Our group basically does what Piratecat's group does.
However, years ago, I created a chit system that I've always wanted to try out.
The idea is to have the party leader hand out a certain number of chits (or tokens) for every magic item found (outside of possibly potions and scrolls or other single use items). Low power items would have maybe 3 chits handed out, high power items might have more chits. But, regardless of how many are handed out, every character involved gets the same number of chits per item (maybe half of that for a henchmen if you want).
Then, as time goes by, characters can auction off the items. This allows characters to do whatever they feel like in order to gain an advantage. For example, bidding someone up when you really do not want an item. But, be careful. Or, borrowing chits from someone else to make sure you get an item. Or, selling your +2 sword to someone for 25 chits so that you can have 40 chits to outbid everyone else for a +3 one.
If nobody really wants a given item, you then try to sell it for real cash. All non-magical wealth then gets split up equally (except possibly for a party fund).
One interesting aspect of this type of system is that early on, items go fairly cheap (characters do not have that many chits). However, a few characters might hoard their chits and go into a real bidding war for an item later on. Another is that some characters might purchase items cheaply that no one else wants, and then turn around and sell those same items in a town or somewhere for real gold.
And, in fact, you could use gold instead of chits, but then you might get into arguments about a given item not being worth 100 GP and it could be sold in town for more. The chit system tends to pull it out of a typical monetary system and into more of a bartering system (10 chits today might be quite a few, but it might not be that many tomorrow, so worth of goods vary). If you think an item is going too cheaply to someone else, nothing stops you from bidding for it (or bidding it up) except not having enough chits yourself (or wanting to hoard them). But, if it goes cheap, that's life.
To me, this seems like Capitalism in action and I'd really like to try it out some day.
However, years ago, I created a chit system that I've always wanted to try out.
The idea is to have the party leader hand out a certain number of chits (or tokens) for every magic item found (outside of possibly potions and scrolls or other single use items). Low power items would have maybe 3 chits handed out, high power items might have more chits. But, regardless of how many are handed out, every character involved gets the same number of chits per item (maybe half of that for a henchmen if you want).
Then, as time goes by, characters can auction off the items. This allows characters to do whatever they feel like in order to gain an advantage. For example, bidding someone up when you really do not want an item. But, be careful. Or, borrowing chits from someone else to make sure you get an item. Or, selling your +2 sword to someone for 25 chits so that you can have 40 chits to outbid everyone else for a +3 one.
If nobody really wants a given item, you then try to sell it for real cash. All non-magical wealth then gets split up equally (except possibly for a party fund).
One interesting aspect of this type of system is that early on, items go fairly cheap (characters do not have that many chits). However, a few characters might hoard their chits and go into a real bidding war for an item later on. Another is that some characters might purchase items cheaply that no one else wants, and then turn around and sell those same items in a town or somewhere for real gold.
And, in fact, you could use gold instead of chits, but then you might get into arguments about a given item not being worth 100 GP and it could be sold in town for more. The chit system tends to pull it out of a typical monetary system and into more of a bartering system (10 chits today might be quite a few, but it might not be that many tomorrow, so worth of goods vary). If you think an item is going too cheaply to someone else, nothing stops you from bidding for it (or bidding it up) except not having enough chits yourself (or wanting to hoard them). But, if it goes cheap, that's life.
To me, this seems like Capitalism in action and I'd really like to try it out some day.
