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.
I’m afraid I don’t remember the name of the system or else I’d link the rules, but I do remember playing a game where I really liked what they did with inventory and currency.
Basically, the game divorced the rules from the settings’ currency entirely. So if you’re into homebrew, that means it works equally well with gold, credit chips, reputation, bottle caps, and seashells
When you defeated a monster, finished a quest, or found hidden treasure, you would acquire LOOT. Get ten LOOT and you level up at the end of the adventure.
Instead of writing down and purchasing all of your basic equipment, you would have a certain number of GEAR points. If you found you were in a situation where you needed some item, you could mark off one of your GEAR to retroactively have brought that item with you.
I liked it because it sped up play and was super newbie friendly. You no longer run into a situation where a career adventurer plum forgot to buy torches before spelunking. It also meant you didn’t have to roll a check for each item in the dragon’s hoard to see if you could afford to feed your hirelings.
If that system sounds familiar to anyone, please let me know. I wouldn’t mind taking it for a spin again
It’s definitely not what you’re thinking of, but the World of Darkness games have a similar system in that each character has a stat called “resources”, representing their general level of wealth, and can trivially acquire any item rated less than that.
I think d20 Modern also had something similar, though it’s been years ago and I’m not 100% certain that wasn’t a homebrew rule based on WoD.
I can confirm that it’s not, I haven’t tried WoD yet.
I do recall there being a similar mechanic in at least one version of Call of Cthulhu. Among all your character stats you also had a Credit Rating. I think it was left a little bit vague about how to implement it, but a successful check basically meant that you convinced the target you were good for your debt.
I got the impression that it was supposed to be more about your social credit and your ability to convince people of your honourable reputation, but I definitely used it to buy a car once.
…marvel super heroes also featured a resources ability score and feats to represent financial maneuvers akin to lines of credit; it felt frustratingly abstracted as a teenager living in a discretionary cash economy, but after several decades as a real-world adult i realise that it’s an elegant abstraction for how people actually live and conduct commerce…
I really like WoD’s Resources background, one thing I do tend to append to the rules is separate out recurring income from lump assets.
Basically Income Resources are used up and refresh each month worth of time provided players maintain their income or have retainers keep watch over the accounts. Lump Resources are like having a big pile of gold, or a big inheritance from an eccentric uncle or just a bunch of money in a savings account. Once they’re used up, they’re used up.
That sounds like every generic/settingagnostic RPG.