Company Town
The titular "Glasstown" is boomtown that, over the course of the campaign, will grow around the field office of the Lake Arcane Assay and Outfitters Company (hereafter "the Company"). This company was formed to exploit the recently emerged ruins in the center of the lake, by hiring contractors (like the player characters) to do so, outfitting them with gear, providing transportation, and buying whatever treasures they return with. The contracts require the explorers sell all artifacts to the Company, for which they'll receive scrip.
This scrip will of course be accepted by the Company itself, can also be used to pay the delver's employees, and will be accepted by businesses in town as it develops. It won't otherwise be fungible or legal tender anywhere else. The Company promises that eventually, once they are profitable, they'll offer an exchange for specie currency. If and when the bank opens in town, it will also offer an exchange (but a far from generous one, because of risk) long before the company makes good on this promise.
Beans and Brass Tacks
The contracts also require the contractors to form an enterprise which will act as a legal entity in negotiations with the Company, hire staff, own common assets, etc. Initial investment in this operation needs to come from Starting Wealth, although the PCs may choose to sell shares to outside investors or rely on a Patron for funding.
Since this is a game in which resource management is a significant factor, characters will have to pay cost of living expenses, as well as pay salaries and handle the operating expenses of their enterprise (although they can hire staff to handle the accounting minutia if they so wish). These adventurers are assumed to have liquidated most of their immobile assets in order to try and strike it rich in the Black City, so start with 100% of starting wealth available for gear. Any cash left over has been converted to scrip (which is equal to the GURPS $).
Since the Company doesn't care about (and it doesn't profit from) the character's personal financial health and connections they will buy artifacts at fixed rates based on their own internal rubrics for valuation (which of course are kept secret), uninfluenced by the characters' Wealth levels.
Outside Buyers
If the players choose to breach contract and secretly sell to outside buyers on their own, then their personal (and familial) wealth and connections will matter. Wealth both gives a bonus to rolls to find buyers and increases the payout for sales.
| Wealth Level | Modifier | Price Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Dead Broke | NA | 0% |
| Poor | -2 | 10%* |
| Struggling | -1 | 20%* |
| Average | 0 | 40%* |
| Comfortable | 0 | 60% |
| Wealthy | +1 | 80% |
| Very Wealthy | +1 | 100% |
| Filthy Rich | +2 | 100% |
Catalog Stores
Gear not available in Glasstown may often be ordered from back East. As services (e.g. leyline messenger, postal courier, general store, coach stage, railroad etc.) open in town, access to mail order goods will improve but it will always be easier for the people with the best credit. At the start of the campaign only characters with Wealthy are above are able to convince anyone to ship anything out as far as Glasstown and are limited to weekly orders of no more that 5% of adjusted starting wealth.
Shipping table:
3 Goods arrived before you ordered them (due to the elastic time of the frontier). as soon as you place the order you receive delivery.
4 Goods arrive by the end of the week
5,6 Goods arrive in 1d weeks
5,6 Goods arrive in 1d weeks
7 Goods arrive in 1d months
8-12 Goods arrive in 1d+3 weeks
13 Goods arrive in 1d+3 weeks but were exposed to the elements. For non-perishables goods roll HT+4 for each item, as per Slime, Sand and Equipment Failure, p. B485. Perishable goods are ruined on a 1 on 1d. Livestock roll HT+4; suffering 1d FP lost to a hazard or illness, or death on a critical failure.
13 Goods arrive in 1d+3 weeks but were exposed to the elements. For non-perishables goods roll HT+4 for each item, as per Slime, Sand and Equipment Failure, p. B485. Perishable goods are ruined on a 1 on 1d. Livestock roll HT+4; suffering 1d FP lost to a hazard or illness, or death on a critical failure.
14 Shipment takes at least six months. Starting on the seventh month late, roll 3d per month; the goods arrive if the roll is less than the number of months late.
15 Shipment was beset by road agents or nimerigar raiders, everything of value was stolen, but word still reaches Glasstown. Items may be recoverable or later found in use by foes.
15 Shipment was beset by road agents or nimerigar raiders, everything of value was stolen, but word still reaches Glasstown. Items may be recoverable or later found in use by foes.
16 Shipment was attacked by wild beasts or spirits. Any perishables or a livestock are lost. Roll 1d for every remaining item: 1,2-destroyed or lost, 3,4-requires major repairs, 5-requires minor repairs, 6-undamaged.
17,18 Entire shipment vanishes without a trace
As a special form of Trading Points for Money characters may spend one character point to instantly receive the shipment as result 3 above, as well as for free.
If railroad service arrives in town shipping will become much safer and more reliable.
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