5 SALONS
Joining a salon is a good way to gain Status Points, and an even better way to lose money. Seven salons are listed in the Salons Table, along with additional information for each. There are certain requirements that must be met in order to join a salon, and these vary from salon to salon. The main requirement is a minimum Social Level, although there may be others. To the right of the salon requirements are listed the dues which must be paid each month in order to remain a member and the number of Status Points a character receives each month for being a member of that salon. The last two numbers deal with gambling and will be dealt with in the Gambling rules.
A character may belong to only one salon at a time, and may not visit a salon unless he is a member of that salon or a guest of a member (see Toadying).
A character may resign from a salon at any time without penalty, except for the loss of the remainder of that month’s dues if he resigns before the month is over. Upon resigning, a player may not rejoin that salon for three months, but may immediately try to join a different one.
Characters who meet the requirements of a salon are automatically made members on applying.
Characters need not visit a salon during a month to gain Status Points from belonging, but must pay their dues in order to retain membership in good standing.
Visiting a salon counts as an action, and no other actions may be performed during the same week except salon related activities (gambling and carousing).
5.1 Carousing
If a player character purchases liquid refreshment at a salon or bawdyhouse, he gains a Status Point. Liquid refreshment costs livres equal in number to the Social Level of the character. This purchase is referred to as carousing. A player may carouse once a week provided he visits a salon or bawdyhouse that week. Carousing is not an action and, in fact, must be done in conjunction with a visit to a salon or bawdyhouse.
Carousing at salons is not necessary, but a character toadying to someone who is carousing must also carouse, otherwise no status will be gained from toadying (though the host may still lose SPs). Priests still gain SPs even if they do not carouse when the person they are toadying to is carousing. If carousing isn't specifically ordered, it will not happen.
Status points for toadying are rounded up.
The carousing cost of a paramour is always her SL regardless of any toadying that may be happening.
A character carousing as the guest of a character of higher Social Level must pay a carousing cost equal to that of his host.
5.2 Toadying
Characters may gain status by being seen in the company of their betters; these may likewise benefit by the cultivation of sycophants. If a character is taken as a guest to a salon, he receives Status Points equal to the difference in rank between the highest salon he is able to join (not necessarily the highest he has joined) and the one he is guest at (Salon rankings are found on the Salon Table).
If a character visits a salon with a character of a higher Social Level, he receives Status Points equal to one half the difference in their Social Levels. The higher level character receives (or loses) Status Points based upon the difference in Social Level between himself and his guest; consult the Toady Table. Points are determined for each guest separately. Players are free to work out any system of recompense they desire for this service.
A character carousing as the guest of a character of higher Social Level must pay a carousing cost equal to that of his host.
Characters may either toady to a character, or allow characters to toady to them, but not both in the same week. Characters may only enter salons which they are not members of when toadying to a member.
If a number of disappointed guests arrive at a salon to find that the host has not turned up, then the highests SL character will invite them all to his or her own salon (which may be the same one) to carouse at their own expense provided they are not from a hostile province or more than 6 SLs below the replacement host/ess. Characters not able to attend a replacement party will go to their own salons that week and drown their sorrows (carouse).
When a party is ordered, any guests invited are assumed to be able to toady to the host(ess). When attending a party a character is assumed to be toadying to the host unless they have a higher SL than the host(ess)
When characters attend parties hosted by those of lower or equal SL no toadying takes place between them but the guest gains 1 SP (due to the deference shown) provided the host (ess)'s SL is no more than 3 SLs lower than their own. The host(ess) gains 1 SP thanks to having such a prestigious guest.
SPs for toadying are rounded up.
5.3 Gambling
Characters may gamble at salons or bawdyhouses. Gambling is conducted in the following manner. The character announces the amount he is betting. This amount cannot exceed the house limit of the salon at which he is gambling (see the Salons Table). A bawdyhouse has no house limit.
Another character, acting as croupier, rolls one die. The gambler must roll a die and obtain a result higher than the croupier to win, or withdraw without rolling and take a loss of half the amount bet (known as cutting losses or a cut). Ties and rolls lower than the croupier’s are won by the house, and the money effectively disappears from play.
Each time a character wins a bet, he receives one Status Point; each time he loses a bet or cuts, he loses one Status Point. In addition, after all betting is done for the week, a player gambling at a salon (but not at a bawdyhouse) adds up the total amount bet that week by his character and divides it by the gambling divisor of the salon he is in, dropping fractions (see Salons Table). A cut counts as half the amount originally bet. The resulting number is the number of Status Points received in addition to the one-per-win total.
A character may place only nine bets in any one week.
Last edited by Puckohue, September 04 2019 18:28:26. Secured game article. You most log in to contribute.