Let's Make Better Rpg Currencies
I'm curious what currency systems my fellow #ttrpg GMs have dreamt up when #worldbuilding.
It's always annoyed me how #dnd's gp/sp/cp currency resembles the USD system so much in the way it is used, despite the fact that IRL a single gold coin would be worth more than my car. Does #WotC think my backpack is worth $8k? That makes no sense to me.
@malin @rpg
But it's coins made of solid gold/silver/copper that players find in dungeons, bring back to town, and immediately spend. People bring their irl money intuition to the table when they need to pull prices out of their ass which results in tavern food costing, like, 10 gold coins per plate. Realistically, given the prices of the materials in the specie coins, I think players paying for stuff in gp should be treated like some rich fuck paying for fast food with Benjamins.
@Shkshkshk @rpg yea, basic expenditures needs to be in copper.
Shadoversity had a video where he spent 20 minutes saying 'gold is heavy', and shows that hiking with 1000 gold coins isn't really feasible.
I have no idea what medieval things cost, so I decided 1cp = £1, and assumed items cost what you might see on Etsy (which I also have no idea about, I have done no research).
@malin @rpg
I mean, usually my #dnd players strongly dislike tracking encumbrance, so the coins might as well be weightless.
Something I think people tend to forget about is the practice of "free lunch". Sit yourself down at the bar, order a drink, and you get access to a whole lunch menu as long as you keep drinking. It particularly makes sense if a pint of beer &/or a single lunch actually costs slightly less than a cp, so two beers would cover the cost.
@Shkshkshk @malin @rpg the PHB does pretty much say that coins are rarely used day to day, and most trading is done by barter or other exchange. True, adventurers are some of the people most likely to use coins, but maybe those gold coins aren't all literal gold coins