Cult Payoff – How do you folks handle it?

5 thoughts on “Cult Payoff – How do you folks handle it?”

1. Payoff doesn’t always have to be coins.

   You’ve got a number of options:

   – Let the players pick the score, and let the score imply what the payoff is. So if they’re doing some grand charity-collecting march through the city (and possibly running into other gangs and cults) that might be a way to collect money. Or if they’re essentially doing a protection racket for “donations” that’d collect money. But if they’re doing some other sort of score, that might give a different payoff – such as gaining a fence or new territory or changing faction relationships.

   – Let them do a score about whatever and fictionally explain the payoff as something related. So they do a score about getting the Bluecoats to leave their cult alone. Then you get a payoff, and you tell the players that the coin is from the cult begging in the streets or doing burglary or donations from members or whatever. Maybe you even say it’s because they can collect more money now that the Bluecoats are leaving them alone.

   – Or just, yeah, assume it’s from them doing larceny on the side while doing their normal score.

   – Or just assume they do scores fairly regularly, say on average 2 scores a week. And they get payoff from their cult members, and assume it all just evens out. In that case, you’re giving them the OOC reward for the score, rather than the IC reward. I usually prefer when the two overlap, but there’s nothing “wrong” with allowing it to be an OOC reward.

   – Or ask the players how they want to handle it. They probably already know what would be most fun. They certainly know what would be fun better than I do.

2. I suggest that if the cult is running low on funds, the cult goes out to get some, the same way any other group that is running low on funds would. Some options include:

   – Score some loot by intimidation (“Surely, a noble of your standing and…vulnerability to knife wounds would be willing to part some monetary comfort for the betterment of She Who Slays in the Dark?”)

   — Grab some cash while doing other jobs (“So, that takes care of those Spirit Warden looking too closely at our activities. What do you thnik- say, did they leave the evidence cage unlocked?”)

   – Get paid to do what you were already going to do (“Yes, the Lord Inspector is annoying, and we might have plans to eliminate him- which would help you, I know- but our donation box is empty and that is such a pressing matter we couldn’t possible take the time for a murder….”)

   – Brainwashing is a tried and true method (“Young lady Castle used to have such an impressionable mind, you see. A waiting victim to any and all smooth tongued liars. But after our treatment, her spare coin will be going where its needed most…” )

   – And Vice Dens can supply steady stream of coin, if your heat is low (“Fear not, brother Blood Drinker, this den of stupor and vice may feed the common folks temporal and mortal lusts, but we shall use their folly to guide them to a more beautiful and everlasting reward in the court of the Reconciler”)

3. The scores that go for claims don’t typically have an employer. But other than that, there is no reason not to have one. There’s always an employer to be had. Well.. I say “always”, but what I mean is- “…unless they are secretly doing missions of their own design.”

   To align the jobs with the PCs, consider how the employer’s plot might be furthered by the crew’s completion of sacred site type scores – hence payment. “Desecrate this area for us” “steal this artifact set for us” are pretty common fare for my Cult games.

   It’s worth noting you can get more employers out of it by showing evidence of some nefarious scheme their current employer has going as a result of their success. This will invariably spawn a discussion and give me insight about whether to look for other jobs, etc. which are great insights for a GM in general

4. Cults always have an employer. Their dark patron is always counting the victories and failures. How they get paid is a different question.

5. Thanks all so much for the excellent insight and feedback! Seriously useful advice across the board. Thank you so much!

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