D&D 5E [Homebrew] For an easy realistic economy, what gp conversion rates do you prefer?

[Yaarel]

Remember, the size of the gold piece and the size of the silver piece can be different sizes from each other, and can be more than or less than an ounce. So any equivalent modern denomination can be possible.

So far, the exchange rate that currently has the most votes is:

copper=$1 ... silver=$10 ... gold=$1́00 ... platinum=$1000

The second runner up is:

copper=10¢ ... silver=$1 ... gold=$1́0 ... platinum=$100



These two systems are the upper and lower limit of the monetary values suggested by the gp costs of various items in the Players Handbook.

Also, both systems follow the descriptions of the Players Handbook where the denominations are multiples of ten, except for electrum.

Both are reasonable. In the first system, the silver piece is a $10 coin, so the copper piece is a $1 coin. In the second, the piece is a ‘silver dollar’, so the copper piece is a ‘dime’.

An advantage of the first system is the larger denominations for big purchase items. Units of a thousand are pretty useful when thinking about modern prices. The hundred dollar gold piece then represents a nice night out.


Personally, I will use whichever system proves more popular.

 

[Yaarel]

I want to call attention to the merits of an option in the poll.

silver=$1 ... electrum=$10 ... gold=$100 ... platinum=$1000

It has the merit of silver being $1 and gold being $100. Electrum sees more play. And platinum handles the thousands.

Considering the two most highest poll results, this third option seems like the best of both systems?

 

[Eltab]

Using reallife prices helps the DM get a feel for how much the money is worth to adjudicate various prices that show up randomly during the game

I've been playing D&D since 1980 and have seen inflation eat away at 'the value of a dollar' to the point that "using a real-life price" makes me ask 'today or in my youth?'

I bought my first boxed edition of a game for about $15 and had to save up for months to get that much money!

 

[Yaarel]

With regard to verisimilitude, gp≈$100 (or even ≈$1000). Similarly pp.

Here is a decent overview for reallife prices for gold coins.

1 ounce gold coins ≈ $1300
0.5 ounce gold coins ≈ $650
0.25 ounce gold coins ≈ $350
0.1 ounce gold coins ≈ $150

Note, these prices vary depending on specific coins being mint collectors items, some rarer than others, but mostly it is the value of the gold that determines the price.

These are actual coins, that conform to an international standard sizes for gold coins.



Here is strictly the value of the gold. One gold ounce (troy) ≈ 31.10 g.

In the last 10 years, a gold ounce has gone from a low of $700s to a high of $1800s, and is now hovering somewhere between in the $1200s.

Even a gold coin that is a tenth of this size is going to be worth about $120.

In terms of referring to a reallife economy, it seems more useful to set the price of a gold piece at a conservative $100, and even then it is one of the smallest sizes feasible.

Interestingly, currently, gold is worth *more* than platinum. Where a gold ounce prices in the $1200s, a platinum ounce prices in the $900s!

However, set the gold piece at $100 as a roughly tenth of an ounce coin, and the platinum piece much larger at $1000 as a full ounce coin.

I myself originally voted for the gp equaling $10, as it is in the original post. But I am appreciating the position of it equaling $100. Despite $10 currently gaining by a slight majority.

 

[Yaarel]

A metric gram of gold is worth about $40. A tenth ounce coin is roughly 3 grams at roughly $120.



A kilogram of gold is $41,000s.
A kilogram of silver is about 500s.

The ratio is roughly 1 silver to 80 gold.

Looking at silver coins (depending on size) can be easily 100 silver to 1 gold, if about the same size, or else 10 silver to 1 gold if the silver coin is many times larger.



In all cases, 1 gp seems about $100 (or much more).

 

[global2017]

terima kasih banyak

 

[S'mon]

I use 1 gp = $100 or £100 or 100 euros approx. That works well; full plate at $150,000 is a bit expensive, I thought it was more like $30,000-$50,000 IRL (converting 16th century prices) but generally the numbers fit fairly well. Daily subsistence wage 1 sp = $10 is fairly close to European medieval norms.

Metatron on full plate armour prices - [video=youtube;wgRjGlzoRvk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgRjGlzoRvk[/video] - he says (quoting Capwell) full plate harness $5000,000 to $3.5 million! Which makes $150,000 very cheap!

BTW that's £100 current prices, ca 1980 I'd use 1gp = £20 per White Dwarf's 'Designing
a Quasi-Medieval Society' series, which based off an "ale standard" of 1 pint of beer =
50p. It's now about £3 for a pint in a cheap pub, half that from a supermarket.

 

[Yaarel]

Calculations for the size of each coin.

$1000 = platinum piece = a large coin (about the size of a 1-ounce coin)
$100 = gold piece = a small coin (about the size of a US penny)
$10 = silver piece = a large coin (about the size of a ½-ounce coin)
$1 = silver piece = a small coin (about the size of a US dime)
$0.10 = copper piece = a large coin (about the size of a ½-ounce coin)



Silver works either way, either as a $1 small coin or a $10 large coin.

But even a tiny gold coin is still about $100, and a large one about $1000.

[B]Metal        Ratio[/B]
Platinum     platinum = 54.37 silver
Gold             gold = 74.46 silver
Silver         silver
Copper         silver = 79.72 copper



[B]Metal        Kilogram       Price    = Mass        Approximate Size[/B]
Platinum     $29,977.36     $1000.00 = 33.36 g     ≈ 1-ounce coin
Gold         $41,059.08     $1000.00 = 24.36 g     ≈ ¾-ounce coin
Gold         $41,059.08      $100.00 = 2.436 g     ≈ penny
Silver          $551.39       $10.00 = 18.14 g     ≈ ½-ounce coin
Silver          $551.39        $1.00 = 1.814 g     ≈ dime
Copper            $6.92        $0.10 = 14.46 g     ≈ ½-ounce coin
Copper            $6.92        $0.01 = 1.446 g     ≈ ½-penny



[B]Comparison[/B]
ounce       = 31.10 g
½-ounce     = 15.55 g
half-dollar = 11.34 g
quarter     = 5.670 g
nickel      = 5.000 g
penny       = 2.500 g
dime        = 2.268 g



1 kg = 32.1507 troy ounce

 

[S'mon]

Historically gold tended to be worth 10-20 times its weight in silver BTW, not 80+ times. 10-1 rate fits eg Greece ca 400 BC and I think is fine for game purposes.

One outlier is 4e D&D where 1 platinum = 100gp, there I describe platinum coins as large plates or discs.

 

[Yaarel]

Historically gold tended to be worth 10-20 times its weight in silver BTW, not 80+ times. 10-1 rate fits eg Greece ca 400 BC and I think is fine for game purposes.

One outlier is 4e D&D where 1 platinum = 100gp, there I describe platinum coins as large plates or discs.

But in todays modern economy, gold is absolutely more valuable than silver.

Both platinum and silver have fallen deeply in value, while gold remains solid.



Also, there was no (recognition of) platinum before the modern economy.