it depends... sometimes we just skip it, but the reason we already are annoyed at some of the 'growth' of the game. when we try to use money as a motivator it always falls flat, if played straight you get too much too fast. We have found at start maybe 1 or 2 sessions you end up counting every silver to get the things you need/want then boom once you saved up to get your stuff you end up with huge amounts of money to do anything wit...So here's my question: Do you worry about cost of living concerns in your game? Or do you handwave that mess in favor of high adventure? Why or why not?
i swear i have seen players give bartenders platinum coins per drink say 'keep the change' for 2 copper beer... and i don't even mean "here this will cover for the night"(but i have seen that too) i mean 'over the night i buy 5 or 6 beers so each time i throw a PP i will just mark off 6"Heck, at a certain point, we don't even bother with copper or silver or electrum pieces. Everything is paid with either gp or pp.
In some games, I will tie useful benefits to what you spend on it so that there's a specific reason to pay for the higher lifestyle tiers.
Nice. This reminds me of a Paizo AP mechanic that leans into items like lifestyle mechanics that are often left vague. So, I could definitely see this as an item that is campaign dependent. Something I have not used in the past (for D&D/Fantasy) but might want to give another shot.I'm using them right now. In addition to all of the incentives that other people have already mentioned, living expenses can also affect how other factions react to the heroes. Like...unless you are living at least a "wealthy" lifestyle, you make Charisma checks at disadvantage with the Merchant Guild faction....but if you are living an "aristocratic" lifestyle, you make those Charisma checks at advantage.
That sort of thing.