Markets and Economies in Solar Echoes (part 4)

Buying weapons, armor, and even starships is not the only way players will be spending their character's money. The Union Guard, which is the special op's force the characters are part of, does pay the characters for their work but does not cover all expenses they might incur. Players may decide that living at UG headquarters is not their first choice of residence after a while, and may give up the free room and board to find a place of their own. Traveling through space, even if the players have bought their own starship, costs a lot of money—starship fuel, maintenance, and repair can be costly. If players really want to get from point A to point B quickly and not spend weeks or months in space getting there, the use of a Warp Gate is extremely expensive. There are many reasons that players will want to see their money grow through investing; leaving it in the bank might not provide the team of characters what they need to achieve their goals. The Mission Controller in a Solar Echoes game should be careful not to give out too little or too much to players for mission rewards—amounts are detailed in official Solar Echoes missions, but for individually-developed campaigns, it is a good idea to slowly ramp up financial rewards and not allow things to become unreasonable. If the players can barely afford to buy their own ammunition, or if they have managed to buy a fleet of starships that rivals the Union Guard, then the MC is doing something wrong.