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

[S'mon]

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.

Yup. I think the 10:1 scale of most D&D editions works fine, with 1 copper = $1 approx at current rates.

 

[S'mon]

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

I don't think anyone has ever used platinum for coinage.

 

[Yaarel]

Yup. I think the 10:1 scale of most D&D editions works fine, with 1 copper = $1 approx at current rates.

A large silver coin at $10 and a small gold coin at $100, works fine for a 1:10 ratio.



Even a large coin of copper is only worth about 10¢.

For copper to equal $1, it would have to be 145 g, roughly 5 ounces, too large for a coin.

 

[Yaarel]

I don't think anyone has ever used platinum for coinage.

I mean, platinum never existed before the modern world. It was discovered in 1735.



Incidentally, the US mints platinum coins. Technically, they are legal tender. But they are minted for coin collectors, and are sometimes platinum versions of other coins.

 

[Istbor]

I don't really use any of those practices.
Typically I run off Silver. 100 of those ends up as 1 Gold coin.
There is no copper.
Electrum, and Platinum end up being ancient coinage of varying rates to the silver standard.

Means you have to tweek the prices in the PHB a little, but it works well for me.

 

[Yaarel]

The poll results strongly suggest the following three.

gold=$100
silver=$1
copper=$0.10



Regarding the statistics of the poll, two options are tied for first place.

34%: copper=$1 ... silver=$1́0 ... gold=$100 ... platinum=$1000
34%: copper=$0.10 ... silver=$1 ... gold=$10 ... platinum=$100



When taking other options into account, the following results.

66%: silver=$1
34%: silver=$10

55%: gold=$100
34%: gold=$10
10%: gold=$20

55%: copper=$0.10
34%: copper=$1
10%: copper=$0.01

45%: platinum=$1000
45%: platinum=$100
10%: platinum=$10,000

 

[Grakarg]

I recommend reading
Grain Into Gold
A FANTASY WORLD ECONOMY

The author starts with the value of agricultural products and uses those values to extrapolate lots of other products and services. Its a good primer on how to model an economy in your game world, and a good starting place on this topic.

 

[Ancalagon]

I will note that historically, the gap between gold and silver value has been about 10-15 fold. The only exceptions that I know of are the modern era (post Bretton Wood) and ancient Egypt, where silver was rarer than gold.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using EN World mobile app

 

[TheCosmicKid]

You want a realistic economy?

The city of Porraz mints golden coins known as coronas, 108 to the troy pound. Below that, it has two different denominations of silver coin: the heavy gauntlet (22 to the troy pound) and the little stud (11 to the gauntlet or 242 to the troy pound). The current relative prices of silver and gold are such that a a corona is worth approximately 8 gauntlets, but in past decades it has been as high as 1:20 and as low as 1:1. Porraz is a trading hub and its coinage is well known in the immediate area of the Cauldron Sea. At least three other cities on the Sea mint their own coronas, gauntlets, and studs in similar sizes. However, the coronas of Hopshur are known to be heavily debased after a period of economic mismanagement, and may be as little as 35% gold with value diminished accordingly. The demand for gold is high in Hopshur, and non-debased gold coins may go further there than in other places. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cauldron Sea, the Free Port of Ennestrai, although it calls its coins coronas, gauntlets, and studs, mints them in entirely different weights: 99 coronas to the troy pound of gold, 18 gauntlets to the troy pound of silver, and 14 studs to the gauntlet. And a bit down the coast, Ungorum stubbornly maintains the coinage system from the long-lost days of the Ungoric Imperium, based not on the troy pound but the talent (approximately 59 and a half pounds). The standard unit is the silver hand (not to be confused with the gauntlet), 6,000 hands to the talent. There are also smaller silver finger coins, which you might be forgiven for thinking are five to the hand, but are actually six. Ungorum has not minted gold coins since the days of the Imperium, but those heavy golden lions (2,350 to the talent) might still be seen here and there, especially by the sorts of people who tend to come into contact with ancient treasure hoards. Of course, throwing around golden lions in the modern economy might attract considerable attention. Merchants are likely to be reluctant to accept it, or at least to accept it at full value, because of the difficulty of re-spending it. And, although this is a historical fact forgotten by most, lions from the late Imperium were debased even more heavily than the Hopshur corona, which could lead to some unpleasantness the first time somebody thinks to weigh them.

And then there's the matter of foreign currencies. The Ashgarl traders who caravan down from the north bring a completely different set of coins in strange, oblong shapes...

 

[Ancalagon]

You want a realistic economy?

The city of Porraz mints golden coins known as coronas, 108 to the troy pound. Below that, it has two different denominations of silver coin: the heavy gauntlet (22 to the troy pound) and the little stud (11 to the gauntlet or 242 to the troy pound). The current relative prices of silver and gold are such that a a corona is worth approximately 8 gauntlets, but in past decades it has been as high as 1:20 and as low as 1:1. Porraz is a trading hub and its coinage is well known in the immediate area of the Cauldron Sea. At least three other cities on the Sea mint their own coronas, gauntlets, and studs in similar sizes. However, the coronas of Hopshur are known to be heavily debased after a period of economic mismanagement, and may be as little as 35% gold with value diminished accordingly. The demand for gold is high in Hopshur, and non-debased gold coins may go further there than in other places. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cauldron Sea, the Free Port of Ennestrai, although it calls its coins coronas, gauntlets, and studs, mints them in entirely different weights: 99 coronas to the troy pound of gold, 18 gauntlets to the troy pound of silver, and 14 studs to the gauntlet. And a bit down the coast, Ungorum stubbornly maintains the coinage system from the long-lost days of the Ungoric Imperium, based not on the troy pound but the talent (approximately 59 and a half pounds). The standard unit is the silver hand (not to be confused with the gauntlet), 6,000 hands to the talent. There are also smaller silver finger coins, which you might be forgiven for thinking are five to the hand, but are actually six. Ungorum has not minted gold coins since the days of the Imperium, but those heavy golden lions (2,350 to the talent) might still be seen here and there, especially by the sorts of people who tend to come into contact with ancient treasure hoards. Of course, throwing around golden lions in the modern economy might attract considerable attention. Merchants are likely to be reluctant to accept it, or at least to accept it at full value, because of the difficulty of re-spending it. And, although this is a historical fact forgotten by most, lions from the late Imperium were debased even more heavily than the Hopshur corona, which could lead to some unpleasantness the first time somebody thinks to weigh them.

And then there's the matter of foreign currencies. The Ashgarl traders who caravan down from the north bring a completely different set of coins in strange, oblong shapes...

Yup. Old coinage systems were convoluted and difficult to use.