Sucks Pays Nick Silver for Information

Summary

In Session 6 of the campaign, Sucks makes a poorly-calculated deal with Nick Silver, impulsively offering 40 coins for information about a secret way into New Smoke. The other party members immediately recognize this as excessive, with Dayna commenting out of character that Nick is not negotiating. Sucks ultimately reduces his offer to 20 coins, which he pays from his personal stash—coins he had stolen from Luis Guzman's safe. The exchange occurs with both parties wearing their negotiating hoods up, and Nick accepts the payment before revealing information about a smuggling route through dried-up canals.

Details

During the negotiation, Sucks makes his counter-proposal: "Some water and we talk. But we give you 40 coins." Dayna immediately breaks character to point out the problem: "He is not negotiating, so knows that that's a dumb deal."

Erin seizes on the moment to ease Safia's conscience about a previous transaction: "Actually, Safia feels a lot better that you just said that because she felt so bad about setting the pigs for you." The comment refers to Safia feeling guilty about how she had handled pricing in an earlier deal.

Sucks justifies the payment with the principle "You got to spend money to make money," though he does reduce his offer before completing the transaction. When the source of the coins comes up, Sucks admits, "I think I stole it from Louise"—referring to Luis Guzman.

Sucks gives 20 coins from his personal stash while keeping his credit card. Nick ties the bag of coins to his belt and proceeds to share information about secret smuggling routes through dried-up canals.

Both Sucks and Nick maintain their negotiating hoods throughout the exchange—a detail noted in the session: "Sucks has had his negotiating hood up this whole time."

Cat points out the absurd contradiction between Sucks's earlier philosophy and his current actions: after Sucks had philosophized about two sides of the same coin representing bravery and stupidity, he then gave 20 of those very coins away.

Participants

Sucks — Initiates the deal, overpays for information, and provides payment from stolen coins
Nick Silver — Accepts the payment and provides information about smuggling routes
Safia — Benefits indirectly from the poor deal by feeling better about her own pricing decisions
Cat — Observes and comments on the philosophical irony of the transaction
Vasso — Present during the exchange
Luis Guzman — The unwitting source of the coins (mentioned as having been robbed)

Consequences

Sucks loses 20 coins from his personal stash of stolen money
Nick Silver gains 20 coins and ties the bag to his belt
The party learns about a secret smuggling route through dried-up canals into New Smoke
Safia's guilt about previous pricing decisions is alleviated by witnessing an even worse deal
Sucks's impulsiveness and poor negotiation skills are demonstrated to the party
The philosophical contradiction between Sucks's earlier statements about bravery and stupidity and his immediate actions becomes apparent