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

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

This speaks to motivation, of course. If the PCs' motivation is NOT to acquire wealth, what is it? Note -- I asked the player characters' motivation, so "gaining levels" is probably not a good one unless the game is very meta. "Gaining power" in a more general sense is better, as is, "finding magic items!" because they things that exist in the world. But then the question comes to "why?" Why does your character want power or magic items?

If we aren't talking about quests to save the princess/realm/world on a clock, if the players have agency over their characters' actions in the world, then they need good motivations. "Gold" is an easy one that suggests the kind of places D&D excels at presenting, namely Dungeons and Dragons' lairs. "Uncovering ancient knowledge" and "finding my mother's heirloom sword wherever she fell in battle" are good ones too, but "get rich" is a concrete, understandable, powerful motivator.

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.

Obviously, there are games that isn't the case, especially among old farts like me, when GP = XP and that encouraged a very specific sort of play, but telling younger players -- the overwhelming majority of players nowadays -- that they're doing it wrong if they're not playing like I did in 1979 is a self-defeating strategy.

The generational thing could certainly explain the vehemence of the folks insisting that SimCastle is an obvious and necessary component of the game, since once upon a time, what sort of fortress your character made at higher levels and what sort of followers they got was in the PHB in the class description.

 

[Sithlord]

Many of these things are special or niche interest that are best done by third parties because so few people are interested. And I do want some of these things. Building a stronghold and managing a kingdom. That’s a whole book. Building and running a guild or thief’s guild, not something for 10 pages in the DMG. Ship combat and buying and maintaining a vessel plus the economics of trade, that’s a book in itself. Do I want those things. Yes. Are they all going to be placed in the PHB or dmg. No. Are they profitable for wotc. Probably not. Can a third party like Matt colville do a great job doing it. Yes.

now for simple ways to spend money. Yes the dmg has that covered. It’s a good book. I recommend more people read it.

 

[Reynard]

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.

Obviously, there are games that isn't the case, especially among old farts like me, when GP = XP and that encouraged a very specific sort of play, but telling younger players -- the overwhelming majority of players nowadays -- that they're doing it wrong if they're not playing like I did in 1979 is a self-defeating strategy.

The generational thing could certainly explain the vehemence of the folks insisting that SimCastle is an obvious and necessary component of the game, since once upon a time, what sort of fortress your character made at higher levels and what sort of followers they got was in the PHB in the class description.

I primarily play with folks my age (GenX) who came into the hobby when Domain Management and War Machine were things, so there's overall a "big picture" and "changing game" vibe in our games. We don't necessarily pinch pennies over each castle crenulation, mind you, but the desire to put one's character's stamp on the world is definitely there. It isn't actually usually building a castle or taming the wilderness, mind you. It is just as often turning the city's urchin's into a spy army, or cracking the barrier between this world and the next, or cornering the market in illegal demon bile mutagenic drugs (not kidding), but there is almost always something driving them beyond "did we win this adventure."

I would actually be curious to know what younger players expect to do after they defeat Zariel, for example. Do they keep playing those characters or do they move on to Frostmaiden? I admit to (probably erroneously) assuming the latter as general rule.

 

[Malmuria]

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.

Obviously, there are games that isn't the case, especially among old farts like me, when GP = XP and that encouraged a very specific sort of play, but telling younger players -- the overwhelming majority of players nowadays -- that they're doing it wrong if they're not playing like I did in 1979 is a self-defeating strategy.

The generational thing could certainly explain the vehemence of the folks insisting that SimCastle is an obvious and necessary component of the game, since once upon a time, what sort of fortress your character made at higher levels and what sort of followers they got was in the PHB in the class description.

Interestingly, I find players don't really care about gold but really like shopping. In fact, wasn't this a critical role thing, where the players always spent a lot of time shopping? The magic item shop is good in this sense as it is fantasy consumerism, though very silly.

 

[Thunder Brother]

I would love to see a list for miscellaneous items, really gold sinks that maybe encourage roleplay. How much does a normal silver ring cost? A gold necklace with an emerald inset? A nice hat? a velvet cloak? Want your players to spend money? Give them something to spend it on.

Tracking durability on weapons and armor would help as well. As it is, that longsword you have is good forever, unless you run into something like a black pudding or rust monster. But for many players that may not be "fun".

 

[Malmuria]

I primarily play with folks my age (GenX) who came into the hobby when Domain Management and War Machine were things, so there's overall a "big picture" and "changing game" vibe in our games. We don't necessarily pinch pennies over each castle crenulation, mind you, but the desire to put one's character's stamp on the world is definitely there. It isn't actually usually building a castle or taming the wilderness, mind you. It is just as often turning the city's urchin's into a spy army, or cracking the barrier between this world and the next, or cornering the market in illegal demon bile mutagenic drugs (not kidding), but there is almost always something driving them beyond "did we win this adventure."

I would actually be curious to know what younger players expect to do after they defeat Zariel, for example. Do they keep playing those characters or do they move on to Frostmaiden? I admit to (probably erroneously) assuming the latter as general rule.

I think the edition you come in on really shapes your expectations for what the game should be. I came in on basic so I relate. I noticed the difference when I started playing 5e with new players (after not playing for a log time), and I brought graph paper and started making the map and asking the dm for precise dimensions of rooms. Everyone else was like, 'wtf are you doing?'

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Interestingly, I find players don't really care about gold but really like shopping. In fact, wasn't this a critical role thing, where the players always spent a lot of time shopping? The magic item shop is good in this sense as it is fantasy consumerism, though very silly.

It worked, because Mercer has such amazingly quirky and memorable shopkeepers.

 

[Reynard]

I would love to see a list for miscellaneous items, really gold sinks that maybe encourage roleplay. How much does a normal silver ring cost? A gold necklace with an emerald inset? A nice hat? a velvet cloak? Want your players to spend money? Give them something to spend it on.

Tracking durability on weapons and armor would help as well. As it is, that longsword you have is good forever, unless you run into something like a black pudding or rust monster. But for many players that may not be "fun".

I don't think "simulationism" is much of a thing anymore. That's not necessarily a bad thing, in that if it has fallen out of fashion there's probably a reason for it. But it seems like now with all kinds of apps handy, most of the "bookwork" of simulation could be offloaded to our phones.

 

[Mistwell]

As a player, even when playing a Rogue, I don't really care about gold.

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

[On a more serious note, I built my rogue to have a goal to create orphanages and organizations which support abandoned kids in the city the adventuring group is based in, to prevent a harsh upbringing like he was subjected to from happening to these kids. Which requires tons of gold and a lot of adventuring to fund that set of goals.]

 

[The Green Hermit]

I would love to see a list for miscellaneous items, really gold sinks that maybe encourage roleplay. How much does a normal silver ring cost? A gold necklace with an emerald inset? A nice hat? a velvet cloak? Want your players to spend money? Give them something to spend it on.

Tracking durability on weapons and armor would help as well. As it is, that longsword you have is good forever, unless you run into something like a black pudding or rust monster. But for many players that may not be "fun".

XTE has some rules for this in its downtime section.