Fantasy Banking-

[Tonguez]

When designing your game world societies, make adventuring group as common as they are in the real world.

I know I've said this before but

IMHO Adventure Parties are like the Mercenary Companies of the 14th/15th Century and it is said that there were more Mercenary Companies operating at the time than standing national armies.

ERGO
although they may not be ubiquitous, in a world with rampaging monsters and haunted ruins with untold treasures I'd guess that there would be a least enough adventure parties around for them (as a class) to have developed a reputation which can be insured against

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

...in a world with rampaging monsters and haunted ruins with untold treasures I'd guess that there would be a least enough adventure parties around for them (as a class) to have developed a reputation which can be insured against

I totally agree.

By comparison while there are tornados, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and so forth, they do not happen to every house. But they do happen enough to justify getting insurance protection. So then, while there may not be as many adventuring companies as bakers, there are still enough of them to justify the rich and infamous getting adventurer attack insurance.

Back on subject, what would you like to see in this kind of book?

I am thinking of adding:

• Some kind of infernally created “metal virus” which turns gold to lead.

• The government trying to pay for keeping a large army without disrupting the economy so it creates electrum pieces in an attempt to free up gold.

• A demi-plane that is entirely a bank vault and may be reached by multiple banks belong to the same owner.

 

[Storminator]

I love this stuff. I'd love to see things on

What happens to a paper money economy (or partially paper money) when the central bank gets destroyed/conquered/stolen (adventurers toss the Bag of Holding into the Portable Hole while inside the vault...)

When a shipping company defrauds their insurance agent, who gets sent to collect the now-pirate ship?

Anything about contracts has a million uses, forging, enforcing, entering into (voluntary Mark of Justice)...

Effects of the long lived races on banking. Compound interest times elven live span = very rich elf!

That's all I've got right now, but I'd definitely be interested.

PS

 

[DragonLancer]

Good luck with the booklet.

My only thoughts are do you really need a book such as this, when despite being a very interesting read, its just going to add more complication to the game.

I know thats rather negative sounding, but I don't mean to put you off the effort.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

...its just going to add more complication to the game.

Technically speaking, every supplement, canned adventure and source book ever made has added to the complexity of the game.

That said, I think a little info on a bank could be useful if for no other reason than to allow the PCs to rob the place – to say nothing of trying to finance the mage’s pitchblende golem.

 

[Bran Blackbyrd]

Just thought I'd mention that there are banks in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books. Off the top of my head I think there's a modest section of New Spring (the novel) that deals with letters of credit and such.

I've said before that with enough ranks in Forgery and enough cajones you can practically write your own money. But then, that's only if you have institutions in your game world that work with things like letters of credit, a letter of rights, or borrowing against your property or family name (if you're a noble).
What happens to you when the king finds out someone is stealing money from him through forged letters of credit is another story...

Forging a deed to "your enormous tracts of land" and then borrowing large sums of money using the land as collateral seems safer.

Think about this; in a world where a guy with a sword can go out, kill the beast, and literally come home a few days later with a lifetime's (for a commoner anyway) worth of wealth, why wouldn't someone offer to fund him.
If your PC comes back from slaying the dragon or what have you and dumps his money in the bank, that bank will prosper. After you've proven you aren't just getting lucky, the bank might even let you borrow against your reputation as a competent monster-hunter so you can buy better equipment. They fund your venture for a cut of the treasure and the right to house your cut in their banks. They might keep equipment on hand to lend to you if it becomes common practice.
Sure, you might die in some far away dungeon and the bank will lose the +3 flaming sword they loaned you, but is it any riskier than some of the financial gambles certain institutions make these days?

That's not even touching the idea of private investors funding you, but that's a bit too far off-topic.

 

[glass]

Just thought I'd mention that there are banks in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books. Off the top of my head I think there's a modest section of New Spring (the novel) that deals with letters of credit and such.

IIRC banks and letters of credit pop up several times in the Wheel of Time series. Partially inspired me to include banks in my own world.

Could do with fleshing out though, so I'd definately be interested in a banking book.


glass.

 

[Bran Blackbyrd]

IIRC banks and letters of credit pop up several times in the Wheel of Time series. Partially inspired me to include banks in my own world.

Absolutely.
Banking doesn't have to be a huge complicated addition to the rules, it can be modular. Add as much as you are ready to deal with. It takes zero effort to let players know that there is a banking institution with buildings in the larger cities and that, rather than carrying around a few hundred pounds of coins, gems, art, etc. They can leave it all at the bank and simply carry around a slip of paper with a seal on it.

The interesting stuff comes when a rogue tries to steal their papers. One slip of parchment is SO much easier to steal than a wagonload of booty.
Maybe I'll start carrying my stuff around in a ceramic lined metal scroll case, since getting set on fire and having your 20,000GP IOU go up in smoke would stink! Where's your mend spell now? Haha!

And let's be honest; who wouldn't get a kick out of having their PC forge one little document thus bilking a bank or (an evil) noble house out of thousands!

The DM's fun starts when the sore loser sends a bounty hunter after the forgers. Just because you fooled the banker and got away with the cash doesn't mean you're off the hook.
It's not even necessary for them to send a bounty hunter. A bank with a prescence in the majority of large cities in your campaign world could send a rider (teleport?) to each of the closest cities and inform the branches of your crime. Try the same grift, or even to do business in the next city and your goose is cooked. They're waiting for you. The rider will probably get there first because he's going straight to the next town and your party is probably stopping along the way to end an ancient curse and loot the tomb of "Im Arich Deadguy".

 

[Numion]

Think about this; in a world where a guy with a sword can go out, kill the beast, and literally come home a few days later with a lifetime's (for a commoner anyway) worth of wealth, why wouldn't someone offer to fund him.

Because the moneylender can't possibly know if he's lending the money to a group of NPC adventurers instead of PC adventurers? The latter is a sure shot and great return for money, but the former is rather risky. NPC adventurers are just an adventure hook waiting to happen

 

[Hand of Evil]

Because the moneylender can't possibly know if he's lending the money to a group of NPC adventurers instead of PC adventurers? The latter is a sure shot and great return for money, but the former is rather risky. NPC adventurers are just an adventure hook waiting to happen

Another way this could be resolved is by adventuring companies, these are established groups that hire adventures to perform a task, the adventures are paid a flat fee and the company gets the wealth from the adventure. This would perform a few functions in games: keeping the income of the players controled and force the players somewhere down the line in creating their own adventure group (fame and rep).