Money, Commisary and Self Interest

In line with the first point I made in this topic about roleplaying a character, I would advise everyone to consider their character's self interest at all times. Just because you have $6,000,000 in script cash, it doesn't mean your character should act like money doesn't matter.

Commissary is one of the most important aspects of the inmate world. Canteen food is shit, and a person might not even be getting enough nutrition or sustenance from canteen meals to remain reasonably healthy. Inmates have to rely on food bought at 'the store' (the prison commissary) to get a little bit of enjoyment out of their food, or even to get a decent diet (though commissary food is rather unhealthy). Beyond dope habits or an expectation to earn for the car, this is one of the primary motivators of prison hustles. This is why inmates will trade things for commissary items (e.g. a small tattoo for a certain amount of food).

If they're not hustling, most inmates have an extremely difficult time scraping together the money to buy commissary. After a year or two, money being sent in from his homies or his family tends to dry up and a convict has to fend for himself. This is where most hustles originate. You should avoid acting like food doesn't matter just because it doesn't affect you as a person. It certainly matters to your character. A lot of your roleplay should revolve around commissary and hustling for commissary if you really want to immerse yourself in the inmate lifestyle. You should also avoid acting like your character is balling even though he's a fish. Again, your script money should be ignored. Just because you can go and use /buy whenever you need to, it doesn't mean your character could get some commissary without having to hustle. Think about money and commissary in more realistic terms, and you'll get a lot of roleplay from it.

This is where my final point, which relates to self interest, is important. You should structure your roleplay around what's best for your character. "What's in it for me?" should be on your character's mind if someone asks him to do something, not "órale, anything for the car ese". A guy asks your character to swipe some needles while you're in medical. Is your character going to eat? Offer up some commissary and we'll talk. Self interest produces a lot of roleplay, and acting/reacting based on it will go a long way towards making your character seem more like a real person, and not a mindless soldier who's down for la raza 24/7.

As a side note, another interesting avenue of roleplay to consider is the accumulation of money while inside. Not everyone's hustling to pay their dues and get some commissary, some guys take their hustle very seriously and try to build up a nest egg for when they get out. Ex-cons have very few resources, and if your character is a smart guy this might be something he'd consider doing. He might also be supporting his family with his prison hustle, which does happen. Again, this all relates to self interest and thinking of roleplay/scenarios from that perspective.

I like the hustle. You need to look out for your own interest and be greedy. It gets interesting with every encounter.

It's mindless to just do everything anyone says without getting yours in. Trading, swapping and so fourth can generate role play down the line, trust builds and therefore different scenarios can arise from building that relationship. I've had a few people who just say yes and ask questions later but with this thread it's good to start giving people an insight (those who aren't too familiar).