How would you keep the game balanced in this situation?

[greywolf79]

So this will be a heavily customized campaign setting. the 2 big issues we have so far is this, how do you balance the salvage and unit growth when the campaign is entirely story (fluff) based? Unless we enforce a combat system as well there is not any formal fighting system involved currently. Therefore the players could write up their story losing almost everything, losing nothing but some ammo or something in the middle... How would you balance salvage rights in this situation? I'm debating a word limit system, a low percentage of the enemy forces (probably also tied to a word limit, such as x words = 5%, xx = 10% with max of 15%ish), or a wishlist (x words = y tons "salvage" from a wishlist type thing, then a gm decides x÷y amount awarded in whatever form from the list - ie 25 tons = commando or other item on the wishlist such as a desired vehicle)... Suggestions? It is going to be a play by electronic format type game.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Is there going to be a GM?

[Daryk]

If it's entirely fluff based, pre-agreed consensus on what's reasonable and what's not is pretty much your only option.  If you have a GM, all the players have to trust the GM's future assessments of reasonableness...

[XaosGorilla]

     So, this resembles something I went through in a (TSR era D&D) game a long time ago.... I'll spare you the details, but the way it turned out we started on a ship sailing somewhere.  When it sank most of us lost some or all of the player background generated equipstuff perks with the ship. 

     The point being that a sufficiently large disaster can deprive anyone of darn near anything, Sabotage and Theft can also achieve these ends as well.  Clever use of those can lead to endless plot hooks...

     Examples:  The big battlemech with its' built in I.W.I.N. button is very impressive and valuable. To others as well....  Perhaps an enemy state views the machine as such a threat and targets it for elimination.  At the same time the player/owner is required to be at a dinner party, or out drinking(or "other" "social" activities), or sleeping or negotiating a contract. (gotta get out of that mech sometime.)  Maybe the mech (or a unavailable part that it cant function without) is stolen, or stolen back.

      Wealth can be stolen, or simply contested by the sudden appearance of a new additional heir.  (Until the courts straighten it out, the assets are frozen.)  Businesses can be destroyed or suddenly find themselves in a new (enemy) state.  Sales could dry up due to cheaper competition.

     That should cover everything up to the start point at least.

     If there is no formal combat system going forward from the start point.....  Then you are looking at either trusting the GM or maybe using concepts I have only heard about in the Amber dice less system.  Which I have never seen a rule book for.  Not sure if it even exists.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Amber Diceless RPG absolutely exists (I have it in my library!).  It's essentially a cooperative storytelling game... and absolutely requires the GM role to mediate.

I was thinking along those same lines myself that a similar approach may suit the OP.

[Daryk]

I've played Amber, and TDC has it exactly right... it MUST have a GM!