The Asset System
Assets represent physical locations or resources that are likely part of the owning vampire’s domain. If correctly managed, they produce goods, services or bonuses. Assets are vulnerable! They can be attacked, defended, sabotaged, traded, gambled away, shared, pooled, and can be affected by regional or global events, amongst other things.
Assets function through the use of Asset Keywords. A complex asset may be upgraded to have multiple keywords, but only one can be used in a given downtime period (whole downtime, not per action).
Assets can be acquired in Character Generation through buying the asset background, or across the course of the game through appropriate downtime activities. Building and upgrading assets will be easier for Neonates and Ghouls as they are closer to understanding the humans involved, and more difficult for Elders on the opposite end of the scale.
Asset Types
Simple: These are basic production assets with the Production keyword. They do not require an input (unless upgraded), but do need to be managed. If managed, then they will produce their outputs. Many simple assets are limited in where they can be built, based on the resources needed. Building a lumber yard in the middle of rolling grasslands isn’t going to produce much other than cobwebs, after all.
Simple assets may not be upgraded to have other keywords, and do not accumulate goods if their output is not used.
Complex: These are assets which consume the goods produced by simple assets, or occasionally items produced by characters in-game. They must be managed, and must have their full set of required goods provided in order to function, including any additional inputs required due to upgrades. If a complex asset does not receive all required goods, it does not produce its output.
Unique: A few assets operate differently to the others, such as the Shelter asset. These can be built into an existing asset and may benefit from any defensive upgrades that asset has.
A list of example assets can be found here.
Asset Creation
See the associated Downtime action.
Asset Management
Every Simple and Complex asset requires a manager to oversee it. Assets can be managed by PCs, or by certain NPCs such as their Ghouls and Retainers reflected under the Thralls background. Allies cannot manage assets; they are assumed to be too busy with their own night to night tasks for such a prolonged duty.
A character can actively manage, and as a result gain a benefit from, a number of assets equal to:
Mental Attribute + Seneschal Skill + Number of Thralls Background in Retainers/Ghouls
If the manager of an asset has relevant defensive skills, they will get a defensive bonus when considering the impact of events or attacks on that asset. For example, if a farm is affected by an army trampling across the fields or a crop blight, a manager with Profession (Farmer) may be able to salvage some of the goods, where somebody without that skill would not.
Asset Supply
Assets which require goods as an input must have these provided in order to function. This includes:
All complex assets
Any asset which has had an upgrade that requires maintaining
Goods come in two varieties; Materials and Food. Materials include Wood, Stone, Iron, Hides, Wool and Clay. Food includes Grain, Fruit, Meat and Salt.
An asset may state that it requires Material (Any) x1. This can be filled with any good which has the Material type. It cannot be filled with any good which has the Food type, such as Food (Fruit). The same is true in reverse; an asset requiring a Food (Any) x1 will only accept food to fill this need.
If an asset states that it requires a specific good such as Material (Stone) x1 or Food (Grain) x1, it will only accept that specific thing to fill the need. Food (Fruit) is not the same as Food (Grain), and Material (Hide) is not the same as Material (Stone).
If an asset which requires goods does not receive everything it needs, it will not produce the bonus associated with it. If this continues for consecutive downtimes, the asset may fall into disrepair and eventually crumble away completely.
Asset Upgrades
There is a list of upgrades which can be applied to Simple and Complex assets on the example asset page. These can improve the defence of the building or improve its output.
Complex assets can also be improved with new keywords for a flat cost of 2 material goods. A given asset can only use one keyword in a given downtime, but for example a Wayhouse with the keywords ‘Common Rumour’ and ‘Regional Rumour’ can be used to produce either type. Which keyword an asset is using must be specified as part of the owner’s downtime return; if it is not, the ST team will assume the default starting keyword for that asset type.
We do not intend to openly publish a list of all available asset keywords, or which ones are applicable to what kind of complex asset, as we do not wish to limit player creativity - while we have a list in the background, we are open to suggestions! If you wish to upgrade a complex asset, please speak to the ST Team.
Trade Agreements
The trade of raw material production between characters is open to whatever terms characters wish to agree to. This can include, but is not limited to; boons, levels of resources, the loan of backgrounds such as herd, and anything else that two characters may agree on.
If boons are used as part of a trade agreement, these must be registered with the boon keepers as normal. It is also recommended that players make mention of any trade deals during their downtime submission, to help keep track of what was promised.
If a single character owns simple assets which produce all the necessary resources for their complex assets, no trading is required.
The Market
As well as being able to trade the production of materials to or from other characters, there is also an NPC controlled market for such things. While the market may not offer as generous a price for goods as another character might, the appetite for resources is usually significant.
When selling simple resources, for every two units of production - regardless of type - that are sold to the market, the character will gain a level of resistance to their resources being taxed. This can be used to offset actions which tax resources, such as purchasing ritual supplies or paying for information. This only lasts for the downtime period following the sale, regardless of whether it is used up.
In a similar fashion, characters can purchase materials from the market if they are unable or unwilling to do so from other characters. One unit of materials will tax the character’s resources by one level.
A character may only buy from the market OR sell to the market in a single downtime, not both. Assets with the Trading keyword, such as Merchants and Trading Quays, may do up to four of the opposite action as well.