Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgbrowning" data-source="post: 997085" data-attributes="member: 5724">Inflation and devaluation have a lot to do with the prices i listed, but what i can't show is how the prices vary rapidly within a short period of time, because I didn't want to take that long.  The graphs (although it tended to move upward generally), look alot like the below.... ----------/\-------- -----/\--/--\----/\--/\--/--\/----\--/--\/--\/----------\/----over just a period of a decade.  The %40 is probably not an unreasonable number, but the price fluctuations were much greater than that for some things. And I'm sure that the presance of magic would alleviate a lot of the uncertainty involved with mostly agrarian economies which causes these yearly, even mothly drastic price fluctuations, but even then perhaps not, if an equal amount of magical energy were put into destroying the magic that stabilizes.... but that's another discussion.. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Also, given the nature of transportation during our period, distance from a source of raw materials, or from a source of knowledge about how make an object from those raw materials is also important. I suppose you could make an assumption that every selling locale has an averaged market accessibility, but that seems like a big task.Noting that a pig is 2.5 times more expensive in London vrs Glouchestershire is useful, but I don't know that that relationship provides us with much knowledge outside of that particular area. I'm sure none of us have the time to really check on every priced item in the PHB to see what the relationship between that items historically and the other items in the same period. I'm not sure that that price comparison holds true for Nuremburg and bavaria.I'd love to get my hands on something like that.  I'd buy it in a heartbeat because it would prevent these discussions because we'd have a shared pool of knowledge about which to argue.My primary arguement is that, even if Agback is correct is his assertion, that assertion is based upon one small locale, or a collection of small locales which i would hesitate to call representative of the period.Having the ability to modify prices based upon local, time period, infaltion, war... etc are the reason for my DC system. I think making the prices "fit" a more realistic setting is important enough that I put quite a bit of effort into it.For helping a DM make a realistic setting, 95% agree. But for helping the DM run most DnD games, it's probably fine.I guess I just don't think that changing the base prices is that big of a deal.  I'm opposed to creating a new set system of prices, I'd much rather have a system that lets me change existing prices as I think is necessary, based upon a set process.It could be something as simple as Agbacks 40% up or down idea. That's an elegant solution. Or someone doing price lists based upon set assumptions would be another good solution.I, however, think that changing the price list, in general, to suit an individual's idea of what's "more realistic" isn't really needed.  I mean, the realistic estimate of CC Paterson in "Silver Stocks and Losses in Ancient and Medieval Times" of all of England having only 300 tones of silver (a 14 meter cube) would utterly change DnD fiscal concepts. Also by the end of the 13th century, silver output for all of europe was approcing 50 tons a year. I'm not certain what time period would be the better one to chose to model the new prices over.I think the price lists could be made more realistic for one time/place, but i don't think that necessarily makes it much more realistic than what we currently have for other places.  I'm leaning towards the "It's broke, but not broke enough to fix" idea. IE. it works for PC interaction, which is what it was designed for, but it doesn't work for a historical economy. If we fixed it, it could work for both, but only for one period/place and it would still be about as useful for all the others as the currant one is.However, I'd be interested in seeing other peoples attempts at price correction. I have a good library, but I'm certain there are books out there that would force me to change my mind and always welcome reading suggestions.edit: tried to fix the graphjoe b.</blockquote>

Verification