Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="embee" data-source="post: 8177228" data-attributes="member: 7026827">Ah the gold piece. The staple of the RPG economy. But why?I mean, in an urban center, currency makes sense. But what about once you get outside of the cities? I'm almost done with a campaign and am thinking that, for the next one, I'm going to try to switch over to a barter economy which, I would think would make more sense. I got to thinking this because of the habit of players to go for the treasure chests full of gold and gems but then leaving any barrels of wheat or other foodstuffs that you would find in a bandit hideout (bandits gotta eat too). As it stands, I already do maintain a spreadsheet of the gems that I dole out. I don't tell players the values because none of their characters would have a reason to know how much any given gem is worth. Also, they don't get the base price. They get a percentage of the base price based on haggling and whether they are getting swindled. It's kind of a pain but I think it's ultimately worth it. Consider the average hamlet. It's small, maybe has a few guards, but probably doesn't even have palisades to guard it. It's a farming village with some tradesfolk for all the standard stuff. A cooper to make barrels. A blacksmith to make horseshoes and nails. A chandler for the candles. A miller to make flour. I like having there being a world of "cottage" industries. Got a bag of wool? Take it down to the spinster or the weaver. Why wouldn't these villages be relying on barter? All of the clutter that exists in hideouts and dungeons has some value to it. Probably more immediate value than gold pieces. After all, you can't eat gold pieces. You can't make it into bread or brew it into beer. All gold does is sit there, inertly, attracting raiders. I think that giving immediate value to the clutter gives the players a reason to have some hirelings, like some porters, a couple of level 1 trainees to guard the wagon, and a teamster to drive the cart. Has anyone tried using barter instead of (or in addition to) GP in their games? I like the idea of it, especially given that GP is kind of worthless in 5e anyway.</blockquote>

Verification