Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 15:22:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@iii.com>
To: gurpsnet-l@IO.COM
Subject: New Advantage: Loan

Hm...comments wanted on this idea, it came to me mainly because of considering
Traveller.

Advantage: Loan
	Cost: 1/5 the # of points in 'Wealth' required to buy the item.
	You have at some point received a substantial loan, for the intent of
purchasing some expensive item or equipment.  Within an adventuring
environment, a classic example would be a spaceship; a more realistic example
would be a house.  This is a relative of 'temporary wealth', but is generally
less likely to cause problems for the GM.  This advantage is subject to the
following restrictions:
a)	A loan is usually taken out in order to make a single large purchase;
this advantage should not be taken for generic equipment.
b)	The character will be subject to payments; for a typical large
purchase, assume 10% of the value of the loan, every year for 20 years.  This
can be adjusted somewhat at the GMs option.
c)	There must be a way in which the loan-giver can enforce payment of
the loan.  In the case of single items in a society where people can be tracked
easily, this is not too much of a problem; assume that the item purchased acts
as collateral on the loan; in the case of a frontier society more complex
protections may be needed.  In general, assume that defaulting on a loan will
cause you to acquire new disadvantages equal to _at least_ three times the
point value of the loan; these will typically be a combination of an enemy and
a reputation for being a bad credit risk, though other disadvantes are
possible.