Journey, I think, is one of the best systems that I've seen out of the LevelUp team, hands down. It's simple, it's flexible, and it lends itself well to creating a -story- about travel by gameifying the journey in an absolutely splendid fashion. I also think it could, and probably should, see use even in campaigns without a ton of journey.
Change "Supply" into "Fortunes", extend the "Travel Speeds" to 1 week (Fast) 2 weeks (Normal) and 3 weeks (Slow), and use your "Supply" as "Upkeep" on a weekly basis.
Swap around some of the "Journey Activities" for things like scheming, business dealings, and social enterprises...
And BAM. You've got a nice upkeep system for a political intrigue campaign subplot that for a game that largely remains inside a single city and would otherwise discard the genius system. Players see their fortunes rise and fall as they work with and against the scheming aristocracy, you can create encounters as boons and discoveries, social situations, work for and against factions, and build up your own small economic empire by using Followers and Hirelings through your Upkeep. Fortunes can represent favors, wealth tied up in businesses and property, or even straight cash set aside for paying your hirelings and maintaining your standard of living rather than used expressly for day to day purchases. After all, you can buy supply, so why not buy your Fortunes by putting gold pieces into a bank account to invest in your enterprises?
The higher your Fortunes get the greater a target you are for other people looking for investment, or someone to swindle!
For this system I would -absolutely- recommend using Strife rather than Exhaustion to represent the emotional and psychological weight of managing your various machinations and networks of spies, fairweather friends, and hangers on. And make certain Events into Havens, rather than locations. You go to a small and intimate gathering with friends and family for several hours in order to recover from Strife, or take a day at Spa, or some leisurely activities in the Countryside to "Get away from it all".
Run it as a group-mechanic, if you like. Or have everyone's Fortunes be separate at the table, giving them reasons to ask each other for loans or favors. Introduce Marriage as a joining of Fortunes and see how many of your players race to the next gala affair with the express intent of landing some wealthy aristocrat to increase their personal Fortune!
Throw this adaptation into a Victoriana campaign or something like Zeitgeist, and you'll have a lovely time enjoying some background machinations for you and your companions aside from the main plot of the game.
If the LevelUp team want to include this kind of note as a sidebar in the book or an optional system with a serious outline, I'll sign off any waiver or document you like and let you use the idea for free, without so much as a shout out, comment, credit, or note literally anywhere. I just think the system is super lovely and could easily expand to cover other options like Castle Upkeep, as well.
Change "Supply" into "Fortunes", extend the "Travel Speeds" to 1 week (Fast) 2 weeks (Normal) and 3 weeks (Slow), and use your "Supply" as "Upkeep" on a weekly basis.
Swap around some of the "Journey Activities" for things like scheming, business dealings, and social enterprises...
And BAM. You've got a nice upkeep system for a political intrigue campaign subplot that for a game that largely remains inside a single city and would otherwise discard the genius system. Players see their fortunes rise and fall as they work with and against the scheming aristocracy, you can create encounters as boons and discoveries, social situations, work for and against factions, and build up your own small economic empire by using Followers and Hirelings through your Upkeep. Fortunes can represent favors, wealth tied up in businesses and property, or even straight cash set aside for paying your hirelings and maintaining your standard of living rather than used expressly for day to day purchases. After all, you can buy supply, so why not buy your Fortunes by putting gold pieces into a bank account to invest in your enterprises?
The higher your Fortunes get the greater a target you are for other people looking for investment, or someone to swindle!
For this system I would -absolutely- recommend using Strife rather than Exhaustion to represent the emotional and psychological weight of managing your various machinations and networks of spies, fairweather friends, and hangers on. And make certain Events into Havens, rather than locations. You go to a small and intimate gathering with friends and family for several hours in order to recover from Strife, or take a day at Spa, or some leisurely activities in the Countryside to "Get away from it all".
Run it as a group-mechanic, if you like. Or have everyone's Fortunes be separate at the table, giving them reasons to ask each other for loans or favors. Introduce Marriage as a joining of Fortunes and see how many of your players race to the next gala affair with the express intent of landing some wealthy aristocrat to increase their personal Fortune!
Throw this adaptation into a Victoriana campaign or something like Zeitgeist, and you'll have a lovely time enjoying some background machinations for you and your companions aside from the main plot of the game.
If the LevelUp team want to include this kind of note as a sidebar in the book or an optional system with a serious outline, I'll sign off any waiver or document you like and let you use the idea for free, without so much as a shout out, comment, credit, or note literally anywhere. I just think the system is super lovely and could easily expand to cover other options like Castle Upkeep, as well.
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