Modified mod salary per salary discussion. Added non-profit businesses (groups).
SALARY
Job bonuses
Each citizen receives a salary of 10g per turn chat. A bonus is received for those holding additional jobs. A player (except for moderators) may receive a bonus once for each level where they hold a job. Mods may receive only their base pay plus mod bonus.
+5 President
+4 Department Leader, Governor, Judiciary, Vice President, RPG Managers, Moderators
+3 Deputy, Acting Governor
+2 High Unelected Positions (Chat Representative, Citizen Registry, Citizen Honors, Office Heads, etc.)
+1 Low Unelected Positions (RPG Assistants, Mayors, Art Museum Curator, Office Assistants, etc.)
The RPG Managers will decide on the status of an individual position if it could fit into both the High and Low Unelected categories.
Example: Alphonse the Exhausted is a Department Leader, RPG Manager, Mayor and Art Museum Curator. He receives a salary of 10 (base) plus 4 (Dept Leader or RPG Manager) plus 1 (Mayor or Museum Curator) for a total of 15. He receives each pay bonus level once despite having two jobs in each pay level.
Honors Bonus
Every player (no exceptions) receives an additional +2 salary bonus for each citizen honor received.
BANKING
All accounts are kept at the Bank. Salaries are added to all accounts after each turn chat. All transactions must be posted at the bank with a link to the transaction post or a copy of the PM/email where the transaction occured. Only one party of the transaction should make the transaction post, to avoid confusion. If the transaction is made at a business, the business owner will post the transaction. All amounts are rounded to the nearest whole number. Private transactions should be posted immediately. Businesses may hold their transactions until the day of the next turn chat and post them all at once.
Loans
Simple loans are available from the bank at 5% or 10% interest. 5% loans are for the purchase of assets (items, stores, etc.). 10% loans are signature loans and can be taken for any reason. Loans are repaid over a maximum of 3 terms. Maximum loan amount is 1/2 of your expected income over the loan period. All calculations will be based on an expected 8 turn chats per term. Loan payments are deducted automatically from salaries. A citizen may have only 1 outstanding loan at a time. Loans may be paid off early but no refund of interest is given.
Example 1: Psychlo the Unsure is a governor and an honored citizen. He has a salary of 16 per turn chat: 10 (base) plus 4 (governor) plus 2 (honored citizen). In one term he has an expected income of 128. He can borrow 64g and pay it back in one term, 128g and pay it back in 2 terms or 192 and pay it back in 3 terms. He is starting a new business so needs as much as he can get. He borrows 192 at 5% interest (the money is going towards assets). The total he must pay back is 202g (192g + 10g interest). His payments will be 8g per turn chat until the 202g is paid (this will take about 3 terms).
Example 2: Shagrath the Incipid is a party animal. He wants to throw a blowout to celebrate an important military victory. He has no job besides being a citizen so makes 10g per turn chat. His expected income is 80g per term. He can borrow 40g to pay back in 1 term, 80g to pay back in 2 terms or 120g to pay back in 3 terms. He isn't drunk yet so restrains himself to a 1 term payback. He borrows 40g and will be paying back a total of 44g, that is 40g plus 4g interest. Shagrath is paying 10% interest as he's getting a signature loan. His payments are 6g per chat turn until the 44g is repaid (this will take about 1 term).
OFFICIAL BUSINESSES
These are business threads run by the Price Manager (or an Assistant) that sell goods at the official market price (as set or authorized by the Price Manager). They record all transactions to the bank at each turn chat. They do not record profits.
PRIVATE BUSINESSES
The first business that each citizen starts up during the game has no startup costs. Additional businesses may also be started but will cost money to get them up and running. Two payments are necessary; legal fees and place of business expenses. Legal fees are 100g for all businesses. Place of Business expenses include factories, sweat shops, stores, offices, etc. plus all of the equipment needed to get the business running. Manufacturers cannot sell to the public, only through resellers. If a manufacturer wants to also be a sales center they need to pay the legal expenses to do so (but no additional material costs). Place of Business startup expenses vary by business type:
Place of Business startup expenses
200g: Manufacturing (creating goods)
100g: Resale (selling goods)
50g: Services (no goods exchanged)
0g: Non-profit organizations (no goods or services exchanged)
This startup cost is multiplied by Size and Expense factors. These factors are based on the original price list and represent the increased cost that a large organization will require to start up or that an expensive product line will cost. These factors increase the Place of Business startup expenses ONLY.
Size factor:
Personal business: no modifier
Private company: x2
Public company: x4
Corporation: x8
Expense factor
Avg cost 1 to 10: no modifier
Avg cost 11 to 50: x2
Avg cost 51 to 100: x4
Avg cost 101 to 200: x6
Avg cost 201 to 500: x8
Avg cost over 500: x10
Example 1: Tibu Teak, a custom habidasher is going into business. They are a light manufacturer (they make their own fine clothing and create custom designed T-shirts). They also will be selling their own products. They are a personal business and the average cost on their price list is 5g. They pay 100g for fees to manufacture and another 100g for fees to resell. Their Place of Business starup cost is 200g (manufacturing) with no size or expense modifiers. Their total startup cost will be 400g.
Example 2: Apro, Poe & Nuffin, attorneys at law want to open a practice. They don't make or sell anything, they simply provide a service. The average cost of their services is 35g. Their startup cost will be legal fees of 100g and 100g for Place of Business startup expenses (50g base x2 for their high prices - they need posh offices and a big aquarium in the lobby to attract high paying clients). So they are in business for 200g.
Supply
It is assumed that each business has enough material to supply their customers.
Making money
Prices and profit are determined by the sale price of goods and services. Manufacturers keep 1/2 of the money received for their product. The other 1/2 is assumed to go for upkeep of property, salaries for employees, rent, material costs, machinery, etc. Resellers keep 1/2 of the money received for sales. The other 1/2 is absorbed by the cost of doing business, just like manufacturers. Services keep 3/4 of the money received for services as they have a much lower cost of doing business.
A manufacturer/reseller (a company that makes and sells its own products) keeps 3/4 of the final sale price.
If an item is on the official price list, the wholesale cost of that item is fixed at 1/2 of the official sale price. The manufacturing cost of that item is fixed at 1/4 of the official sale price.
Example: Micron's Tiny Electonics sells a PDA for 6g. This means they make a profit of 3g per PDA sold. The PDA shows up on an official price list for 8g. Micron must now pay 4g for each PDA he sells (1/2 of the official price of 8g). He must either raise his prices or be content with only making 2g for each sale now.
Building Business
Businesses may grow and want to change to a different Size factor or Expense factor. Someone may wish to let partners into their personal business becoming a private company or may wish to go public. Similarly, changes in a product line may raise the average price on the price list into the next category. Before these things can be done the company must pay additional Place of Business expenses to get to the higher category. Simply take the normal Place of Business charge for that business and multiply by the difference to the next modifier.
Example 1: Tony's House of Lamb is a personal business. His normal Place of Business expense was 50g (Service). Tony wants to take on partners to raise capital. He will be going from Personal Business (no Size modifier) to Private Company (a x2 modifier). He must pay 100g to become a private company before taking on partners.
Example 2 : Smiling Bob's Discount War Machines sells previously enjoyed military vehicles. Bob's is a personal business that currently has a price list average of around 55. Bob has a line on new jet fighters which will raise his price list average to over 220g. Bob's normal Place of Business expense was 100g (Reseller). He is already in the x4 Expense factor. The Expense factor for a price list average of 220g is x8. Bob will need to cough up another 400g (100g base times 4, the difference between the original x4 category and the new x8 category) before adding the jet fighters to his product catalog.
Selling the shop
Businesses can be sold or liquidated. When liquidated, 50% of the Place of Business costs are returned to the seller. If sold to another private owner the price is negotiated. The buyer will then need to pay normal legal startup fees but will not have any Place of Business expenses.
How to get a licensed business open
Only licensed businesses can post transactions in the bank. As a result, only licensed businesses can make a profit of money or actually give items to a player.
- Build a price list of all items that the business will sell.
- Send this list, with a brief description of the business to the Price Manager.
- The Price Manager will reply and tell you what your total startup costs will be. If your price list is seriously out of whack, the Price Manager will tell you what should be changed.
- Secure your startup funds. If you need a loan, go to the Bank.
- When your funds are secured, post a transaction at the Bank paying your startup fees.
- The Price Manager will respond in the Bank thread with your certification to start up the business.
- Post in the RPG Index & Registry thread with a link to your business, a one line description of your business and a link to the approving post from the Price Manager.
GOING BROKE
Overdraft Protection
A player's account can go into the negative by the amount of his regular paycheck. If he normally makes 10g per turn chat he can go to a -10 balance without penalty.
Auto loan coverage
If a player's account dips below their overdraft protection and they do not have an outstanding loan, and a signature loan would cover the bad debt, they will immediately be granted a signature loan for the bad balance on their account.
Bankruptcy
If a player exceeds all of the protections above they go bankrupt. The Bank Manager and Item Manager will disolve the player's assets (valuing them at 50% of original value) to pay off the bad debt. This will include ownership in businesses, any items owned and any other tangible RPG properties.
If the bankruptcy proceedings aren't sufficient to cover the debt the player's salary will be garnished (100%) until the debt is covered. While the salary is being garnished the player may not make any transactions.
POSITIONS
Game Manager: The Game Manager is responsible for the overall flow of the RPG game. He can take over the duties of any other manager at times of need (manager absent or manager is personally involved in a transaction).
Bank Manager: Responsible for running the Bank, recording transactions, tracking loans and loan repayment, etc.
Item Manager: Responsible for keeping official track of what items each player has.
Price Manager: Responsible for keeping the official price lists and checking that private businesses are figuring costs correctly when selling an item that is on the official list. Responsible for Official stores.
Each manager may hire as many assistants as required to handle their responsibilities. The 4 managers together may create or alter rules. A 3/4 majority is required to do so.
Managers are elected and serve and indeterminate length of time. A manager may be removed from office through a vote of no confidence. This is an open poll and requires a 2/3 majority to oust a manager.
