◆Running a Business: Property, Production, and Managers

You can own and operate businesses in your world - workshops, trading posts, labs, distilleries, repair bays, or anything you can describe. Once established, a manager takes over the day-to-day so you can focus on the story.

›How Businesses Are Created

Businesses are created through gameplay, not menus. Describe what you want to build, and it happens.

Example prompts:

• "I want to set up a blacksmith workshop in the abandoned barn"
• "I convert the cargo bay into a weapons manufacturing facility"
• "I open a potion brewing operation in the basement of my tavern"

You can also use the Properties section in the OmniCodex to propose a business directly. Type a description and click "Propose."

Once established, your business appears in the OmniCodex under Properties and a property card appears in the left panel.

›Managers Run It For You

When you establish a business, a manager character will introduce themselves. You choose how involved you want to be:

Hands-on - You handle crafting personally. Your manager takes care of restocking and maintenance in the background.

Executive - Your manager runs everything day-to-day. They interrupt you only for urgent decisions or strategic opportunities.

Passive - Your business runs entirely in the background. Revenue appears in your coffers. You just adventure.

›Directives

Set a directive to guide your manager's priorities:

• Growth - Expand capacity, unlock new recipes, train workers
• Profit - Maximise revenue, optimise sales, reduce waste
• Quality - Focus on masterwork output, invest in better materials

Your manager's personality shapes how they interpret your directive. Some are careful optimisers. Others are ambitious risk-takers. You will discover their style through play.

›Resources and Recipes

Every business works with resources (raw materials) and recipes (what you can make from them).

• Resources are restocked through gameplay - buying from merchants, scavenging, mining, trading. Your manager may also restock automatically depending on your directive.
• Recipes are unlocked through discovery, experimentation, or trade. Ask to learn a new recipe, find a blueprint, or experiment with materials.

›Crafting

Two ways to make things:

Instant Crafting - If you are hands-on, click Craft in the OmniCodex with the right resources. The item appears immediately.

Staffed Production - Workers handle production over narrative time. The clock advances during rest, travel, or time skips. Workers gain skill over time, improving speed and quality.

›Workers

You can assign up to 5 characters as workers at each business. Workers need to be friendly contacts you have recruited or hired.

• Workers gain experience with each completed recipe
• Higher-skilled workers produce faster and have a chance of creating Masterwork quality items
• Allied workers get a speed bonus. Hostile characters contribute nothing and may sabotage production.

›Common Questions

Q: How do I get more resources? Describe what you are doing to acquire them. Buy, mine, scavenge, trade, or raid. If your manager is active, they may restock automatically.

Q: Can I have multiple businesses? Yes. You can own and operate several across different locations. Each has its own manager and directive.

Q: What happens if my business is attacked? Damaged properties operate at reduced capacity. Ruined properties halt production until repaired. Damage happens through narrative events.

Q: Can I upgrade my business? Yes. Describe what you want to add - new wings, better equipment, defences. Upgrades unlock new recipes and improve efficiency.