IS that article availiable online?
A note from the editors
Silver, Gold and Money in a Fantasy World and d20
Coins or any other varying types of mediums of exchange have been a part of the human experience for many thousands
of years. Generally fashioned from small chips of various metals, shells, valuable stones, ceramic beads and even spices,
coins and their counterparts took on a wide variety of shapes and sizes, not to mention weight. Earlier societies made
coins from gold, silver, copper, bronze and other metals which they deemed valuable. The value of a particular coin and
its metal varied wildly from region to region. As history progressed two types of coins rose to dominance, bronze in
China and silver in Greece and Rome.* The overwhelming power and influence of these three societies in their regions
left an imprint on the all the adjacent regions. These metals were chosen for a wide variety of reasons far too numerous
to mention here, but frequently had, as their basis, some type of common medium of exchange. In Greece, for example
the Ox served as the universally prized commodity upon which the money systems was based. Suffice it to say, that
values ranged from area to area.
What then to do about money. Anyone creating or dealing with a fantasy world is met with the question of how to
establish a money market system. Is one to use coins or some of other medium of exchange? What are coins? What
metals are used in their making? How is value set? These are questions which, if realistically dealt with, are almost
impossible to answer unless you concentrate on one society, one culture, one people and one time. It is doubtful if the
Greek stater (silver or gold) would have meant as much to the Chinese merchant as to an Anatolian one. What then to
do?
Mr. Gygax chose the simplest approach. By following the modern standard of the dollar, he establishes a clear value in
dollar signs of any given metal. Gold for instance is worth $500. Silver, a less precious item is worth $10 and bronze,
at even less, at just under $1. His values are roughly based on those that dominated the Renaissance when gold began
to establish itself as the common metal with the greatest value and are set at a 1-10-500 standard.
As concerns the d20 game, there is no correct equation of the standard set by Mr. Gygax. This is largely due to the
established rate of exchange in d20 where a gold coin is only 10 times more valuable than a silver one.† Seemingly gold
in d20 is undervalued immensely or more plentiful than historically available on earth. However, the Core rule books
nowhere state how much of any given metal is in any given coin only that each coin weighs a third of an ounce. In order
to follow the clear and logical guidelines set down in the text we have developed a value of metals chart specifically for
the d20 game. You will find that chart on page 103. Furthermore the equations listed below allow for greater cohesion
between Mr. Gygax’s text and the d20 system. They are developed off of a silver standard. Silver being the base.
$1 is roughly equivalent to 5copper coins
$10 is roughly equivalent to 5silver coins
$500 is roughly equivalent to 25gold coins
This assumes that one silver coin possesses .2 ounces of silver in it and that one gold coin possesses .04 ounces of gold
in it. It can be assumed that gold coins are smaller than silver coins or are simply coated in gold.
* These notes reference the Sung Dynasty and it is recognized that the Chinese also produced iron coins. Greece used
gold and electrum and Rome bronze as well.
† As I write this gold is valued on the market at $240 per ounce, silver at $4 per ounce.
The Troll Lords
Stephen Chenault
Davis Chenault
Todd Grey
from Gary gygax's World builder. I have it in pdf. I think it is in GG living fantasy as well.
