D&D 5E Do We Really Need a Lot of Gold? (D&D 5th Edition)

[MGibster]

My rogue would welcome you giving him all that burdensome gold your rogue does not want.

Whoa there, cowboy. My Rogue most certainly cares about gold in a most profound, some say lascivious, way. I the player don't particularly care though.

This might be a generational thing, but I don't find my younger players care about getting wealthy. They've grown up with fantasies that have been about heroism and adventure for their own sake. That's the play they want to emulate.

Given the multitude of economic difficulties young people face including student loans, the rise in housing costs, and the fact that real wages have not kept up with inflation, I think maybe they just view wealth as such a fantastical idea that they can't suspend their disbelief and include it in a game. A fire breathing dragon? Ho hum. A crab-like mechanical device you get inside and pilot? Yawn. A young adventurer with no debt and plenty of purchasing power? That's just totally unrealistic.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Given the multitude of economic difficulties young people face including student loans, the rise in housing costs, and the fact that real wages have not kept up with inflation, I think maybe they just view wealth as such a fantastical idea that they can't suspend their disbelief and include it in a game. A fire breathing dragon? Ho hum. A crab-like mechanical device you get inside and pilot? Yawn. A young adventurer with no debt and plenty of purchasing power? That's just totally unrealistic.

My players were genuinely offended that the primary reason to adventure in the old school game of Traveller I wanted to run was to pay off the loan on their ship.

"We get enough of that in real life, thanks."

 

[jgsugden]

...My basic problem with the overabundance of gold in D&D is that it doesn't add anything to the core experience which is adventuring. And remember, exploration and social pillars are part of the adventure not separate from it. D&D doesn't really support spending a whole bunch of gold on strong holds, infrastructure, or bribes (at least not to the point where it's a significant drain on funds).

I've given a plethora of examples to how it can improve your RPG experience in ways that are meaningful.

You keep saying this is an impossibility and a plethora of people are telling you they've done it consistently for decades.

You're double plethoraed.

Sure, they were. But who uses hirelings these days?

I just answered that. Some of the people that use the coins to add to their role playing experience. People that treat the world like a story they're building, and proceed to have their PCs think about how to use vast sums of money in a sensible way. Or, at least a portion of them.

 

[Marc_C]

Seasons are important in my campaigns. PCs don't usually go on adventures during harsh winter months. A good time to spend lots of gold on pet projects, research and other down time activities.

As for the domain game (castles and henchmen), as an experienced DM, I always talk about it with younger players during session zero. "We can do that with D&D?". "Yes you can. It can be like Games of Thrones at higher levels, if you want to."

 

[MGibster]

I've given a plethora of examples to how it can improve your RPG experience in ways that are meaningful.

I've seen plenty of examples of what people do in their games. I just don't think using gold is all that well supported by the rules themselves.

You keep saying this is an impossibility and a plethora of people are telling you they've done it consistently for decades.

I don't think I've used the word impossible even once in this thread. And this post doesn't count.

I just answered that. Some of the people that use the coins to add to their role playing experience. People that treat the world like a story they're building, and proceed to have their PCs think about how to use vast sums of money in a sensible way. Or, at least a portion of them.

I don't think this represents the norm these days. I don't see much in the way of hirelings in most settings or adventures with Acquisition Inc., being a notable exception.

 

[Malmuria]

Whoa there, cowboy. My Rogue most certainly cares about gold in a most profound, some say lascivious, way. I the player don't particularly care though.


Given the multitude of economic difficulties young people face including student loans, the rise in housing costs, and the fact that real wages have not kept up with inflation, I think maybe they just view wealth as such a fantastical idea that they can't suspend their disbelief and include it in a game. A fire breathing dragon? Ho hum. A crab-like mechanical device you get inside and pilot? Yawn. A young adventurer with no debt and plenty of purchasing power? That's just totally unrealistic.

There's something to this, in that aspects of the game that simulate an economic system don't appeal as much to people anymore. In a city game I ran, I borrowed a conceit from dragon heist where the players get a big house/apartment. My players liked it and referred to it as the "air bnb." But I don't think they would have wanted any part in purchasing and maintaining a domain as a discrete activity. Personally, I don't really like anything that ties my character down. I'll just stay at the tavern and ramble on to the next town with my obligatory bag of holding.

 

[Marc_C]

There's something to this, in that aspects of the game that simulate an economic system don't appeal as much to people anymore. In a city game I ran, I borrowed a conceit from dragon heist where the players get a big house/apartment. My players liked it and referred to it as the "air bnb." But I don't think they would have wanted any part in purchasing and maintaining a domain as a discrete activity. Personally, I don't really like anything that ties my character down. I'll just stay at the tavern and ramble on to the next town with my obligatory bag of holding.

I wonder about that. Coriolis and many other sci-fi games have the "Firefly must survive by the seat of their pants with a new contract or die in space because of a faulty part". They seem popular enough as games when you look at the success level of the KS.

 

[Sithlord]

I wonder how big a PHB would be if it had everything that I am seeing on this thread that people think should be in it. On another matter I still play RC and they have pretty good rules on these things. Although I still consult my companion ruleset for somethings.

 

[darjr]

Do we really need 20 pages describing gold in the DMG? Really?

 

[Sithlord]

Do we really need 20 pages describing gold in the DMG? Really?

More like 600 reading this thread. They want rules for castles and strongholds, running a kingdom, thief guilds, merchant guilds, temples, the shipping industry, magic shops, and more.