Running a Franchise

Running a business is one of the downtime activities presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, but an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise is no mere business. This new downtime and franchise activity covers the many and varied duties necessary to keep a franchise running smoothly, and determines how well the characters and their staff manage those duties.

Resources

Unless the DM decides otherwise, this franchise task must be run at the end of each month of game time. Unlike other activities, results are determined for running a franchise even if specific characters and staff members are not allocated to the activity. However, allocating characters or staff members to running the franchise greatly improves the chances for a favorable outcome.
During any given month, the players decide how many days their characters and the franchise staff can dedicate to this activity. Characters and staff members cannot perform other activities while focused on this activity (as normal), and any days spent adventuring or engaged in other activities cannot be used for this activity.

Resolution

Percentile dice are rolled by a player nominated for this task by the group. The number of total days spent by all characters & the ship’s Master (Majordomo) on this activity, the ship’s Dex modifier, and the ship’s Crew Quality are added to the roll. That total is then compared to the Running a Franchise table to determine what happens for the month.

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Running a Franchise

• 01–10: The franchise has a ruinous month. Declining sales and rising expenditures increase the franchise’s monthly cost by 150 percent.
• 11–20: The franchise suffers severe setbacks. Monthly cost increases by 125 percent.
• 21–30: The franchise struggles. Monthly cost increases by 100 percent.
• 31–40: The franchise performs poorly. Monthly cost increases by 50 percent.
• 41–50: The franchise operates normally. Monthly cost does not change.
• 51–60: The franchise sees strong sales and trims expenses. Monthly cost decreases by 50 percent.
• 61–70: The franchise improves operations and sales. Monthly cost decreases by 100 percent.
• 71–80: The franchise has an excellent month. Monthly cost decreases by 110 percent.
• 81–90: The franchise has a fantastic month. Monthly cost decreases by 125 percent.
• 91+: The franchise is a shining example to other Acquisitions Incorporated franchises. Monthly cost decreases by 150 percent.

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Determining Monthly Cost

A franchise’s base monthly cost is a combination of the cost for the franchise’s headquarters (for a ship it is 75 gp + crew wages + cost of stores for two 10-days – the third 10-day is normally spent in port) and a multiplier for franchise rank. The fancier the headquarters, the more the upkeep. And the bigger the franchise, the more overhead it has. The “Franchise Advancement” section earlier in this chapter has more information on determining a franchise’s base monthly cost.
Whenever a downtime or franchise activity modifies a franchise’s costs for a given month, that increase or decrease is totaled up with all other increases and decreases. For example, a successful marketeering campaign might decrease the franchise’s monthly costs by 25 percent, but then a major threat as a result of exploring franchise territory increases monthly costs by 50 percent — a net increase of 25 percent.
Whenever the final result indicates that the franchise’s monthly costs have decreased 100 percent, profits and expenses exactly balance each other out, so that the franchise has no payment to make for that month. Whenever the final total is a decrease in monthly costs of more than 100 percent, this means the franchise has paid its expenses and earned a profit to boot. Calculate the profit based on the amount of the decrease above 100 percent. For example, a franchise whose monthly costs come out at a decrease of 150 percent earns a profit equal to 50 percent of the franchise’s base monthly cost.

Nonpayment Penalties

At the end of this activity, the franchise makes a payment to Head Office to cover its monthly costs. If it does not do so, the franchise begins to fail. See the rules for defaulting in the “Franchise Costs” section, earlier in this chapter. Regardless of what action Head Office takes, a franchise’s inability to pay its expenses should result in complications and story ramifications. Local folk and businesses start to demand that accounts be cleared. The general public might begin to reject the franchise’s products and services, worried about dealing with dodgy businesspeople.

Complications

A franchise automatically suffers a complication if the check for this activity was 30 or less. The DM might also impose a complication even when a franchise is doing well. The DM can choose a complication or roll on the Running a Franchise Complications table.

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Running a Franchise Complications

• 1: The franchise’s sales of products and services have attracted competition from a rival.
• 2: Regardless of its success month to month, the franchise’s long-term planning is called into question. Head Office demands that the characters engage in either the franchise restructuring activity or the team building activity.
• 3: A person who insists they are in no way from Head Office suggests that the franchise should run the shady business practice activity. It really feels more like a demand than a suggestion.
• 4: Customers are turning away from the franchise. Until the characters can determine the cause, each subsequent check for the running a franchise activity takes a −5 penalty. (possibly a rival’s doing)
• 5: A staff member finds signs of sabotage impacting the franchise’s operations. (possibly by a rival)
• 6: Staff members start demanding higher pay and threaten to go on strike. (possibly instigated by a rival)

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