Star Players and inducements

A Star Player is hired for one match with inducement money, and the money is the easy part. The question is whether a mercenary with Loner is worth more than two re-rolls or a wizard.

Where the money comes from

In a league match the team with the lower value gets the difference as inducement money, and either coach can add from their treasury. Stars are one way to spend it, alongside extra re-rolls, a wizard, bribes, mercenaries and the other inducements in the rules. The team that is 300,000 gp behind is the one choosing between a 300,000 gp star and a bagful of smaller things.

What a star costs beyond the fee

Every star has Loner, so the team's re-rolls only reach them some of the time; the number in the brackets on the star's page is the roll needed. A star takes a place on the pitch, so one of your own players sits out and earns nothing. A star never earns SPP for your team and leaves after the match. Secret Weapon stars are sent off at the end of a drive they played in, so you get one drive out of them. And the hiring list is by league: each star plays only for the teams in the leagues named on their page.

When it is worth it

A star earns the money when they do something your roster cannot. A team with no Strength access facing an all-Guard line gets more from a ST 5 brawler than from a fourth re-roll. A bash team that cannot catch an elf catcher gets more from one fast player with Tackle. A one-drive Secret Weapon star on the receiving drive can win that drive outright, and the sending-off costs nothing if the drive ends with a touchdown. The cheaper stars, under 150,000 gp, are often the best value: a fourth blitzer for one match at the price of a re-roll.

When it is not

A 300,000 gp star against a team that will simply avoid them for sixteen turns is money that would have bought two re-rolls and a bribe. Stars with Loner (4+) on a team that depends on re-rolls fail the one roll that mattered. And paired stars (Grak and Crumbleberry, Dribl and Drull, the Swift twins) cost a single fee for both models, which looks generous until two of your own players are watching from the dugout.

Reading the star pages

Each Star Player page lists the profile, skills, the special rule in plain words, who can hire them, and a paragraph on what they do on the pitch and for which teams the fee makes sense. The maker prints a card for any of them to drop into the sleeve for one match.