the other hand... let's take this to the Business forum...

Aside from the fact that 8 mooks times $12000 is $96000, not $116000, that explanation works for me, and that 20% of the take can easily be explained in kickbacks, laundering fees, and the ever popular booze and women of negotiable affection.


Thanks.

Dat figure was wrong?! Wait til I have a talk with Joey Calculator.

Mr. D.

Mr. D, you gotta get better help!