Sigurd writes
1. [in his campaign] There are no banks, as such where currency is recognised. All currency is measurred in weights or valuable metals or promises to redeam for such. Reality of many active realms is that promiseary notes often are used against other promisary notes. For example a promisary note for 10000 gold is used to buy 5000 in product. The holder of the big note must finde someone who can redeam the whole 10,000 and supply enough for the transactions. Bad reputations and mistrust are _very_ expensive.
*the latter statement I think would be the case whether one had banks or not--Sigurd, I'm glad you bring up this illustration of promissary notes as I've read they were common, maybe even the ancestor of paper money (first used in China?)--seems to me that reputation and trust would be considered "currency" as much as gold or silver itself--that this would be one of the root ideas behind honor, but that's another story
A character, who could not aquire enough gems, has a 10,000 gld note and wishes to buy a 1000gld item. There are immediately at least two points of discussion 1) what is the sale price of the Item 2) what is the immediate value of the note.
*wolves and ravens! That would just drive my players (low level) completely nuts! Value of the note...LOL!...they panicked when the town tax assessor happened by when they were unloading 30-40 suits of studded leather, spears and the like at the armor market right in front of a major city gate and wondered if they were paying duties...and if they had a license...
The town of your example might be forced to issue such notes as rewards for valour.
*in my case, the PCs worked out a deal to defer taxes on each set of armor/weapons sold for each pair of orc (or goblin/kobold/hobgoblin) ears they presented...they still act like they're getting ripped off...then they were appalled that they couldn't trade their gold in for full suits of plate armor, long composite bows, and the like--this is a town of 5000, they don't even have a bookseller; they scoffed at that too
They might even be non transferable as a way of keeping the characters around to protect the town. Good characters might see it as a duty to buy the towns notes. That would give the town much needed currency for its defences and mercenaries.
*I think you sounded the right note earlier when you mentioned reputation, I think heroism and honor are de riguer concepts in fantasy games--or if you are playing an evil character, the seeming appearance of honor
Successful characters typically have much much more disposable wealth than nobles or even whole cities.
*one of the secondary reasons for raising this thread is to ask the question: wouldn't they, if they didn't have a bank or whatever to stash their wealth, become prime targets for every thief, brigand, and more insidious, parasite and con artist in the area? What about extortion? Wouldn't it be worth the while of say 100 rogues to conduct an elaborate ruse, ala the movie The Sting, say, if it was known they had 100,000 gold pieces--everyone gets a 1000 gp cut? And even if they invest, wouldn't people constantly be trying to get at their wealth?
My characters tend to use their standing and history with powerful bodies (the church,
*that right there is SUCH an alien concept in my campaign. Its so weird...every single pantheon presented in 1.0's Deities and Demigods was...well, a pantheon--there was no Monotheism, unless you count "Arthurian"...it seems bizarre that everyone's assuming a Monotheistic paradigm--I guess that's why WoTC switched to the whole Pelor, et al falderol
money lenders, etc...) to try and stay liquid with not too much expense. I don't think its unreasonable for 30% of a coin hoard to be eaten up by confidence games -- even more if the players are stupid. The alternative is to hoard wealth and thats not very safe either (as the characters well know).
*doesn't really seem like anything is safe frankly
Interdimensional banks are elegant and easy but they shouldn't be available too easily.
*the whole notion sounds like something out of Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, frankly. What, so the characters carry around a babel-fish ATM card? Seems cool for a game like Hackmaster maybe.
I think players must decide to either travel through unknown lands with huge amounts of wealth or buy a note from someone honourable enough and powerful enough that their promis will be honoured when they arrive.
Safety for their investment is really relative.
No bank is going to guard a vast fortune just in case you want it back - its too risky and expensive. Powerful characters deposit huge amounts of money -- the bank is going to haggle and buy up undervalued promisary notes. When they have enough they are going to travel to the most profitable place to redeam those notes and look around to buy notes appropriate to their return trip.
*unless--unless of course their actions spur a massive inflation economy
If you are known to have a huge fortune you will attract more unwanted attention -- beggars, spies, thieves, assassins poor nobles etc....
*sure, and "friends"; "relatives"; kidnappers...etc...
btw The Medieval Christian church held that Usury (that is charging exorbitant fees for changing currency) was a sin based on the story of Christ throwing the money changers from the temple. They frowned on or made money changing illegal.
*I wonder if that's not rooted in deeper notions of honor--that a shilling should be worth a shilling, and not what the banks say, and all that rot
