Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure as hell can make it easier to come by. The Treat Yourself rules allow Agents to spend money to improve certain home scene actions, including 'Back to Nature' (AH 78) and 'Personal Motivation' (AH 79). If an Agent spends an Unusual expense, they gain a 20% bonus to the SAN test involved in the home scene. This represents significant spending to indulge themselves in the effort.
If an Agent spends a Major expense, they gain a 40% bonus to the SAN test involved in the home scene. This may represent a more permanent/lasting improvement such as a new hot tub or modification to a recreational vehicle. As such it may give +20% to the next applicable home scene action as well.
A Major expense could also represent an Agent modifying some aspect of their home life to appease their neuroses (such as building a bunker or ensuring they have a room where no shadows can be cast). This, of course, could cause strain with any Bonds they happen to live with, and Charisma checks should be made, potentially with negative modifiers depending on how disruptive the change is.
A NOTE ON ACQUISITION AND EXPENSES:
Don’t view items or even money in specific dollar amounts, but rather in the roughly abstracted Expense Categories on page 84 of the Agent’s Handbook. 5 Standard Expenses make up 1 Unusual Expense. 5 Unusual Expenses make up 1 Major Expense. 1 Major Expense equals 25 Standard Expenses. The lesson to take away here is each Expense Level is worth 5 Units of the Expense Level preceding it.
WAYS AND MEANS:
Agents can, of course, use the 'Spending Your Own Money' (AH 89) acquisition rules to add the Treat Yourself modifier to their home scene. Though that's so boring. Using the Units of Expense model I illustrated above in conjunction with this mechanic can be used to encourage players to try and acquire Units of Expense during play, which can manifest in multiple ways, all corrupt. An Agent could attempt to steal from the target of their investigation, they could sell something from the green box, they could solicit or accept a bribe. They’re likely playing a federal official who is already abusing their authority for the "greater good,” let them take a slide on down that slippery slope. Hell, encourage it.
If so desired, a Handler can also use a truncated form of the 'Squandering Illicit Cash' (AH 91) to see if the sudden splurge arouses suspicions of a bond or the IRS. I'd recommend on not invoking this rule the first time a player uses the Treat Yourself option in this way. Let them get a taste of it first, then start applying pressure.
Special thanks to Spookum over on the Night at the Opera discord for his input. It helped simplify this immensely.
